Chapter 1

2 centuries ago.

"Where is Alexandria? Tell me where she is right now." Marcus growled through his now exposed fangs.

"Please, my Lord she'll be here soon." The small, pale faced servant was cowering on here knee's at the bed side of Marcus, head of the vampires.

"She better be, wretch, or you'll be the next one to leave this place in a body bag, human." His fangs were starting to expand from his gums. His hold of the woman's hair was pulling her head back at a painful angle exposing her slender throat to his hungry gaze. Just as he lent in to bite the woman's throat her pulse rapidly beating just under her fine skin the engrained, solid oak doors banged open and in a flash a woman stood right beside Marcus the doors slamming shut with the speed of her entrance.

"Marcus? You're ill! Please don't send another one of our servants to the morgue." The mysterious woman breathed into his ear, "I brought the doctor I was telling you about. The young one, you remember?" She looked like about twenty, but her eyes showed she had more knowledge than twenty years would have allowed anyone to have gathered in those short years.

"Come in doctor, I want you to meet Marcus." She called over her shoulder, her gaze never leaving Marcus's ruby red eyes.

"This is the man I was telling you about, the one I said you could help heal." Her panic was well masked as she moved the maid from her crouching position on the floor to the nearest servants exit in the same moment, sparing her for Marcus's wrath.

"You better be right about this man Alexandria or we will have some problems." He was tired, you could tell by the tone in his voice but Alexandria also sensed fear, he was ill and if he died no-one knew what would happen to their coven.

Alexandria lower her head so as to be at eye level with Marcus, her eyes were flag stone grey and aged with wisdom, far different from the blood lusting ones of her vampire companions and whispered so low no one but them could hear, "My love have some faith in me. I searched everywhere for this man! Please at least give him a try and if it doesn't work you can have him as a present." A coy smile flashed across her face and Marcus nodded slowly the corners of his lips turning upwards ever so slightly.

"What is your name human?" Marcus ordered never taking his eyes off Alexandria as he questioned the human doctor as he crossed the room to stand at the end of an old hand carved mahogany bed.

"My name is Doctor Samuel Lenihan." The doctor replied curtly with a polite smile, "And if you must know my speciality is foreign diseases or in this case, dead diseases." Doc might have been nice at face value but when he was treated as if he was indifferent, he became slightly nasty. He had spent too many years being treated as if he was under everyone when he was there equal at least maybe even more.

"That hurt, Doctor." Marcus replied, a mask of mock hurt spread across his ghostly face. Chuckling, "I like you, which if you want to live long is a good thing, so try to stay on my good side." He reinforced his threat with a flash of his ivory fangs.

They were only being civil but it was better than Alexandria had hoped for, at least Marcus hadn't killed him yet, there was hope in this relationship she thought into herself laughing.

"If you'll excuse me gentlemen," Alexandria smiled sweetly, bowed and started to leave.

"No. Please, would you stay with us Alexandria? This was your idea after all and if this works, you should be her to celebrate with us." He might have had a polite smile on and a friendly facade in place but his request was nothing short of an order. Marcus had no belief in the fact that a human doctor could save him. Besides, Marcus was famous for never trusting humans or anyone else for that matter.

"Of course my Lord and it will work have faith in the good Doctor." Alexandria replied curtly, she didn't like taking orders, but Marcus and his coven had taken her in, she owed them. She also stayed out of pity for the doctor, if she did leave them alone there was no telling what Marcus might do to the poor man and after all he was only trying to help.

Hours passed and all Alexandria did was sit stiffed back, watching the doctor work on Marcus, taking blood samples and checking his body all over with medical instruments. She watched him with honest curiosity, she had never seen a doctor work before and it fascinated her to see how he worked with such control and authority this close to a vampire.

"You must rest Doctor. You are exhausted and if you keep taking blood out of Marcus you'll not be around for much longer." It was a low hit at Marcus but she didn't care, as much as she owed them, ordering her about was not the right way to go about earning her respect or gratitude.

"I'm done anyway." The doctor smiled, pleased with his progress, "Yes, Marcus you do look kind of hungry if you ask me." Marcus looked up for under his pale hand and gave doctor a questioning yet unimpressed look. The doctor chuckled and answered, "Your eyes are a darker red than what they were when I came in."

Marcus's fangs snapped down, like pearl white daggers, "You dare look at me as if I'm an experiment? You are lucky I haven't drained you already, peasant." He was starting to rise up out of the bed when Alexandria ran in between the two men.

"You hurt this man Marcus and there's no other way on this planet you have of getting better. Do you really want to die and leave your coven in a state of disrepair?" Alexandria growled out angrily, she let that sink in while flashing worried glances over her shoulder at the doctor. He gave her a vague wave trying to convey that he was, in fact ok but she wasn't buying it.

"I think it's time we left Doctor Samuel's." Alexandria gave Marcus a warning look, he might be head of the coven but she was stronger than him, even in his strongest form and she wouldn't let him forget it anytime soon.

"I believe you might be right and please, just call me Doc. It's easier for everyone if you do." He smiled and small smile then turned heading straight for the open doors at the other end of the room.

