Chapter 1

The mist rolled in off the sea like a lovers arms wrapping around the solemn house, deserted for centuries, now inhabited by what shouldn't exist. The figure stood alone on the terrace a shadow shown only by moonlight, like gossamer material it faded with the light and mist, surreal in the play of light and shadows; a creature of the night. Waiting for something… for someone…

Kiya woke with a start; sweat dripping from her brow, she knew it had been the same dream even though she couldn't quite remember, the same dream she'd been having for the last week. Yet there was something that remained, an impression of wavering patience and longing, with an air of darkness, it hung over her head like the sleep lingered in her eyes. Shaking the main of raven black hair, out of her eyes, she stood and opened the curtains to the view of the sea; it calmed her senses, allowing her to regain her composure to face the day. There was a lot to be done to the mansion she had inherited from her very distant aunt. That's when the dreams started; the first night she stayed here. Kiya Ceres a nothing in society, with a house suited for fifty people rather than one person, but it was all she had, growing up in foster homes she never knew she had an aunt until the lawyer had found her a week after her twenty-third birthday; to inform her that she had just inherited a mansion worth millions…if it could be fixed up. Now not two months later she stood on the terrace gazing out to sea wondering if she wanted to give it up at all, it was the only really home she ever had and no one could ever kick her out. It's my haven, my only security but the money that could come from it would be security too, and I don't know what I should do anymore.

Walking mindlessly around the mansion, she ended up in the garden, glittering with shadows and light it looked like something from another world, an endless place of the ancient … I really needed to stop reading all those faery tales shaking her head she started forward. Walking through the garden identifying the plants: flowers and herbs, what could be used for medicine and what could not. She wasn't exactly normal; she kept to herself, read books about herbs and stones, of magick and of romance. Romance the only thing that connected her to being normal, the longing for love that may not exist.

He watched her walk along the path slowly coming closer, carefully choosing plants carrying them in her arms, she was beautiful, even from here he could see the sea that he watched for so many years; waiting, in her eyes, the calm of the sea. His people an ancient race that humans stopped believing in long ago, and yet for each vampire there was also a human mate, for a vampire can only take blood from one person, for a male vampire that was his bride the person didn't always have a choice, should the vampire drink the blood and steal a kiss the person would forever be tied to the vampire. A vampire however still needs blood, and though they may not have a bride they still must eat, without the bride or mate the vampire has no extra powers other than that which they were born with. A vampire's power comes from his mate and only then could he truly be as powerful as he once was so long ago. Born as a dhampir; half human, half vampire; his fate laid in the hands of his bride to be and yet he still waited for the woman that would be his mate forever. At the age of nineteen, Declan's aging had already started to slow to one third of that of a humans aging. Declan wasn't just looking for a mate he was looking for love like so many others in the world. He was not the first of his kind to look for love, nor would he be last.

Kiya trimmed the garden, pulling weeds and gathering herbs slowly making her way across the yard, each move watched by a shadow underneath the willow tree. The shadow was never really there in her line of vision and each time she turned around nothing was ever there just the intense feeling of being watched. Finally finished weeding the garden Kiya gathered her herbs and walked back towards the house to prepare a quick breakfast.

Declan walked through her bedroom looking at the personal belongings of this intriguing woman who invaded his home, he still didn't know her name he wasn't sure if he wanted her to meet him nor the other way. It had happened before: when he was younger, about five he remembered the girl so clearly at the time he hadn't know he was a dhampir, but when he had said "hi" she ran away, he hadn't known that it had been the fangs that made her run away until he had gotten home and his foster parents had told him the story of his birth and the fact that he was a dhampir. His mother a human and his father a vampire, normally he would not have been born only under magick is it possible for one to be born and so he was. Damned for life with the strengths and weakness of the vampires and the feelings of a human, he led a cursed life, never truly one species or another. Anguish was his only companion a dreary reminder of a life he could never have.

Consumed in her own thoughts Kiya didn't hear the sound of anguish that rode upon the air and floated out to sea.

