Bloodlust

By Usabelle

AN: Happy holidays, readers! Here's my present to you: Chapter One of Bloodlust! This chapter will jump forward a few years. I just wanted to skip over all the boring in-between years when nothing happened. I also need to answer questions about Day Walkers- I completely made this 'species' up, so if there are any similar supernatural creatures out there like them, then it's purely coincidence because in my story, they're mortals with telepathy, telekinesis, and they have silver blood. Does that clear things up a bit? I hope so. Since I'm keeping you from reading, I'll stop now. Of course, if you get a chance, please leave a review. It always helps to see what readers like and don't like. So let me know!

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

Chapter One

"Aunt Beryl? Aunt Beryl are you here?" A young blonde entered the dark house, clutching her light blue windbreaker around her slight body as the heavy door creaked shut. She shivered as she took a few hesitant steps in the dark entryway. It was always so cold in there...

Out of a poorly lit hall strode a middle-aged woman with fiery red hair and tired green eyes. Her frigid features brightened at the sight of the blonde. "Oh, Serena! I'm so glad you're home, darling!" She hugged the younger woman, smiling warmly. "You never come home often enough!"

Serena nodded regretfully as she smoothed down her golden curls that were mussed by the chilly October winds. "I'm sorry, Aunt Beryl, but my courses have been murder."

Beryl shook her head reproachfully, creases forming in her leathery skin as she frowned. "I told you not to study hematology! Studying blood is so morbid! Why couldn't you be a... geologist... or a psychiatrist? Anything-"

Rolling her eyes to the ceiling, Serena finished her sentence. "-But that horrible blood science. I know, I know," she sighed. Ever since she could remember, she loved hematology. Whether it was because she had some sort of strange fascination with blood or because it was what her father studied, she knew that she'd work in the field. And even though Beryl was a scientist herself, she'd fought her every step of the way. "But I really like it. I think that there could be some major breakthroughs in the next few years and I want to be a part of them. Actually," a rosy flush came to her pale cheeks, "I kind of came here to look at some of your research books in the lab. I have a project due soon."

Familiar emerald eyes gazed upon the younger woman sadly. "You only came to see me for books? I'm hurt. You know you're like my daughter, Serena."

Serena sighed guiltily. The woman had raised her from birth when her parents passed away in a terrible lab accident. At the time, Beryl was a widow with two sons and just because she worked with her father, she took her in. The least she could do was visit every once and a while. "I'm sorry, Aunt Beryl. Between school and work, I haven't had a minute. But I promise I'll visit more often."

She really hadn't had the time to visit- as of late, she'd been working at least forty hours a week at the local coffee shop and her homework had been piling up. Despite Beryl's insistence, Serena paid her own way through college and in the past few weeks, she was beginning to regret it. Freshman year it wasn't that much of a problem, but now... now it was definitely a problem. She didn't know how much more multitasking she could do. However, if she got the grant she'd been working so hard for, life would get much easier. As she looked at the harried woman she considered her mother, she smirked. Not that much easier.

A smile graced the woman's sharp features. "It seems like you're more grown up every time you come visit...look at you! Just like a princess!" Her forest green eyes began to tear. Serena looked down at her rumpled jeans and long-sleeved t-shirt with a metallic pink Hello Kitty logo. Just like a princess. Sure. "Now, since it's your birthday tomorrow, I have a little surprise for you."

"Really?" Serena asked excitedly, her azure eyes lighting up like a child's. She loved surprises... although Beryl's idea of surprise usually meant a new paramecium sample or a spectrophotometer.

Beryl nodded vigorously, frizzy red hair moving about crazily. "Diamond's home! He came home from medical school just for your twentieth birthday! Isn't that wonderful?"

Serena managed a tight smile, pink lips barely curving upward. "Oh... wow! I'm... so excited! Thanks, Aunt Beryl." 'Gee, did that sound insincere enough?' she thought sarcastically. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him, but ever since she was old enough to date, Beryl had thrown them together again and again. She bit her lip. It almost seemed as if she wanted them to date, but that was ridiculous... wasn't it?

