Author's Note: This story takes place just after chapter 21 of Out For Blood. I imagined this happening in my head, so I got a pen and started writing. It took me forever to think of an ending, but I hope you like it.

I shoved my foot against the bottom of the door. "Right there, Quinn. That's what I mean. You guys are all fretting like old ladies. It's like you're more afraid of vampires than I am."

"That's because we're smarter than you are," Quinn said. "And worried."

"Well suck it up," I said crossly. "Because you're not getting rid of me that easily."

I removed my foot and Quinn shut his bedroom door.

I walked slowly down the stairs and tried to aviod Nicholas's gaze as I reached the bottom. I turned and swiftly headed for the kitchen to try to find some real food instead of the horrible stuff Nicholas tried to feed me.

My short journey was cut short when a very annoying vampire blocked my path.

"We need to talk Lucky," Nicholas said. He knows I hate that name, yet he continues to call me by it.

I wanted to protest, but he took my hand and led me toward the front door. It was no use trying to break free, his hold was locked.

We walked through the trees for a short while. His steps were sure and silent while mine were clumsy and loud. I felt embarrassed. There were people out to kill us and I was not helping our stealth.

What seemed like an hour must have only been twenty minutes of walking. I was nearly out of breath and panting when we reached an open clearing. My head was throbbing and my legs felt shaky. At the moment, I felt weak and hopeless; like I didn't deserve to be in his presence.

"I wanted a place where we could talk in private," he said after I was breathing normally again.

"Talk about what?" I asked innocently.

We locked eyes but I could feel my gaze slowly faltering under his intense stare.

"You know what. Do not play dumb with me," he growled.

I loved a good argument as much as the next person, but my usual sassy mood was slimming due to my headache.

"I can take care of myself Nicholas," I said quietly.

"You'd like to believe that Lucy, but you must understand that you are only human. You are vulnerable, and you can die fairly easily." He paused. "When I saw you lying on the ground, I thought you- that you had. . . I thought the worst." He reached out and touched my face tenderly. "I was so afriad for you. I don't know what I would do if something serious happened to you Luce."

"I only fainted," I countered. "Nothing happened."

Now he got angry. "But something easily could have. I don't want you out here at night without me or one of my brothers." His tone was dripping with finality and sterness.

"You don't get to tell me what to do Nicholas Drake!" I screamed at him.

"Yes I do. You're living with us now, so as long as you are and we're together, I'm going to do what I can to keep you safe." He stepped away from me and paced a few steps.

I clenched my teeth and spoke slowly to him. "Fine, but as long as you're 'protecting' me, make sure you don't touch or kiss me." I sensed my victory in this fight when I turned my back on him.

There was a long silence.

"You're bluffing." Was all he said.

I turned back around, popped out my hip, and placed my hands on my hips defiantly. A small smile played on my lips and I lifted one eyebrow. "Try me," I said.

The small gap between us was cloesed before I could breathe. I looked up into Nicholas' eyes. They were so intense, it was as if he were looking into my soul. The smirk on his lips were enough to make a girl swoon. I felt somethimes that his charm could rival Quinn's. I refused to break and yield to him though. This fight was mine to win.

"You're bluffing," he said again. His voice was low and seductive.

I blame his pheremones for my sudden urge to reach out and touch him. To feel his body close to mine. To experience the wonderful sensation of his flesh on mine that I had felt time and time before. His breath was cold on my face.

"Nicky..." I whispered. My voice was breathy and barely audible.

I unconsiouly gave in to temptation. He was like a strong magnet that was always pulling me to it.

I started the kiss, but he quickly took over. His tongue was eager and I parted my lips for him. He explored my mouth and I didn't hesitate to do the same. My arms came up around his neck and one hand caressed his soft hair. He pulled me by my waist to him until we couldn't possibly get any closer. We broke away and I took that moment to breathe.

His wicked lips traveled over my neck and his hands pressed into my back to keep us as close as possible.

"Told you you were bluffing," he whispered into my ear. Shivers were sent down my spine. He was so yummy and irresistible.

I smiled and he kissed my lips again. I didn't feel myself being lifted off of my feet, but I did feel my back connect with the hard ground. My glasses went askew when he kissed me with more lust and urgency than ever. I wrapped my legs around his waist and dug my nails into his back and hair.

I giggled a little when he nipped my lip with his teeth. The small movement caused him to put extra pressure on my lip.

"Ow," I complained.

He sat up quickly and looked concerned. "I'm sorry, are you o-"

He paused and froze. He was completely transfixed on my face, well, my mouth.

"Nicholas?" I said. He was making me nervous.

But then I tasted it. The mixture of copper and salt in my mouth. He'd cut my lip.

