A Dark Night
By Bell Stoires
© Bell Stoires 2012
Book One of ‘The Grandor Descendent’ Series
Ariana Sol had always lived in the sunny city of Brisbane. Brisbane was her home and the very last place she might
have suspected anything unusual to happen.
But strange things were happening. In one night Ari’s entire world was turned upside down, when a stranger rescued
her from nearly being raped. She went from being an orphan with no one to care for her, to being held prisoner by
the very person who had promised to keep her safe. But this stranger wasn’t normal, hell he wasn’t even human…
His name was Ragon and he was a vampire.
Soon Ari finds herself in the middle of an epic immortal love triangle, as Ragon calls on reinforcements to keep his
promise to the girl he rescued. But what are Ragon’s true reasons for wanting to protect Ari? There is something he
isn’t telling her, something that will change everything she thought she knew about her past, something that will
shape her future.
Text copyright © 2012 by Bell Stoires
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written
permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other
noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed
“Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
Bellstoires@gmail.com
www.Bellstoires.com
Ordering Information:
Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For
details, contact the publisher at the address above.
The Characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is
coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author would like to thank Edge Concept Photography for front cover photography, illuminatedimagery for front
cover graphic design and Begitta Design for styling and provision of gowns for use in cover art.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1- A DARK NIGHT ............................................................................................................................................... 4
CHAPTER 2- ENTER KIARA ............................................................................................................................................... 12
CHAPTER 3- A DOUBLE RESCUE ....................................................................................................................................... 24
CHAPTER 4- RETURNED FAVOUR ......................................................................................................................................... 30
CHAPTER 5- THE COVEN ..................................................................................................................................................... 38
CHAPTER 6- SOURCES ......................................................................................................................................................... 46
CHAPTER 7- A TIME FOR ANSWERS ...................................................................................................................................... 56
CHAPTER 8- HUNTING IN STYLE ........................................................................................................................................... 70
CHAPTER 9- AN ALLEYWAY CONFESSION ............................................................................................................................... 81
CHAPTER 10- DATE NIGHT .................................................................................................................................................. 94
CHAPTER 11- A LAST MINUTE GUEST .................................................................................................................................. 106
CHAPTER 12- REJECTION .................................................................................................................................................. 121
CHAPTER 13- THE HALLOWEEN PARTY ............................................................................................................................... 129
CHAPTER 14- IN THE AFTERMATH ...................................................................................................................................... 142
CHAPTER 15 - PATRICKS FLEDGLING ................................................................................................................................... 156
CHAPTER 16 – A VISION ................................................................................................................................................... 171
Chapter 17- Clyde’s Decision ........................................................................................................................................ 179
Chapter 18- Limbo......................................................................................................................................................... 185
Chapter 19- A Stroll Through The Morgue.................................................................................................................... 190
Chapter 20- A Great Cost .............................................................................................................................................. 203
Chapter 21- Exit Kiara ................................................................................................................................................... 210
Chapter 22- An Unexpected Journey ............................................................................................................................ 220
Epilogue......................................................................................................................................................................... 232
CHAPTER 1- A DARK NIGHT
The dull hush that had washed over the library since it had almost emptied was peaceful, until a small thud
sounded waking Ari instantly. The disturbance had been caused from her head falling against the thick notebook on
the desk below. Glancing down at her wrist watch, she rolled her eyes; it was just after 11pm.
It was the end of another exhausting day at university. Ariana was tired, not only from studying for her mid semester
exam which was tomorrow at 8am, but also from the extra shift she had taken at work to cover her rent for the
week. Ari lived in a small studio apartment in Paddington. The rent was expensive because her building was so close
to the university she attended and real estate in that area was sky rocketing. Since the age of 18, when she was no
longer a ward of the state, money had always been tight. With no family to speak of, a full time study load, and her
government allowance barely covering the rent, she’d had to take on a part time job. Still, she didn’t complain. Her
social lifestyle was almost non-existent, which meant that she saved a lot by not going out drinking every other night
with the rest of the people from her year.
For just shy of two years she had been enrolled in the Bachelor of veterinary science at the University of Brisbane. As
the name suggested, the university was close to Brisbane City, which meant that most of the attendees were highly
fashionable while she wasn’t; this aided in her ability to cut costs. Gifted with high cheek bones and a well-shaped
body, Ari got away with wearing things off the ten dollar rack, or else skimmings from the St Vinnie’s bin.
Though her social calendar was almost always empty, Ari never found herself without anything to preoccupy her
time. Studying vet at university was hectic. Tonight Ari tried desperately to remain focused on the 2nd edition of the
veterinary pathology textbook that she was reading. For the past hour or so the words on the page had slowly begun
to blur and she found herself re-reading over sections of the book, that were slipping from her head without leaving
the faintest trace. Without noticing, her head had been slowly lowering towards the book laid in front of her, so that
it was an inch or so away from the tiny print when her eyes finally gave up on the fight to pull the words into focus.
“Another all-nighter,” she whispered to herself as she stacked her books into a pile, before sliding them into her bag.
Fortunately for Ari, the university offered after-hours library access for students; this made her obsession with
studying and lack of social events all the more achievable. There were still a few tired faces glued to books that she
passed on her way to the third floor landing. Walking down the wide wooden staircase, Ari clung tightly to the
railings, afraid her exhausted feet might give out under her. When she finally reached the bottom, she waved kindly
at the tall Asian security guard who manned the library information desk on the ground floor. Neither knew the
other’s name, but Ari had seen him often enough to afford him this common courtesy without seeming too
presumptuous. As she swiped her university ID card at the automatic door, it buzzed loudly and opened to let her
out.
Just before replacing her student ID back into her wallet, Ari glanced down at her card. The picture was from a few
years ago, when she had first started studying a different bachelor’s degree. Though she had almost finished the
second year of an entirely different degree, she had not changed much in that time. She was 24 years old, with long
warm chocolate brown hair, which was straight or wavy depending on the weather. Often she wore it half up and
half down, with wisps of hair framing her face. Her face was oval, but her high cheek bones, slender pointed nose,
and definitive chin gave her a ‘classic beauty’ appearance. Her long eyelashes were complimented by large dark blue
eyes, although one would turn green if she was sad or angry, a fact the students at her high school had made fun of
from the moment they discovered this.
Walking from the library at night was always a little unnerving. Ari parked her car on a side street close to the
University and from there it took her about ten minutes to get to class. Still, tonight the sky was particularly dark. Off
in the distance a noise rang through the deserted campus. For a moment Ari listened hard, but she couldn’t quite
place what the source of it might be; it was too late for a football match. Glancing around the heavily shadowed path
that she now took, Ari tried desperately to make out the footpath. The moon shone valiantly in the sky, but its small
rim of light barely managed to break through the thick conifer forest she was making her way past. Despite Ari’s
overwhelmingly ominous feeling due to the lack of light, the University really was a beautiful campus. Large lakes
adorned by water features were prominent on the eastern side, while well tendered sports fields occupied the west
and south. Here, facing north, a large bamboo and conifer forest was prominent. It gave the University a lush green
appearance, masking the typical dry warm climate that was typical of Brisbane City. During the day, the dark and
light greens of the leaves and the whoosh of wind past the hollow bamboo stalks were calming. However, now the
rustling leaves caused from the chilly wind sounded eerie and, without any lights to guide her way, prompted the
feeling of foreboding rather than serenity. An odd creeping sense ran up Ari’s back, immediately followed by a cold
chill which settled in her heart. She was looking though her school bag for her keys when she finally realised what
the noise in the distance was: music.
“Thursday smoko,” she whispered to herself, smiling slightly as she pictured the many university students who were
probably at this very moment exceedingly drunk and dancing like no one was watching.
Every third Thursday, the University put on smokos. These events were targeted for the students who loved to party,
such as those just out of high school or simply still young at heart. Though it was the head of school who allowed the
events, it was the social committee who ensured a constant supply of alcohol, giving boys more courage and girls
less common sense. Ari wasn’t opposed to drinking, but she knew that it was the last thing she needed the night
before a big exam.
“Hey beautiful,” a voice called from behind her.
Turning around before she could stop herself, Ari saw a group of four or five guys that were walking close behind
her.
“Err hey,” Ari responded, turning back around quickly to face the path and redoubling her efforts to find her keys as
she forced her legs to work harder.
“Where you going so quickly?” One of the boys asked in an overtly slurred tone.
Instantly Ari felt uneasy. She was no stranger to unwanted attention such as this. For a moment she prepared a witty
retort in her head, until a soft whisper and the pitter-patter of jogging feet met her ears, just as a horrible feeling
caught up with her. It was an unnatural sensation, something she had never felt before: a warning. Her instinct was
to run, but by the time she had made up her mind to flee, it was already too late. Ari heard someone running
towards her and watched as they quickly overtook her, so that they were soon in front. There was no way of
outrunning them; she was completely surrounded.
“I have an exam tomorrow,” Ari said out loud to the three guys who faced her, “and my boyfriend is waiting for me
just over there in his car, so I better hurry.”
She had hoped that lying about having a boyfriend close by might disparage the guy’s attentions. Almost instantly
she realised how wrong she was. At first no one answered her, so she continued to stare up at the heavily shadowed
faces, until she realised that they had begun reducing the size of the circle they had formed around her; like sharks
around prey the group inched closer. Now, only feet away from her pursuers, Ari was able to make out certain
features that had been obscured before by the darkness. They were all young guys, around her age, and judging by
their build, looked as if they belonged to a football club or equivalent. Ari grimaced as they leered at her, wobbling
slightly on their feet and giving off the strong smell of alcohol and stale tobacco. That explained the slurring; they
were drunk.
“Well nice meeting-” Ari began before she felt someone behind her cup their hands over her mouth.
Alarm bells were ringing as Ari began to kick out hard at the boys who faced her while flinging her arms in the air,
desperate to get away. The fear that rushed at her was like nothing she had ever experienced before, while plan
after plan of escape and self-defence flashed in her mind. Before she knew it, a large sweaty hand covered her
mouth, while hands belonging to the others fought to restrain her. Her eyes were wide and wild and her heart was
racing in her chest. Wisps of hair clung to her face, transforming her normally innocent disposition into a frenzied
one.
“-Stop,” she screamed after biting down on one of her attacker’s hands that had been covering her mouth.
Almost as soon as she had cried out however she was silenced, when a hard hand slapped her in the face instantly
stifling her plea. Two fearful eyes stared back at the boy and she tasted his salty coppery blood on her lips, from
where she had bitten him. She thought again of screaming, but anticipating this one of the boys had gagged her,
forcing some sort of rag into her mouth and tying it tight behind her head. Horrid retched thoughts were screaming
at her, warning her what would be coming next and she jerked and fought as best she could until hands began
grabbing every inch of her, grasping her hard as they tried to keep her still. Suddenly she was jolted backwards and
she felt herself being dragged off the footpath and into the surrounding conifer and bamboo forest. Staring up at the
nights sky, Ari felt her eyes well with tears as the realisation of her situation settled in the pit of her stomach.
“Looks like we got ourselves a fighter,” one of the boys said and all around her there were jeers and laughter.
Ari was absolutely terrified, more so than any other moment in her life. She looked up at the boy who clasped her
ankles and kicked out against him in vain. He was tall, with a strong jaw and black hooded jumper that read ‘UB
Sports’. Silent tears had spilled out of her eyes and were rolling down her face when he leant down to her and tore
her shirt open. She tried desperately to cling at her top and cover herself, but both her hands were being restrained
by two others on either side of her. Still laughing, the black hooded boy removed the rag in her mouth and tried to
kiss her. Instantly she clenched her jaw shut grinding her teeth together, desperate to ward off his affections. In
response a sharp pain shot through her mouth and she felt two powerful hands clasping hard at her face, forcing her
to relinquish her resistance. Slowly her mouth was wedged open and Ari jerked for a moment until the pain was
unbearable, and she surrendered. As soon as her lips parted he kissed her roughly and she sobbed hard at the
feeling of his slimy tongue jabbing every inch of her mouth. The taste of him made her sick and she fought against
the bile that was threatening to surge upwards, as she tried to bite down and end the kiss. The moment she tried
this two fingers pushed against her jaw, locking it open, forcing her to endure it.
The moment he released her, Ari slumped backwards and instantly felt someone behind her cupped their hands over
her mouth, silencing her. At the same time the two next to her holding her arms pushed her up so that she was
kneeling. Her knees dug painfully into the hard dirt; small pinecones stuck into her skin as she was forced further
down.
“Hmm,” the black hooded boy said as he began unbuckling his belt, “pull her head back.”
Instantly Ari’s hair was pulled tight, forcing her head all the way back to stare at the boy directly behind her. He was
the largest of the four and wore the same jumper. His dark beady eyes were staring transfixed at Ari and Ari
returned his stare; her eyes plastered in fear, as a crocked ruthless smile spread across his face.
“I’m first,” said the boy with the black hoody.
Ari felt the two boys that were holding her hands tighten their grip in anticipation. Her eyes shut instantly, forcing a
tear out, and she held her breath waiting while a rush of shivers swept over her, making her tremble. Her mind was
too panicked to do anything other than scream useless insults at her attackers which were muffled by the hand that
spread across her face. Every muscle in her body was tensed, preparing to fight, but she was too well restrained, all
she could do was jerk insignificantly, while her capturers tightened their grip.
Suddenly, and without warning, she was flung forwards. Her hair was momentarily pulled tight, as the two boys that
were holding her relinquished their grips. Face down on the forest floor she knew that something had gone wrong.
One of the boys was screaming; their high pitched yelps broke the stillness of the night, bringing even more terror
into the forest. Ari whirled around quickly and saw a stranger, shrouded by shadows, who was breaking the necks of
the two that had restrained her. They fell to the ground quickly, like marionettes whose strings had been cut. Next
he moved over to the boy who had held her hair and instantly the boy began to flee. The stranger watched this, his
head cocked to one side as the boy scrambled to escape. For a moment Ari thought that the boy with the crocked
smile would get away. Then, impossibly fast, the stranger caught up to him. Clasping onto the hood of his jumper, he
pulled the boy so that he fell backwards and a loud cracking noise reverberated through the forest. Chancing a
glance, Ari looked at the broken body of the third boy on the floor. He had fallen oddly, his torso and legs bent in
opposite angles, so that he lied contorted, just like his crocked smile. Somehow she knew from his motionless form
that he was dead also. The last boy was cowering near Ari on the forest floor, praying or whispering something that
she couldn’t hear.
The night was so dark that until now, Ari had not been able to see anything of the stranger who had rescued her, just
a dark frame. Now as he walked towards her, she found herself breathless.
“Please no,” the boy in the black hoody mumbled at his approach.
The stranger smiled and his face was suddenly lit by the small moon, whose long rays shone down to reveal just how
handsome he was. Still in shock, all Ari registered of the man were his large green eyes, which were now fixed
hungrily on his prey. From where she still lay crumpled on the forest floor, Ari stared up at the stranger unblinking.
His intense jade eyes captured her attention entirely, and though her head was screaming for her to run, she could
not. Taking a few more steps forwards, the stranger stood directly in front of the crouching boy. The boy was
trembling staring transfixed at the ground; he was clearly too afraid to run or scream and unable to look up. If he had
of, then the boy in the black hoody would have been horrified to see two large, white fangs protrude from the
mouth of the man. Ari however had seen this and gasped out loud when a beam of moonlight fell on the stranger’s
fangs. All Ari could do was watch mesmerised. The fangs were nearly twice the size of normal canines with sharp
pointed ends and reminded her of a cat, like a cheetah or lion.
A last attempt of fleeing crossed the boy’s mind, as he glanced from side to side but it was quickly brushed aside.
Only his eyes told the story of his fear; everything else waited patiently. The boy never screamed, not even after the
stranger dragged him to his feet by the throat and then stared at him with such furious hatred. Ari watched in horror
as the boy’s head was forced to one side, exposing his neck. For a few moments he continued to dangle and Ari felt
her hands reach out behind her as she inched away. The next instant the stranger struck at him and large white fangs
united with mortal flesh, in a horrifying union. Still holding onto his prey, the stranger did not release the boy right
away, but continued to lash at his throat viciously, almost hungrily. Blood from the boy’s jugular gurgled for a
moment from the gaping hole, staining the forest floor, and a second later the body of the last boy fell unmercifully
to the ground as a last, dying gasp escaped him. Ari looked at the boy’s frozen face ; his eyes were still wide open,
although his pupils were fixed and dilated, as if his last moments of life had been disbelief and sheer terror.
It took a few moments for reality to catch up with her. As it did, she stared around at the bodies scattered
throughout the forest floor. Mirroring Ari, the stranger stood for a moment also conveying the scene. The way that
the stranger seemed to search the area with his eyes made Ari think that he was checking to make sure they were
alone.
“Are you alright?” He asked not turning to face her, but still surveying for any witnesses.
To her surprise his voice was kind and when Ari didn’t answer right away, he quickly looked at her then reached out
a pale hand. Ari blinked up at him from where she still sat on the forest floor. For a moment all manner of thoughts
rushed at her head, until everything became too much and she fainted.
***
It was several hours before Ari woke again. At first she stirred, as if waking from a bad dream, but then she sat up
quickly, the blood rushing to her head as her hands traced the cold stone bench she had been lying on. A sudden
throbbing pain coming from her head made her reach up and she felt swelling across her cheek just as the few hours
of her life flashed back fragmented, like a silent movie. Flashes of boys leering at her came to her, but she had no
memory of how she had gotten here. A slow shiver ran down her and she realised that she was wearing a thin white
dress that she did not own. Moving to the edge of the bench, she slipped down off it and instantly her bare feet met
cold stone. Where had her shoes gone? Her eyes tried to adapt to the darkness, but there was not enough light, so
she stared into nothingness, blinking dumbly.
“Hello,” she called out and the soft echo of her call bounced off the thick stone walls of the room she was in,
reverberating for a moment until it faded.
There was no reply and she was just about to call again when suddenly there was a loud clicking noise, and what
sounded like two pieces of wood scrapping against each other. A squeaking sound signified a rusty door swinging
open and Ari glanced around wildly.
“You are awake,” someone said.
Looking into the distance, Ari saw the outline of a man walking towards her. There was a candle in his hands, which
lit a small brick room with a warm orange glow. The stonework was pale, with moss creeping from the cracks. The
room was circular, no bigger than 10 feet squared, with only a small window and a large wooden door adorning it. In
fact, aside from the stone bench she had laid on, the only other thing in the room was a small glass-top table. The
dismal warmth that the candle brought was by no means enough to outweigh the damp, dank feeling infused by the
ancient stone room. There was a sense of decay that gave it the overwhelming feeling of loss. Suddenly the light
from the candle highlighted the man’s features. The fiery gold of the flame seemed to mix with the green of his eyes,
leaving Ari feeling as though she were staring at endless rolling hills, behind which the sun was setting. The recent
trauma still restricted part of her memory and she stared up at the gorgeous stranger, desperate to remember
anything that preceded her being in this room.
The man looked to be in his late twenties; he had dark unkempt hair covering his forehead and reaching a few inches
above his shoulder. His top eyelids were darkened, enhancing his long eyelashes, and augmenting his emerald eyes.
As he moved closer to Ari, she became more bedazzled. His oval face, full lips, and strong jaw had captured her
attention entirely, and though her head was screaming for her to run, she could not.
“Are you ok?” The stranger asked again, this time looking at Ari with what might have been concern, although she
was not certain.
“Where am I?” Ari asked, her voice rasping. The stranger moved to answer her, but Ari had interrupted him before
he could begin. “And what am I wearing?” She asked.
Immediately he looked down at the ground embarrassed, but not before tracing the white dress he must have
clothed her in hours before.
Digging his feet into the ground and shifting his weight he mumbled, “Your clothes were torn and bloody…”
He didn’t make eye contact with her, but continued to search for a way to explain his reasoning, hoping that she
might understand.
“What happened to my bag… my phone… my shoes?” Ari asked, realizing that all of her possessions were missing.
“You dropped them at the Uni,” he replied not making eye contact, but rather glancing around the room nervously
so that instantly Ari thought he was being untruthful.
“Oh, right,” Ari said hoping to keep her voice steady, while trying to recall more of last night’s events without
alerting this man to her true fears.
The moment Ari locked eyes with him a sudden tug at her mind had her recalling some of the events from the
previous night. She saw the boys attacking her and recalled the way a stranger had rescued her. Her eyes widened
when she realised the man standing before her now had saved her. On her lips were the words ‘thank you’, but as
the events from the night continued to flood her memory, she recalled the boys at the Uni who had attacked her. A
large shiver ran up her back and settled in her arms.
“And those guys…” Ari began, too afraid to finish the sentence that her head was screaming for her to ask.
At her words the stranger pulled his gaze back to the ground. His hands were suddenly bawled into fists, and his eyes
narrowed, giving his thoughts the appearance of molten and fire. Looking at him, Ari was terrified. Instantly she
thought that he might attack her and so she stood perfectly still, holding her breath in anticipation. In response he
shook his head once, shifting his weight nervously.
“It’s ok. They won’t be able to hurt you again,” he said, moving still closer to Ari. “They won’t be able to hurt anyone
else, ever again.”
This close, Ari could make out the stubble that lined her rescuer’s face. She breathed in deeply, inhaling the damp
smell of the room. Suddenly, new memories from last night came flooding back. Ari pictured the four boys slowly
closing in on her.
What had happened next? She tried desperately to remember how she had ended up here.
“Why did they attack me?” Ari asked, backing away from the stranger slowly.
Perhaps if she had of been in a normal frame of mind then she would have known that her rescuer could not know
the answer to this question. But she was not in a normal frame of mind; she was strife with shock and she stared at
him, desperate for an explanation as to why this had happened to her. He was close enough now that Ari could see
the sad look in his eyes. It gave him an almost a puppy dog appearance, as though he were at the pound hoping to
be adopted.
“They were monsters,” he said simply.
Ari watched his lips as he spoke. There was something unnerving about his mouth; something that she couldn’t quite
put her finger on. The word monster too had stirred something in her memory but she couldn’t place her finger on it.
“What the hell are you?” Ari asked moving back towards the edge of the room so that she was pressed up against
the brick wall.
It was as if a veil had lifted and the final piece of the puzzle fell into place. Ari recalled the man standing before her
rescuing her from the boys that had attacked her last night. How he had moved faster than any man possibly could.
How he had broken bones as if they were twigs from a branch. How there had been fangs from where his canines
should be. How he had reached down to the boy who had almost raped her and bit him; how he had drunk his
blood.
A deep low sigh escaped the man in response and he moved away from Ari and sat on the floor near the door,
putting as much space as possible between them. Had Ari thought his eyes had been sad before, then that was
nothing to how they looked now. But she shouldn’t feel sorry for him; she should feel afraid, terrified: bloody
freaking horrified.
Wincing without making eye contact he asked, “Can you not guess?”
Guess? What was this a game? How the hell was she supposed to know what he was? This whole situation felt make
believe. Perhaps she was going insane? Maybe she had had some sort of psychotic break, brought on by her attack?
Desperate to cling onto anything that made sense, Ari put her hands over her ears and rocked back and forth on the
spot. She was humming a little to herself, trying to cling onto something that felt real. She forced herself to
remember something true, anything that was factual; her first time driving a car, the moment she realised she had
been accepted into Vet, her first kiss. All of these thoughts rang through her head, as if she were watching an
abridged version of her life on fast forward. From the firmness of her memories one thought leaked through,
bringing even more confusion; her favourite book Dracula. But that was impossible; it was a story. Without having
any parents, she had learnt early on that things like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy were make
believe. But she had seen this, seen his fangs. Perhaps they were fake; Prosthetics? But no, it wasn’t just that! He
had moved too fast, been too strong.
The only thing that made sense bought another wave of shivers over Ari and an odd smile smeared across her face,
giving her the appearance of a deranged person. “Vampire,” she whispered.
He nodded once saying, “I am sorry.”
“But you saved me!” Ari yelled, trying to make sense of his apology. “You can’t be-”
Her words were cut off almost instantly when the man stood quickly and blurred over to her. Her hair rushed across
her face at his approach and her eyes bulged. He was leering down at her, an inch away from her face and then he
showed her his fangs. A whimper escaped Ari’s throat and she closed her eyes until a hand grasped her elbow.
“You see what I am,” he whispered breathing heavily as he shook her slightly.
Still Ari kept her eyes closed as a silent tear slipped from underneath her eyelids.
“Look at me,” the man said and Ari forced her eyes open revealing watery eyelashes, as one green and one blue eye
stared back in horror at the vampire.
“Please,” she mumbled, uncertain of what to say. “Please just let me go.”
“I can’t. You know what I am and you will not be safe with that secret,” he responded, releasing his grip on her so
that she fell to the ground.
“I won’t tell anyone…” Ari began, moving cautiously away from him.
“Have you not seen?” he said, moving again to her so quickly that she cried out in fear. “Do you think I wanted it to
be like this?”
At these words Ari steadied her breathing and stared up at him.
“Others will find you and they will kill you for knowing my secret. Vampirism is a lonely path, but it is kept this way
so that mortals do not know of us,” he said.
“I can’t stay here!” Ari said in a low and cautious voice.
She had an exam tomorrow and, more importantly, an entirely normal life that she had to return to.
Seeming to realise himself, the man moved away from Ari and back towards the door, shaking his head as he did so.
When he turned to face Ariana, his face was emotionless. “I can’t risk her finding-” he began but stopped himself
quickly, temporarily looking away, as if angry. “My name is Ragon and I will try my best to look after you.”
CHAPTER 2- ENTER KIARA
One whole day had passed since Ari had been rescued by Ragon. She had lived mostly in silence and
darkness since that time as her rescuer, now captor, had not spoken to her since. Religiously, meals had been
brought to her. Each time the food appeared there was no sign of their arrival, or Ragon, and she was only made
aware of them by the delicious smell that they would create, wafting over to her from the shadows of her prison.
She had tried calling out to him, even screaming, but it had made no difference; he did not answer her. She had no
idea where she was, or if she was even still in Brisbane. Repeatedly she had tried breaking out of the room, but it
was impregnable. The thick stone shielded her from notice and provided a fortress from the outside. It was late on
her second night of imprisonment when Ragon finally graced her with his presence again.
Ari heard the door creak open and raced over to it, desperate for human or any kind of contact.
“Ragon!” She exclaimed when she saw his face.
He smiled at her lightly and moved over to the floor to sit down as he had done before. Once again he carried a
candle which lit his face majestically, the orange glow highlighting his marble features, and Ari was reminded of just
how handsome he was until she recalled the way he had glared down at her, exposing his fangs and she forced
herself to supress a shiver.
“Ari,” he whispered. “I am sorry. I have not cared for you as I had promised. I was arranging some things.”
“I can’t stay here. I can’t live like this,” she pleaded before he held out his hand to silence her.
“I know. It has taken me longer to acquire suitable accommodations for you, hence my apologies,” he said sadly.
“But,” Ari said.
“But I have found you somewhere you can stay and be safe. We leave my family home tonight,” he said standing up
and moving to the door.
Ari followed obediently, excited to be leaving the stone prison she had spent countless hours in. She wanted nothing
more than to argue with Ragon about her imprisonment, but she was too afraid that this might anger him. Though
he had saved her from being raped, he had also killed her attackers. She had no idea what he would do to her if she
attempted to flee. Suddenly a loud slamming noise pulled Ari from these thoughts and she watched as Ragon locked
the door to the room she had been kept in, slowly sliding a large wooden sleeper into a cradle across the wall.
The next room that Ari walked into was a little lighter than the room she had been kept in. Large candles adorned a
central table and shone in concert with the one that Ragon continued to cradle in his outstretched hand.
“This is your family home?” Ari asked, straining her eyes.
She was standing in what appeared to be a large circular room. The walls were made of the same stone as the room
she had stayed in, but unlike that room in this one there were deep grooves in the face of the walls, where small
grottoes held various shaped vessels. Sensing an odd foreboding feeling, Ari moved backwards hitting something
hard and cold.
As her eyes focused on one of the grottoes, she saw a shiny metallic plaque beneath the urn and read out the
inscription in a whisper, “Lillian Patrick 1756 to 1895.”
She was in a tomb.
“My mother,” Ragon whispered in reply.
Ari jumped, surprised to find that what she had been leaning against was in fact Ragon’s cold body and she quickly
back away from him.
She could make out from the strained sadness on his face that her actions had hurt him and she said, “You startled
me,” hoping to spare his feelings.
Ragon did not reply, but straightened himself then blurred away from her. For a few moments Ari blinked, caught off
guard by his speed. When she looked around she realised that the door to the mausoleum was open. Without
warning a harsh revving sounded, breaking the crisp silence. Taking one last glance around the dark room, Ari saw a
large stone crypt in the centre, on top of which the words ‘Sarah & George Hutton’ were etched into the stone.
There were no dates below this as there had been with Ragon’s mother, but the words evoked a strange feeling, as if
Ari had heard the names before. Another loud rev of an engine broke her attention and she walked out of the
mausoleum and into the night, closing the large door of the tomb behind her. As soon as she stepped onto the rocky
ground, the cool night air sent shivers down her back. For a moment she looked around, desperately hoping that she
would recognise where she was and then gasped. There were scattered graves and tombstones all around her. Some
were decaying with age, others were shining brightly and made from marble that would stand the test of time.
“You live in a cemetery?” She asked, her voice mimicking the horror that she felt from this realization.
Ragon had returned over to her and pointed at the tomb they had just been in. Just barely readable were the words
‘Patricks Familia.’ “My family’s mausoleum and my home,” he said before moving away to a nearby clearing.
“Which cemetery is this?” Ari asked.
“Toowong Cemetery,” Ragon replied and instantly Ari knew that they must still be in Brisbane.
Seriously, Ari thought, a vampire living in a cemetery… cliché?
Trying not to be overtaken by the sense of foreboding at being in a cemetery with a vampire at night, Ari scanned
the landscape desperate for a way to escape. As would have been expected at night, the graveyard was entirely
deserted. A loud hooting noise made Ari look up desperately for someone until she realised that an owl sitting in a
large oak above had made the noise. For one insane moment the idea of simply running crossed her mind, but she
still had no idea which graveyard she was in and she doubted that her second place in junior track would be enough
to let her outrun a vampire. Dismissing all notions of escape, Ari followed quickly and realised that the revving she
had heard was coming from a large black motorcycle parked off to the side in the clearing where Ragon stood. He
held a small helmet and placed it gently on Ari’s head when she approached before tying the buckles effortlessly. A
slight rustling in a nearby bush caught Ragon’s attention and he quickly raced away before frantically searching the
surrounding area. Ari watched as he blurred through the cemetery leaping from tomb to tomb as he hunted for the
cause of the disturbance. After a few minutes he returned.
“Just a possum I guess,” he said taking one final glance around the cemetery.
“As opposed to what, an axe murderer?” Ari asked unable to hide the annoyance in her voice.
She was of course angry at her situation, but the presence of the motorcycle made her even more uneasy and she
glared at it and Ragon haphazardly. After a moment, in which she did not move, Ragon lifted her effortlessly onto
the pavilion seat then threw himself on, revving the engine again before taking off. Instantly Ari gripped onto him,
her hands held tight around his waist, as the wind forced her white dress to creep past her thighs. As he rode out of
the cemetery, Ragon continued to scan the area for any sign of movement.
Unbeknownst to him or Ari, two bright honey coloured eyes blinked once from behind a crumbling angelic statue
and watched him leave before vanishing into the night.
It wasn’t a particularly cold night as was custom for Brisbane’s summer weather, but Ari shivered during most of the
journey. The wind whipped past her violently, bringing wave after wave of goose bumps to the surface of her skin
just as her teeth clambered in her mouth. Without warning Ragon suddenly pulled the bike over to the side of the
road. Instantly Ari looked around, searching the road for any traffic. Without giving much thought to the
consequences, Ari drew in a large breath, ready to scream, when Ragon suddenly pulled his jacket off and wrapped it
around her shoulders. At this point all the air in her lungs left and she felt oddly deflated. Instantly she shook her
head. What was she thinking? How could she miss her one chance to scream for help? Now desperate, Ari glanced
around at the surrounding houses. The absence of lights shining through the windows made Ari think that it must be
very late. Without thinking to talk herself out of it, Ari let out a piercing blood curdling scream. Instantly two things
happened in fast succession; Ragon’s icy hand pressed against her mouth and he revved the engine, drowning out
her scream. For a moment the pair stared at each other, but then, without so much as a word, Ragon sped away
removing his hand from Ari’s mouth to take the bike handle.
Occasionally Ragon would glance back at Ari, else look around, as if checking they weren’t being followed. At one
point he kept glancing back at a car that was close behind them, slowing slightly as he strained to get a glimpse of
the driver. Though it crossed her mind, Ari did not scream when he did this. When the car turned off down a side
street he seemed satisfied, increasing the revs so that they shot forward. They were driving no more than fifteen
minutes before they left the road and entered a long driveway. As they pulled into a garage, Ari glimpsed a large
white three storey house with many triangular sloped roofs covering all the different sections. A dark blue tiled
conical roof was over the highest peak which was supported by a magnificent hexagonal room. Two separate
stairways, made of white painted wood, led to a small veranda at the front, where double doors signified the front
entrance.
“Here we are,” Ragon said as he watched Ari remove the helmet herself.
She still felt slightly embarrassed about her scream so she did not reply. Instead she watched as Ragon blurred
around to the entrance and opened the door, before racing back up the driveway, obviously checking to see that
they hadn’t been followed. Ari entered the house first, looking around at the high ceilings and examining each room.
The place was enormous with many bedrooms and bathrooms, two living areas, an enormous kitchen and a large
outdoor veranda at the back of the house which looked out onto the city. Each room followed a similar pattern with
wooden floors, white walls and antique furniture. Upon all of the walls were picture hooks though throughout the
house there were no paintings. The house had an enclosed darkness to it; the windows were small and all were
closed firmly shut with large sweeping block-out curtains the colour of melting chocolate that would surely prevent
the sun light from entering.
“This is yours,” Ragon said when she entered the second room on the first floor.
Ari made more effort to examine this room than she had done with any of the others. Immediately her eyes fell on
the queen size bed and she blushed. Walking past it quickly she peered into the adjoining bathroom, eyeing the
shower almost lovingly. Ari was about to leave when Ragon walked into the room. She froze watching him as he
inched closer and closer to her, just as her heart pounded in her chest. She knew that Ragon had done nothing but
keep her safe but she had been through too much to trust anyone any time soon.
“I also bought you these,” Ragon said, blurring past her before she could scream and opening the sliding door of a
large built in wardrobe.
Ari stared at the closet and breathed out a sigh of relief; it was full of clothes. Reaching down she grasped the corner
of her white dress, rubbing the material between her thumb and finger. For a moment Ragon watched her,
transfixed and then he raced back to the bedroom door, shaking his head dramatically.
“I’ll leave you to get comfortable,” he said, pressing the lock on her side of the door and locking himself out.
Ariana paced around the room a few times. Her immediate thought was to escape but what would be the point of
that? She couldn’t outrun him and she didn’t have her car here. Perhaps she could reason with him, convince him
that she couldn’t stay here. She thought of storming out of the room and demanding that he let her go. Her hand
was halfway to the door knob when she stopped. Who was she kidding? How was she going to tell a vampire he had
to let her go? Put him in the naughty corner for five minutes if he argued? Maybe threaten him with a wooden
spoon? No; if Ari wanted to get back to her normal life, it was going to take some planning. This thought kept her
occupied as she traced her steps back to the bathroom and turned the shower on. Racing back out to her room, she
pulled the curtains closed and checked to make sure that the door really was locked before removing the white
dress she had been dying to take off for what felt like a lifetime.
45 minutes later and Ari was drying her hair with a large fluffy white towel and looking through the wardrobe for
something to wear. Thumbing through the outfits, Ari couldn’t help but be impressed with Ragon’s selections. Not
only had he chosen nice clothes, but they all looked to be the right size. There were clothes for all occasions, each
hanging neatly with the price tags still attached. For a moment she wondered if someone else had perhaps assisted
him in his purchases; either way, he had clearly put a lot of thought into her imprisonment. And who said vampires
couldn’t be considerate kidnappers? Trying not to laugh at this thought, Ari finally settled on a pair of olive green
three quarter pants, some black thongs, a black singlet, and a jumper. It felt wonderful wearing the fresh clothes and
though her skin was swollen and sore, the warm water of the shower had rejuvenated her, washing away everything
except for the bruises.
Tiptoeing around the house, Ari searched for Ragon. She had searched the entire first floor for him and had now
moved to the second level. At the end of the hallway she saw that one of the doors was ajar. Moving purposefully
towards it, she stretched out her hand ready to push it open. The moment her fingertips touched the wood however
the door swung open and Ragon emerged looking angry and malicious. Instantly Ari cowered backwards but not
before Ragon had grasped her by the shoulder, pushing her away from the door so that she fell back against the wall
of the hallway.
“Don’t ever go in here,” he yelled, slamming the door shut.
“I… I was just…” Ari began. “I didn’t mean to.”
Ragon growled but said no more. Instead he moved along the hallway and then walked quickly down the staircase.
With her curiosity peaked, Ari couldn’t help but turn to face the door that Ragon had indicated. For the very slightest
of moments Ari dared to wonder what was beyond the door but then she raced after Ragon, through the hallway
and back down the stairs.
As she tiptoed behind him she watched as he moved out to the veranda. He had his back to her, both hands gripped
tightly onto the railings as he looked out at the view of the city.
“Thanks for the clothes,” Ari said casually, moving onto the veranda to join him as though the past few minutes had
not occurred.
Demanding to be released had had little effect so far, so she decided trying another tactic.
“It’s so beautiful up here,” she added, mirroring Ragon by placing her hands on the railing as she looked out over the
city, the neon lights shining brightly against the pitch black sky.
Ragon turned to face her, “Yeah it is,” he said still looking at her.
“How long have you owned this place?” She asked.
“Ever since I have been in Australia,” he said simply.
“And how long has that been?” She asked.
Ragon smiled but did not reply.
“So why did we go back to your family mausoleum instead of here?” Ari asked curiously.
“I needed to, err, make sure that the house was suitable for your habitation,” he said, moving back inside and
walking towards the kitchen. “I’ve stocked the fridge, though I do not know what you like to eat.”
For a moment Ari glanced down from the railings. It looked to be 5 or 10 metres below, although she couldn’t be
sure as it was so dark. She defiantly wasn’t getting out that way. Sighing to herself, she moved to follow Ragon into
the kitchen.
When he opened the fridge door to show her the food she smirked. There were many haphazardly placed items that
clearly should have not been there. There were many different types of rye bread all piled into the crisper, a large
bag of lettuce in the freezer and a few loose mushrooms siting along in the pantry next to a jar of pickles. At that
moment the realization that Ragon was a vampire came crashing back to her. This thought highlighted one very
important truth; Ragon knew as much about humans as she knew about vampires: nothing. Did that mean that he
did not eat normal food, only blood?
Fighting the urge to make a joke about this, Ari placed one hand gently over the freezer door and the other hand
against her hip.
“Look, it’s really um… thoughtful what you’ve done for me, but I’m not a pet that you have to look after. I have a life,
I have exams-” She began to say before Ragon interrupted.
“Yes,” he said simply, staring Ariana straight in the eyes. “You have a life and if you want to keep it, you will stay
here.”
Ari blinked a few times, taken back by how forward was being.
“What’s going to happen to me if I leave?” Ari asked.
“I’d rather not find out,” he replied.
Shaking her head and pacing around the kitchen Ari said, “Yesterday you said, ‘she would find me.’”
Ragon scoffed and looked at Ari, his eyebrows raised. It was clear that he was annoyed at himself for having let that
slip. Quickly his eyes darted around the house and then back towards the veranda, as if he were worried he might be
overheard but then he re-focused his attentions back on Ari.
“You caught that?” Ragon asked, stalling for time as he considered how best to reply.
Ari tapped her foot expectantly.
“Let’s just say that I am not the only vampire in town and the others that are here have been waiting for me to show
a weakness to take advantage of,” he said.
He thought of Ari as a weakness? Ari couldn’t help but feel confused by his overtly overprotective nature towards
her.
“Why would they care if I am here with you?” Ari queried.
Ragon eyed her nervously as if tossing up between telling her the truth or a lie.
“Many years ago I made a powerful enemy. They will stop at nothing to get back at me. I don’t know exactly how
closely they watch me but I wouldn’t put it past them to have someone keeping an eye on my comings and goings,”
he said.
At these words Ari’s eyes widened slightly but then narrowed. Ragon was a vampire; why would he or any other
vampire care about some girl? Ari was certain that what he was saying could not be true.
Apparently satisfied that he had warned her sufficiently, Ragon moved out of the kitchen. “Now, it’s going to be light
soon and you must be exhausted. I think we should call it a night,” he said, reaching for the veranda door, closing it,
than producing a small key which fit snugly into the lock.
Ari watched as he then blurred over to the front door and did the same. For a moment she was confused but then
she moved over to the door and attempted opening it, but couldn’t.
“You’re not seriously locking me inside?” Ari asked with her hand still on the door and an incredulous look on her
face.
“It’s for your protection,” Ragon said.
“Against what? Myself?” Ari asked, watching Ragon move away from her. “But wait, you can’t go to sleep. I have
questions and-” Ari began.
“Not tonight,” Ragon said and Ari thought that there was a weariness to him that she hadn’t seen before. “Besides, it
will be day break soon. There is UV protection on the glass but my kind, don’t err, do well in the sun light hours;
that’s when we sleep.”
It seemed that the movies had gotten that part about vampire mythology right. Whether or not vampires could walk
in the sunlight had been one of the many questions that Ari had hoped to ask. But now as she watched Ragon walk
away from her and up the stairs to the second level, she realised that she would have to save her interrogations for
later. As soon as she heard Ragon’s bedroom door close, she moved over to the veranda door and tried for a few
moments to jimmy the lock.
“You’ll need a key,” Ragon said, calling out loudly from his bedroom so that his voice carried down the hallway and
over to her in the living room.
Ari frowned; she was trapped in a house with a vampire. Feeling defeated she moved over to the kitchen and fixed
herself a lettuce-free sandwich. Though she was exhausted she ate enthusiastically. When she was finished she
washed up and then made her way to bed. The temptation of a soft mattress was too great to fight. She had at the
same time, made up her mind to leave in the morning. If Ragon was unable to walk in the sun, then he wouldn’t be
able to find her during the day. All she needed to do was try to get to the main road, which she thought shouldn’t be
too difficult, provided that she was able to get out of the house first.
****
Ari woke early in the morning, still resolved that it was time to escape. She had only managed to get a few hours’
sleep but she was too desperate to get back to normality to worry about fatigue. Though she would normally have
started her day with a nice warm shower, she didn’t want to risk Ragon hearing the sound of the water. As quietly as
possible, she changed into a pair of denim jeans, black thongs, and a black jumper. Creeping out of her room, she tip
toed over to the front door. For a few moments she strained to open it but again found it impossible. Still
determined, Ari moved over to one of the windows, whose large dark curtains hid a prominent bolt and key hole,
similar to the one on the front and veranda doors. For a moment she thought desperately of breaking the glass but
that would be stupid. Ragon had told her that it was UV protective; that probably mean that there was some sort of
thick film across it, preventing its easy destruction. And, even if she did somehow manage to get through without
slicing herself to pieces, Ragon would most definitely hear her.
“Crap,” she whispered to herself when she tried and failed to open the window.
Feeling slightly deflated, Ari glanced towards the staircase that Ragon had ascended last night. Moving very slowly
she inched towards the grand staircase. Again she was reminded of just how bear the walls appeared. There were
many small nails or picture hooks jutting out from the white walls and yet not a single picture could be seen
anywhere in the entire house.
When she finally reached the stairs she moved slowly up them, careful not to shift her weight too quickly else the
creaking staircase alert Ragon to her intentions. For a moment her eyes spied the forbidden room down the end of
the hallway and Ari was tempted to investigate further. Quickly she shook her head; she had to get out of here!
Moving over to a large spare bedroom whose doors were wide open, Ari inspected the room for any signs of escape
but still there was nothing. She had all but given up when finally she came to the second last room before Ragon’s
bedroom. Gently pricing he door open, she moved past the naked queen bed and into a small marble bathroom. Her
eyes fell hopefully on a small window where a tiny gap in the glass, confirmed that it had been left open.
Enthralled, Ari near bolted towards the small unlocked window. In her haste she almost crashed into the porcelain
toilet below but fortunately just managed to stop herself in time. Moving cautiously she positioned herself atop the
toilet and pulled slowly to open the window, revealing a warm summer breeze. Without hesitation Ari reached up
and began pulling her body through the small escape route. It was hard work; the window itself was tiny and Ari only
just managed to squeeze her hips through the frame. The sloping roof it led out onto was tiled and slippery, and so
Ari climbed onto it carefully, trying hard not to focus on the long drop down to the ground.
Now sitting on a few roof tiles, Ari contemplated what next to do. She was very high up and not particularly fond of
heights. The perfect Australian weather was doing wonders to distract her from her present dilemma; the sun was
bright in the sky and Ari relished in the feeling of the warm fragrant breeze on her face. Looking around for her next
move, she spotted a large Tipuana tree whose small bright golden flowers shone like a beacon, calling Ari to it.
Inching along the roof, she tried to keep her balance as she neared the tree. The tree itself was a metre or so away
from the roof but a large thick branch hung lazily over the house, and it was this that Ari was aiming for.
“Ahhhh,” she cried out when her thongs slipped on the many decaying flowers that had gathered around the gutter
of the roof.
As soon as she caught her balance, she threw her hand over her mouth and remained still and silent for a moment,
hoping like hell that she had not alerted Ragon to her activities. When after a few minutes there was no sign that
Ragon had woken, Ari continued towards the overhanging branch, reaching a shaking hand out towards it, desperate
to feel its comforting bark against her fingertips. When finally she had reached it, she swung her legs so that she
straddled the thick branch. She was glad that she had decided to wear a long pair of pants, because the harsh ruffled
bark of the tree would have made climbing it a nightmare without the thick pair of protective jeans for protection.
At one point she had almost slipped on the way down but though she despised heights, she loved climbing trees.
During her descent she recalled one particularly memorable moment when she had gotten in trouble by her foster
parents and they had chased her out of the house and up a tree, threatening her viciously below with a wooden
spoon. No matter how many things they threw up at her, she had been entirely safe in that tree. She couldn’t
remember what she had done to warrant such overt punishment but since then she had always loved trees.
Once on the ground, Ari glanced back at the beautiful house. In the daylight the house looked even more enchanting
than it had at night. Small manicured garden beds lined the entrance and driveway, almost entirely hiding the house
from view. Determinedly she looked away and felt an unexplainable twinge of sadness. She did not hate Ragon; he
had saved her, but she was not of his world. She had a life of her own and wanted nothing more than to get back to
it. With this thought spurring her onwards, it had not taken her long to get past the driveway and reach the main
road. Cars hurriedly passed her and she slowed her pace, taking in the fresh air. She had managed to work out from
her late night ride from Toowong Cemetery and the view of the city that Ragon’s house afforded him, that she was
currently somewhere in Mt Coottha. This meant that she was probably about a 15 minute drive from her apartment
in Paddington, or a good hour walk, seeing as the hills around this area were very large and extensive.
She had been walking for only a few minutes when she noticed a car pulling over to the side of the road. There was a
girl, no more than 18 years old, who was wearing a long dress and standing near the car, looking at something on the
bonnet. As Ari neared the car she realized that the girl was reading a map.
At first the girl seemed not to notice Ari, but when she was walking past the girl spun around and said, “You don’t
know how to get to the city from here do you?”
Ari smiled up at the girl but frowned. Truth be told, she wasn’t entirely sure where they were. Spying the map the
girl had and a nearby street sign that read ‘Fig Tree’, Ari thought that if she had a look at the map, then she could
probably give the girl some directions and work out exactly where she was.
“Um, well,” Ari said, moving closer to the map and finding the street name in the directory. “If you follow this road
down to a large round about you will go past Toowong Cemetery on your right-” Ari began, but was interrupted
when the girl sighed audibly, digging her toes into the ground, and struggling to read the map over Ari’s shoulder.
“Do you think if I paid you, you would be able to direct me?” The girl asked, looking sweetly up at Ari.
Ari raised her eyebrows, but then glanced at the tinted windows of the SUV the girl drove and the red P above the
number plate, signifying that the girl had only just gotten her license, and Ari suddenly understood. She was
probably a rich spoilt girl who had gotten lost.
“Actually, I am just on my way home,” Ari said, holding the map up to the girl, determined to make sure she could at
least find her way to the main road, “But if you just take this street here-” she began, until once again, the girl cut
her off.
“Well that’s perfect, I can drop you off and you can direct me,” the girl said, before adding, “Please, I have only had
my license for a few days and I have no idea how I got here, but it’s creepy and…”
“Ok, ok, sure; I will give you directions to the city. If it’s ok, can you drop me off at Central or wherever you’re going,
and lend me a few dollars? I’ll be able to get a bus straight to my place from there.”
“Deal,” the girl said, moving back to the car and holding the passenger door open for Ari, who jumped in a little
hesitantly.
“Ok, left or right?” The girl asked innocently.
Ari looked up at her, about to give the directions to the city, when something at the side of the girl’s neck caught her
attention. Seeing the look of confusion in Ari’s face, she hurriedly tried to flip her collar up but it was too late; Ari
had seen two puncture marks. Instantly Ari’s face drained of colour and she made for the door, only to realize that it
had been locked.
A second later Ari felt her face being covered in a sweet smelling rag and watched in horror as the girl said, “Sorry
master, I thought that they were covered.”
Ari’s eyes rolled back into her head, but just before her vision blurred she saw a man’s face swimming in and out of
focus and then she fell unconscious.
***
Ari didn’t know how long it took for her to awaken, though from the numb feeling in her legs and arms she guessed
she had been lying unconscious for hours. When she finally came to, she saw the blurred face of a girl who was
hovering over her and the outline of two people sitting on chairs further back. Her eye sight was clouded and foggy
and every time she tried to focus on something, the image remained blurry and undistinguishable. She was in a large
dark room that looked like a basement. It was lit by small candles and she could tell by the faint wisps of pine laden
smoke, that there was a fire nearby.
“So, you are Ragon’s new pet?” A female said with a high and cold voice.
Ari tried to look up at the woman, but her hands would not support her weight and so she fell back down as her eyes
rolled into the back of her head.
“Answer me,” the woman called again, sending a wave of horror through Ari as her hands begun to tremble. After a
moment Ari nodded, unable to think of anything else to do.
“Well, well, well. He told me he would never take a mortal and yet here you sit,” the female said. “And I have
watched him for many decades. You are the first.”
“What do you want?” Ari asked. “Who are you?”
She had wanted to ask, ‘what are you’, but she knew from the puncture marks she had seen on the girl who had
tricked her into the car, that they were vampires.
“I am Kirra and this is Matthew,” said the female voice, “It is our pleasure to meet you.”
This was the second time in so many days that she had woken and realised that she was a prisoner of vampires.
Despite being held captive by vampires both times, there was a huge difference between the two situations. Where
Ragon had been kind, Kiara and Matthew were malicious. There was a cruel tone to Kiara’s voice that she had never
heard from Ragon and though she couldn’t see them there was something evil about them. She didn’t understand
how they could both be the same thing and yet so entirely different.
Suddenly a low snarl ripped through the quiet and a male voice said, “It seems a shame to kill her.”
For a moment the warning that Ragon had given her flashed into Ari’s head. This woman must be the ‘her’ to which
he was referring to. This thought had barely resonated before the same girl who had asked Ari for directions moved
over to where Ari lay. Ari squinted, trying desperately to bring the girl’s face into focus. The girl had long straight
brown hair and a small pleasant face. For a moment she fumbled with something and then moved over to Ari, a large
chain and collar in her hand.
“I’m sorry,” the girl whispered, her large round eyes looking anywhere but at Ari.
“Wait, please,” Ari begged, but the girl seemed not to hear and, still not looking Ari in the face, took the chains and
cuffed them around her wrists.
Ari tried uselessly to struggle, but the chloroform had done its job. She was still too paralysed to fight and heard the
collar snap shut around her throat as the large chain attached to it fell to the floor with a loud clutter.
Still unable to walk, Ari had been dragged to a cell where the end of the chain had been locked to a post inside. The
skin along her backside and upper thighs had been rubbed raw from where the fabric of her jeans had given way
under the harsh concrete of the floor. From behind the bars of her prison she could make out a larger room, which
seemed to act as a central point for 3 other barred cells. Hesitantly, her fingers traced the collar around her neck in
fear running around the cruel metal and searching for a hinge or keyhole. After a moment her hands began to
tremble and so she relinquished her search and tried pulling it free. For a while she continued like this, until her neck
felt bruised and swollen and she conceded that she would not be able to tear it away.
“Such a beauty; do you like your new necklace?” Came the same male voice from earlier.
“Matthew?” Ari asked, trying to see the man whose name she had remembered, but whose face she had yet to see.
Matthew swept over to her quickly and lifted her as if she weighed no more than a feather. Though her eye sight
was not what it normally was, she still managed to focus on Matthew’s face. He had short glossy blonde hair which
was parted to the side and looked as if it had been greased back. His face was hard, with definitive angles forming his
chin and nose. Both his lips and eyes were small and, though he looked handsome, there was a coldness to him. For
a moment he held her, but then he released her placing her onto her feet before moving over to a large chair in the
centre of the room. In his arms she had felt his cool stone-like skin and realised that he too was a vampire.
“Come to me,” he said simply.
Ari remained where she stood. She watched as Matthew blurred over to her, grabbed the metal chain that lead to
the collar she was wearing, and then move back in front of her now holding the chain in his hands.
“Come to me,” he said again and waited.
When Ari did not move he pulled on the chain. Instantly Ari felt the collar around her neck tighten and her eyes
opened wide in realisation. Her bound hands reached for it desperately, trying to loosen it, but she could not and so
she inched forward, falling to her knees desperate for air. Instantly the collar loosened.
“Good girl and now you know how to play,” Matthew said. “Now come up here and lay down for me,” he instructed,
gesturing to a stone bench.
She did as told but asked, “Why are you doing this?”
He had moved over to her, his hungry eyes ravaging her body but at her words he suddenly looked angry, “Kiara
wants you dead,” he said in an annoyed tone. “We have been keeping a close eye on Ragon’s residence at the
cemetery. I watched you leave there last night. I had hoped that you would try to escape but even I didn’t think that
you would make it this easy for me. We got young Paige to watch you when the sun came up, hiding in her car
outside Ragon’s house. The second she saw you, she knew what her orders were; to capture you and bring you back
to Kiara. ”
“But why?” Ari asked.
There was a small tear falling out of one of her eyes and she tried to blink it away before she felt Matthew reach
down and lick her cheek, sweeping the tear into his mouth. For a moment he relished in the taste of it. He was about
to speak, when a door opened loudly. Ari felt wind brush against her face and then Kiara was standing over her.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Kiara’s high voice came. “I told you to kill her.”
Matthew looked up at Kiara in fear then at Ari longingly. Kiara’s eyes were narrowed and Ari felt a fury radiate from
her as though she were on fire. Trying hard to look at Kiara without angering her further, Ari chanced a glance. She
couldn’t help, but gasp when she saw how beautiful Kiara was; beautiful and terrifying. Her pale complexion stood
out drastically from the deep red shade of lipstick she wore to cover her full lips. She had a slender nose, which was
almost lost to her large dark eyes. Two perfectly shaped eyebrows overlooked these black temples and a long fringe
danced just above them, while waves of dark hair lashed out around the edge of her oval face. Ari watched, as after
a moment, Kiara’s face fell and she swept from the room quickly. As soon as Kiara had left Matthew scoffed, but
then dropped the chains he had been holding and lifted Ari into his hands again, throwing her into one of the large
cells that lined the room. She landed heavily on the cold brick floor, but quickly stood trying to beat Matthew to the
door before he closed it after himself.
With both hands on the bars she shook the cage. Matthew, who was standing on the opposite side said, “Don’t
worry, I’ll be back.”
She watched silently as he blurred out of the room, following the same path that Kiara had taken. As soon as he was
out of sight she began fumbling for the lock on the door. She was getting pretty damn sick of being imprisoned and
made a mental note that if she did manage to get out of this, she would investigate a lock smith career.
“Don’t bother,” a small voice said.
Ari looked around instantly and saw the same girl from earlier in an opposite caged room. The girl was sitting on a
small bed. Her cage door was closed, but there was no lock on it and Ari thought of asking the girl to help her.
“What’s your name?” Ari asked.
The girl blinked a few times, as if surprised by her question, but responded, “Paige.”
“Paige, why the hell are you just sitting there? You could escape,” Ari said now pacing around the cell, looking for
any way out.
“Why would I want to escape?” The girl asked, blinking a few times.
“Why wouldn’t you?” Ari asked, shaking her head in confusion.
The girl cocked her head to the side, as if Ari had spoken in a foreign language. She seemed to consider her words for
a moment, but then looking down at the ground said, “I can’t help you.”
“I didn’t ask you to,” Ari responded, reaching for one of the candle holders in her cell and trying to bend the handle.
Though Ari would have loved to ask Paige for help, it was clear that she had been brain washed or maybe was
suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, either way she was the one who had helped capture Ari and she wasn’t foolish
enough to rely on her to help her escape.
“Please don’t try to escape,” the girl said watching Ari, who now had one hand through the bars and was trying to
pick the lock with the handle of the candle holder, which she had bent so that part of its intricate design was now a
long metallic rod.
“Why not, didn’t you hear them, they want to kill me,” Ari said.
Though she felt sympathy for Paige, she couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps she was brain damaged.
“Because I don’t want to be the one to have to put you back in that cell,” she said simply, a truly sad look plastered
on her face.
For the first time Ari paused, really looking at the girl. She was thin and, judging from the many scarred bite marks on
her wrists and neck, had been a blood source for these monsters for some time.
“How long have you been here?” Ari asked a touch of compassion in her voice.
“Since before I can remember,” she replied.
In surprise, Ari dropped the candle holder and it fell noisily to the floor, “What?” She asked.
The girl shrugged. No wonder she wasn’t going to help Ari, these monsters were her family. It was heart breaking for
Ari to think that Paige had never known what really living was all about. For a few moments she thought of crying,
but breaking down would not help her. Just then the door to the room opened and Matthew walked in, murder in
his eyes.
CHAPTER 3- A DOUBLE RESCUE
Ragon woke around dusk. For a moment he strained to sense Ari but there was no trace of the mortal he
had rescued; instantly he knew that she was gone. He could no longer hear her heartbeat, or smell her scent; the
house was silent. In a fury he rushed to the front door, blurring through the house as fast as he could hoping he was
wrong. Just thinking about what had almost happened to Ari made him furious, more than furious. He was filled with
rage. Even after taking the lives of the boys who had attacked her, he still felt he deserved retribution. It was as
though death did not suffice as punishment. If he could have, he might have followed them into their afterlife and
continued to ensure they suffered.
“Fool,” he said out loud in a hiss.
He was not talking about Ari; he was talking about himself. Speeding around the house he looked for her exit point,
quickly finding the small opened window in the spare bathroom. The moment his eyes fell on her escape route he
scowled. How stupid of him not to check it. For a moment he entertained the idea that she was ok, that she had
simply escaped and was now enjoying her life as she had before he had taken her. The truth was that he could have
let her go when he had rescued her, but he had not. Ragon was a vampire and with that came certain power over
mortals. It was in his power to control Ari, to bend her to his will and force her to forget everything that had
happened to her that night and then let her go.
But this vampiric power was only possible after the mortal was bitten and the vampire toxin took over their nervous
system. Part of him, the very small part which held onto his humanity, knew that what he really wanted was for her
to be happy, but with him. The thought of attacking her, of revealing his true nature and biting her was unbearable,
even though it meant that he had condemned her to suffer in his world. It was a selfish, irrational, and momentary
decision and if anything happened to Ari because of it he would not forgive himself.
The attraction of a vampire to a mortal was not entirely unheard of, although in most cases such relationships ended
badly. Usually the attraction was blood, or rather a continual supply of it. Vampires would often take ‘sources’, using
them as a donor, basically meaning that their human victims were a living breathing blood bag. In rare
circumstances, newly made vampires would take a previous mortal lover and turn them so they could be with them.
But asides from these two situations, it was entirely unheard of for vampires to seek out mortals purely for
companionship; the logistics were just too complicated. The reason Ragon felt for Ari was not because he craved
mortality or because he desired her blood, but for a reason that was entirely his own.
To be truthful he had only felt like this once since becoming the monster he was. Ragon was reluctant to think of his
feelings for Ari as being love; for the sole reason that he didn’t believe vampires were capable of love. But now as he
left the house, he wasn’t so sure. All he knew for certain was that he had to make certain that she was alright.
Perhaps no one had found out about her; perhaps she was at her home now watching TV, trying hard to pretend
that the last few days had all just been one big nightmare. Still, he thought as he raced from the house, what if she
had been taken?
It didn’t take Ragon long to find, and loose Ari’s scent. He had followed it along the driveway, up a hill, and onto a
side road that serviced the main road. It was dark but Ragon ran along the road with ease until suddenly there was
nothing for him to follow. One moment he could clearly define her scent and the next it was gone. Breathing in
harshly he forced the air surrounding him into his lungs. His head hung in defeat, but as it did so he noticed two long
tire skid marks along the road. Breathing in again, this time slower, he picked up the faint trace of something he
recognised. At first he wasn’t sure, so he breathed in deeply again trying to isolate the smell that he recognized from
the sweet fragrant jasmine that crept into his nostrils from a nearby garden.
“Kiara,” he breathed after a moment, his worst fears realized.
Instantly he was running, blurring through the suburbs to a house he had hoped never to see again, while his mind
stunk of memories of the vampire he hated. Kiara had been the first non-mortal he had met since becoming the
monster he was; or to put it more accurately, she was the one who had turned him.
It was 1815 and Ragon was a soldier of the United Kingdom Army when he had been turned. Napoleon’s War against
the kingdoms had bought him many enemies, and so the nations rallied to bring about his end of tyranny. 14 flags
had risen against Napoleon and the first French Empire. Though the war had been coined the hundred day battle,
Ragon did not live past the first 2 months. It had been a relatively painless death for him. One moment he was
charging at the enemy and the next he was lying in a ditch, blood staining his dark blue uniform. No one could have
told you how long he was dying for.
Back then the war fields were the perfect scavenging grounds for the un-dead. Vampires and other blood hungry
creatures searched the battlegrounds for easy prey. On one particular moonless night a female vampire feasted on
the many dead or dying soldiers. No vampire liked the taste of cold blood, but it was a free meal. Kiara almost didn’t
notice when she began taking Ragon’s life. Though his blood was luke-warm, it was only when her eyes locked on his
that she realized he was still alive. Two green eyes stared back wide eyed in horror, watching her drain him.
It had taken her less than a second to decide not to end him; to decide that she wanted to keep him for himself, so
she changed him. The next night Ragon was a vampire. For a time he followed her, hunted with her and laid with
her, but he did not love her. When finally he decided to leave, many years after his transformation, Kiara was
completely obsessed with him. On learning of his plan to run away, Kiara had promised him that only an eternity of
solitude would amend his betrayal. But Ragon still left her, determined to never love, rather only exist: until now.
His mind was racing with memories of Kiara as he neared her residence, which was a good 15 km from the new
house he had purchased in Mount Cootha. Her house was high on a hill overlooking the city. She had followed him
throughout the years, making sure that he kept good of his promise. Whenever he left for one city, she would turn
up. At first Ragon had tried to run from her, even hide, but in the end he had given up. For 26 years he had remained
in Brisbane, choosing a city whose weather was such that it would be impossible for her to terrorize him during the
day. Living in Australia was a constant penance to remind of the evil he was capable of.
Now at night however, the moon shone pale in comparison to the neon lights of the high-rises and acted as a
warning that Kiara would be awake. Tearing his eyes from the moon Ragon urged himself onwards. It would be
morning soon and if he hoped to save Ari he would need to move faster. But he could not think of hope; she had to
still be alive.
When Ragon finally reached Kiara’s residence, he planned his rescue mission. Large brick walls lined the property,
but only one closed iron-gate gave entry to it. Ragon leapt across the 12 foot fence in a single bound. These walls
were struck to keep mortals out, not immortals: little could do that. As he circled the house, Ragon spied several
mortal guards and smirked. Their dull human senses were no match for his speed, and he entered the house quickly
and undetected.
“Welcome,” a high cold voice said from atop a mahogany staircase.
She had been waiting for him. Ragon froze at the sound of her voice. He knew it well; it was Kiara. His eyes draped
the staircases until finally they spied the landing. In a bright yellow dress which swept along the floor, stood Kiara.
Her dark brown hair was tied into a loose bun with long whips of hair framing her face. Kiara looked as if she were
from the 1920’s, though she was much older than that; her bright red lipstick highlighted her dark brown eyes, which
were staring unblinkingly at Ragon. Though she was beautiful, Ragon’s eye narrowed and he growled under his
breath.
“You don’t look happy to see me lover,” Kiara said, batting her long eyelashes furiously.
Ragon hissed. He had lived with Kiara long enough to know her games.
“What do you want?” He asked simply.
“Want?” She exclaimed, “What do I want? Nothing more than what you have already promised me.”
“Where is she?” Ragon asked, forcing his words through his teeth as his fists clenched at either side of him.
Unable to stop herself, Kiara glanced down at a door several feet in front of Ragon, but quickly looked away. Ragon
however had not missed the gesture.
“You don’t deny it then?” She shrieked, before breathing in deeply and adding in a much calmer manner, “You and I
had an accord. You promised me that you would not find another. I made you!”
Kiara was pacing along the landing atop the staircase when Ragon braced himself and forced through the barred
door she had indicated only moments before. He did not have time to argue with Kiara, although there was no fault
in her statement. He had broken his promise the moment he had saved Ari and no amount of reasoning would
convince Kiara to release her. This was why he had warned Ari. Not because other vampires would kill her for
knowing his secret, though many might; but because Kiara would take the life of any woman he cared for.
Instantly Kiara blurred after him, her rage fuelling her speed so that she was only an inch behind him. Ragon had
forced himself through two doors before he found Ari. A thick glass wall revealed her lying on a cruel stone bench as
Matthew drooled over her. There was rage in his heart as he glimpsed the crude chain that was strung around her
neck and his eyes fell in hatred on Matthew. He had known that Kiara had turned others since he had left her,
though he had never taken the time to investigate them. Now as he watched this vampire torment Ari, all thoughts
of sympathy were gone. He wanted to tear every limb from his body; to rip his heart from his chest, and wrench his
disgusting head clean from him.
Fuelled by these thoughts, Ragon took a few steps backwards and then rushed at the glass, desperate to break
through the final barrier between himself and Ari. Instead of breaking through however, he fell back against the
stone floor. He looked confused at the glass, but then realised how thick it was, at least 30cm of solid glass. This
window wasn’t just for viewing, but for keeping things from getting in or out.
Stumbling back to his feet, Ragon leaned in close to the impenetrable glass, smashing his fists hard against it when
he heard Matthew address Ari.
“It really is a shame I have to kill you,” Matthew said. “You could have kept Paige company.”
A hand grasped Ragon’s shoulder and he turned quickly to face Kiara. His eyes were wide with hate and he wrenched
her hand away, before throwing his body against the impermeable glass. Again and again he smashed into the
relentless glass, and again and again he was knocked back down. Despite the pain each attempt brought he kept
getting back up, desperate to force his way in, unable to see any other way to her.
“So it’s true?” Kiara asked, as a single tear streamed down her face.
Ragon did not turn to face her, but continued to slam his marble body against the unyielding glass. His relentless
attempts gave him the appearance of a wayward sheep in a paddock, continually crashing into a barrier, the
desperation to get beyond overcoming all feelings of pain or reasoning.
“Why couldn’t you just love me? You promised me that it wasn’t me, that it was you; you told me that we couldn’t
be together because of you!” Kiara accused.
Her voice was powerful but hurt. The tears which had fallen earlier were now dry on her impervious stone face and
Ragon felt the pain behind her words, but ignored it. There was too much hate inside him to be concerned with her
feelings. He knew that she didn’t love him, that she wanted nothing more than to own him. To her this was a game
and he hated her more than ever for dragging Ari into it.
After several more attempts Ragon crumpled to the floor, almost broken from his efforts to break the glass when he
responded desperately, “You don’t understand! It’s not about you or me, it’s her. There is something about her…”
“Well, let me do you the kindness of removing that confounder,” Kiara said, her cruel eyes indicating Ari as Matthew
moved even closer, poised to strike.
Ragon knew that Ari couldn’t see him. She was facing away from him and yet he could feel all her pain, sadness, and
fear. He pictured her watering eyes staring up at Matthew, pleading for him not to hurt her and cringed.
“Let her go,” Ragon said, still lying on the stone floor. “I’ll do anything.”
For a moment Kiara considered him but then shook her head defiantly.
Though Ragon had thought that his words might tempt Kiara, she merely glared saying, “Your promises mean
nothing to me.”
Ragon sighed and turned to watch Matthew reveal his fangs. Matthew was going to drain her and he was going to
have to watch. Matthew smiled as he positioned himself, licking his lips menacingly.
“NO!” Ragon roared.
His desperation overcame his incompetence and he jumped to his feet and smashed one final time against the glass,
in one final frantic act. Pieces of shattered glass flung in all directions and he fell on the floor next to where Ari lay.
Back in the previous room Kiara was watching, frozen in horror by his efforts. With one powerful thrust he had
knocked Matthew down. Matthew was a relatively new vampire and no match for Ragon’s age or strength, even this
wounded. Though Matthew fell quickly, Ragon would have relished a longer fight.
“Ragon,” Ari whispered from the stone bench her eyes glistening up at him, wet from all her tears.
When first the glass had shattered Ari had been frightened, but now as she watched Ragon move instantly over to
her, her heart leapt. She stared thankfully up at him, but saw immediately that he was weak. The usual vivacious
light in his eyes were dampened and there were large slashes in his skin from where he had forced through the glass.
Tearing her eyes away from Ragon, Ari looked down at Matthew’s unconscious form. At the same time Paige raced
from her cell, kneeling down beside her fallen master.
“Leave him,” Ari said, but the girl ignored her and began shaking Matthew violently, desperate for him to wake up.
“We have to go,” Ragon said, looking quickly back through the glass and trying to see where Kiara was.
“But…” Ari began, holding her bound hands out to Paige.
Ragon looked down at the young girl and knew exactly what Ari was thinking. For a moment he considered trying to
save the girl too, but he was too weak and Kiara could come in at any moment. He didn’t think he would be able to
battle her in his condition.
Ragon shook his head and reached down to Ari, forcing her bound hands around his neck, so that she hung in front
of him. Finally he lifted her legs and cradled her as best he could. He had no moment to pause or recover: only run.
Ari watched from Ragon’s arms as Matthew regained consciousness. In an instant he had drawn Paige to him, her
neck bent oddly as he began feeding from her, desperate to regain his strength.
“No,” Ari screamed, seeing the horrifying smile on Paige’s face as Matthew drained her of blood and life.
When Ragon reached the door he threw it open and Ari managed one last glimpse of Paige, who fell crumpled to the
floor, white and dead. In an instant Matthew stood and moved impossibly fast towards them. Ragon had just enough
time to throw the door shut and bolt it, before loud pounding met their ears. After that Ragon didn’t hesitate, but
blurred up a small stair case that lead to the front entrance and raced from the house with Ari struggling to hold on,
her bound hands still fastened around his neck.
“You dare!” Kiara’s voice screeched from the house as she watched Ragon leave with Ari.
Ragon didn’t pause to look back but kept running. The many men who guarded the house had seen him, but their
response had been too slow and he leapt over the large fence quickly, desperate to get as far away from Kiara as
possible. Kiara stood shaking from the entrance; she had been paralysed by terror for a moment. Had it not been for
the rising sun she would have followed after them. When she had reached the door however her eyes raked the sky
and she recoiled back inside. The night sky was fading quickly, the black slowly being replaced with a deep blue. For
now she knew she could only wait, wait and plan her revenge.
***
All the way home Ragon ran, not caring if any mortals saw him blurring past. He ran even though he was desperate
for blood and though almost all his strength was gone. Nothing mattered anymore: only Ari. He had to get her back
safely to his house, away from all the chaos of his past life. He would not let anything happen to her again.
His journey home seemed to take no time at all and as soon as he saw the house from the street he smiled. Reaching
the driveway, he felt his legs give out and he fell heavily onto the gravel. He had used all the blood in his system
rescuing Ari and though the driveway marked the end of his efforts, it was not enough to maintain him. Ari flung
from his hands to crumple on the harsh stones a few feet away from him, the wind knocked out of her. For a
moment she laid still then gasped for air, panting deep as she fought to breathe. For these few moments her eyes
were shut, but when she finally opened them she saw Ragon lying next to her. He looked completely broken. There
was dust in his dark brown hair, giving it a whitened appearance and his clothes and skin were torn.
“Get inside,” Ragon whispered, his voice ragged from the effort. “Lock the doors.”
Instantly Ari was on her feet and was half way to the door when a bright light from across the valley caught her
attention. She squinted at the light, which lit the surrounding driveway and forestry, until realising that it was the
sunrise. The warm rays shone brightly down on her bringing the sense of comfort, until a loud, blood curdling scream
punctuated the air.
“AH!” Ragon cried, his body contracting with pain.
The few rays of sunshine which reached the driveway singed Ragon’s flesh, tearing deep burns into the already cut
surfaces. For a moment he struggled to his feet, but then flung uselessly back onto the driveway gravel. He had used
all his strength saving Ari: there was nothing left for him.
Ari looked at Ragon, the monster who had saved her. For a moment she contemplated running again. In fact her
mind was made up when she suddenly turned and raced back to Ragon.
“What are you doing Ari?” She asked herself as she began dragging Ragon towards the house.
It took her a while to pull his body inside and slam the door shut. Her hands were still bound, but she was able to use
both of them to clasp onto him and gain enough momentum to pull. As soon as they were inside, she raced to each
of the windows, pulling the shutters closed so as to block out as much sunlight as possible. When finally she was sure
that there was no wayward sunlight seeping through any cracks, she quickly bolted the front door behind her and
then collapsed onto the floor next to him, panting from her efforts.
His body was smoking a little and she laid her cold hands onto his unusually hot skin, in the hopes of soothing the
burns. Without realising it, her head fell onto Ragon’s chest and a strange floating feeling replaced the terrified one.
She blinked a few times, staring up at the ceiling, before the adrenaline-induced shock caught up with her and her
mind felt disjointed from her body as she slipped into unconsciousness, one hand rested over Ragon’s silent heart.
CHAPTER 4- RETURNED FAVOUR
Ari woke in a cold sweat several hours later lying next to Ragon. Her eyes opened heavily, as if there were
great weights on each eyelid, and she had to try desperately to bring the room into focus. The next of her senses to
return was smell; she breathed in and coughed suddenly. A rough burning scent had assaulted her throat and
nostrils; jumping up in horror she realised what the smell was.
“Ragon,” she breathed, looking down at his body.
His normally gorgeous features were distorted. His hair was singed and burnt, and his clothes were torn in places, as
if acid had eaten through them. Some parts of his skin were blackened and in others, the normally smooth marble
surface was blistered. He looked dead. Ari had no idea what to do. Trying hard to think, she tore the black buttoned
shirt he wore off his body with difficulty, pulling away the fabric as delicately as possible where it had seemed to
have melted against his skin. Her hands were still bound but she cupped them together, placing them over his heart.
There was no beat, no sound: nothing.
“Damn it,” she swore.
Without thinking she began CPR. The chains around her hands made it difficult, but she managed to intertwine her
fingers and mimic compressions on his chest. His stone body made trying to revive him challenging, as if she were
pressing down on a block of ice. Quickly the effort of performing CPR caught up to her, and in frustration she bit
down hard on her lower lip and tasted blood.
She wasn’t sure how long it had been before she realised how superfluous her actions were. Ragon was a vampire;
did they even have a heart beat? Did they need oxygen? When the muscles in her arms began to spasm from the
effort, she finally stopped. Both arms lay useless at her sides and she collapsed back on the floor next to Ragon. He
had saved her and now he was dead.
