A/N: I'm bbbaaaaccckkkkk! Sorry for the long delay in my stories…things haven't been going well for me but all is well now! Here is the tale you have all been waiting for: Guardian! Now you all finally get to see what became of little Lucian. If you are a new reader I would like to request that you read my other two stories: Let the Games Begin and My Precious Gems. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter One

Lucian

The constant banging on metal jarred me from sleep. I slowly opened my eyes and stared blankly up at the ceiling, the bright florescent light almost blinding. When the door banged open I turned my head and stared blankly at the man standing there wearing black from head to toe and heavily armed. He glared at me with harsh eyes as he stomped into my room. A few years ago I would have returned the glare with just as much hatred, but nine years of captivity takes a lot out of a person. I watched with dead eyes as he reached my bed and pulled out a key. He roughly grabbed one of my wrists and unlocked the shackle chaining me to the bed. Once he had both shackles undone he took hold of my arm and jerked me out of bed and to my feet. I stumbled a bit and quickly righted myself before he dragged me from my quarters. Standing outside of the door were two more guards—both as heavily armed as the one dragging me—who fell in line behind us as we made our way down the bright white hallway lined with several doors. Behind a few of them I could hear the begging cries and screams of the other prisoners. I almost shook my head at them wishing they would stop trying to fight back. All that would bring is more pain and misery.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when one of the guards behind me gave a rough shove directing me towards the double-doors at the end of the hallway. I gave him a blank look as I walked through them and into a large open room. Set up along two of the walls were examining tables with several beeping machines crowded around them. Most of them were already occupied by other bodies. I looked around me at the other men and women strapped to the tables, some whimpering and crying out in agony, with pity. I paused at one table in particular with a young girl trying to wriggle out of her bonds, a pair of delicate transparent wings sprouting from her back. I winced as the man attending to her pressed an iron bar to her pale skin. There was a faint hissing as the iron burned her delicate skin which was quickly overshadowed by the high-pitched scream that was ripped from the girl's throat. I was once again shoved to move on towards the final examination table in the corner of the room. Waiting for me there was a woman with dark blonde hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. Her hazel eyes watched me carefully as I was forced onto the table and quickly chained down. The three men then briskly walked out of the room and went to their posts just outside of the door.

"I see you didn't put up much of a fight this time," the woman said as she pulled on a pair of examination gloves.

"Not much point to," I mumbled as I looked over at the table across from me. The man strapped there was snarling as he slowly transformed into a half-man-half-wolf creature.

"Glad you've learned that lesson," the woman replied with a sly smile.

I said nothing then instead choosing to close my eyes as I waited whatever tests I would be subjected to that day. I could hear the woman walking around me gathering materials. As she got everything prepared I allowed my mind to wander. I thought back to nine years ago—before I came to this living hell, before I knew the pain and torment that came with it—to when I had a family. I thought of my sisters, the two mischievous girls with bright red eyes whom I loved with all my heart. I thought of my loving grandpa who would spend hours reading me anything and everything, of my caring uncles and aunt who would oversee any mischief I would get myself into. I thought of my strong father comforting me in times of fear from a recent nightmare. I thought of my wonderful mother, whose songs still sung in my mind late at night. Lastly, I thought of my final night with my family.

My parents were to return from their trip the next day and my sisters and I begged our grandmother to let us wait up the whole night for them. She smiled and insisted that we would be far too tired to great them properly if we waited up that night. I remember Grandpa Chris reading me the tales of King Arthur with my shadowling curled up by my side. I stroked the white wolf pup's fur slowly as I felt my eyelids grow heavy as my grandpa's soothing voice lulled me to sleep. I'm not sure how long I was asleep before an unsettling feeling washed over me. My eyes snapped open and I sat up quickly. Eamon looked at me curiously, his green eyes much like my own glowing in the faint light provided by the moon. I clenched my fist in his fur as my heart beat furiously in my chest. The wolf's ears perked up suddenly and he let out a snarl as a shadow crossed over my window. I let out a frightened gasp as a tall, lean figure broke through the glass and entered my room. Eamon was on his feet growling at the intruder, his eyes murderous. I knew I should run or scream but I sat there frozen on my bed, looking into the dark purple eyes of the man I had encountered so many months ago. That was the last thing I saw before awakening in the drab room I had come to know as "home". I slowly opened my eyes when the woman came closer to me, my thoughts of the past slipping to the back of my mind.