He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. His face looked like he was battling with the animal inside of hisself; and the animal was winning.

His eyes were as clouded and misty as a spring rain when he opened them.

The way he smiled at me sent shivers down my spine, in a bad way. His fangs extended until they were super long and sharp. Never before had I been so afraid of Nicholas Drake.

"You smell really good," he said. His voice was dark and husky. But he sounded extremely off. It just scared me even more. I accepted the fact that he was a vampire long ago, but seeing the harsh reality of it was shocking.

I went to cover my mouth with my hand, but he was so fast. I didn't even notice the blur of movement before my hands were secured on either side of my head by his own.

His breathing was fast and ragged as he still struggled to tame the beast inside of him. He was shaking, but when the animal finally won, it was obvious. There was an eerie shine in his eyes as his dark hair fell over his face and his fangs gleamed like polished pearls in the moonlight. His smile was chilling and his aura was ice cold.

What felt like hours was merely minutes, maybe seconds. Just a few seconds ago, everything was perfect. Stupid predator instincts had to ruin everything.

"Don't do this Nicholas," I said sternly.

"You make me crazy Lucky," he said softly.

He started to lean into me and I closed my eyes. I knew I'd only get hurt even more if I tried to fight him, so I did my best to lay as still as I could without getting really tense.

~Quinn~

Connor and I walked through the woods silently, listening for any sign of intruders. I was slightly distracted by the last few hours' events, but hoped some Hel-blar would appear to take my mind off of Hunter. Besides talking to girls, fighting was one of my favorite things to do.

When shouting could be heard, Connor and I looked at eachother. We didn't need words to communicate, and sprinted in the direction of the voices.

We stopped several yards away from the clearing that Lucy and Nicholas were located in. Their fight didn't seem out of the ordinary. It was always amusing to watch them bicker, and there were no other threats in the area, so we stayed to see how things would play out. You could always count on a brawl between the two of them. Nicholas was well known for his temper, and Lucy for her impecable stubborness.

"Twenty bucks on Nick," I whispered to my twin.

He smirked at me. "That's a horrible bet. Lucy never gives up until she wins, or someone's nose is broken."

We shook hands and watched them for a short while. Connor looked pleased when Lucy made her threat, but cursed when she got all girly and practically fell into Nicholas' waiting arms. He handed me my money and we started to walk away from the clearing.

"He's making her soft," Connor said dryly.

We didn't get very far before the breeze picked up and a very sweet smell attcked my nostrils. It was evident that Connor smelled it too because he froze, midstep.

Lucy.

Her blood was spilled.

We both turned and ran as fast as we could back to the clearing. No leaf nor twig crunched under our feet.

When we reached the clearing, Lucy was on her back under Nicholas. The smell of her blood had him reeling and he was trying to control himself. Though he usually had a will of steel, he was still extremely young and I knew the day might come when he could snap.

I started toward the clearing to help Lucy, but Connor grabbed my arm and pulled me down into a crouch beside him.

I sent him a look that said 'what the hell are you doing?'

"Give him time." he mouthed to me.

Connor must be out of his mind. Nicholas could kill her; and my twin was barely breathing now so he didn't have to smell the sweet scent of her fresh blood.

"You're crazy!" I mouthed back at him.

He gave me a knowing glance and raised an eyebrow. "You controlled it."

He was right. I'd always been close with Connor, and when Lucy had left my room earlier, I knew that I wanted to tell someone about what happened. Connor was my first choice.

I gave Nicholas the benefit of the doubt and we waited.

I'd decided we waited too long when Nick started to shake. His breathing was strained and the bloodlust soon took over.

"You make me crazy Lucky," I heard Nicholas say.

I stood from my crouch and ran as fast as I ould into the clearing. Connor was right on my heels.

I tackled Nicholas before he could sink his fangs into Lucy's soft flesh. We hit the ground, hard, a few feet away. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Connor lift Lucy bridal-style and run in the direction of the closest safehouse on the property.

Nicholas looked frazzled, but recovered quickly and was back on his feet in moments. I saw his nostrils flare as he sniffed out Lucy. He got one step in before I grabbed his ankle and pulled him back down to the ground. He tried to kick me off, but my grip held. His hands clawed at the earth below us as he tried to pull himself away.

"Nick, stop," I yelled at him.

His response was a low growl and me receiving a hard kick to the face. I felt and heard a crack and knew that my nose was broken.

I somehow managed to keep my frantic brother down though. I crawled up on top of him and pinned his arms behind his back. I was stronger than him but he was frantic and was not making it an easy task. I grasped his hands and sat on his back.

"Little brother, you're going to hurt yourself if you keep struggling," I warned him. And if he didn't hurt himself, I was seriously contemplating breaking his arm so he would lay still.