Pushing her in the direction of the in-house laboratory, Beryl smiled in satisfaction. "He's in the lab. He can help you with anything you need."

Barely stifling a groan, Serena smiled and walked down the hall. From the time she was a child, Beryl had always restricted her from going certain places in the lab... opening flasks filled with strange liquids... reading certain books high up on the bookshelves... Of course Diamond would be in there- she was never left alone in that room. It had always bothered her but once she went off to college, she hadn't thought about it.

Walking down the few steps to the lab, Serena smiled as she heard a familiar voice. Sapphire. She'd always liked Sapphire better than Diamond. Sapphire was her older brother whereas Diamond... well, she was never sure what to think of Diamond. He always watched her with a strange possessiveness within those haunting amethyst eyes. It was anything but brotherly. She'd never dated, mostly because every time she brought home a boy, Diamond would scare him off with embarrassing questions and horrible glares. So after a while, she stopped bringing boys home and Diamond seemed happy enough.

Diamond never dated anyone seriously in all of the years she'd known him and for some reason she found it odd. Once or twice she thought that he like liked her, but she always chalked it up to a poor night's sleep. Sure, he was handsome and mysterious, but she wanted something else... something she couldn't explain. It just didn't fit.

She'd been fairly unhappy as of late. The boys at college were juvenile and their primary concerns were either getting drunk or getting laid. She frowned as she kept herself hidden in the doorway. If she told Diamond about the guys, she'd find herself permanently transferred to an all-girls school. He was so protective that sometimes it scared her... Suddenly, a shout broke through her thoughts. It sounded like Diamond was arguing with Sapphire.

"We'll have to tell her sometime! They'll find her eventually!" She recognized the raised voice as Sapphire's.

"We never have to tell her! If she finds out, she'll leave!" Diamond shot back, a dangerous edge to his voice.

"Well maybe she should! She's safer with those freaks than with you. You're fucking obsessed with her!" Serena's cobalt eyes widened at the profanity. Sapphire never cursed...

"Take that back." Diamond's tone was deadly quiet.

"No! You know it's the truth!" Sapphire's tone was defiant despite the threat that hung unspoken in the air.

All of a sudden, the room was filled with a bright red glow that filtered out into the hall where Serena stood. Backing away slowly, she was about to run when she heard an explosion and a cry of pain.

Running into the room filled with a strange red smoke, Serena could barely see two feet in front of her. The normally immaculate room was covered in broken glass and various chemicals. As soon as the smoke cleared, she found Sapphire laying on the floor, blood running in thin rivulets down his forehead. "Oh my God! What happened?" She rushed to his side, putting a hand to his injured head and holding it there. Within a few seconds, a pulsing silver light came from her hand and the wound closed.

Serena was no normal college student. She was always 'special.' So special that she could even read minds on occasion, use telekinesis, and of course, heal minor injuries. Her gifts had always been kept a secret, because, as Beryl said, if it got out that she was special, she would be subjected to testing for the rest of her life. Bad people would come after her, so she was forced to subdue her powers... gifts that came so naturally that they were difficult to suppress. The whole family had strange powers, but none like hers... nothing like hers...

Staring down at her injured brother, she noticed that he was glaring at a figure to his left. She turned to find Diamond standing over them, emotionless. His pure white hair hung in his eyes unheeded as he adjusted the torn black shirt hanging across his muscled chest.

However, as soon as his gaze fixed on her, his violet eyes automatically softened. "He mixed chemicals that he shouldn't have. His experiment was unstable and it combusted."

Sapphire said nothing in return, his features hardening. He simply stared at his older brother hatefully and sat up. "I think I'll go lie down. Thanks for healing me, Sere. I'm glad you're back."

She smiled as she helped the dark-haired man up, "It was nothing. Are you sure you can-"

He cut her off, blue eyes boring into hers sternly. "I'm fine. Goodnight."

Sighing, she watched him leave. What on earth were they talking about? She was fairly positive that Diamond caused the explosion, but she wasn't about to say anything. Straightening up, she turned to find herself nose-to-nose with the white-haired man.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, gently resting a hand on her arm.

