Zero groaned softly as light from the large bay windows shone his face. Strong arms tightened around his waist as he tried to shift away from the light.

"What's the matter?" Kaname asked groggily. His warm breath tickling the back of Zero's neck.

"The damn light." Zero said, squeezing his eyes tighter. He could easily get up and close the curtains but he honestly did not want to leave Kaname's arms. Kaname was leaving for an out of town conference today and would be gone for several days. Although they had had a night of passion, Zero truly loved these moments the best. Kaname's warm breath tickling the still damp hairs on the back of his neck and his strong arms making him feel truly loved and protected. He wanted to make the moment last a little while longer.

The room was suddenly shrouded into darkness as Kaname used his pureblood abilities to pull the silk curtains closed. "Better?" he asked as he placed a kiss on the bare shoulder of his lover.

Instead of answering Zero turned himself around so that he was facing his pureblood, the arms still around his waist. Zero ducked his head underneath his lover's chin, breathing in his scent as sleep began to draw his eyelids closed again.

Kaname raised a hand to run through the hunter's silver strands. "Zero," he whispered "I have to get up and get ready." A smile tugged at his lips as Zero shook his head against the pureblood's neck, acting like a small child refusing to get up for school. "One more hour. Please?" Zero sleepily asked.

Kaname placed a quick kiss on the hunter's temple. "Okay Zero." Sleep dragged the lovers back down into its embrace.


"Do you have everything you need?" Zero asked as he placed on of Kaname's suit cases into the limo's trunk. Damn the pureblood and his overly-expensive luggage. Had the man ever heard of a duffle bag? "Of course not, they would be too simple for the pureblood's taste," Zero grumbled to himself as he closed the trunk.

"For the hundredth time Zero, yes I have everything. And what are you grumbling about?" Kaname teased as he came down the steps of their country home, briefcase in hand. Kaname placed the case on the limo's leather seats as the driver held the door open. Kaname turned to his lover, whose head hung down, staring at the gravel of the drive. "Just a couple more minutes," Kaname said to the driver as he stepped over to the hunter. "Of course Kaname-sama."

Zero felt a hand run lightly through his hair before delicate fingers tilted his chin, violet eyes meeting chocolate. "I will be back soon Zero." Zero silently nodded before Kaname's lips met his in a loving kiss.

Kaname hated leaving Zero too but he knew the hunter suffered more than him. Zero was a natural protector that suffered immensely when he could not be there to do just that, especially where a certain pureblood was concerned.

Kaname broke the kiss when he felt Zero's arms around his neck pull him closer. He knew that if he let the situation go any farther he would never make the conference.

"Be safe Kaname."

Kaname squeezed Zero in a quick hug before stepping back. "I will Zero, for you." Kaname gave Zero one last smile before he turned back to the limo and got in, the driver shutting the door and a few seconds later, starting the engine and driving away from the house.

Kaname's phone vibrated in his pocket and he quickly pulled it out, clicking on a new text message.

I love you.

-Zero

Kaname smiled as he text back. Damn, this week was going to be difficult.

I love you too.

-Kaname

Zero snapped his phone shut after reading Kaname's message with a sigh. Zero ran a hand through his silver hair. "Ugh, you are acting like such a girl Zero."

But even though he would never admit it, Kaname was so worth it.

The large house suddenly seemed very empty as Zero walked into the home that Kaname and he shared. Kaname had bought the house after they had both graduated and Yuki had settled in with her husband Kain. He still could not believe that the two had ended up together but was happy with the arrangement. He knew that the silent red head would take very good care of his adopted sister.

He went into the kitchen and began to wash the dishes that had been used at breakfast. He needed to have something to keep his mind off of his pureblood lover. He knew that Kaname would have several dozen guards including the mysterious Seirein, but he still could not stop himself from sending a silent prayer for Kaname's protection. If it was not for his exams at his Hunter school he would have been the one to be at Kaname's side. Speaking of exams, after Zero dried off his hands, he went into the living room to start studying for his next exam the next day.


