Disclaimer: Priest and its characters belong to Scott Stewart.

Claimer: I own Ava & Damien.

Chapter #3: Answers for Answers

Black Hat stared down at the woman beside him with incredulity, before he redirected his skeptical stare towards the Familiar. The Familiar, Damien, visibly shrunk back at his master's intense glower.

"Brother?" he repeated.

Ava didn't answer him, still too shocked to form words as she stared at her long lost sibling. It had been almost three whole years since she had last heard from him, thinking him dead after he had disappeared during a raid that had taken place in the town they'd been residing in. Clearly, that was not the case. Her eyes were vaguely horrified as she looked him over. Once warm chestnut brown eyes had been replaced with an ethereal blue, tanned skin now pale—almost sickly in appearance. Dark circles formed under his normally vibrant eyes.

"But… you were dead…. They took you…"

He said nothing at first, seeming to be just as speechless as she was, and she didn't miss how his eyes kept glancing to Black Hat nervously.

"I thought you were dead," he said at last. "What are you doing here?"

"Your boss kidnapped me," she spat bitterly. "But that doesn't matter; what the hell happened to you? You're a…" She trailed off as the horrific reality slowly sunk further in. "Did he do this to you?"

Damien's eyes once again took an anxious shift towards Black Hat, that alone enough of an answer for Ava. Before she could stifle it, a simmering rage began to bubble deep within her core, and she felt her blood boil as she turned to face the vampire, her eyes full of hate.

"You."

"Ava!" Damien grabbed her, yanking her back before she had a chance to lunge at the vampire. "Ava, calm down! It was my choice!"

Her head snapped up to him with wide eyes. "What…?"

"He didn't force me into anything."

Pulling away, she turned to face him fully, a mixture of betrayal and disbelief in her eyes. "What do you mean… you chose it?"

His eyes were solemn but firm. "I was told you were dead. I looked for you, but I found nothing." He held her gaze solidly, but his glowing azure orbs were somber. "You were all I had. After you were gone, I figured it didn't matter what happened to me."

"So you become a fucking Familiar?" she shouted. "You willingly became a slave to these murderers? What the hell is wrong with you?"

He released a heavy sigh that sunk his shoulders. Off to the side, Black Hat was watching this little exchange with nothing short of undivided interest, if not a bit amusement. This certainly was an unexpected, opportune turn of events. So the Familiar was her brother. How interesting.

"Ava, please." Damien sent another wary glance towards Black Hat.

"Stop looking at him!" she snapped, causing his eyes to return to her sharply. "What happened to you? What happened to my brother? You once hated the vampire race. You wanted nothing more than to see them burn."

"Things change," he responded as calmly as he could. "I know nothing I say could make it any better in your mind. All I can tell you is that this is my life now. There's no turning back."

"You've become a slave!"

He sighed. "Ava—"

Turning her back to him, she fixed Black Hat with a venomous glare that was filled to the brim with hatred, and when she spoke her voice pushed out through her teeth in a deadly hiss. "You will burn for this."

"Burn?" His golden orbs were welling with a mixture of contempt and darkened amusement. "You're talking to someone who's been to Hell, darlin'."

Ava stared grimly out the window, lost in thought as she watched the sun gradually descend beneath the flat horizon. This was her second night spent in this hellhole. Shortly after her encounter with Damien, she had been brought back to her room, where she had spent the hours brooding over the recent events. Damien was alive. He was here, but it was hardly the reunion she had been hoping for all these years. He was a Familiar, hardly even her own flesh and blood anymore. The blood in his veins had been tainted by the venom of the bloodsucking race that appeared to want to seek out and destroy everything she knew and loved. Although she felt a still seething rage towards her golden-eyed captor, she knew deep down that this was not fully on him. Julian had chosen his fate, or so he had said. But why? Why would he allow himself to venture down a path so sinister? There was no proof, but she had a hunch it hadn't been as voluntary as he claimed it to be. For all she knew, he had been on the verge of death, and then he had been presented with a deal of sorts. Whatever had happened, when it all came down to it there was no known cure. Once infected, there was no turning back. The venom of the vampire would forever run through the host's veins.