She grew uncomfortable with his closeness and backed up, blushing. "I'm fine. I just hope Sapphire's okay."

"He's fine. I'm glad you're here," he whispered, not taking his eyes off of her.

Now extremely uncomfortable, Serena stared at the ground, blushing. "Actually, I came here to pick up some books."

A look of surprise and disappointment crossed his dark features. The man had a face of stone and whenever he did exhibit any type of emotion, she noticed that it was usually a negative one... except when it came to her. "What kind?"

She shrugged, walking over to a bookcase and perusing the various titles. "I dunno... something on biology." Okay, so maybe she wasn't looking for a generic bio book, but he didn't need to know that. She was really looking for hematology books, but Diamond held the same distaste for the profession that his mother did.

He moved to follow and she gritted her teeth in annoyance. She whirled around and he stopped, confused. "Uh, Diamond? Could you... um... give me some time to do a little research down here? I don't mean to be rude but I can't concentrate with other people around," she requested sheepishly.

At that moment, Diamond froze. Her shy smile was identical to her mother's. Her real mother's. He still remembered the woman... Serena looked very much like her. But she would never know about her real mother and she would never be left alone to find his mother's logs on blood experimentation. "I'm not other people. It's just me," he tried, desperately searching for a way to stay in the laboratory.

She frowned. "Give me five minutes, okay?" Peeking up at him through thick lashes, she saw that he was breaking down.

He sighed, not being able to resist the pleading look she gave him. "Fine. I'll be back down in a little bit." He waved goodbye, but it was unnoticed because the blonde woman was already searching through the bookcases.

Serena bit her lip as she came to a section on Beryl's early experiments. For some reason, Beryl would never let her see them. She stood on her tiptoes and spied a leather-bound book titled "Blood Types and Their Antigens" on the top shelf. Unfortunately, she was far too short to reach the high bookshelf. Glancing behind her anxiously, she bit her lip as she turned around and concentrated on the book. Her eyes narrowed and glowed a silver-blue as the book levitated and floated to her waiting hand. Grinning, she slipped the book into her bag. She loved using her 'gifts' when nobody was there to scold her about them.

Quietly slipping out of the lab, Serena made her way to the front door without a sound. Yelling a quick goodbye, she rushed out the door. Maybe it wasn't the nicest thing to do, but she had to get to work and didn't have time for a three-hour chat with Diamond. She'd avoided his interrogations and relentless stares this time. Breathing a sigh of relief, she opened her car door and threw the black bag in. Just before she drove away, she glanced up at a second floor balcony and gasped. He was there, watching her. He was always watching her...


Serena sat on the top bunk of her dorm room bed in pajamas. She'd been looking through the book for the past hour and hadn't come up with anything conclusive. What looked like an extensive collection of findings ended up being a bunch of random scribbles about Day Walker blood and conversion factors. Well, whatever a Day Walker was, Beryl was really obsessed with them in her early days. Sighing, Serena shut the leather-bound book and fell back onto her pillow.

She played with the silver chain around her neck. It was the only thing she'd received from her parents and she treasured it. Tracing the swirls of fine silver, she looked at the material closely and noticed a faint script on the metal. Squinting, she struggled to read the fine print. She wasn't sure of the language, but it certainly wasn't English. Her brow furrowed as she examined the necklace. How had she not noticed it before?

Granted, the script was very, very faint and could only be seen when the light hit it at just the right angle, but she'd worn it ever since she could remember! She stared at the pendant hanging off of the silver chain. Silver swirled around a glass vial filled with some strange liquid. It looked like blood, but... not. The liquid was too dark to be human blood... but just the right consistency.

Her glacial eyes narrowed as she twirled the pendant between her fingers. Were here parents sadists? Probably not. She'd asked Beryl about it a million times and she denied knowing anything. Staring at the liquid again, she tilted her head and watched it stick slightly to the glass edges of the pendant. Maybe it was some mythical creature's blood. At that thought, she burst out laughing. She'd officially gone crazy from lack of sleep.