Zero jerked awake, catching the textbook before it slid off his lap. Moonlight filtered in through the window, giving everything an unearthly glow. Crap, how long had he been asleep? Had Kaname's plane landed?

Zero froze as the light in hallway suddenly darkened. He would have dismissed it as a cloud covering the moon if his hunter senses had not started screaming. Vampires, and judging by the intense pulse from them, they were already in the house.

Zero silently rose to his feet from the armchair, laying his book on the side table. Zero cursed himself when he realized Bloody Rose was upstairs in his bedroom. "Guess I am using the old fashioned way." Zero said to himself as he picked up a narrow branch in the pile of firewood that lay beside the large fireplace. He snapped the branch in half, wincing at the echoing crack. Zero silently padded out of the room, all senses alert and stake poised.

The hunter quickly turned around and drove the wood into the chest of a vampire as his hunter senses had screamed for his attention. The vampire quickly turned to dust as the sharpened wood pierced his heart. Zero blinked the dust out of his eyes before the house became quite again.

"Way to easy." Zero said to himself hesitantly. Something was wrong.

"That was not very nice," a voice said behind Zero. Before he could react, the hunter was tossed across the room, slamming into a wall. His throat was suddenly surrounded by strong fingers, bringing him up to face another vampire. The vampire was obviously not a level E by the look of his ice blue eyes. A shock of auburn hair covered one of his eyes as he scrutinized the young vampire he held by the throat. A stream of blood ran down the hunter's face from a cut on his forehead, put there by the wall he had been thrown against. The ice blue eyes narrowed as he followed the line of blood to the exposed pale throat.

Zero winced as a pair of fangs were rammed into his throat, causing memories that he thought were buried to resurface. No, this cannot be happening.

After several long draughts, the vampire released his hold on the ex-human's throat, causing Zero to crumple to the ground. Before he lost consciousness, Zero saw the red head wipe Zero's blood from his lips with his thumb and then focus his attention on the white wall before him and then back to the blood that covered his thumb.


"Canceled? Did I hear you correctly?" A flash of annoyance flashed over Kaname's face as he stood before a slightly trembling noble.

"Y…Yes sir. You heard correctly." The noble stammered. "Please forgive us for the inconvenience Kaname-sama. The company suddenly had a change of mind and wished to review the contract one more time." The noble quickly bowed his head, waiting for the wrath of an annoyed pureblood.

Truly though, after an initial amount of annoyance, the powerful vampire felt relief. He could go home to Zero. For some reason something from his bond with the silver haired hunter had been nagging for attention. He initially thought it was just Zero missing him but he was beginning to worry. With a sigh he turned his attention back to the cowering noble.

"It is alright. You can make it up to me by calling back my driver and booking the first flight home."

The noble gave a sigh of relief as he bowed lower in gratitude. "Yes sir, right away sir." He quickly turned away and ran back to this boss' office to let him know it was safe to come out from underneath the desk.

Forty minutes later Kaname took a sip of wine from his glass as he frowned out the window of the plane. The nagging feel that ate at his nerves was kicking itself up a notch. He had tried calling Zero's cell and the home phone but there had been no answer. He downed the rest of his wine to steady his nerves.


Zero groaned as he regained consciousness. His head felt like someone was ruthlessly beating him with a two by four. As he began to rub his temples, his heart froze at the sound of jangling. The hunter looked at his hands to find them shackled, a long chain connecting the cuffs to a stone wall behind him. Zero immediately tested the strength of the chains as the previous events came back to him.

After several minutes of yanking at the chains, Zero began to survey his surroundings. He initially thought he was in some kind of dungeon, like the one below the Academy. As he looked closer though, and the faint smell of wine, Zero realized he was in some kind of cellar. A sheet of metal covered a high window, blocking out the light from outside. Zero exhaled in frustration as he ran a hand through his hair, wincing at the sound of the chains.

"Who the hell was that?" he muttered to himself. Obviously a vampire by the dried blood that crusted his neck and shirt. Biggest question was, what did he want with him?