"Let me go," Nicholas seethed.

I gave a stiff chuckle. "You'll just hunt down Lucy if I do."

There was a new round of struggling when I said her name. Mistake on my part.

His growl was so fierce that I could feel it vibrating through his entire body. "Let me go. I want her. I need her. She's mine. Let me go. Let me go!" His voice suddenly turned to one of agony. "Make it stop Quinn."

I felt sympathy for my youngest brother. The bloodlust can make you feel like all of your insides are burning with a heat that can't be tamed, or itching with a fierce itch that can't be scratched or soothed.

"You'll be alright," I assured him.

Nicholas let out a humorless laugh. "You're such a hypocrite." He shook with humorless laughter. "Just a few hours ago, you were drinking from your girl, you can't deny that, I smell her on you. And now you're keeping me from mine. Why don't you just mind your own business?"

I was silent.

"Hypocrite," Nicholas spat at me.

I slapped him across the back of the head.

"I regret what I did Nicholas. After it started, I didn't think I'd be able to stop. I'm just grateful Hunter is still alive. I could've killed her, and you could've just as easily killed Lucy."

I was grateful when Connor appeared a few seconds later with a bottle of blood that he undoubtably got from the safehouse. He opened it and set it a few feet in front of Nicholas.

I slowly released my brother and he shot up like a rocket. Connor and I circled him and watched him carefully. He drank the bottle quickly and started to wind down. His pained and feral expression started to diminish. His musles started to relax and the inhuman growling stopped.

His wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and refused to meet either of our gazes.

"How am I supposed to keep her safe when I'm one of the things that can hurt her?" Nicholas said.

"But you didn't-" Connor started.

"But I was going to," he snapped, then growled in frustration.

"The sun will be coming up soon," I changed the subject, "We should go."

~Lucy~

Connor pretty much dropped me on the floor when we reaced the safehouse. It was built like a bomb shelter and had everything that a vampire family might need to survive: torches, blood, and a ton of weapons.

I was eyeing the crossbow hanging on the wall when Connor said, "Don't touch anything. But since you probably won't listen to me, just don't break any of the weapons. . .Or yourself. I'll be back soon."

He grabbed a bottle of what I assumed was blood, then ran out of the door and slammed it behind him.

I picked a few leaves and twigs out of my hair and paced around the small space.

After what could only have been a minute of boredom, I picked up the crossbow and loaded it. I took aim at the door and imagined some Hel-Blar trying to attack. I hadn't imagined that it took so little pressure to actually pull the trigger. I yelped as the arrow shot out of the bow and embedded itself in the wall. The recoil caused the crossbow to slam into my shoulder extremely hard. I ached with pain as I returned the crossbow to it's place on the wall.

After a few moments of silence, I sat on the floor and tried to meditate to clear my mind. It was hard though. My boyfriend just tried to kill me. That might be an exaggeration since he didn't want to kill me and he wasn't really in control of hisself. He'll probably come back and try to give some bogus speech about how it was too dangerous for me to be around him. I'll break his nose again if he thinks one little incident will get rid of me.

A few minutes passed and a knock on the door startled me and made my heart jump. It creaked open slowly and I stood.

Nicholas entered, looking as handsome as ever; though it did look like he had been rolling around on the ground. He hesitated for a second when he saw the arrow protruding from the door.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

He looked at me, his silver eyes shining. "I think the better question is: are youokay?"

"I'm fine Nicholas."

"Good."

He said nothing else. We just looked at each other for a little while. The silence wasn't awkward, but welcomed.

"What happens now?" I finally asked.

Nicholas sighed. "I take you home."

"And then?" I prodded.

He ran his and through his hair and looked nervous. "I don't know Luce."

I frowned and looked away. That's not what I wanted to hear."

He sighed and seemed frustrated. "What do you want me to say?" he asked indignantly.

I faced him again and stared straight through his striking eyes. "I want you to say that everything is going to be okay. That when we go home everything will go back to normal and we can forget this ever happened. That we're not gonna let this one little thing get between us. I know that's really selfish for me to ask of you, but that's what I want."

He held my gaze and took a moment before he began to speak. "I care about you too much to-"

I took a step forward and cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "And I trust you enough to know that you would never really hurt me."

I stood directly in front of him now. His eyes were fierce and conflicted at the same time.

"I love you Nicholas. You're gonna have to try a little harder is you want to get rid of me." After I'd said it, I thought about how much I meant it. I realized that every word was true. Nicholas seemed just as surprised as I was.

I was almost instantly wrapped in a cocoon of his arms. Even though he could kill me, it honestly felt like one of the safest places that I could ever be.

"I love you too Lucy."

After that, his mouth was on mine in a gentle and heart-felt kiss.

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed. REVIEW!