Serena woke with a nagging feeling. She looked to the calendar next to her bed to find October 28th circled with a thick red marker. It was her birthday. Sighing, she stared up at the white stucco ceiling of her dorm room. Everyone in her family had been acting so strange about this birthday. Normally, they would get her a cake and some presents and let her go out with her friends. But for some reason, this one was different. She really didn't understand why, though. Wasn't 21 the important birthday? They were making such a big deal about it- they insisted that she spend the whole day with them.

Not that she minded... it was just weird. But then again, everything about her life was weird. She had silver blood, for goodness sake! Sometimes she felt... misplaced. She'd grown up in a household where she never truly fit in, she couldn't even remember her real parents, and although she was friendly, she found it difficult to make friends. People just looked at her differently. Nobody wanted to be around her because she wasn't quite human. They sensed it, she knew, and they were afraid of it.

Shaking her head, Serena stopped the pity party going on in her mind and quietly slipped out of bed, so as not to wake her roommate. She had a long day ahead of her.


"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Serena, happy birthday to you!"

Serena smiled gratefully as her family sang to her as she sat at the kitchen table. A chocolate cake with twenty candles flickered against her delicate features as they finished singing to her. Nibbling on her bottom lip, she tried to think of a good wish... it couldn't hurt, she reasoned.

"Well?" Beryl asked as Serena sat in silence.

She looked up in frustration. "I'm thinking of a wish! Give me a minute!" What did she want? Suddenly it came to her. She closed her eyes tight just before she blew out the candles. 'I wish I'd fit in somewhere.' With that, she took in a breath and blew out the candles.

Grinning, she grabbed a knife and cut the cake decorated with pink and white frosting roses. Licking her lips, she eagerly dug into the slice before her; chocolate was her favorite. She momentarily looked up to find her family staring at her amusedly. A blush rose to her cheeks and she put her fork down, "Anyone else want cake?"

Beryl smiled. "You have presents to open, young lady." She handed her a large box wrapped in glittery pink paper. "This one is from me."

Ripping the paper off just like a child, she opened the box to find... several humongous books on the study of geology. Yay. "Wow... thanks, Aunt Beryl! I love it!" She gave the woman a hug and smiled widely, although she was a bit agitated on the inside. No, she wasn't greedy- it was the fact that Beryl was trying to control her life through her birthday presents that made her angry. She'd always wanted her to study geology.

Nodding, Beryl took one of the books from her hands. "My colleague said that it was the most comprehensive collection he'd seen in a long time. I figured that you might enjoy it as well- it's a collector's edition!"

Serena's blonde head bobbed up and down in agreement. "I'm sure I will," she said kindly, placing the stack of heavy books on the table. Another present was handed to her, but this one was smaller and wrapped in plain blue paper. It had to be from Sapphire; it was so like him. She smiled wryly, "I'm guessing this one's from Sapphire?"

He nodded, a smile crossing his usually somber features. "However did you know?"

Beryl rolled her eyes, a hideous scowl appearing on her tired features. "She knows that you couldn't pick out something nice if you tried."

Serena's pink lips pulled into a frown. Beryl had always disliked her younger son. Maybe it was because he wasn't a genius like his older brother or maybe it was because he wasn't interested in being a scientist. Whatever the reason, she'd always been cold and reproachful when it came to Sapphire. "I'm sure I'll love it," she said encouragingly, pushing away the dark paper. She opened the box and found a beautiful silver book inside. Opening the front page, she gasped. It was a photo album of her childhood! "Oh my gosh, did you make this?"

Sapphire blushed and nodded. "Yeah..."

Pictures she'd never remembered taking covered the pages... from the time she was two years old to the present. And as she got to the last page, she spotted a picture of her as an infant... with her parents. Her eyes filled with tears, "Sapphire..."

Beryl's green eyes narrowed on her younger son contemptuously. "Look what you've done, you idiot! You made her cry! What, you couldn't even afford to get her a real present? Maybe if you got a real job-"

He stood up, fuming. "What is a real job, mother? Just because I'm not a genius scientist like you my job is nothing? I'm a photographer and I'm not going to apologize for not being Diamond's clone!"