Closing her eyes, she leaned against the desk she sat at and rested her head down in her arms, a sense of hopelessness suddenly overcoming her. Familiar or not, he was her brother. Could she really abandon her one living family member, infected or not, in her attempts to escape her prison? She had seen it when she'd looked into his eyes. He was still in there. He had pulled her back when she'd attempted to lunge at Black Hat, protecting her against his master's temper. Then suddenly, a quiet knock made her lift her head and look towards the door, her eyes narrowing at the idea of being summoned again. She was not in the mood for more mind games.

"Ava?"

She recognized the voice immediately, and a second later Damien was entering the room. She stood, facing him as he closed the door behind him with a soft click. His eyes were strangely humbled as he met hers, before they fell to the carpet in a dismal lack for words.

"Can we talk?" he asked at last.

"If you want to talk, you can start by telling me the full truth. If you really chose this, I need to know why."

"I told you why." He met her eyes solidly. "I had nothing, Ava. I thought those men had killed you. I thirsted for revenge, and I found my opportunity. I was supposed to protect you. When I thought you were killed, all I could think about was how I'd failed you."

"You think becoming a Familiar was avenging to me?" She was shaking her head in disbelief. "Honestly, Damien, how many drinks did you have before you were turned?"

"Ava—"

"How many people have you killed?" she cut him off. "And do not lie to me."

He released a heavy sigh, shoulders falling with the motion. "Most of us kill at random, but some of us have standards. Personally, I only target those who deserve it."

"Do elaborate," she drawled.

"I don't rape women, and I don't bother children. I've killed plenty of men. They were cheaters, liars, and scum, and you know what? I don't feel remorse. Why? Because they remind me of the men that took you. That took our friends. They were rapists, murderers, and greedy."

Ava looked away when she felt the sting of tears beginning to fester in her eyes, but she did her damned best to hold them back. Her words had failed her. She felt her heart being torn two ways. One half of her wanted nothing more than to forgive him—to give into the tempting thought that she wasn't alone anymore—but at the same time she knew she would only be a hypocrite. If she forgave him, after all he had done, then she had no excuse when it came to him. Fanged killer or not, she did not know his story. All she knew was that he had murdered hundreds for a reason unknown to her. Damien was no exception. If he hadn't been her brother, she knew she probably wouldn't have given him a single sniff of sympathy.

Her head suddenly turned upwards when she heard what sounded like footsteps, and she saw Damien had turned away and was walking back towards the door, defeat weighing heavily on his features. Before she could stop herself, she was calling after him.

"Damien!"

He turned back to her to see her rushing towards him, and then her arms were swooping up to wrap around his shoulders. He had jumped a bit when she did this, startled, his hands hovering out at his sides in shock at the sudden embrace.

"Infected or not… you're still my brother," Ava murmured.

She could feel his stiff muscles gradually loosen after a moment, and she felt him return her embrace hesitantly.

"I missed you, brother," she whispered. "You stupid son of a bitch…"

His eyes fell. "Ava…"

"Shhhh…"

He closed his eyes and released a somewhat tremulous exhale, and she felt him tighten his grip on her. "You have to get out of here…"

"I'm afraid that's going to be easier said than done. How many of you are even here?"

"There were fourteen Familiars, but now there are only eleven. Even if there were none, my master would catch you before you reached the front gates."

"I don't want you trying anything." Pulling away, she looked him directly in the eyes. "Don't do anything stupid, Damien. I'll be fine."

"You have no idea what the man is capable of, Ava."

"I have an idea, believe me."

"He controls every vampire and Familiar in existence, except for the queen. She is the only one he answers to."

"Do you know how he came to be who he is?" she asked.