This is bullshit, Ari thought.
Ragon didn’t have to save her from the guys at her college, and he didn’t have to go after her when she had been
taken by Kiara and Matthew, but he did. With these despairing thoughts circling round her head, she pulled up her
knees and tucked them up under her chin, placing herself into foetal position. Her head was rested on Ragon’s
shoulder again, her blue eyes staring at his empty ones. As she began breathing deeply, fighting back the tears, a
desire washed over her. She reached up quickly, using her legs to kick her upright and looking at him sadly, leant
down and kissed him. His skin was icy cold but as she kissed his lifeless lips she tasted dried blood. She pulled away
repulsed by the tangy, coppery taste, forgetting that it was her own bloody lip she tasted.
“I’m sorry,” she cried, using all her effort to lift her hands, so as to close his eyes with her fingers tips.
As she made to pull her hand back, she felt a vice-like grip on her wrist. She turned instantly to see Ragon restraining
her, his powerful hold almost snapping her arm. His eyes were wide open, but it didn’t look as if he really saw her. In
a second he had pulled her towards him, his fangs poised to strike.
“No,” Ari screamed, the horror plain in her voice as she scrambled to get away.
Ragon did not hear her. He was completely focused on bringing the blood source closer to himself. Nothing else
mattered. He punched through her soft skin, like a knife through melting butter and sucked hard. His mind was lost
in euphoria, the delicate fragrance of cinnamon assaulting his senses as he smiled in glee. The blood was reviving
him slowly, bringing back his senses and restoring his immortality. When finally the blood had restored his memory
he faltered. He tore the arm out of his mouth so ferociously that he felt her flesh tear on his fangs. What had he
done?
“NO!” he gasped, the rich red blood slipping from the side of his mouth as he looked at Ari’s near white lips.
Ari’s half closed eyes were fixed on Ragon and her mouth was open in horror, as if frozen in a silent scream. It was a
look that shattered Ragon completely. Though his heart had not beaten once in over a hundred years, now he felt as
though it was being forced from his chest. In a second he reached for his burnt shirt and tore it, winding it several
times around the bite mark on her arm, hoping to stop the bleeding. It was a makeshift bandage but it did the job,
and stopped any further loss. Thinking hard Ragon tried to recall exactly how much blood he had taken from her. She
would be ok, physically at least.
For a moment the desire to bend her to his will took over, tempted by the thought of making her forget what he had
just done. Without thinking he began the ritualistic process of mastering her spirit but then stopped himself quickly.
He would not take away her free will; he would have to live with what he had done.
“What can I do?” Ragon asked helplessly, pushing his mind away from hers.
Ari sat on the floor shivering and rocking back and forth, her hands around her knees. She had slipped into shock,
not just from blood loss but also disbelief. Ragon made to check Ari’s pulse but she moved away from him quickly.
Sadness washed over him and he scooped her up carefully, and raced her towards the bathroom. Ari didn’t jerk
away when Ragon lifted her, but became limp as she accepted her fate; she had no more energy to fight.
With Ari still in his arms, he turned the hot and cold taps of the shower on, quickly checking the temperature before
moving into the shower with Ari. Instantly the water soaked into the pair’s clothes, as Ragon sat down on the floor of
the shower with Ari still cradled in his arms. The water ran dark with blood and dirt, and Ragon’s eyes fell on the
chains still fastened around Ari’s wrist. Moving very slowly, he reached out a hand to take her wrist and broke the
chains that bound her with a simply tug of the metal.
It was at least half an hour before Ari spoke. The shower was full of thick steam which whirled around Ragon’s frozen
body, as if he were an ice-block left out in the sun. The shocking white of the shower tiles had been thrown into
drastic contrast against the bright red which temporarily coloured the floor when Ari’s wrist had first contacted the
water. Despite the pain, she had not flinched when the water hit her bandaged hand. Still, even in her shocked and
confused state it was impossible to watch the way that Ragon’s eyes had quickly darted away from her, as if he were
trying to look anywhere else but at the blood he still desired.
“Why?” she asked, her voice shaky as she turned to face him.
“I am a monster; I am so sorry,” Ragon replied simply, still not daring to look at her.
Ari didn’t respond but moved to sit opposite him, so that she was no longer in his arms. He didn’t fight her but sat
numbly hating himself. Ari’s hands made to touch the roughly made bandage, when suddenly she realised how torn
her shirt and jeans were, causing there to be large gaps in her clothing and revealing more skin than she felt
comfortable with. Instantly her knees were drawn up to her chest and she crossed her hands over them, so as to
cover as much of herself as she could.
“You needn’t be embarrassed,” Ragon said, the slightest of smiles touching the corner of his lips.
“I’m practically naked,” Ari exaggerated, “and you’re, you’re fully clothed,” Ari stammered.
“I have no shirt,” Ragon said, gesturing for only a moment at the make-shift bandage around Ari’s wrists, before
once again glancing away.
It was then that Ari looked at his body; where before there had been huge gashes in his melted skin, now it was
flawless. His skin was pale, though the intense white of the bathroom tiles gave him an almost greyish pallor. Unable
to stop herself, Ari’s jaw dropped. Her eyes locked onto his toned muscles, as images of him rescuing her popped
into her head without her control. Instantly she forced her eyes downwards. It was amazing how the steamy hot
water had evaporated away all traces of shock. She wasn’t entirely sure how long they had been sitting in the
shower for, but the warm water did not relinquish and she relished in the soothing feeling of it running down her
body, letting it take most of her troubles away. Turning from where she had been staring down at the tiled floor, she
looked up at Ragon.
“I thought you were dead,” she whispered, shaking her head slowly.
“I am,” Ragon replied quickly.
“No I mean, I thought you were gone; you had no heart beat and no pulse,” Ari stumbled.
“You should be so lucky, besides I have no heart beat,” Ragon replied, his eyes a little narrowed. “No heartbeat; no
heart. How is your arm?” Ragon asked, clearly wanting to change the subject. “I’m so sorry. The effort of rescuing
you and walking in the sun drained me and I went into survival mode. I would never have attacked you otherwise,
although I know that doesn’t change the fact that I did.”
Ari laughed a little out-loud before looking down at the offending bandage, “Actually, it doesn’t really hurt
anymore,” she said.
It was Ragon’s turn to laugh now and he let out a small sad laugh that was full of self-loathing, before saying, “It’s the
venom; it takes away the pain, temporarily anyway, so that our prey can’t, err… escape.”
“Convenient,” Ari said simply, “So when you bite someone they don’t feel it?”
When she had asked this a flash of him attacking her slipped into her head, and an uncontrollable shiver ran down
her spine. Trying hard to think of something else, she reached up to the falling water, taking some in her hand before
sipping at it.
“Yes. We bite a mortal and they lose their flight and fight response, among other things,” Ragon replied.
“Among other things?” Ari asked. “Like what?”
Ragon looked as if he wanted to refuse answering her question but then glancing down once at her bandaged wrist,
looked back up at her with a determined self-loathing expression on his face as he said, “The venom also allows us to
control our victims for a time.”
Instantly she thought of Paige, the girl who had sacrificed herself so that Matthew could regain his strength. Was
this happening to Ari now? Was that why she had saved Ragon? But no, she had dragged him inside well before he
had bitten her. But then why had she saved him? The fact that she was being controlled by a vampire would have
explained perfectly why she had tried to help him. Ari shook her head in confusion.
“You can control me?” she said shocked, searching her mind for any obvious intrusion
“No I can’t!” Ragon replied and when Ari looked confused he added, “Well I could but I wouldn’t. I bit you out of
instinct; I had lost too much blood and I couldn’t help myself, but controlling you is my choice and I wouldn’t do
that.”
“Why?” Ari asked.
Ragon looked upset for a moment but recovering quickly said, “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Ari looked down. She was so confused. Everything that Ragon was telling her made sense and yet it was utterly
unbelievable. The fact that vampires were real was one thing, but the thought that they could invade her mind and
control it was, well, frankly scaring the shit out of her. What if Ragon was controlling her right now? Making her think
that she had rescued him before he had bitten her?
“You said you could control me for a time?” Ari asked, thinking she might be able to trick him into admitting that he
was controlling her.
“No I said I wouldn’t control you,” Ragon corrected.
“I mean how long does the venom last?” Ari asked.
“Oh well for me it usually lasts about 7 days,” Ragon said.
“And how does it work; the controlling part?” Ari asked.
“There’s a neurotoxin in our venom. For a certain amount time, which depends on how strong the vampire is, after
the vampire bites a mortal they have power over them, once they bend them to their will. Then the mortal has to do
everything they are told. It’s kind of like their mind becomes an extension of the vampires,” Ragon said.
“Bend them to their will?” Ari asked curiously.
“So many questions!” Ragon said smiling. “Once we bite someone, you can feel the blood racing through your
system, restoring your immortality. At the same time you feel your venom coursing through your victim’s blood,
binding to their neurons. Then, I don’t know how to describe it; it’s like you can feel their will bend to yours and then
their under your control,” Ragon said. “All we need to do is think a command and the source must do it.”
“Is that why Paige…” Ari began, but her voice trailed off, remembering the girl’s still body on the floor of her
concrete dungeon.
Ragon nodded solemnly. “She wouldn’t have had a choice. Kiara and Matthew probably shared her will; it would
have been the easiest thing in the world to get her to-” Ragon said, before Ari interrupted him.
“And why is it 7 days for you?” Ari asked quickly wanting to stop Ragon’s sentence, unwilling to hear the horrible
truth about Paige’s death.
“They say it is how long mortal blood lasts in our system,” Ragon replied. “Although the older the vampire the longer
the control lasts and the further away you can be from them to exert your power.”
“So in theory you need to feed at least once a week?” Ari asked.
“In theory yes, but it depends on how much we take from our victim and how reckless we are,” Ragon replied.
“Reckless?” Ari asked.
“Yea like playing in the sun or smashing through fortified glass, stuff like that,” Ragon said smiling.
Another few moments passed in silence. Ari watched mesmerised as drops of water cascaded down Ragon’s
muscles, as if his body were a marble waterfall. Somehow watching him made her feel peaceful; her mind was no
longer replaying all the horrible moments with Matthew or Kiara. It was odd how, despite having just attacked her,
Ragon’s presence made her feel tranquil. There was something reassuring about being close to him that made her
feel safe. She knew that these feelings weren’t normal but his explanation as to why he had attacked her made
sense and so far all he had done was protect her.
“I am sorry,” Ragon said again.
Ari raised her gaze from his abdomen and asked, “Why did they take me?”
“To hurt me,” Ragon said simply, his voice deflated. “Kiara made me and she wants to own me. When I refused to be
with her decades ago, she agreed not to seek me out as long as I remained solitary. I think the thought of my being
happy has offended her.”
“You’re happy?” Ari asked blushing, just as the theory of his controlling her mind felt less and less possible.
Ragon nodded but did not elaborate.
“We should get out,” Ragon said a few minutes later. “I need to get you to a doctor.”
“I can’t go to the hospital! Don’t you think they’ll want to know what the hell happened to my arm?” Ari asked.
“What am I supposed to tell them; that a werewolf bit me?”
“Werewolf?” Ragon laughed before adding, “There aren’t any left.”
Ari let an awkward silence follow this statement. She wanted to ask what Ragon had meant about Werewolves but
could tell from the perturbed expression on his face that he was once again deep in concentration.
“Well the pharmacy then,” Ragon said, “we can get something to bandage your arm. Vampire bites don’t heal with
stiches,” he added, seeing the perturbed look on Ari’s face. “Usually,” he added, his eyes suddenly becoming thin
and ghostly, “they are pin prinks and just need time to heal over.”
Ari nodded once, “After you,” she said, gesturing for him to leave first.
She certainly wasn’t going to get up first. Being partly naked in Ragon’s arms when she was in shock was one thing,
but to walk around in front of him with most of her clothes missing would definitely make her feel uncomfortable.
Ragon left the bathroom quickly, leaving a large white towel for Ari next to the shower. As soon as she had heard the
door close, she reached for the towel and begun drying herself. Her whole body ached and reaching out a hand to
wipe away the fog from the mirror, Ari gasped.
She looked pale and spectral; there were large cuts and bruises on her backside from where she had been dragged.
Her wrists and neck were swollen and red, and already there were purpling bruises starting to form. She hadn’t
removed the torn remnants of Ragon’s shirt because she was too afraid of what she would find.
When she was completely dry she threw the towel into a washing basket by her bed. There were blood stains all
over it, mostly from her wrist and she wished that Ragon might have left her a different coloured towel, one that
didn’t show up her injuries quite so much. Once inside her room, she roamed the closet for another pair of jeans and
a jumper. It wasn’t particularly cold outside but she wanted to be covered, or rather she wanted her arms and neck
to be covered. She had been exposed enough for a lifetime, and even though Ragon had attacked her, she didn’t
want him to be upset by seeing the slash at her wrist.
It was sunset when Ragon finally knocked on her bedroom door and asked if she was ready to go to the pharmacy.
“But what about Kiara and Matthew?” Ari asked when she was on the back of Ragon’s bike, as her eyes raked the
street where she had been taken from.
“Kiara won’t attack outright,” Ragon said.
“How can you be sure?” Ari asked.
“It’s not her style, besides she prefers to plan rather than to act on impulse,” Ragon said.
“So what’s our plan then?” Ari asked.
Ragon smiled and touched his jacket pocket surreptitiously saying, “Don’t worry I have one.”
The ride to the shops was relatively uneventful. Unlike last time, Ari had no thoughts what’s so ever of screaming out
for help. Though she didn’t like the thought of having to live hidden with Ragon for ever, possibly under his control,
she had accepted that for now it was definitely safer for her to be with him than anyone else.
When finally they arrived at the 24 hour pharmacy in Red Hill, the young red headed pharmacy assistant gawked at
Ragon as he presented her with all manner of bandage material.
“Dog bite,” Ragon muttered to her, after she had stared up at him from behind the counter in confusion.
Ari laughed quietly to herself. She knew the girl’s actions had nothing to do with why they were there, and
everything to do with Ragon’s god-like appearance.
The assistant was flushed in the face and fluffed her hair with her spare hand as Ragon handed her some money.
Clumsily she dropped the change all over the register and coins spilled onto the floor. She raced around to the front
of the counter and bent down low, so as to pick up the fallen change. It had taken another five minutes for them to
leave, with the girl finding any excuse to keep Ragon in the store, even offering to bandage the bite for them.
“It’s for our daughter,” Ragon finally lied, tugging the bag of goods out of her hand and turning to leave.
At this the assistant stared at Ari, as if she was seeing her for the first time. Her eyes raked Ari’s features in
unflattering disbelief, but she surrendered the bag unwillingly over to him, and watched as they exited the store
together.
“I just have to drop this off,” Ragon said, indicating several brown envelopes that he had retrieved from his jacket
pocket.
Ari glanced at the letters in Ragon’s hand, only managing to read the name on the first one: ‘Sandra and Thomas’.
She watched as Ragon moved over to the large, red and white post office box, and placed the envelopes inside. Her
curiosity was peaked and she wanted to ask who the letters were to, but fought the desire to be nosey.
Instead she waited for him to return, letting her eyes be mesmerised by the small moon that had risen in the sky, as
tiny stars began to dot the blackness surrounding it.
***
The very next evening Ari had managed to convince Ragon to allow her to return to her unit in Paddington in order
to collect some of her things. Once in her apartment, she packed a large bag full of her clothes as well as some
personal possessions. Her apartment was small, studio sized and Ragon paced around the room, occasionally
glancing at some of her belongings.
“You don’t have many,” Ragon said, seeming to pause as he searched for the right word, “err, pictures.”
Ari looked around her apartment. There were small bright pink and yellow post-it notes stuck onto an old computer
monitor at a desk as well as on the fridge and freezer doors.
“Pathology exam on Friday,” Ragon read out loud, pulling one of the post-it notes off the cupboard. “Re-read page
346 on OCD in horses.”
Ragon’s eyebrows rose but Ari reached over and grabbed the notes, placing them onto her desk as she said, “I don’t
have any family to take pictures of.”
“No friends?” Ragon asked.
From the way that Ragon was talking to her right now, it seemed obvious for the first time that Ragon was a
vampire, or at the very least, emotional distant. Only a vampire would be so cold and indifferent to her situation.
“Nope, just some girls that I study with occasionally,” Ari said shrugging.
Though she hoped to portray indifference, it was hard for Ari to be so obviously callous about the fact that she was a
loner. The truth was that she had a hard time trusting people. Reaching underneath her bed, Ari dragged a small
wooden box out. The box was not dusty as might have been expected, but pristine looking as though it had been .
With her back pack draped over her shoulder, Ari held onto the box protectively and cowered away when she felt
Ragon reach for her. She was just about to shrug Ragon away when she felt him reach for her bag, gently pulling it
off her shoulder so as to carry it for her.
“It’s ok,” Ari said when Ragon made to help her with the box, “I’ve got it.”
She was just walking down the stairs towards Ragon’s bike when she heard the unmistakeable clicking sound of Mrs
Pettigrew’s high heels across the concrete parking lot.
“Ms Sol,” Mrs Pettigrew said, her harsh and high pitched voice comparable to nails on a chalk board.
Ari rolled her eyes. She had been attacked, kidnapped by vampires and was currently being held in protective
custardy by one, and yet she was more fearful of this old dragon than all of them combined. Mrs Pettigrew was Ari’s
landlord, though Ari often thought of her more as a wicked stepmother. Mrs Pettigrew must have been around 60
years of age though she dressed as if she weren’t yet 30. Currently she was wearing a pair of black leggings, high
heels and a tight silver and black dress that didn’t quite make it to her knees, all held tight with a hideous belt
around her waist.
“Yes Mrs Pettigrew,” Ari said, spinning around to face.
“Going somewhere?” the woman asked, eying Ragon eagerly before placing one of her red manicured fingernails
into her teeth and sucking hard.
“Just staying at a friend’s for a while,” Ari said, making to turn around until she felt Mrs Pettigrew increase her speed
as she reached a hand out and grabbed Ari’s shoulder.
“You’re two weeks behind in rent and now I find you packing a suitcase and sneaking out at night,” Mrs Pettigrew
said. “This isn’t a halfway house; you think I won’t take your bond and rent your room out?”
Apparently unable to stop himself, Ragon growled and both Ari and Mrs Pettigrew looked up at him in surprise.
Instantly Ari felt fearful, but instead of bearing his fangs or moving over to her threateningly, Ragon reached for
something for his jacket and retrieved something.
“How much does she owe?” he asked, holding his wallet out and flipping through several hundred dollar bills.
“250 to take her up to date,” Mrs Pettigrew said, smiling sweetly at Ragon as she showed off her lipstick smeared
teeth.
“This should cover her for the next few months,” Ragon said, handing a thick wad of pineapple coloured bills to the
eager woman.
Ari stared in disbelief at the exchange but did not speak. Mrs Pettigrew was still counting the money when Ragon
placed his hand cautiously on Ari’s shoulder and directed her to his bike.
CHAPTER 5- THE COVEN
One week later it became obvious who Ragon had been writing to. On Thursday night there was a loud
knock on the front door and Ragon jumped to his feet to answer it. Ragon and Ari had been sitting on the couch
together watching the news:
‘Police remain hopeful of catching the culprit responsible for the senseless murders of four prominent young
university students that were killed just over a week ago. The classmates were killed…’
Prominent young rapists, Ari thought to herself as she made to change the channel.
Instinctively she rubbed her wrist. She had been taking a cocktail of nurophen plus and panadol for the pain, and
even though she constantly told Ragon that it didn’t hurt anymore, occasionally the terror of that night washed over
her and left her paralysed with fear. By now the swelling and bruises had all subsided and she guessed it was more
emotional than physical pain. Ari had finally conceited the fact that Ragon was not nor had he ever controlled her.
Perhaps if Ragon had of used his vampire toxin to take away her feel will, he could have made her forget about the
pain and about him attacking her? But he hadn’t. He had told her that he wouldn’t take advantage of her that way.
For a moment she dwelled on that. It would have been a lot simpler for him to make her forget.
“Welcome,” Ragon said from the entrance and instantly Ari looked around, remembering that Ragon had left to
answer the door.
“Thankyou Ragon,” a deep man’s voice boomed.
Ari peaked over the couch and watched as two people entered the room. Ari knew instantly by the grace and speed
of their entrance that they were vampires.
“And this must be your Ari,” said a light and musical voice.
Ari locked eyes on the woman. She was tall and thin, with elbow length dirty blonde hair and a short fringe that
reached just past her eyebrows. Her eyes were a funny honey and green colour, and she was beautiful. Her oval face,
high cheekbones, button nose and full lips made Ari think that she could easily have been a model.
“Err, hello,” Ari said from the couch, locking eyes with Ragon as if unsure of what to do.
“Hello,” said the man and the woman together.
When Ragon simply smiled back, she looked over at the man who had also greeted her. He was tall and black, with
small light coloured eyes and a large smile that revealed perfectly white teeth. He had large full lips and a wide nose,
and his long black hair was formed into dreadlocks that he wore half up and half down. Both his ears were pierced,
and there was a large tattoo on his right shoulder, which Ari saw partly covered a poorly healed scar.
“Ari, this is Larissa and Cambridge” Ragon said, introducing the pair.
Ari stood quickly and moved to shake the couple’s hands. Both of their eyes raked the large bandage on her wrist,
looking instantly up at Ragon in surprise.
“Were we too late?” Larissa asked.
“No; right on time” Ragon said. “Larissa and Cambridge have come at my request to form a temporary coven. I have
invited a few old friends to come and stay with us so that this mess with Kiara can be sorted out.” Ragon touched Ari
gently on the shoulder and moved to face his friends, “Thank-you,” he said simply.
Suddenly there was another knock at the front door. Ari jumped instinctively, while the other three vampires made
no movement. Ragon moved to open the door again and two more people walked inside.
“Thomas and Sandra; thank-you for coming,” Ragon said.
Ari turned around to see the newcomers and was instantly taken aback by a huge bunch of flowers that was cradled
in the woman’s hand. It looked to be a dozen or so roses, but they were not red and vivacious but drooped and
blackened. For a moment she wondered if buying dead roses was just a macabre thing that vampires did, until she
saw Larissa double take at the flowers also. Ari guessed from Ragon’s greeting that the woman carry the flowers
name was Sandra. She was a little shorter than Larissa but just as thin. Her eyes were a light blue and her strawberry
blonde hair was tied into a high bun. She wore blue eyes shadow and her cheeks were accentuated by bright red
blush.
“What’s with the flowers?” Ragon asked, looking at the wilted roses in Sandra’s hand.
“Well I don’t know honey,” Sandra said in a deep southern accent, thick with kindness. “They were at the front door
when we got here.”
In a second Ragon swept over to Sandra and wrenched the flowers from her, searching through the black and
crumpled bouquet until her found a card amongst the dehydrated stems. In a flash he had torn the envelope, read
the card, and moved purposefully over to the veranda door. With one purposeful movement he swung the bunch of
flowers a good 30 metres out into the valley below. As Ari watched this she felt a cold chill creeping up her back.
When Ragon turned back to face her, his face was livid.
“Well I know they were a little wilted,” Sandra said, holding her hands to her hips as she let out a small laugh and
looked around the room, “but I am sure that’s nothing a little water can’t fix.”
“You haven’t had to look after anything living in a while, have you Sandra,” Larissa said smiling, “there are some
things you can’t come back from and no amount of water was going to rejuvenate that bunch of flowers.”
Ragon stormed back into the house, still clutching the note in his hands, though Ari noticed that the small black card
was now crumpled.
“Ragon honey, what’s wrong?” Sandra asked moving over to him, a concerned look now on her face.
For a moment Ragon seemed to think. He was clutching the note even tighter in his hand and his eyes were darting
from his guests then to Ari, and finally back down to the note. After a moment’s hesitation however, he seemed to
control himself, and gently un-crumpled the card and read its contents allowed:
“To Miss Ariana
I do hope these flowers find you well, although it’s funny how living things have a way of dying. I look forward to your
next visit.
Till then…
Matthew”
“Who the hell is Matthew?” Thomas asked, his eyebrows screwed up in confusion.
“One of Kiara’s fledglings,” Ragon said, the worry plain on his face. “I don’t know when she made him but he is
defiantly younger than I am.”
“Oh honey, come here,” Sandra said, as she moved over to Ragon and hugged him warmly, while also wrenching the
card out of his hands and beginning to tear it up into many tiny pieces.
As soon as she was done she raced over to Ari and wrapped her hands around her also, just as if they were old
friends. There was no heat to her embrace, in fact her skin was icy cold to the touch, but Ari appreciated the gesture
and smiled when Sandra said, “That silly Kiara cow. Don’t you worry honey; she’ll get what’s coming to her.”
Ragon growled at these words but moved over to Thomas to shake his hand in welcome.
“Nice grip,” Thomas said winching.
Like Cambridge Thomas was tall, with light brownish blond hair that reached just above his shoulders. He had a
prominent chin, smooth skin and small dark eyes, and when he spoke Ari thought she detected a slight British
accent. Ari guessed him to be around 30, although his boyish features hid his true age well. He reminded her of a
young good looking doctor.
“So how many fledglings does Kiara have with her?” Cambridge asked.
“I can’t be sure,” Ragon said. “All I know for certain is Matthew.”
“Well if it’s just the two of them it should be no problem keeping Ari safe,” Sandra said winking at Ari.
Ragon didn’t smile but said, “Let me show you around,” and gestured for his guest’s to follow him.
“I will be moving down onto the first floor next to Ari’s room,” Ragon said, “Which means that Thomas and Sandra
you will be opposite us,” he said, pointing to a large mahogany door.
“But… but you two don’t sleep together?” Sandra asked before she could stop herself.
“Hush love,” Thomas’s said, taking his mates hand in his.
Ari flushed even more furiously then before and placed the palm of her hands to her cheeks to try and cool them
while pretending to become preoccupied by something in an opposite direction.
“And this is your bedroom,” Ragon said to Larissa and Cambridge, after they had walked up a small flight of stairs
and reached the second storey.
“What a lovely home you have; certainly much cheerier than the cemetery,” Sandra said before looking around and
adding, “But where are all your painting supplies?
For a moment it looked as if Ragon was going to say something but then Cambridge spoke, his loud booming voice
demanding attention.
“Well we must eat, the journey was not a short one and I for one am famished,” Cambridge said, pulling Sandra with
him as they moved down the stairs at break neck speed.
“Yes, as should we,” agreed Thomas.
Once downstairs and out on the veranda, all four vampires turned to face Ragon, “I will stay here and mind Ari,” he
said.
“Mind me?” Ari asked, unable to hide the insult from her voice. “I think I can manage being home alone.”
“Oh honey!” Sandra said as she swept over to Ari and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “How would we feel if
on the very first night that we come here to help protect you; we all go out and gorge ourselves and something
happens to you? You saw Matthews note didn’t you?” Sandra asked.
Ari didn’t respond but a flash of the dead bunch of flowers popped into her head and she hung her head in defeat.
“I know,” said Sandra suddenly turning to Larissa, “how’s about us girls stay and chat, and you boys go off and
hunt?”
For a moment Ragon locked eyes with Ari but Larissa said, “Don’t worry; we’ll take care of her.”
A small nod from Ragon saw Thomas move over to Sandra and kiss her. This was followed quickly by Cambridge
reaching out for his mate, Larissa. Ari watched, a little jealous as the couples embraced passionately. It wasn’t a
goodbye kiss but a longing kiss. She didn’t make eye contact with Ragon, who had moved over to the railings of the
veranda and gripped the banister tightly. After embracing their mates, Thomas and Cambridge joined Ragon near
the edge and all three vampires leapt from the balcony, into the forest below the house and disappeared from sight.
“So,” said Sandra, now moving back inside and over to the large couch in front of the television, “tell me everything;
how did you two meet?”
Ari instantly began telling the story of how Ragon had rescued her. By the time she had finished, both vampires had
a look of concern plastered on their faces.
“I did wonder if those four boys had met their end after running in with a vamp,” Larissa said. “We heard the story
on the news when we flew in.”
Ari was surprised with how at ease she felt with Sandra and Larissa. When at first she had realised she was going to
be babysat by two unfamiliar vampires, she had been nervous, even slightly afraid. But Sandra and Larissa were
lovely. After less than ten minutes alone with them, Ari felt more comfortable with them than she had with most
human girls she had hung out with. The opportunity to speak with some of Ragon’s friends seemed almost too good
to be true, and she searched her mind for the many questions that she been unable to ask Ragon since he had saved
her, while trying to push away the thought of sneaking up to the room on the second floor that she had been
forbidden to enter since first she got there.
Unable to hide her enthusiasm at being in the pair’s company, Ari leaned in closer and asked, “How do you know
Ragon?”
“Oh well that’s an easy one,” Sandra began. “It was 19…” she trailed off looking at Larissa.
“1933,” Larissa finished for her.
“Oh right, so it was 1933 and we were all living in Massachusetts at the time. Back then vamps didn’t really bother
too much about keeping their activities low key. There were parties going on every other week. It was Winter
Solstice and one of the elders was throwing a ball-” Sandra said, before being interrupted.
“Elders?” Ari asked, as her eyebrows rose in confusion.
“Yea elders, they are kind of like policemen except there are only a few of them, about five or so per country
depending on how big it is, or how well populated it is with vampires,” Larissa said.
“So what, they keep order?” Ari asked, trying to picture a vampire wearing a police suit without a gun or Taser, for
which they would have no need.
“Yea basically; they answer to no-one except the Ancients. Mainly they are superfluous now, what with the rules of
maintaining secrecy being so well known. Back in the day they were out enforcing vampire law, but these days they
mainly just sit in their palaces making sure no vamps out step their boundaries. Before the age of technology it didn’t
really matter if a vamp was caught, but what with the internet, youtube, twitter and all the mass media, if a vamp
gets caught its bad news. No vamp is stupid enough to put themselves in the spotlight, else they will have to deal
with the Elders,” Larissa explained.
“And the Ancients?” Ari asked, “Who are they?”
“Basically picture the oldest, most elusive vampires of all time and that’s them. I don’t know anyone who has ever
seen them, but they are the ones who make the rules,” Larissa said.
“Anyway,” Sandra said, calling Ari’s attention back to her original story, “we had met Ragon and Kiara a few times,
just socially by then. One night at the Winter Solstice party they had a huge argument, very public and nasty. We
approached Ragon and asked if he wanted to join our coven. He accepted and for a few decades we all lived
together.”
“But he left us after a while. For a time her went back with her. Don’t ask me what he saw in the silly cow the second
time round, but I guess it ended the same way,” Larissa said. “And he’s been here ever since.”
“Why did they break up?” Ari asked, unable to stop herself.
“Don’t know. He didn’t really like talking about Kiara, not that I can blame him. She was a possessive bitch. He just
told us that he didn’t love her and didn’t want to waste eternity with her,” Larissa said.
“Oh” said Ari a little disappointedly; she had hoped that they might have been privy to this information.
“So since then, Sandra, Thomas, Cambridge and I have stuck together, but the second we had word from Ragon, we
knew we had to come and help,” Larissa said before adding, “it is so typical of Kiara to move over here in pursuit of
him. We would have liked to visit more often but I can’t stand Australia, too damn hot.”
“So why does Ragon live here then?” Ari asked, suddenly considering this strange fact.
“Beats me,” Sandra said, raising her shoulders.
“What else would you like to know?” Sandra asked, leaning in closer to Ari.
Ari smiled. What wouldn’t she like to know? “Are vampires the only, err, immortals out there or are there other
things?” Ari asked.
“Oh there are defiantly other things that go bump in the night,” Larissa said, turning to take one meaningful look at
Sandra as if hoping for approval to continue, Sandra inclined her head slightly and so Larissa went on. “Um let’s see;
in America there is a pretty large witch population, there are supposed to be Wraiths there as well, um, a lot of the
older vamps are in Latvia, but there is also a fair few in the UK. What am I forgetting?”
“Weres,” Sandra said.
“You can’t count Weres, there aren’t any left,” Larissa said, still with her fingernail in her mouth, as though trying
hard to think.
“You mean Werewolves?” Ari asked.
“No we mean Were-anything’s,” Larissa said smiling. “A Werewolf is just a Were being a wolf, but they can be
anything they want; or rather I should say, they could be anything they want.”
“Could? What happened to them?” Ari asked.
“All killed; Vamps got sick of competing with them so they hunted them down and got rid of them all. This was
centuries ago, I wasn’t even alive when it all went down,” Sandra said.
“So what, the vampires decided to get rid of them and then all of a sudden their all gone?” Ari asked confused.
She knew that vampires were powerful but their ability to destroy an entire species of supernatural beings somehow
made them even more ominous and impressive.
“Apparently that’s exactly what happened,” Sandra said. “In their human form Were’s could fed off whatever they
wanted, I think they could eat just like mortals, but in their animal form they were blood drinkers, just like vamps. I
guess the vamps got sick of sharing their food supply, so decided to off them all.”
“I wouldn’t get too upset about them,” Larissa said, seeing Ari’s worried face, “apparently Weres weren’t good
company; filthy animals, running around, attacking anything and everything.”
Ari tried to force her face into an indifferent expression, as she changed the topic from Weres, “So there are real
witches? Do they have pointed hats and cast spells with wands?”
“Not quite. No hats or cats or warts, but they do cast spells and curses, among other things. Vamps and witches
don’t get on well, were kind of opposites,” Larissa said.
“Right,” Ari said, “and what was the other one you mentioned? Raffe?”
“Wraiths,” Larissa corrected.
“And what are Wraiths?” Ari asked.
“Wraiths, well there, I guess you could say they are kind of like an evil version of a witch. Witches are responsible for
maintaining the balance of life and Wraiths are all about death, and responsible for destroying it,” Sandra said.
“So wouldn’t that mean that Wraiths and Vampires are on the same side?” Ari blurted out before she could stop
herself.
Instantly she realised by the look of annoyance on Larissa’s face, that this was the wrong thing to say.
“I suppose you could say that,” Sandra said laughing.
“Not all vamps are bad,” Larissa retorted, her chin slightly raised.
At this more light musical laughter burst from Sandra and Larissa turned to look at her, an undignified look plastered
on her face. “What do you mean, vamps aren’t all bad; off course we are!” Sandra said.
“I just meant, I mean, there are some vampires that are overtly evil, like blood hunters, and there are others that
have simply been dealt a rotten hand, and now have to live with it forever,” Larissa explained.
“Yes and they live with it by killing and drinking the blood from innocent mortals,” Sandra said before adding, “so
you can hardly call them good.”
“Hmm, well I think that is enough Supernatural Education for one night,” Ari said suddenly, hoping to stop any
further argument.
The girls continued to talk for another few hours. Ari was desperate to know more, but out of fear of starting
another argument, steered clear of all immortal talk. Ari was just beginning to wonder where Ragon was, when the
large French doors to the veranda opened suddenly.
“And what are you three gossiping about?” Cambridge’s deep voice asked as he swept over to Larissa and kissed her
on the forehead.
Ari jumped when Cambridge had spoken but Larissa winked and replied, “Just girl talk.”
Ragon followed Cambridge inside and looked at Ari. He smiled lightly at her but she did not return the gesture. She
was still angry at him for treating her like a child.
“I have a surprise for you,” Thomas said when he entered the room.
In a second he had moved over to the kitchen and retrieved two glasses. From behind his back he produced a bottle
of wine. Ari watched as he poured two glasses of thick, sticky red liquid. She knew instantly that what she had
thought was red wine, was in fact blood.
“Oh darling,” Sandra said, taking the glass gratefully and gulping the liquid down.
Larissa smiled as she accepted the glass offered to her and began sipping the blood at her leisure.
“I’d offer,” Thomas said to Ari, “but I don’t think you would enjoy the vintage.”
Cambridge laughed at this. It was a deep booming laugh and when Larissa’s own light laugh followed suit, it was like
listening to music.
“Well, I need my beauty sleep,” Sandra said as she jumped off the couch and placed her glass in the sink.
Thomas followed after her just as Larissa and Cambridge made for the stairs, leading to the second level.
“Goodnight” Ragon said to Ari.
“Night” Ari replied.
She was still sitting on the couch and got up reluctantly to go to bed. She felt strange. Somehow a part of her had
begun to grow attached to Ragon. It wasn’t his overtly good looks which attracted her to him but his kind nature.
Despite being a vampire, he seemed to genuinely car for her. It felt odd that she had gone from being utterly
terrified of him to slowly accepting of her situation. Craning her neck around she watched him enter his room and
for a moment a lustful thought, wished she was joining him.
Pulling herself off the couch, Ari eye’s swept over Ragon’s door before she reluctantly moved inside her own room.
She was jumping into bed when she heard a strange noise coming from Thomas’s and Sandra’s bedroom. Fighting
with herself, she eventually got up and strained to listen. Instantly she blushed crimson.
“Oh baby,” Sandra moaned.
Ari stepped back away from the wall but then glancing nervously around her room, pressed her ear pressed against
the thin wooden walls.
“Enough,” Sandra cried, and Ari tried to force out the lustful images that were running through her mind.
Moving back to her bed, Ari laid down in a cold sweat. She was unable to stop thinking about Ragon. Visions of him
in the shower had flashed into her mind. When finally she fell asleep, she dreamed of him bursting through her
bedroom doors and taking her.
CHAPTER 6- SOURCES
It wasn’t until 4pm the next day that Ari finally dragged herself out of bed. Her body clock had almost
completely become in sync with Ragon’s. Once she had showered and dressed, she tiptoed out of her bedroom
peering idly around the bend in the hallway. After a few minutes of searching the house and neither hearing nor
seeing anything, Ari was satisfied that she was the only one awake yet and set about doing the ordinary day to day
things that might have occupied her time when she was living by herself.
It was at least 2 hours later that Ragon joined her in the kitchen. She had already done the last weeks’ worth of
washing and was now cooking some eggs and bacon in a large frying pan on the stove.
“Good evening,” Ragon said, greeting her with a large smile.
Ari couldn’t help but grin back. It was unbelievable how her relationship with Ragon had grown, despite the fact that
her world had been turned upside down. One minute she had been studying to become a vet, and the next had
discovered that vampires existed and she was living with one. This thought turned her grin into an even broader
smile, as she realised for the first time she had someone who cared about her.
“Are you hungry…” Ari began to say as she hurriedly stirred her scrambled eggs but stopped quickly. Could vampires
even eat normal food, she wondered.
“Food, err, doesn’t go down well,” he said simply, looking at the frying pan as if it were some sort of undesirable
entity in the room.
“Right,” Ari said, beginning to serve up her dinner.
This wasn’t the first meal that she had cooked for herself since her rescue. Ragon had been filling the fridge at
intervals.
He must have been shopping recently because he said, “Did I buy the right things?”
Ari looked back momentarily at the kitchen pantry. Now as she eyed the new bottles of condiments and the various
tins of vegetables and what not, it was fairly obvious Ragon must have gone to the shops in the last day or so. It was
clear from the haphazardly placed items, that Ragon was not at all use to grocery shopping. Ari thought that he must
have grabbed the first things he saw and thrown them into the fridge. There was no oil or salt, and Ari had had to
take most of the meats he’d bought, and freeze them as there were so many.
Ari reached for the lettuce that was sitting on a shelf next to a large jar of olives and stared at it for a moment,
smelling the all too familiar waft of mouldy cut grass. Her eyebrows creased slightly as her nose twitched, trying to
stop the rotting odour from ruining her appetite.
“Is something wrong?” He asked, as Ari moved the over to the kitchen sink and placed the bagged lettuce in the bin.
Again a smile crept across her face as she realised that these arbitrary mistakes were relatively innocent for
someone who had not eaten in over a hundred years.
“Yeah, this is great,” she replied, half lying. “But, I was wondering; do you think I could come with you next time you
go to the shops?” Ragon looked at her curiously, and Ari thought that perhaps she had offended him and quickly
added, “It’s just, I’m used to buying my own groceries and there are some things that I need.”
She guessed by the confused look on his face that he had no idea what she was talking about, but he said, “I will get
you anything you want.”
Ari blushed, looking down at her feet as she hurried to think how to phrase her sentence, but then shook her head
resigned. The absolute last thing that she wanted to ask Ragon for was tampons. She wondered if perhaps she could
order them online and have them sent to her, but then she remembered that her credit cards, along with all her ID
and money, had been in the bag that had been left at the University. Mercifully she was saved having to explain her
need for female sanitary items however, when Sandra and Larissa walked into the room.
Clearly they had been listening to Ariana’s and Ragon’s conversation, as Larissa walked up to Ragon and said, “I’m
obviously going to have to tell you the story about the birds and the bees.”
Instantly Ari sat down at the table and was just about to shovel a pile of bacon and eggs into her mouth, when
Sandra spoke.
“Don’t worry honey, we’ll make sure that you get what you need,” Sandra said in her thick Southern accent.
For a moment it looked as if Ragon was going to protest but then Cambridge walked into the room and pinching his
nose said, “What is that god awful smell?”
Ari looked down at her plate of scrambled eggs and sizzling rations of bacon in confusion.
“Oh right, I thought that perhaps something had died in here,” Cambridge said before adding, “I’m not used to living
with mortals.”
Ari shrugged, piled her fork with scrambled eggs and took her first mouthful. For a moment she savoured the
deliciously light and creamy scrambled eggs until she realised her cooking lacked seasoning. Putting her folk down
Ari moved back into the kitchen looking for the salt. Her eyes were scanning the shelves in the cupboard when she
noticed a small purple bottle sitting next to a bag of unground, whole pepper corns. Reaching up for it eagerly, she
moved back over to her breakfast and was just about to sprinkle the contents onto her food when she saw Ragon
blur towards her out of the corner of her eye.
“Stop,” Ragon yelled and Ari felt her hand loosen around the purple bottle, so that it dropped from her hands.
“What?” Ari asked, watching as Ragon reached out a hand and caught the bottle, inches before it could shatter on
the floor.
“What are you doing?” Ragon growled.
“What do you mean? Just putting some salt on my eggs,” Ari said innocently, her eyebrows creased together in
confusion.
“This isn’t salt,” Ragon said, taking the lid off Ari and gently securing it to the lid. “It’s EDTA.”
All the vampires in the room gasped and Ari looked around in confusion.
“But, what’s EDTA?” Ari asked.
“It’s an anti-coagulant. It’s toxic to vampires; I bought it in case we had any unwelcome house guests that we might
need to use it on,” Ragon explained.
“Oh,” Ari said, looking down sheepishly at her food and resuming her seat while Ragon reached up high and placed
the small purple bottle of EDTA on the top shelf in the cupboard, out of reach from Ari.
Ari continued eating her dinner, albeit a little faster than before after having made sure that there was not EDTA on
her food. Ragon had said that small quantities wouldn’t be dangerous for mortals, but Ari didn’t think it was a good
idea to chance it. As she piled eggs and bacon into her mouth, she thought about how normal food would smell or
taste to vampires, and so she tried to picture how it would be to drink blood, instantly wrinkling her nose in disgust.
When she thought about it that way, it made sense for the situation to be similar when reversed. If she couldn’t
stand the thought of drinking blood, then why would vampires enjoy the smell of food?
“Sandra would you like to go out hunting?” Larissa asked fifteen minutes later when Ari was cleaning up her plate.
“We can stop by the chemist and grab, err, some things for Ari too.”
Instantly Ari looked sheepishly at Ragon but then turned to smile at Larissa, grateful to have her and Sandra there.
“I think that sounds fair, especially as the boys went out without us last night,” Sandra replied, “besides, I’m
famished.”
“Would you like to join us-” Sandra asked Ari politely before stopping quickly at the horrified look on Ragon’s face.
“Oh no I, err, just ate,” Ari said from the kitchen sink.
Ragon was still staring in disbelief at Sandra when a loud knocking distracted everyone. Cambridge and Thomas, who
had been talking animatedly in the hallway, blurred into the kitchen to stand protectively in front of their mates. The
sound of the knocking was still ringing in the living room, when Ragon reached the front door and opened it.
“Sameth,” Ragon said in a relieved tone as he clapped him on the back in welcome.
“Not just me,” Sameth said, pointing behind himself at a large black convertible from which a man and two women
sat, “Clyde is here too.”
Unable to fight her curiosity, Ari cranked her head from around the edge of the kitchen where she was doing the
dishes. She saw the young man to whom Ragon was talking and then, looking a little farther out towards the
driveway, saw another man sitting behind the driver’s seat of a very fast looking car. The top was down on the
convertible and two beautiful women were his passengers. The man at the door, who Ragon had called Sameth,
looked to be no more than 21 years old. He had a youthful glow about his presence; his eyes were wide and curious,
although they didn’t quite have the same hopeful radiance you might expect in one so young. His features were
round and boyish though handsome, with a wide forehead and matching pointed chin. His hair was brown, and there
was a sparse layer of stubble covering face and Ari thought he looked like he belonged in a boy band. Returning her
attention to the flamboyant man in the black convertible, Ari gasped; he was absolutely gorgeous. Clyde, as Sameth
had called him, was clearly well built, with muscles that seemed to bulge obviously through his clothes, and large
broad shoulders. He wore a t-shirt and three quarter shorts, but despite his casual clothes appeared well dressed. He
had short brown hair, with blondish tips, and large oval shaped sparkling eyes that matched his cheeky smile. His lips
were large and full and when he saw Ari staring at him, he winked, and Ari, caught in surprise, quickly sat back down
on the couch, embarrassed.
“Clyde,” Ragon said a little louder than normal. “Thank you for coming, although I did not realise that you would be
bringing friends with you. Will they be alright sharing one of the guest rooms?”
Ari knew that Ragon was referring to the two supermodels who adorned Clyde’s entourage. When Ari had seen the
blonde and red head beauties, she had expected Ragon’s jaw to drop. What she had not expected was for him to
appear put-out by their being here. She knew boys who would have sold every tooth in their mouth, for just one first
date with girls who looked like that. Unable to fight her curiosity, Ari glanced back over the couch.
“Well,” Clyde said as he opened the front door and stepped onto the driveway, “I thought the more the merrier,
besides, they taste just as good as they look,” he added, a wicked gleam lighting his face. “Oh and we will all share
the one room. I, err, wouldn’t want you to be put-out.”
Ragon did not comment, but widened the front door a little allowing entry to his newest guests.
As soon as the new arrivals moved inside, Ari sat back down on the couch. Sandra and Larissa were next to her, and
she thought for a moment that Larissa seemed overly interested by the newcomers.
“Come, and I will show you around,” Ragon said, and Sameth, Clyde, and the two girls, followed him up the stairs.
“Who was that?” Ari asked Sandra in a whisper, when she thought they were far enough away so as not to be
overheard.
“Oh, you mean Clyde?” Sandra asked. “Well Clyde, he’s, ah, I guess you could say-”
“A blood hungry, womanising jerk that spends his time tricking women into falling in love with him, and then getting
them to spend the next few months of their lives being a blood bank,” Larissa finished for her.
She was glaring at the staircase, from which Clyde had disappeared up, and Ari thought that there might have been
another reason as to why she seemed so hell bent on bad mouthing him.
“Seriously though Ari, Clyde has a reputation,” Sandra said in a tone much lighter than Larissa’s. “Stay away from
him, he’s bad news. It’s entirely typical of Clyde to steal the show. He’s a notorious ladies man, or I guess you could
say ‘ladies vampire’. Wherever he goes women follow and they seem to be only too happy to be whatever he needs
from them; lover, company, or food source.”
“Besides,” Larissa said, leaning in even closer to Ari and whispering. “What about Ragon? He‘s twice the vampire
Clyde will ever be.”
Ari stopped and thought for a moment. She couldn’t deny that since getting to know Ragon she had developed
feelings for him. He had saved her, and was gorgeous looking, but it was fairly clear to her that, by his lack of trying
anything, he had no thoughts of their being any more than friends. She tried to put all of this into a sentence. She
had felt a connection with Larissa and Sandra, and thought that if she could explain all of this to them, they might
actually be able to help her.
“It’s not like that with Ragon and me,” she said simply, failing miserably at communicating everything that she
thought and felt.
Sandra and Larissa turned to face each other, exchanged a knowing look, and then stared right back at Ari.
“Why did he rescue you then; if there is nothing between you?” Larissa asked, a slight smug edge to her voice, as if
she knew so much more than Ari.
“That was the first time we met, when he saved me from those uni creeps,” Ari said. “In fact, since then Ragon has
been stuck with me. Not only does he not think of me in that way, but he probably sees me as a giant pain in the
ass.”
“Oh sugar, why do you think he saved you from Kiara then?” Sandra began. “He would hardly have rescued you from
Kiara if-”
But Sandra was interrupted by the clicking sound of heels walking down the stairs. A moment later, the blonde and
red headed guests of Clyde walked into the kitchen. Sandra gave them a pitying look, while Larissa glared at them.
Ari was just about to introduce herself when the blonde girl stuck out her skinny wrist, as if in offering, and said,
“Clyde was wondering if you were hungry?”
Ari looked in horror at the girl, noting the large bite mark that already scarred her arm.
“So thoughtful,” Sandra said in a voice of mock outrage. She was not talking to the blonde model, but to Clyde, who
had just begun walking down the staircase also. “But we are going to go out for dinner.”
“Besides,” said Larissa, “We have very different tastes, and I don’t feel like having your left overs,” and with that she
jumped from the couch and swept out onto the veranda.
“See you soon Ari,” Sandra said, before following Larissa.
Clyde bowed ever so slightly as the girls stood, and remained lowered with his head inclined as he watched the two
vampires sweep from the veranda and into the night.
“Your mates are even more beautiful than last I remembered,” Clyde said smiling to Thomas and Cambridge.
Ari thought she heard Cambridge growl, but when she looked up at the gorgeous black man she couldn’t see
anything malicious at all about his appearance.
At this point Clyde turned to Sameth saying, “How about you Sammy,” then spinning the red head over to Sameth
added, “I promise you, they are delicious.”
Sameth looked once at the red head, before tearing his eyes away, a little reluctantly in Ari’s opinion, and back to his
suitcase saying, “I bought provisions.”
Ari watched as he fumbled with a zipper and found what he was looking for, then began sipping from a blood bag
labelled AB negative.
“Seriously?” Clyde asked, moving over to the redhead and pulling her closer.
For a moment Sameth sucked hard on the blood bag, and watched with slitted eyes as Clyde sunk his fangs into the
girl’s neck. Ari, who had been watching Sameth, couldn’t help but feel unsettled when she saw his fangs unsheathe.
There was something odd about the way that Sameth watched Clyde and his source, and then Ari almost screamed
when Sameth blurred over to the blonde, slid the sleeves of her shirt up and guided her wrist to his mouth. He didn’t
look the blonde in the eye, but breathed in deeply.
“Thank you,” he said quietly, gently piercing her skin, as his fangs tore through flesh until they met blood.
For a moment Ari watched mesmerised at this exchange. Her initial image of Sameth as being young and innocent
was entirely gone. Now she couldn’t help but wonder exactly how old Sameth was and how long he would be able to
control the girl for.
“Shall we?” Clyde asked, once he had withdrawn his fangs from the girl’s neck.
The red head pressed her hand to her neck and followed him out to the veranda. A few moments later, when
Sameth had also finished with the blonde, the pair followed suit. Unable to fight the intrigue, Ari went outside also
while Ragon followed close behind. Thomas and Cambridge made eye contact for the slightest of moments, but then
also made their way to the veranda. As soon as they were all outside, Clyde produced a couple of shot glasses from
behind his back, and a bottle of tequila. Both models began giggling instantly.
“Who would like to play a game?” Clyde asked his eyes wide and enthusiastic.
Both models immediately said yes and Ari, though a little nervous, nodded her head in agreement. At this Ragon’s
jaw did finally drop, but he recovered himself quickly and hesitantly agreed also. Both Thomas and Sameth shook
their heads, but Cambridge nodded slowly as if deliberating something in his head.
“Oh hell: why not?” Sameth suddenly said, looking greedily at the blonde girl.
“B1 and B2, be darlings and go get some playing cards from my bag,” Clyde said, slapping the girls playfully as they
walked past.
Ari waited for them to be out of ears shot and then said, “Their names are B1 and B2?”
“Hmm, what, no!” Clyde exclaimed, laughing to himself lightly.
“What are their names then?” Ari asked.
Clyde looked at her for a moment in awe, “I haven’t the faintest idea. I call the blond one B1 and the red head B2,”
he said simply, “Although truth be told, I do sometimes get the two mixed up.”
Ari did not respond but nodded her head slowly in reply.
It was a few minutes before the two girls returned. Instantly Ari realised why they had taken so long; they had
changed clothes. The blonde was now wearing a low cut black dress with pink heels, while the red head had replaced
her simple dress for a pair of black tights and a tight blue dress. Ari looked at the two girls and then down to her
white shirt and jumper, pair of blue jeans and sneakers, and immediately felt underdressed.
“Right then,” Clyde said, accepting the deck of cards. “Let’s play sources-”
He was cut off immediately when Ragon jumped to his feet saying, “Ari will not be a source!”
“Of course not,” Clyde said smoothly as if the idea was unthinkable. “She is far too lovely, besides we have two
sources here, don’t we?” Clyde said pointing to the pair.
Both girls sat down at the table and nodded enthusiastically.
“I don’t know the rules,” Ari said after a moment, having been distracted wondering what Ragon and Clyde had
meant by the word ‘source’.
“Oh,” B1 said in an annoyingly high pitched sickly sweet voice, “It’s easy-”
“The pack gets divided by the total number of players,” B2 continued, while simultaneously handing out the cards to
all 6 players.
“-All plain cards, like a 2 or a 9, stand for drink so if you flip one of these over you have to have a shot,” B1 said as
she began slicing up a lemon. “But the face cards: jack, queen, king, and ace stand for different actions.”
“If a man turns over a Jack then they must remove an item of clothing. If a girl turns over a jack then they must
choose which guy will remove an item of clothing,” B2 said giggling. “And it’s pretty much the reverse for the
Queen.”
“A king is a slave card and you get to order someone to do something to you… I mean for you,” B1 said scratching
her head, as though trying hard to remember the last rule.
“And then there is the ace. Ace is the source card. If you are a source and you turn an ace, you offer yourself for
everyone to drink, but if you’re not a source and you turn an ace, then you can choose a source to drink from,” B2
finished.
“My dears, it is amazing how you explained that so well,” Clyde said, clapping quietly, “almost as if you share the
same brain.”
Ari gulped and looked at Ragon; she didn’t like the sound of this game, but watched as B2 dealt out all the cards so
that they were face down in front of all the players.
“I will go first,” Sameth said, reaching for the first of his cards and flipping over a 6 of spades.
Ari thought it was odd that Sameth, who had initially declined to play, now seemed so eager. She watched his face
light up as the models brought over a shot of tequila and passed it to him.
B1 then licked her hand and sprinkled some salt onto it, while B2 held out a lemon wedge for him, “Lick, sip, and
suck?” he asked, before laughing to himself and then taking the shot.
Ari didn’t miss the double meaning.
Next to go was Cambridge. His large black hands flipped over a 3 of hearts and, like Sameth, took a shot of tequila
from the girls. For the next few rounds it continued like this and Ari, along with the other players, was beginning to
feel the effects of the alcohol. She knew that she was drunk when the tequila no longer tasted foul.
The first to turn a face card was Sameth. He drew a jack and with a grim look on his face, removed his shirt. Both
models swooned and Ari tried not to stare and his marbled body.
It was several shots later that B1 drew her first face card. Like Sameth, it was a jack. The blonde smiled wickedly to
herself, hiccupped a little, and then said, “Ragon!”
Ari was unable to hide her heightened expectations. The alcohol had removed most of her inhibitions, when she
watched Ragon unbutton his dark blue shirt and remove it.
“Your turn Ari,” Sameth said from beside her.
“What, oh, yeah, right,” she mumbled and flipped over a queen.
Ari stared hard at the card for a while. She had no idea what to do. For a moment she thought hard and then, with a
little smile to herself, removed her jumper revealing a black tank top.
“Hang on a moment,” Clyde’s voice came from across the table, “do jumpers count?”
Ari glared at him and he smiled seductively right back.
“Your minion said ‘item of clothing,’” Ragon growled from next to Ari, “and correct me if I am wrong, but I believe a
jumper counts as such an item.”
Ari was a little surprised and confused at Ragon’s outburst. Though she had told Sandra and Larissa that they did not
share any feelings, this had not been true, at least for Ari. The thought that Ragon did not want to see Ariana naked
made her angry and jealous. Her drunken mind was fuming as she thought of how best to prove that she could have
a good time if she wanted to. Mimicking Clyde’s wicked smile, Ari removed her tank top. She was wearing a plain
white bra which, she realised with a pang of embarrassment, Ragon must have bought for her.
“Looks like you have a spirited one,” Cambridge’s booming voice said as he drew an ace.
Ari, who had reached for another shot of tequila to ward off her embarrassment, had almost missed Cambridge
lunge across the table and begin biting at the Red head’s neck. B2 gasped a little, but she not struggle, and Clyde and
Sameth let out roaring laughs, just as the lemon, which Ari had been sucking on, fell from her mouth. She was in
absolute shock as she watched Cambridge continue to lap at the girl’s throat, as if he were giving her a hickey.
“I see we weren’t the only ones to have got a snack,” an angry voice spoke from the edge of the veranda.
Ari turned, still opened mouthed, to see Larissa and Sandra balancing on the veranda railing. Larissa was looking at
Cambridge in fury. In a flash he had removed himself from the girl’s neck and sat back down at the table, casually
wiping the blood away from his mouth as he did so.
‘Get off me,’ Cambridge commanded the red head after he had felt her will bend to his.
The red head did not move however, and after a moment Cambridge cocked his head to the side in confusion. He
had felt his venom enter her system and was surprised that she did not obey his command. Larissa, who had
continued to glare at the girl sitting on Cambridge’s lap, did not look impressed, but then Clyde’s laughter broke the
tension, and the red head stood up.
“Sorry; couldn’t help myself,” Clyde said.
Ari looked from Cambridge to Clyde and understood; Clyde had obviously taken blood from the girl also, and his
command had overweighed Cambridge’s. At first Ari wondered if that meant that Clyde was older and more
powerful than Cambridge, but then a new thought popped into her head; why would Clyde do that? It was clear that
Larissa was fuming at Cambridge being so presumptuous with another woman.
“Ah Larissa and Sandra, I see your sports have given you revised beauty; you look as flushed and fresh as if it were
your first hunt. Please come and join us,” Clyde said, standing and requisitioning two more chairs from inside.
“Oh no honey,” Sandra said. “You all play; I think I will go and find Thomas,” and she swept from the veranda and
into the house in a blur.
Larissa sat herself next to Clyde and, still staring at Cambridge with malice in her eyes, poured herself a shot. Shaking
his head slightly, Ragon grabbed the remaining cards, and reshuffled them, then divided them between the now 7
players. Larissa was first to draw a card and when she flipped a jack over, immediately turned to Clyde, and begun
removing his shirt. Ari didn’t dare look at Cambridge, but instead stared at Clyde’s perfect body. Unable to look
away, Ari found herself staring at a small bite mark on his chest.
“Your turn,” Clyde said, smiling wickedly at her as he winked.
Instantly Ari looked down at her pile of cards. Had she been less drunk she might have felt embarrassed, but as it
was she relished the attention Clyde gave her, hoping childishly that it might make Ragon jealous. A little hesitantly
she turned her card and to her relief found that she had a 2 of spades. She took the drink poured to her by B1, and
quickly gulped it down.
“Thanks,” she muttered.
Ari had still been shotting her tequila when Ragon drew a queen. He sat still for a moment, paused in concentration,
and then turning to the blonde, requested for her to remove an item of clothing. It was Ari’s turn to be angry. She
wasn’t sure if it was genuine anger or the alcohol that had made her jealous. She watched B1 reach behind her back,
and untie a single black ribbon that enabled her entire black dress to fall from her. The blonde giggled a little and sat
back down. Ari was trying not to stare at her beautiful body, large round breasts, and flat stomach, which had a small
diamond belly button ring adorning it. The next to draw a face card was Clyde. He stared for a moment at the King of
diamonds, as if all his dreams had come true.
Leaning back against his chair he said, “Ari why don’t you come over here and play with my lovely young blonde
friend for a moment?”
Ari blushed furiously. It was true that the alcohol had given her a lack of sense, but now as she stared at the blonde
beauty, she knew Clyde’s request was outrageous. Standing a little hesitantly and clumsily, she made to move over
to the girl.
“You can’t have two slaves,” Ragon protested instantly. Ari froze in place and listened as Ragon added, “The slave
card allows you to choose one person to do your bidding; you can’t have both of them.”
Ari watched as Clyde scratched his chin thoughtfully, “So be it,” he said, looking a little glum. “Why don’t you remove
the rest of your clothing and meet me at the start of the forest.”
For a few moments Ari stared at Clyde without blinking, just as a startled silence settled on the table. It was only
when Clyde winked at her, then turned to B1 and said, “I will join you in a moment,” that she realised he was talking
to the blonde bombshell and not her.
Clyde had pointed to a spot about 50 metres down from the house. The area was bathed by filtered moonlight and
was lined by a few large conifers. The blonde quickly got to her feet and, turning to leave, slid down her underwear
so that she was naked when she walked away from the table. Ragon had not watched the girl; his eyes had been
narrowed and fixed on Clyde.
“Well,” said Clyde, standing also to leave. “Please feel free to continue, we may, err, be a while.”
Once Clyde was next to the veranda railing, he jumped over it, and in a blur made his way to where the blonde was
waiting for him. He had been upset by not being able to include Ari in his little plan, but knew that Ragon would not
have allowed her to take the blonde’s place. Still he thought, now looking at the large perfect breasts in front of him,
things could be worse. Clyde had chosen this area specifically, so that the rest of the group would be able to hear
him. Moving to take the girl’s hands, he pushed them up over her head and forced her up against the hard bark of a
large tree.
“Keep them there,” he whispered.
One of his hands remained on hers, but the other crept down her face and rested on her breasts. She gasped a little
as his fingers began circling her nipples. Clyde smiled as the girl began thrusting into him. Leaning down, he began
kissing her. He laughed a little to himself then reaching up, grasped her hair. He was forcing his tongue deep into her
throat until he realised, he was hungry for something other than her kiss. In a flash he reached down and struck at
her neck with his fangs. He sucked hard at her jugular and in response she screamed out loud. For a moment Clyde
paused; he could tell by her scream that it was one of pleasure and not pain. Though he had fed on her recently and
was still able to command her, he still felt the familiar wave of control wash over him, as his venom bound to her
mortal neurons. As was custom for most vampires, the moment he had broken through her futile skin, he found
himself desperate to hold her until she was empty and drink the life entirely out of her. But he did not wish to kill
her; what good would she be to him dead? Feeling the sudden lagging of her heart, he knew it was time to stop.
Reluctantly he pulled his fangs out of her throat and licked at the blood that tried to cling to its owner.
Back at the table, Ari felt the floor sway, as the alcohol finally caught up with her. She had not drunk this much in a
long time and she knew that if she didn’t stop now, she would lose all self-control. Suddenly a long loud moan
reached her ears, reminding her of Clyde’s pleasure. Instantly she glanced down to where they stood, blushed, and
quickly averted her eyes back to the game. She was surprised when she flipped the last card of the deck over and
saw that it was a king.
“Ragon… take me to bed,” she said, her voice seemingly segregated from her body.
Her mind was clouded by alcohol and she wasn’t even certain of what she had said. All she knew was that she was
going to have one hell of a headache in the morning. Ragon moved over to Ari quickly. He wondered if she knew that
she was only wearing a bra and underwear. Cradling her in his arms, he walked away from the table and the screams
of pleasure from the forest, and took her to her room.
CHAPTER 7- A TIME FOR ANSWERS
Ragon had sat next to Ari on the edge of her bed that night. He knew that if she woke up and saw him she
would freak out, but had been unable to help himself. He had tried to justify this by telling himself that he was
worried she might choke on her own vomit, but the truth was he just wanted to be close to her. Up until tonight he
had thought that he could keep her safe and keep his distance. As Ragon reached down for a pillow that had fallen
off Ari’s bed, his eyes spied a small wooden box tucked underneath her bed. For a moment he sat upright again,
looking over at Ari who had stirred slightly, before bending down again and reaching for the box. The moment he
picked it up he knew exactly what it was. It was the same, small, wooden ornate box that Ari had taken from her
apartment. His cold hands traced the smooth lid, his fingers automatically finding the break in the wood and prising
it open before he could stop himself. He was just about to close the box and replace it when he saw something that
caught his attention. As carefully as possible, he reached in and retrieved a soft white baby blanket. For a moment
he clutched this in his hands before reaching for a crumpled piece of paper, gently prising it open and reading it in
his head:
To the sisters of the Grace Valley Orphanage,
I found this little girl dumped outside of the Prince Charles Hospital on February the 2nd. Please ensure that she is
cared for. You will be able to do a better job than I am capable of. What happened to her family I cannot guess, but
surely they do not want her if they left her in such a way. She was wrapped in this blanket and there was a hospital
bracelet on her arm that said: ‘Ariana Sol’
I trust you will look after her.
His eyes scanned the small piece of paper over and over again, just as a pitting sadness settled inside him. He had
not felt such emotion for a very long time, so that when he replaced the note and the blanket back into the box and
replaced it under Ari’s bed, he clutched at his chest as if he were truly in pain.
As he sat and watched Ari breathe little shallow breaths, he recalled the first time he had seen her; or rather the first
time she had seen him. He had been at the university, reading in the library when she’d walked past him. He hadn’t
looked up when she passed by, but continued to read his much worn copy of ‘Dantes Inferno’. From the second she
had left the library, all he could hear was her heartbeat. The purposeful lub dub of her heart was distinct and like
music to his ears. It was a delicious and soothing song that only he could hear, reminding him that she was alive. The
moment her heart rate had changed he knew something was wrong. It had gotten too fast, too quickly, and there
was something strange about the rhythm that reminded him of Karl Husa’a, ‘Quarto movemiento’.
He had wanted to race to her, to blur through the library in an instant, but he knew he could not: such actions would
not go unnoticed. Instead he had raced in the most controlled manner he could manage, trying to mimic a human
pace as best he could. To those who had seen him, he might have been any mortal chasing a bus or else being late
for an appointment. However, as soon as he felt the absence of heartbeats around him and thought it was safe, he
accelerated and blurred through the campus. For one desperate moment he wished that Ari was bound to him and
that he could sense exactly where she was, rather than having to rely on listening for her heart. But this would mean
that she was either his source or his fledgling. A fledgling was what a vampire called any mortal they turned into a
vampire. A bond existed between the two and afforded the maker certain privileges, like being able to locate their
fledgling if they were nearby. In the case of blood sources vampires were able to control them, which may not have
helped with finding Ari, but would have made it much easier for him to protect her without her becoming suspicious.
As it was, neither of these options were acceptable so Ragon had had to contend with only being able to hear her
heart, and all the limitations that came with it.
The moments it had taken him to reach Ariana had felt like some of the longest in his considerably protracted life. He
had seen the beasts that had attacked her first, reacting in an instant to end their existence. So preoccupied with
their prey, they hadn’t even noticed him. Moving over to the two boys who dared to restrain her, he had broken
their necks quickly. Ari had then fallen hard onto the ground, and he wanted desperately to check that she was ok,
but vengeance distracted him. He had enjoyed racing after the man who’d foolishly tried to run from him. But Ragon
was impossibly fast and had taken the insignificant worm in his hands and crushed his spine against his knee.
Last but not least: the instigator. Ragon had smiled as he’d watched the monster pray on his knees; thinking that no
amount of penance would help him. A monster killing another monster, Ragon had thought to himself, before
reaching down and tearing his prey’s throat out. He had been unable to stop himself and had drunk the man’s blood.
This more than anything else he regretted; he had not wanted Ari to see him that way. Had Ari not been there, he
would have preferred to take his time with them and really ensured that they suffered for trying to rape her. He
imagined biting them and controlling them, then getting them to live out their worst nightmares while under his
command. But he couldn’t indulge in such pleasures; he had had to get Ari away from there and make sure she was
safe and, above all else, make quite sure that nothing like this could ever happen again. He remembered reaching
down to pick Ari up after she had fainted. He couldn’t bring himself to lock eyes with her, but had taken her gingerly
in his arms and raced into the night. He had run the entire way with her in his arms. She did not speak and Ragon
knew by the quiet hum of her heart, that she remained unconscious for the entire journey.
Despite his speed, it had been half an hour before he had reached his home: the mausoleum at Toowong Cemetery.
He had known from the instant he had saved her that everything was going to have to change. He had hoped if he
could keep her existence a secret from Kiara, than perhaps she could still lead a relatively normal life. Naively he had
thought for her to one day get used to his company, and then maybe she could restart university and continue with
her life as if nothing had changed; Kiara need never know of her existence. In that parallel reality, she might have
grown up and had babies; Ragon would have slowly become less and less a part of her life until she forgot about him
entirely, but now that could never be. He had damned her; Kiara knew who she was, but worst or all knew how
much Ari meant to him.
Suddenly Ari tossed in her sleep, pulling Ragon from his thoughts. Instantly he moved closer to her, careful not to
touch her, but desperate to be there if she needed him. He had a large glass of water and some ibuprofen plus
waiting by her bedside table for when she awoke. It had not taken long for the sun to finally rise after she had fallen
asleep. Ragon watched the few tiny beams of light try desperately to get beyond the block-out curtains in her room.
Transfixed at their luminescence, he realised how long it had been since he had seen the sun; except for his recent
tanning fiasco. It was no secret that vampires disliked the sunlight; even the movies had managed to get that one
right, or at least some of them. After he had first been changed, he thought his affliction towards the sun might
wane, but as the weeks stretched into years he realised he would never again be able to walk in the day light. His
intolerance to sunshine seemed the final blow of what he had considered a cursed life, for in his mind only true evil
would be barred from the sun’s glory. Still he thought, when darkness began to fall outside, the night had its own
beauty; though each star would never shine as true as the sun, combined, they were a majestic, dancing counterpart
to the daytime.
When finally he was satisfied that it was dark enough outside, he moved over to the windows and drew the curtains
open. The moon was bright tonight, which afforded Ragon the comfort of a replacement sun to behold.
“Kill me,” Ari whispered in a thick crackling voice from the bed.
Ragon smiled and turned to face her. Though he could not remember what the effects of alcohol on him had been
while he was a human, he knew that on occasions when he had partaken in drinking heavily and not having enough
blood in his system, that he had felt drained afterwards. Ragon blurred over to Ari’s bedside table and popped two
ibuprofen tablets out of their packets and handed them to her.
“Oh,” Ari said, startled by Ragon’s presence, “How long have you been here?”
“About 200 years, give or take,” he said smiling.
Ari blinked and took the ibuprofen, washing it down with a few gulps of water before finishing the entire glass.
“I think that will be the last time I play Sources,” Ari said, trying to return the smile.
“I won’t argue,” Ragon replied.
Though he was upset by the toll the alcohol had taken on Ari, he was at least thankful that some good had come out
of it. If Ari never played Sources again, he would be happy.
“Are the others up yet?” Ari asked.
Ragon looked around the room, as if sensing their presence, then said, “Sandra and Thomas have left, probably
hunting, and both our human guests are sleeping. I don’t expect Cambridge and Larissa to wake for some time. They
spent a lot of the night shouting.”
He was about to continue but Ari let out a loud, “Oh,” as partial fragments of the night’s events flashed back to her.
Instantly she pushed her hands over her face and dug her head into the pillow saying, “Why did Larissa get so upset
at Cambridge? Wouldn’t you, err, I mean vampires, have to feed on others normally?”
Ragon looked up at Ari with a curious expression on his face. There was so much about his world that she did not
know and answered, “I guess Cambridge was trying to make her jealous,” and when Ari returned a blank expression
added, “Her and Clyde have a past. For a while Larissa and Clyde were lovers.”
Ari drew her head from the pillow saying, “Really?”
Ragon nodded once, a little taken aback by Ari’s obvious interest in Clyde and added, “Clyde is known for his
vigorous attempt at bedding women.”
Ari blushed in response, remembering suddenly how he had tried to get her and the blond girl to… but she broke off
from that thought quickly as a wave of nausea overtook her. Running from her bed and into the bathroom, she
began convulsing and heaving up last night’s festivities. Half way thought this she felt Ragon beside her and tried not
to feel embarrassed as he took her hair in his hands and held it out of her face.
“You don’t need to watch this,” she said, heaving again into the toilet.
Ragon said nothing, but continued to hold her hair out of her face until finally she had thrown up all she could.
Moving away from the toilet, Ari swayed on the spot and instantly Ragon was behind her, holding her upright.
“Th… thanks,” she stammered, moving over to the sink and washing her mouth out. Looking into the bathroom
mirror she gasped. She had not realised until now, but she was only wearing her bra and underwear. Reaching for a
towel, she began to quickly cover herself, saying, “Geez, how many times did I get the Queen card last night?”
Ragon had averted his eyes at Ari’s obvious discomfort at being disrobed in front of him. “You were quite insistent
that a jumper should not count as clothing,” he said, in a slight tone of annoyance.
Ari caught the tone of displeasure in his voice and blurted out, “I’m happy to leave at any point if you don’t want me
here anymore.”
Ragon’s eyes were suddenly frozen in fear. He took a moment to recover himself and said, “It’s not that I don’t want
you here, it’s just that I would rather you were somewhere else.”
Ari stared back in disbelief, her fears confirmed.
Ragon knew instantly from her expression that he had said the wrong thing, and quickly added, “I mean you’re only
24 and there are things that you will want that you can’t get here. I want you to be normal, to live a normal life,
without vampires trying to kill you and playing stupid games with-” But he broke off quickly.
Ari had moved out of the bedroom and was sitting back on the bed, “Before all this happened, I wasn’t happy,” she
said. “I mean I wasn’t unhappy, but I was just sort of existing, but not living. I never really had a family; both my
parents died when I was really young, so I never knew them. But since I have been here with you, it’s the closest I’ve
felt to belonging. What you are doesn’t bother me. It just feels right having someone that cares.”
Ragon had stood in silence listening. When Ari stopped speaking he moved over to her and knelt down beside her,
saying, “How can you be happy with a monster?”
“Those boys in the park were the monsters,” she said and before she could stop herself, or think better of it, she
reached a hand out to touch the side of his face. “You’re just a nice guy who has the unfortunate infliction of
needing to drink blood and a severe allergy to the sunlight.”
Ragon had reached up to take her hand, but she had moved it back to her side already. He had never thought in a
million years that she could think that way about him. All this time he had thought that he had doomed her to a life
of misery. He had not known how wretched her life had been before now.
“I promised you that I would do my best to look after you. I have called my closest friends here to make sure that I
keep that promise,” he said before stopping as he thought how best to phrase his next sentence. “Once I know that
Kiara is no threat to you, you can decide if you want to stay.”
He had wanted to say, ‘with me’, at the end of this, but decided against it. Though she had told him that having him
around made her happy, he wasn’t sure that would always be the case.
After their conversation he left, allowing her to get changed in peace. As soon as he walked out of her room he saw
Sandra and Thomas standing in the living room.
“How’s Ari?” Sandra asked. “What in God’s name were you thinking letting her play Sources? You’re lucky her
clothes are all she lost last night.”
Ragon growled. He knew she was right, but he couldn’t tell Ari what to do. “Good afternoon to you too,” Ragon said
in a flat tone.
“Have we heard from Cambridge and Larissa yet?” Thomas asked, obviously wanting to ease the tension.
“You mean aside from the ranting this morning?” Ragon asked.
Thomas nodded and Sandra said, “Did you have to invite Clyde?”
“I needed everyone,” Ragon said, “You know of Kiara’s ties in our world. She is not a woman easily left unsatisfied-”
“What’s that?” Clyde interrupted, appearing suddenly in the living room. “Did I hear my name?”
It was Sandra who growled this time. She knew that on the surface Clyde was charming but her loyalties were to
Larissa and Ragon, and Clyde would enjoy nothing more than making a sport out of Ari’s affections.