That night the moon was full and the mist rolled in gently like a spring breeze, sorrow was in the air, the sorrow of what could be and what could have been. Both looking for love yet with the mistrust embedded within them; they would never find it until they could trust themselves first, instead they were slowly suffocating in their own grief.

Kiya stood on the terrace arms wrapped around her, wishing there was someone to hold her tight, an escape from her despair when she saw the shadow glide across the yard. No features were evident but the grey eyes looking up at her with sorrow and anguish. The moment seemed to last forever and yet was over in a heart beat. The wind rustled, and a storm rolled in, the electricity charged the night with energy. A hand wrapped around her neck, slowly squeezing the breathe from her lips and the word that whispered into her ear as the world went black. "Leave"

Foggy memory and confusion greeted her when she awoke, the whisper echoing within her head…leave…leave…who had said it and where had they come from…was there really anybody there, or was it just my imagination. She slowly opened her eyes to find herself in complete and utter darkness; no sound was heard but the rustling of her movements and the shallow intake of her breath as panic set in. The shivering started in her feet and worked its way up as memory of a dark closet and harsh hands; viciously attacking her mind. Curling up into a ball rocking back and forth she tried to hold off the painful memories, silent tears slipped down here cheeks, as the onslaught continued, her scream echoed in the quiet, a piercing cry of pain. Darkness became her refuge, as she slipped into unconsciousness.

That's where he found her, curled into a tiny ball in the corner; he could see traces of dried tears on her cheeks. Cautiously he walked towards her, and gingerly picked her up, her skin was cold and clammy…I wonder how she got down here in the first place and why she seems to be in such a state of shock. What happened to her? Declan carried her up the stairs to her bedroom cradling her head against his shoulder and laid her gently upon the covers brushing the hair out of her eyes. The pulse in her throat was so inviting , so exposed, as it was the steady beat of the blood rushing through the veins and the smoothness of her skin. Enticing him to take a sip of that precious juice of life, leaning over her his teeth grazing her skin, she mumbled something, he wasn't sure what she had said but it had obviously not been good as a single tear slipped from her eye. With his thumb he wiped that single tear off. Turning sharply he disappeared into the night, rose petals floated down to earth in the wake of his retreat.

She smelled roses, rolling to the side and slowly opening her eyes adjusting to the light shining in from the moon outside, the doors to the terrace were left opened, the breeze that drifted through was scented, and yet she couldn't remember being here nor getting here. It didn't matter, as much as it use to she felt safe. Right now that is all that I need she thought as her eyes drifted close again she remembered gentle hands lifting her up but that was lost in her dreams.

Looking over the sea he watched the ebb and flow of water memorizing in its wake of clarity the sounds rocked his mind into submission, letting the thoughts of her go, still he wondered if she would have an impression of him or if she would even think of it as a peculiar dream or if it happens to be there at all. His heart ached with need for closure with another person, living his life alone for eight years left so many barricades to his heart.

Days passed by the same the feeling of isolation overcame both of them and they descended into the abyss. As the days became colder so did Kiya's attitude with a need for companionship. Walking along shore, sandals in her hand gazing up at the sunset, a shimmering blend of blues, purples and red, a few stars appearing through, dim against the brilliance of the sky. Night was her favourite time of day when all that was becomes new in the light of the moon; in the moonlight it looked magical, like nothing mattered but that moment. Then the world turned blood red, the water washed upon the shore like freshly spilled blood, she couldn't scream, she didn't even have the urge to scream, like she was just the viewer in a horror movie nothing she did or say would change in any way the outcome of what she saw before her. Looking down at her hands, she saw blood that dripped onto the ground a seeping cut on each hand, turning anything it touched that diseased red the colour of life that meant there was no life anymore, there was so much, so…much…blood…blood…

Then it changed again she saw a man, but not a man there was something different about him she could sense it, something was wrong. Another man joined the first but he was furious over something. With no self-control the new comer slashed his hand; flesh ripped and blood rushed out, covering the ground, leaning down the man bit the others neck as he did so he glanced up. The animal lust and blood in his eyes was so apparent but those eyes were no longer human they were that of a monster in the old stories…that of a vampire.

