The sun streamed through the curtains of the cheap motel room and Alexandra skirted its beams. She burned easily in the sun and did not feel like nursing burns as she found her way to the mountains. It had been her father who spoke of heros there, who would guide and protect her, family who knew not of her existence.

Alexandra groaned. She had forgot that she had to be out by noon. She meant to leave earlier but she had been tired.

Alex grabbed her bag and left the room. Mary, the hostess, told her goodbye and watched as Alex fled into the streets. Alexandra breathed in the air as if she had not breathed it in years. She wore a heavy black cloak and long black gloves. Every inch of her was covered but the heat and lethargy weighed heavily on her.

The young girl suffered in silence as she boarded the plane to take her to the base of the mountains.

"Ma'am, may I get you something to drink?"

"No, thank you." Alex told the stewardess. Alex turned to the window and slipped off, giving into the sleep. The landing was soft but it woke Alexandra up. She filed out with the rest of the passengers and the night welcomed her. The sun had gone down an hour ago and the stars sparkled at the return of the young girl. Alexandra could feel the flow of energy, knew there were others like her. She went to the village inn, feeling so many of her kind there. Alexandra stood outside and watched through the window. She saw a few Carpathians, mingling with the humans as if they were friends, that thought gave her hope. As she watched through the window she caught sight of a man, tall, black hair and broad shoulders. It was when he turned that she saw the difference from the other men, his eyes were silver, and they stared straight at her. Alex sucked in a deep breath and shook her head. She was busted. She had to enter now. She pushed the door open and stepped into the room, the Carpathian men all tensed, sensing her presence and turned to look at her. She shed her gloves slowly and lowered the hood. Her black hair spilling out and tumbling down her back.

"Hello." She said nervously. One man stepped forward, flanked by the silver eyed man.

"Welcome little one."

"Thank you." She fidgeted under the scrutiny of the man with silver eyes, she kept her own down, never looking up at them.

"My name is Mikhail. I am the Prince." He announced. He bowed low to her, his hair grazing the floor.

"Alexandra. I am the defender of men." She curtsied back to him.

"This is Gregori, my second in command."

"I am honored."

"Where are your parents?"

"My mother was murdered last year along with my father who fought off the vampire."

"I am sorry" Alexandra looked up at Mikhail, her eyes blank slates.

"Why? You did not do it."

"That does not mean I do not feel sympathy dear." His words were kind and his heart was pure. Alexandra smiled. "What brings you here?"

"My father. He said that should anything happen to him and momma that I seek you out here. He gave me a name and an area, no address. Just an instruction to take care and find the heros of which he spoke."

"Heros?" Gregori mused.

"Yes, the defenders of good, the men and women of yore."

"He spoke highly of us?"

"Very. I am here to find the one they call Drago."

"He is not here but I can call him to me."

"Please, I need to find him."

"Why him specifically?"

"He is my Lifemate." Alexandra said simply.

"How do you know such a thing child? You are so young." Mikhail asked.

"My father saw him. As I see others. Everyone has a thread, a link to another. It strengthens over time as we solidify our existance. I see the threads of friendship, love and loss. Each a different shade, a different thickness. The world is full of those threads that hold us together."

"You can see the bond?" Mikhail nearly fainted.

"Yes, even the faint lines that lead to the dead. Sometimes those are the strongest. If a lifemate were dead that thread would be the heaviest, the strongest because their bond was strong."

"You can see mine?"

"Hold on." Alexandra's eyes clouded over, she left her physical form and traveled along the thread to find her. "Sitting on the back porch of her home watching your son play in the yard and the baby is sitting, oops sorry, the baby is nestled in her."

"There is no baby." Mikhail said softly.

"Oh but there is, small but she is there listening to Raven sing a lullaby. Look for yourself. ask her to if you must." They watched as Mikhail conversed with Raven a silence fell over the room, awaiting his answer.

"There is a baby girl." Mikhail spluttered.

"I told you. Now, may I see my Lifemate please?"

"How can you not find him if you see the thread?" Gregori interjected.

"The seer can never see her own future. The only way to see the Lifemate thead for me is to connect with him, look at his that leads to me. It must be seen by the previous seer."

"How does one-"

"Become a seer? You do not. You are born. Each seer recognizes another simply by the shade of their aura. I saw my father's and he saw mine. There is no guessing when it comes to what child will or will not have the power. Every child of a seer has the ability to do so. I am the last simply because my siblings fell before me. I am here to seek out my Lifemate. I am here to save his soul and give the race a chance.

"You could sound more cheerful about it." Mikhail grumbled.

"When you spent your life as I have, you forget emotions. They are no longer important. Knowledge, and power that is what we are bred for. The family with the most seers in our world is the most powerful. That used to be us. When we spend all our time finding other's family, friends, lovers, we lose our own emotions somewhere along the way."

"Did you not have friends to help and guide you?"

"No, and if it were not for the fact that we and Carpathians share common ancestry that gives some of us Lifemates, I would have been married off to my uncle or even my brother."

"Thats sick." One of the men commented.

"Custodite sanguinem purus." Alexandra recited.

"Keep the blood pure." Gregori translated.

"Our family motto. We kept the blood pure and married within. We never married other seers, just our own."

"That is...that is,"

"It was an unfeeling life." She said.. "All emotions and feelings I have I learned since the death of my family.

"That is a sad existence."