“How are your lovely human sources?” Sandra asked sarcastically, her voice light and marked by fake warmth.
“I think a little drained,” he replied, a wicked grin on his face. “I was just about to check on Ari; that is why you asked
me here isn’t it?” He said turning to look at Ragon, “To make sure no harm comes to her.”
“I think the care which you’re offering isn’t what Ragon had in mind,” Sandra said, swishing her hair out of her face
and moving so as to knock on Ari’s door. “Besides, she knows she has me to look after her.”
Ari opened her bedroom door a little hesitantly and was greeted by Sandra’s wide smile.
“Morning sugar, how are you feeling?” Sandra asked.
“Awful,” Ari moaned.
“Well, you should know better than to play Sources with strange vamps,” Sandra said, moving further into Ari’s
room. “And they don’t get any stranger than Clyde.”
Ari blushed and quickly resumed brushing her hair. She had changed into a long summer dress, which showed off her
curves in all the right places. It was one of the many items of clothing that she had yet to wear, but somehow today
the red floral patterned dress seemed to tempt her with the offer of summer freshness that, in her hung over sate,
she simply could not refuse. Ragon had not supplied her with any make-up, and she looked jealously at Sandra’s
perfectly painted face.
“Sandra,” she said, reaching out to touch her on the arm.
As always whenever Ari came into close contact with a vampire she was surprised at how cold they felt. Why she
should be surprised by this was something of a mystery. Sandra, like Ragon and the majority of the people in the
house, were vampires so it should not have shocked her to feel such an icy cold touch. Perhaps it was because she
had begun to think of Sandra as such a good friend that it felt strange to associate her with something that at any
moment might decide that they were hungry and attack her.
Thinking of her friendship with Sandra, Ari decided to test the waters and said, “Could you, err, tell me a little bit
about your world?”
Though Ragon had already told her much about Vampires, she still found herself desperate to know anything and
everything she could. Now that she had gotten to know Sandra, she felt like she could talk to her about this sort of
stuff without offending her; at least she hoped.
“Oh darling what do you want to know?” She asked smiling sweetly at Ari and resuming her seat next to her on the
bed.
“Um, everything,” Ari said eagerly.
“Have you asked Ragon anything specific about vampires?” Sandra asked.
“Yeah he’s told me bits and pieces; about sunlight and controlling mortals after biting them,” Ari answered, frowning
slightly at her apparent inability to construct a sentence after consuming so much alcohol the previous night.
“Well, there isn’t a lot to us; we are pretty much what you see now, the immortal damned, destined to drink blood
to sustain our immortality and good looks,” Sandra said dramatically. “But seriously, we hunt at night, hide during
the day, and in general tend to stick to ourselves. Some of us form partnerships, like Thomas and I, but most remain
solitary.”
Ari leaned in further, betraying her eagerness.
“Where do you get the blood from?” Ari asked quickly.
As soon as she said this, she realised how stupid she must have sounded and was just about to re-word her sentence
when Sandra replied, “From people off course; some we kill and others we just feed from. The vamps in this house
lead a relatively murder-free life. But we aren’t all like that. Most of the time, vamps just like killing. The older you
get, the less you see people and the more you see cattle,” Sandra said.
Ari thought about what Sandra had said and then asked, “What about the sunlight? Ragon almost died when he was
only out there for a few minutes.
Sandra shivered slightly, replying, “Yeah vamps don’t like the sun; we don’t tan well.” She inspected her own milky
white skin for a moment before adding, “Only vamps that have had enough go into the sun to play.”
“Had enough; how could you have enough of being beautiful, strong, fast, and whatever else you guys can do?” Ari
asked confused.
“You would be surprised just how long forever can last,” Sandra said, and Ari thought she saw something sad behind
her new friend’s eyes.
***
“So who is up for another round of Sources?” Clyde asked playfully when Sandra and Ari had joined the rest of the
group on the veranda later that night.
Sandra glared at Clyde in response and even Thomas raised his eyebrows. The effect was that he didn’t press the
matter, but simply said, “Just a suggestion.”
Ari couldn’t help, but notice that Cambridge and Larissa were sitting next to each other and holding hands. She
guessed by the way that they were talking animatedly to each other that they had sorted out their differences.
“I’m bored,” the blond girl said, looking over at Clyde lustfully.
Clyde ignored her and stood from his chair to offer it to Ari. Unable to stop herself, Ari glanced behind her shoulder
at Ragon, but saw that he was looking elsewhere and so quickly sat down. A sudden scraping noise in the living room
signified Clyde dragging another chair out, which he placed purposefully next to Ari’s, before sitting down on it.
“Tell me about yourself,” Clyde said to Ari, keeping his voice low so as to invoke a private conversation.
Pushing her hair behind her ears, Ari said, “Well there isn’t much to tell.”
“Come now, you must be somewhat interesting to have captured dear Ragon’s attentions,” Clyde stated, inclining
his head slightly.
Ari ignored the snipe but said, “Well I am, err, was, studying veterinary science at uni, and I…” but her voice trailed
off.
She had just heard something on the television that caught her attention. Without pausing to explain herself, she
pushed past Clyde and raced into the living room, quickly fumbling for the remote to turn the volume up, so as to
listen to a news report.
“-Firefighters rushed to the historic building a little over an hour ago, but were unable to save it. Behind me is all
that’s left of the Grace Valley Orphanage. First commissioned in the early 1900’s, this historical building has played
home for thousands of children who would have otherwise been stranded-”
“Do you have a boyfriend?” Clyde asked, moving into the living room after her, apparently unaware that she was
entirely distracted.
“No,” Ari replied a little too quickly, her mind entirely preoccupied by the television.
“Really?” Clyde responded, whistling low under his breath. “Just haven’t met the right guy?” He asked curiously,
before adding, “What type of guy would the right type of guy be?”
“Not the nosey, womanising, vampire type-of-guy,” Sandra interjected loudly.
“Guess that means Ragon’s out,” Clyde muttered under his breath.
Ari started at Sandra’s sudden harsh voice, but then quickly turned her attention back to the news report, entirely
missing Clyde’s snide remark. Despite the low growl coming from Sandra, Clyde laughed lightly to himself.
“Ari?” Sandra asked, waving a manicured hand in front of her face.
Ari blinked, not really seeing the hand that was waving in front of her, and sat down on the couch, a numb look on
her face.
“What’s wrong?” Clyde asked with an unusually sincere trace of concern in his voice.
Sandra stared at Clyde in surprise before redirecting her attention back to Ari. For a few moments Ari said nothing,
then finally reached for the remote and turned the television off.
“It’s…” She said, “It’s just that was… where I grew up,” Ari said in a strange hollow voice.
Clyde, who had not been watching the television, did not realise what the news report was about, but moved over to
Ari.
“Can’t you see she is upset? She doesn’t want to talk to you,” Sandra said angrily.
Suddenly Ragon moved into the room and, walking over to where Ari sat on the couch, knelt down so that he was on
one knee in front of her. He had been listening to Sandra, Ari, and Clyde’s conversation from inside the house and
rushed inside when he had realised something was wrong.
“What is it?” He asked, gently reaching a hand out to brush against her knee before he quickly withdrew it.
Ari had stared down at her leg where Ragon had touched her. It had only been for a fraction of a second but the
gesture was not lost to her. Instantly Ari wished that she was alone with Ragon. In that moment she felt as if she
could trust him and she was suddenly desperate to share her whole story with him. Ari never knew what happened
to her parents, or even who they were. When she was a baby she had been dumped on the doorstep of the Grace
Valley Orphanage. She may not have had the fondest memories at that place, but whenever a foster family returned
her or she was waiting for adoption, she was able to call it home. The fact that the one constant thing in Ariana’s life
was no more was devastating. In a way she felt as if a small piece of her had been taken away, burnt to ashes in the
fire that had claimed her childhood home.
“Are you ok,” Ragon whispered.
Instantly Ari was reminded of how handsome he was and that he had rescued her, bought her a house, and
promised to look after her. With these thoughts, the loss of her childhood home didn’t feel so great. A small smile
spread across her face and when she looked into Ragon’s eyes, she knew that she had found a new home with him.
“Well if we aren’t going to talk, then why don’t we play a game?” Clyde asked, breaking the longing look that Ragon
and Ari shared so that they both glared at him.
Sandra moved to hit Clyde, but he ducked out of the way and said, “Charades?”
“Sure,” Ari said, wanting to push the memory of the burning Grace Valley Orphanage out of her mind.
Unable to see anything sinister in Clyde’s suggestions, Ragon shrugged and Clyde raced away and returned a
moment later with a deck of what looked like playing cards, and a rather large sand filled glass timer.
“Everyone inside,” Clyde yelled. “Ok teams; Sameth and B2, Thomas and Sandra, Me and Ari, Ragon and B1, and that
leaves Larissa and Cambridge,” Clyde said, moving the chairs around so as to group the teams together.
For a moment Sameth looked confused and raised an eyebrow, but then Ragon leaned in to him and said, “We’re
playing charades.”
“Of course,” Sameth muttered darkly to himself.
“I think B1 and B2 should count as one, otherwise it doesn’t seem fair,” Larissa said sweetly then under her breath
added, “Seeing as they only seem to have half a brain each.”
B1 and B2 were oblivious to Larissa’s comment, but Sandra and Ragon laughed loudly.
“I think that seeing as you know the lovely ladies so well, that you should partner them. So Clyde you go with B1 and
Sameth you go with B2, that leaves Ari and Ragon together,” Sandra said smiling.
Clyde looked angry, but began shuffling the cards in front of him.
Finally when the teams had been sorted, Ragon drew the top card and grinned. Instantly Clyde flipped the timer
upside down and grains of sand began escaping through to the bottom, indicating that his time had started. Ragon
screwed one hand into a fist and held it near his face and then on the opposite side of his head did the samem but
rotated it, miming that his card was a movie.
“Movie,” Ari said, recognizing the age old symbol instantly.
Ragon nodded once, then frowned. With one hand on his heart and the other in the air above his head he mimed
talking, as though he were saying a great speech. Ari looked at him sideways. There was something familiar about
the way his hand was curled that reminded Ari of a poet speaking. When she didn’t say anything, Ragon moved
outside and leaned over the veranda balcony and mimed talking to someone. Instantly Ari raced outside to watch
him. But before she could make it all the way to the door, he jumped off the 5 metre balcony and raised his arms as
if he were speaking back to himself.
Ari laughed once, still clueless, but said, “Um, final fantasy, jumper, err.”
Climbing back onto the veranda, he resumed his original pose and Ari suddenly realised what he reminded her of,
“Shakespeare?” She asked, unsure of herself.
Ragon nodded quickly. Glancing at the sand which had almost finished falling to the bottom, he swept over to Ari,
took her hand in his, and kissed it. He then looked adoringly into her eyes and knelt down on one knee. The second
Ari looked back into Ragon’s eyes, she forgot where she was. Her mind went blank and she found herself gravitating
towards Ragon, leaning in, as though he were the center of her universe. Like Ari, Ragon had completely forgotten
the game. His hands moved from hers so that he was cupping her face. She had stopped breathing and only her
heart screaming from her chest confirmed that she was still alive. Brushing a hand across her face, Ragon swept
some wayward hairs behind her ear. In that instant she felt for the first time what it might be like to fall in love.
“Time!” Clyde screamed from somewhere in the distance.
Ari felt herself return to her body. Suddenly Ragon’s hands were not against her cheek and she instantly felt cold,
even though his touch had been like ice.
“Wh… what?” Ari asked confused.
She had been so completely consumed by the moment that she had forgotten that they were surrounded by
vampires, playing charades.
“How you didn’t get ‘Romeo and Juliet’ from that, I will never know,” Sandra said, shaking her head.
“Oh, right,” Ari said in a dull and lifeless tone.
As soon as she moved back to her chair and sat down, her face fell; it wasn’t real. He had been mimicking the
greatest love story that ever existed. That wasn’t how he felt about her; it was how Romeo felt about Juliet. She had
been so foolish to let her guard down, so absolutely childish. Leaning back in her chair, Ari pretended to be
interested in Clyde who was drawing the next card, for a moment she thought of chancing a glance at Ragon, but
quickly thought better of it; she was determined not to make eye contact with Ragon.
“Well let’s see, that’s zero to Ragon,” Clyde said smiling widely, “You’re going to have to do better than that if you
want to win.”
Clyde suddenly moved so that he was standing and placed both his hands in front of his face, as though he were
reading.
“Oh magazine,” the red head said after a moment’s thought.
Clyde raised his eyebrows in disbelief, while Larissa laughed cruelly to herself then said, “Oh this is just too good.”
“I think the word you’re looking for dear, is book,” Sandra said, leaning in close to the red head.
“What’s the difference?” The red head asked, looking sincerely at Sandra.
Sandra did not comment, but sunk further in her chair, unable to stop herself from joining in laughing silently with
Larissa.
Ignoring both girls, Clyde held up all 10 fingers and flashed them 5 times. Both B1 and B2 stared blankly at him and
tiny fits of giggles burst from where Larissa and Sandra sat, while Sameth said, “Fifty.”
In reply Clyde nodded than grinning broadly moved over to Ari. He took her hand in his and positioned for her to
stand near him. She followed his commands, laughing lightly when he got her to squat and place her hands in front
of herself and wiggle her fingers.
Ari was still laughing when B1 said, “Is she on a computer?”
Immediately Clyde nodded. Suddenly he pointed to Ari’s bedroom door and Ari looked up at him in confusion. A
moment later and Clyde took Ari by the wrist and flung himself to the floor, so that Ari fell on top of him. Ragon’s
eyes were locked on Ari and it took every ounce of his self-control not to rip Clyde’s throat out. Clyde lay stretched
out on the ground with Ari sprawled on top of him. Suddenly Ari gasped and became tense as Clyde’s hands began
running over her body. She felt one of his hands grasp her hair, and he smiled cheekily at her before leaning in close,
ready to kiss her.
“Oh, fifty shades of grey,” B1 said instantly in realisation while Ragon, who had jumped from his chair, quickly sat
back down.
Clyde’s lips had only grazed her, but they left a tingling sensation that made Ari long for more. Taking Ari gently by
the hand, he helped her to her feet then turning to wink at Ragon, he said, “So that’s one to me and none to you,
right?”
Ragon was once again on his feet, his fists bawled, and murder in his eyes. He was just about to charge at Clyde
when a sudden rasping at the door had everyone standing.
“Mortal,” Clyde growled.
“Are you expecting anyone?” Cambridge’s deep voice asked.
“Yeah I ordered pizza,” Clyde said sarcastically.
“I think 7 vampires can take one mortal,” Larissa said.
“It could be a trap. Maybe Kiara and Matthew have planned something?” Thomas asked.
Ragon’s eyes were ablaze when he moved over to the front door and swung it open in one quick movement.
“Sorry for the late night call,” a young pimply boy said, “It was part of the delivery request.” The boy handed over a
thick envelope into Ragon’s outstretched hand. “Gotta sign,” he added and handed Ragon a pen and clipboard
Ragon didn’t say anything, simply took the hand written envelope from the boy and closed the door after he had
signed for it, but not before taking a sweeping glance across the front entrance and driveway, suspicious that there
might be someone or something else there lying in wait. It wasn’t until he looked down at the letter that his fears
were confirmed. It was not Kiara’s nor Matthew’s writing, but someone entirely different, and much, much worse.
He shook his head in disbelief. All thoughts of his fury at Clyde were driven from his mind.
Turning back to face his guests, he locked eyes with Ari. She was looking curiously back at him, still a little pink in the
cheeks. With shaking hands he tore open the letter.
“SHIT!” He said before reading it out loud.
“Ragon, Sandra & Thomas, Cambridge & Larissa, Clyde, Sameth
You are invited to Danton Castle
31st of October for Halloween festivities
Costumes required
7pm
Yours eternally,
William & Nicholas”
“How can the elders know we have formed a coven?” Sameth asked, his voice betraying his feelings of insecurity as
his eyes darted around the house suspiciously.
Clyde shrugged in response and Ragon stared at him. If he were going to pick someone he trusted least out of his
recruited coven members, it would be Clyde. Still, he had no basis for such an accusation, besides trying valiantly to
win Ari’s affections; Clyde had shown no indications of betrayal. He was after all, Ragon thought to himself, just
acting like Clyde.
“When I asked you all here to form this coven, I had no intention of bringing danger to you; beyond that which Kiara
might supply. I will show no animosity if you choose to leave now?” Ragon said, looking at each of his guests as he
spoke.
“Leave now?” Clyde asked undignified, “when it is just starting to get good?”
Both Larissa and Cambridge exchanged worried looks, which was punctuated by Sandra speaking. “I didn’t expect to
be called upon by William and Nicholas,” she said and her sad eyes raked over Ari before she added, “but I have
come to know this little one, and I will stand by you both.”
The other three nodded in agreement.
“So be it,” Ragon said before turning to Sameth, “and what of you friend?”
Sameth seemed to be thinking hard. After a moment, which to Ari felt like a life time, he nodded once. Ari looked
around at the vampires who were staying to protect her and realised something; she had not thanked them.
Chewing on her bottom lip, she rehearsed her thankyou speech in her head for a moment then said, “I’m sorry. I
don’t want anything to happen to anyone because of me.”
“Oh sugar, come here,” Sandra said, moving to her side in a flash and embracing her.
As soon as Sandra’s arms wrapped around her, Ari wanted to cry. How could she have spent a lifetime looking for
friends in other humans only to find such friendships in the un-dead? Her face must have shown her gratitude,
because Larissa moved over quickly too, joining the hug. Clyde smiled wickedly, than moved over also to embrace all
three girls, but Ragon reached out and stopped him. She thought she might have heard Ragon whisper something to
Clyde at that point, but was unsure.
That night Ragon thought long and hard about the coming Halloween party. There was a chance that the Elders
knew nothing at all about the feud between Ragon and Kiara. They were Elders after all, and while a few hundred
years ago Elders were fairly bad ass, these days they were very superfluous. Their soirees were deigned to remind
the masses that they were in charge. But then there was also the chance that Kiara had complained to the Elders
about Ragon’s conduct. It was absolutely forbidden to choose a mortal over a vampire; or as Ragon had done,
protect a mortal from a vampire attack. Some called it sacrilege; others called it blasphemy, but whatever it was
called the punishment was the same: death. Kiara would have good grounds for such a case as well. Matthew would
be able to witness that Ragon broke into their residence to rescue Ari. Ragon could argue that he had thought that
Kiara had stolen one of his sources. That too was forbidden by vampire law, although the punishment was far less
severe; more of a courtesy than anything else really. No, what Ragon had done was punishable by death and he
knew it: as did Kiara. He had been waiting for an opportunity to speak with Sameth about this since the letter had
first arrived. Sameth had been a friend since Ragon had been made by Kiara and it was he who had helped him
escape her clutches all those decades ago. When Sameth glanced over at him, he looked meaningfully down the
hallway; quickly Sameth followed.
Walking through the deserted hall way, Ragon spoke in a whisper, “Follow me.”
The two did not talk again until Ragon had directed them through a door, at the very end of the hallway.
“Read much?” Sameth asked when he saw the impressive library that Ragon had taken him to.
For a library the room was enormous, with large mahogany bookshelves lining the walls; each was filled with books
of different shapes and sizes. The ceilings were high, perhaps reaching as far as 5 metres, and the bookshelves
stretched almost all the way to the top.
“My collection has grown since last you saw me,” Ragon replied, indicating a small spiral staircase that lead to a
second level.
The pair quickly climbed the stairs; from this vantage point Sameth could appreciate Ragon’s library in its entirety.
His eyes scanned the much smaller second level quickly, noting the antique desk which sat in the centre, and was
scattered with papers. Ragon hurriedly covered his personal documents. Trusting Sameth was without question;
however some things were best kept private.
“What’s this all about?” Sameth asked, his eye narrowing on Ragon.
“I need your advice,” Ragon said quickly.
Sameth stared back at Ragon and waited for him to continue.
“Am I doing the right thing?” Ragon asked in an uncertain tone. “Keeping Ari here; would it not be better for us to
escape into the night and leave this place?”
Sameth considered his words for a moment, touching a hand to his chin before asking, “What are your intensions for
Ari? Do you mean to change her?” he asked.
Ragon looked around the room quickly, “No,” he said simply.
“Why have you kept her then? What is she to you? Surely you do not mean to watch her grow old and die?” Sameth
said.
“No but-” Ragon began.
“Then why suffer her to Kiara’s tyranny? You must know that Kiara means to kill her. Would it not have been better
to release her, and let her resume a normal life?” Sameth asked.
“I can’t let her go,” Ragon replied and his eyes looked down on the wooden floorboards, utterly ashamed.
His hands were shaking, realising the truth of his words. He couldn’t let her go. Not now that he had gotten to know
her, not now that she had professed to be happy in his company.
“Then you must remain here,” Sameth said before touching his chin in consideration, “but why not at least let her
pick up her old life? You would not begrudge her some semblance of living?”
“You think I don’t want to?” Ragon said, looking up to stare at Sameth. “I know I can’t give her what she deserves,
but surely the risks are too great. What if Kiara captured her again? I do not think she would take so long a second
time to kill her,” Ragon said, his eyes sad.
“Better living one day happy, then a lifetime hiding,” Sameth said, before reaching out to touch Ragon on the
shoulder and adding, “you are not a cruel man. You must let her out a bit; let her smell the roses.”
“Perhaps,” Ragon said, mulling over Sameth’s words.
“I would volunteer my services on such occasions; I could watch over her. I believe before all this happened she was
studying? Why not let her partake in night classes, where she can be safe with the coven nearby? Kiara would be
none the wiser; she won’t be expecting you to let her leave again, not after what happened last time,” Sameth said.
Ragon nodded slowly. “Once the Halloween party has played out I will do as you suggest,” he said.
“Do you intend to bring her to the party?” Sameth asked.
Instantly Ragon’s worried eyes glanced away. The letter had been very explicit on who was invited. It was not
unheard of for guests to bring their own sources, but the very thought of Ari being in a room full of so many
vampires was terrifying. But what was the alternative? He couldn’t leave her home alone? Everyone in his coven was
on the invitation, and not attending an Elders party was big mistake.
“I don’t know yet,” Ragon replied.
“It is a risk, perhaps it would be better to leave her here; Kiara would have surely been invited,” Sameth said musing.
“Yes, I have no doubt of her invitation,” Ragon growled as he shook his head contemplating his options. If he took Ari
with him to the party, it would be like bringing the lamb to the slaughter, but if he left her at home, she would be a
sitting duck. He had much to think about. “If I leave her here, there is a chance that Kiara’s fledgling, Matthew, may
attack-”
“Matthew?” Sameth said, looking suddenly up at Ragon.
“He was the one who captured her originally for Kiara. He was kind enough to send Ari a bunch of dead flow-” Ragon
began but once again Sameth cut him off.
“He does her bidding?” Sameth asked, looking disgusted.
Ragon nodded and Sameth clenched his fists. Seeing his friend’s obvious anger, Ragon reached up to clap Sameth on
the shoulder, “You have been a dear friend,” he said smiling.
“We have been through much together,” Sameth replied with his teeth still slightly gritted.
“And some,” Ragon said, his smile widening. “I shall not forget your help, this time or the last.”
“There was nothing more I wanted than to free Kiara from you,” Sameth replied as he followed Ragon down the
spiral staircase.
Ari had been waiting to get Ragon alone all night, and had been disappointed when he had disappeared with
Sameth. When finally she saw him returning she took her chance, jumped from her chair, and reached him before he
could resume his place with the group.
“Is something wrong?” Ragon asked, noting the look in Ari’s eyes.
Ari laughed once, “you mean asides from your ex wanting to kill me? Nope nothing… everything is just great.” She
had spoken with sarcasm, and though she instantly knew her words had hurt Ragon, she couldn’t help but laugh at
her situation.
“I’m sorry,” Ragon said, looking down at the ground.
“Please stop apologising. I am the one who should be saying sorry to you; you rescue me from rapists, tell me that
you will look after me, save me from vampires after I ignore your warnings, and now you are forming a coven to
keep me safe,” Ari blurted out.
She wanted to add just one word to the end of her sentence. Why? She knew that Ragon was a nice guy, or rather a
nice vampire, but there must be a thousand girls around here that were at this very moment in trouble. Each one of
them needed a saviour just as much as she had, maybe even more so. So why had he chosen her; why was her story
any different to theirs? Her eyes raked his abnormally beautiful features. Someone with looks like his could have
whoever they wanted: why her?
Ragon smiled kindly, “You have made for a rather difficult house guest,” he teased.
Ari returned his smile, but continued to build the courage to ask him why he had saved her in the first place. Just
then however, Clyde entered the hallway.
“Not talking about me I hope?” he asked.
Ragon glowered at him but neither responded.
Still looking purposefully at Ragon Ari said, “So what is the deal with the Elders party?”
Both Clyde and Ragon looked at Ari sideways.
“It’s just that Sandra and Larissa mentioned that there were Elders; they said that they were sort of responsible for
keeping the peace but I thought you sounded upset by the invitation?” Ari said.
“What else did Sandra and Larissa say?” Ragon asked, his eyes slightly narrowed.
“Just that really,” Ari replied, afraid she had gotten her two new friends in trouble.
The very last thing that Ragon wanted was to worry Ari and so he said, “I just don’t like going to these sorts of
things.”
The truth was that he didn’t like the thought of Ari going to those sorts of things, or any sort of thing that involved
vampires. He would need to spend some time working out whether or not it was better to bring her or leave her
behind.
CHAPTER 8- HUNTING IN STYLE
The next month was filled with warm summer days and even warmer summer nights. Before Ari knew it, it
was half way through October. The entire household was on edge about the upcoming Halloween Party as well as
the threat that Kiara posed. Periodically the vampires would vacate the house to go hunting, often leaving in pairs,
and retuning home very early in the morning. Ragon would only hunt the absolute bare minimum, not wanting to
leave Ari unless necessary. It had been almost 7 weeks since Kiara had attacked Ari, but that didn’t stop him from
feeling uneasy. In comparison, while Kiara posed an immediate and constant threat, the invitation from the Elders
felt like a slowly creping storm. Right now the Halloween party was on the horizon but each day that passed took
them a little bit closer to it.
“Well, I was thinking as we have a party to go to, that we might go out and get our costumes? Clyde said one
evening, a fortnight before the upcoming Halloween Party.
Both Ari and Ragon stared back in disbelief. Was he serious?
“And,” Clyde went on taking advantage of their silence, “seeing as the event is so soon, I thought perhaps tonight
was as good as any to get them,” he finished.
Ragon made to speak, but Ari answered first saying, “Should I go too?”
She had asked Ragon a few times whether or not she would be attending the party, and every time she did so he
muttered something under his breath about being unsure.
Ragon considered her words carefully, and thinking of his conversation with Sameth said, “I guess we will have to get
them at some point, but I am still not sure it is a good idea for you to go to the Halloween party.”
“I think that Ariana should stay here,” Sameth said, “there is very little chance that Kiara would not be attending the
party, she will be safer away from the Elders.”
“No way,” Sandra said, stepping towards Ari protectively. “This party might be the exact opportunity that Kiara
wants to send Matthew after her.”
Ragon listened to them both. He had been having the same internal argument in his head for weeks. Lamb to
slaughter versus sitting duck.
“I agree with Sandra,” Larissa said, also moving over to her friend. “We will have no way of knowing if Kiara decides
to send someone after Ari, and if she does, there will be no one here to protect her.”
“Perhaps we could take her someplace else for the night?” Sameth suggested.
Ragon had considered that too. But what if they were followed as they had been before? He couldn’t risk leaving Ari
alone and unprotected.
“I hate to say it,” Clyde said, “but I agree with the girls. Better in our sights and able to keep an eye on her, than
someplace else, where anyone could get to her.”
“Well we can all go to the costume shop, including Ari,” Ragon said slowly. “But we aren’t making any decisions
tonight.”
“But why can’t we go?” B1 asked in an annoyingly high pitched whiney voice, thirty minutes later as the coven and
Ari made to leave.
“Because my dears you are not on the invite,” Clyde said for the third time; he was beginning to lose patience with
his beautiful blood bags.
“Besides,” Cambridge interjected, “you would likely be served up as the main course.”
“But Ari isn’t on the invite,” B1 said.
“Yes, but we like her,” Larissa said under her breath.
Both girls pouted as their large full lips quivered, giving them the appearance of spoilt teenagers. Which Ari realised,
they probably were.
“When I return, I promise you, we will have some fun,” Clyde said winking.
They stormed off to the kitchen, reached inside the freezer, and began pouring vodka shots. At the time Ari thought
it odd that Clyde had to make promises to the two bimbos. After all, they had both given him their blood; they must
be under Clyde’s control. These thoughts were lost to her, when Larissa suddenly spoke.
“Where did you find them?” she asked incredulously.
“At a fashion shoot in Rio,” he replied, his ever wicked grin adorning his face. “I saw them, and I thought; I just have
to have them.”
Ari and Ragon rode behind Clyde’s car; which held himself and Cambridge in the front, and Thomas, Sandra and
Larissa in the back. Sameth had said he would rather go hunting and requested the group select a costume for him.
“Do you think Sameth would be opposed to going as a mermaid?” Clyde asked sneakily, when he knew he had driven
far enough to be out of earshot of Sameth.
Cambridge’s large booming laugh filled the car.
“So were actually doing this? We’re going? And were taking Ari with us?” Larissa asked when finally they had
stopped laughing.
“You know we cannot refuse the invite,” Cambridge said soothingly to his mate. “But whether or not we take Ari is
up to Ragon and her.”
“Yes, but surely if Ragon and Ari left to go somewhere else, the elders would be none the wiser,” Larissa protested.
“They would know,” Clyde said darkly, “and they would not be happy about it; Ragon has no choice; he must
attend.”
The costume shop was empty, bar the single assistant who welcomed them as they entered.
The woman was older, with grey short hair and smiled warmly at them when they entered. “Halloween party?” she
asked.
Ragon nodded grimly, and allowed the assistant to direct them to the back of the shop, where themed Halloween
costumes hung.
“If you need any help just holler,” she said smiling and returned to the counter.
Clyde was the first to try on an outfit. He reached for the costume, and in a second had blurred into it; not bothering
to enter the change rooms.
“You’re going as a vampire?” Ari asked.
“What; too much of a cliché?” Clyde asked, admiring himself in the full length mirror.
“I thought Halloween was about dressing up, and you’re just going to go as yourself?” Ari asked accusatorily.
Clyde winked at her saying, “Why go as someone else, when-”
But he was cut off speaking as Ari raised her pointed finger at his reflection in the mirror, “but… but I can see you!”
she exclaimed.
“You can see? It’s a miracle!” Clyde replied dramatically; his reflection waving at her sarcastically.
“No, I mean, I just thought-” she began.
“You just thought that because the movies say vampires don’t have a reflection that the real ones wouldn’t either?”
Clyde said.
Ari nodded sheepishly.
“Well you can stop sleeping with that garlic bulb under your bed, the real vampires are much more difficult to kill,”
Clyde said smiling.
Ari stared at him, her hands on her hips, desperate for him to tell her more.
“Ragon hasn’t told you much, has he?” Clyde asked.
Ari made to correct him, but Clyde went on, “Holy water makes us wet; churches are fine if your into that sort of
thing, and silver,” he said now revealing a small locket from beneath his Dracula cape, “doesn’t really pack much of a
punch.”
Ari laughed, but was intrigued by his item of jewellery, watching carefully as he replaced it safely beneath his
clothes. Just then Ragon exited the change room. He looked magnificent. He was wearing dark pants which looked to
be from the 18th century, and a white shirt with a button up vest that fitted snugly. He carried a large sword, and Ari
was reminded of prince charming. Her jaw had dropped when she saw him, and she quickly closed her mouth when
he looked at her expectantly.
“Oh Ragon honey, don’t you look dashing; just like the old days,” Sandra said winking.
Sandra too had her costume on; she was wearing a medieval skirt, which showed off a pair of torn stockings and a
tightly fitting red bodice which accentuated her curves. She looked like a call girl from the 1900’s.
“I see you’re not dressing up either?” Clyde said teasingly, staring at her breasts which were pressed up by the
corset.
Thomas moved over to his mate protectively; he was wearing a ye old pirate’s costume, and bowed, taking her hand
and kissed it saying, “I would pay every cent in the world for one night with you.”
Sandra accepted his kiss on the hand, but then pulled her mate towards her. For a moment Ari watched as Sandra
fastened a section of his costume which had come undone back together. Ari’s eyes widened when, for a moment,
she saw what looked like a tattoo going down the left side of his chest; she couldn’t quite make it out, but it looked
like a list of names. Ari quickly averted her eyes, when Sandra began kissing her mate passionately, and saw
Cambridge wearing a mummy’s outfit, holding Larissa’s hand. Larissa was wearing a golden ball gown dress with a
large yellow ribbon around her waist.
“I just love beauty and the beast,” she said, admiring herself in the mirror, after pushing Clyde out of the way.
At that moment Sandra moved over to Ari, and taking her by the hand said, “I have hung up something in here for
you,” and she directed her to the nearest change room.
Ari gasped when she saw the costume hanging before her but quickly pulled the curtain closed and begun removing
her jeans and sweater. When she pulled the curtain aside a few minutes later, everyone was waiting for her. She
wore a long white dress, which cut low down the front, and was accentuated by a pair of feathered, snowy white
wings. A small diamond covered mask sat snugly on her face, throwing her blue eyes into even greater focus.
“An angel?” Ragon asked, looking at Sandra with snarl frozen on his face. “You don’t think that will draw a little too
much attention?”
“Oh Ragon don’t be silly; the elders wouldn’t let anything happen to one of their guests, besides, doesn’t she look
just perfect?” Sandra asked, her hands on her hips waiting expectantly.
“Yes off course,” he replied.
Ragon wanted to not only say, but do much more; he wanted to take her by the hand, throw her into the change
room, and prove just how perfect she was; but he did not.
“How about this for Sameth?” Cambridge asked, retrieving a fireman’s costume from the rack and showing the
group.
Ragon inspected the bright yellow helmet for a moment, then taking them from him, took it along with his and Ari’s
costumes to the counter.
“I still think that fairy outfit we saw would have suited Sameth better,” Clyde said under his breath, as they made
their way through the shop.
“So where is the party?” the elderly shop assistant asked, as she prepared the costumes and placed them into large
plastic bags.
“At a friend’s house,” Ragon replied quickly, not wanting to divulge too much.
“Well you all have fun,” she said warmly after she had processed the transaction.
“Oh we will,” Clyde replied smugly.
***
Four days later and Sameth had still not returned home. Everyone was outside on the veranda, watching the stars
and discussing his absence.
“That greedy vamp,” Larissa said, “I hope he has left some for us.”
“Where do you go when you go hunting?” Ari blurted out.
“Why not come with me and find out?” Clyde asked invitingly.
Ari considered his words for a moment, chewing on her answer.
“No,” Ragon protested before Ari could reply.
Ari turned to look at him incredulously, “So I no longer have any say in my life?” she asked angrily.
She was thankful to Ragon for saving her but she still wanted to live.
Ragon dropped his horrified eyes from Clyde and turned to face Ari saying, “Off course you do! I just don’t think it is
a good idea.”
“You know,” Cambridge said, before pausing to consider his words, “Ari will have to be exposed to our, err, lifestyle,
at some point. You can hardly go off hunting and leave her alone for hours or days. Besides, if we do end up bringing
her to the Elders party, then wouldn’t it be better for her to have a taste of our lifestyle beforehand?”
Ragon scowled at Cambridge.
“Honey,” Sandra said soothingly to Ragon. “Cambridge may have a point. There are certain harsh facts about our
world that she needs to understand. If Ari is going to go to the party, then she will need to pretend to be a source.
And how else is she going to learn how to do that without seeing us hunt?”
Ragon hung his head defeated.
“Why don’t we ask Ari what she wants to do?” Larissa interjected, turning to stare at her.
Ari looked guiltily up at Ragon before saying, “I want to come and,” Ari said, chewing on her bottom lip, “I think I
would be better off going to the Halloween party, rather than waiting in some hotel room for Matthew or Kiara to
attack me.”
Ragon had turned to stare at Ari at these words. He couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed that he had not asked her
what she wanted to do all this time.
“But I don’t think,” Sameth began to say until Clyde interrupted.
“Well now that that’s settled, I’m starving!” Clyde said excitedly. “And there is a new club in the city that I have been
dying to try out.”
Sameth growled at Clyde but Ari turned to Clyde and asked, “Club?”
“Well we can hardly take you to a back alleyway or deserted park,” Sandra replied smoothly.
“Riiiggght,” Ari replied in a drawn out voice.
“Ok ladies, go put on something sexy; we’re going hunting in style tonight,” Clyde said, sweeping from the veranda
and racing to his bedroom.
Inside her bedroom Ari looked hard at her wardrobe. She hadn’t been out clubbing for ages; she wasn’t even sure
what the latest fashion trends were. Reaching for a pair of tight jeans, she began pulling them on. In the very back of
her closet she found a black silk high neck top, and slipped it over her black bra. She was just choosing a pair of shoes
to go with her outfit, when there was a small knock at the door.
“Come in,” she replied.
Larissa and Sandra walked into the room, carrying a large suitcase.
“Wow,” Ari said when she saw the two girls.
They looked amazing. Sandra was wearing a long yellow dress with a large black neck piece and matching black
heels. Larissa adorned a pair of black tights, and a short ruby red dress which hugged her waist and cut low down the
front.
“You got ready quickly,” Ari said before adding, “and you look great!”
“Just chalk it up to Clinique, immortality and a fabulous dress,” Larissa said smiling.
“Well it obviously works for you,” Ari said laughing.
“And now were here to work for you,” Sandra said, taking her by the wrist and placing her in front of the wardrobe
mirror.
In a second they had removed her clothing and replaced it with lovely dress; it was a blue lacy high necked cocktail
dress. There were handmade flowers along the neck line, with sheer fabric along the chest. The dress came to her
knees and looked as if it had been hand made. Unable to stop herself, she peaked past the handmade dark silver
broach that was inscribed with black diamonds and looked at the label of the dress.
“Begitta,” Ari read, admiring the small black label and flamboyant white embroidery that was adorned with a single
pearl. “Where did you find this?”
“Let’s just say that I know people who know people,” Sandra said.
After finding the perfect dress, Sandra began doing Ari’s makeup while Larissa compared shoes to the outfit they had
chosen. It was less than 5 minutes later that Ari and the other two girls walked out of her room and into the living
room where the rest of the group were waiting and Ragon was leaving a note for Sameth, detailing where they
would be for the rest of the night.
“Wow,” Clyde said, letting out a long low whistle and staring transfixed at Ari.
Her eyes had been heavily darkened with eyeliner and a deep red eye shadow. This, along with the thick black
mascara and powder blue of her dress, drew her already startling blue eyes into even greater focus. Her cheeks were
highlighted with a slight plum blush which matched her lipstick perfectly. Both B1 and B2, who by now were
completely intoxicated, shot Ari furious looks which greatly pleased Larissa.
“Shall we?” Larissa asked with a large wide smile on her face, as she indicated the door.
The group made to leave, all accept for Ragon. He was still staring at Ari: entranced. It took a moment for him to
compose himself, and then he finally joined the others outside.
“Girls in the car,” Sandra said when Ragon made to fasten the helmet onto Ari’s head, “we spent too long working
on this,” she said indicated Ari, “to let the wind sweep it all away.”
Clyde grinned greedily, took Ari by the hand and said, “Don’t worry, she can ride with me.”
Clyde was just opening the front passenger door for Ari, when a loud engine revving from the garage caught his
attention. As the motorised door open, Larissa and Sandra smiled. Ragon was driving a new model, black shiny
Mercedes.
“It’s ok,” Ragon said from the driver’s seat, “I figured this old thing would come in handy.”
Ari, Larissa and Sandra all looked excitedly at the car, and moved over to it.
“Race you there,” Clyde said; speeding off with Thomas, Cambridge, B1 and B2 in the back.
Ragon grinned broadly; waited for the girls to get inside the car, and sped off down the driveway in pursuit of Clyde,
a large dust storm in his wake.
Ragon, who knew the city better than Clyde, had gotten himself and the girls to the club in record time. He was
smiling in victory when Clyde and his entourage finally walked up to the club’s entrance.
“I forget; were we betting?” Ragon asked smugly.
Clyde smiled in sarcasm, but did not answer.
There was a long line to enter the club. Ari was just beginning to wonder how long it would take to get inside when
B1 and B2 walked up to the bouncer. After an exchange of words, both girls waved for the others to follow them
inside.
“I’ve been waiting for almost an hour,” a tall man wearing a cheap suit complained, after watching the group jump
the line.
“Sorry; VIP’s,” the bouncer said, as the last of them passed through the chained entrance.
As soon as they were inside it became obvious why Clyde had chosen this place. The club was called The Bedroom;
large plump couch-like beds adorned the edges where booths might normally have been. Hanging from the ceiling
was long metal chains and veils of material, which if needed, could partially hide the occupants from sight. As they
passed by one bed, a loud long moan pierced through the booming noise of the music, and Ari looked straight
ahead.
“What would you like to drink?” Ragon asked Ari, once they were near the bar.
Before she could answer Clyde replied, “Gin and tonic thanks,” and then moved quickly over to the dance floor.
Ragon stared at Ari, waiting for her answer.
“Um, I guess the same,” she replied, not really sure what she felt like.
In a flash Ragon moved to the bar.
In his absence Clyde had returned to Ari, took her by the hand and dragged her to the dance floor where Thomas,
Sandra, Larissa and Cambridge already were.
“I thought you were here to hunt?” Ari asked loudly, trying to cut across the music.
“Why don’t you tell the whole world; besides pleasure first, then food,” he said, spinning her with his arm and
dipping her to the floor.
Just then Ragon returned. Thrusting the gin and tonic into Clyde’s hand, he forced him to relinquish his hold of Ari. It
took him no more than a second to down the drink offered to him; Ari however sipped on the strong liquid, enjoying
the brisk flavour of the alcohol.
“Found mine,” Clyde said quickly, indicating a tall girl dancing near him who was ogling him.
Clyde moved quickly over to her; whispered something into her ear and took her by the hand.
Ari glanced over to B1 and B2; until now they had been dancing together, but stopped short when they saw Clyde
pursuing another woman. Ari watched as the two girls stormed over to Clyde, their hands swinging mutinously at
their sides.
“Oh Shit,” Ari whispered to herself.
Both girls had murder in their eyes, and looked as if they were not only going to kill Clyde, but the girl he was with
too. As soon as they reached him, they opened their mouths, about to start screaming but stopped. Clyde had taken
both by the hand and looked each of them in turn in the eyes. For a moment he stood like this; never breaking eye
contact. He felt his control over them peak, as he forced their minds to erase all memory of vampirism. When he had
finished they walked away indifferently.
“Well I guess that is the last were going to be seeing of B1 and B2,” Larissa said, now moving over to Ragon and Ari,
an obvious spring in her step. “Shame, they were really starting to grow on me.”
The large smile on Sandra’s face told the world how happy she was also, and she waved enthusiastically over to B1
and B2, who frowned back at her in indifference, clearly uncertain who she was or why she was waving.
“What the hell?” Ari said out loud, completely confused by the situation.
Sandra turned to face Ari saying, “What you have just witnessed my dear is what’s known as disassociation,” and
when Ari looked even more confused she continued. “It’s a vamps way of getting rid of a blood bag, without having
to kill them; comes in handy from time to time when we want to make a clean getaway. Basically we wipe away all
memory of ourselves from them, so it’s as if they never knew about vampires. Everything the girl’s associate with
Clyde is gone too. They won’t remember you, or me, or any of us,” she finished.
Ari thought long and hard about this. Even when the rest of the group had resumed dancing she was still thinking
about it. It was scary to consider that if Ragon chose to he could wipe away all memory of him from her. Suddenly
she shivered, and instantly Ragon was at her side, removing his jacket and wrapping it around her.
“Thanks,” she murmured, but shrugged the jacket off and returned it to him.
The chill was out of fear, not because of the temperature. There was one thing and one thing only that would make
her feel better. Walking purposefully over to the bar, she waited to be served; she needed another drink.
“2 rum and cokes,” a tall dark haired man next to her said, and then after looking Ari up and down added, “and
whatever the lady wants.”
Ari looked down at her outfit too. She had to admit, Sandra and Larissa had done an amazing job; she almost didn’t
recognise herself. Instantly Ari’s confidence was boosted by this gesture. Hoping that Ragon was listening she said,
“I’ll have what he’s having.”
The man next to her at the bar smiled widely at Ari, and held out his hand to pass her the drink that the bar tender
had just poured.
“Want to chase this with a tequila shot?” he asked, sipping at the dark liquid and calling once again for the barman’s
attention.
Ari considered this for a moment. She was desperate to look behind her shoulder and see if her actions had been
noticed.
“Why the hell not,” she replied.
This was the first time she had been out of Ragon’s house in ages. If this was going to be her only outing for the next
little while, baring the upcoming Halloween party, then she was dam well going to enjoy herself. Besides, she
thought licking her hand which was now sprinkled in salt, it wasn’t like her and Ragon were dating; why shouldn’t
she be allowed to socialise?
When Ari finally left the bar, three shots later, she glanced around the dance floor looking for the others. For one
panicked moment she thought that they had left her. She couldn’t see Larissa or Cambridge, nor Thomas, Sandra or
Ragon. She had guessed that Clyde would have scanted off by now with the girl he had seen earlier, but where was
everyone else? She was just about to start looking for the others when Ragon appeared behind her.
“Having fun?” he asked, his teeth abnormally clenched.
“Yea,” Ari replied, her breath strong with liquor.
“I see you made a new friend,” Ragon said, indicating the tall man who had been buying her shots.
Ari shrugged indifferently; unbeknownst to her, the corner of Ragon’s lip curled into a smile.
“Where is everyone?” Ari asked, looking around the dance floor for some sign of their companions.
“Hunting,” Ragon replied simply.
“Why aren’t you hunting?” Ari asked; the alcohol causing her to sway a little on the spot.
“Who say’s I’m not,” he said, a slight wicked edge to his voice.
Instantly Ari was jealous. It may have been the alcohol which fuelled her anger, or it may simply have been her own
desires; but in that moment, the thought of Ragon being with another girl, even if he was just attacking them for
their blood, was infuriating. As Ragon scanned the crowd for a target, Ari stormed off. She didn’t know where she
was going; all she knew was that she didn’t feel like watching Ragon ravage some beautiful woman, as he took blood
from her then disassociated her. Her previous flirtatious mood had vanished entirely. Before Ari had made it to the
other dance floor, she spied Clyde with his brunette beauty. Intrigued she crept up on the pair; hiding in the
shadows, so as to watch their interactions.
Back at the dance floor Ragon had watched Ari walk away. He wanted desperately to go after her; to grab her by the
elbow and sweep her into the darkness and pleasure her, then sink his fangs into her sweet femoral artery“Shit,” he said out loud; racing from the dance floor and outside of the club via an emergency exit. Bending over he
clapped his hands to his knees. It had been too long since he fed last, and he was losing control. He shivered when
he realised how close he had just come to targeting Ari. He needed blood desperately, but not hers; he wouldn’t be
around her again until after he had fed. The others knew to keep an eye on her, he told himself, as he searched for a
blood source. She would come to no harm with nearly the entire coven watching her.
Mesmerised, Ari stood near the edge of the dance floor and watched from a corner, as Clyde and his brunette
acquaintance climbed into a booth together. Feeling embarrassed, she was just about to turn around and go back to
the dance floor, when a fraction of the veil surrounding the bed moved, revealing the inhabitants within. Her alcohol
induced curiosity kept her rooted to the spot.
Clyde had chosen his prey well. Looking at the full lipped beauty that lay on the bed next to him now, he smiled
wickedly. The smile was returned.
Clyde leaned in close to the girl and whispered, “Tell me your name.”
The girl did not answer, but continued her mischievous smile, and moving so that she was on top of Clyde, began
pulling the dress she wore up over her head, until she straddled him with only her underwear and heels on. Clyde’s
greedy fingers pulled her hips towards him, so that they were only inches apart. Then his fingers traced her smooth
thighs, until a slight pulsing from her femoral artery caught his attentions. Though Clyde was enjoying the
independence of his prey, he was too hungry to ignore the rhythmic pulse beneath his fingers. Desperate to feel
more of her, he reached up and intertwined his fingers into her hair; forcing her head down towards him as he kissed
her passionately on the mouth. After a moment he pulled hard at her hair, ending their kiss.
“Oh god,” she screamed but her cries were unheard over the music of the club; only Ari who stood watching had
seen the girl mouth them.
Clyde had sunk his fangs into her thigh, cutting into her femoral artery, as he lapped up the blood that spilled freely
from it. For a moment Ari thought that the girl was going to scream, but almost instantly her eyes, which had been
fiery and wild, had become suddenly glassy and slack. Ari knew exactly what was happening; the vampire toxin was
working its way into her system, keeping her in place and giving Clyde full control over her nervous system. Ari
watched as Clyde smiled wickedly, and she was instantly desperate to know what he would command her to do. But
such commands were thoughts, not spoken words, and so would remain a mystery to her. For a moment Ari looked
around, worried that someone might see him latched to her thighs, but no one was looking at the tiny slit into their
bed; no one but her, and anyone who chanced a glance would probably think that he was kissing her, not biting her.
Looking past his prey, Clyde noticed a tiny slither in the veil which hid his actions from the rest of the club goers.
Immediately fear consumed him, and he almost pulled the girl off him, but then stopped in realisation; he knew the
eyes which were watching him. Staring at Ari with his head on an angle, he continued to lash at his brunette’s
femoral artery in awe of his situation. As he drank from the girl, he locked eyes with Ari, and winked once.
“Shit,” Ari said out loud, feeling the familiar redness flush her face.
She had gasped when Clyde had winked at her and instantly averted her eyes, dashing quickly away from where she
had stood. She moved to the back of the club, searching for the bathroom.
“Where are you going?” A male voice asked her.
Ari turned to face Thomas.
“The bathroom,” Ari said, looking down indignantly at the hand he had used to catch her with.
Thomas released her hand and shrugged and Ari watched as he sat down on one of the couches near the rest rooms,
clearly waiting for her. Once inside the bathroom she stared at her reflection. Her face was scorching, and she
splashed cold water onto her cheeks, hoping to relieve the burning, while being careful to avoid her mascara. With
her hands on the basin, she continued to stare at her reflection, looking herself in the eyes as she tried to catch her
breath. The alcohol had left a funny taste in her mouth, and she took some of the water from the tap and swished it
around her mouth, before spitting it back into the basin. The bathroom, though being humid, provided a nice relief
from the club, whose combination of loud music and dim lighting had occasional made her, feel claustrophobic.
Leaving the bathroom, she walked further down the hallway, past the men’s room, until she found a large exit sign
and pushed, desperate for fresh air to clear her head. For a moment the feeling of the cool night air on her cheeks
was refreshing, and she relished in its refreshment, until she looked up. The sight that met her eyes stopped her
dead in her tracks.
CHAPTER 9- AN ALLEYWAY CONFESSION
Ari opened her mouth in horror. A young girl who looked to be barely 20 was being forced against the brick
wall that formed part of the alleyway. Her eyes were bulged and desperate, and Ari realised instantly that the man
forcing himself on her was the same guy who had been buying her shots at the start of the night. The girl’s mascara
had run down her face but she still looked beautiful and innocent. With one hand the man was pulling the grey dress
that she wore up past her waist, while the other pinned her and covered her mouth. Apart from the three of the, the
alleyway that serviced the night club was deserted. There were large dumpsters lining the walls with foul rubbish
spilling from them. An alley cat sat perched on one of these watching the events, its brightly iridescent yellow eyes
reflecting the only street light which shone down on the scene. Seeing Ari, the girl tried to scream for help, but the
man hit her hard in the face and she fell quiet. Ari felt sick with sympathy and dread, as her own recent bondage and
torment swept into her mind. The brute had his back to Ari, and so she raked the alleyway with her eyes, desperate
to find something that she could use as a weapon against him.
Another small scream escaped the girl, and Ari turned to realise that the man had removed his belt and was stringing
it around the girl’s neck. “Scream and your dead,” he said.
The girl nodded, still sobbing silently but stopped struggling; she was completely defeated. Realising this, her
attacker smiled. Instantly Ari resumed her search, desperate to find anything that she could swing at the bastard, but
there was nothing. Without thinking she threw her body onto his back, desperate to stop him from further violating
the girl. Instantly the man relinquished his hold on his victim. Ari’s attack had surprised him and he swayed where he
stood, before baking up and forcing his back against the brick wall, winding Ari who had still been clutched to his
shoulders. She fell heavily to the ground, her head pounding from where skin had met stone and saw small bursts of
stars cloud her sight.
“Bitch,” the man said, taking Ari by the hair and throwing her once more against the wall.
This time Ari felt herself fall unconscious, but it was only for a moment. Before she had fully blacked out she came
too. She stared in horror up at the man, and then her eyes darted around the alley, hoping to see if the girl was ok.
Finally her eyes rested on a crumpled mass a few feet away. The belt was no longer tight around her neck, but she
was paralysed, as if it still were.
“Two for the price of one,” the man said greedily, his hands fastening around Ari’s throat, while simultaneously
pulling at the belt to bring his original victim closer to him.
Ari tried to scream for help but it was too late. All she could do was writhe on the pavement as the man’s grip
tightened, cutting off her air supply. Ari watched in horror as the girl’s eyes rolled into the back of her head. Nodding
once in satisfaction, the man removed his belt from the now unconscious girl, and refocused his attentions on Ari.
There was an insane huger in his eyes and Ari knew just how helpless she was.
Just then there was a crashing from nearby. Instantly Ari’s eyes widened; it was Ragon. His eyes were bulged and
livid, and there was a wild untamed look to him, which she had seen only once before, when he had attacked her. Ari
knew instinctively from the deep growl coming from his chest that he hadn’t fed yet. Ironically, it reminded her of
how a person’s stomach might growl if they were hungry. She watched mesmerised, as with one hand he clamped
his fingers around the struggling man’s throat and lifted him into the air, so that he was dangling by his feet. The
man clutched at Ragon’s fingers to no avail, while his lips slowly became blue at the edges. Without hesitation,
Ragon forced his neck to the side and reached into his pocket for something. Taking a small gleaming silver knife he
slit expertly a deep cut into the man’s throat, severing both his jugular vein and his carotid artery. Instantly, thick red
blood gushed from the wound, spraying across Ragon’s face, and leaving a deep scarlet stain on his skin. Ari
shivered, watching the monster within take over.
It took no more than a minute for Ragon to drain him. He didn’t even consider taking control of his prey’s nervous
system, and forcing him to follow his commands. No; he wanted him dead. When he was finished, he threw the man
aside as though he was garbage and rushed to Ari. He was crouched beside her, his mad eyes focusing on the
swollen bruise which had formed across her cheek from where she had been struck. He made to touch her, but Ari
moved away, unable to stop herself; the last memory of him feeding off her still fresh in her mind. Ragon blinked in
fear, afraid of what Ari now thought of him. The two remained frozen for several more seconds. Ragon did not dare
move for fear that Ari may be further traumatised.
A small rustling nearby, alerted the pair to the girl’s presence. Ragon quickly swept over to her, touched his icy
fingers to her pulse and said, “She will be ok, thanks to you.”
Ari looked once at the semi-unconscious girl and then back to Ragon.
“Why?” Ari asked, unable to stop herself from asking the one question she had wanted to since she first met him.
“He was a bad man, he was hurting you-” Ragon began, but Ari cut him off.
“No, why me?” she asked and when Ragon looked puzzled she said, “do you know how many girls are attacked every
day? How many creeps there are out there, just waiting to prey on them?”
“I know,” Ragon answered, a low growl lending a slight edge to his voice.
“No, that’s not what I… Why me? You have probably saved a thousand women; you could have had them all; why did
you choose me?” She asked flatly.
The alcohol had empowered her and mixed with the adrenaline, allowed her to portray a sense of invulnerability
that would not normally have been there. She had to know. Ragon was gorgeous, he was different and amazing, and
hers was not the first life that he had saved; so why had he chosen to keep her? Why not disassociate her after her
attack? The fear of not knowing fuelled her resolve to discover the truth, and she stared at Ragon, waiting for him to
answer her.
“I, I don’t know,” he lied instantly.
There was however a reason, a very personal and intimate reason, one that had been with him for a very long time.
But he couldn’t tell her, not now that he knew her, not now that he had risked everything to be with her.
“Well that makes two of us,” Ari said, trying once again to stand but failing.
When Ragon offered to help her this time she did not flinch. She was frustrated by her situation. This is bullshit, she
thought to herself, as she allowed Ragon to grasp her hand and pull her up. Hadn’t she been through enough? She
didn’t mean to act so spoilt, she knew Ragon had just saved her, again, but what the hell was going on? Ever since
she had been rescued by Ragon, it was one drama after the next; the least he could do was to tell her why.
Ragon sensed her frustration and said, “I couldn’t leave you, after I found; I couldn’t leave you.”
This was partly true, and though it pained him to open himself up to Ari, he knew that if he didn’t say something, he
might lose her trust forever. He watched mesmerised as her face lightened; her muscles relaxing with dawning
comprehension. Reaching down to her dress, she tore at the lacy soft fabric, and using the material like a face
washer, began cleaning the blood off of him. She had wiped most of it away when Ragon reached for her hand. He
took it in his, gently intertwining their fingers together. He had seen her naked, watched her almost be raped, and
yet now as he held her delicate hands within his, he felt closer to her than he had ever before.
“I had to,” he whispered, bringing their hands to his cheek and letting her wonderfully soft human skin touch his face
lightly.
Ari looked up at him hopefully. Her eyes were filled with wonder at his touch, invoking an urge in her that was so
strong that she felt her head sway, as though the ground around her were rotating. Ragon leaned closer to her, as
though an invisible force urged him and Ari responded, her own pull gravitating towards him. Instinctively her mouth
parted, the soft pink of her lips easing open in preparation.
“There you two are,” a voice said loudly, from behind them.
Ari felt Ragon pull away, unwinding her fingers from his in an instant and forcing her to once again sway on the spot,
as she readjusted her centre of gravity without him. Looking around Ari saw Clyde. He was standing holding the door
to the cub open, flanked by Sandra, Thomas, Larissa and Cambridge.
Both girls looked horrified at what they had interrupted, but Clyde walked further into the alley and looking at the
girl on the ground said, “That’s not like you to take a chick.”
Ragon’s eyes were full of daggers; he had completely forgotten the girl on the floor next to him, and glancing from
her to the corpse of the man at his feet said, “While you were feasting on some whore, Ari was almost killed; by a
mortal!”
Both Larissa and Sandra exchanged worried looks and Sandra said, “She only left our sight for a minute-”
But Ragon cut her off, leaving the alleyway quickly and walking back into the club.
“Are you ok?” Clyde asked Ari, after Ragon had left.
Her heart was still pounding and there was an unrequited longing in her. Was she alright? No; no she wasn’t. For one
fleeting moment she had thought, she had hoped, but she was being stupid. How could Ragon possibly feel a
connection with her? Still, she thought as she allowed Clyde to direct her back into the club, the way he had touched
her; it was as if nothing else mattered. She felt whole in a way she had never felt. As if everything in her life had
been leading up to that moment, but she had missed it. Making eye contact with the other vampires around her, she
was surprised to see Thomas standing over the body of the man, touching his hand to his forehead, sternum and
then left and right arm, as he crossed himself.
“I found her like this,” Ragon said to the security guard 2 minutes later, when he re-joined the rest of his coven
outside in the alley way.
He was pointing to the girl who was now slumped against the brick wall. Her hand was pressed gingerly around her
throat, trying to soothe the large welts which had appeared there. Ragon had already called the ambulance, but
knowing that they had to leave before the police arrived, wanted to make sure that the girl was ok.
“And who’s this?” the security guard asked, kicking the body in the alley way over and revealing the man’s face.
Ari looked down at the dead body. His eyes were fixed and dilated and open wide in horror. Though this was not the
first person she had witnessed Ragon murder, there was something about the inevitability of death which shocked
her now.
“Never seen him before,” Ragon lied, looking down at the man as though considering him.
As soon as Ragon spoke there was something about his tone which caught Ari’s attention. He was lying, she knew
that; it had been he who had killed him and yet something in his attitude instinctively told her he was being
untruthful. She raked her brains, trying to recall a recent similar instance when she had though he was being
untruthful with her, but a loud wailing out the front of the club distracted her. She felt her hand jerk as Sandra pulled
her towards the street. The police had arrived at the entrance of the club, and the 7 of them had to get away quickly.
“Hey where are you going?” the security guard asked the group’s retreating backs.
“Sorry we have a curfew; our parents worry,” Clyde said mischievously, increasing his pace.
The coven slinked from the club’s entrance, careful not to look guilty as the police began storming past them;
hurrying to get to the murder scene. There was almost nothing worse than a vampire being imprisoned, accept
maybe a vampire taking on a mortal as a pet and choosing not to disassociate them. A vampire going to jail was
basically a death sentence; no definite blood source for the sentence and an absence of aging was sure to draw all
the wrong attention. This was another of the vampire’s laws; don’t get caught. Vampires in prison didn’t last long;
not because they couldn’t survive, but because the powers that be prevented it. It was a fair enough to decision to
enforce, and the law clearly started that all vampires sent to prison would be killed. If it wasn’t the blood drinking
that exposed their existence to the world, then a pile of ashes in the cell following an unavoidable exposure to
sunlight surely would. This had been the reason why Ragon had used a knife to kill the man tonight, rather than his
fangs. The night Ari had been attacked his mind had been too unravelled to think of this, but tonight he had been
prepared. It was one thing for him to bite and drain one person, but it was quite another to go around Brisbane
doing it to every person he fed from. While the Elders did not have a problem with mortals losing their lives, they did
have a problem with coroners and police suspecting that there were supernatural beings in their world. Ragon had
had enough sense to kill most of the boys who had tried to rape Ari in a relatively ‘normal’ fashion. But his anger had
gotten the better of him, and the last boy he had lashed out at and drained. But there was no way the mortals would
discover his actions. Still, he had made sure that if he needed to kill again, it would be in a way that did not attract
any unwanted questions. A coroner’s report for a stabbing would not be second guessed, but two puncture marks to
the jugular and a body drained of blood was bound to lead to complications.
The ride home was met with silence. What had started out as such a fun filled night had ended badly. Ragon’s hands
gripped the steering wheel furiously, leaving his knuckled white, as he forced out the blood of his recent kill. A few
times Ari had tried to say something, but seeing the stricken look on Sandra’s face, he had remained quiet. When
finally both cars pulled into the driveway, everyone hoped out quickly. As soon as Ari was inside she raced to the
kitchen. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten, and the alcohol had left her desperate for something
covered in grease. There had been no sign of Sameth, and the note which Ragon had left for him, still laid on the
kitchen table unread.
“Need a hand?” Clyde asked, moving to sit on one of the stools that adorned the breakfast table.
“Yea, I will have a cheese and bacon omelette over easy and,” she said touching her chin in consideration, “some
french toast.” When Clyde didn’t respond, Ari smirked asking, “When was the last time you even cooked?”
She was digging in the fridge, searching for the eggs when Clyde replied, “Good point.”
She ate her omelette quickly; the greasy bacon relieving her empty stomach in a way that only saturated fats could.
Clyde had sat a few chairs away watching her.
When she was onto her last portion she held out her folk to Clyde and asked, “Want some?”
Clyde smiled up at her in response saying, “No I couldn’t possible,” than rubbing his stomach added, “I’m full.”
Instantly Ari pictured the girl he had taken at the nightclub, and suddenly blushed. Though the food had done
wonders at reversing her intoxication, she still retained enough boldness to ask, “What does it feel like to drink
someone’s blood?”
Clyde stopped looking at Ari’s plate and stared at her, “Chicken, just like chicken,” he replied sarcastically.
“You know,” Ari said, “I get that you put on this tough facade to keep people at bay, but it wouldn’t kill you to open
up once in a while.”
“Kill me? Off course it won’t kill me; I’m already dead,” he replied smiling widely.
Ari paused with the last of her omelette impaled on her fork. Obviously a late night deep and meaningful wasn’t
going to crack Clyde’s shell. Still, she thought, forcing the last of the omelette into her open mouth, there was a look
in his eyes that she hadn’t seen before, as if he had realised something.
Almost immediately after arriving home, but not until Ari was out of earshot, Ragon rounded on Sandra.
“You were supposed to keep her safe,” he said accusatorily, a mad look in his eyes.
Sandra returned a sheepish look, than glanced down at the floor.
“I could expect this from Clyde, but you?” he asked, now pacing so quickly around his library that he was a blur.
“I know honey,” she cooed, “I’m sorry. I never expected her to be at risk from mortals.”
“I told you in the letter; I told you that she was special to me; I can’t lose her,” he stated boldly.
Sandra looked at him, her head tilted to one side as she said, “I think perhaps she means more to you than I
realised?”
Ragon avoided making eye contact. Glancing out the window he saw the characteristic palling of the stars, and
realised how late in the morning it was; the sun would rise soon.
“Why are you so drawn to her?” Sandra asked, moving towards him, one hand outstretched.
Ragon paused. He trusted Sandra, but not with this.
“I don’t know,” Ragon explained, “I have told you, she is different; special, and she needs our protection.”
Sandra continued to look suspiciously at Ragon. One thing was for sure, there was more going on than what he was
letting on.
***
That night Ari’s dreams were fuelled with fear. Oddly the vampires, or that was what she guessed they must have
been, in her dreams were unknown to her. There were two men and a woman. All of them reeked of decay, as if
their flesh had long since lost any trace of life, yet their features were perfect: even beautiful. They were sitting on
large stone thrones discussing someone, someone that they feared. In the dream Ari was only an observer, part of
the walls and ceiling; she watched as though from a distance, mesmerised by the scene, but unable to join it. The
room was large and formed of pale sandstone, with two very small windows allowing only the faintest of moonlight
to streak through. For a moment Ari had tried to get closer, desperate to know what the people before her
discussed, but she could not. The faces of the three vampires were hidden from her; shadow’s danced across their
bodies, while the moon occasionally threw into light ominous features. On the damp floor an elderly lady was
crouched low, and it was to her they were addressing. Ari looked at the obviously human woman and gasped. Her
eyes were white and looked as if they were rolling into the back of her head. The old woman was quivering slightly;
her back was bent unnaturally as she tried to avoid eye contact with the vampires seated at the thrones before her.
“I have told you all I know,” the woman begged, her white eyes wide with terror.
The vampires considered her words for only a moment. Both men seemed satisfied and nodded indifferently, but
the woman shook her head in disbelief. In that instant she appeared more terrible and beautiful than anyone Ari had
ever beheld. She glowered down at the cowering mortal and rushed over to her. As she ran her face was revealed;
small freckles dotted her cheeks, while large amounts of lush shiny red hair were thrown into the spotlight. Without
warning she bent down low, and two large fangs broke easily through the wrinkled skin of the woman. Instantly the
elderly lady began writhing in pain, screeching like a banshee as her body thrashed on the floor. Then suddenly the
old woman relaxed, as the vampire moved back to her throne, and Ari thought that perhaps the vampire toxin had
worked its way through her system. Ari watched as the dying woman held out a hand, and pointed to where Ari was
standing, as if suddenly realising she were there.
“Hide,” the elderly woman screamed, locking eyes with Ari, while Ari stared back in confusion and disbelief.
A moment later the elderly woman rolled to the floor. There were grey wisps of hair covering her face, and her eyes,
which had in life been white, were now a vibrant blue in death.
Ari woke covered in sweat and her heart pounding. Almost as soon as she had opened her eyes, everything she had
dreamed about was forgotten. Only the dank smell of rotten flesh remained, and she looked around her bedroom,
as if searching from where the putrid smell was coming from. For a few moments she tried to recall what had woken
her so dramatically, but she could not. Half-heartedly she tried closing her eyes and drifting back to sleep after that,
but her heart was hammering too fast, and its constant pounding in her ears prevented any chance of a return to
slumber. Sitting up in bed, a sudden dizzy spell caught Ari off guard and she gripped the sheets for support. Only
when the light headedness had abated, did she remember she’d been drinking heavily last night; she had a
hangover, again. Her mouth was dry and tacky, and her memories clouded. For a little while longer she remained in
bed, trying to recall the events of the previous night, but soon the overwhelming thirst urged her up. Reaching for
her dressing gown, which laid at the end of the bed, she covered herself and left her room. It was just after midday;
the bright sun streamed through the windows that she had opened, and she relished in it, appreciating the way her
skin responded to the warm rays. It was peculiar how the light seemed to pull her, as though from a dream. These
past few weeks had changed her life considerably, and yet now, as she sat on one of the chairs on the veranda,
drinking a cold glass of water, she fully appreciated everything she had left behind. Living in darkness it seemed, had
blinded her to the rest of the world. With this in mind she gingerly got up from her chair and moved into the living
room. Switching the television on, she flicked through the channels, hungry to know more of what she had missed.
“In more recent news, a man has been killed in the Valley last night. Police arriving to the scene say they received an
anonymous call a little past 2 in the morning alerting them to the situation.” The news reporter said, from outside
the club that Ari and the rest of the group had visited last night.
“The owner of the popular nightclub, ‘The Bedroom’, where the gruesome murder took place, was unable to
comment, however a security guard present last night said, ‘this wasn’t the first time the guy had been here; he was
a regular.’”
Ari continued to watch the television set, mesmerised by the news report, as flash after flash of the event from the
previous night came back to her.
“This incident signifies the tenth murder in Brisbane city this month and police are calling for anyone who may have
information to come forth. Statisticians who have been trailing the recent spring in criminality have said that this
month’s homicides represent a seventy year high. I’m Sandra Sully for ABD news.”
Ari looked at the television in horror; ten murders! She knew that half of them Ragon was responsible for, but what
had happened to the other five victims? Were they the result of vampire attacks or other humans? Uneasy with her
lack of up to date current affairs, she left the living room in search of a computer. As she passed the staircase that
would lead to the second level, her mind flashed once again to the room she had been warned not to enter. For a
moment she entertained the idea of trying to break into it again but pushed this thought to the back of her mind.
There were more pressing things to do.
Finally in Ragon’s library she found a laptop. She had been in the library before but not frequently. Ragon usually
went there to think and Ari, not wanting to get in the way, often left him to his own devices when he disappeared in
there. Today however, her mind was far too muddled and concerned to bother with such trivialities, and so she
pushed open the large mahogany door and quickly walked the length of the room. She’d had to transverse a small
winding staircase to find Ragon’s desk, but as soon as she stood on the second floor landing it was easy to locate the
flat metallic laptop that sat on top. Flipping it up, she waited eagerly for the wireless internet to connect, then
opened a search browser and typed in the words, ‘murders in Brisbane.’ The first website to appear was for CNG
news and she clicked the link quickly, anxious to know more. Seeing the article entitled, ‘Brisbane City fought with
plague’, she clicked once and waited for the news report to load.
“Brisbane City fought with Plague
In the past two weeks Brisbane City has played host to a wide variety of murders. The city, normally rated as a
relatively crime free metropolitan, has been struck with unusually high corruption rates. Ten bodies remain in the
City’s morgue awaiting justice for their untimely deaths and as of yet there has been no arrests. Despite the recent
high in criminal activity, police insist that the murders are unrelated.
‘There is just too much variability in the killings to say that it is a mass murderer,’ said Constable Ryans, a trainee
detective for the city police department. Though Brisbane’s justice department insists that these killings remain the
Police’s number one priority, the murders remain unsolved and no witnessed or suspects have been identified.
This reporter asked police what they were doing to solve the crimes. ‘Everything we can,’ says Constable Ryans.
The City coroner has told police that all of the victim’s deaths occurred during the early hours of the morning, and
people are cautioned to keep this in mind with planning their daily routines. When at all possible, citizens are advised
to avoid leaving their house unaccompanied, between the hours of 1am and 4am. This morning’s murder signifies the
tenth victim to be killed in Brisbane City this month, and with the killings showing no sign of slowing, the inhabitants
of our normally peaceful town must be wondering: is it safe to come out at night?
Rebecca Dunlop
CNG News”
Ari scrolled through the story quickly, her eyes wide in anticipation. There were 7 vampires living in this house right
now; perhaps these murders were attributed to their actions? For a while she continued to scroll through the stories
indifferently, her thoughts preoccupied, until another story’s title caught her eye.
‘Five victims of University slayings memorial day’
The University of Queensland has today organised a remembrance service for the five victims who lost their lives this
month. 24 year old Lisa Kidd was found murdered at the campus, one week following the senseless deaths of the four
football team members late last month. Chancellor Kennedy today addressed the student body during a special
memorial service for the friends and family members of the victims. The chancellor told students that additional
security officers would be on the campus, especially during the night and early morning and grief councillors had
been appointed for any classmates who felt they needed additional support. Chancellor Kennedy assured the
mourning students that, ‘security guards would be in full force during the busy study period.’ The end of semester
usually sees the University campus alive with students studying for exams. Since this latest murder however, the
normally busy 24hour libraries have been deserted. ‘Additional funds have been allocated to the security detail, which
now includes offering students private trips to and from their cars, or to public transport, to make sure that students
feel safe to study,’ Chancellor Kennedy proudly told the crowd…
Ari blinked; something didn’t make sense, who was the fifth victim? Desperately trying to recall the painful
memories from the night when she had been attacked, she pictured the four men who had tried to rape her; four,
there had definitely been four. She read over the story again, this time slower and more careful.
“24 year old Lisa Kidd was found murdered one week following…” she read but her words trailed off as an image
below the news report made her gasp.
The picture had been taken in the grand square at her university, which had clearly been converted into what looked
like a funeral or a memorial reception. There was a large crowd of people, all apparently looking up at a central
speaker. Surrounding the speaker were five large framed photographs; four boys and one girl, each with their name
and date of birth and death underneath. Around the photos were many large bunches of flowers, and burning
candles, while each photograph was draped with large reefs of flowers. Above the picture was a caption that read:
‘Five University victims.’ Ari shivered as one by one her eyes fell on the four boys who had attacked her. Even after
so long, it was difficult for her not to think what might have happened to her, had Ragon not been there. She pushed
this thought out of her mind quickly; it was too hard to think of Ragon not being a part of her life now. Finally Ari
looked at the last photograph, realising that she recognised the image of the girl: Lisa Kidd. She had been in her
chemistry first year class, two years ago. She had only spoken to Lisa once, when they had been paired together
during a prac class, but she still remembered how kind and shy she was, and a suddenly sadness washed over her.
Looking around the room in thought, Ari’s eyes meet with a small leather bound book, slightly hidden beneath some
loose papers. The unique craftsmanship of the book had caught her attention, and she reached for it enthusiastically.
At first she thumbed indifferently through a few pages, until she realised from the hand written entries and dates in
the top right corner that she had picked up a diary. Instantly her moral ethics screamed at her. Growing up part time
in an orphanage, and the other part in and out of foster care, had taught her to be mindful of other’s personal
possessions. Instantly she glanced around the library, before sitting very still and making perfectly sure that she
couldn’t hear anyone close by. After she was satisfied she was alone, and once she had blocked all previous notions
of personal property from her mind, she flipped the book open to the first page. Small cursive writing met her eyes
as she focused on the date in the top right corner; ‘18th of September 1877.’ Ari read on…
‘Jay Cooke has closed its doors and much of my funds have been lost. It seems this new trend of Railroad labour
strikes has finally reached us here in America. Hunting at night has made that grossly obvious. The streets are filled
even more than normal with homeless people, and I find myself happy to end their suffering; hunting has never been
so easy! Half the businesses I walk past are closed or shut down and there is fire and revolt in the streets. It seems at
long last that the government’s indulgence into train transport has finally ended. Tonight, as I stalked my usual
haunts, there were more than normal mortals lying in wait. It was almost too easy to pick off the unsuspecting
stranded passenger, who had been waiting to board a train home. Kiara too it seems is excited by the endless meal
tickets bought on by the revolts. I watched in reverence as she took a couple who had been holding hands into the
darkness and drained them. I am almost jealous at the ease to which she can hunt. Though I have been a vampire for
what feels like an eternity, I am still adjusting to my senses and it irks me that my creator has mastered the ability to
command her prey, where as I have not. The fat stock broker I killed tonight was by no means as tender, nor as juicy,
as the supple woman I saw Kiara take. Perhaps tomorrow I will have more luck.’