"No. All I can tell you is that he has the power of a priest and vampire rolled into one. If you give him a good enough reason, he will break you like a toothpick."

"Which is why you need to be careful." She was fixing him with an intense stare. "Damien, he knows we're related. If you give him any reason to suspect you're more loyal towards me than him, he will kill you. Does he even know you're in here?"

"No…"

"Then you need to leave," she said immediately. "If he thinks you're helping me plot an escape, you'll be killed."

His eyes fell.

"Go, Damien. We can talk later."

He appeared nothing short of reluctant, but eventually he nodded, knowing she was right. Before he left, though, he reached into the inside of his jacket and pulled out a dagger before handing it to her. "Keep it hidden. Be cautious around him, Ava. Even when he appears calm, he might snap your neck. Do not test his patience."

With that, he left, locking the door behind him. Testing his patience was not exactly what Ava had in mind. What she wanted to test was his motive. As a leader, she knew he would be more guarded with the Familiars around, but she wondered what he may reveal when alone. Most men were different when not burdened with efforts to impress a crowd. Her guess was that he was no exception. She had to catch him off guard.

Her eyes shifted towards the door, and then she walked towards it. Pressing her ear against the wood, she listened carefully for any signs of voices, footsteps, or breathing, but she heard nothing. Bending down, she looked through the keyhole, but she didn't see anything. Now was her chance. Reaching into her bra, she pulled out a pin and crouched down once more. After a brief moment of tinkering with the lock, she was rewarded with a satisfying click. She paused briefly, waiting to see if anyone had been alerted to her activity, but she was greeted with silence. Standing straight, she slowly turned the knob and dared to edge the door open. Its aged hinges creaked slightly with the movement, but when she peeked out into the hall there wasn't anyone in sight. If she was going to do this, she needed to stick to the shadows and remain unseen. This was her only chance. Stepping out into the hall, she very carefully shut the door behind her.

Night had fallen by now, and the halls were dim, providing plenty of shadows to conceal her in her dark clothing. With the furtiveness of a black panther, she began her journey through the halls. With any luck, she would locate him before he or a Familiar discovered her missing from her room. The mansion was huge, and she had not the slightest idea where to look first. Where would a vampire choose to be at this hour? For all she knew, he was out hunting.

Suddenly, she was alerted to voices, and without thinking she ducked down beneath a table right as a pair of Familiars walked around the corner. She watched their legs pass by from under the table, holding her breath to prevent from making even the faintest of noise. Part of her feared they would be able to detect her presence, but they just kept walking and eventually disappeared around the corner at the opposite end of the hall. Releasing her breath, she slowly crept out from her hiding spot and resumed her trek. Damien had said there were eleven Familiars in the building, so she had to be careful. A fight was not what she was looking for right now. She needed to be discrete.

Her feet were soundless as she padded down another hall, feeling quite lost. There were more doors than she had hairs, and the winding hallways were making her dizzy. It would be a bloody miracle if she found him without giving herself away. Only you would go looking for the man who potentially wants to make you dinner, the little voice lectured her, but she ignored it and took a cautious peek around the corner before turning down a different corridor. It appeared most of the Familiars were on the lower levels, which made sense. She had nowhere to go but down if she made any attempt at escaping. It had come as a surprise to her that no one had been guarding her door, however. Her guess was that said guard had left briefly, and he would be back. That gave her limited time.

It seemed luck was on her side that night, however, for when she made her next turn she was presented with a stream of light filtering out into the hallway. She came to a slow halt, hesitating only for a moment before she resumed her step. With the stealth that could rival a hunting vampire, she crept towards the light, which was coming from a door that had been left slightly ajar. Of course, she knew full well it could have been Familiars, but she proceeded nevertheless. As she drew closer, she became aware of something she found odd. Music. She listened as it drifted into the hall in a stream of beautiful notes, and her eyebrows drew together in wonder. Once she was close enough she peeked through the small crack, and she saw him.