As the vision of blood and vampires faded so did Kiya's strength, her legs gave and she slumped to the sand, eyes glazed and staring at nothing, the vision and graphic pictures replaying in her mind over and over. It didn't make sense to her where had it come from she'd never daydreamed about such horrific things before. Sure I'm inclined to think of the mythical but never of vampires. It was new but it didn't feel like something that I dreamed up it was foreign and strange, it didn't belong. She sat there for what seemed like hours finally she stood and turned back towards the house, walk she thought of the impossibility that anything so mythical or magical could exist. Her life had never been the best living on her own after the murder of her parents had scarred her for life, scrapping by with dead ends jobs one after another. Walking up the steps to the yard she remembered what it had been like….

"Kiya what is taking you so long? There are customers waiting for service," He yelled. Jeff McGee was a loud, obnoxious, jerk. She'd been working at the Carmel Café for three years already, she'd never gotten a raise, but she never complained, out load anyhow, truth be told she was lucky to even have this job after her last job, she was lucky to have a job at all but that didn't mean she needed to be happy about it, since she was sixteen she'd been on here own jumping from job to job with little school experience because of the lack of money many wouldn't consider hiring her, so lived with what she could get and if that meant working the rest of her life here she would as long as she had money coming in. It had been that very day that the lawyer had walked in asking for her.

"Hi is Kiya Ceres' here?"

"Yes I'm Kiya"

" I'd like to talk to you if that is possible. Can you take a twenty minute break?"

"Umm sure but can I ask who you are?"

"Oh excuse my manners I'm Lee Taylor, a lawyer for you late aunt Liliah."

"Aunt Liliah? I'm not sure what your talking about but I can assure you I have no idea about an aunt Liliah, that I know of I have no family at all." Her smile changed to s saddened look of longing.

" Well I'm afraid that I have bad news then, you had an aunt Liliah, as she passed away a few months ago, I've been searching for you ever since."

"You must be mistaken" she said unwilling to believe that the only relative she had was found out through her death, her heart sadden with the thought of what could have been.

"I'm sorry for your loss but your name is what happens to be on her will, would you like to see a picture of the house?"

"Are you sure its not a spelling mistake?"

"Quite positive, here this is what you've inherited." He said as he handed her the picture of the house.

Her jaw dropped as she gazed upon the pictures "how can you call this a house?" she gasped out between breaths "its huge, a mansion and must be worth millions"

Clearing his throat he cut through her stuttered speech "Ummm…well it would be if it were in proper condition, that is…you see the house has sustained quite a few damages over the last few years as Liliah became older, she couldn't take care of as much of it as she use to, so its rather in a wreck at the moment, although it is still worth quite a bit."

That's the day her life had changed, she had a home, a place to call her own, and joy welled up inside her being, nothing had ever made her this happy. Now stuck with the decision for a home or security, a decision that would decide the rest of her life.

. Thump…. thump…thump…

Listening to the heartbeat that came from above the ground, his hunger and hatred grew, the taste of blood lining his mouth. Closing his eyes the pulse of blood running through veins consumed and clouded his thoughts, and the hunger was awoken. With his blood red eyes gleaming with lust, he rose from the water of the underground lake and dispersed to the grounds above to search for the mysterious source of the pulse. It called to him, the hunger, the blood, and her pulse. He could smell her now the scent of her blood like an aphrodisiac it pulled him, his fangs descended when he found her sleeping. Brushing her hair aside his fangs gliding across her skin before sinking in and tasting her life's vintage wine, her life fluid, her blood. He drank his fill and faded into the darkness leaving no trace of his entrance other than the marks on her throat.

The smell of blood floated in the air drifting to Declan on the wind, and he knew it was hers; the scent pulled him his legs already racing towards the house. He saw the figure leave and coldness swept through him; he knew who it had been; the ancient, reserved underneath the house so that he could once again walk the earth. In person he looked very young, if it had been a human Declan would have guessed that he was probably only twenty to twenty-three, as an ancient though he was over a thousand years. Many say he's the strongest vampire alive in this day but he has been asleep for five hundred years, much has changed since then.