Chapter 1: Control

Selene frowned when she heard the loud crunch sound! from under her boot. She lifted her foot up and saw that she'd stepped on a skull, the white shards lay in pieces, but she guessed it had been human.

Guess I missed that one.

The catacombs should come as a little surprise to be filled with bones such as these, especially these human bones. Who knew how many people had died in here? Perhaps some had been killed for reasons unknown?

She began moving again, walking briskly, a woman on a mission. Though, it really wasn't a mission per se, but more of an investigating matter. She had come to this cave for two reasons: the sun had been close to rising and she needed shelter, and since she would be in here until nightfall, she may as well explore this place.

The catacombs were dark and dank, filled with vermin and insects skittering about. Spiderwebs clung to the walls and ceilings like thick sticky veils, and they would sometimes hamper her progress.

Among other things, she thought wryly. She was not alone in these catacombs. Michael Corvin, the only vampire-lycan hybrid they knew of, trailed after her. He stepped on many more skulls than she, snapping the bones and increasing her irritation.

I hope there isn't anyone here who can here that, she mused, flinching when Michael stepped on a skull, and then followed up with crushing a rib bone when he jumped in surprise.

Maybe clumsiness was something that was passed on to him, even when he became a hybrid.

For an instant, she remembered biting him as he lay dying of silver nitrate after Kraven, the bastard, shot him. She remembered her lips against his neck, and then the unbelievable sensation of tasting his blood, even if tainted by the werewolf curse. Living on cloned blood had starved her of the real thing for far too long, and it had taken much of her control to not drain him dry then.

After bestowing her crimson kiss upon him, Michael had begun to change into an entirely new creature. Confronting Viktor, she had not seen him change first into a lycan but then . . . the change had begun to regress. She had not seen what happened, but something that changed everything had happened to him. Then there was that heart-stopping moment when he had stood before Viktor, a snarl on his face, looking more human than werewolf, but more demon than vampire. A creature of the union of the bloodlines, something everyone thought of as unheard of, impossible, or inconceivable.

"Why are we here, exactly?" Michael asked as they continued to walk through the catacombs. He sounded tired, she realized, worn out. It had been two nights since that rather fateful night in the underworld, the bunker the lycans had lived in. Michael was both vampire and lycan, but stronger than both as the scientist had said. But . . . he would still need to feed. Which though? Blood or flesh?

Or both, she thought. He probably could just devour a human.

But he's better than that.

"We need a place to hideout for the day. Sunrise is upon us," answered Selene. She was grateful that they had found this cave, else she would have been trapped outside, with the sun's rising so close . . .

"So, a cave, then," he remarked.

Were you expecting a five-star hotel?

"As unappealing as it is, it will have to do." Selene said. I don't want to go up in flames merely because you can't spend a night on a cave floor.

Michael did not complain, but hurried to keep up. Selene was impressed with how long he had stayed with her now; she had half expected him to run off after everything he'd been through. It was certainly enough to traumatize a normal human. But Michael was no longer human.

A certain area on the wall of the cave to her left caught her attention. Selene walked toward it. Upon closer examination, it appeared that a part of the wall was out of place. It was . . . door-shaped, a large door, but what was it? She ran her hand along the cool wall, thinking.

Michael came to her side, staring at the wall with a bored expression. He didn't seem to see what she saw. He rubbed his eyes.

He needs rest, she observed with mild concern, ignoring her own exhaustion. In truth, if he really did need to feed, then she was surprised that he hadn't passed out by now. From past experience, Selene remembered her first craving for blood when Viktor first turned her, and she knew after six-hundred years of being a Death Dealer, that younger lycans needed to feed at least every night, until they learned how to control themselves and their cravings.

"What if this is one of those walls that turn around, like in those Indiana Jones movies?" Michael guessed. He made a twirling motion with his finger, indicating what he meant.

Selene just stared at him.

"Right," he said in understanding. "You probably don't know what I'm talking about." He glared at the wall with tired brown eyes. "I'll probably just mess myself up, but let me show you."

He took a step back and Selene backed away, watching with interest. Michael yawned and then stepped forward, a fist cocked back to punch, and slammed it into the wall.

They both stared at the wall expectantly.

It trembled under the force of the blow of a hybrid, and then dust rained down from it. Then, as if by magic, the wall slowly revolved, exposing a pitch-black space. Without any sort of communication, they entered the space. The wall finished revolving and thudded back into place.

I hope we're not trapped here. Selene didn't expect all of that to have happened, nor did she expect Michael to come to that conclusion. Something he probably saw from a movie. This place could have been built centuries ago, without her kind knowing of it. She wondered who created it; vampire or werewolf.

It was dark, darker than the catacomb. The darkness pressed on their eyes like a black blindfold before Selene's vampire eyes adjusted instantly, and she stepped forward.

There was clicking-sizzling noise reached their ears when she moved, and then light sparked all around. Torches mounted on the walls in brackets came to life, sputtering red and orange flames, providing light and revealing the room's contents.

"Well . . . huh," muttered Michael.

It looked like a small royal chamber, complete with a plush red blankets sprawled out all around, colored cushions, and two mattresses. Furniture lined the walls, bookcases, dressers and a small table.

Much better than a cave floor, Selene thought in approval. She glanced at Michael who looked very pleased with his discovery.

"We'll stay here for the time being," she said.

