A/N: All mine. Starts out mainly werewolves, but has vampires also.

Chapter One

Not again, thought Conner as she heard wild cheering from the other side of the doors to the library. Looking at the doors momentarily, she mentally dared anyone on the other side to try and enter. Ever since her father had been killed by the Usurper that now sat on the Coven throne she had lived in the library; always trying to stay out of his and the rest of the coven`s way as much as was physically possible. Sighing, she returned to the book she was currently reading and mentally blocking out the noise of celebration from the other side of the doors. No doubt they had just come back from a successful feed and probably dragging a few new converts with them. "More fool the idiots." she whispered, feeling little pity for the newer members. She was just getting back into the flow of the story when there came a heavy pounding on the doors that made her jump slightly. Christiano just didn`t know when to give up.

Snarling dangerously she went and opened the doors for him, "So this is where the pretty little thing hides herself all the time then?" he slurred as he stumbled in. Conner made no attempt to catch him as he fell, pausing only to give a satisfied chuckle as he hit the tiled floor. Slowly getting up, Christiano crawled over to a chair, but Conner stayed by the door. It was astonishing to her that one man could become so drunk in such a short space of time. Either they`d been really successful and thus brought out the strong liquor that Adamo had hidden at the back of the cellar, or Christiano couldn`t hold much alcohol before becoming a slobbering slurring fool of a Lycan. But then again, thought Conner, there isn`t much difference between him being drunk and being sober.

"So my pretty little maid. How about we get married like the Coven rules dictate? I could use a pretty little thing like you. It's lonely at night." Christiano slurred. "Get stuffed Christiano. I would rather fight a coven of vampires single handedly unarmed than marry you. It`s bad enough we share the same air." she snapped. In a blink Christiano was over her. "You`ll do well to hold your tongue little one. I`m Coven leader now, not your daddy. You`ll marry me like it or not. You know what will happen if you don`t" He hissed menacingly. Conner shrunk back against the door. Not out of fright, though facing a snarling Christiano at his full six foot three was quite intimidating, but more from the smell that was invading her nose. Suddenly Conner found herself being forced into a kiss. Sharply kicking him where she knew it hurt, Conner watched satisfied as he slid to the floor in pain. Though he was older than her at 24 and no doubt quite a bit stronger, Conner was still capable of holding her own against him and pretty much most of the coven as they had found out first hand. Snarling, she stormed from the library, her loose black hair fluttering behind her like a dark flag and her ivy green eyes focused dead ahead on the door to the outside world that lay just beyond the coven manor. None of the others dared mess with her, as they were all busy becoming completely drunk. She escaped to the outside world and the town two minutes down the road. Sighing with relief to be free of the lunacy of the coven improved Conner's mood vastly. The Italian sun felt deliciously warm on her skin as she half walked half skipped down the high street passing shops, then stopping as she looked at a top on one of the mannequins. Smiling at it, she examined her reflection trying to picture it on her. Her reflection grinned back at her as she found that it suited her, but she was loathed to part with the tanks top she had on already. Then while thinking of new clothes she looked at her jeans and realized that they too would need replacing soon. Her heels were in a copeable state for the time being. Sitting on a bench she considered her predicament within life. She was supposed to marry Christiano but she wasn`t having any of that. She`d rather be ripped to shreds first. Only two things would help lift her out her mood at the moment. To find true love or to die in the process and at the moment the latter option was looking more likely as she`d heard on the grape vine that the Vampires were stirring as their Council was called and rumor was that their own wasn`t going to be too far behind. Looking down the road she saw a familiar clapped out VW beetle heading in her direction. Smiling she quickly tied her hair back, and crossed the road walking to the car and leaning into the passenger window once it was wound down.
"Well, well Antonio my savior on his trusty steed rescues me once again." she smiled, flashing her brilliant white teeth. Antonio Gonzalez was the only person she`d really felt anything for but there was a problem; he was human. "I must have some sort of in built radar for you when you`re in trouble." he grinned back as he opened the passenger to allow Conner in. Sliding in to the seat she smiled at him again and he quickly turned the car around and set off down the street. More and more Conner thought that her options were looking up. It didn`t take much to rid herself of the race problem. Not much at all.


Conner and Antonio arrived at a little Italian restaurant and ordered lunch. They talked for a little while, Conner always dodging questions about her home life. Antonio had accepted her persistent dodging, but always found ways to slip one question or another in. Conner caught movement out of the corner of her eye and she turned to see Belieo sitting three tables away from them. She excused herself from Antonio, grabbed Belieo by the arm (more like pushed him since his arm was as big as a muscle filled watermelon) and pushed him out back.

"What the hell are you doing?" Conner hissed as she looked, hoping that Antonio hadn't gotten suspicious.

"I'm protecting you. That's what I do." Belieo replied, crossing his arms and staring down at the small petite woman in front of him.

"Oh, so you need to protect me from a human that I could easily crush with my bare hands, but you can't possibly protect me from Christiano when he's drunk and breathing down my neck!" Conner exclaimed with a note of annoyance.

She loved Belieo like a father, considering her real father assigned him as her bodyguard no matter what happened to him. Belieo gave her a look that instantly scolded her for her raised voice.

"You know that I can't do anything to stop Christiano. You are going to have to marry him because I don't plan on letting you get killed." Belieo said quietly.

"What about love? I could fall in love." Conner demanded.

"A Lycan cannot marry a human. And you wouldn't turn Antonio. I know it, you know it, and so does Christiano." Belieo shifted on his feet and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"Christiano doesn't know anything about Antonio." Conner said dismissively. She saw Belieo's stance of unease and a lump lodged in her throat. "He doesn't know, right?"

Belieo gave her an apologetic look and she took off walking quickly. She grabbed Antonio from his chair and pulled him outside.

"What? What's wrong Conner?" he asked as he looked at her strangely.

"W-we have to go. Now." Conner demanded as she pushed him towards the car.

"Why? Conner, what's going on?" Antonio asked loudly.

"Antonio, you're always asking about my home life. Well, right now we have to hide from those people, and quickly." Conner replied as she heard the spine tingling sound of tires screeching to a halt.

She turned to see Christiano getting out of the black SUV's with his men following.

"Run, Antonio. Run as quickly and as far away as you can. Don't come back, don't look back. Just go." Conner said as she headed in the opposite direction.

Antonio was just standing there, dumbfounded.

"GO!" She screamed at him and then took off in a dead run. She ran down the streets of Rome, going as quickly as she could. Christiano would have to choose between her and Antonio, and she hoped, for Antonio's sake, that Christiano chose her. Everything stopped, halted, when she was slammed into from the side and pushed against a brick wall. Her head slammed into the brick and it all went black.

Ideas, questions, comments… all are appreciated. Love, FireSeraph