His back was facing her, so she was unable to see his face as he reached up and removed his hat from his head, setting it down on the post beside him. She couldn't believe she had found him, but she remained hidden in the shadows, watching him with poorly concealed curiosity. She watched as he shrugged off the long black coat, hanging that on the post as well. It appeared she had caught him in the process of retiring for the night, which was interesting in itself considering he was a vampire. It would have been her guess that he would have been most active at this time. Reaching up, the cloth tied around his neck went next, and he began unbuttoning the front of his shirt.

Ava's eyes remained glued to his every move, feeling a bit intrusive despite who she was spying on. Now was no time for morals. Before long, his top half was completely bare, and she was given a good look at his scarred back. Toned muscles flexed as he turned to hang the shirt on the post, broad shoulders rolling as he cracked his neck. Turning, he walked towards the mirror sitting atop a dresser, and although his back was still facing her she was able to get a look at his reflection through the mirror. One of the first things she noticed was that the burns that had been so severe a mere two nights ago were now completely healed. The only wounds that remained were the faded scars he'd had before, including the vicious claw marks that ran over his shoulder. He was well-built, she'd give him that, and admittedly handsome. If she had met him in a different life, she may have considered him partner material.

Her eyes shifted up towards his face in the mirror. He was staring at his reflection, golden eyes seeming to glow in the dim lighting. His eyes were grim as he stared at himself, darkened with obvious discontentment. If she didn't know any better, she might have said he appeared a little sad. Then all of a sudden he paused, muscles visibly tensing, and she cursed inwardly when she saw his lips slowly turn upwards through the mirror; though, the action was mirthless. Glancing down, he released a small chuckle.

"Not many people can sneak up on me." Standing straighter, he turned to face the door, and her eyes closed slowly.

Knowing there was no point in running, she stood up straight and pushed the door open so he could see her. She stepped in calmly, eyes unreadable as she met his gaze with even eyes.

"Trying to sneak up on a vampire? I can smell your blood from here," he purred softly.

She said nothing.

"What are you doing out of your cage, mouse?" he asked smoothly.

"Taking a midnight stroll. Nice place you got here."

Her response caused his smirk to grow a fraction. "What can I do for you?"

Rather than answering him, she surprised him when she stepped further into the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click. He watched her closely as she approached him at a cool gait, her eyes falling to his body as she drew near. It baffled him a bit that she would venture so close to him after being caught spying, but he made no move to touch her as she gave him a onceover. Her eyes were studying him with careful scrutiny, but she didn't appear scathing or disgusted as she examined him. If anything, she appeared curious. Another thing that caught his interest was her heartbeat, its rhythm slow and patterned. She was completely calm, not an ounce of fear detectable about her. Even the Familiars' heartbeats sped up when too close to him, even if he was in a good mood.

"Your burns are healed," she commented offhandedly.

He stared at her, not saying anything.

"May I ask why these scars have remained?" she asked, eyes lingering on one that stretched from his side all the way across his stomach in a diagonal line.

His eyes practically burned holes through her. Why was she asking him this? Her sudden curiosity was slightly arcane, if not suspicious. Just hours ago she had been ready to tear into his throat.

"I acquired them before being turned," he said at last, deciding to humor her with an answer.

"When you were still a priest?"

"…Yes."

Her eyes remained glued to his body. It was like she was putting together a puzzle, her hazel-green orbs examining each mark as if they formed some kind of equation. His eyebrows drew together slightly as he watched her, the corners of his mouth tugging into a miniature frown. What was she doing? She was acting very strange.

"Why did you come here…?" he asked finally, unable to restrain his curiosity any longer.

At long last, her eyes met his, calm as ever. "What happened to you?"

He blinked. "What?"

"What happened to make you so bitter? What could cause a priest to side with the thing he sacrificed his whole life to hunt?"