Ari was staring in disbelief at the words she recited, reading and re-reading the entry so as to ensure she had made
no error. After she had read it three times and knew for sure that she had made no mistake, she closed the book
quickly. She felt sick; her stomach was churning, and not just from last night’s frivolities. She knew Ragon was a
vampire, and that he had killed people, but there was something about this diary entry that absolutely shocked her.
The person writing this was cruel, uncharacteristically so, and Ari was suddenly confused. For a few moments she
continued to sit at the desk, her hand hovering over the diary, unsure if she wanted to read more. After negotiating
with her conscious, she decided against it. She had completely forgotten her desire to find out about the other
murders that had occurred in Brisbane city, and left the library, her feet dragging against the hard wooden floors, as
wave after wave of horrible thoughts piled up in her mind.
***
It was several hours before Ragon awoke; the sun was no longer high in the sky, but at the bottom of the valley, and
already the moon had begun to light the dimming sky. Ari was sitting cross legged on the couch, apparently deep in
thought, as she did not stir when Ragon walked into the living room. He knew instantly that something was on her
mind and he sat down next to her, while Ari continued to stare off into the distance, seemingly not to notice him.
The pair shared a few moments of silence, until the addition of a third person startled them.
“Good evening all,” Sameth said in an uncharacteristically cheerful voice, as he moved over to stand in front of Ari
and Ragon.
“Hey,” Ari said sheepishly.
“Where have you been?” Ragon asked, slightly accusatorily.
It had just dawned on him that if Sameth had of been at the night club last night, perhaps the events which followed
might have been avoided.
Sameth eyed Ragon intently; there was a slight edge in his voice when he said, “Hunting.”
Ragon nodded again, his eye mirroring his instant disinterest. Something else was on his mind, something he realised
he needed to talk to Sandra about. He took another long glance down at Ari, before standing quickly, and then
walking casually over to the living room, where Sandra and Thomas were just emerging from. He had heard as soon
as they had awoken, trying hard to ignore it as the pair talked loving to each other.
Feeling slightly uneasy, he tapped Sandra on the shoulder and whispered, “May I have a word?”
Sandra stared in reply back at her mate, but allowed Ragon to direct her to his library, as Thomas joined Ari and
Sameth.
“Two private conversations in so many hours, should I be worried that I am going to get scolded again or should
Thomas be jealous?” she teased, moving to sit down on a large black leather couch which acted as a window seat on
the first floor of the library.
“I need your advice,” Ragon said, his eyes plastered to the ground as he inspected his feet.
“Hmmhmm,” Sandra cooed; her eyes were suddenly alight and her voice had taken on a stronger and more drawn
out Deep Southern purr. Clearly Sandra was enjoying this.
“CanIbe withAri?” Ragon blurted out, his words tumbling so fast out of his mouth that they threatened to be
incoherent.
“What?” Sandra asked, her eyebrows raised in confusion.
“Can I be with Ari?” Ragon said again, this time much slower, as he put in the effort to ensure he enunciated each
syllable.
He had considered the words so many times before, but saying them out loud now made him doubt himself.
“You’re asking my permission?” Sandra asked, laughing lightly to herself.
The sweet musically laugh hit Ragon like a ton of bricks, and he glowered saying, “No, just your advice. You were, err,
a mortal when you meet Thomas…”
“Ohh,” Sandra replied quickly, and she stopped laughing suddenly, as her face hardened.
Instantly images of her past flashed to her. They were a little hazy, with the many centuries that she had lived since.
Still, she retained enough memory to remember that part; the part which preceded her becoming a vampire. It was
1729 in Louisiana, and Sandra Parkinson, as she had been called back then, was 24 years old. Sandra was the second
eldest daughter of Bernard Parkinson and lived in their family home with her two younger sisters: Laura and Emily.
Her mother had died many years earlier in child birth, bringing Emily into the world. The previous summer her eldest
sister had been wed, and her father had insisted that Sandra wait until after her older sister’s nuptials to find a
husband, as was the custom back them. This was no difficult task. Sandra was one of the most sought after women
in the county, both in looks and means. Bernard Parkinson had made his money in slaves, importing the largest black
slave colony in 1719, and selling them like cattle since. Many suitors had called on her, and it was merely a matter of
waiting for her season to come out, and her father to choose a candidate with the most prospects. Finally, after
discussing with several potential bachelors, Bernard had selected John Wood; a 54 year old lord, who’s first wife had
died barren. Eager for children to carry on his title, John pursued Sandra enthusiastically and after much negotiation,
her father gave his blessings. The wedding was large; perhaps even the greatest event of the county that spring.
Many lords and ladies had attended the ceremony, and though Sandra knew the match would please her father, she
also knew that she would never love her new husband.
That night John had taken Sandra to their wedding chamber and locked the door. He had instructed his servants to
leave the house for their consummation. Sandra, still a virgin and inexperienced in love, had waited anxiously in the
bedroom for her new husband to enter. When he walked in, there was a hunger in his eyes that immediately scared
her.
“Take off your clothing,” her husband commanded.
Immediately she obeyed, slowly slipping the straps of her night gown past her shoulders. Perhaps it was her lack of
enthusiasm, but after only a moment of waiting, John moved over to her hungrily and began tearing the white lacy
fabric from her. She gasped at his ferocity and blushed when she stood naked before him.
“You’re going to make me a son,” he had said from behind her, touching his hard weathered hands to her stomach
as he pressed up against her.
“I will try to please you,” Sandra replied, a knot in her throat.
“You will please me,” he said, then reached for her hair, pulling it hard and kissing her on the mouth.
Sandra squirmed as his tongue met hers. There was an overpowering taste of stale alcohol and tobacco which lined
his mouth, and lent his kiss a foul odour. He then moved over to a wardrobe and lovingly prised the doors open.
Sandra watched as he retrieved a long rope and then moved back over to her, his eyes fixed on his new wife
longingly.
Sandra was scared, but let John bind her around the wrists and tie her to one of the posts of the bed. Though she
had no experience of sex, she had never thought this to be how she would lose her virginity. Tremblingly, she let her
new husband discover her body, tracing his roughened hands all over her skin.
Suddenly, from outside the pair heard a loud scream. Moving over to the bedroom window, John drew the curtains
open and stared down in horror at his estate. Many small fires were burning, and the stables and winery were
completely engulfed in flames. Looking down at his house, he saw large thick flames twirl out of one of the lower
windows, and he realised in fury that part of the house ablaze. When he turned to face Sandra, the red glow of the
amber’s was reflected in his dark eyes and he swept from the room, leaving her tied to the bed.
A few moments past and then the door to the bedroom opened. It was John; he was still wearing his white dressing
robe, but now his eyes were livid with fear while a long large sword was held at the ready. A second later and two
men stormed the room, and with them came thick grey smoke, that rose quickly to the ceiling. Sandra knew instantly
that they were Indians, and still bound to the bed, watched in horror as John duelled with them. After one clean
strike, the first man fell dead, and instantly the other man charged. Though he was out numbered, John’s days in the
army had taught him well, and the savages fought with inferior weapons. Deep in concentration, John did not notice
as another Indian slipped into the room and moved over to Sandra. She watched the tall man in fear, and when he
produced a long wooden arrow, screamed. She pulled frantically at her binds, but they would not give. The Indian
looked at her for a moment in sympathy. His orders were clear: no survivors. He was probably doing her a kindness,
to release her from this life, he thought as he forced the tip of the spear into her chest. Sandra’s scream was cut off
almost instantly, as she began to lose consciousness and large bubbles of blood pooped from her mouth. Suddenly a
noise at the window captured her attention; looking up she saw a man, with bright green eyes, and long dark hair
that tied neatly into a ponytail climbing through the open window.
“Bloody Natchez Indians,” John roared, not realising that another man was entering via the window, as he began to
duel with the Indian who had stabbed Sandra.
The last Indian fell quickly, his short bloodied knife no match for the long sword. Cleaning his blade, John looked up
at Sandra until he saw a man climbing through the window. John knew instantly that he was no Indian. He was white
and civilised looking.
Seeing the man move over to his wife, he held out his sword saying, “That’s mine.”
The stranger growled his disapproval and moved over to John. John prepared once again to fight and in one quick
motion, thrust his sword into the man’s belly. Fuelled by even greater anger the stranger used both hand’s to
retrieve the blade from his flesh, and turning it on John, lunged it deep into his heart. John crumpled to the floor,
blood pooling all around him.
The stranger then turned back to look at Sandra, whose bulging eyes were fearful. In an instant he blurred over to
her; his unhuman speed causing Sandra to begin screaming.
Instantly he gently placed his hands over her mouth and whispered, “Do not be afraid.”
Though she had watched this man kill, there was something in his eyes that called for her to trust him and when he
removed his hand she did not scream, simply stared up at him in awe. After that his hands tore at her binds quickly
and he reached for her night robe, covered her, and slung her over his shoulder. Moving back over to the window,
he jumped out of it, landing on his feet and running to a carriage that waited nearby. Lovingly he placed Sandra
inside, looking down once at her blooded robe. Instantly he took her shaking hands and pressed them against the
wound.
He then shouted to the carriage boy, “Onwards, as fast as you can,” and moved to sit by her, removing her trembling
hands and replacing his own to stiffen the bleeding, as the four frightened horse pulled them forwards.
They rode in the carriage for many hours, almost until morning. When finally they stopped, the sky was at the point
just before it lightens; a very faint blue beginning to overtake the black night sky. Sandra had lost consciousness
almost three hours into the journey, and her rescuer listened anxiously as her heart began to fade. As soon as the
carriage stopped, the man took Sandra up into his arms, and carried her into the house, glancing once at the rising
sun and urging his body forward. In the time it had taken for him to enter the building, Sandra’s heart had stopped.
He had laid her gently onto the bed, and for a few frenzied moments attempted pumping on her heart, hoping that it
might restart. With each compression, new blood squeezed through her wound, and he realised sadly that there was
nothing he could do for her. Instantly her sweet blood assaulted his senses, and without thinking he licked his
fingers. Though the wound at his side had left him desperate for blood, he stopped himself immediately. Two tears
fell from his eyes as he realised just how much the beauty he had rescued meant to him; even though until tonight
he had never met her. Determination fuelled his resolve, and he lent down to his wrist and pierced his vein. The
blood flowed freely from him, and he gathered Sandra’s body in his arms and forced his bleeding wrist into her
mouth.
When it was done, he lied on the bed next to her. If the vampirism took, than it would only be another day before
she arose as the living un-dead: like him.
Then next day when he had felt her stir, he sat up quickly. He was more excited and nervous than he had ever been,
either as a mortal or a vampire. As he watched Sandra’s eyes beginning to open, he knew he had done the right
thing.
When finally her surrounds came into focus, Sandra stared up at the beautiful man who had saved her. She knew
instantly that something was different, she felt it in herself, but unable to think of anything but her rescuer, she
asked, “Who are you?”
He smiled back down at her and whispered, “Thomas.”
“Well, what do you think? I know it worked for you but-” Ragon said, pulling Sandra from her memories of her past.
“What, oh, I don’t know,” she said honestly, and then seeing the sad look in Ragon’s eyes explained, “Thomas and I,
you see our situation was different, I had no choice when he made me what I am. You said you didn’t want to turn
her.”
“I don’t. Couldn’t we be together for one lifetime? I have been on this earth for long enough; one lifetime with Ari
and I could walk into the sun a happy man,” Ragon said.
Sandra looked at him. Though it saddened her to hear him say such things, she could understand his meaning.
Sometimes being a vampire sucked. There had been moments when Thomas and she had thought of walking into
the sun rise holding hands. Still these were dark moments, like when she had heard of a sister’s deaths.
She considered him carefully and replied, “Why don’t you try starting from the beginning?” and when Ragon stared
back at her blankly she added, “You know, go on a date?”
“A date?” Ragon asked.
The concept seemed like utter madness and yet made perfect sense. He nodded enthusiastically and made as if to
leave the room, but stopped and turned back to Sandra, “What, ah, do you do on a date?”
Sandra laughed once, and replied, “You know, buy her flowers, take her out to dinner and see a movie. Although as I
don’t think she would find it very romantic going to a blood bank, perhaps you may need to be a little more
creative.”
That was it, Ragon thought to himself as he walked back to the living room, he would ask Ari out on a date…
CHAPTER 10- DATE NIGHT
When Ragon and Sandra finally joined the others in the living room, Ragon had completely forgotten about
the concerned look which had plastered Ari’s face previously. Now as he looked at her, this thought rushed back. Ari
sat on the couch, her legs and arm’s crossed, with a look in her eyes that screamed mistrust. Her hair was wet, as
though she had washed it a few hours ago, and it had not yet fully dried. She wore a pair of navy blue tights and a
black long sleeve button up dress shirt, which made her seem to blend into the black leather of the couch. Had he
not been surrounded by the rest of his coven, Ragon would have asked her what was wrong. Instead he rehearsed
over and over in his head, the various ways that he might ask Ari out on a date.
“So what’s the plan for tonight?” Clyde asked adding, “Another club or maybe we could stop by Kiara’s for drinks?”
Only Sameth laughed at his words, while Ragon and Sandra snarled. Ari stared up at Clyde. He was tactless, there
was no doubt about it, but there was something fun about his sense of humour that lightened Ari’s mood
considerably. He looked even more gorgeous today than normal. He was wearing a pair of long light coloured cargo
pants and a well fitted blue long sleeved shirt.
“Just joking,” Clyde said defensively, realising his comment had hit a sore spot and placing his hands palm outwards
to the group in submission.
It was Sandra who spoke next saying, “Why don’t we go somewhere low key tonight? I could use a nice quiet drink.”
Her mate stared back at her, nodding his enthusiasm. Thomas’s hair, which was usually tied in a ponytail, moved in
concert with his head. His ponytail was so auspicious that Ari had almost entirely forgotten it was there. Now
however, as his long beautiful hair adorned his face.
“Ragon you can stay here and keep an eye on Ari,” Sandra said, giving him the slightest of winks that was
unobserved by all except him.
“Well just give me a moment to get ready,” Larissa said, jumping off the couch and running enthusiastically to her
bedroom.
The entire coven followed Larissa’s example and soon it was just Ari and Ragon left on the couch together. Ragon
knew that it was now or never. He appreciated Sandra’s subtle hints, and made a mental note to thank her later. He
moved a fraction of a millimetre towards her. His hands were uneasy beside him, and if he could sweat, they would
probably have been covered in nervous beads of perspiration. Fortunately his immortal traits hide most of these
very mortal failings. Only the look in his eyes betrayed his emotions. They were wide, his pupils large and dilated, like
a cat watching a snake, unsure if it should pounce or flee.
“Ari,” Ragon asked, catching her attention so that she turned to face him, “would you consider, I mean would you
want to go out?”
Ari considered his words for a moment and replied, “Thanks, but I think I have had my fair share of hunting for a
while.”
“No, I mean, would you want to go out with me, on a, err, date?” Ragon asked, his eyes wide in anticipation.
Did Ari hear him correctly? How many times had she wanted for him to say something like this to her? Though her
face broke in relief, this was almost instantly overshadowed by a look of concern. It was a pained look; her eyebrows
forced closer together as her eyes raked over Ragon’s face, as if searching for an answer. Her hesitancy was bought
about by her recollection of the diary entry which portrayed Ragon as a monster. She allowed herself the briefest of
moments to consider her options. Instantly she looked away from Ragon’s hopeful face, instead focusing on the fair
bianco white paint of the walls. Perhaps back then he had been no better than Clyde and Kiara, but now he was
different. Hadn’t he proved that to her, time and time again? Unresolved she realised that at least if she said yes, she
could potentially find out more about him. So often had she felt a connection with him that it seemed wrong to
dismiss him just because of some stupid journal?
“Sure,” Ari replied, and watched in delight as Ragon’s eyes were suddenly lit with relief.
“Tomorrow night then?” Ragon asked.
Ari was a little shocked at his enthusiasm. She had expected him to suggest a date sometime in the near future, but
not tomorrow. Still no time like the present, she thought.
“Ok, sounds good… where are we going?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise,” Ragon answered.
Ari couldn’t hide her smile, but asked, “Well what am I supposed to wear?”
“Anything you want,” he replied, “you look beautiful in anything.”
***
The next day Ari woke early in the afternoon. She had been too excited to sleep. She had fixed herself a rather large
meal, certain that their date was unlikely to include dinner. Moving quickly back to her room, she began throwing
outfits from her closet onto the bed in distress. A soft knock at the door made her hurry over and open it.
“So you said yes?” Sandra asked, her deep Southern accent bringing with it a sense of relief.
“What?” Ari asked, pausing for only a moment before recommencing her search for the perfect outfit.
“You’re going out with Ragon,” Larissa replied, the large wide smile on her face barely contained.
“It’s just a date… But how did you know?” Ari began, and seeing Sandra tap her fingers to her ears, nodded in
realisation.
“Only the walls have secrets from us,” she replied.
“So, have you picked something to wear?” Larissa asked, her eyes raking the bed where the majority of Ari’s clothes
now lay, crumpled in a heap.
Ari too glanced over to the pile and smiled sheepishly, shaking her head in a firm no.
Sandra and Larissa exchanged a knowing look, then pushed past Ari and began inspecting her outfits.
“I think this one,” Larissa said, picking up a pair of dark black shorts and matching them with a pair of black sheer
stockings and boots.
“Oh, good choice,” Sandra said, now moving over to Ari and holding up a long sleeved, silk, maroon shirt.
“Hmm,” Sandra said, admiring Ari’s outfit, before racing from the room and returning a moment later with a long
silver chain which held a small metallic pyramid.
“Perfect,” she said, placing the necklace onto Ari and stepping back to see its affect’s.
Larissa nodded in agreement, and began applying copious amounts of blush and mascara to Ari’s face, only pausing
to re-touch her lipstick, which was a bright pink. When both girls were finally finished, they directed Ari over to the
mirror. Once again they had managed to turn a pumpkin into a princess, and Ari smiled appreciatively back at them.
A knock at the door made Ari jump, and Larissa moved over to open it.
“What’s going on in here?” Clyde asked, looking at Sandra with a wide smile lighting his face, until his eyes fell on Ari.
As soon as he saw her, his mouth opened slightly, and he looked at her in awe, appreciating her curves and her
natural beauty.
“Where are you going?” Clyde asked, regaining his composure and moving to sit down on the bed, where the
remaining items of clothing lay abandoned.
“Out with Ragon,” Ari replied, unable to hide the smile that crept across her face.
She had thought that she would feel uneasy admitting this to Clyde. There was something about him that continued
to attract her. Still, now as she stood in front of him looking fabulous, and about to go on a date with Ragon, it felt
perfectly acceptable that she should tell him and not be concerned by his reaction.
“Want some company?” Clyde asked, his mischievous grin returning to his face.
“Two’s company,” Larissa said, shooing him away from the bed and out of the room, “and three’s a crowd,” she
added slamming the door in his face.
Ten minutes later, after Sandra and Larissa had painted Ari’s fingernails black, and matched her outfit with a long
sleeved charcoal jacket; Ari left her room feeling excited. The others had already left to go hunting, and walking into
the living room, she saw Ragon waiting at the front door with his back to her. On hearing Ari’s heartbeat hasten,
Ragon turned quickly and gasped.
Wow, he thought to himself, watching her move over to him.
The same thought mirrored Ari’s mind. Ragon looked even more stunning than normal. He wore a pair of dark dress
pants with a blue collared long sleeve shirt and a black belt; he looked like a gentleman.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
He had been too preoccupied with Ari’s beauty to actually compliment her. Still, Ari smiled to herself, seeing the look
on Ragon’s face made her even more appreciative of Sandra and Larissa’s efforts, and the look in his eyes conveyed
his impressions of her a thousand times better than a simple, ‘you look beautiful’, ever could.
“You still haven’t told me where you’re taking me,” Ari said, allowing Ragon to hold the front door open as she
walked past.
Ragon grinned, but did not reply. He had moved quickly over to his car, and opened the door, waited for Ari to sit in
the passenger seat. A second later and the pair were screaming out of the driveway. Ragon did not try to make
conversation with Ari during their drive; he was far too nervous, and the only thing on Ari’s mind was confronting
him about the diary entry she had read earlier that night. But the night was too young to start off with such horrible
accusations, so she bit her bottom lip and kept her mouth shut.
One particularly steep drive later, and Ragon and Ari were standing outside the planetarium attached to the
Botanical Gardens, just outside the City. Ari recognised the large circular glass building instantly from her website
searches, having wanted to visit it for years.
“This is great,” she said, looking up expectantly at the building, and then to the night’s sky, which she realised was
pitch black, bar the tiny diamond stars that twinkled down at her; perfect star gazing weather.
Happy with Ari’s response, Ragon opened the door leading into the building. By now his nerves were screaming at
him, and he thought longingly of reaching out to hold her hand. Ari however was preoccupied with her surrounds,
and missed Ragon’s attempt to reach for her, when she pointed enthusiastically up at a large telescope in the centre
of the room. Using his inhuman reflexes, he withdrew his hand so quickly, that Ari was none the wiser he had
reached out for her.
On the wall’s hung large photographs and paintings of the solar system. A large image of a mass of purple and blue
swirls, around a white central light caught Ari’s attention. Her eyes remained locked on this as she ascended a large
dark wooden staircase. Upon reaching the top, the pair was greeted by a tall man with a thick black moustache.
“Welcome to the planetarium,” he said, before pulling a clipboard from a podium and asking, “reservations?”
Ragon moved over to him at this point and whispered something low in his ear. The moustached man smiled
greedily back at Ragon, and the pair exchanged a firm handshake, which Ari thought had been lined with fifty dollar
notes; how many she was not sure.
“Right this way sir,” the man said, after pocketing his hand shake’s contents.
Ragon turned to Ari and gestured for her to follow the man. They walked past several large booths, all of which
contained couples that were partaking in a meal, else lying on their backs on soft couches and gazing at the stars
while holding hands. Looking up once, Ari realised that the glass roof of the planetarium was magnified, bringing the
nights sky into even greater focus. The usually small moon occupied almost half of the large glass panels, easily
outshining Venus or any other star that dared try to outcompete it.
Reaching a small metallic door labelled, ‘Staff only’, in bold glowing green lighting, the moustached man retrieved a
small bundle of keys from his waist belt and thrust one into the lock. A moment later and the door pushed forward.
“Just up to the top level; you should find everything that we discussed earlier waiting for you,” he said, now holding
the door open as Ari and Ragon walked through it.
Ari lead the way up the narrow staircase, and felt Ragon place one hand on the small of her back, as if offering
support. Until now, the fact that this was a date had escaped her notice, and yet this intimate gesture bought this
reality crashing down on her. With her mind preoccupied, her foot caught on the last step and she tripped. In an
instant Ragon’s outstretched arms steadied her, and she blushed furiously. It was amazing how strong he was. He
must have been supporting her full weight with his outstretched hand, and yet he held her up as though she were as
light as a feather. After that she steadied herself, and upon reaching the landing looked around. They were standing
in a very small, poorly lit, concrete room that fit them both, but not comfortably.
“Are we supposed to be up here?” she asked sheepishly, breathing in a deep whiff of stale air, lined with the faintest
trace of brick dust.
Ragon smiled, and without considering it enough to lose confidence, took her hand and directed her to the small
door that would lead them out of the room. Pushing the door open, Ari gasped. The door led to the roof top of the
building, where the warm night’s air brushed Ari’s hair across her face, causing her to use her free hand to tuck the
wayward strands behind her ear. Though there was no roof to magnify the heavens, the sheer height of the accent
made the sky feel closer than ever before. Ragon guided her over to a small table, where a single red rose sat in the
middle and a bottle of champagne lay in wait, chilling. Ari let Ragon direct her to the table, where he released her
hand so as to hold the chair out for her. She sat down quickly, feeling slightly uneasy as he pushed her chair closer to
the table with ease.
“This is insane,” she said, her head pulled all the way back so as to admire the stars above.
The absence of City lights, road lights or house lights, made the night sky appear magnificent. In fact there was
nothing for miles that might be capable of distracting them from the heavens.
“Insane in a good way… or insane in a mass-murderer kind of way?” Ragon asked, laughing slightly to himself.
Ari did not laugh. Instantly his words touched a nerve, and she moved her neck so that she was staring at him. Mass
murderer; was that what Ragon was? She was just about ready to ask the question she had come here to, when she
heard a loud popping noise. She had been so preoccupied with her thoughts, that she had not noticed Ragon
opening the champagne and letting the cork fly off into the distance. For a while the sound reverberated off the
building’s roof. The noise was only silenced when Ragon had reached for her glass and began pouring, where the
splash of the fizzing alcohol stifling all other sounds. Sipping quickly at the liquid, Ari realised that only this morning
she had been complaining of being hungover, and yet here she sat, drinking champagne on top of the planetarium.
“Are you hungry?” Ragon asked.
Ari thought for a moment, her mind recalling the delicious meals that she had seen being served to the couples in
the booths below.
Yes she was hungry, but she felt uneasy at the thought of eating while her date sat and watched, and so she replied,
“No, not really.”
Ragon seemed satisfied, and moved his chair a little closer to hers. There was something that he wanted to tell her,
something that he needed to confess. But as he watched her admire the stars above, he realised that tonight was
not the night for such revelations. He had thought that perhaps he would come clean about his past, but seeing the
look in her eyes made him only want to satisfy her, not push her away, which his confession would surely do. So he
continued to sip at the expensive bottle of champagne he had ordered, while wondering desperately what Ari was
thinking. A few awkward moments greeted this silence, and Ari continued to indulge in her, ‘hair of the dog’, while
building up the courage to ask Ragon about the diary entry she had read earlier that day.
“Would you like to get closer?” Ragon asked.
Ari snorted in response, some of the champagne forcing its way out down the wrong hole, as she coughed loudly,
while a few sparse drops of burning carbonated liquid forced their way out of her nose.
“Wh… what?” she blurted out, quickly retrieving the napkin besides her and dabbing at her mouth and nose.
“To the stars,” Ragon said, indicating the large telescope off to the side.
To the stars; off course to the stars, Ari thought to herself, nodding in response quickly.
Ragon moved quickly over to the large telescope and sat in one of the chairs, while Ari moved to another chair next
to him. For a moment he fiddled with the focus and then finally pulled a constellation into focus.
“Do you know much about stars or planets?” Ragon asked.
“No not really,” she replied.
Ari loved the stars and the moon; there was something sensual and romantic about them. Yet she had never taken
the time to research them or to learn the many names of the twinkling lights that shone down on her every night. As
she looked through the telescope at the constellation Ragon had bought into focus, she lamented this fact. There
was so much that she didn’t know; so many things in heaven and hell, more than she might ever have thought
possible. Didn’t knowing Ragon prove this? He was a vampire, a walking, talking, breathing; well maybe not
breathing, but he was real. If blood drinking night creatures were real, what else might be out there? Suddenly the
conversation she’s had with Larissa and Sandra flashed back to her. Witches, Wraiths, blood hunters and Were’s,
that was what was out there.
“This is the constellation Grandor,” Ragon said, recapturing Ari’s attention. “It is said that Grandor was the father of
two lovely daughters, whose beauties were so great so as to challenge Aphrodite herself. Hearing of the girls, a
jealous demon known as Sabine cursed the women. She gave each daughter a power so terrible, that they would
never be able to find a love that would accept them. Distraught with misery, and unable to find their soul mates, the
girls died alone, with only their father to love them. The daughter’s swore vengeance on Sabine.”
Looking up, Ari saw the two smaller stars all focused around a larger central one. The stars were beautiful, each
shining brightly in their own unique way, and adorned by the central star; whose glow though bright, was no match
for theirs. Just off to the side of this was another large star. Ari couldn’t be certain, but thought perhaps that this one
had almost a greenish ting to it. Upon finishing his story, Ragon had glanced at Ari, who continued to stare
mesmerised up at Grandor. He sat for a while admiring her like this, occasionally changing the settings on the
telescope, so as to bring another star into focus for her to enjoy.
When finally the last dregs of the champagne had been drunk by Ari, Ragon motioned for them to leave. He stood
before her, pulling her chair out slightly so as to allow her to stand. Looking up at Ragon’s eyes, Ari lost all thoughts.
Only her desires to be with him played any role in her mind, and she leaned in just a fraction of a centimetre closer.
Ragon saw her movements; felt her body pull towards his as her heart beat increased. Reaching down boldly he
placed both his hands on either side of her face, cupping her cheeks, and returned her longing look. Pulling her
closer to him, he kissed her. It was a longing kiss, which Ari returned enthusiastically. Their tongues danced in each
other’s mouths, caressing each other adoringly. Ari wasn’t sure how long the kiss lasted; just that she didn’t want it
to end. Ragon had removed his hands from her face and placed them behind her back, urging her forwards. Reaching
up, Ari locked her hands around Ragon’s neck, pulling his hair slightly, in a desperate attempt to drag him even
closer. Never before had she had a kiss like this; never had her core been so struck that she felt weightless and
absent to her surrounds. Ragon too was lost in euphoria; completely blinded by his need to be with Ari, until
suddenly a horrible thought crossed his mind. Feeling Ragon pull away Ari flinched.
Ragon was about to confess his everything about his past, when Ari interrupted saying, “Wait, I need to know
something. Before, when you were with Kiara, what were you like?”
Ragon stopped holding Ari instantly, his hands falling purposelessly at his sides. His gloomy eyes, which had only
moments ago been so contented, locked onto Ari’s in misery. “She created me,” Ragon said, moving back to the
table and sitting down, “and I did whatever she wanted. It doesn’t make it right but-”
Ari cut him off asking, “Does that include murdering fat stock brokers?”
Empowered by the alcohol, she had spoken her mind so freely that she forgot to conceal that she had read his diary.
Her few choice words had made this painfully obvious though and Ragon knew instantly that she had read it.
He did not berate her, as she though he might, but looked guilty as he said, “It was a time in my past that I am not
proud of. I was a young vampire and blood was the closest thing I could get to happiness; so I took it. How much did
you read?” Ragon asked.
“Enough,” Ari responded.
She had only read the first page, but took advantage of his unknowing, desperate to know everything about him.
“Then you already know that I am a monster, why did you come here tonight?” Ragon asked.
“I wanted to know, I needed to know who you are,” She replied.
“And so now you know,” he said sadly, “the diary was mine, my hands wrote it.”
He left her no chance to respond, simply retrieved her coat from behind her chair and moved over to the door.
“Wait,” Ari cried after his retreating back.
Ragon turned to face her.
“Please tell me, I am so confused about all of this. I don’t know any better than to be horrified,” she said sadly, “it’s
always someone else who tells me about being a vampire and what it all means! I have been living with you for ages,
I don’t contact any of my old friends; there’s basically nothing left of my old life. All I want is to talk to you; for you to
treat me like someone other than a person you are stuck with.”
“If you knew more you would hate me,” Ragon said flatly.
“Maybe,” Ari replied before adding, “but at least I wouldn’t sit here wondering what the hell is going on half the
time. Do you know right now that there are 10 bodies in the morgue and police are looking for their killers? Half of
them you killed! You can’t just keep me away from everything I have ever known and not expect me to ask
questions. I want to know you, to know about what it is to be you. I can’t just be your pet for the rest of my life.”
“You think of yourself as my pet?” Ragon asked incredulously, and when Ari didn’t respond he continued, “there are
things in my past, things that I can’t change, but anything you ask me I will tell you. I will be honest; I won’t lie to
you.”
Ari resumed her seat next to Ragon. Now was her chance to find out everything she had ever wanted to know about
him. Ari pulled out the mental list she had been editing since first she had met him.
“When did you become a vampire?” she asked, thinking a nice easy question would be a good place to start.
“In 1815,” Ragon replied.
“And Kiara turned you?” she asked.
He nodded.
“How?” Ari asked curiously.
“It’s relatively simple actually. Any mortal at the point of death can be changed; although it doesn’t work every time.
Sometimes, for whatever reason, vampirism doesn’t take. To be changed a mortal must be so close to death that
only becoming a vampire can save them. Basically they must be dying; a run of the mill flu isn’t going to cut it. And
because the mortal must be close to death, then if the vampirism doesn’t take, they are likely to die, which is
probably why so many losses ensue,” Ragon replied.
Ari considered his words, “So anyone can become a vampire?” she asked.
Ragon nodded, saying, “although few would choose it if they knew the cost.”
“You mean having to drink blood?” Ari asked.
“Yes that, and the other requirements of immortality,” he said, and seeing Ari’s curious look, added, “such as
intolerance to sun, and having to remain in the shadows for all eternity, as well as the inevitable loose of humanity.
Besides, many vampires do not take on fledglings because of the risks involved.”
“Risks?” Ari asked.
“Creating a line of vampires comes with a risk,” Ragon said before adding, “every time a new vampire is created a
blood line exists. It is a watered down version of the original vampire, but it exists none the less. This is why older
vampires are more powerful.”
“But what is blood hunting?” Ari asked confused.
“If a fledgling kills their maker, they inherit their maker’s powers, and become a blood hunter,” Ragon explained.
“Vampires are without morals, and so fledglings crave this power.”
“So every time you create a new vampire, there is a risk that they will kill you?” Ari asked.
Ragon nodded.
“And your diary,” Ari asked sheepishly, “were you really that cruel?”
“So why not stay with Kiara, why not continue the life you were living?” Ari asked.
Ragon had been waiting for this question, fearing it above all others. This was the confession he longed to make, but
selfishly he decided that he would only tell her as much as she needed to know. He couldn’t lose her; he wouldn’t
lose her.
“Because she did something, something that let me see what a monster she had become,” Ragon said.
“What?” Ari asked curiously.
Ragon had been expecting this question, and so he worded his answer as ambiguously as possible, “In the early
1930’s I left her, and lived with Sandra, Thomas, Larissa and Cambridge for a time. For decades I did not speak to
Kiara, nor did I seek her out. She was my maker, and so could sense where I was, and followed me every time I tried
to escape her to another a city. Then one night, by chance, many decades later I came across her again. She had just
killed two people, and realise that there was a small child with them. She took the youngster and I followed her. I
thought perhaps she had taken the child because she had remembered how I craved humanity. I think she thought
that somehow it could make us whole once more, like a family,” Ragon said.
“And that didn’t work?” Ari asked.
“No. It was probably the only thing that she could have done to ensure I hated her forever,” Ragon replied.
“You know,” Ari said, “it’s nice just talking to you. Not having to wonder which crazy person you will have to save me
from, just having a somewhat regular conversation.”
Ari smiled then, it was a warm smile, a smile which portrayed her contentment. Ragon had been honest with her; he
had talked to her and at this thought she laughed, comparing this first date to her other experiences with men.
Though she was 24 years old, she had been on only a few first dates; and even less second or subsequent dates. This
was not from lack of men trying, but rather Ari’s naturally cautious nature. The last date she had been on was with
Michael, a boy from her Uni, who was in the year above her. He had taken her to dinner and then to see a movie.
They had watched some boring romance, ‘He likes me’, and he had spent the entire film trying to shove his tongue
down her throat. She had not phoned him back after that; but now was able to laugh fondly at the memory,
comparing Michael’s actions to Ragon’s.
“Can I ask you a question?” Ragon asked, and without waiting for a reply said, “What happened to your parents?”
Ari blinked a few times at this question. It was so far from anything she might have expected, that she found herself
completely speechless. The smile from only moments ago was now completely absent from her face. After hesitating
for a moment she said, “I suppose it’s only fair that I answer your invasive question after you have answered mine.”
Ari sighed and said, “I don’t know what happened to my parents, no one does. I grew up in an orphanage and I spent
the first sixteen years of my life jumping from family to family and going to god knows how many different schools,
all while living out of a garbage bag. When I turned 18 I moved into my own place and applied for college.”
Ragon looked down at the table. The thought of Ari not having a normal enjoyable childhood was unsettling. Ari
didn’t find the conversation involving her parent’s particularly enjoyable, although it wasn’t the first time, in the last
little while, that she had been reminded of her past. Since living with Ragon, she had heard a news story on the
television, reporting that the orphanage she had been raised in, for the first few miserable years of her life, had
burnt down. This had been yet another painful reminder of the fact that she had no parents. The truth was that if
she stopped and thought about them for too long, it upset her. Their lives, what had happened to them, why they
had abandoned her; and so many other questions like that, were a complete mystery. When Ari was old enough to
ask the foster families who had taken her in what had happened, they all told her the same thing. She had basically
been dumped on the doorstep of an adoption centre when she was about 2.
“Why are you so afraid of the vampires who invited us to their Halloween party?” Ari asked, wanting desperately to
change the topic.
Ragon looked at her concerned. He didn’t like that Ari thought of him as being afraid. It was true though. He was
terrified, not for himself, but for her. Still, he didn’t want to alarm her, his answer must be honest but not too
honest.
“William and Nikolas are elders in our world. They are basically like royalty. They are in charge, or rather if someone
does something wrong than they are responsible for overseeing any punishment,” Ragon replied.
“Punishment?” Ari asked, gulping.
As she spoke, she had reached nervously for her glass and sipped from it, before remembering that it had been
empty for ages. She must be drunk! Ragon had noticed her movements, and quickly raced towards the roof exit,
pushing the door open and disappearing through it. Ari watched him as he went, and looked around blindly after he
had exited. A moment later however and he had returned, a new bottle of white wine in his hands. He opened the
bottle, smiling down at Ari and poured her a fresh glass.
“Iz et to Mademoiselle’s liking?” Ragon asked, imitating a French accent, and waiting eagerly for Ari to try the wine,
as his hands imitated curling a moustache.
Ari picked up the glass and held it up to the light cast down by the stars. She then smelt the liquid, breathing in the
slightly intoxicating fumes a little too deeply and coughing. Finally she took a mouthful of wine, swished it around,
and then swallowed. She smiled up at Ragon in response, and he filled her glass to the rim.
The light-hearted moment had almost completely expelled Ari’s thoughts about Nicholas and William. Yet as she
took another sip of the delicious fruity wine, the phrase punishment, came swimming back into her mind, as their
previous conversation came flooding with it.
“You were saying?” Ari asked.
Ragon frowned for only a moment, “They are responsible for certain law enforcement, although they are rarely
called on, more than anything they act as a warning. Keep our existence a secret; or else,” Ragon said dramatically.
“Their age makes them very powerful, there are few who would dare challenge them.”
Ari could sense that Ragon didn’t want to elaborate; she wanted desperately to know more but not at the expense
of him possibly clamming up; tonight was going far too well to ruin it with talk of punishments.
“So it is the elders who keep everyone in check?” Ari asked. “Only I thought that vampires would have taken over
the world by now, seeing as you don’t die, and you can make other vampires whenever you want.”
Ragon smiled lightly, admiring the way Ari’s keen mind was able to draw simply truths from complex situations. “Yes
the Elders keep us in check, although becoming a maker is not under their control. Any vampire is allowed to turn a
mortal into a fledgling.”
“But then why aren’t there huge numbers of vampires, and all the mortals kept in farms?” Ari asked confused
“I guess the number of vampires is kept in check because becoming a maker puts you at risk of also becoming a
target by blood hunters,” Ragon said.
“Right,” Ari said, recalling their earlier conversation regarding Blood hunters.
“Each time a maker passes on their infliction to their fledgling, which is what we call newly turned vampires, it
causes a blood line to be formed. This is why older vampires are more powerful, because the blood line is less dilute.
So when a maker decides to turn a fledgling, the fledgling essentially is a watered down version of their maker, and if
those fledglings decided to become makers, they too create an immortal with a watered down version of the original
power, and so on and so forth. But if a fledgling kills their maker, they gain access to their power, and inherit it,”
Ragon said.
“But why would a fledgling want to kill their maker just to get a bit more powerful?” Ari asked.
“Power is everything to immortals,” Ragon explained. “The bond between maker and fledgling is sacred, but
vampires have few moral guidelines. The only access to ancient power is through destroying your blood line.”
“But what do you mean, ‘more powerful’; aren’t you all already powerful enough?” she asked.
Ragon let a soft smile curl his lips and said, “All vampires are privy to certain powers; eternal youth, super strength,
and all the other things that come with being immortal. But these powers are just imitations of the original vampire’s
powers. Becoming a blood hunter and destroying your blood line gives you access to more power and control over
these abilities, as well as the potential to gain other powers.”
Ari nodded, while considering the implications of Ragon’s words. This must have meant that if Ragon killed Kiara, he
would become more powerful. Turning to face him and ask about this, she found her thoughts wanning as she
watched his lips meet with the glass he was holding, as he sipped from it. It felt like a lifetime since they had kissed.
She could remember the moment, as though it was off in the distance, but too far away to focus on. Taking another
large gulp of the wine Ragon had bought for her, she let the alcohol fuel her will, and boldly placed her hand on the
table, hoping Ragon might interpret this as a sign for him to make a move. A few minutes of silence followed this. Ari
wanted to ask Ragon what he felt about her, why he had asked her on this date, what their kiss had meant… and so
many other personal questions.
“So what happens now?” Ari asked.
She liked the multi meaning of her question, and sat waiting for Ragon to answer.
Ragon cocked his head to one side saying, “I thought that would have been obvious.”
Ari was frustrated; Ragon had answered her question with an equally ominous one, leaving the interpretation back
to her. She was instantly reminded of a tennis match; the ball was in her court. In response Ari fluttered her eyelids a
few times, hoping to portray a sense of innocence, but did not answer him. In truth she wasn’t too sure what she
would say if Ragon asked her to be his girlfriend. Did vampires date mortals? What happened if they broke up?
Would she be disassociated or worse? So many questions; all of which were best to be asked, when Ari’s head
wasn’t floating around the night sky, thanks to the bubbles from their first bottle of champagne.
“Well,” Ragon said when it became obvious to him that Ari was not going to jest with him any further, “I think that it
is getting late, the restaurant will be shutting soon, and I want to get you back to the safety of the house.”
Ari nodded, and allowed Ragon to sweep behind her and pull her chair out as she stood. She glanced back at the
large telescope that adorned the roof and then up to the stars. Just off in the distance towards the West she could
make out the Grandor constellation, and the three twinkling stars which adorned it. After Ari walked down the steep
roof access stairway, careful not to trip this time, and entered the restaurant, she realised how late it must be.
Almost all of the previously full booths on the main floor of the planetarium were now empty, their tables set anew
for tomorrow night’s guests. As they walked towards the grand staircases that lead to the car park, Ragon was
greeted once again by the moustached man, who shook his hand again vigorously. Ari thought that there was a look
of disappointment in the manager’s eyes, as he returned his hand to his pocket, this time with nothing in it.
When Ari and Ragon finally arrive home it was nearly 2am and Ari had fallen asleep in the car, her head slumped up
against the window, partly cradled by her seatbelt. Ari had been exhausted, having gotten up so early that day.
When the car came to a stop inside the garage, Ragon gently picked her up and carried her inside. Expertly he
opened her bedroom door and placed her on top of the bed, the large wooden four-poster bed, barely creaking as
he laid her under the crisp white linen sheets. Though he had seen her naked before, there was something sinister
about removing her clothing without her permission, with this in mind he left her as she was.
His hands gripped tight at the white bedspread with detailed green leaf embroidery as he pulled it up to cover her.
He wanted desperately to take her, to whisper gently in her ear that he needed her, and to spend the rest of the
night making love to her. Instead, he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. It wasn’t the goodnight kiss he had
had in mind half an hour ago, but in many ways it was better. It felt innocent and humbling in a way that Ragon
hadn’t felt since becoming a vampire. With that in mind, he released the bed sheets and left. Ari was so exhausted
that she did not even stir when Ragon eased away from the bed. He smiled to himself, admiring how beautiful she
was while she slept, then noiselessly closed the door behind him. As he did so, he heard something in the house
which caught his attention. He then then raced off to the library to investigate the foreign sound. If he had a heart
beat it would have been pounding, if not screaming in his chest, urging him onwards; there was another vampire in
his house.
CHAPTER 11- A LAST MINUTE GUEST
“I guess that date night didn’t go that well?” Clyde asked obnoxiously the next day.
Ari had woken a little earlier than the vampires the following evening. She had been desperate to speak with Ragon
about last night, and eager to apologise for falling asleep in their car ride home. When she had heard someone
rounding the corner from the hallway, she had looked up expectantly, hoping to see Ragon, but instead had locked
eyes with Clyde. It was difficult for her to hide her eager expression, and Clyde didn’t miss the way her face had
fallen when he had seen her. It was this more than anything which fuelled his comment.
“What makes you say that?” Ari asked indifferently.
“Well you two slept in different rooms,” Clyde responded coolly.
Ari wanted to retort, but Clyde was correct, not about their date not going well, but about her and Ragon sleeping in
different rooms. Still, was that a bad thing? She wasn’t the sort of girl to jump into bed with a guy or vampire after
the first date. But perhaps if she had not of passed out so early, maybe she would have slept in the same bed with
him; hell who was she kidding? She probably would have slept with him. Ari decided against replying to Clyde. She
didn’t feel like getting into an argument with him, least of all about this.
Clyde realised this quickly, and deciding not to press the matter, instead asked, “Have you met our latest coven
member?”
Ari blinked a few times, as if ensuring the words she had heard were correct.
“What… another one? How many vampires are living here now?” Ari asked.
From behind her, in the living room, a distinctively male voice with a slight lisp replied, “Well that’s easy, 7 vampires
plus 1 fabulous one, so I guess that makes 8!”
Ari turned to see the 8th member of the coven. He was average height and build, with light mouse blonde hair,
parted slightly off to the side. His large green eyes and long eyelashes seemed to compliment his outfit, which
consisted of a pair of long green casual slacks, a white sleeve shirt rolled up to his elbows, and an olive green
patchwork vest done up. He was slightly older than the other members of the coven, looking to be in his early
thirties, but dashing none the less. Ari knew instantly from his mannerisms, and the way he came over and kissed
her on either cheek before admiring her nail polish, that he was gay.
“I am Patrick Handers, but you my dear, may call me Patrick,” he said, bowing slightly and pretending to remove an
invisible hat and hold it to his heart.
Ari blinked a few times, staring back at the flamboyant vampire. After only a moment or two of disbelief she smiled
warmly back. Why wouldn’t vampires be gay? She thought to herself.
“What took you so long?” Clyde asked, moving over to Patrick and slapping him on the back. “Ragon and I thought
that you wouldn’t be able to make it.”
“I was away when Ragon’s request arrived at my residency in Prague. As soon as I returned to it, I left immediately.
Alas, I thought I would be too late to be of any use. Yet now as I see the charming Ari, I am glad that my journey has
not been in vain,” Patrick said, smiling at Ari widely, his small straight teeth gleaming at her.
Ari was picturing the house, trying to recall if there were enough bedrooms for everyone to sleep in. How many
more vampires were coming here to babysit her? She thought if she asked this out loud she may sound rude, so she
bit her bottom lip, and made yet another mental note to ask Ragon or one of the girls exactly who was on the
‘protect Ari list’.
“But you’re here now, and that’s all that matters,” Ragon said, sweeping over to Patrick as he spoke, then turning to
Ari, a large wide smile plastered all over his face.
Ari couldn’t help but return the smile. It made her incredibly happy that he was so obviously pleased. She thought
for a moment that perhaps it was because of her, but she dismissed this almost instantly. Their date had been last
night, and she had fallen asleep at the end of it. He was clearly glad that one of his friends was here.
“Well I a famished, and desperate to go out for dinner,” Patrick said, his hand poised ever so slightly outwards, in an
overtly gay gesture.
“We haven’t had a great experience clubbing with Ari,” Ragon said once.
His words were light hearted but his tone was like ice. He meant to make sure that if they all intended to go out
tonight, than Ari would not be left unattended, not even for a moment. Already too many close calls had occurred;
he wouldn’t risk it again.
Before anyone could reply, Patrick ran over to Ari, moving impossibly fast, so that when he was next to her, he took
her hand in his and said, “I won’t let her out of my sight. Oh please… there is this club in Brisbane called Fuzzies; it’s
supposed to have topless waiters,” he exclaimed.
Ari had heard of Fuzzies. It was the Cities premier gay club. She had not been there before, but had heard of its many
hilarities and unusual events. She couldn’t help but smile as Patrick continued to beg for approval, all the while
holding onto Ari’s hand for dear life. A few moments passed and she felt Patrick’s hands release hers.
A second later and both of his index fingers were pulling her mouth into a large fake smile. “You see how happy this
would make her?” Patrick said.
After that Ari couldn’t help but laugh and Sandra and Larissa quickly joined in. There was something refreshing and
light heartening about Patrick. Ari’s warm laughter flittered over to Ragon and he had no chance of refusing. In fact
he himself was smiling as he nodded his head. Patrick was surprised but delighted.
He took Ari’s hand in his and kissed it once saying, “My dear, I approve. I can see the lightness on Ragon’s face just
by your being here.”
Clyde snorted out loud at this. Both Ari and Patrick stared plainly at Clyde, but he smiled back in a fake disbelieving
way.
“So it is settled?” Larissa chimed in, wanting to disparage the protests before they had any ground to stand on.
Larissa had not fed since the last clubbing experience and she, like her mate was hungry. The group quickly agreed,
and Larissa and Sandra raced each other to the bathroom screaming, “Hot water,” on their way.
Sameth, who Ari had thought seemed to be a little quieter than usual, moved over to the veranda, and pouring a
large glass of brandy, began sipping it. He was quickly joined by the other males in the house, but when Ragon made
to move over to the door, Ari caught his hand to stop him.
Ari looked at Ragon. She wanted to talk to him about their date, maybe break the water about the possibility of a
second date, but looking at him now, she knew she was too shy. Almost immediately after reaching for his hand to
get his attention, she dropped it. Perhaps if she had of had a few glasses of wine, or a shot of something stronger,
than she would have more courage. But she was entirely sober, ergo: gutless.
“So is this everyone, or are there more vampires coming out of the closet?” Ari asked.
As soon as Ari had spoken she blushed, “Wait; that came out wrong. I mean, are there even enough rooms in the
house for everyone?”
Ragon was laughing when he said, “Patrick will be staying in a coffin in the living room.”
“What?” Ari exclaimed, and when she saw Ragon laughing even louder, she scowled at him saying, “/very funny.”
Ari was still glaring when Ragon took her hand. She blinked dumbstruck, unable to move. Suddenly she felt him
interlock his fingers within hers. Neither spoke, but Ari used her thumb to rub softly over Ragon’s cool hard skin,
admiring the texture of it. At her touch Ragon smiled. He felt as if he had been rewarded for making the first move. It
was amazing how such innocent gestures struck them. Both felt elated at the other’s touch, as if they had spent their
entire lives searching for this connection. At the same time, their union was so unlikely, as to be laughable. A mortal
and a vampire; what happened to not playing with your food? It was ironic; each hoped the other wasn’t thinking
this, and yet they both thought it all the time. Ari, because deep down all she wanted was a normal life, with parents
that were still alive; and Ragon because he knew that being a vampire meant living in the darkness forever, and that
was something he wouldn’t want for anyone. Still, as they held hands these thoughts were lost to them. At that
moment, all the pair considered was how right they felt.
***
Fuzzies was exactly as Ari had expected it to be. The moment they had been granted admission by the tall gorgeous
black bouncer and the skinny short haired hostess, it was painfully obvious that they were in a gay bar. Immediately
Patrick had run to the dance floor and begun boogying with a younger guy, who after seeing Patrick had smiled
widely in return.
“Well I am going to need a drink,” Clyde said, moving instantly over to the bar and returning a moment later with a
drink in either hand. “Maybe I’ll find a nice lesbian couple?”
“You shouldn’t have,” Larissa said, sweeping over and relieving him of the spare bourbon and coke in his left hand.
“I didn’t,” Clyde replied, but only after Larissa had stolen his second drink.
Ragon was smiling at the pair when he turned to Ari and asked, “Something to drink?”
Ari nodded enthusiastically: she needed it.
Though Patrick had danced for almost an hour, when he returned to the group he wasn’t red in the face, nor was
there a single bead of sweat on him; he looked perfect. It had been organised that half the coven would hunt while
the other half babysat Ari. Ragon had spoken about this earlier with the group, when Ari had not been around to
protest. Larissa, Sandra, Thomas and Cambridge were the first to feed. Each had found a partner on the dance floor,
and persuaded them to go into the bathrooms, where they promptly borrowed some blood, and disassociated them
afterwards.
“So what are we doing for Halloween?” Patrick asked excitedly, sipping on a martini glass full of fruit, and a dark red
liquid.
Ari eyed the drink mysteriously, her eyes narrowed. She wasn’t entirely certain, but she didn’t think that they served
Bloody Marys at the bar with actual blood in it. Her preoccupation with Patrick’s beverage had completely distracted
her from their conversation. As soon as she turned to face Ragon however, she knew that Patrick must have said
something important. Ragon and Clyde were exchanging worried looks.
“What?” Patrick asked, unable to miss the look the pair shared.
“Nikolas and William invited us to one of their balls,” Ragon said.
“We’re all going,” Clyde added.
“All of you? Oh well, you can’t refuse them. I guess it is a good thing that one of the coven members arrived late.
Now I’ll be able to keep an eye on Ari tomorrow night.” Patrick said, before returning to his drink and sucking hard
on the thick liquid in the glass.
Ragon looked meaningfully at Clyde, and Ari said, “But I thought I was going.”
Patrick’s eyebrows were instantly halfway up his forehead. His eyes were wide and the straw which had been in his
mouth previously had fallen out.
“Excuse me?” Patrick asked. His eyes were plastered on Ari, looking her up and down incredulously, “You’re not
seriously taking her with you?”
Clyde nodded but Ragon said, “I think that it would be best if she remained at home with Patrick.”
Ari wanted to argue but she didn’t. When Ragon had spoken he had leaned closer to her, and reached a hand out for
hers. The gesture had caught her off guard and left her in no frame of mind to challenge him. Sameth nodded
enthusiastically at Ragon’s suggestion, but suddenly Clyde spoke, causing everyone to turn and face him.
“I still think that she will be safer with us,” Clyde scoffed.
Ragon growled but did not answer, while Patrick leaned back into the chair he was sitting on, and looked profoundly
from Ragon, to Ari and finally Clyde.
“God I’m thirsty!” Clyde said, his eyes locked on a girl opposite him, “when the hell are the others going to get
back?”
“I need some air,” Ragon said, ignoring Clyde entirely.
Ari, Clyde and Sameth followed Ragon out to the smoking area of the club, while Clyde dragged his feet as he left the
girl alone. She didn’t know how lucky she was, Ari thought.
Ari had to admit the club was beautiful. The dancing area was adorned by a small stage on one side where the DJ sat
and a large bar which stretched the entire length of the room. A small hallway serviced the bathrooms and a
walkway that lead to the outside smoking area. The outside area was paved, and a small set of stairs led to an
elevated garden area, where palms and a large water feature masked the cigarette smoke being blown by the
patrons into the air. Ari and Ragon had sat so that they were facing each other, while Sameth and Clyde were puffing
on cigarettes, with their eyes on a large group of girls nearby. Ari couldn’t help but stare as Clyde and Sameth
prepared to hunt. Their eyes were large and round and thick coils of smoke from their cigarettes seemed to twist
and turn around their faces, throwing their unblinking eyes into even greater promenade. Ari was just about to ask
Ragon why he hadn’t fed yet, when a loud scream caught her attention.
“Ari!” A male voice said.
Ari turned to look around, and seeing the stairs that led back to the dance floor, saw someone that she recognised.
“Ryder,” Ari said back loudly, trying to be heard over the music.
In an instant she had jumped up from the bench she had been sitting on, and ran over to her childhood friend. Ryder
was one year younger than her, making him 23. He had a pleasant oval face, which in the past had been filled with
puppy fat, but now was drawn tight across high cheek bones and a prominent dimpled chin. His dark brown hair was
parted to the left, and like Ari, he had blue eyes. He had no facial hair at all, but was clean shaven, and though his
skin was pale now, there were still small, un-faded freckles that she could just make out.
“Long time, no see,” Ryder said, hugging her quickly.
This was very true. For about ten months, when Ari was in 9th grade, Ryder had been her foster brother. Ryder Reid
was the only son of Susan and Harold Reid. The couple owned a struggling wedding business, and had decided to
foster a child; hoping that the additional government allowances they would receive might help supplement their
income. Until she met Ragon, being with the Reid’s was probably the closest time in Ari’s life that she felt like she
was part of a family. This had nothing to do with her foster parents, and everything to do with Ryder. She wasn’t
sure what it was. Everywhere the pair went people thought they were brother and sister. Maybe it was because they
both had blue eyes and brown hair. Or maybe it was because they were two peas in pod. Either way, Ari loved
feeling like she had a brother. She had never been formally adopted by the Reid’s, only fostered, which made it easy
for them to return her when they realised they no longer wanted to look after another child. Still, being returned by
parents who didn’t want her may not have been the best thing to happen to her, but it certainly wasn’t the worst.
Ari had never been fortunate enough to be adopted. Each time she had gone to a new family hopeful, and each time
she had left disappointed. After her stint with the Reid’s, Ari swore that she would never again risk hoping for a
family of her own. Loosing Ryder had stung her deeply, and the appeal of connecting with a new family did not
outweigh the chance of eventually losing them. Instead, when her next family, the Applebes, took her in, Ari closed
herself off from them, and kept them at arm’s length. She had begged them to let her take a part time job so that
she could save money. When she finally turned 18 years old, she had enough savings so that she would never again
have to feel the sting of rejection. But Ari was not angry with Ryder anymore. For years she had been hurt because
he had not fought his parents on their decision. But eventually this emotion had been replaced by sadness and loss
and now she just missed him. As Ari looked at Ryder, she couldn’t help but ogle his black dress pants and pink shirt.
“I didn’t know you were gay?” she said, a little boldly.
Once again she must have partaken in too much alcohol; her statement was testimony to that.
Ryder laughed out loud, “Neither do my parents,” he said, clinking glasses with her, before sweeping her into a warm
embrace again and kissing her once on each cheek. “What have you been doing with yourself whore?”
For a moment Ari double took at what he had called her, but then seeing Ryder infectious grin, smiled in return. She
guessed this must have been how he greeted all his friends. She was surprised at how happy she was to see him and
took him by the arm, forcing him to follow her.
“Wow,” Ryder said, his eyes locking on Clyde and Ragon. “Please tell me we are walking towards those two,” he said,
pointing at the pair so obviously that Ari blushed.
As they neared Ragon, Ari couldn’t help but smile and laugh. The alcohol had given her laugh a thick rich sound and
as soon as they were in reaching distance of the boys, Ragon stood, and took Ari’s hand in his defensively.
Both Ari and Ryder swooned, while Ryder said under his breath, “Oh my god, I hate you so much right now!”
“This is Ryder,” Ari said, shoving him in the ribs to get him to shut up, “I lived with his family for a while back in high
school.”
Ryder shook hands with Clyde first, and Ari said, “That’s Clyde; he’s a good friend of Ragon’s.” Ryder moved next to
Ragon, and Ari said, “And this is Ragon.” She had wanted to follow her statement with something. Like; ‘and this is
Ragon my gorgeous boyfriend’. But she knew all that she could really say was ‘and this is Ragon, we went out for
dinner last night and kissed, oh and he is a vampire’. She decided not to give Ragon a description. There was no way
in heaven or hell that she was going to be the one to presume that they were together after one date.
When Ari looked back over to Ryder, she saw that his tongue was practically falling out of his head. Turning quickly
to see what he was looking at, Ari locked eyes with Patrick who was walking up the stairs and moving over to the
group. Like Ryder, Patrick stared obviously at Ryder, while behind him, Sandra, Thomas, Larissa and Cambridge
followed him.
As soon as Patrick had reached the group he leaned his chin on Ari’s shoulder and looking dotingly at Ryder asked,
“Friend of yours?”
Ari opened her mouth to reply, but before she could Ryder had said, “I’m Ryder.”
Patrick smiled warmly in reply, and batted his eyelashes.
“Well Ryder, want to get a drink, maybe stretch your legs on the dance floor?” Patrick asked.
“Sorry, I don’t talk to strangers,” Ryder replied smiling.
Clearly ten years hadn’t stopped him from being a smart ass
“Well why don’t you take the time to get to know me? I’m Patrick,” he said.
Ryder shrugged, but then followed Patrick back down the stairs, glancing back at Ari, where a huge grin was
threatening to take over his face. Clearly mind games were as much a part of Patrick’s relationships as they were
Ragon’s. It wasn’t until Patrick turned back to smile at Ari, that she realised what was wrong with this situation.
“Holly hell,” Ari said, taking Ragon by the elbow, “what’s Patrick going to do to Ryder?”
“Keep your voice down,” Ragon said, moving her fingers from his elbow and intertwining them with his own. “He’s
not going to kill him,” Ragon whispered.
“But…” Ari began.
“But nothing sugar,” Sandra said, sweeping over to them, and given her a stern look.
Sandra’s cheeks were pink and flushed, and Ari remembered that she had just fed. She didn’t understand why they
were so shocked that she would suspect a vampire of biting someone. Wasn’t that why they were here? Did they
really think that she wouldn’t stop them from attacking a friend of hers?
Ari scoffed at Ragon, and pulled her hand out of his, “Don’t,” she said, storming off to follow Patrick and Ryder,
when Ragon made to reach out for her.
Ragon waited a few moments before following her. He didn’t want to restrain her in any way, and knew that if she
felt watched she might rebel against him. That being said, there was no way he was letting her out of his sight. He
wasn’t about to make that mistake again. As he stalked behind her, Ragon watched in horror at the interest she
drew. Everywhere she went she was watched. It was as if she were incapable of being ignored. Ragon stared at her,
much like the other men around them. She wasn’t wearing a revealing outfit, in fact if anything she was dressed
rather PG for a nightclub. Her long black dress almost met the floor, with only her heels and black painted toenails
peeking out from underneath. Ari’s brown straight hair was out and covered most of her arms, which the shoestring
straps of her dress threatened to reveal. Her dress was in no way low cut, although the small necklace that she wore
drew more attention to her chest than Ragon would have liked. Still, he could hardly criticise this; especially
compared to the rest of the women around him. He glanced for the shortest of moments at the woman to his right.
She looked to be about 28 and was staring shamelessly at him, slight smudges of mascara highlighting the bags
under her eyes. She leered towards him, bending forwards slightly, so as to show off her breast.
“Nice,” Ari said.
She had felt Ragon behind her from the instant she had left. At first she was going to berate him for treating her like
a child, but now as she stood facing him, she felt sick with jealously.
“Wait…” Ragon yelled, watching Ari increase her pace as she searched the club for Ryder.
Ari held her hand up behind her head dismissing him, but instantly felt his hand grasp hers.
“Let go of me,” she said, trying to shake him away.
He wouldn’t give up that easily. He wanted to explain that he wasn’t looking at other women, rather comparing Ari’s
virtue to theirs. But trying to find these words with the music blaring in his ears and Ari’s razor sharp eyes burning
into him was impossible.
“I… It’s just that… Your so…” he mumbled, unable to defend himself.
“Is there a problem here?” a man’s voice asked.
Instantly Ragon released Ari. The man who was now standing in front of him was taller than he was, and looked as if
he were addicted to a range of steroids. Every muscle in his body seemed to be hypertrophied, giving him the
appearance of someone who’d had an allergic reaction to a bee attack.
“No,” Ragon said coolly.
He had to fight hard to keep the growl out of his voice. It angered him more than anything else, someone thinking
that he was hurting Ari. It was so inconceivably frustrating to have this swollen mortal moron staring up at him,
thinking that he had some chance of beating him in a fight. But Ragon had no intention of fighting tonight. He would
not risk being separated from Ari for the temporary pleasure of teaching this baboon a lesson. Unsatisfied, the body
building junkie made to move towards Ragon, but Ari stepped between the two.
“It’s ok,” she said, placing one open palm against the stranger’s chest and stopping him dead in his tracks.
The man stared down to Ari’s hand. He seemed to contemplate resisting her. His eyes were screwed up and his lips
were thin. For a few seconds he remained like this, torn between his two options. Finally he walked away.
“So you’re saving me now?” Ragon joked, his eyebrows raised.
Ari was still too furious to speak to him, and she brushed past him searching for Ryder. Did Ragon seriously not
understand her concern? Finally, after pacing the club twice, she found Ryder and Patrick in a small intimate booth.
She blushed as the two men sat whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears and kissing. It was probably the
first time she had seen two men making out, and for a moment she watched, unable to hide her curiosity.
“Err… What’s up Ari?” Ryder asked, breaking away from Patrick to stare up at her.
Ari was speechless. What the hell was she meant to say?
Ohh I just wanted to make sure that Patrick hadn’t ripped your throat out and drunk your blood? Ari thought to
herself. No! Defiantly too cabernet.
Suddenly Ragon’s voice cut across Ari’s stammering’s, “Actually we are heading back, and wondered if you were
coming?” he asked.
Both Ari and Patrick stared at Ragon in disbelief. Was he seriously bailing her out of this after she had been so rude
to him?
“So soon?” Patrick asked, his voice failing to hide its serious tone.
Ragon nodded in reply.
“But I thought that you and Clyde were still hungry?” Patrick asked, his eyebrows narrowing on this last word, clearly
hinting at something else.
Ari didn’t miss the double meaning, but Ryder, who was now staring at Patrick in awe, didn’t bash an eyelid at it.
“I’ve lost my appetite, and it won’t kill Clyde to miss a meal,” Ragon said flatly.
Patrick looked from Ragon and back to Ari, saying, “But the night is so young.”
When Ragon didn’t say anything, Ari moved close to Ryder saying, “What’s your cell number?”
She had thought of taking his number and phoning him later on tonight to make sure that nothing did happen to
him. But the instant that she had asked, she remembered that she didn’t have a phone. That had been one of the
first things she had realised had been missing on the first night she had met Ragon.
“Here,” Ragon said, retrieving a small black iPhone from his pocket and handing it to her.
Ari blinked a few times. It had been ages since she had seen a cell phone. For a moment she held the small metallic
object in her hands, as if reacquainting herself with technology.
“0413 456 879,” Ryder said.
Ari quickly found the contact section, and punched in these numbers under Ryder’s name.
She didn’t immediately hand back the phone. For a moment she contemplated checking his contact list, seeing what
messages he had sent or phone calls he had made. But almost instantly she dismissed that. That was crazy girlfriend
101.
“What’s going on?” a voice asked.
Ari turned around to see Clyde and the rest of the coven flanked behind him.
“Were leaving,” Ragon said.
“What?” Clyde asked.
His tone was angered; clearly not feeding had left him hungry and mad. Ragon knew that when Clyde didn’t eat, he
got grumpy.
“I can take Ari back; you and Sameth can stay and…” Ragon said, quickly glancing at Ryder before adding, “enjoy
yourselves.”
“Well, we will head back with you sugar,” Sandra said, looking at Larissa and Cambridge for agreement.
Sameth seemed to consider his option, while Clyde said, “I’m staying,” and after a moment, Sameth nodded in
agreement.
Turning to face Larissa and Sandra, Ari moved over to the two girls, grabbed their arms and pulled them into a
corner.
“What’s wrong?” Larissa asked, looking Ari up and down.
“I need you to do me a favour,” Ari said, looking back at Ryder.
Both girls exchanged worried looks, but allowed her to continue.
“Can you err, stay here?” Ari asked.
Larissa looked knowingly at her, and Sandra smiled widely, stealing the fastest of peaks at Ragon, before nodding her
head and winking cheekily at Ari.
“I need you to make sure that Patrick doesn’t bite Ryder,” Ari said.
Larissa and Sandra were staring at Ari now. Both had thought that she had wanted alone time with Ragon, but they
had been wrong.
“You want us to stop Patrick from feeding from him?” Larissa asked, as her eyebrows rose.
Ari considered her words, “Yep, that’s pretty much the jest of it,” she said.
“Ari, it’s not really our custom to go around and berate other vamps from feeding from mortals. I mean, hell we all
do it. It kind of makes us…” Larissa said, pausing while contemplating the right word.
“Hypocritical,” Sandra provided.
Ari was staring at the two in disbelief.
“Please,” she said imploringly, “I just don’t want him to get hurt.”
Sandra sighed, “I’ll talk to Patrick. There are plenty of other guys in here that he can sink his fangs into.”
Ari’s face went white at her words.
“Don’t worry honey,” Sandra said, seeing the colour drain out of Ari’s cheeks, “Larissa and I will hang around for a bit
to make sure that nothing happens to your friend.”
Ragon and Ari drove home in silence after that, while the rest of the coven remained at the club. With their mates
staying behind to keep an eye on Ryder, both Cambridge and Thomas had opted for staying behind as well. Ari was
still mad, and Ragon tried desperately to think of a way to talk to her as he drove. As soon as the engine switched
off, Ragon made to open Ari’s door, but she had been expecting this and had jumped out almost as soon as the car
had stopped. As she did not have a key to the front door, she had to wait for him to unlock it before she could enter
the house, and begin to storm off to her room.
“I’m sorry,” Ragon said, once the pair had entered the house.
Ari turned to face him. She could tell that he meant what he said.
“Why?” Ari asked, “it’s not like we are together. You don’t have to do what I say.”
The words had slipped out of her mouth before she even knew what she was saying. Ragon was staring at her
ashamed. What the hell was he supposed to say to that?
“Is that what you want?” Ragon asked, “for us to be together.”
He had done it again; turned the conversation entirely back on her. She wasn’t going to play this time.
“How about you tell me what you want for once” she replied.
In an instant he was next to her. His breathing was fast and erratic, while hers had completely stopped. She was
afraid that if she did anything he might stop. Her eyes were plastered on his, and she felt him reach for her hand,
and once again intertwine their fingers together. As soon as they were locked like this, her eyes closed. It felt so
wonderful, that even this most humble of gestures, could sweep her off her feet. With her eyes still closed, she felt
Ragon lean in close to her, brushing the strains of hair that covered her face and tucking them behind her ear.
“What I want,” he breathed, whispering longingly into her ear, “is you.”
Suddenly Ari’s body was on fire. She felt as though she were being engulfed by flames, as tiny electric impulses
surged in syntony pretty much all the readers will not understand this word which is frustrating from every neuron in
her body. This spasm of excitement ran havoc over. Her toes curled in response to wave after wave of tingling
sensations accosting her extremities. Her heart was pumping so erratically that for one horrifying moment, she
thought she might have a heart attack. Ragon had felt her change in cardiac rhythm, had heard her heart race in her
chest faster than ever before, faster even than when she had been attacked the night he had saved her, all those
months ago. He did the only thing he could think of, the only thing he wanted to… He kissed her.
A sudden increase in her heart had Ragon grasping both his hands to her cheeks, as he pulled her even closer and
whispered, “Breath.”
As soon as he had heard how fast her heart was pumping, Ragon had thought to pull away, certain that the pace was
too much for her mortal body to handle. But then Ari’s hands were in his hair, and she was dragging him closer. He
moved obediently towards her, pressing his hard body up against hers and slamming her into the wall behind them.
Rather than being hurt, Ari jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist, as her arms swung around his neck.
Ragon supported her like this easily. One of his hands was gripped around her head, with a few of his fingers
intertwining in her hair, so as to kiss her more fully. Their tongues were dancing in each other’s mouths, and just
when Ari thought it couldn’t possibly get any better, she felt his erection press against her stomach; throwing her
into another wave of excitement.
Ragon’s hands were still intertwined in Ari’s hair, pulling her head back, so as to angle her mouth and expose her
neck. For a moment she had moved one of her hands from around his neck, and made to place it on his back but
Ragon had reached for it and thrown it above her head, pinning it to the wall behind her. Just then he began kissing
softly down from her lips and to her neck. The feeling of his lips at the crook of her neck was amazing.
Oh God, she thought to herself, feeling an uncontrollable desire to tear his clothes from him.
Her unrestrained hand made to undo the black tie of her dress, but Ragon took the hand that fumbled for the
strings, and threw it behind her to join her other restrained hand. He had no trouble at all restraining both her hands
with only one of his, and took this opportunity to kiss her hard again on the lips, while one hand dragged her dress
upwards, revealing a thigh. His fingers were pressed hard against her leg, almost too hard. Once again he was kissing
her neck, and lovingly prying her legs further apart, so that she straddled him more fully, his erection pressed up
hard against her crotch. She felt her body move in a rhythmic riding motion, pressing herself into him hard. His hand
had made to dive in between her legs, but suddenly he stopped. For a moment his whole body went rigid, as he
became transfixed on her jugular vein. In an instant he threw Ari to the ground.
“Stop!” Ragon yelled.
“Wh… What?” Ari stammered from below, trying to pick herself up.
Her eyes were wide in horror. His words had been more of a growl than a sentence, but Ari obeyed his command
instantly, frozen in place on the floor below him, her chest still heaving from the excitement. Suddenly she gasped
and her eyes locked onto Ragon’s fangs. They were protruding from his mouth.
“I have to go,” Ragon said, and ran from the house, out onto the veranda, and into the night.
Ari had watched from the floor as Ragon left the house. For a few minutes she continued to remain on the floor, as
the last few moments of her life flashed to her, like a cruel tease. Reluctantly she dragged her dress back down past
her thighs, and moved to stand up. A sudden knocking at the door, made Ari move away from the living room, and
back towards the front door.
“That was quick-” Ari said, fumbling for the locks and then pulling the door open.
Instantly her eyebrows rose in confusion. There was no one there. She was just about to close the door when a
sudden voice spoke; it was a voice that she knew, one that she feared.
“I disagree; it’s taken me many weeks to catch you alone,” Matthew said, emerging from the shadows of the garage,
and blurring over to Ari, to hold the door open before she had a chance to slam it shut.
A crisp scream broke through Ari’s mouth, but it was stifled almost instantly when Matthew swept over to her, and
forced his hand over her mouth.
“Did you like the flowers?” he asked cruelly, laughing lightly to himself.
Ari tried to bite down on his flesh, but it was no good; his skin was too tough, like leather.
“You don’t seem happy to see me,” Matthew said as Ari began to shake in his hands, “and when I have been waiting
for so long to spend some quality time with you.”
Ari tried to struggle, but Matthews grip was too strong,
“I have been lonely without Paige,” Matthew said, picking up Ari and carrying her over to the couch, while still
holding his hand over her mouth. “Perhaps if you hadn’t angered Kiara so, then I would have been able to keep you
alive as a pet. I am going to remove my hand now. Please don’t scream, I don’t want to have to hurt you.”
Slowly Matthew peeled his hand away, and Ari glared up at him, her eyes bulging and said, “Why shouldn’t I scream;
you’re just going to kill me anyway.”
“Yes,” Matthew said, “but if you behave I won’t go after Ragon when I am done with you.”
Ari considered his words for only a moment. He had won. There was no way that Ari was going to do anything that
would mean any harm would come to Ragon, or any of the other coven members. Slowly she nodded her head in
submission, and Matthew beamed at her, gently brushing her face so as to catch the hair that was stuck in her
mouth.
“Why are you doing this?” Ari asked, as silent tears streamed down her face.
Matthew turned to face her, genuine confusion lining his face.
“For Kiara off course,” he said, reaching out to pat Ari’s head, as though she were a dog.
“But she’s in love with Ragon,” Ari stated boldly.
As soon as she had spoken, she knew this was the wrong thing to say. Instantly Matthew was standing, and he leered
down at Ari and slapped her hard in the face, saying, “That’s not true, she loves me.”
Ari yelped when she was struck, but did not scream. She hid her face from Matthew, and reached a shaking hand out
to touch her burning cheek.
“If she loves you then why would she want me dead? If she loves you, then she wouldn’t care about Ragon, or who
he is with,” Ari said.
She didn’t care anymore if her words made Matthew angry. Her only chance of surviving was making Matthew
understand that he was no more than a pawn in Kiara’s sick game to get Ragon back. Ari was about to say something
else, when Matthew suddenly blurred towards her, and sat down next to her.