"But I am intelligent." Alexandra protested. Having been praised for her intelligence she was quite proud of it.

"You are smart yes, but what life have you lived?"

"A cold unfeeling one. the one destined for me. Drago is relatively young. He still has his emotions and he is just starting to lose colors so he will notice a difference when his dim colors become vibrant."

"You have this all planned out. What if he had decided to seek the dawn?" Mikhail nearly growled. She was unfeeling and her approach was cold.

"I would have noticed. Please call him. I would like to see him soon."

"I will call him. Do you know about him?"

"No, that would change the fate's design. I saw only his face so that I would know him if I saw him."

"That seems harsh. He is on the way." They waited moments before Drago strode through the door. He was unsure why he was summoned but he came nonetheless. The first thing he saw was a woman surrounded by hunters. He approached, his green eyes searching each hunter's face.

"You summoned me my lord?" He bowed to Mikhail, a sign of greatest respect. His black hair was cut short, spiked, and had a slight red color to the tips. His green eyes shone with the vertical slitted pupils. He wore something akin to leather more like pleather and he had a snakebite piercing.

"Drago you look more and more like your father when he was young. You carry your mother's mark though. A scary combination. " Mikhail joked. "Tell Josef that he needs to take you under his wing and help you grow up." Drago laughed at his words and glanced at the woman. "This is Alexandra. She is a seer and she is your Lifemate."

"How do you know?" Drago asked, shocked. Mikhail shared with him the information he had and Drago spun to look at Alex.

"You are mine?" He asked softly.

"Yes." Drago was almost thrown back. His faded colors smacked him in the face, they were vibrant and bright and such joy coursed through him. "You are Drago. Let us be off then." Drago paused at her lack of emotion.

"You are unhappy with this union?"

"It is not you. This is the way I am. I was raised in a home that squashed emotions at an early stage to study and get all the information possible."

"I see. We hold emotions dear here."

"I am aware. I knew we would have problems but the fates have decided."

"You could seriously not care less?"

"I could not care less who I was with. Love is not a thing I covet or have had. I am here for you and your race."

"You can not be serious." Drago was losing faith in the fates. She was beautiful. Her hair hung down her back. Her black hair hung in ringlet curls down her back. Her blue eyes held flecks of purple and they held emotions that her face and body did not show. She was tall for humans, standing as almost six feet but at his six five, she was perfect. "Let us be off. I need to show you around. Do not worry so." Drago reassured her as he saw fear creep into her eyes.

"I am not afraid." She said as she made a gesture as if she were picking at her nails.

"You can not lie to me. I see your fear, it is in your eyes. Forget what you have been taught. Emotions are coveted here." He raised one hand to her face and raised it to look him in the eyes but she shied away. She knew her weakness. Her mother was perfect. She could hide every emotion, every feeling, Alex never had her control. "It is not a weakness. Show how you feel. Smile for me." His words were soft but she felt his compulsion. She knew she had to do as he asked. This once she would allow a slip in her control and she would smile. She turned to him and she flashed him her teeth and he nearly laughed.

Drago stood as his Lifemate tried to smile. She only accomplished baring her teeth at him and he nearly burst with joy.

"We will work on that."

"If you wish it." Although her voice was even even she felt a sudden flicker of happiness. Her fiery passion long ago died to a simple red ember kept alive by the love she felt for books and her siblings. Something she never confided in anyone. Her ember sparked at his words and it both scared and excited her.

"You wish it too." He whispered and took her hand. He led her outside and they walked deep into the forest to find the house of his parents. As they neared Alex heard the guttural growl of Disturbed.

"Father!" Drago shouted. The music stopped immediately and a man and woman ran out to the porch. They both wore looks of horror but their looks were replaced by confusion.

"What son? You had us worried." Josef sighed.

"This is Alexandra. She is my Lifemate."

"How do you? what? really? I am so happy for you son." Josef beamed down at his son and the woman next to him. She seemed distant and unfeeling but never the less she belonged in the family. "I am happy to meet you."

"And I you sir." Alex bowed to him.

"Do you smile?"

"Not usually."

"Do you laugh?"

"Not since, well since I was an infant I suppose." Alex said. She tried to smile again but she ended up baring her teeth again. "I try." Alex said after her failed attempt.

"No need to apologize my dear. You are most welcome here and I welcome you to the family with open arms." His Words were softly spoken and his voice held no regret at his offer. Alex could not help feeling his love for his soon that he radiated.

"I am most grateful for your acceptance. It means allot to me. It has been too long since i have had a family to call my own." Despite her best efforts her gratitude and joy seeped into her words and everyone heard it. Alex looked away, trying to hide her blush. It was improper to show emotions even to loved ones. A persons emotions were too intimate even for that. Drago shook his head. He would have to teach her that her upbringing was not completely healthy and that it was okay to open up. For someone who until today was in danger of losing his emotions and held on to them dearly, he was surprised to meet someone was alright with giving hers up.

"Alex, there is much i would love to show you but until you are capable of feeling the joy that i do it will have to wait for those experiences will have been wasted on someone who can not see beauty." Alex froze at his words. He was wrong, she did see beauty. She was looking right at it, but she remembered her father's words. "to be a great seer you can not rely on or waste time on silly emotions. They will only bring you sorrow." He was right, Alex mused, and her future was sure to be an uphill battle from now on. She would need her wits about her. Drago was going to be a worthy opponent and the battle might get bloody. That thought brought Alex no happiness.