Chapter One – Worries

Selene paced up and down the room as Michael watched her, his eyes following her, as the rest of his body remained unmoved. After many moments of silence, Michael forced himself to break it.

"Selene, what's wrong?"

"Michael, it has been too long…to much time has passed." Selene said, not even bothering to look over at her lover as she continued to pace and talk at the same time. "A war rages for centuries, and once all the Elders die and Lucian and William are slain, everyone else what – vanishes?" She asked, even though she knew Michael did not know the answer.

"I do not know, Selene." Michael confirmed, causing Selene to sigh heavily. "But, I mean, do you really want a war? Hasn't there been enough bloodshed? Hasn't enough blood been paid by the mistakes of the past?" He asked, his eyes softening a little.

"Of course I do not want more bloodshed!" Selene exclaimed, looking at Michael for the first time during their discussion. "I want to know where the rest of the Death Dealers are, where all the Lycans vanished to! Both sides are going to blame the other for their leader's death, and a war will be raised by the lust of revenge – what I want to know, again, where both races went, and why either of them have not raised hell yet." Michael stood and walked over to Selene, walking in front of her to stop her from pacing. Selene stopped abruptly in front of him, her eyes lowered to the ground, gazing at her feet as if she was trying to burn a hole in each one. Michael took his hand and gently lifted Selene's head and gaze up to match his own.

"Selene, I cannot answer your questions for you, for I share the same ones, as I have for a very long while. All I know is this – the strongest of both races have been killed, and we killed them. Now, you are stronger Vampire alive that we know of, and I of the Lycans. So, if any war breaks out, we will be the ones that will be hunted…by both races. Yet, nothing has happened yet, and hopefully, it will stay that way, but there is no reason to fret over the things we do not know. We will just have to stay alert, that is all." She told her and when Selene did not respond, Michael leaned in and parted her lips with his own, granting her a quick yet passionate kiss. Selene could not help but smile after Michael withdrew and she forced herself to nod.

"Your right." She told him, and Michael sighed slightly, nodding back at her in agreement.

"I know I am." He told her and Selene pretended to glare at him before turning away to pick up her gun from the table and examine in for the hundredth time that day to make sure it was in check. As she caressed it, moving it through her fingers and inspecting in with her eyes, she asked Michael,

"Where is Ayvein?"

"Hunting." Michael replied absentmindedly, but Selene's head jerked back to look at him.

"Hunting? Alone?" She asked him and Michael looked up at her, confused.

"Yes – is that a problem?"

"Michael, I do not want her hunting on her own – it could be dangerous."

"Selene, Ayvein is a full-blood Hybrid. She is the strongest of both races, and in my opinion, even though we are most likely to be viewed as the strongest of our kinds, I believe that Ayvein, in fact, is the stronger of either of us. She is just now growing into her full potential as one of us, but she cannot do that if we do not give her our trust. Out of any teenage girl her age in this era, I think that Ayvein is the most capable of taking care of herself." Selene put the gun back down on the table and sighed heavily once again.

"I know." She told Michael. "I just…worry. I never thought that I would have a child, and now that I actually have one, against every odd plus one…I worry everyday that I will make a mistake that will cost her her life."

"That is just it, Selene – you won't, especially when Ayvein is what she is. She reminds me so much of you…I just hope she never has to prove herself as you have." Selene lowered her gaze for a moment, then, looking back up at her lover, agreed.

"I hope so too."