The stare he was setting her with was nothing short of incredulous. It was obvious she had escaped from her room, and that she had sought him out. What he couldn't figure out was why. This woman had been giving him nothing but hell for the past forty-eight hours, and now all of a sudden she wanted to talk? She had not yet ceased to puzzle him. Nevertheless, he found himself tempted. This was the first time in a long time that someone was willingly striking a conversation with him, and despite himself he found the temptation too great. Perhaps he could finally get some answers of his own.

"Answers for answers?" he said at last.

She was quiet for a moment, but then she responded with a small nod. "Fair enough."

"Very well. You can start by telling me how you escaped your room."

She shrugged. "I picked the lock. There was no one standing guard."

"And you made it all the way here without being caught?"

"I can be very quiet."

"So I've noticed." He grinned vaguely at her, but then it was gone. He motioned towards the sofa in the room. "Sit down."

She looked behind her, and then did as he said, as he walked over to where a crystal bottle sat on a table. He poured two glasses before joining her, and she accepted the drink that was offered to her as he sat down at the opposite end of the couch.

"How long have you been like this?" she asked.

"Five years."

"Are you the one who was behind the train crash?"

At this question, his eyes appeared to darken, staring down at his drink as he swished the contents around in the glass. "I wasn't the one who crashed it, no. You can thank two priests and a less than impressive hick for that."

For a moment, she was quiet. "How did you become a vampire?"

He lifted his drink to his lips and took a thoughtful sip, studying the contents with dismal interest. "Are you familiar with Sola Mira?"

"Yes. It's one of the largest hives."

"I was sent there with a group of the best priests. Our mission was to hunt down the queen and kill her. As you can probably assume, it didn't go quite as planned."

She remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"The moment we were inside, I could tell something was wrong. There were no vampires in sight. It should have been crawling with them. However, when I voice my concerns, our leader dismissed me. We had our orders, and there was no leaving until we found the queen. So, we ventured further into the hive." He glanced down at his drink. "Before long we located her, but before we could venture into her chambers our leader motioned for us to halt. As I expected, it had been a trap. Within seconds, we were completely surrounded by vampires. They lunged from all directions, outnumbering us by dozens. We had no choice but to run for daylight."

"You fell."

He nodded. "We were there. Sunlight was mere feet away. He was in front of me."

"Your leader?"

"Yes. He made it out, and I would have as well, but one of the vampires managed to snag me by the ankle, and I slammed to the ground on my stomach. He jumped after me and caught me by the arm, but the vampires were strong. Inch by inch his grip slipped, and I could all but hold on as tightly as I could while their claws dug into my legs. It was when I looked into his eyes that I knew all hope was lost, and the next second he let go. I was dragged away on my stomach, watching helplessly as the sunlight disappeared." Lifting his glass, he knocked back the rest of his drink with a single swig. "I was taken to the depths of the hive, where I was pinned down to a slab of rock, helpless as they ripped my robes from my upper half to get to my skin. I can't remember how long I had to endure their fangs piercing my flesh, sucking the life from me bit by bit as I stared up at the towering ceiling of the hive. I prayed for death to be quick, but God wasn't listening. Yet it turned out someone else was."

"You're talking about the queen," said Ava quietly.

His eyes glanced at her. "All I remember is that the biting ceased, and I saw her above me. I was on the verge of death. I was sure I would die, but she had other plans for me. She gave me her blood."

Ava stared at him. "I can't even imagine what it must have been like…"

"No." He looked her directly in the eyes. "You couldn't."

Her eyes fell, and he leaned back in his seat.

"It was painful at first," he admitted. "Being turned isn't exactly a soothing experience, but once my body became adjusted to the blood it was like my soul had jumped right back into me. Everything was so clear. Admittedly, at first it was overwhelming. Everything was too loud, and a million scents were entering my nose at one time. I could feel everything around me. I could even taste the air." He looked down at his empty glass. "Gradually, however, I grew used to it. Five years later, I'm better off than I ever had been with the priests."

"How do you figure?" she asked, unable to mask the faint contempt in her tone.