For a few moments he tried to compose himself, until finally he said, “I would be very careful what you say to me.
Kiara wants me to take you back to her, but I think that she would not be too unhappy if I end you beforehand.”
Now Ari understood. Kiara wanted to make her suffer; well Ari wasn’t going to play along; better to be killed in one
quick motion by Matthew, than tortured to death by Kiara. She shivered as she thought of the cruel games that Kiara
would have ready for her. She knew then that she wasn’t going to let Matthew take her alive.
“I feel sorry for you,” Ari said, turning to stare at Matthew, her eyes livid with fear. “I thought being an immortal
would mean that you were capable of great wisdom, but if that were the case you would know that Kiara was just
using-”
But her words had been cut off when Matthew struck her again, this time harder, across the opposite cheek. This
time she did scream and Matthew was instantly on top of her, his fangs raised.
“Kiara doesn’t love you,” Ari cried, trying to fend off Matthew.
“Liar,” Matthew shouted, reaching his powerful hands down so that they wrapped around Ari’s throat.
As soon as the darkness began to capture her, she smiled. She had done it; she would not suffer, but die quickly. This
thought swam in her head until she saw someone behind Matthew. For a moment her eyes stared in disbelief, and
then Cambridge charged at him, forcing him up over the couch, as Ari fought to breath. Instantly she felt cold hands
around her, and she struggled, until she looked up and saw Thomas.
“It’s ok,” Thomas said, looking quickly over at Matthew and Cambridge who were fighting and back down to Ari.
In one fast motion he picked Ari up and blurred through the house until he reached Ragon’s library. In less than a
second he had climbed up the winding staircase that led to Ragon’s office and released Ari into a chair.
“Wait here,” he said before jumping off the second landing and racing through the door.
Ari swayed on the spot. Her head was screaming at her, but her thoughts were drawn out and unfocused. Fumbling
for the banister, she began to make her way back down the stairs. On the last few steps she fell, and landed heavily
to the hard wooden floor. Groping for the banister again, she pulled herself up, and continued to stumble towards
the door. Her hands traced the walls as she made her way through the hallway, until finally she reached the living
room. A large smashing noise told Ari that Cambridge and Thomas were still fighting Matthew, and Ari stumbled
towards them.
“What are you doing here?” Thomas yelled when his eyes fell on Ari.
Again Ari tried to speak but found that she could not. She simply stood there and watched as Thomas restrained
Matthew, while Cambridge moved over to the kitchen and grabbed something from the top shelf. Instantly Ari
recognised the small purple bottle. It was the bottle of EDTA that Ragon had bought weeks ago in case Kiara
attacked them. It felt like such a long time ago that Ragon had stopped Ari from using the contents in her cooking,
and joked with her that he would have to hide it and put it out of reach on the top shelf. Now she watched with
horror as Cambridge raced back to where Thomas was restraining Matthew and poured the contents of the bottle
into his open mouth.
“No,” Matthew gurgled but Thomas reached down and covered his mouth, forcing him to swallow the substance
that was toxic to vampires.
For a few moments longer Matthew struggled, but soon he began to lose his resolve and fell back clutching his chest.
His eyes had rolled into the back of his head, and there was blood pouring from his ears, nose and mouth. The three
of them stared for a long time. Ari had fallen down to the floor, and broken into small silent sobs, while Cambridge
and Thomas began to drag Matthew’s body away.
Before they could reach the veranda however, a sudden noise outside, made all three turn and face the front door. A
car had skidded into the driveway followed by four very fast doors slamming. Patrick was singing loudly to himself
and the rest of the group were clearly trying to shut him up, while hurrying to get inside.
“Aren’t you the one who tried to hurt me with your lies, you think I’ll crumble…” Patrick sung.
“Enough,” Sameth said, moving over to Patrick while placing some gaffe tape over his mouth.
“Now where did you get that?” Sandra asked smiling.
“You never know when such things are going to come in handy,” he replied smiling, his hands blurring as he
continued to wind the tape around Patrick’s mouth.
“What the hell?” Clyde asked, stopping dead in his tracks as his eyes fell on Ari. Ari did not reply, but turned to face
Cambridge and Thomas who were still holding Matthew’s corpse.
Instantly Sandra and Larissa blurred over to their mates, inspecting them from head to toe, wanting to make quite
certain that they had not been injured.
“Matthew attacked Ari,” Cambridge said, looking down at the body.
“And when we got here, Matthew was here also,” Thomas said also looking down.
Ari had nodded dumbly at these words, until she felt a soft swoosh of air across her face as Clyde blurred over to
her. Touching a cold hand to each of his cheeks, he swore low under his breath, as he surveyed her injuries. Her
cheeks and throat were swollen, and her eyes were bloodshot and bruised. Without thinking he reached up and
pulled Ari into an embrace. Gingerly Ari rested her cheeks against Clyde’s shoulders; his cold hard skin was the
perfect sub for an ice pack. Ari felt as all her fear from the last half hour crashed down on her, and once again tears
poured from her eyes. She let her whole weight fall into Clyde’s hands, and did not fight when she felt him reach
down and pick her up, cradling her in his arms as he walked towards the couch. Gently he placed her on the soft
cushions, than carefully sat down next to her, letting her head fall back against his shoulder.
“And where the hell was Ragon when all of this went down?” Clyde growled.
It was Ari’s turn to talk and explain what had happened to Ragon, but she couldn’t find the words. She was spared
having to however when Cambridge suddenly spoke.
“Ragon called me while we were at the club and told me that he had lost control and couldn’t be around Ari until he
had fed,” Cambridge said. “He asked me to go home and watch her.”
“Oh,” Sandra and Larissa said in sudden realisation.
In response to this, Ari let out a small cry, quickly hiding her face from the others by burying her head behind Clyde’s
shoulder.
“Well that’s just perfect, Ragon is out getting his rock of with someone else, while Ari is getting attacked,” Clyde said
angrily.
Sandra hissed loudly, then quickly moved over to Ari, and lent down on one knee as she reached out a hand to touch
Ari on the shoulder. “He was just hungry; he didn’t want to hurt you. God knows he should have fed tonight, but he
could have never known this would happen.”
Ari cried a little louder but didn’t respond. This was the first time since she had met Ragon, that he had not been
there for her, and it was all because he was a vampire. This was perhaps one of the reasons why vampires didn’t fall
in love with humans. At the end of the day it was just too damn stupid. But she didn’t want to think about that. She
just wanted to stay where she was without speaking to anyone. She felt Clyde reach out and touch her shoulder in
the same spot Sandra’s hand previously had been, and was surprised at how comforted it made her feel.
For a long while she stayed like that; shivering slightly or else wincing from the pain. She had heard partial
conversations from the rest of the coven, but hardly took any notice to what they were saying. At one point she had
listened as Cambridge and Thomas discussed how best to dispose of Matthew’s body, and her whole body had tense
in response. Shortly after that she had heard Larissa telling Sandra that she had been unable to contact Ragon, and
she listened as Sandra left a short voice message for him. Throughout the night Clyde did not move, or speak to her,
but continued to sit with her. His rigid body, and cool skin, made Ari think of him as a rock that she was clutching
onto if she were lost at sea. When all the noise around her stopped, she let her eyes close heavily. She could tell
from the stiffness of her eyelids that her face was very swollen, and she knew that she should take some sort of antiinflammatory or pain killers, but she didn’t want to move. It did take long for Ari to feel herself begin to drift off. Her
head was still buried underneath Clyde’s shoulder, so that she couldn’t tell if anyone else from the coven remained.
As the moments of silence stretched out, she let herself fall into a deep sleep, desperate for this night to finally be
over.
Ari didn’t know what time it was when she startled from the front door opening, but quickly fell back asleep.
“Where is she?” Ragon said, scanning the room, until his eyes fell on the couch.
In a heartbeat he had rushed to her side, until he realised that Clyde was already there. His horrified eyes glanced up
to Clyde, and for a moment there was malice and hatred burning from them. He realised instantly that Ari was
asleep, and so knelt down on the floor, and gently reached a hand out to touch her hair.
“Thank you,” Ragon muttered, turning to stare Clyde in the eye.
Clyde did not speak but inclined his head forward.
“Is she ok?” Ragon asked in a whisper, trying to see Ari’s face.
“He hit her pretty badly but she’ll live,” Clyde said.
Ragon let out a low growl and clenched his fists into tight balls. He hated himself for being away from Ari when she
had needed him. She must have been terrified, desperate for him to save her as he always had, and yet now when
she needed him the most, he was not there. Instead he was out feasting on blood, all because he couldn’t control
himself around her. Not for the first time since Ari had come to stay with him, did the thought cross his mind that
she didn’t belong in his world. He had promised her that nothing would happen to her, and called his dearest friends
to make sure he kept that promise, but he had been the one to let her down.
“And Matthew is dead?” Ragon whispered, shaking his head as he continued to brush his hand through her hair.
At the mention of Matthew’s name, Ari stirred in her sleep and let out a low moan. Both Ragon and Clyde looked
down at her in concern.
Clyde nodded his head, and made to move off the couch.
“No, wait,” Ragon said, suddenly standing. “Would you stay with her tonight? I don’t want her to be alone.”
It took all the selflessness he possessed to suggest this, but he was too afraid to let Ari be by herself, and knew that
he didn’t deserve to be the one to watch over her.
“But you’re here now,” Clyde said, making to move again.
This time when Clyde moved, Ari’s head rolled around, and her face was revealed to Ragon. In a flash he was back
down at his knees, breathing deeply as he fought the tears that threatened to overcome him. Ari’s face was purple
and swollen. There were large welts at either side of her cheeks, and her eyes were black. Around her throat were
large red marks that were shaped like handprints, and Ragon instantly knew that Matthew must have tried to
strangle her.
“Please,” he whispered to Clyde, “just stay with her.”
Clyde nodded and settled himself back into the couch. Ragon reached out a shaking hand and tilted Ari’s head so
that it was back against Clyde’s shoulder, and quickly blurred from the room to grab a blanket. When he returned
her threw it over her and bent down low to kiss her on the forehead.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, in a barely audible whisper.
After that Ragon did not go to his room, but out onto the veranda. He took one look at the slowly lightening sky and
jumped off the edge, landing neatly onto the ground below. For a few minutes he raced as far into the forest as he
could, until he knew he was out of earshot from the house. Then suddenly he let out a piercing scream, as the sun’s
rays met his skin. It was sweet agony, and Ragon welcomed the feeling of his flesh melting. He stayed only for as
long as he knew he could, and after a few seconds raced back to the house, entering through the back entrance. His
clothes were partly burnt, and he stunk of coal and cooked meat, but he didn’t care. He hated himself for letting Ari
come to harm. Had Ari died tonight, he probably would not have returned.
CHAPTER 12- REJECTION
When Ari woke the next evening she startled to find herself asleep in Clyde’s arm. Sitting up quickly she
suddenly swayed and clutched her hand to her head, winching when she touched her face.
“Careful,” Clyde said, managing a half-hearted smile up at her.
They were both still wearing the same clothes from the previous night, and it took a while for Ari’s memory to catch
up with her, until all the horrible events of the night came crashing down. At these thoughts her face had fallen, and
she reached a shaking hand to brushing over her cheeks. Both felt as though there were bright red coals being
shoved against her face, and burnt even more intensely at her touch.
“Are you alright?” Clyde asked, helping her to sit upright, while he stood and stretched.
“Fin-” Ari croaked but she was cut off speaking as her hand reached for her throat.
Her throat too it seemed was on fire and Ari remembered Matthews hands grasped around her neck. Instantly Ari
stood but feeling her head spin, sat back down quickly. Seeing this, Clyde moved over to her and gently took her by
the elbow, and guided her to her room.
“Thanks,” she muttered when Clyde had helped her inside; pulled back her bed sheets, and gently placed her under
them.
Clyde smiled back gingerly. It was not his usual cheeky grin, but macabre and sad.
“Where’s Ragon?” Ari asked Clyde’s retreating back, before clutching again at her throat in pain.
Clyde was just about to answer when there was a soft knock at the door.
“How you feeling honey,” Sandra said, moving into Ari’s room and sitting next to her on the bed.
Instantly Ari smiled, but found that it hurt too much so stopped quickly. Sandra had a way of making Ari feel safe and
comforted.
“Her throat is sore,” Clyde said, seeing Ari rub again at her neck.
“That bastard,” Sandra said, reaching out to Ari and handing her two small tablets and a large glass of water.
Ari took the pills quickly, recognising the small plus sign on them to be ibuprofen plus; just what she needed.
“Do you err mind if I have a word,” Sandra said, turning to look from Ari and over at Clyde.
Clyde shrugged and made to leave. As Ari watched him go, she fought with the desire to ask him to stay. She had
been comforted by his presence.
“Oh honey,” Sandra said after Clyde closed the door. “I am so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” Ari croaked.
Instantly Sandra threw up a hand to shush her. “How about I do the talking and you lie under the covers and rest?”
she said.
“You know with Ragon, well any vampire really, it’s hard for us to control ourselves around mortals. At the end of
the day we are predators, when you put a predator in a room with a blood source, no matter how much they care
for them… Sometimes emotions just take over. He wouldn’t hurt you in his normal frame of mind, but when a
vampire is… excited, it’s a little more difficult to control ourselves, especially when we are already hungry,” Sandra
explained. “Ragon would never have left you if he had of known that any harm would have come to you. He called
Cambridge and Thomas the moment he was out of the house, and told them to get back and watch you.”
“I get it,” Ari said, failing to hide her disappointment and frustration.
“But I don’t think you do,” Larissa said, pushing Ari’s door open and joining Sandra on the bed next to her. In her
hands were two large ice packs with tea towels wrapped around them. “I googled it, and apparently humans put ice
on swellings and bruises.”
Ari smiled appreciatively up at Larissa when she placed the ice pack on either side of her face.
“Maybe vampires and humans shouldn’t be together?” Ari asked.
Larissa and Sandra exchanged desperate looks.
“Well, I don’t know. I have never dated a mortal,” Sandra said, directing a long glance at Larissa.
“But I have,” Larissa added.
“What?” Ari asked, sitting up slightly before feeling her injuries pull her back down so that her head was once again
rested on the pillow. “But I thought you and Cambridge had been together for ages?
“We have, but he wasn’t always a vampire, not until I decided I couldn’t live without him and turned him,” Larissa
said.
“Tell me everything,” Ari said, hoping like hell that the codeine would kick in soon, and take away some of the pain.
Larissa smiled warmly and said, “Well it was the late 1780’s, and my father was the owner of a large tobacco farm in
Minnesota. I was only 6 years old when the first black slaves came to work the fields. Black labour was cheaper than
any other sort and I had been forbidden to converse with the Negro men and women. I still had my governess, her
name was Mary, but her thoughts were the exact opposite to that of my fathers. She spoke of black and white
equality; she was what you might say, a forward thinker. In hind sight, had I told anyone back then how she thought,
she probably would have been hung.
So it wasn’t until my 8th birthday, when I was playing hide and seek in the grounds with friends from neighbouring
estates, that I had my first conversation with a black person. He was about my age, although he was much taller and
larger, having been bred for hard labour. I had been hiding behind one of the less used barns when he found me. I
can still remember his disjointed English. I had ignored him at first, my father’s warnings swimming in my head. But
looking closer at the boy, I couldn’t see anything dangerous about him. For over two hours we spoke, until finally a
large search party, headed by my father, found me. The boy had managed to get away without being seen, and I had
lied and told them that I had fallen asleep in the sun.
It was two full weeks before I saw him again. This time when we met, we talked for almost half of the day and I
found out his name; Cambridge. For the next few years we continued meeting in secret and going on adventures. I
would spend the day with him, and the night talking to Mary about him. He was the closest thing to a friend I had
ever had. He told me about Africa, and the animals there and the arid landscape. It wasn’t long before I dreamed of
his home land often, seeing what I imagined to be lions, giraffes and elephants.
By the age of 15 I stopped seeing him as a friend, and began dreaming about the two of us, living in Africa together.
My mother had died the previous year, and almost as soon as my father was re-married, his new wife Selena wanted
to send me to the city for boarding school. I screamed and cried, but my father was deaf to my requests and spoke
only of how it was the premier school for young ladies. On the eve of my departure I decided to meet with
Cambridge one last time. I knew that I might be followed, that it was stupid to go out at night, but I had to risk it.
I can still remember trailing through the black people’s camps, calling his name. His people didn’t want us together
either, and I could tell by the way they looked at me, that they despised me. But I didn’t care if they saw me that
night; I had to say goodbye. For a few blissful hours we talked, holding hands. I promised that as soon as I could, I
would return. He laughed at me, and called me a silly white girl, but I didn’t care; I think even then I loved him.
Maybe an hour or so later one of Cambridge’s friends found us. He told us that my father was looking for me. I
moved robotically over to Cambridge, desperation overpowering my innocence and did the one thing I had wanted
to for years: kissed him. For the first time in my life I felt uncontrolled and alive. Moments later and I heard a man
scream, and felt myself being ripped from Cambridge’s arms.
I was packaged up and sent away that night. Very few females were privy to education in those times, not that you
could really call what we learnt education, but back then it was the elite. The school in the city was full of snobby
girls. Each competed with the others for the latest fashions, the tightest curls, largest estate, whatever was coveted
at the time. For four horrible years I was stuck there, with only the memory of Cambridge’s lips on mine to keep me
company. My father, who had by now had two sons with his new wife and had not forgotten of my betrayal,
probably saw me as a mistake. He did not ask me to return home for the summers, and every holiday I remained at
the School. Still, my father did not entirely abandon me. He had left me a tidy sum of money, which I promptly
invested, eager to run away at the first chance.
I must have been about 18 years old when Mary, my old governess, came to visit me one night. She was still just as
lovely as before, and asked me about Cambridge and if I still thought of him. When I told her that I was in love with
him, she said that she knew a way we could be together: forever. At the time her promise had sounded like the best
thing in the world, and I agreed instantly. She told me the cost would be great, that we would not be able to live
among normal men and women, and that we would need to be creatures of the night. These terms seemed
acceptable; after all, it was illegal for mixing of black and white people in those days. Off course we would have to
keep our lives together a secret.
That night she turned me into a vampire. As soon as I woke I felt a hunger within me, and commenced feeding on
anything in my path. Desperate to leave my old life behind me, we lit my room on fire, and left the corpse of a girl I
had drained in there, so that my father would think I was dead. I was completely different, not just in my abilities,
but in my thoughts too. I still craved Cambridge, but not as much as I craved blood. Perhaps my upbringing had left
me resentful and bitter? Anyway, Mary described my appetite as insatiable. It took her months to get me to calm
down and kill with style, and even then, I couldn’t drink from a mortal without killing them. Needless to say, I wasn’t
going to be able to see Cambridge in that state, let along persuade him to be a vampire with me.
Three years after my transformation I decided I could wait no longer. I was gradually getting better and better, and
had even managed drinking from sources without ending their lives. I had also learnt how to disassociate them
afterwards, which made life a hell of allot easier. Mary had spoken to me about the risks of creating a fledgling, and
how they might betray you, but I was determined. That night Mary and I commissioned a carriage, and fashioned it
so that no light could get in. The trip from town into the country took two days hard riding. Mary had the foresight to
bring a donor with us, some young man from one of the villages we passed through, who directed the carriage
during the day, and we feed off during the night. It was late one night when we rode into my father’s farm. I was
tense with anticipation. I prayed that my father had kept Cambridge on as a farm hand, but even still, I had no idea
what he might look like or how he would respond to seeing me.
You can’t imagine how happy I was when I saw him. He was still young and handsome, with full lips and long black
dreadlocks that were slightly golden at the edges from all his hours of work under the sun. I asked him to leave with
me and he agreed. It was as if no time had passed, and we picked up things right where we left off. That night we
said goodbye to Mary and boarded a boat to South America. There were very few options for a black and white
couple back then, let alone a black man and a white vampire. For a while I hide what I was from him. It wasn’t easy,
not being able to go out into the sunlight. I pretended to have caught some mysterious illness on the voyage over.
But eventually he worked it out. I thought for sure that he was going to leave me. But he didn’t. He just told me that
he needed time to think. You can imagine the late night conversations and screaming matches. He wanted to be with
me but not as a monster; he had to die to be with me; he was too young to die; he would keep aging while I stayed
the same; we could be together forever. There were so many points, for and against, his becoming a vampire to be
with me.
“So,” Ari said eagerly, “what happened?”
As she had listened to Larissa’s story, she had leaned closer and closer towards her. It was absolutely insane to
conceive that for a time Cambridge had contemplated not being with Larissa, vampirism or not; they were such a
perfect couple. At the same time the codeine and the ibuprofen had eased her pain, and though her throat still
burnt, the drugs in combination with the ice packs had done wonders.
“You know what happened,” Sandra said smiling, “can you, or can you not see two vampires, madly in love in front
of you today?”
“Yea, No I know, I mean-” Ari began.
“It’s ok,” Larissa said, “I know what you mean. Well for about 6 months we continued like this. We were living in a
small fishing village off the coast of Columbia. Cambridge had commissioned a job on the docks. From only being
there for those few months my activities had drawn much attention, and there was talk of something biting people
and draining their blood. I disassociated all my victims afterwards, and only took what I needed to survive, but in a
small village full of superstitious natives, my hunting did not go unnoticed. Finally one night the villages had had
enough, and set a trap for the blood drinker. They cut the wrists of a sacrificial lamb and left the girl outside. When I
smelt her blood I was consumed with hunger. I ran straight for her without thinking. As soon as I heard the first
scream, I knew I had been discovered. The villages surrounded me, holding large flaming torches and yelling in their
native tongue. They were spitting at me, and calling me a ‘demon’ and ‘witch’. Cambridge, who had heard the
commotion, came over to see what was happening. There was blood all down my dress, and my lips were stained
red from where I had tasted the girl. Without thinking I leapt over the torches, running as fast as I could into the
night. I dared not return to our house, but went to ground for the night.
The next evening I left a note for Cambridge, explaining that I was leaving for Latvia. I had heard from Mary that
there were colonies of vampires there and that the weather made it possible for us to come out during the day. I had
enough wealth from my investments to buy two tickets for the voyage. I left one ticket for Cambridge and wrote for
him to come with me.
4 days later the boat left. I spent the entire first night looking everywhere for Cambridge. Just when I had convinced
myself that he had decided to let me go, I found him! He was sitting at the edge of the boat, his shoes were off and
his eyes were closed. ‘I’m ready’ was all he said to me. And the rest is history.”
Ari had listened to Larissa and Cambridge’s fairy tale intently, comparing it with her own 300 year later version. Still a
few questions remained. “But the first night I met Clyde, after we had played Sources, Ragon told me that you and
Clyde had a fling?” Ari said, staring at Larissa.
For a few moments, Ari thought that Larissa would not answer, and she instantly became worried that she had
stretched the friendship too thin, too quickly.
“There was a time, shortly after I made Cambridge that we separated. It’s easy for fledglings to lose their way, and
become interested in nothing except blood and the hunt. For a few months he went off on his own, killed a hell of a
lot of people, and tried the solitary life. Being his maker, I could sense him the whole time, and I waited for him.
What I had with Clyde was nothing more than a fling. I was lonely, he was bored; end of story,” Larissa said, a little
harshly.
“What Larissa means,” Sandra said sweetly, “is that it’s not uncommon for newly turned fledglings to be an entity
entirely of their own. Vampirism changes you and not just in the obvious way; everyone adapts to it differently.
Some become blood hunters; others mass murders, but rarely are they the same person they were, before they
were turned.”
“Do you think you and Cambridge would have stayed together if he decided he didn’t want to become a vampire?”
Ari asked.
Larissa frowned for a moment and Ari knew what she was thinking: no. A mortal and a vampire couldn’t be together.
It was impractical. In twenty years’ time, Ari would be almost 50, and Ragon would be as handsome and perfect as
ever. For a few years she could get away being a cougar, but what about when she was 70 or 80 or older; that’s if she
even lived that long with Kiara, and the rest of Ragon’s crazy lifestyle trying to kill her. But was that her answer? If
she didn’t want to become a vampire could they really not be together? Ari shuddered at the thought. Only hours
ago she had been in utter heaven in his arms, and now all she could think of was; Ragon not being their when she
had been attacked, and how they must be apart. Perhaps being a vampire wouldn’t be so bad? It would defiantly
suck not being able to go into the sun for the rest of her life, and it might take her a while to get use to the whole
drinking blood thing, but look at Larissa and Sandra. Apart from being over 200 years old, they seemed to be normal.
They were certainly able to sit here and have a normal conversation with her. But did she want to be with Ragon
enough to give up her life? It wasn’t quite the same as moving town for a husband’s job; this would literally be the
end of everything she knew.
“If you had the choice again would you decide to become a vampire?” Ari asked both girls.
This was the question she needed answered the most. Even though right now all she felt was pain, she still couldn’t
help but feel a true connection with him. Still, it seemed crazy for Ari to start a relationship with someone that she
ultimately couldn’t be with. But perhaps, if love were enough, she would give up everything to be with him.
Sandra spoke first, ‘In a heartbeat,” she said, before adding with a small laugh, “or rather without a heartbeat.”
Both Ari and Sandra turned to Larissa, who shook her head, saying, “I don’t know...”
Sandra’s jaw dropped. She had expected Larissa to agree with her, to say that being with Cambridge was worth more
than all the tea in China, hell anything but that.
“What?” Sandra asked in a high pitched voice.
“It’s not that I wouldn’t want to be with Cambridge, but I think I would have wanted to have one lifetime with him,
and…” she paused, chewing her bottom lip, as her eyes went glassy, “and gotten to have children and be a mother.”
Shit, Ari thought to herself. Was she so completely thick? Until now she did not realise what becoming a vampire
meant for women especially; no children, forever. Ari had thought that the worst part would have been watching all
the people you loved die, but she supposed that after a while, those wounds might close; but what about all the
people you never got to know? The children and the grandchildren you had to give up?
Ari had lots to consider when Larissa and Sandra finally left her room. Ragon had not come to see her yet, and to be
honest, after the conversation with Larissa and Sandra, she wasn’t too sure she knew what she would have done if
he were there. Crawling under the covers, Ari thought about Larissa’s story and what she should do with her own.
She was just about drifting off to sleep when there was once again a soft knock on the door. For a moment Ari
considered pretending she was asleep, and that she hadn’t heard.
“Come in,” she whispered.
Though the drugs had done wonders, her throat was still scratchy and sore. She figured that the person behind the
door was most probably a vampire, and so hoped that they would be able to hear her. Trying to sit up slightly, Ari
waited for the door to open. She had guessed that it would be Ragon, and was utterly surprised to see Clyde.
Instantly a wide small broke across her face, and she laid back against the pillow, instantly at ease.
“How’s the patient?” Clyde said, moving over to the edge of her bed and sitting down.
“Better,” she lied.
She could tell by the sideway glance that Clyde shot at her, that he didn’t believe her for a moment. Instead of
confront her about this however he immediately looked down at his feet, before inspecting the bed sheets,
apparently greatly interested in the pattern printed on them.
After a moment however, he looked Ari in the eyes, and inched closer, saying, “You can’t blame Ragon for
Matthew’s actions.”
Ari was so utterly shocked by these words, that she felt her mouth drop open.
“Do you have any idea just how much he cares about you?” Clyde asked.
Ari shook her head quickly, but stopped when she felt dizzy again.
“The moment he heard what Matthew had done, he went out into the sun to try and make the pain stop,” Clyde
said, not breaking eye contact.
Ari couldn’t help it, but let a few tears fall from her eyes.
“Sometimes when you’re immortal, you forget how precious life is. Ragon has not had to worry about death for
almost 400 years. And when you spend that long killing, and losing your humanity, it’s hard to go back. It’s not easy
falling in love with a mortal when you’re a monster, but sometimes it happens, and you can’t choose who you love.
You need to give him a chance; he’s trying his best,” Clyde said, and stood to leave.
Though he wanted to turn around and look back at Ari, he did not. Ari however stood staring at him as he left her
room and closed the door behind him. At Clyde’s words Ari was unravelled. Ari had only known Ragon for a short
time. It would be crazy for her to think that she loved him already; wouldn’t it? Still, she couldn’t help but remember
the look in his eyes when he had reached for her, saying that he wanted her. How was she supposed to ignore how
her heart had jumped at that moment?
“You just couldn’t help yourself could you?” Sandra said, as soon as Clyde exited Ari’s room.
She was so angry that she was not bothering to keep her voice down, but yelling as though they were standing
across the room from each other. Clyde raised an eyebrow, but did not indulge her by responding, and continued to
walk onto the veranda, while Sandra followed him.
“You’re supposed to be his friend, and the second his girl is having doubts, you’re riding in on your horse to rescue
her. Well I have got news for you Clyde; Ragon is twice the vamp you will ever be, and Ari knows that,” Sandra
added.
Clyde had looked up hurt at these words, but instead of explaining what he had just said to Ari, shook his head
indifferently.
“There you go. You see you don’t care about anything or anyone. Why Ragon is friends with you in the first place, I
will never know,” Sandra said.
Clyde turned to face Sandra and winked, “Can’t teach an old vamp, new tricks,” he said, before jumping off the
veranda and disappearing into the forest.
Ari had not heard the conversation between Sandra and Clyde, but sat on her bed, too deep in thought to notice. For
a few minutes she contemplated her options, than removed the sheets that covered her and moved purposefully to
the door.
“So it’s true?” Ari said, clutching her throat as she stormed into Ragon’s room on the first level a few minutes later.
Ragon was sitting on his bed, looking off into the distance but looked up quickly when Ari had burst in on him. He
was shirtless and his normally flawless skin was pink and raw, as if it were slowly healing. She had seen this advanced
healing process before, when Ragon had rescued her from Kiara, but gotten caught in the sunlight. What Clyde had
said was true.
“What the hell were you thinking? Ari asked; striding across the room and moving to stand in front of him, where his
scorched body was thrown into even greater focus.
Ragon was about to speak, when his sad eyes fell on Ari’s broken face.
“God Ari, I’m so sorry,” Ragon said, moving to stand, so as to offer his bed to her.
“You can’t blame yourself every time I get hurt,” Ari cried, as she remained where she stood, rooted to the floor.
She had hoped like hell that she wouldn’t break down, but as soon as Ragon had apologised, she had lost what little
self-control she still had. It was as if every thought she had previously had about Ragon not being there when she
needed him was gone; washed away by Clyde’s words and Ragon’s actions.
“I can’t blame myself? Ari I might as well have been the person who hit you. It’s all, my fault,” he said, reaching for
his hair, and pulling hard at it in frustration.
“You left because you were trying to protect me,” Ari said.
“Yea, protect you from myself!” Ragon roared, before adding, “Which I wouldn’t have to do if I weren’t a monster!”
Ari was a little taken aback at Ragon’s outburst, and sat down on the bed in shock. “I can’t stand it when you say
stuff like that. Everything you have done has been to keep me safe,” Ari protested. “Why can’t you just be honest
with me and yourself?”
“Please Ari,” Ragon said, turning to face her as he leaned in close and touched a shaking hand to her face, “it kills me
to see you like this. Don’t try to make me feel better; I know I deserve for you to hate me.”
Ari scoffed loudly, and pulled Ragon towards her, “How am I supposed to let you hate me? Don’t you get it? I am
falling for you.”
For one shining moment Ragon’s eyes widened, but then they hardened, and he forced his hand away from her face,
and pressed it hard against his side. Ari watched the gesture in horror, and reached a shaking hand out for him to
hold. Ragon looked down but then shaking his head quickly, raced from his room, slamming the door hard as he left.
Ari turned to stare at the door, and after a moment recoiled her hand so that it rested on her heart. For a few
moments she was stunned, and then the tears which had begun to fall earlier, slipped faster and faster, until she
burst into tears. Without thinking she raced from Ragon’s room and back to her own. Hurriedly she locked the door,
and moved into the bathroom, turning the shower on before slipping her clothes off and moving under the warm
water. At first the water stung her skin, but soon her sobbing overcame all sensation of pain, and he moved so that
she was sitting on the tiled floor of the shower, with her chin rested on her knees.
She didn’t know how long she stayed in the shower. By the time she was turning the taps off all her tears had run
out, and her fingers and toes were wrinkled. It took her a lot longer than normal to dry herself. The towel felt like a
razor blade on her throat and face, and so she had to dab slowly to dry herself properly. When finally the fog in the
bathroom had abated, she stared at her reflection in the mirror and almost broke into tears again. This was the first
time that she had seen how badly Matthew had beaten her. No wonder she felt so shit; she looked like a human
punching bag. Determined to not think about Ragon or how he had rejected her, Ari moved back over to the bed and
took another couple of ibuprofen tablets. She was desperate to pass out and leave the troubles of her waking hours
behind her.
CHAPTER 13- THE HALLOWEEN PARTY
The night of Wednesday the 31st of October was a cold one. A southerly wind had swept a storm from the
coastline, bringing with it rain and lightning. As if in welcome of Halloween, the moon was full and round, and cast
an eerie yellow glow over the city that was occasionally punctuated by thick grey storm clouds. Even the habitual
night-time wildlife surrounding the area had quietened; the normally screeching bats, who swept over the city at sun
down, like a black veil, had chosen to rest early, so as to wait out the storm.
Ari woke just after 5pm, creeping quickly from her bedroom and returning later with some cereal and milk.
“Yuck,” she said after taking a mouthful of her breakfast and then spitting it out, so that small bits of cornflakes and
milk splattered the bed sheets.
Her hands pulled the bowl of cereal so that it was just under her nose and she breathed in deeply then frowned: off
milk. Pushing the cereal away she got up, stripped the bed and jumped into the shower.
When finally Ari was out of the shower, she inspected her reflection in the mirror. Today was the first day that she
could no longer see the remnant marks left from Matthew’s attack. It had taken a few days for the swelling in her
throat and cheeks to go down, and almost a full week before the bruises had turned a brownish yellow colour. This
morning when she looked at her reflection, she was glad that her face no longer showed any sign of trauma. For a
moment Ari considered remaining in her pyjamas for the day. Ragon had told her plainly that she was not going to
the Halloween party, and that she would stay at home with Patrick. Ari did not object in the slightest to this; ever
since their screaming match Ari had been too embarrassed to talk to Ragon. She had confessed her feelings for him,
and he had not returned them. Going to a Halloween party with Ragon was the very last thing on her mind.
“Ragon,” Sandra called from the living room.
For a moment Ari blinked. It was uncharacteristic of Sandra to shout so loudly; especially with so any immortals in
the house. Unable to fight her curiosity, Ari wrapped the fluffy white towel around her body and moved from the
bathroom. Slowly she prised the door to her bedroom open just a crack and listened carefully.
“Well what the hell does that mean?” Sandra asked.
Ari couldn’t see what she was referring to, but she had handed something over to Ragon, who took it quickly.
“You know what it means,” Ragon growled, thrusting the object back into Sandra’s arms, as he began to pace the
room.
“But we can’t take her with us,” Sameth protested, looking imploringly at Ragon.
Until then, Ari had thought that it had just been Sandra and Ragon in the living room, but as soon as she had heard
Sameth speak, she craned her head further around the door, and saw that Cambridge was there also, as well as
Clyde.
“7 protecting her is better than 1,” Thomas said, turning to stare at Sameth with his hands on his hips.
“We can’t be sure Kiara will attack tonight,” Sameth argued.
“We can’t risk it,” Clyde said, moving over to Sameth and staring in disbelief at him.
Forgetting that she was wearing only a towel, Ari pushed her door open and walked casually to where the others
were standing.
“Did I miss something?” Ari asked, turning to stare at the others.
Instantly Sandra looked guilty, but Ragon shook his head and said, “Change of plans. You’re coming tonight.”
She could tell by his irritation that Ragon was not happy about this, and watched as he stormed off towards his
room, not bothering to look back at her. This was how it had been since Ari’s confession of her feelings, and Ragon’s
dismissal of them. Temporarily forgetting herself, Ari stared after him, feeling the sting of his rejection all over again.
As soon as he disappeared down the hallway, Ari turned to Sandra, who tried half-heartedly to hide something
behind her back, but Ari moved over to her and said, “I know you’re hiding something.”
Sandra looked for a moment over to Thomas, who nodded once.
“This arrived a few minutes ago,” Sandra said, handing something over to Ari.
Ari accepted the small white box that Sandra handed her a little hesitantly. After a moment of indecision, she
opened it, but quickly dropped it, as she clasped her hands over her mouth. The remnants of the expired milk from
her breakfast was making its way back up her stomach, and she gaged, before racing out the front door, knowing
that she would not make it to her bathroom. Leaning over the edge of the driveway, Ari opened her mouth and
heaved up a few retched mouthfuls of bile.
“Are you ok honey?” Sandra asked, as she rushed out of the house to join Ari.
Ari held up a finger for a moment, as she remained bent over, breathing heavily.
“Can I get you something?” Sandra asked, seemingly uncertain of what to do, as she fluttered around Ari looking
concerned.
“What the hell was… why would someone… who sent that to me?” Ari asked, regaining her breath and standing up
straight, a few shades lighter in the face as she adjusted her towel.
Sandra looked down at her feet, but then said, “It’s from Kiara. We think she knows that Matthew is dead.”
“What was it?” Ari asked, trying to push away the smell of rotten flesh from her mind.
“A heart,” Sandra said.
Ari coughed loudly, before bending back over and heaving again. For a few more minutes she continued to dry retch,
as she pushed away all thoughts of the red fleshy heart that had been sent to her.
“Was it human or animal?” Ari asked, turning once again to stare up at Sandra.
Sandra did not answer but looked back at the house and said, “Come on! The party starts in an hour or so; we’ve got
to get ready.”
Still wearing her towel, Ari followed Sandra back inside and moved into her room. She allowed herself only a
moment to compose herself, before moving back into the bathroom and staring at her reflection. Her face was as
white as a ghost, and her lips were a pale greyish colour that matched the bath towel she wore perfectly. She still did
not have any makeup, and so splashed some cold water on her face and pinched her cheeks, watching as they
flushed slightly in response. Next she moved over to her wardrobe and retrieved the plastic protective bag that held
the Halloween costume she had purchased all those weeks before. Slowly she pulled down on the long zipper, and a
long flowing white dress was revealed. It took her only a moment to slide the dress on, and then attach the two large
white feathered wings. The last thing in the bag was a small diamante head piece, whose jewelled framework was a
mixture of pearls and clear crystal which she spent a moment pinning to her hair, so that it hung majestically along
her forehead. Occasionally Ariana would picture the old rotten heart in the box and shiver while a wave of nausea
washed over her. Each time she pushed hard at the memory, and the smell of decaying flesh, trying instead to focus
on happy thoughts to replace it. When she was finally done she took one quick glance in the mirror; she looked just
like an angel.
A small knock at her door, made her move over and push it open. She was entirely surprised to see Ragon waiting for
her.
“Wow,” Ragon said locking eyes with her, “you look angelic.”
He knew instantly that she was not wearing any makeup, as she had done the other times they had gone out, but
thought that he preferred her without it. Her flushed cheeks and deep blue eyes were perfect enough, without
foundation and mascara covering them up. Ragon thought she looked pure.
“Thanks,” Ari said, looking down at her feet.
“If we don’t leave now we are going to be late,” Clyde said from the hallway.
There was a loud thud, and Clyde said, “Ouch.”
“Make sure you take lots of photos,” Patrick said, waving as the group went to leave.
“Oh darling, I am sorry you can’t come,” Sandra said.
“I know! I even bought my zombie sailor costume just in case,” he remarked grimy, indicating the blue and white
stripped hat he wore. “And you know how I feel about sailors!”
“What will you do?” Ari asked, moving from her room to join the others in the hallway.
Everyone in the room stopped talking when Ari spoke, and turned to look at her. The silence that followed was long
and uncomfortable, as Ari felt every set of eyes in the room rake her from head to toe. Ari looked breathtaking, as if
she really were an angel.
Patrick was the first one to recover, and he smiled warmly at Ari before saying, “I think I might order in,” in a
mysteriously tone.
The drive to William and Nikolas’s estate took about 40 minutes, and when they finally arrived there, they were
fashionably late. Two large black gates opened creakily when their cars pulled up, and a few dogs instantly begun
barking furiously.
When they reached a large cul-de-sac a man in a black suit opened their doors saying, “Welcome.”
Ragon tossed his keys to him, and he, Sameth and Ari waited for the rest of the coven to arrive in Clyde’s care. A few
moments later and both their cars were being parked in an underground car park. The estate itself was beautiful.
Small white lights highlighted what looked like a grape vineyard on either side of the front entrance of the large
house. Immediately surrounding the house, were several jasmine bushes that had been pruned to form a fence, and
whose perfume permeated the entire entrance. Large French doors were open in welcome and hanging from the
ceiling, wedged into the jasmine bushes and dotted on the deck, were giant orange pumpkins. They had been carved
into eerie faces, with small tea light candles placed in the middle that gave them a macabre feeling.
As soon as the coven walked into the entrance it was apparent just how seriously the Elder’s took their parties. The
entire foyer was themed for Halloween, with a giant cauldron in centre stage, from which white heavy fog boiled out
of. The ceiling, staircase banisters and tables were draped with thick cobwebs, and there were large open coffins all
over, fashioned into chairs and couches. From where she stood, Ari could just make out an outside area off to the
side, where fairy lights strewn around the jasmine shrubs twinkled, highlighting more coffin seats for the guests to
use. Large iron cages hung from the ceiling, suspended by thick chains. Each contained a man, dressed in various
Halloween costumes, dancing slowly and rhythmically to the music. Ari looked around for the source of the music,
but was unable to find it. She guessed from the occasional delicate notes, followed by rapid fluid tones that it was
someone playing a piano.
“Now, you need to pretend to be my source tonight,” Ragon whispered to Ari.
Ari nodded once.
“Trick or treat,” a young man said, almost as soon as they had entered.
As soon as Ari saw him, she gasped. He was young, no more than 18, and he wore no shirt, only a long pair of black
fitted pants, a black bowtie and an unbuttoned tails coat. In his hands was a serving tray, with 4 or 5 glass goblets.
The goblets were clearly full of blood, but this was not what had started Ari; the boy was covered in bite marks. They
were on his wrists, his neck, hell, everywhere a major artery was. The bites themselves however looked to be old
wounds. They were pinking around the edges, as if the healing process had already begun, and they were raised,
from layer upon layer of new tissue being placed on top of each other.
“Which vintage would you prefer?” the waiter asked.
Clyde walked up to him and twiddled his fingers, as if in contemplation, scanning over the various goblets.
“Otherwise, I’m on tap,” the boy said smiling.
Ari, who had watched as the boy looked down to his arm, felt instantly nauseated, and for one horrifying moment
thought that she might be sick again. Coming from the boy’s cephalic vein was a cannula, attached to a long
extension set. Looking around, she saw another waiter, sitting down on one of the coffin chairs, while an older
woman, dressed as a dead Cleopatra, sucked hungrily at the tube, as if it were a straw.
Bringing Ari back to her surroundings, Clyde finally said, “1980’s if you have it?”
“1980’s?” Ari whispered low to Ragon.
“It refers to the year the blood source was born,” Ragon said simply, in the same low whisper, but when he saw Ari’s
confused face, he added, “as in, the person who donated the blood was born in the 1980’s. It doesn’t mean how long
the blood has been kept for; blood doesn’t last long.”
Ari nodded, thinking that her blood would be in the year range that Clyde had requested. She was surprised at how
well Ragon and her had been getting on tonight. Ever since Matthew’s attack Ragon had barely said two words to
her. But Ari wasn’t going to complain. Though it pained her to recall him rejecting her, she still enjoyed his company.
Ari watched as the waiter bowed once and removed the glass nearest him and handed it to Clyde.
“Hmmm,” Clyde said drinking deeply, “there is just something so appealing about this vintage,” he added, looking at
Ari longingly as he drunk.
Next the waiter turned to face Ari, who had looked quickly away from Clyde.
“Err… No thanks,” Ari said, eyeing the red liquid haphazardly.
“Perhaps some juice then?” a cool female voice asked from behind her. “Do we have any porcine blood?”
Ari and Ragon turned quickly to face Kiara. She was wearing a long black dress that split high to reveal two shapely
thighs and a large pointed conical hat; she held a broom in one hand.
A witch, Ari though to herself, how fitting.
Ragon growled low in response, taking Ari hard by the elbow and directing her behind him, so that he now stood
between the two. Ari had winced when Ragon had grabbed her; there would be a bruise there tomorrow.
“Would you mind fetching some wine?” Sandra asked the waiter, her thick honey voice breaking the tension in the
room.
The waiter nodded once and left to fill the drink order.
“What’s that doing here?” Kiara asked, indicating Ari.
Ragon growled again, advancing on Kiara but a voice from behind stopped him dead in his tracks.
“Ah Ragon, so good of you to join us” the male voice said. “And you bought us a present?”
Ragon didn’t turn; he knew instantly from the voice that it was, “William,” he whispered under his breath, so that
only Ari could hear.
Ari turned to face William, who was flanked by another man, Nikolas she guessed. William wore a medieval knight’s
outfit, with a long red cape which covered most of a charcoal surcoat, accept for a large red tree embroidered in the
centre. His skin was olive, and his dark hair reached his shoulders and matched the stubble which adorned his face.
Next to him, Nikolas wore a full length white cloak with a large black cross in the middle. Most of his hair was
covered by the white hood of the cloak, but Ari could just make out that it was reddish-brown. His eyes were hazel,
and his skin was ghostly white, blending in almost perfectly with his robes, and contrasting against his thick
moustache.
“Oh no, she’s just a source,” Ragon said, pointing at Ari indifferently. “I didn’t realise we were bringing gifts,
otherwise I would have gotten you something more suited to your tastes.”
At these words Ragon had taken one meaningful look at one of the waiters, and Nikolas laughed loudly.
“A source of yours, really?” Kiara asked, moving closer to look at Ari, “and yet I don’t see a mark on her.”
Ari was thinking fast, as she watched William turn suspicious to stare at her, while Ragon’s eyes fell in hatred on
Kiara.
“Are you hungry?” Ari asked, moving over to Ragon and holding out her wrist for him to take. As she did so, she
made sure to show the vampires around her the obvious scar that had formed from where had attacked her, all
those weeks ago.
“Later,” Ragon said in a firm voice, and Ari was surprised at how well he was playing his part.
Kiara gawked at the scar, but did not say anything.
“Thank-you for inviting us,” Sandra said, moving over to the two elders and kissing them each on the cheek in
greeting.
Ari knew instantly from the way that she pushed her so that she stood protected near Ragon, that Sandra was trying
to distract the Elders.
“Ah, Sandra, you look as lovely as ever, as do you Larissa,” Nikolas commented.
“And Ragon, Cambridge, Thomas, Clyde and Sameth, you are most welcome,” came William’s voice.
Ragon nodded once, and Clyde smiled up at them, the blood from his drink staining his lips.
“I see you have seen that the lovely Kiara has also decided to grace us with her presence,” William said, indicating
the witch behind them.
“Indeed,” Sameth said.
Ignoring Sameth, Kiara smiled up warmly at the elders. Just then a tall elderly blonde woman waved at her, and she
moved robotically away from the group saying, “Excuse me,” to the Elders and bumping shoulders hard with Ari.
“Well, if you can pry yourself away from your lovely source, we have an excellent range here tonight,” Nikolas said.
“Oh Bernard,” Nikolas shouted, moving over to the waiter and reaching for his IV, “what would we do without you?”
Starve? Ari though to herself, but quickly hid her smile. Nikolas continued to suck on Bernard’s extension set and Ari
watched as Bernard looked back at the Elder in awe. It was clear that he loved him, and it was also clear that Nikolas
loved the taste of him.
“Now Ragon, this coven you have formed, I do hope that you are not responsible for the mortal deaths that have
been reported in the news of late. You know we are charged with keeping our existence a secret, I would hate to
have to punish you,” William said, his eyes raking Ragon from head to toe, as if in admiration.
Up until now Ari had not been sure if William and Nikolas were partners, or lovers. Now as she watched William
undress Ragon with his eyes, it was painfully obvious that they were both. She wondered what William might
constitute as an adequate punishment if he knew that he had killed 5 mortals.
Ragon looked up and smiled, “No, I have heard about them though, 10 isn’t it?” he lied.
“10 that they know about, we must have had to arrange cleaners to hide…” William said, looking at Nikolas for the
answer.
Nikolas scoffed and said, “Thirteen,” under his breath.
Ari wasn’t too sure if Nikolas was angry about the number of mortal murders, or the fact that William had spent so
long drooling over Ragon.
“Indeed, thirteen, unheard of,” William said in reply, and Ragon and Clyde exchanged a worried look.
Instantly Ari felt uneasy. Ragon had killed five, but who had killed the other eight?
“Still, vampires will be vampires,” William said, “I trust that if your coven hears of any unusual activity that you will
permit us to investigate.”
Ragon nodded in affirmation.
“Well, please enjoy the festivities,” Nikolas said, before adding “there are some blood dipped apples that are simply
to die for.”
The Elders walked off after that; Bernard followed a little behind, as Nikolas continued to suck on the IV at his
leisure.
Ari watched the Elders go over to the many other groups of vampires and welcome them also. There were
congregations of people standing around small tables, else draped at various points along the grand staircase or
sitting outside. Looking more closely at the waiters, Ari realised that they had started bringing out plates of
something other than goblets of blood. Peering more closely at a plate offered to Larissa, Ari went pale. Each plate
contained an assortment of blood based canapés.
“We have a mouth-watering assortment of Halloween goodies. There are warm Blood shots with shaved blood ice,
spicy blood sausage, blood mouse topped with a blood crumple, candied blood-dipped apples, and for the
vegetarians 100% grain feed bovine blood pies,” the waiter said to Larissa.
“What is the outside of the pie made from?” Larissa asked, genuinely interested as she eyed the small morsels.
“A blood baked sheet scented with rosemary,” the waiter replied.
“Hmm, I’ll have the pie,” Larissa said, reaching for the small dark red canapé.
Each of the coven members, reached for various canapés in turn, accept for Ragon. The look of horror on Ari’s face
had been enough to ruin his appetite.
“I thought you said you didn’t like to eat food?” Ari asked the group at large.
Larissa moved over to Ari ad said, “It’s not like food’ it’s just blood that has been served up with different textures
and temperatures. Sometimes it’s nice to have a bit of variety.”
Ari nodded still slightly confused, and looked around at the vampires in the room. As soon as she thought they were
out of ear shot, she rounded on the group.
“How my people have you killed?” she asked, her eyes scanning the seven immortals, searching for signs of
discomfort.
“Today? Or in general?” Clyde asked, his usually wicked smile failing as it met with Ari’s worried face.
“Since you got here,” Ari replied.
Sensing her concern, each replied quickly in turn saying “None,” accept Ragon who looked around nervously but
replied, “You know how many.”
If that were true than there were eight people out there who had been killed by vampires not in this coven. Realising
this Ari shivered.
“It’s a big city, there are bound to be some causalities,” Sameth replied indifferently.
Ragon, however, had considered Ari’s words carefully. Normally he kept a close eye on the comings and goings of
the city, but since Ari had been with him, his observation of its activities had gone on relatively unchecked. Did this
mean that there was a large gathering of vampires in town?
“Perhaps it is because of the party?” Cambridge asked.
Ragon deliberated on this, but dismissed it instantly. Tonight’s party called for vamps in the area to attend, it did not
drag other covens from far away. The elders were very careful to ensure that one area was not overpopulated, else
the humans become suspicious.
“No,” Ragon said quickly. “I think Ari is right, William and Nicholas would not invite so many guests that it alerted the
human authorities.”
“Then why are so many people being killed?” Ari asked.
After that half the group moved outside, while Cambridge and Larissa, and Sandra and Thomas moved to the dance
floor. Ragon watched as the two couples began dancing to George Winston’s ‘New Orleans Slow Dance.’ Instantly
Ragon thought of Ari. He was desperate to get her alone and talk to her, though he knew that this overcrowded
room of super hearing vampires was not the right place. Still, the temptation of holding her hand while dancing to
this song was overwhelming. He made to move to her, but before he had so much as turned to face her“May I?” Clyde asked, bowing low to Ari and holding out his hand for her.
She hesitated for a moment but accepted. She didn’t really want to dance; or rather she didn’t really know how to
dance. The moment however that Clyde had taken her by the hand, and placed his other hand at the small of her
back, this changed. At the same time the song began and Clyde swept them over to the dance floor. He directed her
perfectly, and her straight posture and rhythmic movement, gave the pair a fluid motion. Each twirl Ari smiled, and
the pair traced a route all around the dance floor, between the other vampire couples. Her white angel’s costume
and diamond headpiece sparkled majestically, portraying her as the picture of innocence.
The momentum of being twirled so many times had almost made Ari loose her balance, but Clyde whispered, “Keep
your eyes on something fixed.”
After that she was lost in Clyde’s honey coloured eyes. In that moment she didn’t see the sarcastic, bad ass vampire;
she just saw a boy dancing with a girl, and for the first time she wondered why Clyde was so dark and twisty. All she
knew for sure, as she allowed him to dip her low, before recalling her into his arms, was that she didn’t know exactly
how she felt about him.
“She is lovely,” William commented to Ragon, looking over at Ari and Clyde dancing.
Ragon didn’t reply; he was too mesmerised. Though Clyde partnered her, all he saw was her: an angel gliding along
the dance floor. In fact most of the vampires had stopped to admire Ari. Their hungry eyes locked on the large white
wings of her costume as her human heart beat raced as if in celebration of the beat of the music. But it wasn’t her
blood that they craved; in that moment, each recalled what it was to be human. Suddenly the frailty of being mortal
flashed back them, reminding them of thoughts they had long since forgotten. Some thought of their first kiss,
others of their first love. Inspired by Ari, each was locked in their own trance, and they watched in wonder as every
twirl and turn, brought with it another wave of blissful mortal memories. Suddenly Ragon was pulled from his
thoughts of Ari by someone tapping him on the shoulder.
“Would you dance with me?” Kiara asked.
Ragon glared up at her in disgust. Only she would ruin his admiration of Ari. He wanted to tell her exactly what he
thought of her, but looking wearily at the Elders, he thought better of it. Reluctantly he nodded, taking Kiara by the
wrist as they moved over to the dance floor. He did not want to upset the Elders tonight, not with Ari here.
Though Ragon danced with Kiara, he, like the rest of the vampires in the room watched Ari. Kiara had noticed it also,
and was watching the girl with hatred. It frustrated Kiara beyond belief that Ragon could find this mortal appealing.
She had thought of confronting Ragon about Matthew, but the room was too quiet for her to get in a private
conversation. What was it about the girl that Ragon converted? Suddenly Kiara’s eyes were small and suspicious, and
Kiara’s glare changed into a look of realisation. That small pointed chin and high cheek bones, her blue eyes, she had
seen them many years before. For a moment she continued to stare at Ari in surprise and shock. Looking at the girl’s
face in recognition; she knew exactly why Ragon was with her. Only when Ragon stopped moving did she look away.
She had been so consumed with her thoughts that she had not realised that the music had stopped. As soon as
Ragon dropped her hand however, she looked once at Ragon and then swept from the room.
As soon as the song finished Ari caught her breath. She hadn’t realised until then just how loud her heart had been
hammering. She had also failed to notice that almost every single vampire at the Halloween party had been staring
at her.
“Ari honey, you were wonderful,” Sandra said moving over to her and Clyde smiling before adding, “no accounting
for taste though,” after she looked at Clyde repulsed.
Ari smiled in reply. Suddenly she felt Clyde squeeze her hand, and she gasped, releasing it immediately.
Shit, she thought to herself. She had not even realised that she had still be holding his hand. Suddenly Ari’s face was
ablaze with embarrassment. Where was Ragon? Had he seen this? Clyde made to say something to her, but Ari
spoke first.
“Do you know where the bathroom is?” she asked, moving to face Larissa.
“Just up the stairs and to the right,” Larissa replied, and Ari raced off towards the grand staircase.
A few moments later Ragon joined Larissa and Clyde, who were deep in conversation.
“I thought dancing with you might make her sick,” Larissa was saying, her eyes narrowed in anger.
Clyde was about to retort, but the presence of Ragon had made him startle. Clyde’s first instinct was to say
something sarcastic about having won the first dance, but then he cocked his head to one side, “I thought you were
with… Where the hell is Kiara?”
Ragon looked around for a fraction of a second and asked, “Where’s Ari?”
In the bathroom, Ari splashed cool water on her cheeks, hoping to relieve the burning sensation. She had to admit,
the Elders clearly had excellent interior design concepts. The bathroom walls and floors were made of white
sandstone, which contrasted drastically with the black shiny marble basins adorned by polished silver taps. There
were three toilet cubicles, and a large white marble stand free bath tub that sat at the very edge of the room,
adorned by a giant glass window. Reaching down again for the water she had filled in the basin, Ari splashed another
handful onto her face and looked up at her reflection in the giant gold leaf boarded mirror. Ari reached for the hand
towel, but as she did so, a sound startled her.
“Haven’t you just been the bell of the ball?” a cold voice said, coming from one of the cubicles.
“Who’s there?” Ari asked quietly, spinning around.
Suddenly, emerging from behind one of the closed doors was Kiara. Her black conical hat was held in her hand, and
she moved over to Ari, reaching for something from a small drawstring bag she held. “Great party,” Kiara said,
“shame Matthew had to miss out.”
“What do you want?” Ari asked, moving away instantly, eying her hand reproachfully.
Kiara smiled at her in response. In her hand was her lip gloss, and she admired her reflection for a moment, before
applying a thick layer of the red lipstick. “If you want to find out about your parents, meet me outside near the large
jacaranda in 10 minutes,” Kiara said, smacking her lips before adding, “oh and come alone, otherwise don’t bother,
and I will know if one of your protectors is close by,” she said, tapping her ear and sweeping from the room.
Half a second later and Sameth burst through the doors. His eyes were wide, until they fell on Ari. Before he could do
or say anything, Sandra and Larissa were bursting down the door also. Ari jumped at the sight of them, and then
smiled weakly. Her face was still dripping with water, which nicely hid the beads of sweat that had formed on her
forehead.
“Honey, are you alright?” Sandra asked, her thick Southern accent bringing only a small amount of relieve, rather
than the usual wave of it.
Ari nodded, desperate for a few minutes of solitude to work out her thoughts. What the hell was going on? Did Kiara
really know what had happened to her parents? How could she? But then how else would she know that something
had happened to them? Glancing over at the window, her eyes met with a large tree, whose normally dark green
leaves had fallen away, and had been instead replaced by many tiny purple flowers; the jacaranda tree. Ari had
made up her mind; in 10 minutes she would be waiting for Kiara underneath it.
After leaving the bathroom, Ari ran straight into Ragon who along with Clyde was pacing outside, desperate to
ensure that the heart beat that they could hear, was hers.
“What did she say to you?” Ragon asked. “Did she touch you?”
Ari forced her face into a smile. If she wanted to find out what had happened to her parents, then she needed to pull
off some great acting skills. Ragon would not leave her alone for a moment, if he thought that Kiara had done
something to threaten her.
“She just said that I was the bell of the ball, and that tonight I didn’t need to worry about her,” Ari half lied.
“I told you, she would be crazy to do anything at one of the elders parties,” Sameth said, standing behind Sandra and
Larissa.
“You don’t think she is crazy?” Sandra asked incredulously.
“What were you doing in the ladies room?” Clyde asked, ignoring Sandra when his narrowed eyes fell on Sameth.
“Checking on Ari,” Sameth shrugged.
In all the commotion of Ari’s encounter with Kiara, she had completely forgotten about the awkward moment
between her and Clyde. Only one thought occupied her scheming mind now. It wasn’t whether or not Kiara was
telling the truth, or if she was about to walk into a trap. No. Ari was consumed by the thought of how she could get
away from the coven that was trying to protect her, long enough to talk to Kiara, and find out exactly what had
happened to her parents.
Ten minutes later and Ari was pacing around the Jacaranda at the very back of the Elders estate. Her plan to get
away from the others had worked a treat. The group had split when William had offered Ragon to show him the
house and Ari had managed to make each group think that she was with the other. She’d had to pass a large olive
vineyard and two small stables, until she found the characteristic purple flowers of the Jacaranda tree, that she had
seen from the bathroom window before.
“I almost didn’t recognise you little one,” Kiara said, moving out from behind the tree to face Ari.
Once again Ari was reminded of how beautiful Kiara was; beautiful and terrible, like a storm at sea.
“You told me you knew how my parents died,” Ari said flatly, her eyes darting from side to side in fear.
“But off course, now I can see how much alike you are to your mother,” Kiara said, continuing with her sentence as if
Ari had not spoken at all.
“You knew my mother?” Ari asked curiously.
“Knew is such a relative term; does one really need to know someone to ripe their throat out?” Kiara asked.
Ari felt her knees shake. Kiara was lying, she had to be.
“You liar,” Ari hissed.
Suddenly Kiara was laughing, “It is rather dramatic I admit. When I saw you with Ragon all those months ago, I
wanted you gone out of jealously. It was only tonight that I realised who you were; I never dreamed that you were
the child I tried to kill all those years ago. Time has a way of slipping past us immortals,” she added sadly.
“Wh… What?” Ari asked.
This time when Kiara laughed it was high pitched and cruel, “Don’t tell me Ragon never told you. Well, let me set the
record straight. 25 years ago, I killed your parents and tried to kill you.”
“Ragon told me that you took a child” Ari gulped, unable to say ‘me.’ “To try to get him to stay with you, so that you
could be a family,” Ari said, remembering his words from their date.
“Ragon is a romantic. I confess; I was surprised when he found me that night. I thought perhaps he had wanted to
re-join me. I guess he thought I meant to keep you? Men can be foolish. Before I could stop him and kill you; he had
taken you,” Kiara explained.
Instantly Ari’s knuckles were tense and one of her eyes went green, while the other stayed blue. A wind rolled down
the valley from the mountains that lined the estate, and swept over the fields, settling in the Jacaranda tree, and
causing masses of the purple flowers to begin to fall from it.
“But why?” Ari asked desperate for answers.
“It was a favour,” Kiara replied indifferently.
“A favour?” Ari asked.
“Yes, and now I am keeping that promise,” Kiara said, advancing on Ariana, as purple flowers fell slowly from the sky
like snowflakes.
Ari wanted to scream but she couldn’t. Her body was paralysed in fear as she watched Kiara blur towards her.
Knowing that there was no escape she squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting the last thing she saw to be Kiara. A
moment passed, and Ari kept her eyes closed, trying desperately not to think of Kiara murdering her parents. For a
while Ari stood like this, until enough seconds past without anything happening for her to wonder what the hell was
taking Kiara so long? Was she going to play with her? Slowly Ari opened her eyes. Large tears slipped from her lower
eyelids and spilled down her face. When she had blinked away the tears she saw Kiara, standing about a foot away
from her, fangs poised as if about to strike. Ari watched her for a moment confused. Something was wrong. Kiara
was not moving; it was as if the moment she had gone to attack Ari, she had frozen in place. Kiara’s dark brown hair
stood on ends, as though it was suspended underwater, and her witches’ hat was half way off her head, also floating
in mid-air. Her pupils were wide, giving her cold unblinking eyes a ruthless appearance. But as Ari looked closer, she
realised that Kiara’s eyes, though open, were unfocused, as though she were blind. Ari inched forward, but Kiara did
not respond. When Ari was so close, so as to see a small freckle on her attackers right cheek just under her eye, Ari
waved her hand in front of her face: nothing. Looking up at the tree she gasped. All around her at various levels in
the air were suspended purple flowers. It was as if someone had frozen a snow globe after shaking it. Everything was
quiet, no wind: nothing. Hesitantly, Ari moved over to the flower nearest her and watched it. She realised then, that
the flower was still falling, but very, very slowly, almost so slow it was impossible to see its progression through the
air. Reaching out to push it, the flower moved sluggishly in response, as if it were stuck in something viscoid, like
honey.
What the hell was going on?
She took one more glance at Kiara and ran; not wasting any more time for explanations. Whatever was going on,
time had slowed down just long enough for Ari to escape, and she wasn’t going to stand there wondering why.
When Ari had finally reached Ragon and the other coven members she was white; whiter than most of the vampires
at the party. The Elders were talking comically to a group of vampires behind Ragon’s coven, and Ari eyed them
warily.
“What’s wrong?” Sandra asked, when she saw Ari running towards them.
The coven had only just realised that Ari was missing. Her plan had worked well, a little too well. It seems that had
time continued at its normal place, Ari would have been long dead before Ragon and the rest of them even realised
that she was missing.
Ari’s eyes were wild, and she began spluttering out incoherent phrases, trying desperately to keep her voice low so
that the Elders did not hear her. “Kiara… attack me… killed my parents…” she said.
At these words, Ragon moved over to her protectively. He made to take her hand in his, so as to calm her down, but
as soon as he reached for her, she pulled away. She was glaring at him. How could he not have told her? Why would
he think that it was ok for him to keep the fact that Kiara had killed her parents a secret? Clyde’s eyes had widened
when he saw this, but he remained where he stood.
“But how did you get away?” Sameth asked in confusion, looking around the party for Kiara, but only seeing the
Elders behind them who were talking to a group of vampires.
“She… froze?” Ari said, her voice segmented in confusion, temporarily forgetting her anger with Ragon.
“She hesitated? Long enough for you to get away?” Larissa asked, but Ari was shaking her head.
“No she stopped, and everything around her stopped,” Ari replied, trying to explain what had happened.
“But, I don’t understand?” Sameth asked.
Ari made to answer but Ragon stopped her, taking a long meaningful look at the Elders and saying, “No. Not here.”
CHAPTER 14- IN THE AFTERMATH
“Do you have a death wish?” Ragon asked Ari when they were back in the car together.
Cambridge drove behind them in Clyde’s car, with Larissa, Sandra and Thomas for passengers. Both Clyde and
Sameth followed the coven on foot, ensuring that the group were not followed. As soon as Ragon had heard Ari’s
recount of the events between her and Kiara, he knew the terrible secret he had been keeping from her was out in
the open. He muttered instructions to the members of his coven, rushed Ari from the Elders estate and hurriedly
took the keys from the valet, screaming out of the driveway, past the high iron fence, and into the night.
“She told me what happened to my parents?” Ari said flatly. “Why?”
“I don’t know why she killed your parents-” Ragon began but Ari cut him off.
“No. That’s not the question. The question is why didn’t you tell me?” Ari said, the anger so close to spilling over.
Ragon had expected this; in truth he had been waiting for it for a long time. But he had never dreamed that she
would find out like this.
“I wanted to,” he began, uncertain how he could make her understand.
Ragon sighed.
“But you didn’t. I don’t have a death wish. I had to know; I needed to know. You’re a vampire. I get that you don’t
care about anything living but these were my parents. Because of Kiara I missed out on a childhood; she took that
from me,” Ari said.
“I tried to tell you,” Ragon confessed, “but every time I went to…” he paused, “I didn’t want you to hate me.”
“Hate you? For saving me when I was a baby?” Ari asked incredulously, unable to make sense of Ragon’s lame
justification.
“Because the reason Kiara killed your parents was so she could lure me back to her,” Ragon said sadly, connecting
the dots that Ari had failed to.
“She didn’t take me to lure you back; she told me that she wanted me dead,” Ari said and then added as an
afterthought, “you tried to tell me?”
“In the alley way after-” he began but Ari cut him off once again.
“That’s what you meant the first time you went hunting with me at that club, when I asked you why you choose me.
That’s when you should have told me,” Ari said flatly.
“You weren’t special because Kiara had taken you; you were special because I wanted to save you when you were a
baby. You were crying when I took you from her, screaming and the moment I held you in my arms you quietened. I
felt you fall asleep as I raced you away from her, and for the first time in many, many years, I felt something. There
you were this bundle of life, not recoiling away from me, not shivering at my touch and you made me feel alive; like
it was ok for me to live again. You don’t know how hard it was for me to let you go, to give you to the orphanage. But
I knew I couldn’t look after you, or give you a proper childhood. I watched you go inside and unable to look away, I
watched you grow up. I was determined to keep you safe and kept you always in my sight; it was selfish, but I
needed you,” Ragon said.
Ari had listened to him intently, as he recanted the missing pieces of her life’s story of how she had been taken to
the orphanage.
As soon as the car stopped, Ari jumped out. Sandra was besides her in a flash, and soon Clyde and Sameth ran up to
her also. They were looking at her with concern. One of her angel wings had been crushed by the way she had sat in
the car and it hung down low, giving her the appearance of a wounded bird. Ari was not oblivious to the way the rest
of the coven watched her, but she wasn’t in the mood to talk to any of them. When Ragon opened the door a few
moments later, she moved straight inside, heard loud music and gasped.
“What the hell?” she said.
In the living room was Patrick dressed as a zombie sailor and Ryder wearing a pirate’s costume. They were playing
twister, their arms and legs wrapped intricately around each other, placed on various shades of coloured circles.
Both were laughing comically, and Ari noticed with a pang of discomfort, that one of Ryder’s arms had a large bite
mark just over his wrist.
“What?” Patrick asked, looking up at her in surprise, “I told you I was ordering in. Did I miss something?”
It was all too much. Ari flung her headpiece onto the floor and ran for her room with Ragon following quickly behind.
She did not collapse as she might have wanted to but got down onto her hands and knees and began groping
underneath her bed for something.
In Ari’s hands was a small wooden box and when Ragon saw this, his eyes widened in horror.
“You wrote this?” Ari asked, opening the box and thrusting the crumpled piece of paper into his hands.
Ragon didn’t need to look at the small hand written note in her trembling hands to know what it was. She was right;
Ragon had wrote it; 24 years ago when he had rescued her from Kiara and taken her to the Grace Valley Orphanage.
“Yes,” Ragon breathed, looking down at his feet but not before her saw a single tear fall from her eyes and land onto
the note in her hands.
“There’s something I need to show you,” he said simply, moving over to her door and holding it open.
For a moment Ari considered refusing him. The note he had written all those years ago, that she had read and reread a thousand times, was still clutched in her hands and she held it as if her life depended on it. Everything she
thought she knew about herself was a lie. After a moment’s hesitation, Ari placed the note back into the small
wooden box so that it sat atop a white baby blanket and moved towards the door, following Ragon as he led her
down the hallway.
Ari’s eyes were plastered to the ground, focused solely on mimicking Ragon’s footsteps as he led her up the stairs
and along the second floor hallway. Her mind was chaotic and it wasn’t until she saw Ragon reach for a small key
that she realised where he was taking her; the room that she had been forbidden to enter.
“I didn’t mean to keep this from you, any of it,” he said pushing the door open.
The moment that Ari steeped into the room her mouth fell open. The room was large, much like a living room and
across every inch of the white walls were many, many hanging portraits, some sketched, others painted but all were
of the same thing, or rather the same person: Ari.
“I have been protecting you for a long time,” he said shyly, his eyes locked on a black and white sketch of Ari.
“But there all of me,” she whispered, moving closer to a large hanging wooden frame where a smiling Ari stared back
at her.
This picture was recent. She looked to be about twenty or so. Her hair was a little shorter but she recognised the
small amethyst pendant that she was wearing in the portrait as one that she had bought for herself on her
nineteenth birthday. Spinning silently on the spot, Ari took in the full weight of the room. Not only were the walls
covered with pictures but there were also many stacked picture frames next to a large painters stand. Moving
silently, Ari inched closer to the stand. There was a large canvas sitting on it and next to it was a table covered with
many pieces of charcoal. Ragon hadn’t finished this sketch yet. It was a portrait of Ari as an angel. He had traced a
faint outline of her face and body and had begun colouring in the large angelic wings that were extended behind her.
Other than the mystic blue and cream of the wings only one other aspect of the picture was coloured; Ari’s eyes.
One of them was blue and the other, green. Unable to stop herself, Ari moved even closer to the painting, tracing
her fingers along the delicate feathery pattern of the wings.
“I’ve loved you since I first saved you,” Ragon said.
Ari watched mesmerised as his full lips spoke those last three words and finally she understood. This was why he had
not taken her back to his house when first he had rescued her. He hadn’t wanted her to see his paintings of her.
Without pausing to consider Ragon’s feelings Ari raced from the room. Speeding down the stairs she almost tripped
but managed to make her way down the staircase but not without breaking one of her costume wings, causing it to
fall limply at her side, giving her the appearance of a fallen angel. She didn’t pause to look at Patrick and Ryder and
the rest of the coven in the living room, but raced to her room and threw the door shut.
As soon as she was inside Ari broke down. For a moment she sat heaving on the floor, her legs pulled up tight to her
chin as large tears spilled down her face. A small knock at her door caused her to pull her face up but she did not
answer.
Another knock came and trying desperately to organise her thoughts, Ari managed to punctuate her sobs to say,
“What?”
She didn’t look up when she heard the door open slowly. She didn’t want whoever it was to see her crying. Suddenly
a hand touched her shoulder. The icy cold touch told her it was a vampire but which one? Still crying she felt herself
being lifted and moved into the bathroom. In the large mirror she saw Ragon holding her. He settled her on the basin
so that he was facing her, while her large angel wings were pressed up against the mirror. With one hand he began
wiping her tears away.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Ari blinked back more tears but shook her head. She didn’t know what to say or what to do.
“If there was some way that I could have changed all of this, been there a few moments earlier to save your parents
from Kiara... I didn’t tell you because I thought that Kiara had killed your mum and dad so that she could keep you
and I thought you would blame me for that. I didn’t want you to hate me. It was selfish,” he said.
Listening to Ragon’s words bought more tears to her eyes. She knew why he hadn’t told her, even understood but it
didn’t change the fact that for 20 years she had wondered what had happened to them and now tonight she knew.
“I should have realised that you needed to know. And tonight you almost died trying to find out. I won’t ever keep
anything from you,” he added.
Ari looked up gingerly at him. His words, which she thought would have burned, were instead soothing.
“I understand,” she whispered and watched as Ragon’s face lightened immediately.
“All these years I’ve watched you, hoped for you, cried with you but now I see that all I have done is bought you
more pain,” he said. “Maybe it is time that I let you go, let you have a chance to live a normal life. I can take you far
away; hide you from all of this…”
Suddenly his hand was in hers and he drew it to his mouth, kissing it once on the palm before locking eyes with her,
“I can make you forget, make you forget all of this; it could be just as it was before you met me. All the hurt gone, all
the pain forgotten,” he whispered feverishly.
The moment he said this, Ari’s heart hastened and she was surprised to find that it wasn’t what she wanted at all.
Since Ragon had rescued her, Ari had thought that eventually she would be able to return to her mundane existence.
But after everything that she had found, she knew that she would never be able to settle down and have a normal
life. Everything had changed and she couldn’t go back: she didn’t want to.
Ari quickly grabbed him, fearful that he might dissociate her and pulled him closer.
“What happened wasn’t your fault. You saved me; I know you care for me,” she said and she knew the moment
these words left her lips that she meant them.
“I love you so much,” Ragon said but before he could go on, Ari was reaching for him, pulling him even closer.
In response Ragon’s eyes widened and before Ari knew what was happening, Ragon was kissing her hungrily,
cupping her cheeks with both his hands while catching some of her hair in his grasp. For a moment the pair remained
like this, locked to each other in desperate passion.
But then Ragon pulled away, “Wait,” he said, moving to look Ari in the eyes, “perhaps tonight is not the night, you’ve
been through so much…” he began but Ari pulled him back to her.
Ari relished in the feeling of Ragon’s tongue in her mouth, massaging it longingly with her own. One of her hands
was clasped at his brown hair in an effort to bring him even closer. Ragon hesitated for a moment, apparently
uncertain if Ari’s heightened emotions were fuelling her desires and masking her fears. A second later and he gave
in, reaching quickly for her large white angels wings and gently pulling them away from her shoulders. The large
feathered wings fell softly to the floor and Ragon moved one hand to the back of her white dress, slowly undoing the
long zipper from behind. Ari mimicked his actions, reaching for his shirt and pulling it up over his head in one quick
motion. His perfect stomach was revealed and she bent down to kiss along the creases of his muscles. Ragon pulled
her face back towards him and recommenced kissing her. As he did so he forced her dress down past her stomach,
so that it only covered her thighs and crumbled around where she sat on top of the bathroom cabinet. After that,
Ragon slipped his fingers under her bra straps and let them fall so that they were loose half way down her arm.