As if answering his non-spoken question, a voice that sent shivers down his spine emerged from the darkness. "You are bait my dear hunter. Bait for a much larger catch." The room was suddenly flooded with light as overhead fluorescents were switched on. Zero yanked harder at the chains as the owner of ice blue eyes approached him, the shackles cutting into his wrist and drawing blood. Zero growled as cold fingers pulled his face up to look into the blue eyes that were beginning to tint themselves with red. The familiar auburn hair flashed in front of his eyes as he felt a tongue begin to lick away the dried blood on his neck. The hunter began to struggle when he felt a pair of fangs brush his neck, but found himself unable to move. His heart race accelerated when he felt his will being pressed upon. He knew that higher vampires could control the will of exhumans but it did not ease his fear.

"Who are you?" he growled.

The vampire pulled his head away from the hunter's neck and looked into the amethyst eyes. "Forgive me for my rudeness, I am Jelani. I am a huge fan of your…lover. Or actually, your lover's power."

"And what the hell do you need from me bastard?!"

Zero grunted as a set of claws ripped across his chest, shredding his shirt. The smell of his own blood hit his senses. Jelani began to lick the blood from his fingers, never taking his eyes away from Zero's.

"I would prefer if you did not talk to me that way. I might only be a noble and not have the rank of a pureblood…" Jelani's gaze seemed to say yetbefore he continued. "…but an exhuman still has no right to use such a tone with me."

Zero suppressed a growl as he realized what Jelani intended to do.

"I will speak to however I want jerk! And you cannot be serious. Kaname would never allow you to take his power!"

Zero grunted as Jelani suddenly yanked his hair at the back of his head, exposing his pale throat. "He will do whatever I want when the person he cares so much about is in my grasp." Jelani tore the rest of Zero's shredded shirt off his body, exposing his built chest. "Now, let's see what makes you so special." Jelani forced his tongue into Zero's mouth, as he yanked on the silver locks again, biting at the hunter's lips and tongue. Zero suppressed a whimper each time the fangs pierced his skin.

The sound of a door opening caused Jelani to break the mockery of a kiss. "Ah, right on time," he said as three more vampires entered the room. Jelani turned his attention back to Zero. "Until Kaname gets my note and arrives, you don't mind if I and my friends…indulge a little do you?"

"Screw you." Zero hissed.

"I fully intend to Zero." Jelani quickly flipped Zero around so that Zero's chest pressed against the cool wall. Zero's chains twisted together, holding his arms straight up in the air, preventing him from moving his arms. Zero again tried to struggle against the control on his body, only to cry out in pain as Jelani dug his nails into the flesh on Zero's sides. "Now now, don't struggle." Jelani whispered in his ear.

If it was truly possible, Zero's heart beat faster as his pants and boxers were also torn away. He had a clear picture of Jelani's meaning of indulge.

"This might hurt," Jelani's husky whisper sneered. Zero's retort turned into a cry of agony as Jelani roughly took him, hissing in pleasure. Zero suppressed his sobs as Jelani ruthlessly pounded into him. I am so sorry Kaname. If I had only been prepared. If I had been stronger. Tears of shame rolled down his cheeks as his lover's face flashed across his mind.

Jelani bit into Zero's shoulder, drawing out the intoxicating blood. Zero's vision began to swim as blood loss and pain settled onto him. He blacked out for a moment as Jelani's thrust became more desperate. He tried not to gag as Jelani released his essence into his passage with a final thrust and a drawn out moan against the hunter's shoulder. He roughly removed his fangs and member from Zero's body, stepping back to view the back of the hunter. Zero's silver head hung down in shame and his legs shook, threatening to give way. Jelani released his hold on Zero's body, causing the exhuman to sag, the tangled chains the only thing keeping his standing.

"Thank you Zero. That was lovely. I hope you can show my friends a good time also." Jelani buttoned his pants and strode to the door, passing the aroused vampires on his way. "Have fun," he said before closing the door.

Zero stiffned as he heard the three vampires approach him. One vampire removed a whip from his waistband, cracking it in the air.

"Kaname, forgive me," he sobbed as the vampire brought the whip across his back, earning a scream