The room was thick with tension and Serena had to put an end to it. "Stop it! I love the gift! The only reason that I was crying was because I was happy... I don't remember my parents and that really meant a lot." She walked over to her seething brother and gave him a hug, "Thank you." Whispering so quietly that only he could hear, she said, "Now I know why I like you best."

Sapphire smirked. "You're welcome."

Serena let go of her brother and turned around to find Diamond staring at them angrily... almost enviously. Her face reddened and she looked away. Diamond pulled a small box out of his pocket and walked over to her. "For you," he said quietly, pressing the box into her hand.

She smiled gratefully, "Thanks." Pushing away the wrapping paper, she found a small velvet box. She opened it to find a glittering heart-shaped diamond pendant set in platinum. "It's beautiful," she whispered, in awe of the expensive gift.

His normally harsh face lit up at her reaction. Carefully, he took the glittering pendant out of the box, "I figured that you could wear this to replace that horrible old one you always wear."

A hand flew up to her throat nervously. She never took off her necklace. "But I-"

He put a finger to her lips, quieting her. "No need to say anything. You deserve it." Gently, his hand moved to the back of her neck, pushing her soft blonde curls out of the way. As she felt his cold fingers on the clasp of the necklace, she moved away, "No! I... I can't take this off."

His amethyst eyes narrowed, his lips in a tight line. "Why? It's so old and cheap looking!"

She gasped angrily and moved back. "My parents... it's all I have left of them... you understand, don't you?"

He glared at her. "No, I don't understand. I bought you a ten karat diamond and you don't want it? That's just not normal. You're not normal," he spat cruelly.

Her eyes filled with crystalline tears as she struggled to breathe. "I can't believe you said that..." Disgusted and hurt beyond belief, she ran out of the room and up the stairs to her old bedroom, slamming the door.


A dark haired man awoke from his slumber in the late afternoon. As his ocean colored eyes sharpened and his black and red room came into view, he pushed the red silk comforter off and sat up. His muscles were still stiff from sleep, as they always were after every hibernation during the day. Stretching, he slipped out of bed and walked over to the mirror in his room in nothing but black silk boxers. Normally, vampires didn't have reflections, but this mirror was special... he was special.

His thick raven hair fell into his eyes and he pushed it away, analyzing his appearance. Today he was to meet his bride... his Queen. And she wouldn't just be his wife in name only. He stared at his reflection in scrutiny; would she be impressed? Perhaps he was a bit pale, but all vampires were. He patted his flat stomach, muscles rippling under his fair skin. All of the training he did kept him in shape... wouldn't she be happy? Grinning rakishly, he figured that the vampire women of the court were, so wouldn't she? He certainly hoped so, since they were required to have children. His people needed an heir and illegitimate children were simply not allowed.

Loyalty was of the utmost importance to vampires, despite what people thought. His full lips pulled into a frown as he thought of the Day Walker woman... would she be faithful to him? He'd waited for her... had she waited for him? The thought disturbed him more than it should have.

He wondered what she looked like... he hadn't seen her since she was a baby. His parents had told him that all Day Walkers were beautiful... the untainted image of purity. With light hair and eyes, they were the exact opposite of vampires. All vampires possessed a dark, dangerous beauty, but a Day Walker... a Day Walker resembled an angel.

A smirk graced his handsome features as he stared at his reflection. He wasn't exactly an angel... more like a demon. His eyes were such a strange color... a navy blue with flecks of silver that seemed to freeze people when he was angry or melt them when he was happy. Most vampires had eyes that glowed red or gold, but he inherited his father's startling blue... and his mother's glaring red when he was angered.

Shaking his head self-deprecatingly, he moved to get ready. She would arrive soon.


How could he have said that? He knew how insecure she was! He knew that she hated being different! Tears flowed from Serena's eyes as she buried her head in the familiar pink pillow. When her sobs subsided to hiccups, she sat up on the bed. Climbing off, she walked over to the girlish pink vanity that reminded her of her childhood.