Releasing Ragon’s hair, Ari reached behind her back and unclasped her white bra, letting it fall to the bathroom floor
and join her wings on the tiles.
Fumbling for Ragon’s pants zipper, Ari tried to undo it, but her hands were shaking from the adrenaline and after a
few moments Ragon smiled. Pausing in kissing her, he reached down to undo it himself. Ari looked up blushing,
feeling something hard pressed low against her stomach. Instantly Ragon’s hands were back on her, desperate to
feel her smooth flesh and tracing the wonderful contours of her body. His cold touch made it feel like water rushing
down her body. Breathing in deeply, Ragon smiled; Ari smelt wonderful. He couldn’t quite place the scent, perhaps
citrus?
Still pressed close to her, he let one of his hands slip from her face, past her breasts and down to her thighs. For a
moment he was distracted by the rushing feeling of her femoral artery. Ari leaned in closer to him, and he continued
to trace up her inner thigh, until his fingers reached their target. Ari let out a small moan next to his ear, and opened
her mouth to take his earlobe by her tongue and suck on it.
“I can hear your heart pumping harder and harder, it’s shouting at me,” he whispered, “I wonder…” he said smiling
wickedly as he gently rubbed her clit, and listened for the increased heart rate, smiling wickedly to himself as soon as
it came.
As soon as Ragon did this she bit down hard on his ear, and Ragon pulled on her hair, forcing her head back and
exposing her neck. Instantly he leaned close, and began sucking on her neck, interchanging between kissing and
biting at his leisure, but be careful never to break the skin. Suddenly he reached for her waist, gently lifting her up, so
as to force her out of the remaining half of her dress. He then swept the bathroom cabinet, so as to clear it of all the
things on top. Ari laughed as her toothbrush, a bar of lemon soap and several other things fell to the floor. Then
Ragon gently placed her back on top of the cabinet, this time so that she was lying down on her back. Ari made to sit
up, but Ragon placed one hand atop her stomach and lent down to kiss her slowly. With the same slow movement,
he traced his spare hand down her breasts, past her belly and paused to gently part her legs. For a while he teased
her, using the back of his fingertips to brush along her thighs, admiring the way she thrust towards him as he did so.
He continued this until Ari’s moans were so loud that he thought the neighbours would hear them.
Placing a finger over her lips he whispered, “If I give you what you want will you try to be quiet?”
Ari nodded enthusiastically, and as soon as Ragon began rubbing her clit she used her hand to cover her mouth,
trying to stop herself from screaming as she shook from the ecstasy of her orgasm. Instantly Ari reached out for him,
hungry for more, and began pulling at his shoulders, desperate to get him closer.
“Are you sure?” Ragon asked, holding her face with both of his hands, as he helped her into sitting position.
Ari nodded and then gasped. In an instant Ragon was entering her, slowly pushing inside. He paused, looking at her
in concern, wanting to check that she didn’t want him to stop. The second he had paused however, he felt her
fingernails at his back, scrapping hard against his skin. Though she was pressing down with all her strength, when she
withdrew her fingers she saw that the nails were blunted, as if Ragon’s skin was sandpaper. Still, it had done the
desired effect. Ragon had grasped one hand onto the small of her back and the other around her neck and pushed
hard into her. Desperate to have him further inside him, Ari wrapped her feet around the back of his legs, locking
them together. Instantly Ragon lifted her off the cabinet and pressed her against the wall.
Lost in the euphoria of his own pleasure, he began blurring in and out of her as he reached climax. In response Ari
began moaning and Ragon, unable to stop himself, let his fangs un-sheath so that large white canines faced her. Ari
hadn’t missed this but she was too lost in her own orgasm to be fearful; all she felt was wave after wave of pleasure
writhe through her.
For a moment his eyes widened and Ari knew that he was considering biting her. She wondered how much different
her blood would taste now, in the throes of passion, when it was full of serotonin, adrenaline and other delightful
hormones and molecules. Instantly he shook his head and kissed her long and softly on the lips, trying desperately to
keep his fangs at bay. Ari kissed back hungrily, feeling the sharp edge of his canines with the tip of her tongue as his
thrusting slowed and then finally stopped. Ragon smiled at her, kissing the beads of sweat from her brow away and
gently moving them back over to the sink.
“Wow,” Ari said, her cheeks bright pink.
Ragon did not reply at first. Ari moved over to the shower and turned it on cold. For a few moments she stood under
the cool water, enjoying the neutralising sensation as her temperature began slowly to return to normal.
“May I join you?” Ragon asked from outside.
Ari was surprised at his politeness, and opened the door quickly, inviting him in. She reached for the hot tap quickly,
watching the vapour rise off Ragon’s icy body, as hot water met frosty skin, in a burst of steam. As soon as he was in
the shower, Ragon reached for Ari’s hand and pulled her close to him. It felt wonderful, being pressed up to Ragon’s
icy body as jets of warm water rushed down on her. For a few moments Ragon stroked Ari’s head, while staring at
her longingly.
“You’re so beautiful,” Ragon said, reaching down and kissing her on the forehead.
Ari beamed up at him and took his hand in hers, “You have to promise me that you won’t hurt me,” she said.
Ragon flipped her hand so that the scar on wrist, left by his fangs, was thrown into focus. “I don’t want anything to
ever happen to you.”
Ari pulled her hand away, “No, I don’t mean that. I’m human and you’re a vampire. I know that us being together will
be hard. But you can’t give up every time I get a paper-cut,” Ari sad.
“Matthew did more than just-” Ragon began to say but Ari cut him off.
“That’s exactly what I mean,” she said, “I can survive getting the occasional bruise, but I can’t handle you hurting me
when you think you’re trying to help me. You get so upset whenever something happens to me but I’m stronger than
you think.
“I’ll try,” Ragon said, reaching for Ari and drawing her closer.
“What do you think happened tonight?” Ari asked quietly. It was something that she had been thinking about for a
while; something that she didn’t understand in the slightest.
“Why would Kiara want to kill you?” Ragon asked out-loud, more to himself.
“She said she had promised to,” Ari replied.
“Promised who?” Ragon asked, turning to face Ari in confusion.
“She didn’t say; she was too busy trying to rip my throat out, like she did my mothers,” Ari responded coolly.
“But how did you get away?” Ragon pressed.
“I already told you,” Ari replied, unable to see why this, of all things, was what he was asking about.
“I don’t understand; she froze?” Ragon asked.
“Yep, just like a statue,” Ari replied.
“How did you do it?” he asked.
“I don’t know how, I closed my eyes and then when I opened them she was stuck in pause,” Ari said.
Ragon considered her words. Most concerning to Ragon was what the hell had happened to Kiara. Was she still
frozen at the Elders Halloween party? Did Kiara know that it had been Ari who had stopped her? Had the Elders
perhaps found Kiara? Were they, at this very moment, questioning her to find out what had happened to her?
Would the Elders be coming for Ari now too?
Ragon frowned at her. He was quite as mystified by her abilities as she was. He had never heard of such a thing. He
knew that witches and Wraith’s had powers, perhaps Ari had tapped into this power somehow?
“I don’t know,’ he replied. “Do you think you would be able to do it again?”
“I don’t know. I don’t really know how it happened the first time. I was really scared and she just… stopped,” Ari
admitted.
Ragon considered her words carefully and let go of her hand. For a moment he stood quit still, letting the fog settle
in the bathroom so that Ari could only just make out his frame. Standing that still and with all the fog unfurling in
front of him, it was almost impossible for Ari to see him.
“Rahhhh,” he growled suddenly, appearing from the fog, two large fangs poised to strike.
It was Ari who froze. She went white, watching the man she had just made love with turn into a monster.
“I’m sorry,” Ragon laughed, seeing Ari’s petrified face. “I thought perhaps if I scared you, then you might freeze me
too,” Ragon confessed, quickly sheathing his fangs, and taking her hand and kissing it once.
“Well you’re going to have to do better than that,” she said, catching her breath and shaking her head.
Ragon grinned. He didn’t like the thought of scaring Ari, but if she was able to stop time, then she needed to be able
to control that ability. It had saved her life once, and it might not be the only time she would need to use it.
“So you think it was me who stopped her?” Ari asked.
Ragon nodded. He didn’t know how, but he was sure that whatever had happened at the Halloween party was Ari’s
doing.
“Have you ever done anything like it before?” he questioned.
Ari thought for only a moment, shaking her head in a firm no. “But wouldn’t you think that if I could stop time, that I
would have done it when I was being attacked by those guys at campus?” she asked.
Ragon considered her words. This was something that he too had considered. There must have been times in her
past when she would have needed to use such a unique ability, but hadn’t been unable to.
“I don’t know,” Ragon said, “maybe you just learnt how to?”
“So you don’t think that I am a witch or something?” Ari asked.
Ragon stopped dead in his tracks at these words. Yes, the thought that Ari was a witch had crossed his mind but this
wasn’t something that he wanted her to know about, least of all to worry about. She hadn’t learnt anything; she had
simply done it, like it was a natural protection mechanism and this made him worry that she might be some sort of
supernatural being. Instantly he thought of asking Sameth if had ever heard of such a thing; a late blooming witch?
Sameth was an old vampire, not as old as Thomas but out of the entire coven, if anyone was going to have heard of
someone with the ability to freeze time, than it would be Sameth.
Half an hour later Ragon and Ari left her room. Ragon only had his white knight costume to wear and slunk quickly
away from the group, and returned a few moments later wearing a pair of long pants and a non-descript dark t-shirt.
“How are you feeling Ari?” Sandra asked when she saw her.
Ari’s eyes were no longer red and puffy from when she had been crying, rather her cheeks were rosy and there was a
spring in her step, as though a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She felt a little guilty for being so
overjoyed after her and Ragon’s union, having only just learnt the truth about her parent’s deaths. But knowing how
they had died didn’t bring them back, and it didn’t change the fact that they had died over twenty years ago; their
absence, while being horrible, had been something that she had learnt to live with a long time ago.
“Better,” Ari said, surveying the room.
When her eyes had met with Clyde, she instantly looked away. It wasn’t out of embarrassment, or anger, or any
emotion that she was sure of.
“I hope you didn’t freeze him during…” Sandra whispered to Ari, before her and Larissa began giggling.
Ari scoffed, but smiled, looking around the room nervously, hoping that she had been the only one to hear Sandra’s
comment. She was a little taken aback that they girls suspected her and Ragon had hooked up. She hoped they
hadn’t been too noisy. The thought of the other vampires being able to hear them was mortifying, and she tried
desperately to push this thought from her mind, while Sandra and Larissa continued to giggle, much to her
annoyance.
“Are we going to talk about what happened tonight?” Sameth asked briskly.
Ari swung around to face him. He was sitting on a bar stool near the kitchen, with a half empty bottle of scotch
besides him. Seeing Sameth in the kitchen reminded Ari of food. She brushed past him quickly, and began raiding the
cupboards for something, anything to eat. Until then she hadn’t realised how hungry she was.
“Yes, Kiara must be seriously pissed! But how she could think to attack you at one of the Elders parties? They would
have been rife if they found out. We may need to speak with her, let her know that she is not going to lay one of her
cheap, manicured fingernails on you,” Sandra said.
“Exactly,” Larissa chimed in, “it’s not Ari’s fault that Matthew came after her, or that she is hell bent on making
Ragon suffer.”
“But how do we even know if she has un-frozen? Maybe we don’t have to worry about her anymore?” Cambridge
asked.
Ragon looked sceptical.
“But how did Ari do it?” Sameth said.
Ari had been halfway to piling her mouth full of biscuits, when she had stopped and stared at Sameth. She wasn’t
the only one was looking at him; Clyde also was staring at him strangely.
“Have you ever heard of anything like this happening before?” Ragon asked.
Sameth shook his head.
“Was Kiara the only thing to freeze?” Sameth questioned.
Ari’s mouth was half full of biscuits when she mumbled, “Revrething roun me storped,” and seeing the perplexed
look on Sameth’s face, swallowed her mouthful and said, “everything around me stopped, there was no wind, and
some flowers that had been falling were frozen in mid-air.”
“So it’s not just vampires, it’s everything that she has this power over,” Sameth said, considering Ari’s answer.
“Maybe it wasn’t Ari?” Larissa asked.
“But then how?” Ragon said.
“I don’t know, but I have an idea how to find out,” Larissa said, a mischievous grin on her face that could have
rivalled one of Clyde’s.
Ari looked around at Larissa and saw Patrick and Ryder sitting together; until then she had entirely forgotten that
Ryder was there. As soon as her eyes fell on Ryder, she knew that she had to say something. It wasn’t that she didn’t
like Patrick; it was just that she didn’t like the thought of Patrick treating her friend like a blood bag. Still, blood
donor or not, it didn’t seem that Ryder was too upset being treated as a pin cushion.
Ari had stopped eating and moved over to Ryder. She looked at him for a moment, and then up to Patrick, “Maybe
this isn’t the best time for you to be here?” she said to Ryder.
Instantly Ryder’s face had fallen, but then Patrick moved over to Ari and said, “He knows about us.”
“What?” Ari asked, moving over to Patrick in disbelief.
“It’s ok,” Ryder said, standing and moving defensively in front of Patrick. “I think it’s awesome!”
“It’s not awesome!” Ari said, turning to stare incredulously at Ragon. “Did you know about this?”
Ragon shook his head but did not appear to be too surprised.
“Can I have a word,” Ryder said to Ari, taking her by the elbow and directing her to the veranda.
As soon as they were outside, Ryder closed the door and rounded on Ari, “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” Ari asked, raising her eyebrows in confusion, “many, many things, the least of all is that you seem
to be perfectly fine with all of this.”
“Yea I am fine with it,” Ryder said. “You’re dating one of them; why do you get to be fine with them and not me?”
“I didn’t choose this,” Ari said, pacing around the veranda, “and besides, I have known Ragon for a hell of a lot longer
than you’ve known Patrick.”
“I know that this is all new and frankly bizarre, but I really like Patrick; it feels… right with him,” Ryder said.
Ari looked down at the ground ashamed.
“I’m just worried about you,” Ari said, hoping that Ryder might see the situation from her point of view.
“And that’s why I love you munchkin,” Ryder said, moving over to her and pinching her cheeks hard. “But unless you
have a secret crush on Patrick, then I’m not backing down.”
Ari smiled up half-heartedly at him. “I guess it would be a bit hypocritical for me to tell you not to date a vampire,
when I basically am.”
“What? Patrick is a vampire?” Ryder asked, his eyes wide with shock.
Ari looked back in horror, until Ryder burst into laughter. “You use to be more difficult to trick,” Ryder said.
Ari returned a sideways grin, but did not respond.
Half an hour later and everyone except for Patrick was gathered outside. Ryder had been listening intently to the
group’s conversation. From what he had gathered there was a vampire after Ari and she had somehow managed to
stop them from killing her. The world of vampires was new to him, but he didn’t fear it, as most would. There was
something magical about it; so he sat and listened, hoping to be able to help, but wanting most of all not to be left
out. The moon, though a little higher in the sky, was still large and yellow and the storm clouds that had threatened
Brisbane with rain, had now rolled back out to sea.
“This feels stupid,” Ari said loudly.
She was standing on one of the highest branches of a large tree that took up most of Ragon’s back yard. Her legs
were shaking slightly out of fear, which caused the branch she was holding onto, to wobble dramatically. Next to her
was Sandra. She was poised like a leopard on the same branch as Ari, needing nothing to steady her.
“It’s alright honey, I‘ve got you,” she said, watching Ari’s hands shake.
“Why am I doing this again?” She whispered to Sandra.
From the ground Ragon shouted, “Because this is the easiest way for us to see if you freeze yourself to slow down
your fall.”
“And you’re sure you will catch me?” Ari asked, unable to keep the hysteria out of her voice.
“Always,” Ragon replied.
“Oh please,” Clyde whispered to Ragon, “and if he doesn’t, I will,” he yelled up to Ari.
From up the top of the tree Sandra laughed, causing the branch they were standing on to shake, “Clyde honey, were
trying to make her scared, not freaking terrified,” she said.
Clyde was about to respond, but before he could voice his retort, Ari said, “Please don’t move so much, I am not
exactly a big fan of heights.”
Sandra stopped quickly, and reached over to steady Ari, a weak smile on her face as she said, “Sorry hun.”
“Ok, so I am going to go after three,” Ari said from up above, talking faster and faster, “you know like one, two ,three
then I will jump,” Ari said, moving over to the edge of the branch, and looking down at the ground. She moved back
a little, re-doubling her grasp on the branch and added, “I am not going to go on three, I am going to after three, so
not one, two…”
But before she could finish her sentence, Sandra had pushed her, and she relinquished her grip of the branch and
fell, the wind wishing past her ears as her stomach dropped.
“Ahhh,’ she screamed, her arms and legs flailing everywhere.
Down below Ragon waited with his arms outstretched. Suddenly he felt a rough shove in his side, as he was pushed
hard, falling ten metres through the air, and landing crumpled near the neighbour’s fence. Ari’s eyes had been shut
tightly while she fell and it seemed to only last for a moment, before she felt someone catching her. Opening her
eyes quickly she looked up and saw: Clyde? For a few moments she remained cradled in his arms, unable to think
straight. Then Ragon blurred towards them and seeing his stricken face, she quickly jumped out of Clyde’s embrace.
“You’re welcome,” Clyde said, smiling politely after her.
Though Ari had not seen what had happened below on the ground as she fell, it wasn’t too difficult for her to guess.
Ragon was brushing off bark and dirt from his clothes, while scowling at Clyde.
“What?” Clyde asked, shrugging at Ragon’s death glare, “I told her if you weren’t there, that I would catch her.”
Ragon stormed towards Ragon, ready to fight. Before he could reach out and strike however, he saw Patrick blur
over to the group and say, “I don’t think she stopped herself. I kept my eyes on all of you the whole time, and it all
looked normal to me.”
Ari, who was also shaking her head but not at this, had suddenly turned and said, “Yea, I don’t think I did anything
but fall, and maybe suffer a small heart attack.”
“Well it was worth a shot,” Sandra said to Larissa.
“Any other bright ideas?” Sameth asked the group, his eyes pinned to Ari.
“Well we could try going higher?” Cambridge asked, but Ari shook her head.
“It’s different, when I was with Kiara I thought I was going to die. But when I was up in the tree, I knew that…” she
was going to say Ragon’s name, but instead said, “someone would catch me.”
“So what do we do now?” Patrick asked, his eyes roaming over to Ryder.
“Well I am not jumping off anything else,” Ari said, moving her hands to her hips.
“Actually I have an idea,” Clyde said, before moving over to Ragon in a heartbeat, and whispering something in his
ear.
Almost as soon as Clyde had finished whispering, Sandra grabbed Ari’s hand and said, “Come on, let’s have a drink. I
am sure that you need one after that.”
Ari allowed Sandra and Larissa to pull her back inside, just as Ragon raised an eyebrow in response to Clyde. She was
half way towards the house, and out of ear shot, when Ragon nodded and said, “As long as everyone agrees.”
Less than five minutes later and the rest of the group joined the girls inside. Ari had already had three shots of
bourbon when Ragon came and sat down beside her.
“So what brilliant plan did you come up with?” she asked, holding up her 4th shot.
Ragon hesitated for a moment, than Clyde moved over to them, took the undrunk shot from Ari, and downed it
saying, “It wasn’t going to work. Falling out of an aeroplane without a parachute just has too many logistical
problems.”
Ari gulped loudly, and quickly poured herself a replacement drink.
“Don’t worry,” Ragon said, taking Ari by the hand and squeezing it, “I won’t let Clyde throw you out of an
aeroplane.”
“It’s too bad you two took your costumes off,” Patrick said, “we could have continued the Halloween party here.”
“Just because they’re not dressed up, doesn’t mean they can’t still party,” Sandra said, pouring two large glasses
with Kentucky bourbon and handing one to each of them. “Trick or treat,” she said, raising her glass before she shot
it.
A second later and music was blaring out of the speakers, and Cambridge and Sandra were dancing together, while
their mates watched jealously. Ragon had continued to hold Ari’s hand, until Ryder came up to her.
“So you’re sure it’s not too much for me to hang out with you?” he asked, a puppy dog look taking over in his eyes.
Ari paused to think, turning to stare out of the open veranda doors.
“It’s not too much, I just… I just don’t want you getting hurt,” she said.
“We’re all grown up now Ari, and I know how to take care of myself,” he said winking before adding, “besides, how
do you know that it isn’t Patrick who needs to be careful of me?”
Ari smiled weakly, unable to avoid looking down at his now bandaged wrist, under which a large bite mark was
hidden.
“Do I?” Patrick asked loudly from the couch.
His voice was casual, even suggestive, as if he were hoping that there was something dangerous about his new
interest. Ryder smiled innocently back at Patrick, batting his eye lashes a few more times than necessary.
“What did you think of Nikolas and William?” Patrick asked.
“Well Nikolas was…” she began.
“I know; dreamy right?” Patrick finished for her.
One of Ryder’s eyebrows rose, but Patrick leaned over to him, saying, “Don’t worry, I only have eyes for you.”
Ari blushed furiously, while Ryder was lost in Patrick’s large green eyes. She was just beginning to feel awkward,
when Ragon took her by the hand and said, “I have been dying to dance with you all night.”
Ari smiled, and listened to the song that was playing. It was a slow one that she recognised, the Jezabels, ‘Endless
summer’. She had just taken Ragon’s hand and he had twirled her, when the music suddenly changed.
“Nice,” Sandra said, glaring at Clyde, who had just put on, ‘I like big butts,’ and was humming tunelessly to it, a
wicked grin on his face from where he stood near the CD player.
Ari was half way to Clyde, intent on punching him, when Ragon dragged her back to the dance floor.
“Just pretend,” he whispered, humming lightly in her ear, as he continued to dance with her.
Ari felt like she was floating. Every dip brought a new smile and each turn had her glowing more and more brightly.
Had the other vampires thought that she looked like an angel before, it was nothing to how she now glowed. Though
her pyjamas were by no means a match for the angelic costume she had adorned hours ago, it didn’t matter. The
same feelings of hope, inspiration and remembrance washed over the immortals; and Patrick, who had been
watching intently, rested his head in his hand, cupping his cheek, as though he had never seen anything more
adorable. It didn’t matter that the music had changed, and that they were dancing slowly to loud rap music. Ari’s
only thoughts rested on Ragon, and the pair continued to glide through the living room, forgetting that everyone
was there. When Ragon’s hypothetical music ended, he swept Ari into his arm, and kissed her slowly on the lips. Ari
returned the kiss hungrily, her eyes closed so that everything and everyone in the background faded away.
“Ohhh,” Patrick sighed, unable to look away.
Ari had bitten Ragon’s lower lip teasingly, before Ragon pulled away from her. When finally Ari opened her eyes, she
was looking disappointedly at him, upset at his ending their perfect moment together so abruptly. Now as she traced
his line of vision to the rest of the vampires in the room, she thought she could guess why he had stopped her. Had
she not been reminded that they were in a room full of spying eyes, she probably would have jumped him.
“Well,” Clyde said, looking knowingly over at Ragon and then at Patrick, “let’s do something fun.”
Patrick clapped his hands together excitedly, and Ryder nodded.
“Hmmm, well we can’t play Sources, and it’s too late to grab a bite to eat at a club, so what does that leave us with?”
Clyde mused out loud.
“How about a nice friendly game of checkers?” Cambridge asked.
He was ignored almost entirely, when Clyde said, “Let’s do shots,” and moved over to the kitchen in a blur.
A second later and nine shot glasses were lined up along the kitchen bench, all overflowing with vodka. Ryder was
the first to move, quickly jumping up from where he sat next to Patrick and throwing the glass nearest him down the
hatch. Ari laughed, and moved into the kitchen and copied him. In no time at all, all the glasses had been emptied,
and Clyde was re-filling them. After a while Ari lost count of how many shots she had done, before realising that she
needed to go to the bathroom.
Excusing herself she said, “Make sure my next one is ready,” and then moved over to her room, swaying a little as
the alcohol took effect.
She was just checking her reflection in the mirror when a loud crashing noise made her race out the door and into
the kitchen.
“Woops,” Ryder said drunkenly, before reaching down behind the kitchen counter to pick up the broken pieces of
glass.
“I feel like I should yell out taxi,” Clyde said amused, as he looked down mournfully at the smashed vodka bottle.
“Shit,” Ryder yelled, and Ari moved over to him.
From where he sat on the floor, Ari could make out that he had cut his finger, which was now bleeding profusely.
She made to move towards him, but suddenly there was a long, low, growl from behind her. She turned to see
Patrick, staring down at Ryder, his eyes wide with hunger. In a second the atmosphere in the room changed; it was
as if it was ten degrees colder. From behind his top lip, two sharp fangs were revealed, and without pausing he
moved over to Ryder. Ryder looked up helplessly at the monster, too paralysed by fear to respond.
“No,” Ari screamed, throwing her hands up protectively in the air to stop him.
As though obeying her command Patrick stopped. For a moment she blinked confused, and then realised that it
wasn’t just Patrick who had frozen: everyone had. For a few moments she breathed hard, trying to wrap her head
around the situation. Glancing around at the other frozen vampires, she was surprised to see that no-one else had
been in motion to stop Patrick, almost as if they were watching him. Dismissing this confusing thought, she
deliberated on what to do next. Thinking quickly, she tried to pull Ryder away, hoping that if she at least managed to
move him, it would give someone enough time to stop Patrick. It was hard work. Ryder’s dead weight felt as though
it was suspended in gelatine, and Ari fought hard against the gravity which tried to keep him frozen in place. Panting
hard from her efforts, she managed to drag him a few feet away from the group, into the living room, before sudden
movements told her that time had re-started. For a moment all eyes were staring curiously at her and Ryder.
Ryder was surprised to find himself in the living room, but he leant over to Ari smiling and said, “I knew you’d save
me.”
“What?” Ari asked, looking back at Patrick, whose face was completely back to normal.
There wasn’t a trace of malice or hunger about him, only surprise. After a moment Ragon moved over to where Ari
was sitting and gently placed an arm on her shoulder.
“You did it,” he said simply, looking at her sideways.
“Does someone want to tell me what the hell is going on?” Ari asked.
To her surprise it was Clyde who moved over to her and said, “I thought the best way to err... test you, would be to
put you in a more make believe situation.”
For a few moments she stared disbelievingly up at him, and said, “But…” pointing to Ryder and then Patrick, lost for
words.
“It’s fake,” Ryder said, putting his finger into his mouth and licking off the bright red liquid, “tomato sauce.”
Ari didn’t move for a while. She looked back and forth from Patrick to Ryder, and then her eyes rested on Ragon. It
was true; she really could stop time.
“So what the hell does this mean?” asked Sameth, from where he was standing in the kitchen, a strange
unrecognisable look, plastered on his face.
“Well for one thing, we know that Kiara must have unfrozen afterwards. Which means we need to keep protecting
Ari from her, and if she has worked out what you did, then she will probably want to kill you more than ever, now
that you’re a threat to her,” Cambridge said, a grim look on his face.
CHAPTER 15 - PATRICKS FLEDGLING
The next week was occupied with test after test of Ari’s ability. At the same time the coven had been on high
alert for Kiara. Ragon was convinced that Kiara would want to attack Ari now more than ever; what with the loss of
Matthew and Ari escaping her for the second time. At night everyone took it in turn to check the perimeter of the
house, while Ryder had been forced to wake during the day, much to his annoyance, as he would have much
preferred being curled up with Patrick.
“Have you ever heard of the boy who cried wolf?” Ari asked Ryder, after his fourth failed attempt to get her to stop
time again. “One day you might be in a real life and death situation, and I will just ignore it because I think you’re
faking it.”
Ryder, who had been pretending to have a seizure after drinking some strange concoction, stood up abruptly.
“I even used toothpaste to imitate frothing at the mouth,” he said, impressed with his resourcefulness.
She was in part grateful that the coven and Ryder had taken such a proactive approach to try and get her to gain
control over her power, but at the same time, she didn’t know if her heart could take all the elaborate stunts they
were coming up with. Ryder, who had fallen head over heels for Patrick, had remained with the group since the night
of the Halloween party. He had returned home a few times, but in the whole he had become a permanent fixture.
Part of Ari was glad about this, because it meant that she wasn’t the only human there anymore, and part of her was
concerned, as she didn’t necessarily approve of his becoming a source for Patrick. Now as Ryder began wiping the
minty froth away from his mouth, he moved over to where Ari stood in the kitchen.
“Does that hurt?” Ari asked, trying to be casual, as she indicated the large bite mark on his neck.
Ryder shrugged, apparently indifferent at his being Patrick’s meal ticket.
“Don’t you ever let Ragon, you know…” Ryder asked curiously, after getting a spoon to steal some of the bubbling
curry that Ari was cooking.
Ari looked at Ryder confused. Since the Halloween party, Ari and Ragon, although they had not said it out loud, were
pretty much official. They slept in the same bed, held hands, and kissed like they were lovers. Still, Ragon had never
so much as hinted that he wanted to use Ari for her blood. For a moment this thought concerned her. Surely if he
had wanted to take blood from Ari, he would have asked.
Ari shook her head saying, “Never.”
“Not even when your, you know, in the throes of passion?” Ryder asked incredulously, his eyebrows disappearing
into the top of his forehead.
Ari had seen Ragon’s fangs appear only once when they were having sex. She knew that it was an instinct for him to
draw them, but he had been mortified about it. Clearly Ragon had no intention of feeding off her. For a moment Ari
considered Ryder, her eyes resting on the swollen area of tissue where two large holes showed pink underneath a
large swelling. Was there some kind of expectation that vampires who date mortals were supposed to be fed from?
“Did Patrick ask you before he bite you?” Ari asked, wanting to know if there had been some kind of arrangement
between the two, or if it was simply that he could not control himself.
“Not the first time,” Ryder admitted, “but we spoke about it afterwards. I think it’s kind of hot.”
Ari blushed. Clearly vampirism was not something that Ryder found even remotely strange. Not for the first time, Ari
wondered whether or not Patrick was commanding Ryder. This was how vampire and human interactions normally
worked; the vampire would bite the human, and then controlled them, so that they wouldn’t run screaming. It
would make sense that Patrick had control over Ryder, after all Patrick had taken Ryder’s blood, that much was clear.
She hadn’t asked Ryder about this, because she had no idea how to broach it. Still, commanded or not, it was
interesting to see how another mortal-vampire relationship operated. Asides from what she had seen in the movies,
or had read in Dracula, she had no idea what was normal. Ari moved over to the large dining room table, which sat in
the corner of the living room, next to the veranda door, and served up two large plates of Rice and curry. She had
gotten use to cooking and eating large meals at once, having found that living with vampires wasn’t exactly
conducive to maintaining a healthy diet. For a while Ryder toyed with the folk in his hand, as if chewing on
something in his mind instead of his food. He was just about to speak when Ari reached quickly for the remote and
turned the volume up on the television, listening intently to the report.
“Police are on high alert, as murders in the Brisbane area continue to baffle them. Today, at 3.45am, a body was
discovered in Taringa. 24 year old Chelsea Livingstone was found dead under an overpass servicing a train station.
The coroner’s office has not, as of yet, released a statement, but the police have said, that they are treating the death
as suspicious.”
For a few minutes Ari continued to listen to the news report and then Ryder spoke, completely side tracking her.
“Actually,” Ryder said, in a whisper, “Patrick has offered to turn me.”
Ari’s folk fell from her hand, spreading rice and curry all over the table and down her shirt, “What?” she asked
alarmed, the news report instantly disappearing from her thoughts.
Had Ryder been trying to provoke a response from her that would result in her stopping time, this would have been
the perfect moment, but he continued to stare at her, as though they were having an entirely normal conversation.
“Yea, the other night, when we, um, were in bed together,” Ryder said.
“But you’re not going to do it,” Ari responded, dismissing the notion.
“Well…” Ryder began.
“But… What? You can’t! I don’t understand; you have only known him for a few weeks,” she stammered, completely
astounded.
“A few days to some people is like a life time to others,” Ryder said prophetically.
Ari scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief, “You can’t honestly tell me that you want to spend the rest of… forever
with him?” Ari asked, now picking the pieces of rice off the table, and hoping that Patrick wasn’t upstairs listening.
“Would it be so horrible if I did?” Ryder asked defensively. “I am not saying that we are going to get married, hell I
am not even saying that we will stay together, but, I don’t know, I really want to be one; a vampire.”
Ari couldn’t believe her ears. Was this really happening? “I don’t understand how you can make this choice so light
heartedly?” she said.
“Just because it’s fast, doesn’t make it light hearted,” Ryder replied, a slight edge to his voice.
“But what about Patrick; do you love him?” Ari questioned.
“Love?” Ryder replied.
“Yes you know ‘love’. The kind of feeling that makes you want to spend the rest of your life, or the rest of your
existence with one person. How can you feel that after such short a time? How do you know it is right?” Ari asked.
“Oh Ari, you’re still the same girl, so innocent and unknowing. Do you have any idea how long I have been looking for
someone who understands me? Can you imagine how impossibly happy I am that he wants to turn me? This isn’t
just a gay thing; if Ragon said to you that he wanted to change you, that he couldn’t live without out, can you
honesty tell me you wouldn’t cut your own wrists to hasten the process?” Ryder asked.
Ari looked at him in concern. Yes she liked Ragon, maybe she was even starting to love him. But she had spent a hell
of a lot longer with Ragon and still wasn’t prepared to say that she would want to become a monster to be with him.
“Why can’t you be together the way you are now? Why rush into things?” Ari asked.
This question was close to her heart. It was one that she absolutely feared; the question of time.
“One lifetime to us is like a few years to them. They live forever; today I’m young and beautiful and he likes me, but
tomorrow, tomorrow I am some old person. I don’t want this to be a fleeting moment; I want it to last forever,”
Ryder replied.
His words had hit Ari like a ton of bricks. She felt winded, as though all the air in her chest had gone and her lungs
were too stiff to refill. Was Ryder right? Ari thought for a few moments, unsure how to phrase her next question, but
finally said, “But, why… Wouldn’t just a few more weeks together be better, to wait, just a little longer?”
Ryder sighed, “Have you ever fallen for someone hard; the kind of love that has you up all hours of the night talking
on the phone, or else planning secret meetings in the city? It’s the kind of love that you almost always only feel when
you are 17, when everything is fresh and new and perfect. When the feeling of a kiss or a touch means everything
and you can’t think of anything else except being with them. That’s what I feel like now, I don’t care if this feeling
last five minutes or five centuries: I’d risk it,” Ryder declared.
“How do you know these are your feelings?” Ari asked.
It had been a low ball, but it was her last card to play. There was a chance that Patrick had commanded Ryder to feel
everything that he was feeling right now.
“I’m pretty sure I know my own feelings,” Ryder said coolly.
“That’s not what I… I mean how do you know that Patrick hasn’t commanded you into thinking this?” Ari asked.
Ryder looked down and shook his head, “I thought of all people, you would understand this,” he said, standing up
and dumping his half eaten plate of food onto the counter, before walking off.
Ari sat with her head in her hands for a long time. She didn’t finish her curry wither, but took her half eaten plate up
to the sink and began cleaning up. She had gone too far and she knew it. Shed basically just accused Ryder of
meaning nothing to Patrick, nothing except a blood bag. Ryder had done nothing to her, except for be a friend when
she needed one, and to try and help her gain control of her powers, not to mention keeping an eye out for anyone
Kiara might have thought to send during the day. The least she could do was listen to him, and help him with this
decision, rather than being a bitch.
“Ah!” Ari said a few minutes later, feeling Ragon creep up on her as she placed the last dish into the dishwasher,
“maybe we need to get you a bell?”
Ragon smiled, kissing her shoulder and then running his lips along her collar bone, punctuating this with soft kisses
on her neck, until finally he reached her mouth and kissed her passionately. For a few moments, the conversation
she had just had with Ryder was swept from her, but then, when the kiss ended she looked at Ragon, concern
drawing her eyebrows low.
“What’s wrong?” Ragon asked, reaching out a hand to trace her pouting lips.
“Maybe you’re just a bad kisser?” Clyde said, as he blurred into the living room and jumped on the couch. “I’d be
happy to act as a comparison if you like Ari.”
Ari smiled weakly, but Ragon moved over to Clyde angrily. He had had just about enough of Clyde. He reached down
and threw one fast punch, hitting Clyde unaware in the jaw. Ari, who was still in the kitchen, watched the scene
unfold in shock.
“Well I guess I deserve that,” Clyde said, now standing from the sofa and rubbing his jaw.
For a moment neither of them moved, and then Ragon let out a low growl and Clyde smiled. Before Ari knew what
was happening the two were brawling. Clyde had moved over to Ragon and shoved him in the chest. He fell hard,
hitting the coffee table, whose wooden frame broke under his weight instantly. Quickly Ragon jumped to his feet,
and charged at Clyde, forcing him out onto the veranda.
“Stop this,” Ari screamed, following the pair out onto the balcony.
For a few moments they continued to wrestle, each throwing fast hits at the other, blurring so quickly that Ari
couldn’t tell who was who.
“My moneys on Clyde,” Cambridge said, walking out towards Ari, a large smile on his face.
He was followed by Thomas and Sameth.
“Can’t you stop them?” Ari pleaded, her face stuck halfway between a pained and exasperated expression.
Cambridge frowned, but gestured to Sameth and Thomas, then moved quickly over to Ragon and Clyde who were
now grappling on the veranda floor.
“Aren’t you boys a little old to be fighting?” Sandra said, when she had joined them on the veranda also.
Ragon was growling, but one look at Ari had him gaining control of himself, and he stopped struggling with Sameth
who was fighting hard to restrain him. A moment later and Thomas and Cambridge released Clyde also.
“What in god’s name are you fighting about?” Larissa asked.
Neither responded, but Ragon looked once at Ari, and Larissa instantly knew who they were fighting over.
“Maybe it’s time that you left?” Ragon said to Clyde, his voice malevolous.
“I came for you,” he said to Ragon, hurt by his words and brushing his shirt straight, “but I’m staying for Ari.”
Ragon had been shocked by Clyde’s words and instantly felt guilty. He had been stupid to let Clyde get to him.
Wasn’t Ari clearly with him; hadn’t she obviously chosen him over Clyde. What did it matter if there was a little
rivalry between the two of them, if it meant that there was an extra person protecting Ari?
“Ok,” Ragon said.
Clyde shrugged and moved inside, pouring two large glasses of bourbon and handing one to Ragon in obvious
acceptance of peace. Ari watched the whole scene in disbelief, and moved back into the house. Clyde had been
flirtatious with her since the moment he’d arrived to protect her, but when it mattered most, he had told her what
Ragon had done after she had been attacked by Matthew. Had it not been for Clyde’s words, Ari might never have
understood exactly how much it hurt Ragon not to be there when she needed him. Judging by the way that Sandra
was glaring at Clyde, and how Ragon had reacted to his snide comment, Ari thought that they had no idea what
Clyde had said to her all those weeks ago. Not for the first time, she wondered if anyone really knew Clyde.
“What’s all the commotion about?” Patrick asked, walking down the hallway flanked by Ryder.
As soon as Ryder entered the living room, their previous conversation flashed back to Ari, and unable to stop herself
she said, “Looks’ like I’ll be the only human here soon.”
For a moment Ragon stared at her in confusion, but then Patrick asked, “Do you disapprove?”
Ryder was glaring at Ari, hurt by her betrayal of their trust. Right then Ari wished that she could not only stop time,
but reverse it. For a moment she tried hard to, hoping that somehow her powers would have advanced, but they did
not. She had no idea how to respond, but was mercifully spared having to when Ragon spoke.
“Disapprove of what?” Ragon asked curiously, not missing the exchange between Ari and Patrick.
“Of my turning Ryder,” Patrick answered coolly.
“What?” Sandra said, her eyes now fixed on Ryder who had stopped glaring at Ari, and was looking down at his feet.
“This isn’t really the best time to have a fledgling to worry about,” Sameth said.
“He will be my responsibility,” Patrick said simply.
Though Ari wanted to say something she did not. She felt guilty enough about bringing Ryder’s and Patrick’s personal
life into the spotlight and did not wish to add insult to injury. She tried catching Ryder’s eyes a few times, hoping to
convey that she was sorry, but he did not look up at her. Instead Patrick moved over to Ryder protectively and the
pair moved out onto the balcony together.
“Well that’s just about enough excitement for one day,” Clyde said dramatically.
Ari couldn’t help but nod her head in agreement. She didn’t want Ryder to become a vampire; at the end of the day,
she just didn’t! There was no way however, that anything she said would stop him. From what Ryder had told her, it
wasn’t just about being with Patrick; Ryder wanted to be a vampire. She considered this for a moment. Sure there
were things about being a vampire that were appealing, like not aging, being immortal and getting to live for ever.
But all of that came at a high price. Had Ryder considered that he would have to watch his parents die, along with
everyone else he ever cared about. Not only that, he would have to drink blood. Maybe he would be able to control
himself like the others in the coven, but Ari knew that not all vampires had that luxury. Instantly her mind flashed
back to Paige, the young girl who had been in the cell opposite her when she had been taken by Kiara. Matthew had
killed her in a heartbeat and without remorse. Becoming a vampire didn’t just mean you had fangs; after a while
humanity faded, making it easier and easier to take a life.
“How long have you known about this?” Ragon asked Ari in a whisper, so that Patrick could not hear.
“About half an hour before you,” she replied.
For most of the night there was tension between Ari and Ryder. Almost all of the other vampires had left to go
hunting. Only Ryder, Ari, Patrick and Thomas remained.
A few times she approached Ryder so that she could apologise, and finally on her third attempt he said, “Look Ari, I
know what you’re going to say, but it won’t change anything.”
Ari blinked, “I’m sorry,” she said.
Her apology had caught him off guard and he opened his mouth dumbly to speak, but no words came out.
“It’s your decision to make, and even though I don’t necessarily think it needs to be made so quickly, I respect
whatever you decide to do,” Ari said.
“Well, err, thanks,” Ryder said, scratching his head slightly confused.
“God I’m starving,” Thomas said, pacing around the house.
Ari watched as he blurred around the room, making her feel motion sick.
“Why don’t you go out, I can watch the kids,” Patrick said teasingly, looking up from his book and dog tagging the
page of ‘Withering heights’ that he was reading.
Ryder threw him a dirty stare, but Patrick smiled sweetly back at him.
“Are you kidding me? Ragon told me that I was not to let Ari out of my sight for even a second,” Thomas said.
“Um, I think I can handle babysitting two mortals,” Patrick said. “Go eat!”
Thomas seemed to consider his words for a second, his hunger overtaking his better judgement, but then shook his
head firmly saying, “No, I can’t!”
“I could go with you,” Ari said, and at this Thomas shook his head even harder. “I will wait in the car and lock the
doors; you won’t even know I am there.”
“She has a point,” Patrick said. “If you leave now you could get back before the others return.”
At these words Thomas stopped shaking his head and considered his options. It wasn’t like Ari hadn’t gone out
hunting with them before, and he wouldn’t exactly be breaking his promise to Ragon, as long as he didn’t let Ari out
of his sight. He rationalised the logistics of this plan, then moving over to the front door, retrieved a pair of keys and
said, “Ok, but you don’t leave the car.”
It was 10 minutes into their drive when Ari realised that she had just left Ryder and Patrick alone in the house
together. She thought about what Ryder had said, that he wanted to be a vampire, and hoped like hell that it would
not be happening tonight. Perhaps if Ryder had a few more days living with vampires, he would have more time to
think and be sure about his decision. Still, who was she to judge him? She was dating a vampire, and she didn’t think
she had ever met a more caring person. As she thought about this, she couldn’t help but draw horrible conclusions
about her and Ragon’s relationship. What Ryder had said earlier about humans growing old was true, and he wasn’t
the first one to tell her. She remembered the conversation she had had with Larissa and Sandra. Larissa had turned
Cambridge because she didn’t want to exist without him, but she had also said that if she had the chance again, she
wouldn’t become a vampire. Sandra had been turned by Thomas because she was dying, and didn’t have a choice,
but she still said that she didn’t regret this. But Ari and Ryder did have a choice, and Ryder had made his.
“Ok,” Thomas said, pulling the car over to the curb, and bringing Ari back to her surroundings.
“Wh… What?” Ari asked confused.
Thomas pointed to a man standing near the side of a deserted street in the Valley. It was raining now; large thick
drops of water splattered against the windshield, distorting her view. She had not really been paying attention to
where they had been driving, and only realised that they were in the Valley when she looked out and saw a burnt
down building. Instantly she recognised the orphanage that she had grown up in, the Grace Valley Orphanage, and
the news report she had heard about how it had burnt down flashed back to her. Now as she beheld the dampened
derelict building, which had once been her home, she couldn’t help but feel a little sad. What had happened to all
the children who had been in there, waiting to find a new home?
“Wait here,” Thomas said, flicking the headlights off, but leaving the keys in the ignition. “Make sure you lock the
doors after I leave.”
Ari nodded, and as soon as Thomas slammed the door shut, moved over to the central locking button and hit it. A
small clicking noise followed this, as all the doors locked. Looking through the window, Ari watched Thomas flick his
coat collar up to shield him from the rain, and move over to the man, who with one hand was smoking a rollie, while
the other remained in his pocket. Large thick puffs of smoke came out of the man’s mouth; the tobacco mingled
smog curled around his face and disintegrated into the air with each new puff. The car was not close enough for Ari
to hear what Thomas said to the stranger, and the rain continued to pound on the car making it more and more
difficult to see anything. After a moment Thomas followed his prey further down the alley. Thomas turned quickly to
glance at Ari then suddenly grabbed the man, holding him up by his jacket. Ari watched mesmerised as the pair
struggled for a moment, and saw the stranger retrieve his hand and produce a small switch blade. Thomas, who was
drinking hungrily from the man’s wrist, had not noticed the blade that was now being pointed at him from behind.
Ari screamed in response, fumbling for the door before she realised it was still locked. When she looked up again
both men were gone. Without thinking, she unlocked the door and jumped from the car, racing to where she had
seen them last and slipping slightly on the wet shiny foot path. Outside the car, the smell of burnt wood assaulted
her nostrils. The rain had obviously washed away much of the ash from the wreck, which looked as though it had not
been touched since the fire.
“What the hell happened?” she asked, seeing Thomas standing over the man he had been drinking from, crossing
himself, as he touched his hand to his forehead, then sternum, and finally to either side of his shoulders.
The man was sprawled on the floor lying quite still; his arms and legs were stuck out at strange angles and Ari
realised suddenly that he was not breathing. The rain was soaking his clothes, and a trickle of blood was been
washed from his neck, joining a large puddle besides him, giving it a diluted red colour. Thomas did not respond to
her, but with a sombre look on his face, reached down to the man he had killed and retrieved something from his
pocket. Moving quickly he put the small black wallet he had taken into his own pocket and grabbed Ari by the elbow,
then ran.
“I told you not to leave the car,” Thomas said angrily when they were back in the car, sopping wet and speeding
away from the crime scene.
Ari was shaking a little from the rain which had soaked through her clothes. Fast breaths were fogging up the
window, but from the frosted glass she saw the orphanage blur into the distance, and said “But he had a knife, I
thought-”
“I’m a vampire Ari; he might as well have been wielding a rubber chicken for all the good it would have done him,”
Thomas said.
Thomas looked up at Ari from behind the steering wheel and growled saying, “I didn’t mean to kill him. He was a
drug dealer; I was pretending to buy some stuff off him and when he jumped me...”
Ari thought better of asking any more questions, and did not press him after his sentence had trailed off.
After a moment Thomas spoke again saying, “Ragon is going to kill me when he finds out.”
As soon as they arrived home it was apparent that the other vampires had not yet returned. When Thomas opened
the door for Ari, she walked through quickly and scanned the house for any sign of inhabitants. Even Patrick and
Ryder were no longer there.
Ari was just about to ask where the hell they had gone, but Thomas, who had seen her searching the house for them
said, “Ryder is upstairs.”
“How do you know?” she asked curiously.
“I can hear him,” Thomas replied.
“How?” Ari asked confused.
“I can hear his heart,” he said.
She nodded slowly, rolling her eyes at the obvious answer, than asked, “What about the others?”
“There not back yet,” he said.
Ari didn’t reply, but watched as Thomas moved over to the veranda door, opened it and moved out onto the
balcony. Ari followed, watching him peer up at the moon. It was early in the morning and judging by the lighting of
the sky at the horizon, the sun would be rising in a few hours. Thomas grasped tightly on the railings, his fingers
locking around the metal rim and indenting it; whenever he was away from Sandra this close to the morning, he was
nervous. Even if a vampire did get stuck somewhere when the sun was close to rising, it wasn’t like vampires weren’t
without resources. It was only direct sunlight that was destructive to them. Being out of un-filtered rays, even if it
was only behind a UV blocking glass, such as that which lined most cars, afforded them great protection. In some
places there was enough cloud cover so that vampires could walk during the day. They had to drink more blood to
maintain this lifestyle, but it was very possible. This was one of the reasons why there were relatively few vampires
in Australia; it was just too damn hot. If a vampire was caught out during the day, all they needed to do was get
inside a car, or a house, or even go to ground, as long as they got away from the damaging sun’s rays. It was true
that they would be greatly weakened by their efforts, and some of the younger vampires would not be able to
tolerate it, but Sandra was an old vampire. Unfortunately this thought did not manage to comfort Thomas much, and
he continued to stare out past the dark forest, his eyes hungrily raking the valley for any sign of his mate. Thomas
was overprotective; just the thought of having to spend eternity without Sandra was unbearable. But then, she
wasn’t just his mate, she was his soul mate. When he had changed Sandra a connection formed between them. This
bond allowed him to connect with her, and if she were close, he could sense her. Now he could tell that she was not
far away, and if he needed to he could leap from the veranda and seek her out. But he had promised Ragon not to
leave Ari’s side, and he had already stretched that promise as far as it could go.
Sandra was not the first vampire that Thomas had made, but she was so much more to him that just a fledgling, he
had bonded with her. The link between a maker and their fledgling is strong, but when the pair becomes bonded, as
with Sandra and Thomas, the union brings an even stronger union. Her happiness made him happy, and her sadness
made him sad. But it wasn’t just emotions, it was so much more. This link between a maker and their fledgling was
sacred. This was why many attempted turnings of humans into vampires did not take; it was a link between blood
and mind. In some cases, humans were simply incompatible, and this would result in the mortal dying. Normally
when vampires made a fledgling they were afforded a connection with them; when a maker bonded with their
fledgling however they formed a sacred union. Where a maker might only be able to sense their progeny, a bonded
pair could feel so much more.
Thomas could still remember the moment that this union became activated with Sandra. One day, many centuries
ago, he woke and immediately felt a change. It was as if he could see Sandra glowing brightly in his mind. No longer
was she a dim light that he was connected to, but it was as if she radiating next to him, so that he could feel every
breath and see every thought. Had he thought that he loved her before then, then he was mistaken. Being so
entirely dependent to someone changes you. It was as if the two were linked entirely, blood and soul, far more than
any maker and their fledgling could ever be. Sharing this bond with a maker was not unheard of, but was relatively
rare. Many vampires choose not to allow themselves to become bonded with their fledglings, because to do so
leaves you open to attack by others who might wish you harm. To lose a bonded fledgling was said to be
excruciating. More so than cutting off a limb, for they become a mirror image of your soul, and to lose them was like
losing a part of yourself. Some said that it was impossible to live afterwards. Others said that the vampires who lost
their mate became monsters, because there was nothing left tying them to humanity. It was a risk any maker took,
and it was not the only one. There was also the danger that a fledgling might betray their maker and kill them. This
was no easy feat, for fledglings are a watered down version of their maker, but if the fledgling was determined
enough, tracing back their bloodline gave them access to their maker’s power. In this way it was possible for younger
vampires to become more powerful than older ones. Such vampires were known as blood hunters.
“So are we going to talk about what happened tonight?” Ari asked, as the pair continued to look out over the
veranda and into the valley below.
Thomas did not turn around, but hung his head, “I killed a man, what more is there to say?”
Ari was surprised by his statement saying, “No, I meant are we going to tell Ragon and the others about what
happened?”
At this Thomas turned to face her, he was shocked at Ari’s indifference to his actions and said, “All life, even that of a
drug dealer, is sacred.”
“I didn’t mean…” Ari began, but Thomas moved inside.
The sky was beginning to lighten. It was still dark, but the kind of darkness that preceded the dawn. Since they had
been standing there the birds had begun to chirp, and Ari knew that it wouldn’t be long until the new day was upon
them. Ari followed Thomas inside, until 6 loud thumps on the veranda made her turn around.
As she turned she felt cool hands on her shoulder, and Ragon, who had moved away from the others said, “I’m sorry
we took so long.”
Ari smiled up at Ragon, embracing him warmly, and letting him slide his hand into hers and pull her towards the
door, and away from the gradually lighting sky.
“Sorry we cut it so short,” Sandra said, sweeping over to Thomas who was dragging a chair over to the window next
to a small table. “Someone couldn’t make up their mind on what to have,” she added, taking a long incredulous look
at Sameth.
Sameth shrugged but looked annoyed and quickly raced up to his bedroom, blurring past Ari so quickly that her dark
hair flew across her face. Thomas, who was now sitting on the chair he had dragged over, looked up at his mate. He
did not smile, but was happy she was there, feeling the warmth of her presence. Slowly he retrieved a long
cylindrical rod from his pocket. On the table he had placed an old rag that he was covering with a thick black liquid.
Ari looked curiously at the long thin rod, unsure of what to make of it. With a determined look on his face, he forced
the rod through the wall, pushing it through until it reached the other side.
“Oh Jesus, what the hell happened tonight sugar?” Sandra asked, recognising the tools in her mate’s hands
immediately.
Thomas didn’t respond, but reached into his jacket pocket and threw a wallet onto the table. Ari, who was still
shocked that Thomas had driven a hole into the living room wall, recognised the wallet instantly. It was the one he
had taken from the man he killed tonight. For a moment Sandra hesitated, sweeping a few strains of wayward
blonde hair out of her face, before reaching down and picking up the small leather wallet.
She flipped it open, stared at something for a moment, then said, “I’m sorry honey.”
Unlike Ari, Ragon seemed also to realise the significance of the wallet.
He stormed over to Sandra, took the wallet from her and looked at it incredulously, “What the hell have you been
doing?”
Ari, who had not made up her mind if she was even going to tell Ragon about her and Thomas’s outing, now looked
sheepishly down at her feet.
“You said you would watch her,” Ragon growled, throwing the wallet at Thomas.
“And I never let her out of my sight,” he said, retrieving a driver’s license from within the wallet.
“You took her with you?” Ragon roared.
Before Thomas could answer, bright sunlight poured through the hole in the rod, leaving a very small pin prick sized
beam of light in its wake. When Thomas began removing his shirt, Ari looked away, but not before a small cross
pendent on a long, thin, silver chain, met her eyes. She had no idea what the hell was going on, but guessed by his
catholic gestures in the alleyway, and the way he had referred to life as being sacred, that he was upset about having
just killed someone. For a moment Ari thought it strange that a vampire was so obviously upset about killing, but
then a small scream made her swerve around to face Thomas.
“Ah!” he cried, shutting his eyes tightly.
As Ari approached she was horrified to see that the pin prick of sun light coming from the hollow rod was shining on
his chest, and cutting through the flesh. He had positioned himself so that he was kneeling before the tiny beam of
light, which was acting like a laser, singing through skin and tissue. The smell of burnt meat assaulted her nostrils,
and she instantly felt sick; why was he doing this to himself?
“What the hell are you doing?” she asked, looking from Sandra and then Ragon, unable to understand why they
weren’t stopping him.
Thomas smiled weakly up at her, and began moving the small rod rhythmically in the wall, so that a different part of
his flesh began to burn. A new scream from Thomas, had Ari moving over to the wall, her hand stretched out to
block the sunlight, but before she could reach the tiny beam that was doing so much damage, Ragon had stopped
her.
“Leave him,” he said angrily.
Ari wasn’t sure if Ragon said this because he knew what he was doing, or because he was upset at Thomas taking for
her when he went hunting, but one nod from Sandra told her that whatever Thomas was doing, it was ok.
For 5 minutes he continued like this, moving the rod and screaming out as a new wave of pain raped him, until finally
he fell to the floor. Ari leaned down too, her concerned eyes narrowed on the burnt area of flesh that was bubbling
and smoking. Suddenly Thomas reached across to the rag he had poured the thick black liquid onto, and clasped it to
his chest panting. Thomas’s eyes were squinted shut, and his face was curled into a horrified expression.
“That’s enough love,” Sandra said, quickly blurring over to the kitchen, wetting a tea towel and speeding back to
him.
Taking the tea towel in one hand, and lovingly removing the black rag, Sandra wiped it across his chest. Flesh sizzled
as his burning skin met the cool liquid covering the tea towel, and steam erupted from the wound. She then moved
her wrist up to her mouth and bit into it quickly. In a second she was pressing the bleeding wound into his mouth.
For a moment Ari thought that he might refuse her offering, but then his eyes rolled slightly and he drank from her.
The second that his fledgling’s blood touched his lips, it was as if he was in heaven. The wound on his chest instantly
began healing, and Thomas felt a wave of endorphins wash over him. After a moment, he pulled Sandra’s wrist out
of his mouth, and sat up. He was staring at her lovingly. Though he very rarely drank from his mate, it was utter bliss
when he did. It was as if the bond between them was renewed, and he relished in the feeling of her blood in his
system.
For a while Sandra continued to wipe at his chest with the soaking rag. When finally all the black liquid had been
removed Ari gasped. Where before the skin had been blistered, now there was a small a tattoo. Raking her eyes up
and down his exposed chest, she saw that this was not the only tattoo, but that there were many others also, each
of which was a name, and all of varying age.
Ari read the newest words of a long list, and whispered, “Edward Jenkins.”
Thomas did not reply. Unable to stop herself, Ari scrolled through the rest of the names tattooed there. The first
name she read was ‘Victoria Hardings’, and she continued to look down the list, until she reached a name that that
she knew: ‘Sandra Wood’. For a moment she stared at the names, and then realised what the list on his chest
signified: all the people he had killed.
“I’m going to bed,” Ragon said, taking a meaningful look at Ari.
For a few moments she continued to stare at the artwork on Thomas’s body, but then he stood, re-buttoning his
shirt quickly and kissing Sandra on the forehead. As he did so, Sandra closed her eyes, loving the feeling of her
mate’s soft lips against her skin.
Once inside her bedroom, Ragon rounded on her.
“How could you be so foolish?” he asked.
Ari’s eyes narrowed. So she was foolish? “I am allowed to make decisions for myself you know,” she said angrily.
“Not if those decisions get you killed,” Ragon argued.
“But I haven’t been killed have I; I am fine, nothing happed,” she said, her heart racing, much to Ragon’s annoyance.
Ari’s cheeks blushed, as she fought to keep her temper.
“Don’t,” Ragon said quickly, turning away from her.
“Don’t what?” she spat.
In an instant he was next to her, his hungry eyes rested on her uncertain ones, and one hand placed over her heart,
“Don’t be afraid.”
“Afraid?” she asked. “I’m not afraid; I’m angry.”
Ragon smiled, unable to stop himself and kissed her. For a moment Ari struggled, but then she gave in, returning the
kiss hungrily.
The pair was locked like this for a few moments, before Ragon pressed Ari hard against the bedroom wall and
whispered, “I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Does that include living?” Ari asked.
Ragon stopped kissing her and moved over to the bed. He knew full well that he was being over protective of her; he
had already stopped her from having a normal life. “It’s just for a little while. Once your safe, once I know that there
is no one after you-” he began.
“You’ll what? Disassociate me?” Ari scoffed.
Ari had been expecting Ragon to argue with her the instant she had said this, but he did not. “What?” she asked.
Ragon frowned. He had been about to argue with her when a sudden noise, unheard by Ari, caught his attention.
Looking up at the ceiling he blinked a few times, as if straining to hear something.
“Shit,” he said in a whisper.
A minute later and he was racing to the bedroom door, throwing it open, and heading for the stairs. Confused, Ari
watched him leave, then after a second followed him. When she reached the landing, she saw him pounding on
Patrick and Ryder’s room.
“Patrick, so help me god, you had better open this door,” Ragon said loudly.
A few seconds of silence greeted this, during which Sameth, Sandra and Thomas emerged.
“What’s going on?” Cambridge asked when he and Larissa finally made it to the landing also.
“Didn’t you hear?” Clyde asked.
Clyde was flanked outside his room which was opposite to Patricks. He had one hand on the top of the door and a
casual indifferent look on his face. He was wearing a long pair of blue track pants and no shirt. For a few moments
Ari stared at him, entranced by his perfect body but then quickly looked away.
“Patrick,” Ragon yelled again.
Suddenly the door opened, and Patrick, wiping blood away from his mouth said, “What?”
“Oh Patrick, you didn’t?” Sandra said in sudden realisation.
Ari, fearing the worst, pushed past Ragon, knocking hard into Patrick and swept into his room, where Ryder was
laying on the bed, apparently asleep. For a moment she stared at him, blinking back tears, then her eyes fell on the
dark red blood that had stained the pillow his head was rested on. She reached a shaky hand over to his neck, trying
to avoid the two large puncture wounds, as she felt for a pulse: but there was nothing. For a few moments she
stayed like this, trying desperately to feel the familiar whoosh of blood within the vein.
Patrick moved over to Ari and touched her on the shoulder saying, “He’s not dead…”
“Yea he is,” Clyde said loudly from the doorway, “well sort of,” he added, seeing the murderous look in Ari’s eyes.
“He’s undergoing the transformation,” Patrick said.
“That’s if he makes it,” Clyde said arrogantly.
“What?” Ari asked, her eyes open wide in fear, as she turned to face Clyde. “What do you mean if he makes it?”
When Clyde didn’t answer, Ari removed her hands from Ryder’s jugular vein, and turned to stare at Patrick, waiting.
She wanted to scream at him, to hit him, anything to bring back the friend which was as close to a brother as she had
ever known.
Patrick could sense the anger in Ari, and he said, “It’s what he wanted.”
“And if the vampirism doesn’t take?” Ragon hissed.
“It’s a risk he said he wanted to take,” Patrick said, looking down at Ryder.
Ari thought she saw the tiniest hint of regret in Patrick’s eyes, but any sympathy she might have felt towards him
was smashed by the realisation that Ryder could die: for real. She paced around the room, her eyes constantly
drawing back to Ryder.
“How long?” she asked simply.
“When the moon comes up again, we will know,” Clyde said.
“I want to stay with him,” Ari said.
Instantly Sandra moved over to her, and taking her hand said, “Oh sugar, if he wakes he will be a fledgling, their
unpredictable and ravenous for blood, in fact it might be a good idea for you to get out of the house for a while.”
Ari looked over to Ragon, who was nodding his head slowly.
“What?” Sameth asked, and Clyde turned to look at him.
“Sameth, you know full well what trouble fledglings can be. What’s the point of us all being here to protect Ari from
Kiara when the first thing Ryder wants to do when he’s a vampire is drain the first person he sees, which will be Ari?”
Larissa said.
“I will take Ari to-” Ragon began, but Ari interrupted.
“No. I need you to stay here, I need you to watch Ryder,” she pleaded.
Patrick looked incredulously at her, and was about to argue, when Ragon beat him to it.
“But… Kiara could come at any moment,” he began, his eyes mirroring her concern.
“We’ve been saying that for days, but nothing has happened. Besides, one of the others can look after me,” Ari said.
“I would like to volunteer my services,” Clyde said. “My car has full grade UV filtered windows, we could leave now. I
am sure there is a motel that we can bunk down in for the day,” Clyde said, unable to hide his grin.
Instantly Ragon shook his head, but Ari moved over to him, “I want you to stay here. Please, for me?”
“I will watch Ari,” Sameth said, now moving into the room, and placing one firm hand on Ragon’s shoulder. “I am
older than Clyde, I will best be able to match Kiara, should the need arise.”
Ragon glanced at Ari, his sad eyes meeting hers, and nodded once saying, “Okay, if Ryder’s transformation goes
smoothly, I will join you tomorrow night.”
“And I can come too,” Sandra said.
“No,” Sameth said quickly then added, “Ryder will need as many of us to control him as possible. The last thing we
need is for Ryder to cause a scene that the Elders find out about. Besides the less of us that are with Ari, the less
attention it will draw.”
Clyde looked disappointed but did not argue; he was watching Sameth, his eyes narrowed slightly.
“Well there’s no point leaving until it gets closer to night fall. Better to get some rest now and leave an hour or so
before sunset,” Cambridge said, his loud booming voice slicing the tension in the room.
“It’s settled then,” Ragon said.
Ari had forgotten entirely about her and Ragon’s conversation prior to Ryder’s transformation. When the pair went
back to their bedroom, neither talked for a while; Ari lay awake, resting her head against his chest, unable to remove
the horrible image of Ryder’s body from her mind.
After a moment Ari rolled over, “What’s it like to be a new vampire?” she asked, thinking of Ryder.
Ragon, like Ari, had been unable to sleep, and whispered, “Close your eyes.”
For a moment Ari hesitated, but then did so, thinking that he was trying to get her to fall asleep. She felt him rush
away, and then a moment later returned, gently replacing her head back onto his chest,
“Close your eyes,” he reiterated, having seen her peeking through them on his return.
She closed them, blushing, “It’s hard to explain,” he said. “I remember feeling like a vampire more than I do being a
human, but the first time, the first time you realise that you can do almost anything, every sense is heightened.”
As he said this Ari’s nostrils were assaulted by something floral smelling; jasmine? Ragon was holding a few stems of
the sweet smelling flower, gently brushing the petals over her cheeks and lips. She breathed in deeply, letting the
delicious smell intoxicate her.
“Every smell was intense, completely overriding the senses. It was like everything was new; and each touch was a
different experience,” he said.
Next he placed a cube of ice against Ari’s warm skin; Ari felt the icy object trace a path along her collar bone, sending
shivers through her arms and down her spine. The path was highlighted by tiny droplets of water that had been
formed as the ice melted against her scorching skin.
“You could hear everything and see everything, and for a while that all felt wonderful. Then eventually, as time
passed, there was less and less mystery in the world, and there weren’t any surprises left,” he said. “Until I met you.”
Ari listened to his soothing voice, keeping her eyes shut, until around 10am, when his words had gently lulled her to
sleep. As she slept she dreamed of Ragon. In her dream he was turning her into a vampire, so that the two could
spend eternity together. Together they watched the centuries unfold, as different wonders in the world were
unveiled, but none of that mattered, they had each other.
Suddenly a soft knock at the door dragged Ari from her slumber. She sat up quickly, having been startled from her
wonderful dream, but then laid back down, her head rested against the pillow.
“It’s time,” Sameth said from behind the locked door.
Ari moved sluggishly out of bed but replied, “Ok,” while searching for a pair of jeans to put on.
When she had finally dressed, Ragon was sitting up in bed watching her.
“I’m sorry,” Ragon said, and when Ari looked confused added, “about before; when you asked if I would disassociate
you. Part of me wants to,” he said, watching Ari’s face fall. “But I don’t think I would be able to.”
Ari didn’t answer. She knew exactly what he meant and moved over to the bed, quickly kissing him on the lips
saying, “I need you in my life.”
“The moon isn’t going to slow down for you,” Sameth said from behind the door. “Ryder will wake soon.”
Ragon grinned, and swept Ari into his arms saying, “Promise me that you won’t do anything foolish.”
Ari smiled, jumping out of his arms reluctantly, and over to the door saying, “Me, foolish? Never!”
Ari had wanted to check in on Ryder, but Sameth’s insistence that they had to leave immediately, prevented this.
“Look after her,” Ragon said from inside the house as Ari and Sameth moved towards the car.
Sameth had not answered, as he had been racing over to the car door, in an attempt to escape the sun, before
throwing the door open, and launching himself inside. It was about 5.30pm, and the sun, though defiantly
dampened, still had enough powerful rays in the sky to cause him discomfort. In those short moments he had been
exposed, his skin had already begun to blister, and he felt the horrible tightening of his flesh as his body began
repairing the damage. From behind the UV protected glass of Ragon’s car however, the sun was tolerable, and the
rays, though still able to penetrate the glass slightly, caused no more than mere discomfort.
Ari wound down the window to wave, and Ragon, who was still watching from the door, looked up annoyed for a
moment at the sky, then said, “I love you.”
Ari smiled quickly, her heart skipping with happiness, but before she could respond, Sameth’s foot was on the gas
and they were driving away.
CHAPTER 16 – A VISION
Ari watched from the side door mirror as Ragon faded into the distance. She could still hear his words, telling
her that he loved her; in that moment she knew she felt the same. She wished that she could go back and tell him
how she felt, but it was too late now. Still, she only had to wait a few hours before Ryder’s transformation was
complete, and then they would be together again.
Suddenly a shiver ran up her body. Her hands and feet were tingling and she felt dizzy. As she let the sensation take
over, it began to transverse her extremities, slowly advancing its hold of her, until she was numb all over, as though
completely disassociated from her body. She had been looking out the window, watching the scenery blur past as
the night hastened, when she went rigid and her eyes widened. Had she not been looking out the window, Sameth
would have seen that one of her eyes had turned green, but he continued to drive, completely oblivious to her
condition.
She was transfixed, seeing something other than the rush of trees or the blur of houses as the moon began its accent
into the night sky. No longer was she in the car, but standing in a cold dark room that she recognised: Ragon’s family
mausoleum. There was muffled screaming coming from somewhere. She turned and gasped. In front of her, tied to
the same stone bench that she had slept on all those months ago, was her: Ari. She looked at herself dumbfounded,
and saw someone advancing on the restrained version of herself. In the darkness of the tomb it was impossible to
make out who was walking towards her. Then suddenly a large silver knife was bought into focus, as the man
continued to move towards her, she suddenly knew who he was: Sameth. In Sameth’s left hand was the long silver
blade, and there was a look of malice in his eyes that she had not seen before. Looking back at herself, she
recognised a dull metallic grey tape placed around her mouth; it was the same gaffe tape that Sameth had used on
Patrick all those nights ago, to stop him from singing. Then suddenly he spoke, and she listened.
“I’m doing you a kindness,” he said, continuing to move closer to her...
“You all right Ari?” Sameth asked from the driver’s position, pulling her from her vision.
Ari’s face had turned white; she didn’t know how, but she had just had a vision. She thought back to the version of
herself tied to the bench and looked down at the clothes she was wearing. It was the same outfit, the same dark
blue skinny legged jeans and long black button up top.
Shit, she thought to herself. But why would Sameth want to hurt her?
“Ari?” Sameth asked again, recalling her once again to the current place and time as he turned to look at her.
His voice was not the same calm cool voice it had been earlier, there was an edge to it, one that gave Ari a shiver,
completely different to the one that had preceded her vision.
“Where are we going?” Ari asked finally.
“To a hotel; remember?” Sameth replied, continuing to drive.
Until now, Ari hadn’t been paying much attention to where they were driving. But now as she looked out of the
window, she was desperate to know where she was. She needed a plan. She didn’t know why Sameth wanted to
hurt her, but she knew that her vision was no day dream. For a moment she thought that he was perhaps trying to
evoke a response to get her to freeze time, so as to allow her to practise using her powers. But the way he had
looked at her in the tomb, his eyes had been empty and cold in her vision and she didn’t think he would be able to
fake that look of malice. She considered trying to stop time now. But if she were somehow able to do this, what
would happen? What if only Sameth froze, than they would crash, and that might kill her before he got the chance
to. Trying to remain calm, she surreptitiously unbuckled her seat belt, pretending to turn up the radio as she did so.
“Oh wow!” Ari said, fanning excitement, “can you pull over for a moment?”
Sameth looked at her confused. She was pointing to a large green vending machine next to a closed service station.
“Just there, it’s one of those movie rental booths. I have been dying to watch this new series on HBO, we might as
well have something to entertain us,” she said.
Sameth frowned, but pulled over.
“Do you mind grabbing a couple of dollars,” Ari said, reaching for the car handle and beginning to open it. “I think I
have seen Ragon throw some change in the console, I’ll meet you there.”
Instantly Sameth began searching for coins, and Ari exited the car, moving quickly over to the movie rental machine,
and glancing back at the car to check on Sameth’s progress. The moment she had turned back to the machine she
broke into a run. She didn’t know where the hell she was going to go; she just knew that she had to get as far away
as possible. The adrenaline, which had been pumping through her veins since her vision, aided in her flight. She was
running as fast as she could, making her way behind the service station, when suddenly the sound of a car door
slamming broke her concentration.
“Ariana?” Sameth’s voice screamed from over near the car.
Instantly Ari paused, hiding behind a large dumpster that serviced the petrol station. She was panting loudly, and she
clasped her hand over her mouth, desperate to muffle her breathing.
“Ari, where are you?” Sameth yelled again, from where he was standing at the green vending machine.
A few moments of silence followed this, and Ari tried hard to concentrate. Perhaps if she could manage to stop time
again it would give her a chance to get away from him.
“Come out, come out, where ever you are,” his voice cooed.
Ari froze. From where she crouched on the floor behind the rubbish bin, she had seen someone walking. She
watched as he blurred into a nearby bush, clearly searching it for her. This was it; her chance to get away. If she got
back to the road, she might be able to flag down a car. Moving slowly at first, she inched around the service station,
careful not to make a noise. Soon she was facing Ragon’s car, and for a moment she wondered if Sameth had
perhaps left the keys in the ignition. The road was no more than 30 seconds fast sprint from her. Seeing the head
lights of a car on the road, she broke into a run, desperate to get close enough to the road to be seen. Instantly Ari
began racing along the rocky ground that lead back to the road. She was waving her hands in the air, fighting the
urge to start screaming, but desperate to be seen by the driver. Before she could reach the road however, the car
had sped away, and she watched the red of the tail lights fade into the distance. She was about to plan her next
move when something hard hit her in the back of the head, and she fell down, hitting the hard pavement with a loud
thud. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was Sameth reaching down and picking her up, a grim look of
determination plastered on his face.
***
When Ari finally came to, it was to the feeling of tight binds being wrapping around her ankles. She tried to speak,
but felt sticky tape wrap around her mouth, silencing her. Her eyes were dulling in and out of focus, but finally they
pulled a handsome blonde face into view: Sameth. Blinking a few times, Ari looked puzzled up at him, and then the
events before she had been struck came crashing back to her. Her head rolled around groggily, and she felt the cool
hard stone underneath her. Instantly she knew where she was: Ragon’s family mausoleum. Her vision had come
true. As Sameth secured the last knot, Ari watched him move back, admiring his handy work. Just then he noticed
that she was awake, and he smiled at her.
“I really am sorry about all of this,” he said, moving closer to her. “If it weren’t for your ability to stop time I wouldn’t
have bound you, but… I can’t have you getting away from me.”
Ari mumbled into the gaffe tape, and Sameth moved over to her quickly, pulling the stick tape across her face, so
that her mouth was no longer covered.
“But why?” Ari asked.
“I would have already killed you, but I had to know,” he said, moving so that he was standing directly over her. He
reached down and looked Ari straight in the eyes, “How did you know? Back in the car, something happened and
you knew what I had planned.”
Ari was breathing hard, “I saw you,” she said.
The gaffe tape had left a thick layer of sticky residue on her mouth and face, and it pulled tight as she spoke. For a
moment she scanned the room, desperately searching for a way to escape. But she knew that there was no way; no
chance. From her temporary imprisonment in this mausoleum she had learnt that no amount of screaming would
help; no one would hear her in the deserted cemetery. Hell, even if they did, what would they be able to do against a
vampire? Only another vampire might be able to get her out of this, and Ragon was at home, watching Ryder, like
she had asked him to. He would have no suspicion that his good friend Sameth had her at his mausoleum, tied up,
and about to kill her.