"I live life how I want. No one is there to tell me what I can and cannot do. That is how the life of a priest is. Every detail of our lives are controlled by the Church. We ate what they told us to, slept when they told us to, and spoke when they told us to. We were denied any possible enjoyment in life. Every desire we had was a sin. All I want is to be able to live life without suffering constantly… to no longer be told that my every desire is a sin."

Ava didn't miss how his eyes shifted towards her at that last sentence, and how they gave her a suggestive onceover. Choosing to ignore this, she lifted her glass to her lips, having almost forgotten she had it, and took a long sip.

"Where is the queen now?" she asked offhandedly.

"Hidden."

Well, it was worth a shot. "And the vampires that attacked my town?"

"With her."

Silence.

"So now that you know how I came to be the monster under your bed, it's your turn to cough up some answers."

Licking her lips, she set her now empty glass down on the table beside her. "Before I do that, I want to make something clear."

He quirked an eyebrow at her, and she turned her head to meet his eyes solidly.

"I don't care that you're a vampire. That's now why I view you with disdain. I could care less about what you are."

He was eyeing her carefully. "I don't follow."

"It's not about what you are," she continued calmly. "It's who you've allowed yourself to become. You chose to be a killer."

"I chose to remain loyal to the one thing that has ever showed me a trace of understanding."

She hardly appeared convinced, but she didn't look upon him with as much condescension as he had expected. If anything, she appeared as if she were debating with herself on whether or not to buy his story.

"Your turn," he said. "Enough about me."

She released a sigh. "Fine. You asked where I learned to fight."

He waited for her to carry on.

"Ever since I was a little girl, around the age of eight years old, I've been trained to fight all types of combat. I know Kung Fu, karate, jujitsu, aikido, taekwondo, kalarippayattu, savate, et cetera. I can fight with almost any weapon you give me. I'm no priest. I couldn't take on a hive of vampires, but I can hold my own against a few."

"So I've seen. Who trained you? Were they members of the Church?"

"No. My teachers obtained their skills by their own means. It had been passed down through generations."

"How many of you are there?"

"Not many. Fewer than there are priests. We aren't an organization. We're merely trying to protect ourselves. The only reason I was accepted into the group was because of my father. He was good friends with one of the senseis, and when my parents passed they took me in."

"What of your brother? He hadn't demonstrated any of your skills since he's joined my forced."

"I was separated from Damien when I was three years old. We didn't meet up again until I was fifteen. We were separated again when I was nineteen after raiders attacked our town, and he was taken as a hostage. I looked for him for nearly a year, but I never found him. I thought he was dead until yesterday."

He nodded slowly. "I see…"

"What about you?"

His gaze moved back to hers. "What about me?"

"How old were you when the clergy found you?"

"I was eleven…" He considered her curiously for a moment. "You said you were taken in when your parents passed. What happened?"

He watched her eyes fall at his question, as a dark shadow fell over her features, and he knew then that the conversation was over.

"That's enough sharing for one night," she said quietly, but a firmness lingered in her voice that held no room for argument.

He might have persisted anyway, if it hadn't been for the sudden rapid knocking on his door, followed by the anxious voice of a Familiar.

"Sir, the girl's escaped! We're searching the building now. All exits are blocked, so she's still in the building."

Black Hat snorted and rolled his eyes, and when he spoke his voice held derisive amusement. "No need to release the hounds, my friend. She's in here with me."

There was a pause. "…Sir?"

"Talking," Ava added when she heard the Familiar's tone. The last thing she needed was everyone thinking she was giving herself up to their boss.

Black Hat glanced at her at her comment, but then he looked back towards the door. "Call the others off. I'll take her back to her room myself."

Ava listened as the Familiar's footsteps disappeared down the hall, and all she could think about was that Damien was likely recovering from cardiac arrest, and how he would react when word got to him that she had been in his boss's bedroom.

Hope you liked this chapter. How will things roll out from here? Where are the vampires being transported to?