Serena stared at her reflection in the glitter-framed mirror and gave a lopsided smile as a tear trickled down her pallid face. What was wrong with her? She was so different... always so different from everyone else. Shaking her blonde locks out of her intricate hairstyle done specially for her birthday, she put her hair back up in the regular 'meatball' hairstyle. Her room began to feel stuffy, so she made her way out to the balcony at the edge of her room.

She sighed as she looked up at the moon. Full moons were her favorite. A shiver ran up her spine as she stood on the balcony in only a light pink dress. She stared out at the illuminated night sky and wondered if she'd ever find a place where she'd be happy... because with a strange, sudden clarity, she realized that she wasn't happy there.

"You put your hair up," a deep voice spoke behind her quietly and she whirled around at the noise, only to find Diamond leaning in the doorway.

"Yes, it's more comfortable this way," she touched a bun self-consciously.

He shook his head and strands of silver-white fell in his eyes. "No... I like it. I've always liked it." When she didn't respond, he frowned. "I'm sorry... for what I said," She quickly wiped away the remainder of her tears as he strode forward. "I shouldn't have said it."

She sighed and turned back around, resting her elbows on the rod iron surface of the balcony ledge. "It's okay."

He moved next to her, "Why are you so attached to the past, Serena? Aren't you happy here?"

Cocking her head to the side, she stared at him sadly. "I never knew them, Diamond. All I know of my parents are their names and professions. I don't know what they liked, what they didn't like, if they loved me... I have no idea. And maybe they would have been like me... you know, different."

"You think different is such a bad thing, but it's not. I'm different too... warlocks aren't exactly the most popular people in society."

She let go of the railing and began to pace, "At least you know what you are! I'm some freak with silver blood."

Without warning, he grabbed her arms and pulled her to him. "You are not a freak... you're wonderful and beautiful and kind and if people don't see that, then they're not worth your time," he whispered passionately.

Her eyes softened at his words. "Thank you, Diamond. I'm sorry about how I acted earlier."

"Don't worry about it; I'll buy you a tennis bracelet or something." When she moved to protest, he smiled and shook his head. "I have another present that I think will make up for it."

"Are you kidding? The necklace was plenty," she said incredulously, a slight smile playing on her face.

Diamond pressed forward, "I want to give you my gift."

She stared up at him, curious, "What's that?"

He smiled. "This." Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers.

Her eyes flew wide open and she stood still in his arms, stunned beyond words. As she stood there, pliant under his large frame, his kisses became more fervent and she didn't know what to do. The man she'd known her whole life was kissing her! She was confused and felt awkward and... wait... was that his tongue?

As he pressed her into him, she began to respond to his kisses. She brushed her lips against his lightly, unsure of what to do. Whatever it meant, he was a good kisser- she'd give him that. But something just wasn't right... it felt like she was betraying someone and something inside her broke. When his large hand slid up her waist to her breast, she broke the kiss and pulled away, shocked. "What was that?" she asked, her back against the balcony rail as she struggled to catch her breath.

He blushed and ran a hand through his disheveled hair, winded. "I... I've wanted to do that for a long time," he whispered shyly.

"Why did you do that?" she asked quietly, wrapping her arms around herself as she shivered from the cool autumn air. It amazed her how childlike her voice sounded.

"I um... I've had feelings for you for a while..." He stared at the stone floor of the balcony, not meeting her eyes.

Serena was terribly confused and she couldn't think of a thing to say, so she stayed silent. She'd never had a real relationship... what was she supposed to make of this? He looked up after a moment of her silence and found her avoiding him as well. "Do you... I mean... do you think that you could..." he couldn't get the question out and his voice shook.

Her cobalt eyes flew up to his shimmering violet ones and she froze. Did she feel that way? "I don't know," she whispered sincerely.

He blew out a breath and his face fell, disappointment clearly written all over his handsome features. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then."

She tried to paste a smile on her face but found that she didn't have the energy. Sighing, she simply stared up at him desperately. "Goodnight."

Nodding, his dejected form walked out of the room and shut the door behind him. As soon as he left the room, she let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. What had just happened? Running a hand through her thick blonde curls that had been mussed by Diamond, she shook her head. Something was wrong and she had no idea what it was. That nagging feeling she'd woken up with returned and she decided that it would be best to sleep and forget the day ever happened.