“A vision? You really are a talented little mortal,” he said.
***
Thirty miles away and Ragon and the others anxiously awaited Ryder’s awakening. Only Clyde had left the fledgling,
insisting that he didn’t need the drama and that he wanted to follow up on a hunch. Ragon thought that was typical
of him, not caring about anything or anyone. But that wasn’t entirely true; Clyde did seem to care about Ari. Even
Ragon had been surprised by his declaration that he was staying here for her, to keep her safe from Kiara. Sandra
and Thomas were pacing in the hallway; occasionally one of them would poke their head into the room, glance at
Ryder and then continue to pace outside. Patrick had left as soon as it had started to get dark to find a source of
Ryder. If he woke he would be ravenous, and it would be better for them to bring the meal to him, rather than the
other way around. Fledglings needed fresh blood to sustain them, nothing from a bag would do. Still, Ragon had
been most insistent that anyone who Patrick bought home for Ryder would not be killed. The very last thing they
needed was to draw more attention their situation. The Elders were already suspicious about all the deaths in the
area, and Ragon wasn’t going to give them a reason to point the finger at him. From downstairs Ragon heard the
faint sound of a door closing. With this came the familiar lub dub of a heart. Both Cambridge and Larissa’s ears
pricked at the noise, and Ragon stood protectively over Ryder.
“Honey, I’m home,” Patrick yelled from down stairs, and Ragon relaxed his stance over Ryder, feeling slightly
annoyed at how obviously happy Patrick was.
As soon as Patrick walked into the bedroom, Sandra looked at him incredulously. Her eyebrows were raised, and she
was surveying the girl who he had by the elbow.
“What? I am not about to bring him some tall dark and handsome guy and give him a reason to leave me on the first
night that he has been made,” Patrick said, in response to Sandra’s expression.
“Anything?” Patrick asked, moving over to sit on the bed next to Ryder and reaching out to brush some hair out of
his face.
At his touch, Ryder stirred and Patrick’s eyes widened as he looked down hopefully at his fledgling. The girl he had
bought for him was standing in the corner of the room, and Ragon was eyeing her nervously. Patrick was about to
touch him again, when Ryder’s eyes suddenly opened. He did not move, but remained motionless, staring up at the
white ceiling.
“Don’t waste your sight on that,” Patrick said, and Ryder sat up, blurring as he did so, to look at his maker.
Ryder did not speak, or blink, simply stared, wide eyed at Patrick. After a moment Ryder reached out a hand, and
touched his face. His fingers ran slowly over his cool marble skin, admiring the texture, all the while staring at
Patrick.
“Ryder honey, how you feeling?” Sandra asked, as her and Thomas moved into the room.
He dropped his hand and turned to look at them, his head slightly cocked as he contemplated them. Glancing around
the room quickly, his eyes fell on Cambridge and then Ragon, until he saw the girl. In a second he had jumped from
the bed and blurred over to her; the sound of her pulse sang in his ears, drawing him to her, like a siren to their prey.
Protectively, Ragon moved in front of her and Ryder eyed him warily, a low growl escaping from his mouth like a lion
fighting over territory. Patrick too moved over to Ryder, slipping his hand in his.
“Watch,” Patrick said, and then moved over to the girl.
“You can lull them,” Patrick said, taking his free hand to brush the girl’s face, as he replaced some wayward strands
of hair behind her ear.
The girl hesitated, but Patrick purred at her, whispering, “It’s ok, everything is going to be alright. We just need to
borrow something from you.”
The girl was nodding at this, her eyes locked on his.
“You see?” Patrick said.
Ryder was nodding, taking in everything that Patrick said. Still with his hand on the girls face, Patrick gently moved
her head to the side, exposing her jugular vein. Ryder watched mesmerised, the rhythm of her pulse dancing in his
mind, like an old song he had forgotten the words to.
“You don’t need to take much, though you may want to,” Patrick said, exposing his fangs.
Ryder, who had been hypnotised by the vein, turned to look at Patrick’s mouth. At the same time he felt his gums
contract, and a sharp pain signified the un-sheathing of his own fangs. Reaching a hand up to his face, he curled back
his lips and pressed against his fangs with his index finger. A sudden pain followed, and he drew his hand away,
surprised to see blood. He stared at the dark red droplet on his finger, admiring the viscosity of it, as he narrowed his
eyes, forcing the blood into even greater focus. A moment later and a smell assaulted his nostrils. He breathed in the
coppery tangy scent deeply, closing his eyes as he did so, so as to isolate it from being tainted by all his other
heightened senses. Suddenly the thought of Sunday night roast with his family came to him, but as he thought of the
delicious smell, he did not remember the glorious chicken dinner, and his eyes opened, narrowing on the girl, a
determined look on his face.
“Yes, they’re sharp,” Patrick said smiling, moving Ryder still closer to the girl.
She remained motionless, until Patrick bent down and in one swift movement bit hard at her neck. The first thought
that popped into Ryder’s head was that he needed to defend his prey.
Before he could begin to fight him for his prize, Patrick had withdrawn his head saying, “Your turn.”
Ryder did not hesitate, but lunged at the girl, pressing her hard against the wall, as he sank his fangs through her
skin. He relished in the feeling of her soft buttery flesh against his fangs, and lapped hungrily at the sweet nectar that
spilled from her vein. Too soon he felt hurried hands pulling him away, and he struggled against his retainers,
desperate to finish his meal.
“That’s enough,” Ragon yelled at him.
For a few moments Ragon and Patrick fought to control Ryder. His hands were reaching out desperately for the girl,
who was now slumped against the wall, one shaky hand pressed against her neck.
“Ryder, stop!” Patrick said commandingly, and to everyone’s surprise he did so.
For a moment Ryder was panting with the efforts of his attempted escape. Then he licked his lips, relishing in the
remnants of blood on them.
“There’s one more lesson,” Patrick said, moving back over to the girl and lifting her lovingly to her feet.
Ryder watched as Patrick contemplated the girl, concentrating intently on her eyes, “You need to make her forget,
let her go back to her life, this is dissociation,” he said.
For a moment the girl looked scared, and then her eyes went dull. Ryder was confused by Patrick’s actions, but
watched intently. Releasing the girl, Patrick swung around to face Ryder.
“Well?” Patrick asked, taking Ryder’s hand and rubbing it softly with his fingers, “how was it?”
“It tastes…” Ryder said, searching for a word to describe the delicious blood, “unimaginable!” When he finally spoke,
dark red lips enunciating every syllable, and he listened joyously to the sound of his own voice. “I want more.”
***
Standing in Ragon’s mausoleum, Sameth considered Ari. She really was special: different. How she could stop time
and see the future was a complete mystery to him. His face was grim; it was a shame to have to destroy such a
unique mortal, but there was no other alternative. In all his years of being a vampire, he had never known anything
or anyone to have her powers, and that scared him a little.
Suddenly he produced a large knife, and Ari recognised it instantly from her vision. Light bounced off the gleaming
silver blade, reflecting her eyes eerily, as one blue and one green eye shone in its reflection.
Why was Sameth doing this? She thought. He was Ragon’s friend; he had come to protect her.
“I don’t understand,” Ari said, wanting answers.
“I have to kill you,” Sameth said. He didn’t truly enjoy taking human life, but he was a vampire, and so killing was a
part of him, and he could do it easily when needed.
“But, why?” Ari asked.
“For centuries I have been in love with Kiara. Perhaps you know a little of love?” he said, than remembering the way
she had not replied to Ragon after he had professed his feelings for her, added, “perhaps not? But when you have
sat and watched the person you have loved for over four hundred years, only for them to fall for another, it changes
you: makes you do crazy things.”
“But you helped Ragon get away from her?” Ari said.
“No; I helped Kiara get away from Ragon,” he said. “There is an old saying; keep your friends close, keep your
enemies closer. I have watched Kiara from a distance for ages, she’s a misunderstood entity; but I love her none the
less. I have tried to overcome this weakness, but cant. I need her, and as soon as Ragon told me of how she wanted
you dead, I knew this was my chance to get her to see me.”
“You couldn’t just take her flowers like a normal person?” Ari asked.
Sameth laughed saying, “Perhaps she will see me in a different light when I take her your body. Can you not imagine
how unbearable it was, watching her swoon over Ragon while he despised her? He never deserved her affections,
but I appreciate her; when I kill you she will know that.”
The tears which were so close to the surface, spilled from her eyes and streamed down her face. Love; this was all
about love. This can’t be happening, she thought to herself. She tried to pull on the restraints, but nothing
happened, they were too well fastened. Her vision, though warning her of Sameth’s betrayal, was not enough to
save her; now even if she managed to use her gifts, it wouldn’t make a difference. Desperately she thought that
perhaps if she managed to stall Sameth, someone might realise that something was wrong. She smiled sadly to
herself; that wasn’t even a plan, but hell I was all she had right now. Besides, she didn’t want to die.
“You’re going to kill me?” she asked, her voice shaking.
Sameth nodded, and a few more tears spilled down her face faster. Sameth swept over to her quickly then.
“Please don’t cry,” he said, wiping them away, his cool fingertips brushing lightly against her cheek. “Kiara will not kill
you quickly, she would make you suffer, torment you. With me, it will be over in a second; you won’t feel a thing.”
Ari couldn’t help but cry harder at these words.
“You don’t have to do this,” she said, her breathless voice amplified by deep sobs.
“Can’t you see? I am doing you a kindness,” he said.
“A kindness would be to untie me and let me go,” Ari said.
“I can use this,” he said, now leaning closer and admiring the blade in his hand. “In one fast motion it will all be over;
no more senseless attacks, no more watching your friends die, no more pain.”
“It’s not my fault that I am stuck in this crazy love triangle between Kiara, Ragon and you,” Ari said angrily,
“I know,” he purred, “but the heart wants, what the heart wants. I would do anything for her,” he said advancing on
her, the blade raised, “I will do anything for her.”
His eyes were suddenly alight.
“Perhaps in the afterlife you two will be together, but there is no place for a vampire and whatever the hell you are,
in this world,” he said, “there is a reason why people are hunting you, the union is unnatural.”
Ari blinked; perhaps Sameth was right? Not about killing her, but about her and Ragon being together. If she was a
vampire then she would have been able to defend herself against him; and if Ragon was a mortal none of this would
be happening in the first place.
“Close your eyes,” Sameth said.
Ari did not, but kept her eyes plastered on the knife in his hand.
“It won’t do any well to watch” Sameth said, “I have died once.”
Ari considered this. If she was about to die, did she really want to watch him kill her? In defeat she closed her eyes,
and the last tears were forced free. Sameth whispered something when her eyes were finally shut, but it was too
quiet for her to hear, though she thought it sounded like ‘I’m sorry.’ Suddenly there was a whoosh of air against her
face, and Ari felt the knife stab deep into her stomach. At first she felt nothing, but when she looked down at the
blood escaping from her body, a sudden throbbing sensation radiated from the wound and she screamed out in
pain. As the blade dug deeper she felt her nerves respond, screaming at her, as wave after wave of unbearable
agony overtook all her senses. Before the panic could set in, she felt the room around her fade, and then a dull
numbness overtook her, until she couldn’t feel anything anymore.
“No!” a voice screamed from the darkness.
Ari heard the noise as if it were very from far away. Then suddenly a new pain grasped her, and she fell heavily to
the floor. Slowly and painfully she began to open her eyes and saw: Clyde? He was standing in front of her, having
knocked Sameth away. A sudden clatter on the floor signified the knife falling to the ground. The noise reverberated
off the walls, pinging through her ear drums. Sameth was crouched low now, one hand in front of him. He snarled at
Clyde, revolted at his interruption but before he could spring, Clyde attacked again. Sameth fell hard against the
sand stone, and Clyde jumped on him, tearing at his flesh with his fangs, while punching with his fists, his rage
fuelling his immortal abilities. For a while he continued to pummel Sameth, with wave after wave of punches
smashing hard into his target. Sameth’s body began to crumple, and he fell heavily to the ground. Sameth screamed
loudly, and Ari tried not to watch as she saw Clyde mercilessly reached down to Sameth and pull hard at his head,
severing it from his body.
Ari was breathing fast now as the adrenaline pumped through her body.
“Cl… Clyde?” she stammered.
Clyde stared for a moment at what he had done. Sameth’s head was still in his hands, but at Ari’s words he turned
and dropped it to the floor. His hands and face were smeared in thick red blood, while his white cotton shirt was
completely soaked in it.
“Ari,” Clyde said, reaching down to her and staring at her stomach, where a dark red spot continued to get larger and
larger.
In an instant Clyde broke the binds around her wrists and ankles. The tight ropes quickly fell away, as though they
were no more than cobwebs. Ari went to reach for her wound, but she suddenly when white, and fell back down to
the ground. In an instant Clyde reached his hand under her head, preventing it from falling back onto the hard stone
below. With her head in his hand, Clyde watched as her eyes fixed on his face, but then went dull and empty, as she
fell unconscious. Quickly tearing her shirt, he surveyed the deep penetrating hole; it was bad. He didn’t pause, but
swiftly lifted her into his arms. As he ran back to his car, he cradled Ari, pressing one hand firmly against her
stomach, trying desperately to slow the bleeding. He felt the sickening squish as his hand pressed against the broken
flesh, digging deep into her stomach, and Ari jerked in his hands, but remained unconscious.
“You’re going to be ok,” Clyde said, blurring through the cemetery as he felt her heart falter. “You have to be…”
CHAPTER 17- CLYDE’S DECISION
“Ragon?” Clyde said into the phone receiver.
It hadn’t taken him long to carry Ari from the Cemetery and to reach his car, but those few moments had been
enough for her to lose a lot of blood. Once inside his car, he had sped away quickly, desperate to get to the hospital
as fast as possible. Now as he drove he phoned Ragon.
“It’s Ari,” Clyde said into the phone which was wedged between his shoulder and ear.
He looked down at her, his eyes drawn to the thick dark blood that was seeping from a hole in her stomach.
“Sameth… he attacked her,” Clyde said.
He was driving as fast as he could; one hand was on the wheel, and the other still pressed firm to Ari’s stomach,
trying to slow the bleeding, all the while listening intently for Ari’s beating heart.
“I can’t put her on,” Clyde screamed, his foot pressing down further onto the accelerator as her pulse became
thready.
“It’s pretty bad,” he said, “she’s lost a lot of blood, and… and I can feel her heart slowing. I’m about five minutes
away from the hospital.”
“Wait,” Clyde yelled into the phone.
For a few moments Clyde listened carefully, continuing to differentiate between the sound of Ari’s heart, the traffic,
and the silence at the other end of the line. Finally Ragon spoke again and Clyde took a deep breath.
“What if she can’t make it to the hospital?” Clyde asked.
“You know what I mean,” Clyde spat a moment later.
The instant he had voiced his concern, a long silence followed. He could still hear Ragon’s fast breathing and so
waited.
“Fine,” Clyde said, hanging up quickly and glancing down at Ari again.
He didn’t know why he cared for this mortal so much. Nor did he know why he was so desperate to save her. There
was something special about her, something that drew him to her; she reminded him of an old love, one that he had
been unable to save. He knew that Ragon hated being a vampire, hated everything that they stood for but how could
he honestly think that the alternative was better? He took one quick look down at Ari, drawing similarities from her
lifeless face and comparing it to a face he missed more than anything else in this world. Suddenly he heard her heart
begin to churn and strain as it fought to continue to pump blood around her body. Instantly he began rolling up his
sleeve; he would not make the same mistake twice. There was no way he was going to let her die.
***
“What happened,” the horrified nurse asked, racing towards Clyde as he burst through the hospital doors,
Ariana clutched tightly in his arms.
For a moment Clyde hesitated. He couldn’t say what had happened. How the hell was he supposed to explain that
someone he had trusted had stabbed Ariana and, that that person was also a vampire. Clyde shook his head, trying
to force the anger out, as he focused on controlling his temper. A small snarl had ripped from his mouth and the
nurse stepped back looking alarmed.
“I don’t know; she’s still breathing but…” Clyde said dumbly.
Did it really matter why Ariana was bleeding to death; the fact was that she was and she needed help not stupid
questions. The nurse had moved over quickly to the phone after she surveyed Ariana. She didn’t need to reach for
her stethoscope or check her pulse to know that she needed a doctor: immediately.
“Calling Dr Ring to the nurse’s station, Dr Ring, STAT!” she said and her voice was magnified around the hospital,
screaming out through the strategically placed speakers on every corner so that it echoed eerily off into the distance.
In the time it took for the nurse to move back over to Ari, a swinging door was pushed open and a group of three
people rushed over to where Clyde stood holding Ari’s lifeless form.
“Here,” an older man said to Clyde, indicating a mobile stretcher that another man was pushing closer.
In a second Clyde moved over and gently placed Ariana onto it. He reached quickly for her hand, as the doctors
began carrying her back towards the swinging doors, just as many nurses suddenly began shouting out various vital
signs.
“You can’t come past here,” the doctor said looking at Clyde sternly.
“I’m staying with her,” Clyde replied, once again hoping to maintain his calm as his fists shook with rage.
He had no intention of leaving Ariana, least of all after being told by this mortal. For a moment the doctor seemed to
consider insisting, until a few shouted out vital signs made him glance down at Ariana, seemingly distracted from
Clyde’s presence. Still clutched to Ari’s hand, Clyde followed the emergency team through two sets of swing doors,
trying to be as incognito as possible, while feeling her pulse with his finger. There were too many heartbeats
faltering or racing in the hospital for him to differentiate Ariana’s from the rest and so he kept his fingers firmly in
place, feeling the familiar whoosh of blood with each new heart beat.
“How long has she been bleeding for?” the doctor asked, his hands probing her body for any further injuries, while
one hand remained firmly pressed against the hole in her stomach.
“Maybe ten minutes; no more,” Clyde responded quickly.
“BP?” one of the other doctors yelled.
“Systolic 45,” a tall older woman responded immediately.
A moment later and they entered a large theatre; in a second many new people were rushing around Ariana, sticking
needles into her, or placing intravenous cannulas as they continued to asses her. The feeling of someone’s strange
warm handmade Clyde jump until he realised that it belonged to one of the female doctors. Before he could stop
himself he let out a small growl. She stopped instantly but placed a small probe onto one of Ariana’s fingers; soon
the steady but slow beat of her heart was being displayed by a monitor. As soon as Clyde heard this he relinquished
his hold of Ariana, accepting the monitor’s assurance that she still had a heartbeat. He knew that his holding her
hand had been more for himself than her but it had assured him none the less. Standing pressed up against the
theatre wall, Clyde watched as they stripped Ari’s clothes to reveal the deep slice in her stomach. He was cursing
himself for not listening to his gut instincts; he knew he should have given her his blood in the car ride over here, but
like a fool, he had listened to Ragon and honoured his plea to give her a chance to survive as a human.
“We need you to leave,” one of the doctors said again, when Ariana’s heart began to falter.
Instantly one of the men standing in the corner advanced on him, but he brushed him asides, holding his hands up in
defeat and saying, “I’m going, I’m going.”
“Push 2ml of epi; get that crash cart over here now,” another of the doctors yelled.
Clyde moved over to Ariana quickly; it was now or never.
“Please,” Clyde said to the man who was moving back towards him, intent on making him leave. “I just have to say
goodbye.”
He would have continued anyway but a slow nod from the man gave him permission. The ring of the heart monitor
in his ears acted as an enticer, convincing him that what he was about to do was the right thing. Reaching down low,
he looked at Ariana’s white face. She was beautiful, even with torn clothes and stained flesh and, being this close to
death. Quickly he kissed her, a soft kiss on the lips. As he did so, he bit down hard on his own lips, his fangs piercing
his flesh, as small drops of blood spilled into Ariana’s lifeless mouth. The nurse standing closest seemed to watch
curiously, but he had been careful to make sure they didn’t see exactly what he was doing. As soon as he tasted his
blood in her mouth he was satisfied
Back in the waiting room he met Ragon and the rest of the coven.
“What the hell happened?” Ragon roared, not noticing the wound on Clyde’s lip that was already almost entirely
healed as light pink tissue began to weave over the wound, sealing it shut.
The nurse at the station glared over at them, and Ragon lowered his voice, knowing that he could talk without being
heard, but wanting to get some of his frustration out.
“What the hell happened?” he whispered again.
“Sameth,” Clyde said. “That miserable bastard; he attacked her, stabbed her.”
“Jesus! But why?” Ragon asked, his fists clenched by his side as he stared at Clyde.
“How the hell do I know; he’s your friend,” Clyde said defensively.
Ragon growled. Did Clyde think that he would have asked Sameth to come out to protect Ariana if he had the
slightest notion that he would harm her?
“How did you know?” Ragon asked.
This had been something that had been troubling him from the moment he had received the phone call from Clyde,
telling him what had happened.
Clyde shrugged, “There was just something odd about him; he was so interested about her powers and when he
volunteered to look after her tonight, it just didn’t feel right, so I followed him.”
“Where is Sameth now?” Ragon asked his eyes alight with fury as he scanned the hospital waiting room.
“In vampire hell,” Clyde said. “I ripped his head off; his body is at your family mausoleum.”
A long silence greeted these words. Everyone was uneasy. Killing a vampire wasn’t something that you just did,
especially not someone as old and as well connected as Sameth. If the Elders found out about it, there would be
consequences.
“What did the doctors say?” Sandra asked, moving from the seat she had been sitting on to join Ragon and Clyde.
Clyde shrugged and Ragon was instantly suspicious.
“Well?” Sandra asked her hands on her hips.
“Not good, but they kicked me out. And I can’t tell her heart from everyone else’s here,” Clyde said in frustration.
Ragon sat back down slowly onto the hospital waiting chair, his head in his hands. Right now he hated himself. The
only girl he ever loved was fighting for her life and it was his fault. He reached one hand up to his hair and pulled
hard, desperate for some sort of pain to act as a distraction. He didn’t know how long he stayed like that. He didn’t
care that it would be morning at some point; he welcomed the sunshine that would bring an end to his suffering. But
he couldn’t give up on Ari yet. She was tough, a fighter and she was special: she couldn’t die. After an unknown
amount of time passed and when the frustration of not knowing overcame him; Ragon raced over to the nurse’s
station, trying to restrain himself from blurring towards it.
“How may I help?” the young nurse asked, double taking when she looked up to see Ragon.
Ragon looked at her indifferently. She was young, around 22, with long straight hair tied into a high pony tail. She
had large dark eyes and an olive complexion.
“Ariana Sol,” Ragon said, his gut churning as he spoke her name. “She’s here; she’s been here for a while, but we
don’t know… how is she? Can we get someone out here to talk to us?”
The nurse was instantly sympathetic, reaching for the mouse in front of her computer.
After a moment of scrolling through a list of names she said, “Dr Wilson is her surgeon; she is in theatre 3. I’m sorry
but that is all I know.”
“Can’t you get someone to come in here and tell us what the hell is going on?” Ragon asked, unable to keep his voice
calm.
A family sitting near his coven turned to look at him and Sandra quickly moved over to the nurse’s station and said,
“I’m sorry honey; he’s just really upset.”
The nurse smiled sympathetically up at Ragon, who looked away. He was infuriated. He wanted to reach across the
table and rip this girl’s throat out and then rush to theatre 3 to be with Ariana, killing anyone and everyone who
stood in his way. Right now he didn’t care if everyone knew what he was; or if Ariana became a vampire, not if it
meant that she was alive and they were together. He hated himself for telling Clyde not to turn her; it had been
stupid, and now it was too late to change her, not without exposing what he was to a theatre full of surgeons. Trying
to justify his actions bought on another wave of guilt and anxiety. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Ariana to be a
vampire; given the choice between being a vampire and being dead, he would have chosen vampire any day. The
real reason was that he hadn’t wanted it to be Clyde to change her. Glancing over at Clyde, who was sitting next to
Cambridge looking out the window, he knew what he needed to do. Purposefully he walked over to him.
“Thank you,” Ragon said simply, when he was standing in front of Clyde.
Clyde looked up at him. There was no smile on either of their faces. Clyde considered something for a moment; he
was just about to confess that he had given Ariana his blood, when suddenly a man undoing a face mask and wearing
a long green surgeon’s gown, walked purposefully towards the group. Everyone looked up in response.
“The next few hours are critical,” the doctor said to the group. “She has lost a lot of blood; that kind of loss, even
after we replace it, takes a toll on the organs. If blood was lost for too long…” he began, but seeing the stricken faces
said, “I can’t give you anything more than a guarded prognosis, I’m sorry; I have done everything I can. But there is
still a chance; it’s up to Ariana now. One of you can visit her but only one. She is in an induced coma, please be
gentle with her and no more than five minutes.”
“I will go,” Ragon said, but Clyde stood up.
“I bought her here; I saved her! Why should you be the one to…” Clyde began.
The surgeon looked from Ragon to Clyde, his face dropping as he considered revoking his offer to allow a visitor.
“Clyde,” Larissa hissed, “this isn’t funny! Ragon actually cares about Ariana; don’t ruin this chance for him. God
forbid anything happens…” she said trailing off.
Clyde looked murderous for a moment but then moved towards the exit, hiding his broken face from the coven. The
doctor seemed satisfied and so went back to the ward, where his other patients were waiting for him to complete
his rounds.
Pushing the swinging doors open that he had carried Ariana through what felt like an eternity ago, he said, “You
should know, just because you told me to, I wasn’t going to let Ariana die.”
The coven watched as Clyde walked out of the hospital; realising what he had done.
“Where are you going?” Larissa asked his retreating back.
“To clean up my mess,” Clyde said, not turning around as he left, thinking about the vampire parts that were in the
Ragon’s family mausoleum.
The very instant that Ragon saw Ariana he broke down. She was whiter than a ghost, her skin perfectly matching the
sterile hospital walls, with tubes coming and going from her in every which way. For a moment his hungry eyes raked
a thick red tube that was going into a vein in her arm. The blood smelt sweet tasting but foreign, but he still had to
restrain himself from unsheathing his fangs. When he was quite certain that he had his urges under control, he
inched towards her. A shaky hand touched hers and he was shocked to feel how cold she was, even colder than he.
Kneeling down besides’ her bed, he forced her flaccid hand into his. She did not stir and so he let the tears which had
been clinging to his eyelashes fall free, hoping that she wouldn’t wake to see him crying but at the same time,
desperate for her to open her eyes and be alright.
For a few moments these giant tears escaped him and he clung desperately onto Ari, his hand tightening against her
white fingers. He loved her. Yet now as he looked at her, it became more painfully obvious than ever before just how
fragile she was. For a moment the image of a rose flashed to him; the delicate red petals, so easily bruised, even with
the slightest of touches. This was how he now saw Ari: like a china doll. And he was a child who wanted so
desperately to love it. But there was no one to keep the toy out of reach, no one to restrain him, or protect her. It
was up to him to make sure that nothing like this ever happened again, from himself or otherwise; she meant too
much to him.
At this point Clyde’s words flashed to his head, and he looked at Ari curiously. If she didn’t make it; if she didn’t
survive, did she still have a chance at existing as a vampire; just like him? But he couldn’t think about that; he had
spent too long protecting him from his world, to let her drown in it now. 22 years ago, when Ari had been a few
years old, he had saved her from Kiara. He had spent the years that followed watching and protecting her, by making
sure that no harm came to her. Now as he looked at this miraculous girl, he couldn’t help but love and fear for her
more than ever. For a while he continued to stare at her, desperation plaguing his face, until a soft knock on the
door had him standing on his feet defensively. It was the pretty nurse who he had spoken to before.
“I’m sorry to interrupt but the doctors told me that you will need to leave now,” she said quietly.
“Can’t I just stay with her?” Ragon pleaded, looking back down at Ari’s empty face.
“I’m sorry, they told me only five minutes and it has already been fifteen,” the nurse said, looking down at her shoes
sheepishly.
Ragon sighed. Brushing the tears away from his face he lent down and kissed her on the cheek, hovering for a
moment near her face so as to breathe in her perfectly mortal scent. There was a large tube coming from her mouth
and into a ventilator, for a moment he watched the bag attached to this rise and fall, as her chest followed its lead.
The nurse who had been watching held the door open for him, when finally he was able to pull himself away.
“We need you to fill in some forms for us,” she said, gently touching her hand to his shoulder.
Ragon nodded, still looking at Ari, until the door was closed behind him.
***
It was just before sunrise when Ragon left the hospital.
“You’re no good to her dead,” Sandra had whispered at him, after he had insisted on staying.
Eventually the combined efforts of Cambridge and Thomas were enough to drag him from the waiting room and he
sat between Larissa and Sandra in the back of the car, feeling more miserable than ever before. As soon as he got
home he went straight to Ariana’s room and closed the door. He didn’t want to see or talk to anyone. For a while
Sandra remained in the living room, pacing along the hallway, as she fought with the desire to check on him, but as
soon as the sun began to come up she ran up to her bedroom and quickly closed the door.
Inside Ariana’s room Ragon hugged a pillow. His mind was troubled; why the hell would Sameth betray him like this?
Why would he want Ariana dead? It didn’t make any sense. But it wasn’t just that; what was she? How was she able
to slow down time? This he felt, was the key to everything.
CHAPTER 18- LIMBO
For three weeks Ariana was stuck in limbo, between life and death. Every night Ragon and often Clyde would
go in to see her, until the late night visiting hours passed and even then, they would often remain until the nurses,
who Clyde would flirt with shamelessly in order to convince them to extend their visiting restrictions, kicked them
out. Sometimes Ragon would pace the room, desperately trying to make sense of everything and other times he
would sit and hold Ari’s hand, willing her to live. During these forced instances, when Clyde ad Ragon were required
to tolerate each other’s company, the pair did not communicate and each pretended the other was not there.
Though Clyde still remained with the coven, he had not spoken to Ragon since the night of Sameth’s betrayal. During
the day Clyde remained locked in his room and at night he left the house only to feed or visit Ari. Patrick had
continued to teach Ryder the ins and outs of being a vampire. Ryder, who had managed not to kill anyone yet, was
still as blood hungry as ever. On one particularly memorable occasion, Ryder had insisted on wanting to visit Ari in
the hospital. It had not just been Ragon and Clyde who protested but most of the coven, all except Patrick, who
couldn’t see the harm in Ryder stretching his legs.
“He has been couped up in this house for ages,” Patrick said, quickly coming to Ryder’s defence after Ryder had
asked the coven if he could join them to visit Ari.
“He is a fledgling Patrick!” Ragon yelled. “Taking Ryder to the hospital is like waving a bag of blood in his face and
asking him not to drink.”
“I agree,” Cambridge said. “Ryder going to the hospital is a terrible idea. You know how heightened your emotions
are after you are changed. He might want to hug Ari and end up ripping her head off.”
“We are going to have to let him try his strengths soon,” Patrick said, grabbing Ryder by the arm and pulling him
onto the veranda, where a mesmerised boy waited.
Ryder followed obediently, his eyes locking onto the young man who was wearing a pair of cargo pants and a bright
blue shirt. For a moment Ryder squealed, clapping his hands together, as a broad evil grin spread across his face.
“Remember what I said,” Patrick instructed and Ryder groaned, but moved to sit down on the floor of the veranda,
within arm’s reach of the man, humming tunelessly to himself.
Patrick had insisted on getting Ryder to sit in the same room as a blood source and to practice not attacking them.
The first time Ryder had tried this he had almost gone crazy trying to ignore the delicious morsel that awaited him,
by running around the veranda as fast as possible so as to tire himself out. This had the effect of making his prey very
dizzy and himself even hungrier than he had been initially. Fortunately, since then, his hunger was much more
tamed; but still he was irritated at having to wait to be fed. He had fought for a long time with Patrick about
accepting this lesson, insisting that it made him feel at best like an inferior student and at worst, like a dog. Though
he had tried repeatedly, he still was unable to induce or disassociate his victims. This did not surprise any of the
coven members, as being able to use either of these vampiric skills often took years, if not decades to master.
Disassociation was usually the first power to develop and it was often thought of as being an innate ability of
vampires, owing to the fact that they relied on this ability to allow them to hunt without prosecution. Still, Patrick’s
efforts to tame Ryder had not all been in vain. Along with learning to mimic the mannerisms of being alive again,
Ryder had mastered part of his restrain and had not killed any of the people who he fed from: so far.
It was almost January, during the middle of the day, when the first shade of hope was delivered to the coven. A
ringing noise caught Ragon’s attention. It was an odd noise, reverberating off the walls and waking the entire
household, who were normally, ‘dead to the world,’ so to speak, at this time of the day. Ragon however had not
been asleep, he should have been but instead he was sitting in Ari’s room: thinking. He moved quickly at the noise,
searching for the source of the disturbance, until he realised finally that it was the home phone.
“Hello. It’s Dr Ring from the critical care ward at Mercy West, I am calling about Ariana,” the voice said into the
receiver.
Ragon’s eyes opened wide, his breathing shallow; she can’t be dead.
“Hello? Are you there?” the voice asked, hearing the silence.
“What? Yes. What’s happened?” Ragon asked quickly, blurring through the house.
“I have got some good news. Ariana has come out of the coma; if you would like to come and see her, she should be
responsive,” the doctor said.
Ragon reached one shaky hand to the curtains, drawing them open for only a moment before closing them quickly.
In that short time his arm had instantly blistered, his flesh writhing in the sunlight.
“I will be there as soon as possible,” Ragon said, hanging up the phone and glaring at the curtains.
Ragon had had to wait until five pm before he could risk leaving the house. A few times he had tried to drive the car
to the hospital, quickly racing from the house, to the garage, and speeding along the back streets. Even with the
ultra UV protection option he had elected for his car, it was not enough to allow him to drive during the day in this
climate. On the third attempt, after making it a full five minutes in the car he gave up and decided to wait until the
sun relinquished. Each attempt, though not being enough to seriously harm him, was sufficient to rob him of his
strength and by the time it was finally dark, he was starving.
He had not told Clyde or the others that Ariana was awake. He knew that it was selfish but he couldn’t help himself.
He wanted to be alone with her, to tell her that everything would be ok; he didn’t want to share her with anyone.
When finally his car pulled into the hospital parking lot he burst through the doors and moved as fast as humanly
possible towards her room. When he was almost there, quiet voices met his ears and he paused momentarily to
listen.
“So you can’t remember anything?” A male voice was asking.
“No, nothing,” Ariana said and Ragon smiled at the sound of her voice from behind the door.
“Amnesia is common with injuries such as these,” a female with a distinctively medical air said.
“I’m sorry,” the man said. “It’s just; you’re the 10th, 24 year old female to be attacked in Brisbane city in the last few
weeks and the first one to survive. I don’t want to push you but…”
At these words Ragon had burst into the room, interrupting the man who was speaking. Ragon’s eyes darted from
the female doctor, who was standing in the corner of the room, to a tall young man who had a small note pad and
pen in his hands and then finally to Ariana. He was confused to see the surprised look on all of their faces, but moved
quickly to stand protectively by her.
Ariana, who was propped up on a pillow in the hospital bed, was looking at Ragon in shock. Her thoughts were
interrupted however when a loud cough caught everyone’s attention and both Ragon and Ari turned to face the
police officer.
Officer Ryans, as he had introduced himself, looked to be about 29. He was tall and thin with a strong frame, wavy
blonde hair, a long face and brown eyes.
“Well, if you remember anything, anything at all, please call me,” the officer said. “My home phone number is on the
back, so don’t hesitate, day or night.”
Ragon looked at the policeman with narrowed eyes which turned to shock as Ari reached out to take his business
card. In a flash he had stretched out his own hand and intercepted Ari’s, taking the small card quickly.
“Thanks,” he said, pocketing the card.
“I will need a home address and phone number so I can reach you for follow up questions,” the officer said, his eyes
darting suspiciously to Ragon.
Ariana made to open her mouth but Ragon cut her off saying, “We live at 34 Eagle Rd, Mt Cootha.”
At these words Ariana stretched her head, her eyes twisted with confusion. She didn’t live in Mount Cootha; she
lived in Paddington, in a one bedroom apartment. Her lease didn’t end for another 10 months. What the hell was
going on?
“Wait,” Ariana said, stopping the policeman from taking down this address. “I live in Paddington, not Mt Cootha and
I have never seen this man before.”
As she spoke, she saw the stranger’s face fall. Instantly she felt horrible, like she had just told a small child that there
was no such thing as Santa Claus. For the smallest of moments, Ragon hoped that she was joking but one look in her
doubtful eyes told him that she was not.
“Ari?” Ragon said, reaching for her hand adoringly.
Before he could grab onto it however, she had pulled her hand away. A sharp stab in his heart followed this and he
looked at her in disbelief before staring unblinkingly up at the doctor.
“Who are you?” Ariana asked, looking up at the gorgeous stranger, an odd sense of de je vu ringing in her ears.
Ragon blinked, his face breaking further at her words. There were lines in his forehead from the confusion and his
eyes were empty.
“You must be the man who bought her here,” the female doctor said moving enthusiastically over to him. “I’m
Felicity Brown, Ariana’s doctor for this evening. Ari has amnesia; she doesn’t remember anything before six months
ago.”
How could this be happening Ragon thought?
“Nothing?” Ragon asked, moving to sit on one of the chairs by Ariana’s bed. “You can’t remember anything at all?”
Ariana shook her head.
“It isn’t unusual, I wouldn’t be too concerned. Most of the time memories just take a little longer to repair,” the
doctor said. “Ariana is alive and after what she has been through, that enough in itself is a miracle.”
The police man, who was now looking at Ragon in a calculated sort of way said, “And what’s your name?”
“Ragon Patricks,” he said coolly. “I’m Ari’s boyfriend.”
Ariana blinked a few times at this. What? She had a boyfriend? And she was living with him? What the hell had
happened these past few months?
“So you are the one who found Ari?” Officer Ryans asked.
Ragon shook his head at these words. It should have been him who found her but it had been Clyde.
“No,” he said gruffly.
“Well I need to talk to the person who brought Ariana in here,” Officer Ryans said, putting his notepad and pen away
disappointedly. “They may have seen the person who attacked her.”
At these words Ragon was suddenly tense. The very last thing that his coven, or any vampire, needed was for the law
to be getting involved in vampire matters.
“What makes you think she was attacked?” Ragon asked. “I thought it was an accident?”
“She was stabbed,” officer Ryans replied coolly.
“But that doesn’t mean…” Ragon said.
“And there are bruises on her wrists and ankles from where she was bound,” Officer Ryans added.
“Officer Ryans, a word please,” Doctor Brown said, indicating for him to join her outside.
The pair walked around the corner and into a small officer.
“Some of Ariana’s x-rays showed abnormalities; there are contusion marks on her ribs consistent with her falling or
taking a beating in the last two months prior to this,” the doctor said, reaching for a large grey envelope and placing
a few x-rays onto a viewer for the officer to see.
Officer Ryans scanned the images, not really knowing what he was looking at.
“So you’re saying someone beat her up and stabbed her?” he asked.
“It’s difficult to be sure but these marks here,” she said pointing to the x-ray, “are classic strangulation hairline
fractures but there is signs of ossification, indicating that these injuries occurred prior to her attack.”
The officer considered her words carefully, reaching for his note pad and pen and jotting down a few more scribbled
notes.
Back in Ariana’s room Ragon was pacing.
“You really don’t remember anything?” he asked imploringly.
Ariana shook her head quickly. She was looking at Ragon in wild disbelief. Ragon was gorgeous and he was her
boyfriend?
“We really live together?” Ari asked blushing.
Live together? That was what she was thinking about? Ragon wanted to shake Ari; what they had was so much more
than two people living together; he loved her.
“Yes,” he said sadly.
“I’m sorry,” Ariana began, but before she could say anything more the door opened and officer Ryans and the female
doctor walked back inside.
“Ariana, for the duration of your hospitalisation I am going to post a plain clothed policeman on watch,” he said, his
eyes darting angrily up at Ragon. “When your memory does come back, I am hoping that you will be able to help us
find the person responsible for all these deaths.”
“When can she come home?” Ragon asked, ignoring the officer and directing his attention to Doctor Brown.
For a moment Dr Brown looked at the officer sheepishly then said, “Well, as soon as she recovers, though her
retrograde amnesia may take longer to heal than the rest of her body but she will need round the clock care and….”
“Actually,” Officer Ryans interrupted. “I’m not so sure it is a good idea for Ariana to return home with you.”
At these words Ragon had to supress a growl. His fists were bawled in deep concentration, as he fought the desire to
walk right over to this prissy officer and snap his neck. Officer Ryan had not missed this and he gestured down at his
holster, where a concealed gun was hanging. Ragon smiled grimly at this. Let him try, he thought, enjoying the vision
of this baboon attempting to stop him with mere bullets.
“Well I’m not sure that’s your call,” Ragon said between gritted teeth.
Officer Ryans made to move towards Ragon but Ariana sat up quickly, the effort forcing her to cry out in pain. Both
men looked over to her instantly.
“Perhaps both of you should leave,” Dr Brown said, moving over to Ariana and placing a hand on her wrist.
“I’ll be back soon Ari,” Ragon said, moving over to her and kissing her on the forehead.
“So will I,” Officer Ryans said, holding the door open for Ragon to leave first.
CHAPTER 19- A STROLL THROUGH THE MORGUE
That night, after Ragon stormed through the house in a rage, he told the coven that Ari was conscious but
had lost her memory.
“What do you mean she doesn’t know who you are?” Sandra had asked as soon as Ragon had mentioned Ari’s
amnesia.
“It’s retrograde,” Ragon replied, “it will come back.”
Even as he had said this, a small part of him hoped it wasn’t true. When he had heard Dr Brown’s diagnosis, he had
been upset, even terrified but then, as he thought about it longer, the prospect of her being able to forget all the
horrible things that had happened to her in the last few months, seemed like a gift. Perhaps if he hadn’t of been so
hot headed and territorial, he wouldn’t have told her that they were together. He scoffed then, remembering the
catalyst as to why he had made this proclamation; Officer Ryans.
“And there’s a policeman whose asking a lot of questions about what happened to her,” Ragon said. “I heard him say
that Ari wasn’t the only other 24 year old female who had been attacked.”
At these words the entire coven went quiet. Even Clyde, who had been half way to the door, intent on visiting Ariana
at the hospital, had stopped to listen.
“What do you mean ‘24 year old females’?” Clyde asked, speaking to Ragon for the first time since the night he had
rescued Ari.
“The deaths, the ones that the Elder’s mentioned, 10 of them were girls who were 24 years old,” Ragon said.
“What are you saying?” Sandra asked. “We know who attacked Ariana, it was Sameth, but he couldn’t have killed all
those other girls; he was barely out of our sight, accept for the night that he-”
“I know,” Ragon admitted, cutting Sandra off, unwilling to hear to the rest of her sentence. “But it seems too
stranger coincidence that 10 other girls, the same age as Ari have been killed.”
“But I thought it was Kiara who wanted Ari dead,” Cambridge said. “So why would she be randomly killing 24 years
olds’; she knows exactly what Ari looks like and where to find her.”
“I agree,” Thomas said. “It can’t just be Kiara who is after Ari.”
“But if it is true that whoever is killing these other 24 year olds, is actually after Ari and that’s a huge but, they must
not know what she looks like, just her age,” Larissa piped up.
This affirmation was followed by silence. The entire reason for the coven’s existence was to protect Ari and now they
find out that there has been someone going around killing girls the same age as her.
“But why would someone be after Ari?” Thomas asked, a puzzled expression on his face.
“Perhaps because of what she can do? Maybe someone at the Halloween party saw her?” Sandra voiced.
“But if they saw here, then they would know what she looks like,” Thomas said, moving over to Sandra and taking
her hand in his.
“When did these deaths first start happening,” Clyde said.
“I don’t know,” Ragon admitted, shaking his head in frustration.
In truth he had not been following the news or anything else mortal related since Ariana had come to live with him.
Suddenly he felt underprepared, as if whoever was after her could walk into the hospital room where she was and
kill her at any moment. He knew what he needed to do; he had to find out more about the girls who had been killed.
***
A little less than half an hour later, he and Clyde were sneaking into the city morgue. He had asked Sandra and
Larissa to watch Ari until the morning, hoping at least that with their protection she would be ok during the night.
Cambridge and Thomas had remained with Patrick to assist him with keeping Ryder at bay. The car ride over to the
city morgue had been met mostly with silence. Ragon had thought of confronting Clyde about what he felt towards
Ari, but had thought better of it. The last thing he needed was to know that Clyde really did have feelings for her;
that would complicate things. The pair was dressed as inconspicuously as possible, wearing black jeans, no-descript
shifts and baseball caps. When Ragon knocked on the front door, he was pleased to find that no one answered. He
had been unsure what sort of hours coroners kept. The job, in itself was a dark one, and he thought perhaps that
they might have works outside normal business hours. For a few moments Clyde rummaged through his pockets,
finally retrieving a credit card and a bobby pin.
“Seriously?” Ragon asked, looking at the tools in Clyde’s hands.
“Do you have a better idea?” Clyde asked, now flicking the card between the door and scrambling the lock.
Ragon didn’t answer.
Ten minutes later and the door opened. They had only just crossed the threshold when a loud whaling signified that
they had tripped an alarm. For a moment they looked around the large entrance wildly, searching for the source of
the disturbance. The room was a dull green colour, with white walls and olive laminate flooring. A small water
cooler, two old brown couches and a small green counter was all that occupied the waiting room, along with a half
dead palm in a large pot, which looked as if it desperately needed watering. Finally, after searching the entire
waiting area, Ragon spotted a small red flashing light. He blurred over to it, releasing that it was embedded in a
metallic box that was firmly attached to the wall behind the counter.
Clyde looked disappointed at this.
“What?” Ragon asked, holding the remnants of the coroner’s security system in his hands, still omitting a dull robotic
noise.
“If I had of known that there was an alarm, I wouldn’t have gone to all the effort of picking the lock,” he said, a small
grin breaking his otherwise indifferent face.
“We don’t have long,” Ragon said, indicating a door on their left.
The pair quickly raced through it, entering a long, dark hallway. There were no lights on, except for a low glowing
green one that read ‘exit’. Still, the pair was easily able to navigate around the various names on each adjoining
door, until they found the one they had been searching for: ‘Morgue authorised personal only’. Pushing open the
door, there was a notable drop in temperature. The room itself was sterile looking. Two large metallic workbenches
stood centre stage, with a large instrument tray on either side. Along one of the walls were many rows of handles
and Clyde moved over to them purposefully.
“Eny, meny, miny, mo,” he said, moving to one of the handles, turning it and pulling out a heavy draw on which a
cadaver lay.
This continued for a while, as Ragon rummaged through a filing cabinet near a small office desk.
“Well she looks to be mid-twenties,” Clyde said after he had opened the fifth draw which revealed a young girl’s
body.
There was a large white tarp that entirely covered her body. Clyde had unzipped only the uppermost part of the
cover to expose the girl’s face. Her eyes were closed and her lips were bluish purple, while her face was a dazzling
white. Ragon did not look up, but pulled out four or five files that he had found. Holding them in his hand, he moved
over to where Clyde stood. When finally he was next to Clyde he looked down; he couldn’t help but feel an odd pang
of guilt and sadness. He felt responsible somehow.
“What was that?” Clyde asked, hearing a noise and looking around the room dramatically.
Ragon responded immediately; quickly he closed the draw containing the body and still cradling the files, he dashed
over to the door. From outside he could see a flashlight searching the long corridor.
“Shit,” he whispered.
“Time to go,” Clyde said moving to follow Ragon out of the room.
But before Clyde could grasp onto the handle, he felt Ragon pull his collar tight, sending him flying backwards and
into the centre of the room.
“What are you doing?” Clyde hissed, as Ragon began open draws at random. “If we don’t get out of here soon -”
But he was cut off speaking when Ragon found what he was looking for.
In an instant Ragon jumped onto an empty slab and said, “There’s no time, pick one and get in.”
Clyde looked horrified for a moment. Then sighing loudly he began searching for his own, pulling the draws open
with such vigour, until finally he found an unoccupied one slab.
“This is undignified,” Clyde said lying down flat onto the cold metal draw and closing his door.
A second later and the pair heard the door to the morgue open.
“Did you see the lock though?” one man asked.
“Yea, I saw it,” another responded. “But why the hell would someone want to break into a morgue.”
“Looking for a date?” the first man asked and the pair laughed loudly.
“There’s no one here,” the second man said.
“They could be hiding,” the first man suggested and Ragon and Clyde heard a draw slide open.
“Yuck Ern; this wasn’t in the job description,” the second man said.
“Quit crying and help me check,” the first man said angrily.
“Oh man, dead bodies give me the heeby jeebies,” the second man said, reluctantly opening one of the draws in
front of him.
As he looked down he saw the body of a man. He looked to be about 27 years old, with blond hair and handsome
features. There was something odd about how he was positioned and how he was wearing regular clothes.
“Oi, are they supposed to be dressed like this Ern?” he asked.
“Like what?” Ern replied, moving over to stare at the slab with the man’s body.
For a second Ern hesitated, than reached a shaking hand out to touch the man’s neck, startling a little at how cold
the body felt. Clyde felt the two fingers press hard on his jugular vein, which had not pulsed for many, many years. It
took all of his will power not to scare the hell out of the guard.
After a while Ern seemed to be happy and closed the door to Clyde’s slab saying, “Definitely dead.”
For another few minutes the pair continued like this until they were satisfied.
“Probably just kids doing it for a dare,” Ern said, closing the door to the morgue behind him and slowly retracing
their steps back along the corridor and out of the building.
Ragon and Clyde waited until they were quite certain that the guards had left before leaving the safety of the slabs.
“You do realise how much you owe me for this,” Clyde said, pulling his body off the metallic slab and reclosing the
door behind him.
Ragon couldn’t help but laugh as he moved to open the door to the morgue before he and Clyde crept along the
hallway, back towards the entrance. Back inside the car Ragon flipped through the files he had stolen. All the reports
contained details of girls aged 24 when they had been killed. Thumbing through the files frantically he searched for
something, anything that might tie them to Ari in some way. It didn’t take him long to find the missing link.
“What?” Clyde asked, when Ragon let out a long sigh.
“Grace Valley Orphanage,” Ragon said simply.
“What; that orphanage that burnt down a few months back?” Clyde asked.
Ragon looked at Clyde instantly at these words. “What?” he asked.
“I heard it on the news, back when I first met Ari,” Clyde said. “She said that was where she had grown up.”
“It was,” Ragon said, “And so did the rest of these 24 year old girls. And the first death dates back almost two
months ago, that’s well before the first time she started using her powers.”
“So there is someone after her; but why? I mean if it was a vamp and they knew she had powers over us, I can
understand why someone would have it in for her…” Clyde said in a hiss.
Ragon nodded slowly, placing the files on the floor of the car then looking sombrely out of the window. For a while
he stared at the blurring houses they past, his mind troubled. It was only when they passed a large, well lit building,
that he realised they were not heading back to the house.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Ragon asked, already knowing the answer.
“I thought we should visit Ari,” Clyde responded coolly.
Ragon huffed but did not argue. In truth he wanted to see her too, although it was nearly one in the morning and not
exactly the best time to be sneaking into the hospital to see her, having just broken into the city morgue.
“So you think that all these girls are being killed because of Ari; because they are trying to kill her but don’t know
what she looks like?” Clyde asked as they walked to a well shadowed area of the hospital, intent on finding an open
window to climb through. “So what are they going to do; kill every 24 year old girl in the area and hope that they get
the right one?”
“I don’t know,” Ragon replied, lifting himself through the small window that was on the second level of the hospital.
“It makes sense that if they were responsible for the Grace Valley Orphanage burning down, that they could have
gotten their hands on a list of all the girls that were born in the same year; but I can’t figure out how they know what
year she was born in or which orphanage she even went to.”
Their conversation was cut short when they heard a nurse whistling tunelessly to herself and for a moment they
both froze, hoping the shadows of the store cupboard they had found themselves in would be sufficient to hide
them from sight. Fortunately, after a moment the nurse left and Clyde let out a long low sigh.
“Well what the hell is going on?” Clyde asked, as they left the room and made their way towards Ari. “How can
someone know which orphanage Ari went to but not know what she looks like? And why the hell do they want her
dead if they started killing girls before she even started freezing people?”
Ragon did not know the answers to these questions. He had been wondering the same thing himself. There must be
something about Ari that he didn’t know, some reason why someone wanted her dead and was prepared to kill
every 24 year old girl who went to Grace Valley Orphanage.
As the pair rounded the corner near Ari’s room, Ragon couldn’t contain his excitement. He hated being away from
her and the prospect of seeing her, even with Clyde around, was enough to add a spring to his step. Ragon’s face had
fallen almost instantly however, when he pushed open the door and his eager eyes met Officer Ryans.
“What are you doing here?” Officer Ryans asked in an angry whisper, looking first at Ragon and then over to Clyde.
Ari was half-asleep in her bed and Officer Ryans was sitting in a chair next to her, reading a slightly ratty book that
was so crumpled it was impossible to make out the title. From his plain clothing of jeans and a white t-shirt, it was
obvious that he was no longer working.
“I could ask you the same thing,” Ragon said in the same low voice.
“I told you I would put a police man on to watch her,” Officer Ryans said no longer trying to keep his voice low. “But
you’re not supposed to be here now. It’s outside of visiting hours. How did you both sneak in?”
Ragon glared at him but it was Clyde who spoke. “Guess the security is not all it’s cracked up to be,” he said
arrogantly.
Ragon had to supress a grin; the fact that Clyde was on his side made him immensely happy. For a moment it
seemed as if the officer would retort, but then a long yawn from the bed told everyone that Ari had woken. As soon
as her eyelids fluttered open, Clyde was by her side.
“How you feeling beautiful?” Clyde asked, letting a wide smile spread across his face as he winked once.
“Like she should be getting rest and peace from unauthorised visitors,” Officer Ryans said, moving from his chair,
throwing his book down and advancing on Clyde.
“Unauthorised?” Clyde scoffed. “I didn’t realise you needed a permit to visit a sick friend.”
Ari was looking up in confusion at Clyde.
“I’m Clyde; the knight in shining armour who bought you here,” Clyde said, introducing himself to her.
At these words Officer Ryans moved over to Clyde saying, “I need to ask you some questions about that.”
“That’s fine, although you’ll need to make an appointment with my secretary,” Clyde said smugly.
Officer Ryans looked at him, his eyebrows raised. Who the hell did these two think they were? Breaking into
hospitals and talking to a policeman like they were descendants of God. For a moment Officer Ryans thought of
arresting him but one glance at Ari made him reconsider this.
Instead he reached into his jeans pocket and retrieved a small notebook, saying, “How about here and now?”
Clyde shrugged, moved over to the chair that the policeman had previously been sitting on and dragged it next to
Ari. “Fire away,” he said, crossing his legs and fanning interest.
“Please retrace your movements on the day that you bought Ariana to the hospital,” he asked.
“Hmm, let see, well I stayed in bed most of the day; it was pretty hot out and I burn easily…” Clyde began, pausing to
smile at Ragon’s inaudible growl, “then, around dinner time I decided to go and fetch a snack. I have been on a liquid
diet, so I thought I would treat myself with something I would regret later.”
Ari had laughed at this and for a moment Ragon turned hopefully to look at her. But then her face returned to its
previous indifferent expression and Ragon looked down in disappointment. Ari had not known why she had laughed
at this; it had been instinctive and escaped her before she had had enough time to consider her response.
“Anyway, long story short; on my way home I saw Ari on the side of the road near the driveway. When I got to her, I
thought perhaps that she had been jogging or something and had fallen over, but then I saw that she was bleeding
and so I raced her to the hospital.”
“What did you think happened to her?” Officer Ryans asked, scribbling quickly on his notepad.
“How should I know? I’m not a doctor; maybe she got clipped by a car?” Clyde said.
Officer Ryans eyes narrowed even further at this, “You didn’t realise she had been stabbed?” he asked.
“No. I just saw the blood and took her here,” Clyde responded coolly.
“And there was no one else around; no binds on her hands or ankles; nothing…” Officer Ryans began, but at these
words Ari had turned white, her face suddenly fearful.
“Can’t you do this someplace else?” Ragon asked, his angry eyes glaring at Officer Ryans and Clyde, before turning to
look at Ari, his eyebrows raised in concern.
“Sure, later,” Officer Ryans said, not wanting to leave Ari alone. “Can you come buy the station tomorrow morning
some time to make a statement?”
Clyde looked at Ragon for the slightest of seconds, then turned to Officer Ryans and said, “I have a prior engagement
in the morning; can I call you?”
Reluctantly Officer Ryans pulled his business card and handed it to Clyde. He did not write down his afterhours
contact details on the back of it, as he had done for Ari, but rather shoved the card haphazardly into Clyde’s
outstretched hand, who didn’t bother reading it but crumpled so that it would fit into his back pocket.
“What’s going on in here?” a male voice asked, turning the handle of the hospital door before entering the room.
Though the man who opened the door was elderly, the livid look on his face did not suggest frailty in the slightest.
He gripped his white hair manically and wrinkled his already lined forehead when his eyes fell on the unauthorised
visitors who were causing a ruckus in one of his rounds rooms.
“This patient needs rest,” he said, glaring at Officer Ryans, before his eyes fell on Clyde and Ragon. “And who are
you?”
Clyde pressed one undignified finger to his chest saying, “Mwah?”
He couldn’t help but love ridiculing humans, especially up tight ones. There was something deliciously irresistible
about mocking them. Unlike Clyde, Ragon was more respectful of his elders, even though technically he was about
three times older than this man. Moving swiftly over to Clyde, Ragon pulled the chair out from under-him; for a
minute it looked as if Clyde would fall to the ground, but at the last moment caught himself, glaring up at Ragon for
spoiling his fun.
“Were leaving,” Ragon said.
Clyde opened his mouth to protest but Ragon glared at him.
“Be well,” Ragon said to Ari, sweeping down and kissing her quickly on the forehead, before she could move away
from him.
Clyde moved instinctively over to Ari also but before he could even begin puckering his lips, Ragon had grabbed him
by the shirt, pulling it tight as he held him back.
“But wait, when can Ari come home?” Clyde asked, pulling his shirt free of Ragon’s grasp and brushing the new
crinkles out of it.
At these words Dr Phillips, who had been preoccupied with scratching his nose, turned to retrieve Ari’s chart, which
hung at the end of her bed.
“Hmm,” he said out loud, as he mused through the details, “I don’t see why she can’t go home now?”
“But doc!” Officer Ryans said, moving over to face him. “This girl has been attacked; she doesn’t remember who she
is, surely she shouldn’t be-”
But he was cut off speaking when the doctor held his hand up in the air to call for silence, while he continued to scan
her hospital sheet.
“Ariana has retrograde amnesia,” Doctor Phillips said, clearing his throat loudly. “Her best chance at restoring her
memories is by being around people she knows; staying in a hospital for several more days will hardly be conducive
to her repairing this loss.”
“But she was attacked,” Officer Ryans said loudly.
“And so should be protected by the police, not being kept in a hospital like a safe house,” the doctor said. “Her
injuries, though serious after her initial admittance, will heal just as fast at home. I see no reason to keep her captive
here, that is if her friends,” he said indicating Ragon and Clyde, “will consent to care for her.”
Clyde was nodding enthusiastically but Officer Ryans moved quickly over to Doctor Phillips, grabbing him forcefully
by the elbow and saying, “I had an understanding with Dr Brown. She assured me that Ari would be able to stay here
and-”
“Ah, Dr Brown you say?” he replied, “Yes, that does not surprise me at all. There are people in here that are seriously
unwell,” Dr Phillips said, taking Ari’s pulse, “but Miss Sol here is clearly on the road to recovering. Sometimes the
mind takes longer than the body to regenerate, so I see no reason why she needs to be unnecessarily taking up a
hospital bed, when she clearly would recover much faster at home, where she can be surrounded by friends and
family to help restore her memory.”
From the upright posture of the old doctor and the way he checked his wrist watch religiously, Ragon suspected that
Dr Philips was an ex medic from the war. His desire to conserve medical resources by discharging patients was fairly
indicative of someone who had saved lives during a war. It was almost as if he were afraid that at any moment they
could be taken by surprise, at which point they would need ample number of hospital beds and the likes.
“Well, I supposed I could organise having a guard on detail at your premises,” Officer Ryans said, looking reluctantly
at Ragon. “Though I really think that she would be safer elsewhere.
“I think that we can handle Ari’s security a little better than-” Clyde began, before Ragon elbowed him hard in the
guts.
For a few moments Clyde looked up at Ragon, menace framing his face, then Dr Phillips cleared his throat, “Well I
will leave it up to you to co-ordinate her safety,” he said, looking at Officer Ryans. “I think we should keep you in for
two more nights, just to be sure, after that we will reassess your condition and likely discharge you, by which point I
trust your safekeeping will have been organised.”
After that there was no argument. Ragon and Clyde left reluctantly, clinging to the hope that at the very least, in a
little less than 48 hours, Ari would be safe and sound back home.
“How much do you really know about him?” Officer Ryans asked Ari, after a long silence.
“Nothing,” Ari said, a small smile sweeping her face, before the realisation of these words hit her like a ton of bricks.
“Why?”
“I don’t know; I just get a bad feeling from him. When I spoke with one of your doctors… never mind,” he said,
looking at her concerned face. “I just, I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Officer Ryans looked at Ari, toying with the temptation to leave the chair by her side and inch closer. His need to
protect her was not without reason.
“The second girl who was killed,” he said, looking down at his hands which were bawled into fists, “I knew her.”
“Oh god, that’s horrible. I’m so sorry,” Ariana said, the concern wrinkling her eyes.
Ari wanted to ask more. The past six months of her life were an absolute blur and so the prospect of discovering
something, even anything about why she had been attacked by this serial killer, was very appealing. But this was
clearly a delicate topic for Officer Ryans and although he had bought it up, she didn’t feel it was her place to ask
more.
“She was an old friend,” he said in a low whisper, as if the memory of her was still painful. “We went to the same
high school. Five months ago I got a call and went out to a derelict house in New Farm. When I saw her…” he said,
trailing off as his face turned a shade lighter. “You’re the first person I’ve told,” he said. “If the squad found out that I
knew her, I would be thrown off the case.” Officer Ryans paused, but then after a moment of chewing on his tongue
he added, “I have to catch this bastard.”
Ari nodded; it was suddenly obvious why he was so protective of her. She had wondered about this, having felt a
connection to him that she couldn’t justify. This connection was thrown into even further disbelief, by the fact that
Officer Ryans was particularly gorgeous, young and clearly a very compassionate person. In the hours that she had
been awake, it had always been him sitting by her bed. At first it had bothered her that Ragon, her supposed
boyfriend, was not there more, but then she would remember that they had only been together for about six
months, or at least, she had only known him for six months, and perhaps it was a bit too much for one person to deal
with. But there was something familiar about Ragon. His face, though not entirely clear in her mind, seemed to
trigger all sorts of memories that were blurred and hazy. A few times she thought she could picture him at the library
at university, or else perhaps in a lecture with her, or studying in the great hall.
“Well as soon as I remember, I promise I will do everything I can to help you catch them Officer” she said.
“It’s Lee,” he said kindly.
Ari nodded her head. She had meant what she’d said. Officer Ryans had spent god knows how many hours in her
hospital room, watching her and making sure that no one came back to finish what they started; the very least she
could do was help him.
***
Back at the house, Ragon had explained to the coven about discovering that not only had the first girl been killed
well and truly before Ari had started freezing people, but also that Ari and the rest of the 24 year old girls, had all
gone to the same orphanage.
“But then why do they want her dead?” Thomas asked.
Ragon shrugged but Sandra said, “Clearly someone knows something and I’ll bet it has to do with Ari being able to
stop time.”
Thomas was nodding in affirmation, but it was Ragon who answered, “There is something kind of familiar about this
whole situation, like I have read it before, in a story.”
“Yes, I think I saw a movie like this,” Clyde said sarcastically. “About the girl who was dating a vampire until she
started being able to freeze time, so everyone tried to kill her.”
Clyde couldn’t contain his laughter and Ragon tried ignored him, moving to his library, so that he was away from the
ringing noise that reverberated off the wooden floors and sought to follow him down the hallway.
“What cha doing?” Larissa and Sandra asked, knocking on the library door less than ten minutes later.
As they peered into the room, they saw that Ragon was on the second storey, behind a large desk and after a
moment they joined him, climbing the spiral stair case gracefully. Nearing the desk they saw that Ragon was looking
at his laptop and had begun drawing what looked like a family tree.
“Who are they?” Sandra asked, looking at what appeared to be an old black and white newspaper clipping, torn and
crumpled, with two people standing next to each other.
The newspaper article read: ‘Police no closer to finding missing couple and child.’ It was obvious that Ragon had kept
this clipping for many years and when Larissa looked closer she gasped; it was dated the 1st of July 1988.
“These were Ari’s biological parents,” Ragon said, tracing their faces with his fingers. “Ari doesn’t know that I know
who her parents were; I was going to tell her the night that…” but he broke off. “And now she doesn’t know who I
am and I will have to hide this from her all over again, until she is ready to know.”
Larissa moved closer to Ragon, touching a concerned hand onto his shoulder and gently prying the article from his
fingers and pulling it closer to read. For a moment she stared at the couple, comparing Ari’s high cheek bones with
her mothers and the shape of Ari’s eyes to her fathers, before beginning to read the clipping:
‘Police no closer to finding missing couple and child. It had been almost 2 weeks since the mysterious disappearance
of Brisbane couple, George and Sarah Hutton, and their 2 year old daughter. Friends of the family say that the
Hutton’s were a quiet, well like and respected members of the community of Bardon. Police continue to label their
disappearance as suspicious. Forensic officers surveying the family home say that there were no signs of their
intending to leave and there has been no activity on the couple’s financial accounts, or on their passports. While
police state that they remain hopeful, the daily searches of the Bardon state forest have now been reduced to every
three days. The community is urged that if they have any knowledge concerning the whereabouts of the Hutton
family or anything pertaining to the case, that they should contact Crime stoppers or phone the police directly.’
“I knew that she was adopted, but I just assumed that she knew who her parents were,” Larissa said, returning the
article to the desk.
“I should have told her but…” Ragon began, breaking off as he stared into the distance.
“It’s ok honey; don’t dwell on this now. Let’s just focus on getting her better; you’ll have plenty of time to talk about
such things later,” Sandra said.
Ragon nodded sadly.
“Why do you have this out now?” Larissa asked.
Ragon pulled the large piece of white paper that he had been drawing on before and showed it to both girls. As soon
as they saw it, it became clear exactly what Ragon was doing. There were a few names written on the paper, all
culminating to one name: Ariana Sol, which was joined by one line to two other names: George and Bridget Hutton,
whose names were also linked to other various names.
“You’re tracing her family tree?” Sandra asked. “But why?”
“I think it is the only way to find out what is going on. There is something different about Ariana, something special
and I don’t know what else to do. Obviously someone wants her dead. There must be a reason why and this is the
only place I can think to start. I can’t protect her if I don’t know who I am supposed to be protecting her from,”
Ragon said.
“But how did you find all these people?” Larissa asked, looking down at the many names that preceded her parents,
so that it was possible to discern her grandparents and great grandparents.
“I know your old,” Ragon said, winking once at Sandra, but you have heard of the internet: haven’t you?”
Larissa rolled her eyes and Sandra ruffled her hair teasingly. For a moment Ragon continued to read, then traced
another line from her great grandmother, to her great, great, grandfather and added wrote ‘Dolores Grand.’
“Why are you only tracing her fore-bearers? Do you not think it would be better to include other immediate family,
like aunties and uncles or cousins?” Sandra asked.
Ragon looked up at Sandra, moved the piece of paper so that he was once again in the region of Ari’s name and
drew a straight line across from her, where he wrote the name ‘Jamie Hutton.’ He then took the pen and wrote ‘1st
July 1982 – 1st of July 1982’ and put a small letter d above the name.
“Ari had a brother?” Sandra asked, looking down at the name.
“Yea, but he died when he was only 2 days old. I found his death certificate on the internet,” Ragon said. “Her
parents were all she had.”
“And her mother and father; they didn’t have any brothers or sisters?” Larissa asked.
“None that I can find,” Ragon said, throwing his pen down in frustration.
“What’s wrong?” Larissa asked.
“I can’t trace it any further back than Dolores Grand,” he said, beginning to close the internet search pages he had
opened, clicking the mouse a little harder than necessary as he furiously shut down his search.
“So what are you going to do next?” Sandra asked, looking down at the incomplete family tree.
He had left only one search engine opened and typed in the words, ‘department of births, deaths and marriages.’
After a moment an official looking website loaded and Ragon clicked on the link that said, ‘titles office’. Another
moment passed and Ragon clicked the contacts link and a new page loaded. It was completely white, with an official
government banner on the top of the page and small black cursive writing that said: ‘All letters should be addressed
to Central Titles Office, Room 101, Floor 7, 121 Adelaide ST, Brisbane QLD 4000. Response may take up to 10
business days.’
“There,” Ragon said, pointing to the computer screen and the address of the Central Tiles Office.
After that his eyes strained to the large trap-door which led to the roof. He didn’t bother opening it; he knew that it
would be morning already and that meant that he would have to wait another ten or so hours before he could put
his plan in motion.
***
Though Ragon was loathed to invite Clyde on his mission to trace back Ariana’s lineage, he knew from their most
recent trip to the morgue, that Clyde had valuable lock picking skills. It therefore made sense to include him in his
scheme to break into the Central Titles Office. Once again Sandra and Larissa had volunteered to watch Ariana while
Cambridge and Thomas remained at home with Patrick to keep an eye on Ryder.
At the mention of babysitting Ryder, Ragon couldn’t help but feel a little guilty that he had not honoured Ari’s
request to ensure that Ryder’s transformation went smoothly. Though he had not spent any time with the little
fledgling since his making, Clyde had heard that Ryder was slowly beginning to act more like a vampire and less like a
monster.
“What’s the difference?” Ragon asked sarcastically, when he and Clyde were clothed all in black, dressed once again
for breaking and entering.
“Be careful.” Sandra said, pushing herself in front of Clyde so that she was facing Ragon while Larissa moved over to
the front door.
Before Larissa could leave the house however, Cambridge had swept over to his mate and kissed her passionately on
the lips. She smiled after this and reached a hand out to cup his dark cheek saying, “I love you.”
***
“Let me have a go,” Ragon said when they had reached Adelaide St and were staring up at the tall government
building.
“Bobby pins and cards won’t work on this one,” Clyde said smiling.
Ragon was confused by the eerie smile on Clyde’s face, until he saw him take a giant leap, springing off the
pavement and landing smoothly onto the second level of the building.
“We’re going to have to climb the rest of the way,” Clyde said, looking up and then beginning his accent.
Ragon also looked up at the building. It had to be at least fifteen stories high and there was no other landing until
the tenth floor. For a while the pair struggled to scale the old brick building, using their inhuman abilities to propel
from window to window, until they were finally standing on another small landing on the tenth floor.
“That’s our ticket in,” Clyde said, walking across the small landing and shaking a relatively flimsy door.
After that Clyde reached for a bobby pin and handed it to Ragon, who took it apprehensively. For a while he fiddled
with the lock, frustrated at how easy Clyde had made it look yesterday.
“Would you like me to-” Clyde began, but Ragon held up his hand, unwilling to admit defeat.
“Almost got it,” Ragon said, his tongue between his teeth.
Then suddenly he felt the bobby pin bend and snap in two. Clyde grinned and let out a small low laugh, which was
instantly silenced when Ragon furled his hand into a fist and smashed the door down. There was no alarm, simply a
loud noise that signified the glass breaking.
“Smooth,” Clyde said.
Ragon growled but reached his hand through the broken glass door and unlocked it, so that he could slide it open. As
soon as they were inside, they quickly found the fire escape stairs and climbed the next two staircases in a blur,
arriving at the twelfth floor in seconds.
“Which room?” Clyde asked, looking down the long hallway they found themselves in and scanning the numbers
above the doors.
“101,” Ragon replied, quickly finding the right door and pushing it open.
Immediately the pair was faced with what looked like an enormous storage room. There was one large computer off
to the side that appeared as if it pre-dated the century. There were several keyboards attached to the one monitor
and an enormous server driver that hummed noisily, as if several fans were needed to keep it from over-heating.
“So what are we looking for?” Clyde asked, moving to sit on a leather roller chair, before propping his feet up onto
the table.
“Anyone related to Ari,” Ragon said, moving also over to the computer. “Accept her name will be registered as
‘Sarah Hutton.’”
Clyde’s eyebrows rose half way up his forehead; clearly this was news to him.
“I have traced back her great, great, grand-mother; her name was Dolores Grand,” Ragon said. “Maybe we should
start there.”
It took them almost half an hour to figure out how to turn the computer on and another ten minutes for it to warm
up. When finally an ancient search program opened Clyde typed in the name and waited.
“Here we go,” Clyde said, double clicking on the only Dolores Grand. “It says that her file is reference GR 45638.”
The moment Clyde had yelled out the reference number, Ragon was whizzing around the huge room, searching for a
matching number. It was less than a minute later when he swooped back in front of Clyde, a large folder of dusty
files clutched tightly in his arms. For the next hour the pair scanned through every document in the file, desperate to
find a reference to Dolores Grand. After what felt like a very long time, Clyde cheered dramatically and puffed his
chest out, holding out a crumpled and torn piece of paper as if it were the most wonderful thing he had ever seen.
“Dolores Grand, daughter of Philip and Georgina Grand, who were sent to the Australian penal colonies in 1788 for
crimes against the British Government,” Clyde read out loud.
“That’s it?” Ragon asked, snatching the paper away from Clyde and scanning the document.
There were no pictures in the files, but what looked to be a scanned copy of the original transport document.
It was difficult to read the leger but Ragon squinted and read out, “’Georgina (with child) and husband Philip Rogers,
transported from British isle correctional.’ What does this say?” Ragon asked, handing the delicate document over to
Clyde who took it and scanned over it carefully.
“‘Transported from British Isle Correctional facility in 1766. Sentence: shipment to the Australia’s. Survived by parent
Lady Geraldine Grand.’”
In a heartbeat the pair were racing back to the computer and typing in the name ‘Lady Geraldine Grand.’ They
waited with baited breath for the page to load but instead a small link appeared next to their query and they clicked
it, both of their faces falling as they read the words, ‘document exceeded hardcopy storage length; original held by
British Government, REF LG237896.”
CHAPTER 20- A GREAT COST
That evening Ari, though excited about the prospect of leaving the hospital in the coming days, couldn’t help
but feel a little apprehensive about spending time with people she had no memory of. Since waking in the hospital
several days ago, she had gained no insight at all into the last six months of her life. The very last thing she
remembered was being at home, writing an assignment on Camel reproduction. Everything past that point was a
complete blank. She had been shocked to hear Ragon say that the two of them were together. Ragon was tall and
gorgeous, with perfect thick dark hair and kind green eyes. She couldn’t help but find it ironic, that the first time she
managed to find a guy who was tall dark and handsome, she magically had her memory wiped. Still, being an orphan
had made Ari weary of forming any kind of bond with people and she couldn’t help but feel that this was the reason
why. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to escape the fate of being alone.
But it wasn’t just Ragon. There had been other people who had introduced themselves to her since then. These
‘friends from out of town’; or that had been how Ragon had introduced them, were apparently living with Ragon and
like him, were beautiful. Despite their obvious magnificence, there was something strange about this new group of
friends that she couldn’t quit put her finger on.
Since being diagnosed as having amnesia, many physiatrists had been to visit her. Apparently forgetting your
memories was something that shrinks found interesting, because since her diagnosis, there had been all sorts of
people coming into her room to ask her questions. The most recent of these was a grad student from Queensland’s
Medical Research Facility, or QMRF, as everyone called it. He had a distinctive medical air about him, what with his
green bowtie and checked shirt. His nose was high and pointed and gave him a snobbish appearance. He had even
been so bold as to ask Officer Ryans to give them some privacy. Ari had thought this had been rather arrogant of him
but he had insisted that patient-doctor confidentiality was sacred. At first it appeared as if Officer Ryans was going to
fight him on this but soon he was being chased over to the door and shooed outside. When it was just the Grad
student and Ari in the room, he sat down on a small metallic chair next to Ari’s bed, showing her a series of cards
and asking her to describe how she felt when she saw them.