Half an hour later, they had made themselves at home. Selene had placed her twin Berettas on the table and discarded her trench coat, laying it on the unclaimed mattress. Michael sat with his legs crossed on the other one, watching her. Walking about in her skintight leathers, Selene examined the bookcase. Dusty tomes and volumes lined the shelves, promising interesting reading for later on. Deciding that she would read the books after she rested, she went to Michael, kneeling on the edge of his makeshift bed.

"Michael," she murmured. "How are you feeling?"

He blinked fitfully, as it trying to stay awake. "I dunno, kind of worn out. Feel like I could sleep for a year or two."

"You need to feed."

His brown eyes focused dimly on her. "What?"

"You are half-vampire and half-lycan, Michael," she said softly, placatingly. Best to take it gentle with explaining to someone that they are a new creature no one has ever heard of. "You're a new breed; there's never been a hybrid before. I've been thinking, we do not exactly know of what you need to live on."

"Wait, wait, wait," he said, holding out his hands like a stop sign. "You mean, since I'm . . . what you said, I have to eat people?"

She disregarded the alarm in his voice. "I'm not saying that, but you need to feed, flesh or blood. Just something to keep you alive."

"Why?"

She felt her face shut done, and knew it would like it was carved out of stone. "Michael, your humanity will war with the animal inside. We all have it, we all fight that inner beast. If you do not anticipate its and your cravings, who knows what will happen. My guess is that you will go on a rampage, slaughter and kill, and I don't want to be in the midst of that. Now, it seems that your humanity is strong, but that might be because you are getting weaker; and don't say you aren't, I see how tired you are."

Michael was silent after her lengthy explanation. She stared at him. Even though his face was drawn with utter exhaustion, she couldn't help but notice his rugged good looks. His light brown hair was slicked back, still wet from the snow that had melted in it from outside. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, and, with her being so close, she felt the chill that had settled into her undead bones fade.

He's attractive, for a human, had been Erika's words when they had been looking at Michael's picture from Nigel's digital camera. Selene did not know if she agreed, for she'd been so focused on why the lycans were interested in him, but now, she noticed just how handsome he was.

"All right," he said, and she stopped her staring. "If I need to feed so damn badly, how am I going to do that? Have a spare human handy, do you?"

Not appreciating his sarcasm, she pushed the sleeve of her leather fighting gear up on her left arm. Raising it to her mouth, she parted her jaws and sank her fangs lightly into her flesh. Just enough to get a steady stream of blood, not a spurting red geyser, she bit her wrist, ignoring the sharp sting. Michael stared, wide eyed.

"I will be a substitute," Selene muttered. "Now drink." She extended her hand and scooted a little closer.

A confusing array of emotions flickered across his face as he stared at her bleeding wrist. Repulsion, horror, anger, wonder and . . . longing, hunger. He gently took her wrist in both of his hands.

"I have to?"

"Drink," she commanded firmly.

Selene watched as a look came across his face. His eyes flashed, and changed into the hybrid black color. The silence was disturbed with a bestial hiss, and she realized it was issued from Michael. Quick as a flash, he bit into her bleeding wrist, obeying not only her, but his need.

Michael immediately began sucking down her blood with abandon, like a dehydrated man who desperately needed water. He tightened his grip on her arm, and Selene flinched when his sharp teeth dug into her flesh, drawing more blood.

He needs this, she told herself, refusing to pull away. He needs it to live, as do you.

She felt his warm tongue lap greedily at the small wound, and heard his low feral moan. Finally, his inner beast was getting what it needed. The blood just crazed him further and he began drinking more roughly.

"Ah," she gasped softly, and then quickly bit her lower lip, preventing any other sound from escaping her lips. Her instincts begged her to pull away. Maybe she should, if she didn't want to be drained dry.

Her small pained gasp seemed to bring Michael back to reality. He shuddered, loosened his hold on her arm, and licked the wound lightly and finally let go. His eyes faded from jet-black to brown.

Selene felt weak, drained. She had let him take too much, but he needed it. Already he looked better: the dark circles under his eyes looked less drastic, and his cheeks looked flushed. She pulled her arm away and moved to her own pathetic makeshift bed. Part of her rational mind wanted to back away from the blood-crazed hybrid, if he still was like that, but she was too tired.

"Better now?" she asked.

Michael licked his lips and nodded. "I am. Thank you." He looked at her with concern, and then his eyes widened. "Oh . . . please don't tell me I took too much."

Not to sure how to answer that, she said, "I'll be fine."

Michael looked deeply troubled and upset. "Selene, I'm sorry. Really. I tried to fight . . . it, but it was just too strong." He was utterly sincere, and sounded awfully regretful.

She gave him a knowing look, all too familiar with what he was feeling. Six-hundred years had given plenty of experience, but she knew what he was feeling.

She lay down on the mattress and curled up on her side, her back facing the wall. Her eyelids drooped and sleep beckoned to her enticingly.

"We all fight for control, Michael."

*Thank you so freaking much for reading!

This, being my first story on here, was a bit awkward to write. I love the Underworld series and the Selene-Michael relationship. This story will continue, if anyone is wondering, and I already have a few other chapters up. They probably suck in the beginning, but I'll work on updating them and making them hopefully better. My writing may not be New-York times best seller, but I enjoy it, once I really get into it.

If you could, and I'm probably asking for a lot, could you PLEASE give a review? I deeply appreciate them; I love hearing what you guys and girls think. Or it could be anything" thoughts, suggestions, comments, or whatever. So please, please, please, I beg of you, dear readers, give a review?

Anyways, hope this was enjoyable~