But one person across the city would never forget that day...

A young man dressed in all black paced the marble floor of the underground palace. Ever so often, his navy blue eyes would shift to the grandfather clock at the edge of the room and narrow with a rage that chilled the hearts of his companions.

"Darien, your pacing won't make them arrive any faster," Lily approached him sympathetically and put a hand on his shoulder.

He whirled around, agitation apparent in his handsome features. "Then why isn't she here yet, Mother? I've waited too long for this! It is almost midnight and we've heard no word from them." Running a hand through his raven hair frustratedly, he began to pace again.

A scantily clad vampiric woman sidled up to him, "I bet she isn't coming, your Highness. Mortals are all alike. Untrustworthy liars out to drive stakes through our hearts!"

Her high-pitched voice irritated him even more. "Leave me," he ground out and turned to a servant waiting in the darkness. "Bring me something to drink. Something strong."

Wordlessly, a servant rushed down a hall and returned a few moments later with a crystal glass filled with a dark amber liquid. Taking it from the servant's hand, he took a sip and felt it burn down his throat. His full lips pulled into a frown as he glanced at the clock again. One minute to midnight.

"Do they think that I'm going to kill them? Or is she too afraid to copulate with a vampire? I've waited my whole life for a woman I've met once! The least she could do is show up!" His blue eyes burned with fury.

"She still has a little time..." his father's voice cut through the tension in the room.

Darien directed an icy glare at his father. Why the hell were they giving her the benefit of the doubt? Her family hadn't even tried to contact them since the treaty was signed! He stood still, staring at the hand on the clock as it moved, second by second, toward the twelve. Each second made him angrier and he looked to the door once again. Nothing.

And as the grandfather clock began to chime, he threw the glass against the wall and it shattered. One... two... He watched the amber liquid spill to the floor. Three... Four... His mouth tightened as the entire hall went silent. Five... Six... The vampire council was beginning to retreat as they sensed his rage. Seven... Eight... Darien's eyes shifted to the empty throne and his blood boiled. Nine... Ten... Gasps could be heard in the darkness. Eleven... Twelve. Darien let out a scream of rage that resonated through the hearts of everyone present. He had been betrayed.


Serena shot up in bed in a cold sweat. She'd been having the most horrible nightmare... the details were fuzzy in her sleepy mind... but there had been an evil woman... a witch... with cold green eyes and a merciless smile... and she killed them! She killed them! Serena didn't even know who 'they' were, yet her eyes began to fill with tears. They shouldn't have died! Whoever they were... they didn't deserve to die... and for some strange reason, she felt guilty.

But that wasn't the end of her nightmare. She saw a man in the darkness... she couldn't see his face, but she knew what he felt... terrible pain... bitterness... He let out the most horrible scream and then... and then she woke up. She looked over to the red digits of her alarm clock glowing in her inky black room. Midnight. Sighing, she fluffed her pillow and laid back down, attempting to fall back asleep. Just before she closed her eyes, she glanced down at the necklace lying on her rising and falling chest. Her eyes flew open as she noticed something it had never done before: it was glowing. The pendant felt warm against her clammy skin and she screamed.


Darien stared at the unmoving doors at the corner of the room as his irises turned from a navy blue to a glowing red. His fangs elongated and he stalked toward the door to the outside world. "She has betrayed me..." he spat, muscles coiled in barely suppressed rage.

"Darien?" his mother chased after him worriedly. "Where are you going?"

As he reached the door, he turned to his mother with a determination that she'd never seen in her son. "To find my Queen."

END CHAPTER ONE

AN: Was it okay? Rest assured, this is an S/D fic. Serena doesn't know about her feelings for Diamond because she's never known love... just wait till she meets our favorite vampire!Before I forget- thank you to reviewers for the prologue! You encouraged me to write! Thanks a million! And also, to my dear editors... thanks for putting up with my rants and half-baked ideas! Anywho, if you have a second, please leave a review. Reviews are my favorite. So have a fantastic holiday and I'll do my best to have my New Year's present (another chapter) out to you as soon as possible.