“And this one?” he asked, revealing a black and white blob, that evoked no response from Ari, emotional or
otherwise.
“Um,” she said, trying to make something of the shape and turning her head on an angle while she squinted her
eyes, “I guess I feel confused?”
“Interesting,” the man said, straightening his bowtie, before revealing another card from his pile.
This continued for several minutes during which time Ari was forced to stare at all manner of shapes until finally he
advanced her onto picture cards. The first few images were of relatively nondescript things, like a cat or a house and
Ari tried to find suitable ‘feeling’ words to describe them. Ari was just beginning to get bored when the Grad student
flipped over a card and Ari stared at the image. It was a black and white picture of a bat, whose large wings were
stretched like an umbrella. The bat had a small fury head, beady eyes and two large pointed fangs. For a moment
she continued to gape at the card, feeling a connection that was both wonderful and alienating. The longer she
focused on the picture, the more afraid and confused she became, until she began shaking her head unable to make
sense of the fear which had suddenly griped her. She looked around the her room, searching for anything to take her
mind off the fanged creature.
“Use your words please dear,” the man said, looking interestedly at Ari, as he moved the image even closer to her,
hoping to exasperate her response.
“Knock, knock,” a female voice said, pushing the door to Ari’s room open and interrupting their session, much to the
grad student’s annoyance.
“Oh Ari how are you?” a tall dark haired girl asked, sweeping over to Ariana and shooing away the grad student, by
packing up his cards into a muddled pile, then shoving them into his outstretched arms.
“Um hey?” Ari said, looking up at the girl.
Though Ari was quite sure she had seen this woman before, she had no idea who she was, but guessed from the way
that she sat down next to her bed, that she was one of the many new friends she had made in the last few 6 months.
“I heard about what happened to your memory,” the girl said, batting her eyelids at Ari. “I’m Kiara.”
“Hey,” Ari said, looking past Kiara and over at the still slightly open door which the grad student had just exited via.
For a moment a long shiver overtook Ari and she remembered the image of the bat. Hoping to force this image out
of her mind, she turned back to look at Kiara. She was tall and beautiful, with a classic hairstyle that would have
taken Ari hours to do. Her face was pale and she wore bright red lipstick, contrasting against her dark eyes and
throwing into focus a small freckle underneath one of them. Despite trying desperately to block out the unnerving
sensation that was now settling in Ari’s chest, she couldn’t repress a shiver and instantly reached for her shoulders,
rubbing them slightly with her palms, so as to dissipate the goose bumps that were trying to creep up to her neck.
“Are you warm enough?” Kiara asked, moving over to the bed and drawing a sheet up to her chin.
Kiara smiled at Ari, then moved slowly over to the door and closed it, saying, “We don’t want any annoying
therapists coming in to harass you, do we?”
Ari forced a weak smile across her face; she had been glancing into the corridor, hoping to see Officer Ryans but he
was nowhere to be seen.
“Tell me. Do you really remember nothing?” Kiara asked, her eyes suddenly transfixed, like a snake.
Ari shook her head.
“That’s too bad,” Kiara said, “there was something that I wanted to ask you; something that happened the last time I
saw you that I have been confused about for a while.”
“Sorry,” Ari said, blinking a few time in confusion.
“It’s no matter,” Kiara said, now moving slowly towards Ari.
For a second the shiver that had been unwillingly to dissipate lessened and Kiara, who was now standing next to Ari’s
bed, said, “See; that’s better isn’t it?”
Ari nodded dumbly; she was getting a very unusual feeling being this close to Kiara. It was entirely different to the
feeling she had gotten while being near any of the other friends that she had made since she had lost her memory
and it frightened her a little.
“So, is Ragon or any of the gang here yet?” Kiara asked casually, looking out of the small window that framed the
wall of her hospital room.
A sudden desire to lie came across Ari but she swept it aside and shook her head, “No, not yet. Can I ask you a
question?”
Kiara turned from the window to stare at Ari, and odd expression lining her face.
“How did Ragon and I meet?” Ari asked, desperate to know so much more about the boy who she was supposedly
living with.
“At uni,” Kiara replied indifferently.
“And, I mean, did we seem happy together?” Ari asked, until she saw the sad look on Kiara’s face and quickly added,
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be bothering you with these stupid questions; it’s just I can’t remember anything about him at
all.”
“Well, you certainly seemed happy with him,” Kiara replied and there was a touch of hostility in her tone.
“You don’t think he was happy with me?” Ari asked.
“The last time I saw Ragon…” she trailed off, “he was entirely different.”
Both Kiara’s eyes had become suddenly cold and icy and Ari felt the same shiver race up her spine and settle in her
heart. For a moment Kiara stared at Ari and then she blurred towards her, reaching out two powerful hands that
were instantly at Ari’s throat, strangling her. The smile which had been on Ari’s face was suddenly stifled and her
eyes bulged, as her hands shot up to scrape uselessly at the crushing force around her neck. For a moment it felt as if
Ari’s throat was on fire, like white hot prods were being jabbed into her neck and then the whole room went blank
and with it, the pain vanished.
No longer was Ari staring up at Kiara; now she was watching scene after scene in her mind, giving her insight into the
past six months of her life. She saw Ragon, saving her from four boys at her university and taking her to a house in
Mouth Cootha. And then Paige, lying lifeless on a cell floor, having been killed un-mercilessly and unnecessarily by
Matthew. Then she saw herself, dressed as an angel, in robes of white, with two large feathered wings and a
sparkling diamond mask, spinning round and around a large dance hall in the arms of Clyde. She saw Larissa and
Sandra, both laughing with her and making her feel like for the first time in a long time that she had friends. Then a
large tree, shrouded in shadows, with falling purple flowers, as Kiara admitted to killing her parents. Then Sameth,
his normally kind face distorted by rage, as he fought against Clyde in the hopes killing her, so as to get Kiara to love
him. And Ragon, holding her in his arms and telling her that he loved her and that it had been he who had saved her
from Kiara, when she had been a baby. And finally the image of a bat, its large pointed canines, revealing the
greatest truth of all, that Ragon and most of the people she had come to love in these past few months, were not of
her world but were vampires. It was as if everything came back to her, flooding her with joy and terror, until one
final memory left her hopeless; the feeling of Kiara’s hands around her throat and the sad realisation, that as crazy as
her life had been, it was about to end when finally she had felt like she belonged.
Had Ari thought the pain of dying had completely subsided, she was wrong. Suddenly she felt her body flying
through the air, forcing air into her crushed wind pipe and refilling her lungs with great ferocity.
“Ah,” she screamed and at the same time the pain of her vocal cords moving against her swollen throat sent waves
of agony through her body.
Instantly her eyes were forced open, as the white hospital wall was brought into fast approximation; she hit it hard,
letting her hands take most of the force, shielding her surgery site from the main blow. When she slumped onto the
floor, she was barely conscious but she managed to use her left hand to drag herself away from the wall, so that she
crumpled onto her back. Staring up at the ceiling she saw two girls, both snarling and spitting; Larissa and Sandra.
They were here; they were going to save her. But this hopeful thought was quickly dashed, when Kiara threw a wellaimed kick at Sandra, causing her to fly past Ari and land hard against the hospital bed. The resulting crash rung
through the hospital room and Ari force her hands to her ears.
Kiara had been a vampire for longer than Larissa and Sandra combined; she was extremely powerful. Larissa
growled, looking down at Sandra in horror before turning back to face Kiara. In a heartbeat she charged at her but
Kiara was ready, and withdrew a concealed dagger from behind her back. In the time it took for Larissa to see the
glimmer of light caught by the blade, it was already too late and Larissa’s speeding body slammed straight into it, the
silver knife burying deep into her chest. For a moment it looked as if Larissa would recover; she smiled lightly to
herself and both her hands grasped at the blade to pull it out.
“EDTA?” Larissa whispered, her voice suddenly congested, as thick blood spilled from her mouth and nose, trickling
down her pale flesh like a slow running waterfall.
Ari looked at Larissa in confusion for a moment. What was going on? Larissa was a vampire, she could heal herself;
she was immortal.
“No,” Sandra screamed, picking her broken body up off the floor.
At the same time many nervous and worried voices sounded from outside their room, until a loud knock rasped
against the closed door. Fearing the intruders, Ari forced her aching body to stand and lock the door, seeing that she
had acted just in time, with the handle beginning to move.
“Ariana?” a male voice called from behind the door, “unlock this door.”
Kiara smiled once at Sandra, than dropped Larissa’s body so that it fell hard on the floor. The expression on Larissa’s
face seemed to be frozen. Crumpled on the floor, Larissa’s wild and untamed hair covered her face, soaking up the
blood from her mouth and discolouring her normally blonde hair. The strange angle that she had fallen gave her
body a distorted appearance. A second later when Ari looked up, the window to her room was open, the curtains
blowing madly in the wind and Kiara was gone.
“No, No, No,” Sandra screamed, moving over to Larissa and cradling her in her arms, so that the blood which
continued to pour from the hole in her chest began to soak through Sandra’s shirt, colouring it bright red.
Instantly Sandra’s wrist was in her mouth and she torn at her own flesh, forcing the blood which spilled from it into
Larissa’s partly open mouth. Larissa’s head rolled on her neck and her arms and legs went limp. Sandra gripped her
tighter, one hand under her head and the other brushing away blood stained hair that had begun to cling to her face.
“Tell Cambridge…” Larissa croaked, trying to catch her breath as wayward blood stained tears escaped her eyes, “I
would have done it all over again…”
But her words were cut off before she could finish them. Her eyes had grown wide and un-focused and her pupils
had expanded, so that only thin halos were left of her normally gloriously, honey-green eyes. Sandra cried hard,
trying desperately to plug the wound, despite the fact that it was no longer bleeding.
“Ariana, I’m breaking down this door!” a man said and Ari heard a large kick against the door as it burst open.
Before she knew what she was doing, she had thrown her arms up in the air and the door froze half open. Once
again Ari forced herself to stand as she pushed herself against the door, not realising that she had stopped time until
she saw the frozen foot that was still against it. Peering around, Ari saw Officer Ryans with an escort of what looked
like nurses and doctors. Pulling her tear filled eyes away from him, she glanced back at Larissa, just as the final piece
of her memory was restored; she wasn’t like other humans; she could freeze time and see into the future. Why
hadn’t she been able to stop Kiara before she had killed Larissa; why had it taken so long for her to get her memory
back? Why now, of all moments, was she able to suddenly stop time, when if just one minute ago, stopping time
would have been the difference between Larissa being alive or dead?
Instantly she hated herself and her skin quickly felt hot and tight, as if it didn’t belong to her anymore. All she
wanted to do was escape, to leave the cursed body she was trapped in, along with all the death and all the pain.
Loud sobbing pulled Ari from her doldrums and she turned to stare at Sandra. Sandra continued to clutch her best
friend in her arms, cradling her like a baby. All she could do was cry and shake her head, unable to let go of one of
the things she loved most in this world, having spent more than a century together.
“Sandra, you have to go,” Ari whispered in a thick croaky voice, now thinking only of saving her friend. “Sandra,” Ari
said again, forcing her onto her feet, “Go!” she cried, moving over to the window and pulling the curtains back.
“Hurry,” Ari said, watching Sandra pick up Larissa’s lifeless body effortlessly as she moved over to the open window.
Sandra didn’t look back at Ari but clasped tight onto her dead friends body and leapt from the window, landing hard
on the pavement below and causing the path to crack. Ari watched Sandra land and a second later vanish into the
night. Before she turned around, she could feel that Officer Ryans was still frozen. This third instance of stopping
time had allowed her the slightest of control over her powers. She felt the frozen figures waiting outside the room,
as if there were connected to her and under her control, like pieces on a chess board.
Quickly she turned around; there was a large red mark on the tiled floor from where Larissa had been bleeding and
Ari hurriedly grabbed towels from her room and began soaking up the thick congealed blood. When she had just
thrown the last of the towels into one of her draws, she felt her hands twitch and instinctively knew that she didn’t
have long before Officer Ryans and the rest of his entourage unfroze. She had just enough time to straighten her
hospital bed before jumping under the ruffled sheets, when Officer Ryans foot pushed the door all the way open.
For a moment he blinked, staring at the floor, where she had mopped the blood up before his eyes darted to Ari,
who was lying in her bed, with the sheets drawn up to her chin, looking at him in apparent confusion.
“What the hell…” Officer Ryans began, before commencing pacing around the room, as if he thought that there
might be someone hiding from him.
After a moment he moved over to the window, glanced down at the 4 storey drop, then pulled the heavy window
closed, apparently satisfied.
“I’m sorry,” Ari began, trying hard to force her voice to sound normal, even though with every word it felt as though
she were gargling hot charcoals. “I was asleep; I guess I had a nightmare.”
At these words, Ari felt the tears she had been fighting so hard to supress, fall from her eyes. Officer Ryans looked at
her in disbelief and moved over to her, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently so as to comfort her. As he
reached for her hand, Ari held tightly to the sheets, making sure that they hid her bruised and swollen throat. For a
few moments they sat like this, and Ari, who was breathing hard, managed finally to catch her breath. She watched
as the Officer Ryans reached one warm hand up to her face and cupped her cheek in his hand.
“It’s ok; it was just a bad dream,” he said soothingly.
At these words Ari cried harder; it wasn’t a bad dream, it was reality: Larissa was dead and it was all her fault. Seeing
Ari’s tears, Officer Ryans moved from the chair he was sitting on, so that he was next to her on the side of the bed.
For a moment he seemed to hesitate, than he pulled Ari close to him, wrapping his arms around her protectively.
“Shh,” he cooed into her ear in a whisper, “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Ari was shaking; the chill that she had fought so hard earlier to supress overtook her, sending her body into wave
after wave of icy goose bumps that lined her skin. Feeling her shiver, Officer Ryans began rubbing her arms, his
papery hands bringing instant relief.
“I remember,” Ari said simply, her head tucked into the nook of the officer’s shoulder, so that their heads were
touching lightly.
“Is that what scared you?” Officer Ryans asked, “Was it Ragon who attacked you?”
At these words Ari pulled away abruptly. “What, no! Why would you say that?” she asked.
“I saw your x-rays; I know that this isn’t the first time you have been abused,” he said, taking her hand in his and
gently pulling her closer again. “Who was it then?”
Ari knew that she had to lie. She could hardly tell the truth; that a 400 year old vampire had attacked her, but as he
no longer had a head, he would no longer pose a threat to her, or anyone else. Still, Ari had promised that she would
help him catch the person who had killed his friend. But it couldn’t have been Sameth who killed her; he wasn’t even
in the country when that attack had happened. Despite this, the thought that Sameth didn’t commit the act which
resulted in the death of a friend of officer Ryans, bought little comfort to Ari. She had a nagging feeling that
somehow she was the reason why the other 24 year old girls had been killed.
“I don’t know,” she lied, looking around the room for inspiration, “I didn’t see their face.”
“Do you know where you were when it happened?” Officer Ryans asked, leaning in closer to her and brushing the
hair from her face.
“No,” she said, clearly seeing Ragon’s family mausoleum in her mind and the stone bench she had been tied to.
“Do you remember anything at all?” he asked.
“Just things about my life from the past 6 months; the attack, I mean what ever happened to me, I can’t remember
anything about it,” she said, hating herself for lying to the person who had protected her since she had been bought
to this hospital.
A loud slam pulled both Ari and Officer Ryans from their conversation and they stared up as Ragon burst into the
room, closely followed by Clyde. The second Ragon’s eyes fell on her, she broke down again and felt Officer Ryans
hold onto her tightly, trying to comfort her.
“I remember everything,” Ari said, looking from Ragon to Clyde, as hot, salty tears streamed down her flushed face.
At first Ragon did not reply. He was staring at the intimate way that Officer Ryans was holding Ari, glaring at him with
pure hatred. Ragon was still reeling from the phone call he had received a few minutes ago from Thomas, telling him
that Kiara had tried to kill Ari and that Larissa was dead. After that he had driven frantically over to the hospital,
desperate to ensure that Ari really was safe, only to find her in the arms of someone else. He needed Ari in his arms
and he moved protectively over to her, holding his arms out for her, praying that she would come to him. She smiled
at his gesture and moved weakly to him, letting the sheets which she had been gripping onto so tightly, fall away.
“What the…” Officer Ryans said, seeing the large swollen red and purple bruises around Ari’s throat. “Where the hell
did they come from?”
At these words Ragon’s fangs unsheathed. Seeing this, Officer Ryans reached for his belt, where his gun was
concealed. But his mortal speed was no match for Ragon, who bent over him in a second and struck hard at his neck,
relishing in the taste of warm, fresh blood. For a moment he considered killing him, until he remembered that Ari
was next to him. The moment Officer Ryans had fallen to the floor Ragon felt the familiar wave of control over his
prey, as his poison worked its way through his victim’s nervous system.
‘Go away and forget about Ari and what you saw here today,’ Ragon thought, concentrating on taming Officer Ryans
will, which was much stronger than the average mortal.
In response Officer Ryan’s stood quickly, re-holstering his gun, before making to leave.
“Wait,” Ari said.
Ragon’s heart broke a little as he watched the mortal return to Ari. She had jumped out of her bed, swaying a little
and reached into a draw from her bedside table. From it she pulled a band aid and gently pressed it against the two
holes in his neck, which had already stopped bleeding. This wasn’t what she had wanted to happen to him. She felt
for him more than she would have admitted in front of Ragon. Though her memory from the past six months had
returned, it didn’t change the fact that in the last few days she grown close to Officer Ryans.
“Thank you Lee,” she said, reaching on her tippy toes to embrace him as she wrapped both her arms around his
broad shoulders, before whispering in his ear, “for everything.”
When Officer Lee Ryans left, he didn’t turn back to look at her. If he had of, he would have seen that she was now
sheading new tears for him and the friendship they had shared. But that, along with most memories about Ari would
be gone now; Ragon had commanded him to forget about her. Perhaps it was better that way. Being friends with Ari
seemed to only put the people she loved in danger. At once Ari thought of Larissa, the friend who had died
protecting her. This thought pressed down on her again, crushing her from the inside out. It was cruel that she had
forgotten all the wonderful things about Larissa, only to remember them when she had died. Now as she stood in
the hospital room, flashes of Larissa painting her toenails, teasing Clyde or embracing Cambridge flashed to her.
Suddenly she stopped; the breaths she drew in cost her deeply and she pressed hard against her ribs hoping to mask
the pain: Cambridge! Did he know? What would he do when he found out?
CHAPTER 21- EXIT KIARA
“Please tell me it’s not true,” Ari said, moving to stand in between Ragon and Clyde and looking at them one
after another, as she waited desperately for an answer.
In an instant Ragon reached for her and she felt him comfort her, pushing the sticky hair away from her forehead, as
his cold lips met hers.
“Are you ok?” Ragon breathed.
Ari nodded, saying “Yes,” but her voice had broken from the effort and Ragon quickly eyed the purple and red
bruises that were lining her throat, where finger marks were discernible. “But what about Larissa?”
“I am going to kill her,” Ragon hissed, pulling Ari closer so that her head was cradled against his shoulder.
Ari cried again harder. Ragon’s obvious avoidance of the topic confirmed Ari’s fears; Larissa was dead. She couldn’t
believe that this had happened.
“What about Cambridge and Sandra?” Ari asked in a slightly muffled voice, her mouth pressed against Ragon’s coat.
“I have asked Cambridge to wait for me to get back before he does anything…” Ragon began, but then shook his
head, unable to continue.
“They were together for centuries…” Clyde said, alerting Ari to his presence.
Instantly Ari ran over to him and hugged him tightly, remembering that it had been Clyde who had saved her from
Sameth and who must have taken her to the hospital all those weeks ago.
Clyde had been about to say that you couldn’t spend a lifetime with someone and not be upset when they were
gone; but the warm feeling of Ariana’s embrace removed all thoughts of melancholy and so he said, “They had more
time together than most.”
For a moment no one spoke, until Ragon began packing up Ariana’s things. “Were checking out,” he said, slinging a
bag over his shoulder and opening the door to the hospital room.
Leaving the hospital bought an overwhelming sense of foreboding. Her hands were shaking when she signed her
discharge forms, trying hard not to make eye contact with the surly nurse who glared at her, clearly disapproving of
her decision to leave. It had been almost a month since her attack and she had missed so much of this time, trying to
remember her past. Now, finally when she had remembered, she had lost someone she cared about and the
memories of Larissa would be all she had left of her. In the car with Ragon and Clyde, Ari decided that she needed to
know more about what had happened to Larissa.
“But I don’t understand? How did she die? I thought that vampires were immortal,” Ariana said.
“We are, but there are some things that can kill us,” Clyde said. “Lithium heparin and EDTA can be toxic to vamps,
they are anticoagulants and when Kiara stabbed Larissa the blade she used was covered in EDTA.”
“Do you know why Sameth did this?” Ragon asked before Ari could respond.
He had been chewing on these words for quite some time, uncertain how to word the question but suddenly found
them spilling from him.
Ari blinked a few times, remembering the terror she had felt that night and the conversation she had had with
Sameth.
“He said that he loved Kiara and that killing me was the only way she would see him,“ she said and then suddenly
she remembered something, something that she realised neither Clyde, nor Ragon, nor anyone in the coven knew: “I
had a vision of him attacking me.”
“What?” Ragon asked, pulling his eyes from the dark road and turning to face Ariana.
“What to which part?” Ari asked.
“All of it,” Ragon replied, trying to wrap his head around this revelation.
“Sameth said he had always loved Kiara and that he wanted to try to get her attention,” Ariana said, “and just before
he attacked me, I had a vision of myself, tied up in your family mausoleum and it turned out to be true.”
Ragon griped the steering wheel tightly but did not ask any more questions. This was now the third time that his
being in love with Ariana had almost cost Ari her life. It was difficult for him justify his claim that he kept her close to
protect her, when it seemed that at every turn she was being attacked.
As soon as they arrived at the house, she jumped out of the car and ran inside. Cambridge and Sandra were sitting
on the floor and Thomas was pacing around the living room.
“Where is Ryder?” Ragon asked, glancing around the house as if listening carefully for any sigh of movement.
A second later, Ryder and Patrick blurred into view and Ryder raced over to Ari.
“I was just going to hug her,” Ryder said casually, holding up both palms when Clyde and Ragon had intercepted him
before he could reach Ari.
Both Ragon and Clyde looked at Patrick nervously but then begrudgingly allowed Ryder access, and watched
carefully as he moved over to Ariana, purposefully trying to mimic mortality, as he walked slower than normal,
apparently with great effort.
“Are you ok?” Ryder asked, holding his breath when he was finally in front of Ari.
Ariana nodded but startled a little at how cold he felt. She had completely forgotten that he was a vampire. For a
moment this thought swept through her like an icy storm, until her sad eyes drifted to Sandra, who was sitting cross
legged, with her head in her hands. As soon as Ryder released her she raced over to Sandra and reached a shaky
hand for her.
“Oh God; I am so sorry,” she said to Sandra and Cambridge.
Sandra and Cambridge didn’t respond at first but then Cambridge looked up at her and said, “Now that you’re back,
we can bury Larissa and then I will be leaving.”
Ari’s stomach instantly dropped. Bury Larissa? The thought was utter madness. She watched as Cambridge, followed
shortly by Larissa, moved over to the veranda and then jumped off the edge. Everyone else in the coven mimicked
this accept for herself and Ragon.
“Here,” Ragon said, helping her to her feet.
The pair walked out the front door and down the back of the house holding hands. It was pitch black outside; there
was no moon and the clouds in the sky had masked all traces of any stars. Still, in true Brisbane tradition, it was a
warm night and the smells of honey suckle, jasmine and frangipani swelled in the air, permeating their path as theu
walked. Ari let Ragon guide her down the set of hidden steps that led to where the others stood. Sandra and
Cambridge had two large shovels and were digging a hole next to an old frangipani, that’s yellow and white flowers
fell noiseless around them. After a moment Sandra was no longer visible and only the top of Cambridge could be
seen from the giant gape in the earth.
A few seconds later and the two shovels were thrown up out of the hole, followed shortly by both of them. Ari
watched as Cambridge moved over to a shadowed area, bent down low and returned with Larissa’s body cradled in
his arms. Instantly Sandra began crying loudly and Thomas moved over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Ari let
silent tears stream down her face, not feeling that she deserved to cry. As Cambridge walked past them, Larissa’s
frail body was thrown into view. No longer did she have the air of an immortal; her hair, once blonde was now silver
and her eyes, though closed, were lined with wrinkles. Cambridge didn’t look at the rest of the mourners but jumped
into the grave he had dug with Larissa in his arms.
For a few moments he remained there, crouched low next to her, whispering something that only the vampires
could hear. Suddenly a great wave of sadness mingled with anger washed over Ari and she felt the wind swell around
her as if in response to this, as one of her eyes turned green. For a moment the warm night air blew only around her,
like a whirl wind but then the force was pushed outwards. In response small frangipani flowers were forced from
their maker, falling slowly down from the branches to land over Larissa’s body, serenading her in gold and white
blossoms.
Time passed slowly and after a while Sandra broke free of Thomas to join Cambridge in the grave. A moment later
and the pair returned, holding hands but with puffy eyes that were lined with tears. No one spoke on their
emergence but Cambridge moved over to the shovel on the ground, a determined look on his face. In a second
Ragon was there also, reaching for the spare shovel and then Clyde moved over to them also, relieving Cambridge of
the shovel in his hands. Sandra fell to her knees as Clyde and Ragon began filling the grave and Cambridge stood
back, unable to watch his mate be committed to the earth. It didn’t take long for the grave to be filled and when
they had finished, Clyde and Ragon stood back, so as to allow Cambridge to kneel by the edge of the grave.
“A few months ago, Larissa said that she wasn’t sure if she would have wanted to become a vampire if she had the
choice again. But when she was dying,” Sandra said, standing with shaky legs to move closer to Cambridge and
reaching for a handful of dirt, as though to comfort her, “Larissa told me that if she had the choice again, she would
have chosen you… every time.”
At these words Ari felt a deep pain in her heart and the tears that she had fought hard to keep quiet suddenly burst
from her, as the wind blew furiously again. This time the frangipani tree shook from the disturbance and many
hundreds of small golden flowers glided down over the grave to cover it. No one was perturbed by this; rather it felt
fitting as a symbol of their loss. Cambridge reached for one of the newly fallen flowers that neatly covered the grave
and took it in his hand lovingly. For a moment he spun the flower, watching the yellow and white blend until the
different coloured petals were discernible. Then he stood purposefully, bawling his fists into a ball but keeping the
delicate flower safe from being crushed. He didn’t look at anyone else but moved away from them.
“I will go with you,” Ragon said, immediately following Cambridge.
“And I,” Sandra, Clyde and Thomas said.
“No,” Cambridge roared, “Kiara is mine.”
“Cambridge and I will go,” Ragon said, exerting his authority. “Everyone else can stay and watch Ari and Ryder.”
At this there was immediate uproar. Ariana too was arguing. She wanted to kill Kiara as much as everyone else and
the very last thing she wanted was for her friends to feel trapped here, unable to seek revenge because they had to
babysit her. She would not be a burden to them anymore.
“I am going,” Sandra said; her normally cheerful disposition completely vanished.
“Well if Sandra is going so am I,” Thomas said, moving closer to his mate.
“And so am I,” Ari said.
Everyone turned to look at Ari.
“No,” Sandra said, moving over to her and touching her kindly on the shoulder. “Kiara is dangerous and Larissa died
protecting you, it seems a pretty poor way to repair her sacrifice, if you go out and get yourself killed.”
Had Sandra thought that these words would comfort Ari, she was horribly mistaken. It was true; Larissa had died
protecting Ari and that was something that she would have to live with for the rest of her life, however long that
might be. Ari’s mouth was open, ready to retort when Patrick suddenly spoke.
“I know that this isn’t really the right time for this,” he said, retrieving something from his pocket, “but Ryder and I
have been summoned by the Elders.”
“What?” Clyde asked, blurring over to him and reaching for the envelope that Patrick was waving in the air.
For a moment he read the cursive writing and then said, “They’ve summoned you?”
Patrick nodded grimly. This was the very last thing that the coven needed.
“But why?” Ragon growled.
Patrick shrugged but there was an alarmed look in his eyes, which gave him the appearance of an old and worried
man.
“Ok; well Ryder and Patrick will go to the Elders, Cambridge and I will go find Kiara, and Sandra and Thomas can stay
with Ari,” Ragon said.
“And me?” Clyde asked, seemingly amused that he had not been included in the plan.
“I figured no matter what I asked you to do, you would do whatever you wanted, so I thought I would let you
decide,” Ragon replied.
Clyde considered his options, not grinning but looking solemn, as his eyes remained fixed on the flower covered
grave.
It was less than thirty minutes later when Clyde, Cambridge and Ragon were driving to Kiara’s estate; and Ryder and
Patrick to the Elders. Begrudgingly Ariana had remained at home with Sandra and Thomas.
“But I might be able to help,” Ari said, when Ragon kissed her on the cheek and swept to the door where the others
were waiting.
She felt Sandra pull her back inside saying, “You still don’t have any control over your powers. And if I don’t get to go
and kill that bitch, you don’t.”
Ari nodded sadly at this; it was true. If she had of just frozen time the moment Kiara had walked in the door, none of
this would be happening and Larissa might still be alive.
“I’m going to go and drown myself in the shower,” Ari said quietly, seeing Sandra move over to Thomas.
“That’s not funny,” Thomas said.
Ari shrugged but moved over to her room and gently pushed the door open; waiting for a moment to make sure that
no one had followed her, before breaking down. Sobbing quietly, she pulled her clothes off, so that she was standing
naked, looking at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her eyes were hollow and sunken looking, as if someone
had sucked her soul out. Her left eye was blue but her right had turned a vibrant shade of green. She barely even
noticed the bruises that covered her body and throat, or the large bandage at her side. For a moment she hesitated
and then in one quick motion pulled the dressing away. Instantly her skin burnt and when she looked down at the
wound she was surprised to see that there were no stiches, only a large pinkish scar. Her shaky hand hovered over
the defacing scar, hesitating before she forced herself to touch it. Her hands felt warm raised skin and she
remembered that she had been in a coma for three weeks, which would have been ample time for her body to heal.
Drawing her eyes away from her scar, she glanced at her body, gaping at how thin she had become. There were deep
crevices next to her collar bones and her arms had clearly lost muscle mass. Moving over to the shower, she turned
the familiar hot and cold taps on, avoiding the rewarding water until the temperature was right. Then she jumped in
the shower, fully emerging her head under the water and letting it course down her body.
***
The drive to Kiara’s estate was met with silence. As Ragon drove he thought about Ari and her family tree, and how
all of this madness had started with Kiara killing her parents. Kiara had promised someone that she would kill Ari;
now this all seemed to culminate in the fact that Kiara knew who was after Ari and that they had been after her since
she was a baby. This realisation bought determination and he knew what he had to do. Kiara was going to die for
what she had done to Larissa, but not before she told Ragon who was after Ari.
“What the hell?” Clyde said, as soon as they could see Kiara’s estate.
The normally closed and ominous looking iron gates that signalled the entrance to Kiara house were open. They had
planned on circling the block in the car before parking a few hundred metres down the road and walking on foot, so
as to surprise her security. Now as they looked past the open gates, their inhuman eyes could see many men, all
sprawled on the ground. Though there was no moon and no light from the street lights, they could make out that
guards were lying with their guns at their sides. For a moment the three surveyed the scene, then Cambridge
jumped out of the car and began running towards the house. Ragon and Clyde quickly followed him, passing the
many bodies which showed no signs of a struggle, except for the fact that they were unmistakable dead.
“Wait!” Ragon roared to Cambridge, who was already blurring through the open front door and into the house.
Cambridge did not pause but kept running. As soon as Ragon entered the house, it was obvious that something was
wrong. The large main windows in the living room, whose heavy curtains would normally have hung low so as to
keep the sun out, were smashed; and there were many railings from the banister staircase that had been punched
out and were lying on the floor below.
“Kiara!” Cambridge roared, demanding her attention.
No-one answered and after a moment pause, he, Ragon and Cambridge flew up the staircase; instantly all three
gasped. The scene that met their eyes had them completely shocked and Clyde crouched down low, ready for an
imminent attack, while Cambridge’s eyes darted around the house.
In-front of them, laying in several pieces was a man. His head was wedged between two remaining banisters and his
arms and torso were thrown against a door, as if acting as a weight to keep it shut. Ragon looked down at the dead
vampire, screwing his face up trying to think if he had ever seen him before.
Ragon pushed the door open, causing the corpse of the stranger to crumple to the side. The door creaked loudly,
sending an eerie ringing through the quiet house. As soon as the door was wide enough open, Ragon gasped. There
was a chair in the centre of the room that had been pushed over. Tied to it was the lifeless form of Kiara. Her body
showed many large slash marks that had not healed and there were giant pools of blood around her. In a second
Ragon was on his knees, next to Kiara; she was dying. Her face, once marbled and perfect, had begun to wrinkle and
her normally vibrant dark eyes were dulling, as if large cataracts were whitening them.
Ragon recognised this torture method; it was an early vampire slaying technique and a particularly cruel one at that.
Normally to kill a vampire you had to be fast; even using anticoagulants involved a well-aimed blow into a vital
organ. This however was designed to be slow and painful, bleeding them dry with many slices through veins and
superficial arteries by a knife that was dipped in an anti-coagulant, so that the body couldn’t repair itself. He had
heard of several punishments being undertaken in such a way. Normally whenever a vampire was left like this, it was
to send a message. Kiara had been told to do something and she had failed.
Realising Kiara’s looming death, Cambridge paused for a moment, apparently deep in thought. He had been ready to
kill Kiara, to rip her throat out, hoping to cause her as much pain as possible. But now, having realised that someone
had beaten him to this, he moved over to a large white table, withdrew a chair similar to the one that Kiara was tied
to and sat down on it, intent to watch the light in her eyes go out.
“What happened?” Ragon asked; his voice was barely a whisper as he untied the binds of chain around her and drew
her body closer to his.
She could not die, not without telling him who it was that was after Ari and why. He knew from the familiar powdery
feeling of the chains, that they were coated in lithium heparin, an anti-coagulant. Leaning closer to one of the
wounds he took a finger and wiped it gently across the bleeding hole, smelling the familiar aroma of blood that had
not clotted.
There was a knife still stuck in her back and he went to pull it out but was stopped by Cambridge, who shook his
head, his eyes alight with malice as he muttered, “Leave it.”
At these words, Kiara’s eyes had flittered open and her head rolled as she tried to focus her vision. She seemed to
attempt to struggle for a moment but there was not enough life left in her, and so she slumped in Ragon’s arms, her
wide eyes settling on his face.
“Who did this?” Ragon asked again, holding her head in his arms.
For a moment it looked as if Kiara was trying to speak but instead of words, large bubbles of blood came from her
mouth and Cambridge moved back to his seat, hoping for a better view, so as to watch Kiara suffer.
“Who is after Ari?” Ragon asked, his eyes widening.
“24 years ago I was told to kill a man and woman,” she whispered. “And so I did, and then I realised that they had a
child with them, the ones who ordered me to kill them didn’t know about her and then you came along-”
“Who did this to you; why?” Ragon asked, cutting her off.
“Shok,” was all she was able to say.
Instantly Ragon stood up, letting Kiara’s body clatter to the floor un-mercilessly. He moved over to the window and
pulled the large curtains open, looking out onto the grounds, wanting to make quite certain that Shok was still not
here. Ragon only knew the legend of Shok and while he didn’t doubt that there were truths about him, he had in
most parts believed him to have died centuries ago. Shok was an assassin of old.
“Is it Shok who is after Ari?” Ragon asked, kneeling back down to Kiara, knowing full well that Shok was a gun for hire
and merely a tool for a more powerful person.
Kiara shook her head suddenly, as if afraid to reveal this secret.
“Tell me,” Ragon said, shaking her slightly as the white in her eyes began to grow larger. “Why is all of this happening
now? Why didn’t you tell them that it was me who had saved Ari? How have they found out now that she is alive?
Did you tell them?”
For the first time Kiara looked hurt, as if Ragon’s words had slashed her, adding to the many slices in her body.
“I didn’t tell them… because they would have killed you,” Kiara whispered hoarsely.
Ragon laughed; the notion that Kiara cared even slightly about his wellbeing was absurd.
Kiara did not miss the laughter and said, “Everything I have done, I did to be with you.”
“You liar,” Ragon said, feeling an uncertain emotion creep up him, “everything you have done, you’ve done to hurt
me!”
It was Kiara’s turn to laugh now. It was not the rich noise that Ragon had made, but a small quiet laugh, which
quickly turned into a cough as she said, “No, I’ve done everything because I love you.”
Ragon looked puzzled at her for a moment then said, “Then tell me who is after Ari.”
Though Kiara was moments away from death, she still feared revealing this secret to Ragon. She knew that there
were worst things than death. Her eyes fell on Ragon and she looked at his handsome face, as though from behind a
foggy window. She loved him, if she knew nothing else, she knew that.
“The Ancients,” she whispered,” and then went limp in Ragon’s hands, the blood no longer seeping from her
wounds.
At those words Ragon’s whole body tensed.
“We have to leave this place,” Clyde said, moving over to a large candle and retrieving a lighter from his pocket.
Instantly Ragon stood but Cambridge remained seated, his large wide eyes fixed on Kiara’s white ones.
“Come on,” Ragon said to Cambridge, as Clyde lit the candle and held it up to the curtains, whose silk outer sheath
quickly caught alight.
“I want to wait until the light goes out in her eyes,” Cambridge said simply, adjusting himself in the seat, so as to get
comfortable, apparently unperturbed by the flames that had jumped from the burning curtains and were now licking
the surrounding floor and walls.
“Come on,” Ragon said again, this time more urgently but still there was no reply.
For a moment Clyde and Ragon looked at each other. It was clear that Cambridge wanted to die.
“You really want to die here; next to Kiara?” Clyde said abrasively.
Clyde had hoped that this might shock Cambridge into response but it did not, and so he moved over to the window,
bracing himself for the reaction that would follow, “Perhaps you secretly loved her too, like Sameth?” Clyde jeered.
There was no warning. One second Cambridge was staring at Kiara, watching her die, the next he was charging at
Clyde, who was ready and clasped both hands around Cambridge’s back, forcing him to fall through the window with
him and out of the burning house.
Ragon shook his head; though Clyde’s snide remarks had been done in an attempt to save Cambridge’s life, he knew
it would be many, many years before Cambridge realised this and forgave him. With one last look at Kiara, Ragon
jumped from the burning house and fled into the night.
***
On returning home, Cambridge did not stop to talk to any of the other coven members but jumped off the veranda
and sat by Larissa’s grave.
“It will be light soon,” Clyde said to no one in particular but Sandra jumped to her feet.
“I will make sure he comes inside soon,” she said, jumping off the veranda also.
Thomas seemed to be torn between staying inside and following his mate, glancing from the veranda door and back
to the living room; finally settling himself in front of Ragon.
“Well?” Thomas said.
“She’s gone,” Ragon replied, looking around the house before asking, “Where’s Ari?”
“In the library,” Thomas began but as soon as Ragon had seen him glance down the hall, he had known instantly
where she was and began racing towards her, fear and guilt suddenly gripping him.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Ari asked, as soon as she heard the library door open.
Ragon had blurred up the staircase and was standing next to her, his worst fears realised. Ari was gripping onto an
old and torn newspaper article that was stained with droplets of water, which Ragon realised with another pang of
guilt, were Ariana’s tears. He didn’t need to see the title of the newspaper article, or the picture of the man with his
hands around his wife in whose arms there was a baby girl, to know what she was reading.
“After all these years and everything you’ve suffered, I wanted to tell you, I was going to but I didn’t want to cause
you more pain,” he said.
“Police no closer to finding missing couple and child,” Ariana read in a shaking voice. “It has been almost 2 weeks
since the mysterious disappearance of Brisbane couple, George and Bridget Hutton and their 2 year old daughter,
Sarah.”
Ragon did not speak but hung his head, listening to the words he had read and re-read a thousand times. Hesitantly
he inched towards her, kneeling down on the floor besides where she sat at his desk.
“George and Bridget Hutton,” she said accusatorily. “I saw those names etched on a stone casket in your family
mausoleum.”
Ragon’s eyes widened, “I should have told you,” he whispered.
“I won’t ever keep anything from you again,” Ariana said, mimicking Ragon’s words. “That’s what you promised me
after I found out that Kiara had killed my parents. And I actually believed you!”
“I was going to tell you but you were so happy for a while and then everything with Sameth happened and…” he
tried to explain lamely.
“You could have found a moment to pull me aside and tell me that my parents were buried next to yours,” she said,
her eyes no longer tearful but angry. “You could have found a second to mention that my real name was Sarah.”
Though she had been able to forgive Ragon for not telling her that Kiara had killed her parents; this was a whole
different thing. She had understood his reasoning; he had felt responsible. But they had found out over a month ago,
during the Halloween Party, Kiara had killed her parents because she was told to. There was no reason for him to
feel guilty any longer; so why hadn’t he told her the truth? She stared up at him, desperate for an answer that would
make all her pain go away. After a few passing seconds, when she realised that no explanation would help, she got
up from the chair, taking the newspaper article with her and descended down the stairs.
She had seen the family tree that Ragon had begun to construct, along with the coroner files of the other girls that
had been killed, but neither of these things mattered right now. If she was being truthful with herself, all of her
anger was being fuelled by an even greater sadness, which had nothing to do with her parents and everything to do
with Larissa being killed. This realisation swept over Ari and she found herself falter on the last step.
“Is she dead?” Ari asked, not looking back.
Ragon nodded as he said, “Yes,”
A small smile crept across her face at these words and for one sweet moment she relished in the knowledge that
Kiara was gone forever. But soon the happiness dispersed and she moved slowly to her room, dragging her feet
against the floor as she walked. Part of her wanted to be alone but another part wanted to race back to the library
and be with Ragon. But for whatever reason Ragon hadn’t included her in his world. The most annoying part of all of
this was that it wasn’t just his world, it was hers now too and it wasn’t fair for him to try to shut her out of it. She
had almost made it to her bedroom, when there was a knock at the front door. She smiled, thinking that it must be
Ryder and Patrick returned. Stretching out a hand, she made to open it but someone blurred past her and shoved
her back, causing her to slam into the wall.
“What the hell?” she said, her voice breaking from the shock, as she stared back at Clyde’s livid face.
“Shh,” Clyde said, holding a finger to his mouth, while using his other hand to pin Ari.
Ari’s face was confused but she remained still, until Clyde eased the door open, letting it swing by itself.
“Err, message for Ragon Patricks,” a young girl no more than 18 said, when she saw Clyde standing behind the door.
Clyde held out his hand and she dropped an envelope into it, unable to stop herself from swooning a little.
“Thanks,” Clyde said, slamming the door in her face.
For a moment Clyde remained like this, the envelope in one hand as his other remained across Ari’s chest as if he
were considering his options.
“Um,” Ari said, looking down at Clyde’s arm. “Are you going to move your hand?”
Still Clyde did not move and Ari raised her eyebrows saying, “Well?”
“I’m thinking,” Clyde responded, turning to smile at her.
Ariana shook her head and pushed Clyde away. She had heard other people racing towards her; Ragon and Thomas.
“Who was that?” Ragon asked.
“Messenger,” Clyde said, handing Ragon the envelope addressed to him.
Hesitating for only a moment, Ragon took the envelope and tore it open. The moment his eyes met the small cursive
print on the page his face dropped.
“Jesus,” he said, looking protectively at Ari, before seeing Cambridge and Sandra climbing back up the veranda and
into the house, the rising sun lighting their path.
He watched as Sandra drew the curtains closed, blocking the damaging rays and then read out loud:
“Ragon’s Coven
Please join us to discuss the fledgling Ryder,
No later than 7pm tomorrow night
Yours eternally
William and Nikolas”
CHAPTER 22- AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
The sun had risen quickly after The Elder’s letter had been delivered and as soon as the bright rays crept
though the gaps in the curtains, it became quickly apparent that there was not enough time for discussion. For a
while Ari stayed awake, getting up and making herself a snack. She sat on the veranda eating tomato on toast,
before realising that she could discern Larissa’s grave from where she sat, losing her appetite after that.
When finally she crept back into her room, she was surprised but not entirely horrified, to see Ragon on her bed. He
was fully clothed, his knees drawn up to his chin and looked at her with his head to the side, as if gauging her
reaction. The thought of slamming the door in his face and sleeping on the couch with the curtains open made her
laugh, but she decided against it. As much as she wanted to be angry with him, she wanted to make up with him
more. With this thought in mind, she begrudgingly walked into her room and sat cross legged on the wooden floor,
willing only to meet him half way.
“Ariana,” Ragon said.
He squinted slightly after she walked in, holding his hands up to his eyes, in response to the sunlight that had
rebounded off the walls to find him. She didn’t respond but looked up expectantly; it was his turn to do the talking.
“I don’t want your forgiveness,” Ragon said. “But regardless of how you feel towards me, everything that I know, I
want you to know also and for you to be safe, always and forever.”
Unable to resist the temptation, Ari looked up at him. His eyes were lined and looked weary, painfully reminding her
of how Larissa had looked after she had died. Instantly she felt guilty and had to try hard to remind herself why she
had been angry at him in the first place. She watched as he glanced down to several important looking papers spread
out on her bed.
“What’s all that?” she asked, trying to hide the curiosity from her voice but failing miserably.
“This,” Ragon said, holding up a few identical vanilla folders, “is coroner’s reports of all the girls who have been killed
that went to the same orphanage as you and are also 24 years old.”
“And that?” she asked, pointing to a large piece of paper covered in cursive hand writing, in which there were many
names, all connected by horizontal and vertical lines.
“This is your family tree,” he said, holing up the piece of paper.
At these words Ariana moved from her seat on the floor and slinked towards the bed. She had hoped that she might
have been able to resist him for a little longer but he had engaged her interests the moment he had started talking.
Now all she could do was wait with bated breath.
“Tell me everything,” she said, after a moment’s hesitation.
It took Ragon a good hour to tell Ari everything that he and Clyde had found out during the last few days,
culminating in him admitting that it was the Ancients who had commissioned Kiara to kill her parents.
“The Ancients?” Ari asked a sudden chill crawling along her arms, up her shoulders and settling in her teeth, so that
they chattered as she shook. She had heard the name only once before, when she had been talking to Larissa and
Sandra. The Ancients were the rule makers. “What do you know about them?”
Immediately Ragon looked down.
“The Ancients are basically royalty of the vampire world. They are the oldest vampires in our history; they have been
around since the beginning,” Ragon said.
“But they didn’t know about me when I was a baby?” Ari asked, her face furrowed in confusion. “But then how did
they suddenly find out about me now?” she asked.
Ragon shook his head. He had asked Kiara this very question but she would not or could not answer.
Reaching for the copy of her family tree, Ari became immediately aware that she was the root of it. Her eyes traced
the unfamiliar names all connected to hers, until one name stopped her dead in her tracks.
“Jamie?” she said, looking at the line that connected directly to hers, but which was crossed out, with a small d
above it.
“Your brother,” Ragon said; a sombre look on his face.
“But…” Ari said, looking at the small d in confusion, until she read the dates next to his name and realised what the d
stood for: deceased.
A wave of sadness overtook her. In front of her was a list of the family she never knew; of the brother who had died
when he was born and the parents who were killed by Kiara.
“And why does it stop here?” she asked, pointing to the last name on the tree, having traced the lines up until she
read the last entry: Lady Geraldine Grand.
“That’s as far back as we could trace your family line; we need to get the rest from the original record,” he replied.
“And where’s the original record?” she asked.
“In the UK,” he replied.
“Let me see if I have got this straight?” Ariana said, drawing in a large gulp of air. “22 years ago, when I was a baby, a
group of ancient vampires commissioned Kiara to kill my family but they didn’t know that I existed. Kiara, who was
so in love with you that she didn’t want to risk the Ancients finding out that you had stopped her from killing me,
kept my existence a secret. But somehow they figured out that I do exist and that I went to Grace Valley Orphanage,
and so burnt down the building, along with all the records and began killing every 24 year old, hoping to kill me
also?”
“That pretty much sums it up,” Ragon said.
“So the oldest and most powerful vampires that have ever existed want me dead; but why?” she asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Ragon said, looking at her outstretched hand longingly. “Because you can stop time and see into
the future, and god knows what else. That’s why I’ve been tracing your family tree. You can’t be the only one that
can do all that. I have watched you your entire life; it’s not like you fell into a vat of toxic waste or got bitten by a
radioactive spider. You’re different, and I thought that if we traced your heritage, we could find out if there were
people related to you that were different too. But I don’t know what our next move is. When Kiara died, the last
piece of puzzle died with her. So far every person I have investigated that is related to you, are already dead.”
“But isn’t it obvious what we should do?” Ari asked, looking at Ragon intently and mocking him by using the same
perturbing tone.
Ragon looked at her in confusion; he was waiting for her to answer but after a moment shook his head.
“Go over to the UK and trace down my great, great, great, whatever grandmother’s family history,” she said. “If
there is any chance that we can find answers in my family lineage, then we have to start there.”
Ragon looked at her with concern. Australia was by definition hot. This meant two things; everyone had a great tan
and vampires were scarce. The UK was as close to being opposite to Australia, as two countries could be. Where
Australia was sunny for 365 days of the year, the UK was cloudy. Where Australia had blue skies every chance it
could, the UK was overcast and rainy. This mean that many British people had to resort to fake tans but more
importantly it meant that there was an overpopulation of vampires, taking advantage of the weather. The thought of
Ariana going from a virtually vampire free area code, to a densely populated area code was horrifying. Especially
when it seemed at every turn, there was someone out to kill her. As these thoughts swelled in his head, he couldn’t
help but notice how her eyes were lightening towards him. It was perfectly obvious that she was grateful to be
involved. Despite his better judgement and wanting desperately for her to forgive him, he nodded in agreement. Yes
the UK was full of vamps, but they couldn’t all want Ari dead; could they.
***
Even though Ragon had in part made up with Ari, she had still insisted on his sleeping in his own room. This fact was
not missed by Clyde, who next to Ariana had been the first to rise the moment that night fell.
“Trouble in paradise?” he asked, when he walked into the living room and realised that Ragon was not there.
Ariana looked up at Clyde but didn’t respond. She could easily have told him to mind his own business but she felt
indebted to him for saving her life and so kept quiet.
“So what’s the plan?” he asked, realising quickly that she was not going to indulge his childish pursuits.
“Ragon and I are going to the UK,” she said bluntly.
For a moment Clyde stared at her in disbelief but then said, “I meant about the Elders.”
At the mention of the Elders, Ariana instantly felt guilty. She had entirely forgotten about the letter that they had
sent Ragon, saying that they wanted to ‘discuss the fledgling Ryder.’ What had the letter meant? Her mouth was
open, ready to ask this, when Ragon walked down the hall way.
“You’re seriously going over to Britain?” Clyde said accusatorily to him.
At these words Ari looked down at her feet.
“What; you weren’t going to tell me?” Clyde said, now staring at Ariana.
“I just told you,” she said a little defensively.
“What’s this about the UK?” Thomas asked when he too joined the group.
No one answered at first and then Clyde said, “Apparently there isn’t enough danger for Ari here, so Ragon wants to
see how long she will last in Britain.”
“Hang on a minute,” Ariana said defensively, “it’s my decision and I want to go.”
“We find out that quite possible the oldest vampires in the history of all vampires are after Ari and you want to bring
the meal to them?” Clyde asked Ragon, ignoring Ariana’s outburst.
“Where’s Sandra?” Ragon asked Thomas, wanting to change the subject.
“She’s not doing too well,” Thomas said in a whisper, moving his eyes to the staircase that led towards their room.
“Well we need to leave soon if we plan on being punctual,” Ragon said, moving over to the living room doors and
pulling them open so that a light night breeze swept through the house.
This had the effect of clearing the tension in the room rather quickly and a moment later everyone, bar Sandra and
Cambridge, were standing by the door waiting to leave.
“So we are actually going?” Thomas asked.
“You know we cannot ignore a summons, to do so would cause even greater trouble. Besides, the letter says that
they want to talk to us about Ryder, we have no reason to fear prosecution” Ragon said.
“The letter does not mention Ari; I don’t think we should bring her,” Clyde said.
“But-” Ari began.
“He’s right,” Ragon said, cutting her off, “it specifically invited my coven, you are not an immortal therefore you
were not invited.”
Though his words had not meant to be hurtful, they had stung her. She was just about to argue when Sandra and
Cambridge walked into the room. It was clear that Sandra had spent most of the night crying and had probably only
dragged herself out of bed, out of fear of what the Elders would do if she did not attend. Cambridge on the other
hand, had a small back pack slung over one shoulder and walked purposefully towards the door.
“What’s with the overnight bag?” Clyde asked.
Cambridge ignored him, not even looking up at the sound of his voice.
“Cambridge, where are you going?” Ragon asked, realising that Cambridge was still furious with Clyde for saving his
life.
For a moment Cambridge considered Ragon then said, “There is nothing left for me here.”
Ari had expected Sandra to protest at these words but she did not. Instead she watched as he opened the door and
walked through it.
“But you are a member of the coven,” Thomas said. “The Elders will expect your presence.”
Cambridge shrugged, clearly he no longer considered himself part of Ragon’s coven.
“Cambridge,” Ragon said, recalling his attention.
Reluctantly Cambridge turned around. His face was lined, causing deep creases in his chocolate skin, which had the
effect of adding many years to his age. His eyes, though still dark, were empty looking and his posture was
contorted, as if just standing caused him pain. For a moment it looked as if Ragon could not think of what to say but
then he nodded at Cambridge and blurred over to him, whispering something in his ear so quietly, that no one else
could hear it. For a moment Cambridge looked surprised but then nodded and blurred into the night.
Ari wanted desperately to know what it was that Ragon had told Cambridge but knew that it was not her place to
ask.
“Shall we?” Clyde asked, moving over to the door and holding it open.
“What about me?” Ari asked.
“Here,” Ragon said, handing her two plastic objects; the first a phone and the second a gold credit card. “We will
drop you off and put you in a taxi. Go straight to a hotel and wait for us. Don’t tell any of us which one you decide to
go to and check in under a false name. This phone has all our numbers programed into it; as soon as we are done
with the Elders I will call you. Do not open the door in your hotel for anyone and don’t answer the phone unless you
recognise the number.”
Ari listened intently to these instructions, wishing desperately that she had a pen and paper. She had thought that
Ragon was finished but then he moved closer to her and reached for her hand.
“If for whatever reason no one calls you in 24 hours, I want you to get out of the city. Make sure you go someplace
warm. This credit card can’t be traced back to me. Also be careful not to use your real name. We know that whoever
is after you, doesn’t know who you are, but that may change,” he said, squeezing her hand.
***
It was less than ten minutes later that Ragon was dropping Ari off at a taxi rank, while the rest of the coven waited in
the car. As soon as the familiar yellow and black cab had pulled up, Ari opened the door but Ragon quickly closed it,
signalling for the taxi driver to wait.
“I need you to promise me-” he began, but Ari cut him off.
“Promise me that you will be careful and that you will come and get me afterwards,” she said.
Ragon nodded and stretched out two shaking arms to embrace her before kissing her hungrily. She did not hesitate
but returned the kiss with enthusiasm, the memory of his having hidden truths about her past, completely forgotten.
There was a loud honk from the taxi driver and Ragon pulled away reluctantly. Opening the door for Ari, he watched
sadly as she jumped into the front seat. A moment later and the cabbie put his foot down on the gas but Ari had just
enough time to wind down her window.
“I love you,” she said, remembering how she had meant to say it to him almost a month ago, right before Sameth
had attacked her.
The smile that lit Ragon’s face travelled with her throughout the entire cab journey.
***
“Welcome, welcome, come in,” William said, holding the door open and shooing away the man servant who had
tried to greet Ragon’s coven.
Ragon was the first to enter, followed quickly by the rest of his coven, bar Cambridge.
“You seem to be a few members short,” Nikolas said looking around.
“Cambridge and Sameth left,” Ragon lied, being careful to ensure that the Elders had no reason to suspect Sameth’s
death.
“I see and what of Larissa?” Nikolas asked.
At these words Sandra became tense while Ragon cursed under his breath for not mentioning her.
“She was killed,” Ragon said, a low growl escaping him.
At this William and Nikolas looked at each other in surprise.
“I am sorry for your loss,” William said, moving over to Sandra and touching a cold hand to her shoulder.
Sandra nodded in acceptance.
“Killed by whom?” Nikolas asked, looking sceptically at Ragon.
“Kiara,” Ragon replied.
He had not wanted the Elders to know that Larissa was dead, least of all the fact that Kiara had killed her, but there
was no time to make an excuse for her death and lying to the Elders was a punishable offense.
“And why would she do that?” Nikolas asked.
Ragon shrugged but said, “I don’t know. I went to her estate to confront her about it but it had been burnt down. I
am not sure if she survived the flames or not.”
William nodded in satisfaction but Nikolas narrowed his eyes.
“And it was not you who lit the blaze?” Nikolas asked, his penetrating eyes fixed on Ragon.
Ragon shook his head; it had been Clyde who had set the house ablaze.
“Dark times indeed,” William said, moving further into the house and directing his guests to follow him. “The last
time we spoke, I made mention that we were investigating the mass murders in Brisbane. Do you maintain the
statement that you have no knowledge of who it is responsible for the many public deaths?
Ragon froze. He had no idea why the coven had been summoned but this question sent a shiver down his spine, as a
picture formed in his head.
“That is correct,” Ragon said, continuing to follow the Elders as they walked past the grand staircase and towards the
back of the house.
A small trap door was opened for them by one of the many man servants which lead to a basement.
“Forgive the mess,” William said, walking down the steep staircase and reaching for an old style light switch on the
wall.
Instantly the room was thrown into light and Ragon, who had been directly behind the Elders, gasped at what he
saw. The basement was small and dank, with brick walls and crudely placed wooden beams along the roof. The floor
was polished concrete but there were stains on it that didn’t leave much to the imagination. Tied to two of the large
beams were thick metallic chains, each binding the hands of Ryder and Patrick, so that the pair hung like
marionettes, suspended in mid-air. Their feet too were bound, with thick coiled chains wrapped around their ankles
and anchored to the floor by large bolts. Neither wore shirts and there were large slash marks across their skin that
had not begun to heal over. Clearly the pair had been drained of mortal blood, because they no longer seemed to
have the ability to heal themselves.
“What is the meaning of this?” Ragon asked, seeing the deep cuts in Ryder and Patrick’s skin and turning to the
Elders in fury.
“We are charged with keeping peace,” William said, trying to maintain an air of neutrality.
“Funny; this doesn’t look very peaceful to me,” Clyde said, a crude smile on his face.
“Be careful,” Nikolas hissed, “we are above reproach; do not test our hospitality.”
“Why are they being tortured?” Thomas asked, holding his palms outward to the Elders, in a clear sign of submission.
“We are trying to discover who it is that is responsible for the murders that have rocked our otherwise peaceful
town,” Nikolas said.
“And why should you be questioning them?” Ragon asked.
“Well, when news came to us that there was a fledgling in town and that he was made by a member of your coven;
then we heard about your source being attacked and it seemed a natural conclusion to point the finger at young
Ryder here. We all know what a hassle controlling the young ones can be,” William said smiling. “Always wanting to
go out, unable to control their desires, this wouldn’t be the first time a fledgling caused trouble.”
“Those deaths started months before Ryder was turned and before Patrick was even in the country,” Ragon replied
defensively.
“You seem to know a great deal about these deaths,” Nikolas said, his eyes surveying Ragon.
Ragon did not answer but moved protectively over to Ryder. He could tell by the dehydrated and sunken look in
Ryder’s eyes that if he didn’t feed soon, he would die. “You have no claim to hold them.”
“Claim?” Nikolas growled, “You dare to challenge our authority?”
It was then that Sandra moved over to the Elders, gently touching William on the shoulder and saying, “Challenge?
By no means, but surely you could not blame these senseless attacks on two immortals that could not have possibly
done these crimes. Would your efforts not be better spent trying to catch the real culprits?”
William seemed to melt under Sandra’s touch and he smiled at her saying, “If what you say is true and they could not
have committed the murders, then off course they would be free to go.”
“But how can you prove that Ryder was a mortal when the girls were killed?” Nikolas asked.
“You will not trust our testimony?” Clyde asked rudely, raising an eyebrow.
“We require a witness,” Nikolas said, smiling with snarled fangs.
For a moment Ragon considered this. How was he supposed to produce a witness?
“What about Ariana?” William asked, turning to stare at Ragon. “She must have no idea of our suspicion of Ryder as
the cause of these deaths, if you were to produce her then we could question her; find out who attacked her and
when this fledgling was made?”
The mention of Ari caused Ragon to uncurl his fangs and display them menacingly. Though he wanted to save Patrick
and Ryder, it was not at the expense of sacrificing Ari. Had this perhaps been the Elders plan all along, to lure her to
them? He still had no idea if Kiara had told them about her powers. He would not bring her here unless he was
certain that she would be safe. But had it been their plan to get her here, then surely the Elders would have invited
her to the summons in the first place? He had no reason to suspect the Elders wished to harm Ari. Besides, if Ari had
the chance to save Ryder and Ragon refused her that, she would never forgive him. As Ragon considered this he
remained still, only his fangs showed any sign of the internal struggle. Reluctantly he nodded.
“Excellent,” William said, moving over to Ragon.
Ragon reached for his phone and dialled the mobile number that he had taught himself to memorise by heart.
“Ragon, are you ok; what’s going on?” Ari asked, now pacing backwards and forth in her hotel room, having just
dived to answer her ringing phone.
For a moment Ragon chewed on the idea of asking Ari to get in a taxi and come over to the Elders estate, but then
he smiled to himself and said, “The Elders have a few questions for you; I will put them on.”
Nikolas’s eyes had narrowed at these words but Ragon blurred over to William and handed him the phone. William
looked at Nikolas as if hoping for instructions but begrudgingly accepted the phone.
“Hello,” William said, holding the phone in his hand, in a manner that suggested he was not use to such technology.
“Err Hi?” Ariana said.
“Tell me,” William said. “Nikolas and I are having a little dinner party; it was rude of us not to invite you. Will you join
us now?”
Ariana froze. She could not help but recall the words Ragon had spoken to her before she arrived at the hotel;
nowhere in his instructions was there mention of what to do if the Elders invited her to theirs.
“Ariana?” William asked, recalling her to their phone conversation.
“Um, does Ragon want me to go?” she asked, feeling instantly how stupid this question was. If Ragon did want her
there than the Elders would say yes but if Ragon didn’t want her there, then they would still say yes.
“But off course and Ryder would like to see you very much,” William purred.
What was she supposed to do? Refuse him? She had remembered how the coven had discussed the consequences
of not attending a summons. A shiver ran down her spine and settled in her heart. The Elders had Ragon; would they
punish him for her disobedience? The image of William raking Ragon with his eyes during the Halloween Party swam
into Ariana’s memory and she found herself nodding into the phone.
“Yes, I’ll be there,” she said, pressing the end call button and moving over to the hotel door.
***
Forty-five minutes later and a small yellow and black cab hummed noisily towards the front entrance of the Elders
estate.
“Geez, nice place” the driver said, accepting Ariana’s credit card and swiping it in his eftpos machine.
Ariana took the slip of paper and signed it quickly. For a moment the taxi driver turned the card over and looked at it
in confusion.
“You haven’t signed your card miss,” he said, handing it back to her and passing her the black pen again, “you want
to do that, or anyone could use that.”
“Ops,” she said nervously, her hand trembling as she signed her name on the back of the card that Ragon had given
her. “Its new, this is the firsts time I’ve used it.”
As soon as Ari neared the door it opened and she recognised the young man who greeted her as being the blood
donor at the Halloween party, who’d had many intravenous tubes coming out of him, like straws.
“Welcome,” he said politely, holding the door open, “William and Nikolas are waiting for you downstairs.”
Ariana allowed him to direct her through the large foyer, which she recalled dancing across with Clyde during the
Halloween party. Next he held up a small trap door in the floor and Ariana looked at him puzzled.
“After you,” he said with a smile on his face, opening the trap door as wide as it would go.
Ariana had no reason not to trust this mortal but the thought of going into a poorly lit basement, in the house of
vampires, did not seem sensible.
“Ariana?” someone from below asked and she was relieved to hear Ragon’s voice.
She half ran, half skipped down the stairs, intent on reaching Ragon quickly. As her foot fell onto the last step
however, she looked up and faltered. Her startled eyes saw Ryder and Patrick, hanging from the ceiling, each with
large deep cuts in their bodies, leaving two dark, red, shiny puddles on the ground beneath them. For a moment it
looked as if she would fall but then Ragon blurred over to her and reaching two well-aimed hands up to meet her,
caught her in his arms.
“What the hell is going on?” she asked Ragon, when he had finally put her down onto her shaking feet. “You call this
a dinner party?”
Though she knew better than to speak to the Elders in such a way, she was unable to keep the anger under check. At
the sound of her voice, Ryder’s eyes flittered open and with his head on the side, he watched Ari walk towards him,
apparently happy to see her. As soon as she was within reaching distance however Ryder lashed out. His thirst had
overcome him; he no longer saw his childhood friend and adopted sister but merely a blood bag.
“You see?” Nikolas said, moving faster than Clyde or Ragon and snatching Ari out of the way. “This little fledgling
would happily kill a dear friend, rather than let her save him. He has no control over himself.”
“That’s not true,” Ari said, jerking away from Nikolas. “He has only been a vampire for a month but since I have been
back from the hospital he hasn’t tried attacking me at all. And he is only doing it now, because you have drained
most of the blood out of him.”
“You say he has been a vampire for a month; so he was turned after the Halloween party but not before?” William
asked, moving closer to Ari.
As William moved closer, so too did Ragon, inching forwards so as to keep the same amount of distance between
himself and Ari.
“That’s right,” Ari replied.
“But then who attacked you?” Nikolas asked.
Instantly Ari faltered. She knew that to tell the Elders that Sameth had tried to kill her, would mean she would
expose the fact that Clyde had killed Sameth in order to save her. This was not something that the Elders needed to
know.
“I don’t know; I didn’t see their face,” she lied.
For a moment William nodded in defeat but then Nikolas flashed towards her and whispered, “I sense your deceit
little one.”
Ari looked in horror from Nikolas to Ragon. In the time it took for Ari to open her mouth, Ragon was standing at her
side.
“Ragon, you would be wise to step back, you know that valuing mortal life above an immortal is sacrilege,” William
said warningly.
“She is mine,” Ragon replied protectively.
“And we have allowed you to keep her but you will not stand in the way of our inquiry,” Nikolas said. “I feel that she
is being untruthful, I would like to be sure.”
William nodded but Ragon stretched out his hands in front of Ari, just as Clyde moved over to her defensively also.
Seeing their concern Nikolas said to Ariana, “I seek only to confirm the truth.”
“But I don’t understand?” Ari asked.
“One bite,” Nikolas said while Ragon growled, “and I will be able to command your will and ensure that you are
telling the truth. If it is true that Ryder became a vampire after all these attacks, than you and your friends are free
to leave.”
Instantly Ari recalled all the times she had witnessed the vampires in Ragon’s coven commanding their victims.
When the Elders bit her, their toxin would swim through her blood until it found her nervous system and then she
would have to do anything they asked, including telling the truth. It was true that Ryder was not responsible for the
attacks of Brisbane city but what if they asked who had attacked her. She would be forced to admit that it was
Sameth and that Clyde had killed him. As Nikolas had said: ‘valuing the life of a mortal over an immortal was
sacrilege’ and a punishable offense
“No,” Ragan said, his fangs unsheathed as he snarled.
But it was too late, before he or Clyde could so much as move, Nikolas was at her side, taking her hand almost
lovingly in his as he bit down. She felt the pricking sensation first, before a sharp pain coursed through her veins. This
was not what she had expected and she clenched her teeth, wishing that the numbing sensation that was supposed
to be spreading throughout her body, as she had seen many times before, would hurry up and relieve her. But this
calming sensation never came and she stood in agony, as she fought to keep her face straight, although unknown to
her, one of her eyes went green while the other remained blue.
Ragon, looking disgustedly at Nikolas, fought hard not to throw him off her. Clyde, who was standing between Ari
and Ragon, was watching Ragon closely for any signs that he might attack. Nikolas, who was too intent on feeding,
did not realise this but after a moment withdrew his fangs, wiping his hand over his mouth, as Ragon moved quickly
back over Ari, bandaging her wrist tightly with a fragment of his shirt that he tore away quickly.
Ari knew what was coming. She had seen Clyde dissociate B1 and B2, as well as watching her vampire friends force
mortals to do their bidding. She was hoping and praying, that they would only ask her when Ryder had been made.
Any further questions could be very dangerous, not only for Clyde who had rescued her from Sameth, but also for
herself and what she could do. But she would cross that path only if she had to.
“Now,” Nikolas said, licking his lips as he forced his will to bind Ari’s and thought; when did Ryder become a vampire?
Ari heard his voice in her head as clear as day and knew instantly from how still his lips had been that he had thought
this question.
For a moment she considered her answer, “Just after the Halloween Party,” she answered truthfully.
Nikolas looked a little disappointed but moved closer to Ari and thought; and who was it that attacked you my dear?
Ariana had been waiting for this and her eyes, still coloured differently, glanced nervously over to Ragon and Clyde,
who both looked worried. They knew very well that Nikolas must have asked her something that might reveal
Clyde’s betrayal. For a moment Ariana looked around at Clyde but then she turned to face Nikolas. Though she had
heard his question clearly, she did not feel any accompanying command to answer him truthfully.
For a few moments she hesitated, certain that her body was somehow tricking her but then finally said, “I don’t
know.”
The confusion that plastered her face was also mirrored by Clyde and Ragon and though she could not see the rest of
the coven members, she guessed they too would have been shocked. At her answer Nikolas blinked a few times
clearly disappointed. He then walked over to the chains, from which Patrick and Ryder hung, and pulled the release
bind, causing them to fall heavily to the ground, as the heavy metallic chains cluttered next to them.
“Bronson!” William roared.
Instantly a young man, no older than 17, raced down the stairs and moved over to William and bowed.
“You will offer yourself to these guests,” William said, indicating the frail bodies of Patrick and Ryder who were now
crumpled on the floor. “They may need your help to encourage them.”
Bronson moved over to Ryder first, sitting himself on the floor next to him and cradling Ryder’s heavy body into his
arms. He held Ryder’s head lovingly and directed his mouth towards his wrist. As soon as Ryder heard the gently
whoosh of blood from within its artery, he struck. The smell of blood seemed to awaken Patrick, who crawled over
to Bronson also and clamped two fangs into his thigh, drinking hungrily from his femoral artery. Ari looked away
instantly, unable to watch.
***
The coven and Ari left quickly after that; Thomas helping Patrick while Clyde supported Ryder. The Elders waved
them farewell from the front entrance as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred at all. As soon as they were far
enough away that Ragon was entirely certain they would not be overheard, he turned around in his seat to face Ari,
a look of absolute confusion plastered on his face. Looking around, Ari realised that it was not just Ragon who was
looking at her in such a way. Sandra and Thomas were eyeing her apprehensively and Clyde, who was in the driver’s
seat, was watching her with worried eyes from the rear view mirror.
“What?” she asked.
“How did you do that?” Ragon asked.
“You mean lie to Nikolas?” she asked looking around. “I didn’t really do anything. When he asked me who attacked
me, I just lied.”
“But you shouldn’t have been able to,” Clyde said.
Ari knew that; she had seen the other mortals become mindless slaves after they had been bitten but there was
nothing commanding about Nikolas before or after he had bitten her. True, she was terrified of him and she was
fearful for her friend’s lives, but he had no control over her.
“I am sure there are plenty of mortals who can resist a vampire lull,” Ari said thoughtfully, but Clyde shook his head
quickly.
“No, there aren’t. When vampire toxin gets into the blood it paralyses the neurons, giving the owner of the toxin
control over its victim for as long as the poison remains in the system,” Clyde said. “When the toxin spreads
throughout the nervous system, the victim had no choice but to submit. Only fledglings are incapable of doing this
but an Elder like Nikolas should be able to command any mortal he chooses.”
“Ok so what does that mean?” Ari asked.
“Well for one thing, I think we can add resist vampire toxin to your expanding credentials,” Thomas said.
“Yea and for another, we can increase the reason as to why the Ancients might want you dead,” Clyde said.
“What why?” Ari asked.
“Because the only reason that vamps are allowed to have humans as sources and not kill them afterwards is because
we can command them at any point to forget everything, or to do whatever we want. If anyone knew that there was
a mortal who was able to resist our charm, then that could be very dangerous for vampires,” Clyde said, before
looking through the large front windshield and asking, “Where am I driving to?”
Ragon, who was deep in thought next to him in the front seat, suddenly reached for his phone and dialled a number
quickly.
“Hi Bert, can we be ready to leave tonight?” Ragon asked into the phone before waiting for a reply. “Excellent; shall
we say one hour? I know its short notice, don’t worry, you will be compensated.”
“What the hell was that all about?” Clyde asked, unable to hide his curiosity.
Ragon smiled, happy to at least be able to keep Clyde on his toes.
“I think Ari was right,” Ragon said. “We need to find out what it is about Ari that is making her a target and I think we
should start by going to the UK and tracing her lineage from there. Everyone is welcome but I will understand if you
decide not to come. I have asked much of everyone here already and it is clear that Ari is capable of looking after
herself.”
Though Ragon’s words had fooled Ari, they did not convince Clyde. He knew that while Ari had immense capacity for
power, she also had no control and was therefore just as vulnerable to attack as when he had first come to Australia.
The only difference was that now she needed their protection, not because a jealous ex-lover wanted her out of the
picture but because quite possible the oldest, most powerful vampires in the world wanted her dead.
EPILOGUE
“I have a favour to ask,” Ari said, whispering to Ragon, though knowing full well that all the other vampires in
the car would be able to hear her anyway.
“Yes,” Ragon said, not waiting for her question.
“I haven’t asked you yet,” Ari said, smiling lightly.
“It doesn’t matter, whatever you ask of me I will do,” Ragon replied.
“Can we go to your family Mausoleum?” Ari asked.
Ragon’s eyes grew confused and he leaned towards her asking, “You’re not having second thoughts about going to
the UK are you?”
“What?” Ari said, shaking her head vigorously, “off course not”
“But then-” Ragon begin, until realisation lightened his face and he looked down at her in guilt.
“It’s just, it would be nice to see my parents,” Ari said.
It was fifteen minutes later when Clyde parked the car out the front of the Toowong Cemetery. The moment Ari had
seen the tall iron gates that signified the entrance of the graveyard a small shive ran up her spine and settled in her
heart. She had nothing but horrifying memories of this place but she knew that she needed to brave it in order to say
goodbye to her parents.
Ariana had spent her entire life wondering what had happened to them and why she had been abandoned on the
door steps of Grace Valley Orphanage. This year she had discovered the painful truth that they had been killed, by
none other than a vampire, the very one who had tried so hard to kill her. Since rescuing Ari from Kiara, Ragon had
protected her and safeguarded her parent’s remains with his own.
“Do you want me to leave you alone for a moment?” Ragon asked when finally they were outside his family tomb.
Ari nodded, unable to talk. The moment that she had stepped through the cemetery, small tears had begun to fall
from her eyes and trace their way down her face. She didn’t want to alert Ragon to this and so kept her silence as
she stepped into the tomb, trying hard to position her hair so that it hid her face.
The moment Ari placed her foot on the cold brick floors she knew exactly what she needed to do. The tomb was cast
by many eerie shadows, all borne from the moon whose light only just managed to creep into the Ragon’s family
mausoleum. Reaching out a shaking hand, Ari found the familiar crypt in the centre of the room and traced her
fingers along the names that she knew were etched there: ‘Sarah and George Hutton’.
“Goodbye mum and dad,” Ari whispered.