Alexandria let him get about half way on his own, still locked looking into the eyes of Marcus. She snapped her head round and covered the distance to Doc had covered in half a second, grabbing him and carrying him out of the room in another half a second. When he was let go the Doc brushed himself off and straightened his jacket out, Alexandria closed the heavy doors, the wood creaking with age in protest.

"Those doors are nearly as old as me," She chuckled, while shaking her head, trying to get the look in Marcus's eyes out of her mind, "I do apologise for that but it was necessary." Her tone invited no questioning from the doc tor as she started to head down the main hall she waved the doctor to follow.

"I think I know what's wrong with him." Doc seemed confused about his diagnoses though, "It hard to explain though." He ran a shaking hand through his long, blond hair that sat ragged on top of his head.

"Please try and I will see if I can help you." They turned into another hallway and Alexandria opened a door, gesturing Doc in first.

"Well, the blood in his system is poisoned but I don't see how a human poison should affect someone like him." Doc shrugged, it was confusing because no human poison should harm, much less slowly kill a vampire. "Has he feed on a human who could want Marcus dead?"

"We are not that open about what we truly are too many people, Doc. Yes, there are those who hunt down and kill vampires but they use stakes and behead them." Alexandria was trying to figure this out as much for her as she was trying to help Doc.

"Has he been given blood in any other form? Say, given to him in a glass because he was unable to actually drink for the human body." Doc seemed so comfortable with discussing this, that it completely baffled Alexandria, she was so used to people going mad when someone told a human they were a vampire.

"I think he might have been given it like that a couple of time because he was unable as you say, but I have been away looking for you so I wouldn't know for sure. Why do you ask?" Confusion questioned Alexandria's whole expression.

"We should investigate into that, there might be some complication with separating the blood from the human to giving it to Marcus." Ask Doc explained his theory he started to get up, heading for the door again.

"Where do you think you're going, Doc?" Alexandria cocked her head; she lifted her hand silencing him with a wave of it as he started to answer and said, "You need to rest. These will be your chambers while you are with us."

"No I can't possibly; my brother would come looking for me. Plus I have no clothes at all with me." He was flustered and if Alexandria had been human she might have found it the slightest bit attractive, she chuckled to herself at the thought.

"No need to worry good doctor. I will go over to your house personally and inform your brother myself. I will even ask your brother if he wishes to stay here with you and help you. He is a doctor as well, two heads are better than one or so they say. Sleep now! Please? By the morning your brother will be sharing the room with you and I will come visit you myself, in the morning and take you to breakfast." With a smile and a slight bow of the head Alexandria left the stunned doctor to his rest.

As she walked back along the portrait hung hallways heading towards the main hall thinking about how she would get to Doc's brother she was interrupted by a tall, very well built vampire.

"Marcus is pissed at you, you know." When he spoke a hint of a long lost Russian accent was present, "So did the doctor work or am I going to have to get someone to get rid of another body, I'm running out of places to hide the bodies you know."

"Nicholas you are the best at hiding things in this coven." Nicholas's fangs flashed down, "If you threaten me this will end up like it did the last time you thought you could beat me, and anyway it was a compliment. You are the best at hiding things." A poison sweet smile spread across her face, just daring him to start on her, the memories form the last fight of theirs still hung in her memory. "Anyway you wouldn't hurt me and you know it, you like me too much." She ran the back of her fingers across his cheek and he closed his eyes, relaxing into her touch with a shudder.

"You should leave Marcus and come with me." His eyes flashed burnt crimson but you could see the hunger in them, but it was the hunger for her body that burned brighter than the red of blood lust ever could.

"And if I did that, I would get thrown to the wolves, literally and you would end up being a traitor, you'd also end up with no head." She didn't want to leave Marcus but if she did the pain she would receive was something she didn't want to endure, she liked living and the werewolves would not allow that.

"Seeing as we've finished," She continued before Nicholas could come up with another excuse for her to run off with him, they'd already had this conversation, many times, "Do you know where my brothers are? I have something I have to take care of."

"I think James and William are in the kitchen flirting with the kitchen maids." He shrugged, "Do you want me to come with you? Your brothers sometimes need a lot of persuading to get them away from the ladies." He was telling the truth and he would be a lot of help on reflection.

"Yes and seeing as your coming with me now," Alexandria chuckles at the dazed expression that now flashed across his face. "You can come with me and my brothers. We have to go collected Doc's brother and bring him here." They descended the stairs and headed for the kitchen.

"May I ask why you're going to get the doctor's brother? I see no reason why we should have both them around here; wouldn't they be safer if they were staying outside the mansion?" Nicholas's logic was good but he had missed one important detail out.

"Doc and his brother are the only people left in his family and if we have them both under this roof we can control what is said about us in the outside world."

"So basically we have two prisoners, who are both doctors and we keep our secrets hidden from the streets of this town." Blunt as always was Nicholas.

Alexandria rolled her eyes, they were nearly at the kitchen, "Yes if you must put it that way, anyway we might need to persuade the brother to leave the house I think it's the only thing they have left of their mother and father's." She frowned; she didn't understand why people liked to hold onto things of the dead.

