Jade did not know where she was when she woke up from her distressful thoughts. She left Deacons place in a hurry, just wanted to get some space between them, a lot of space.

Then she wandered without destination. She didn't pay attention to where Deacon had driven her last night, so she didn't know how to come home now. Her thoughts ran wild. Why the fck she had slept with him. Thousands of guys in this town and Jade got herself laid by Deacon Frost.

He knew of course. That was why he came to her last night. And she was stupid enough to feel flattered by him.

Blade won't be amused. She acted like a newbie. So long for her great I'm-the slayer-speech.

Jade took her cell phone from the pocket of her baggy jeans.

The dialling tone sounded once, twice.

"Yeah." Blades voice sounded stressed out.

"Hi, it's me. Can you pick me up?"

"Hmm, fine. Where are you?" The answer made clear that Blade had to do better then giving her a ride.

"That's part of the problem. I don't know. Can you locate me?"

"Wait. You're in the north western industrial. What the fck are you doing there?"

"I tell you when you're here. It's cold."

Jade closed the phone. How did she get here. Good question. Better question for her: Tell Blade the truth?

She shivered. It was really cold. She wore no jacket and though it was summer, the nights gotten colder.

The matt glazed black car stopped abrupt a few inches left from her. Jade got up from the curb stone she had been sitting on, her hands buried in her hands. With two fast steps she got to the car and sat down next to Blade. He moved off before Jade had closed the door.

"So, why are you here, alone and without knowing exactly."

"You waste no words, aren´t you." She tried to make a joke of it. Blade didn't even smile.

"Okay." She sighed. "I was in that bar. There was this guy and he tried to chat me up."

She stopped talking.

"Go on." Blade claimed.

"I talked to him. Then… then he told me his name's Deacon Frost."

Jade stopped talking again.

"So you followed him?" Blade asked with distant voice.

"I, uhh… yeah. I followed him. I lost his trace right here. Listen, I know that was stupid but.."

"Quit that." Blade demanded. "So, you believe he was Frost? Did he knew who you are?"

"Yeah." Jade nodded. "And yeah."

At midday Jade fell exhausted on her bed. Whistler had been calm but serious. Frost was a problem. How he managed to get back to life was a greater problem. And none of them had been able the answer to it, so they had fallen into glooming speechlessness. When Jade couldn't stand it no more she went to bed.

Her body ached.

It was a good aching though. She could still fell his hands on her body and his lips on hers. Oh no, that's not good, she thought, the guy was real, real bad. Especially for her. She had problems enough without them.

Blade didn't trust her. And things happend tonight would not help to conduce his trust.

She closed her eyes to block the fuzzy sunlight that fell though the blinds. Her phone rang. Jade struggled the blankets and cushions that she had wrapped up herself trying to find a position to sleep. She gripped the phone and looked at the display.

Marcus.

"Hi." She moaned.

"Hey baby girl." Marcus said. "How are you?"

Jade sat up. "Hmm, fine."

"You're lying, babe." Jade heard the smile in Marcus voice.

"Yeah, I do." She smiled too." Why are you calling?"

"Ohh, I come to the city tomorrow and I thought I will be able to visit you."

"How do you know where I am?"

"Babe. Don't underestimate me. I'm the informal leader of the House of Cthon."

"Yeah, forgot that." She said highly reserved. Then she burst out in laugh. "So, you watch me?"

"Sometimes. Just to know you're okay."

"So, then you're in good company."

"What?"

"Don't matter. I tell you tomorrow. At what time you arrive?"

"At ten o'clock at the airport. Should we meet somewhere?"

"Catch me at the train station. Blade's mad at me, so you shouldn't come near here, if we could avert it."

"Fine. See you tomorrow, baby girl."

He hung up the phone. Jade starred at it, feeling a little better. She had missed Marcus a lot.

Marcus was an old friend of her. Blade hated the fact Jade was still connected with him, but also it had been the reason he noticed her at all and made her his mentee.

That was before the internal war in the House of Cthon from which Marcus got out successfully and was now trying to rebuild the old connections and to establish new ones.

At the time Jade was sixteen, seven years ago, she had been at a friends party. It was boring and Jade went out to enjoy the night and refresh a little. Marcus stood under an old apple tree in the shadows, smoking, observing her. First she frowned but then this man seemed so hypnotising to her. She went straight to him.

He had smiled. A cruel smile, she remembered.

"Can I help you?" Jade had stuttered.

"Do I look like I need help?"

"You are standing alone under a tree in a strangers garden, so… I may say: yes."

His smile has gotten warmer.

"I was hungry." He just answered. "But not for this." Marcus reached her an apple. She had taken it, their hands skimmed. His had was so cold.

"But?" She had questioned irritated.

"But for young girls, stupid enough to go out alone in the dark lonely night." He had shown his fangs.

Jade had stroded back.

"You're not going to scare me." She had said with more courage then she had felt.

"I don't?" Marcus had reached for her, nabbed her arm.

"What are you?" She had whispered.

"What do you think, baby girl?"

"I would say you're a vampire. But vampires do not exist."

"They do." Marcus had tried to rip open her in the neck, pushing her head back. Jade had moaned.

"Wait." She had tried to scream, but it was only a faint noise. Nevertheless he had let her go.

"Why should I?"

"Will I turn, if you bite me?"

"Ohh, yes. But I won't bite you. I'll just kill you."

Jade had bitten her lip, chewing on it.

"That's not quite fair. I'm meeting a vampire and he won't bite me."

Marcus had laughed.

"You're funny, baby girl. And you talk too much. I hate it, when my food is talking all the time."

He had bowed then disappeared in the darkness.

Jade had finally passed out.

She had woken up in the hospital. The doctors had said, the air was too sticky and it was not unnormal for a girl at this age to black out. Her parents had been worried about it but she had managed to get out of her window the next night to search for Marcus again.

She had wandered through the deserted streets, whistling a song to banisher fear. When she had been willing to give up and go home, he had been there at a single blow.

"Searching for me, baby girl?"

Jade had shrunken back. Her heart had beaten out of her chest.

"Why do you look so scared? You wanted me to find you." He had made clear.

"Y… yes, but...such a dramatic display? Are you in a need of that?"

"Baby girl, you make me laugh. Therefore I will not kill you. Go home."

"But I thought.."

"You thought… what?" Marcus had hissed at her.

"Show me your world."

"I won't turn you."

"You don't have to, please. Just talk to me for a while."

Marcus had sighed and then he had made her an offer.

As long as she was going to entertain him, he will take her with him.

Nights passed and when Marcus had to go on, they found out they liked each other a lot.

He called her from time to time. Sometimes once a month, then there was no call for a year. And just when Jade thought he had forgotten about her, he had appeared and it was like he was never gone.

When Jade had been at the age of nineteen they had an affair for a couple of weeks, but when he was to go away again they realised they don't loved each other that way and separated as friends.

In fact, Jade loved Marcus as she would love her brother. He was her older brother and that was good. She had experienced adventures she never dreamed about. He had taken her at clubs, at distant places and even on the hunt with him.

One night Blade watched them. Her knowledge about the world made her interesting for him and though she declined to work as a double agent, he had taken her under his wings.

Blade disliked her still existing connection to Marcus a lot, but this was one of many reasons they were arguing about.

Over her thoughts Jade slipped into sleep, feeling better just because Marcus was going to arrive soon and she could talk to him about this damned Frost thing.