X X X

Victoria

I let out a gasp and shot up in my bed, the sheets tangled around me. Sagira raised her head and looked at me with concerned golden eyes. I shakily reached out a hand and stroke the fox's soft fur. A strange rumbling sound came from the fox as though she was trying to purr. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and pulled back my long black hair into a ponytail. I looked up as someone knocked on the door once and then opened it. A young girl with short inky-black hair arranged into messy spikes came in, her bright red eyes meeting mine. By her side trotted in a large, proud looking line with dark golden eyes. She said nothing as she sat down on the bed beside me on the rumbled bed.

"Have a nice nap?" she asked lightly stroking the lion's thick fur.

"You know that answer better than me," I grumbled as I got up from the bed. "I dreamt about the night Lucian was taken. This time it was like I was looking through his eyes."

"That's something new," Autumn said with mild surprise.

"Do you think he's alive?" I asked suddenly turning to face my sister.

"We would know if he wasn't," she answered simply.

There was another gentle knock on the door and a woman with long red curls came in. She looked at us with emerald green eyes, a hand resting on her swollen abdomen. It still shocked me to some extent that our mother was pregnant. I personally never thought she would want to have any more children after Lucian was abducted. Padding silently in behind her was a large white wolf, a haunting look in its green eyes. Autumn and I watched as our mother carefully lowered herself onto my bed.

"What's going on in here?" she asked with a slight smile. It was good to see her smile, even if it was half-heartedly.

"Just a nightmare," I responded. "Nothing to concern yourself with."

"Well whether I should worry or not is for me to decided," she said stiffly.

"It was about Lucian," I told her regretting it instantly as a look of sorrow crossed her face. This happened when anyone ever brought up my lost brother's name.

Eamon looked up at me with mild hope shining in his dead eyes. I looked at him sadly for a moment before looking at my mother. She was gently running her hand over her baby belly, her eyes downcast. Autumn wrapped an arm around our mother's slim shoulders and pulled her close. We all looked up when we heard someone else enter my room. I looked over at the powerful man with broad shoulders. His long black hair fell freely down his back and his red eyes examined each of us in turn. His gaze lingered on our mother the longest. Our mother looked up at him and smiled gently before crinkling her nose slightly.

"Why do you smell like blood?" she asked narrowing her eyes.

"Well," our father began, "seeing as how I can't feed from you when you're pregnant I had to find other means to sustain myself."

"You had better just have fed from them," Mother growled her eyes narrowing further into dangerous slits.

"Darling if you are insinuating that I have been unfaithful then our nine years of marriage and three children must not account for anything," Father replied dryly. "And let us also forget about the child growing within you now as well."

"Well excuse me for thinking that," Mother snapped. "It's just that for as long as we have been together I have been your only source of blood and normally after the feeding comes-"

"Do you really have to talk about this in front of us?" Autumn asked cutting off our mother.

Mother's eyes grew wide and a dark blush dusted her cheeks as she looked at our father slightly ashamed. Father and an amused glint in his eyes and he smugly smiled at Mother. She said nothing as she slowly got up off the bed, grunting slightly as her pregnant body protested. Father walked closer to her and placed a hand on the small of her back. She gave him a glare and swatted him away.

"You reek of blood," she said disgusted pushing at his broad chest. "Go shower please?"

"Alright," he sighed giving her kiss on the forehead.

We all watched as he trotted out of the room. Autumn sat there for a moment before looking at our mother.

"Do you smell the blood on me and Tori after we've fed?" she asked.

"Not really," Mother answered staring at the doorway. "I've never really smelt it so strongly on him before."

"Maybe he killed someone," Autumn said with a shrug.

Mother and I both gave her a surprised look. Autumn stared at us both blankly waiting for one of us to disprove her.

"Father would never do something like that," I argued.

"Unless it was an Amethyst," my sisters retorted. "I'd do the same thing if one of the bastards came at me."

"That's enough," Mother snapped giving Autumn a sharp look. "There will be none of that talk in this house."

"Yes Mother," we both mumbled. We all lapsed into silence for a moment before I looked over at my mother. "Do you think he's still alive?"

"I do," she said so softly it was almost a whisper. "He has to be."

With that, our mother struggled to get off the bed and walked out of my room. Autumn and I said nothing for several minutes before she looked at me.

"I have a feeling your dream had more to it," my sister said finally breaking the silence.

"It was like our minds had connected," I replied with a nod. "I was seeing things and remembering things as though I was Lucian."

"Maybe he really is alive," Autumn said bluntly.

"Of course he is!" I practically shouted. "We would know if he wasn't…wouldn't we?"