"That shouldn't be difficult with me and your brothers there." A cruel smile had appeared on his face as he held to door to the kitchen open. Alexandria ignored him and focused on finding her brothers, the effort having a fight with Nicholas was too great to bother with at the moment.

She found James first; he had lifted a kitchen maid onto the wooden table and was slowly biting his way down her throat but not drawing blood. The maid's face had drained of all colours, her eyes were stuck wide open with fear and her heart, from where Alexandria stood sounded like it was beating way to fast, at this rate she'd end up having a heart attack before James drained her.

"James put the woman down now." Alexandria's voice was ice cold as she ordered her brother to stop.

He lifted his head, licked his lips and spoke, "Sis, would you really interrupt me when I'm having so much fun?"

"You know something, I would and I just have." She stuck her tongue out playfully at her brother, the more seriously continued, "We've got a job to do so put the girl down and where is Will hiding?" Her voice was still cold but it also sounded tired.

"Why should I know I don't follow him everywhere? I had my own business to take care of; he's probably up in the library studying." James laughed but his gloating was cut short as in a blur he was crashed into the opposite wall. William was crouched on top of James chest.

"Now what was that brother? About me studying I think?" William hissed menacingly in James ear.

They both rolled over laughing as they stood up. They were twins, it had taken Alexandria years to figure out what they reminded her of as they played together like this but know it was obvious. They looked like two bears when they acted like this; they were both pushing six foot and had solid muscle covering most of their bodies and shaggy brown hair, it made her laugh when they acted like this.

"So little sis what's the job you where talking about with James?" He was teasing her, they always did.

"I am the same age as you Willy." She punched him, hard in the arm and only hit muscle; he flinched and pretended to howl in pain. "Well I am! So stop teasing me; we are triplets, even if you two decided to be twins."

"Yes changing all three of you at the same time, I still wonder if that was a sensible idea." It was the first word Nicholas had spoken since we'd walked into the kitchen and he sounded amused; Alexandria had almost forgotten he was there.

"Nicholas!" Both James and William chorused at the same time as the flashed across the room, tackling Nicholas into the wall he had his back to, sending things flying as they did.

"Get of me!" Nicholas coughed, "You to have to remember you're just a little stronger than I am."

"Just a little," James winked at Nicholas laughing, "So are you coming with us on this job? You wouldn't leave us alone with Alex would you?"

"How kind you are to me James and yes Nicholas is coming with us." Alexandria needed them to get back on tract it would be morning in a couple of hours and then Nicholas would have to sleep. "You know the doctor I brought to look after Marcus; well we have to go bring his brother here."

"Why bring him here? Wouldn't it be safer if he stayed out of the mansion, for both of them?" William and Nicholas thought more alike than they realised Alexandria thought with a small chuckle.

"That's exactly what I thought Will, but if we keep them separated the brother might talk and are secrets could come out." Alexandria glared at Nicholas; he had just stolen her reasoning.

"That doesn't sound like something you would come up with Nicholas." James interrupted and I smiled, James always saw through Nicholas when he tried to be smart.

"You got me," Nicholas held his hand up as if to surrender, "It was your sister's reason for bringing them both here and a very good one, I agreed."

"That sounds better," James might tease Alexandria but he wouldn't let anyone take credit for her ideas. She was the smartest out of the three of them and the reason they were still alive, even in this form, because of her. "You shouldn't take credit for other people's achievements Nicholas, it's rude." His voice had a bitter edge to it.

Nicholas's jaw was set tight as he spat, "My apologies, it won't happen again and if I had known you would act so defensively of your sister's thoughts I would never have of spoken."

Alexandria glanced up at William and she saw the same look in his eyes as what she felt, if they let this continue there would be a fight right here in this spot.

William coughed, pushing off the table he was leaning against, "Gentlemen, if we don't start moving now we won't get to the brother any time soon."

"Yes, Will's right can we please hurry up?" Alexandria added, she had promised Doc that his brother would be here by the morning it was already nearly one in the morning.

"I'll go get the carriage." Nicholas offered and left the kitchen in the same instant.

"James, next time you decide to choose a fight can it not be over me and can you try to have better surroundings than a kitchen." Alexandria snapped when she knew Nicholas was out of hearing range.

"Can't promise you anything and your welcome sis by the way," Alexandria just ignored him and headed to get her coat, "I'm sorry A' but he was being rude I couldn't just stand there and let him get away with it."

Alexandria let out a long sign, and flashed across the room and stood in front of James. She looked him in the eye and then stood up on her toes and gave James a quick kiss on the cheek, "You and Will are my only family and I worry one day your temper will get you killed, so please try and keep it in check, for me at least."

James could never argue with Alexandria when she was like this so he simply nodded and placed a kiss on her forehead, "We'll meet you at the front door go get your coat, our jackets are by the front door anyway." She did as she was told and flittered out of the kitchen and headed to her room, as she left she heard James say, "She'll be the death of me rather of my temper." William laughed in agreement and so did Alexandria.