My sister chose not to answer my question, merely reaching out to stroke a hand through my long hair. We once again lapsed into silence, not noticing the pair of eyes watching us from the window.

X X X

Lucian

When I opened my eyes I was once again in my cell. This time I was not chained down to the bed. I sat up groggily running a hand through my hair. It hung limply to my shoulders and was rather thick. I looked over towards the door when I heard someone approach it and say something to the guard stationed just outside. There was a moment of silence before the door opened and someone came in, someone being a person I had never seen here before. A young girl stepped in, her long brown hair falling in curls down to her mid-back. Her coffee colored eyes met mine for a moment and a slight blush dusted her tan cheeks. My eyes widened a fraction as I took in the sight of the new beautiful girl before me. Held in her hands was a tray with some food and a large sunflower.

"Meal time," she said in a voice that sounded as soft and velvety as silk.

I said nothing, choosing to watch the new girl place the tray on the bed beside me. From this distance I could catch her scent a bit better. It was an exotic blend of roses and sandalwood. My eyes drooped to half-mast as I silently breathed in the wonderful aroma.

"Who are you?" I asked barely aware that I had voiced the question at all.

"Stella," she said taking a step back from me her dark eyes analyzing me for a moment. "You don't look as dangerous as everyone says."

"Who says I'm dangerous?" I asked and picked up the sunflower twirling the flower between my fingers.

"Everyone here," she answered meeting my eyes for a moment before dropping to the ground.

"I wouldn't say I was handsome," I said with a smirk as I slowly probed her mind for unsaid thoughts.

Her eyes snapped up to look at me, widening slightly as she took another step back. I could smell the tang of fear mix in with her natural perfume. I frowned a little and looked to the yellow flower in my hands.

"I didn't mean to frighten you," I said softly. "I was just merely trying to find out why you are here. Your face is new here."

"I'm here on an internship," Stella responded. "I'm a biology student from Colombia."

"So I'm near New York," I mused glancing from the flower to the girl. "I must say that's quite comforting to finally know one's location after so many years. But tell me, did you honestly think that this was an animal testing facility?"

"I wish you would stay out of my head," she snapped shooting me a dirty look. "And from what I've heard you all are animals."

"Do you know what I am?" I asked her meeting her eyes. She gave a small nod. "And do you honestly believe that things like vampires actually exist."

"At first I thought Mr. Ingle was just joking," she said in a small voice. "That was until I saw a werewolf transform before my eyes. If they really exist then vampires aren't such a surprise either."

"Well did Mr. Ingle tell you he was a vampire as well?" I asked spitting out the Amethyst's name with as much venom as I could.

"He didn't mention it," Stella answered dropping her gaze. "Why is there a flower with your food?"

"Because I'm an Emerald," I answered standing from the bed. Stella took a few more steps back towards the door. "Mr. Ingle didn't tell you about the different clans of vampires did he?"

"There are clans?" she replied quirking a brow.

"Emeralds obtain substances from plants," I told her. "We concentrate on the life force within the plant and absorb it with our own. This curbs any bloodlust we possess. Not all vampires require blood to sustain life."

"But some still do," she argued now close enough to the door that the guard outside could hear her.

"Yes," I agreed, "some including that Amethyst scum Mr. Ingle."

She said nothing and turned towards the door. Before I could stop myself I was inches behind her, my hand covering the one reaching towards the doorknob. I could hear her breath catch in her throat and her heart beat furiously in her chest. I leaned down until my lips were right next to her ear.

"I know you're a good person Stella Moretti," I whispered in her ear. "You don't have to work here. You don't need to see the pain and suffering that goes on within these walls. We are not like the animals which you humans use in experiments. I haven't seen my family in nine years. I was stolen from my home in the dead of night. I know in your heart of hearts you find this all wrong. Don't taint your soul with the blood of the suffering. Please…get me out of here!"

I raised my voice on the plea. The guard outside heard me then and barged into the room. He jabbed at me with the slim rod in his hand. I fell to the ground, gritting my teeth, as an electrical shock coursed through my body. I looked over at Stella who was positioned behind the guard. Her eyes were wide and frightened as she watched me twitching and grimacing in pain. My eyes pleaded with hers, begging her to carry out my request. Those dark brown irises were the last things I saw before everything went dark.

A/N: And there we have it…the first chapter of Guardian. Now to bring up a few questions some of you may have: Yes, Dana is really pregnant again…not sure if I will make them be multiples again. Yes, Victoria did have a mental connection with Lucian as he was remembering his past. I believe that is all the questions I could see rising from this chapter. Please remember to review!