Canada, 2007

Juliet left the restaurant and she sighed, the night air was cool and she hugged herself, almost wishing she had paid attention to the weather report earlier that day. She would have liked to have a sweater with her at that moment. People filled the Byward Market, all part goers heading to some of the bars and clubs that dotted the market. Loud music played and Juliet quickly headed the opposite way, she liked the quiet, she wanted away from the busy streets. Turning down an alley way between buildings she cut over to the next street which was much quieter and less busy.

Breathing in the night air again she sighed happily. Right then and there in that moment Juliet had a moment of freedom. She briefly thought of her mother, Omega... even the father she never knew. A rustling movement from behind caught her attention, turning her head she looked and at first didn't see anything, and figured it must have been a squirrel or some other rodent. But a slight shift of shadow made her believe that it was not just some harmless woodland animal.

For a brief moment she thought she saw a person. And when Juliet saw that she started to move quicker. Anxious to get away. But as she looked back she didn't see the person again and she breathed a sigh of relief. It was paranoia. She knew it, every shadow every person that stared at her... Juliet would wonder if they were from the Morrison Foundation, if they were following her, trying to catch her. It made her almost wanted to laugh at herself for being so anxious.

But it was a shadow... no two shadows that moved ahead that made her heart skip a beat. These shadows were two men, walking towards her, the way they moved... that was made her worried. Instantly her mind reach out for thoughts, since they were the only ones close she could easily attain them. One man was repeating a prayer in his head, the other was thinking of her. That is when Juliet knew for sure that these men were after her.

The young woman moved quicker taking a few steps back and quickly moving to the nearest alley way, and as soon as she was out of the men's eyesight she ran. Feet pounded the ground as she ran, the alleyway did not lead to another street but to a backalleyway. And in her panic Juliet could hardly think straight of what to do. She had not been prepared for this, had not expected it so soon. She had been extra careful even going to the states for a week in between her moves to throw them off her trail. How had they found her this time?

Turning to the right she ran down the darker part of the alley hoping it would cover her escape. As she ran down the alley for found herself in the end looping back towards where the men had been. She gasped and whipped her head around trying to find another way to go.

"Mike! You lost the bitch?" came one male voice echoing down the alleyway behind her. Juliet bolted forward and she ran to the street. Looking left to right and then she ran again. Hearing the crashing of trash cans she glanced back and saw on the men running after her. Adrenaline pumped into her system and she ran faster.

Ducking into an new alleyway to hopefully bring her back to the busy streets where she could loose herself in the crowds. Buy herself some time to truly get away from them and leave. Though it broke her heart to think of having to leave Ottawa, the city was a beautiful place, one she could make a life for herself. Have dreams and a future there. But now they had ripped it away from her. Just like they had taken her childhood, mother and life.

But as she ducked into the alley Juliet run into something... or someone. The other man, they had anticipated her movements, the two other men came up behind her, and she gasped. They now had her completely boxed in.

Juliet was trapped.


Darren flew over the night sky in the body of an eagle, his unearthly blue eyes scanned the Byward Market finding the restaurant that he had learned that the woman he was searching for had taken a job at. It had been two nights since he arrived in the Canadian capital, he had spent the time meticulously searching every lead to find this Juliet O'Connor. Mikhail had uncovered file from the Morrison Center, all contained many names of women and men that they were looking into. Juliet was listed as a priority find, and orders were to apprehend her or kill her. Which explained why the Prince had been so desperate to have this woman found. He descended to the ground and shifted back to the form of a man, his ancient eyes scanned with precision, inside the restaurant he felt the presence of only one person. A male.

Not the woman, but maybe someone who could tell him where she went. Waiting outside the back door, Darren remained patient. And when the man exited he stepped out of the shadows.

"Good Evening... I am looking for Jessie Murdock, I am a friend." Darren said, his voice low and hypnotic, a compulsion weaved into his voice. The man had no chance to refused the Carpathian.

"Jessie left about fifteen minutes ago, she walks that way." James told the man and pointed the way that Juliet had walked off in. Darren turned following his gaze, he nodded and looked back to the man.

"Thank you my friend." Darren said and swooped away from him and quickly down the street. He moved with lethal precision, making no noise unless he wished it. Once he was alone again he turned to mist and moved quickly. He knew with every moment that this woman was one her own was another moment she was in danger and at risk of being found by the Morrison Center.

Darren moved quickly, materializing on the street his eyes searching. Ignoring the people he followed the most logical way for the woman to travel. But not seeing anything he turned to mist again and went to the next street over to search. He could sense people near by, he felt men's presence first. His mind followed after them and he could see the face of the girl in their minds and he surged forward.

Getting to the alleyway entrance, his thick frame filled it and his dark cerulean eyes stared at the three men they surrounded someone incredibly smaller than then. The petite body crumpled to the ground but the men didn't seem to care. Darren could see them attacking the woman, feet and arms flew at the small body huddled on the ground trying to protect itself.

"Like this now you bitch?" one man taunted as he kicked.

"Try and run? We know what you are." came another man's voice. And something in Darren snapped. The Carpathian male surged forward hands ripping the first two men away and threw them each into the wall of the building to his right. And before the third man could react to what was happening to his comrades Darren was one him, and bones were snapped and then man crumpled to the ground howling in pain.

Darren whipped around to look to the girl, looking to see what had been done to her. The sight was something he had not expected to see. He saw her hair first, not because of the long wavy tresses but because of the shocking auburn of her hair. The color spread out from the petite girl's body, her clothing, the color of her skin. A surge of joy went through him, joy for the first time in centuries, to see that color had finally been restored to him. But then his eyes saw the dark purple and blue of the bruises that marred her perfect skin.

Then anger flooded threw him. Anger to these men for darring to even think of hurting her. This young woman who was his lifemate, his everything in this world. One man got up and turned to Darren, at once knowing who and what he was dealing with. The man assumed he was dealing with was a vampire, ready to kill, a sinful creature he had to destroy.

But the creature he dealed with was more dangerous than anything he could assume, Darren was filled with rage. He would make these men pay, instantly he was on the man, and one man fell, dead, then the next and then finally the third. Darren however in his rage was careful to make it seem like a mugging gone wrong, terribly wrong. The marks he left were made to look like a human had done something. He even managed to make them appeared that they had been on drugs when the crime happened.

Returning to the young woman he bent over her. The girl had bruises spreading across her face, blood trickled from the corner of her mouth and down her chin. Her arms swept her up bring her up to his body, her head rolled backwards like a flower on a broken stem and Darren felt an unfamiliar pain rip through his chest.

"No... Juliet... please." Darren pleaded with the unconscious girl. But as a soft noise passed from her he sighed, she was not dead, she was hanging on. A hand went behind her head and cradled it against his shoulder. He vowed to heal her, and care for her as a lifemate should do.

His lifemate... she was real. She was there and he was touching her, holding her.

Aramis... I found her. She's real and I will keep her with me... I will make her safe. Darren said, feeling some relief. He had kept his promise to his brother, that he did not greet the dawn and loose such a priceless, precious gift. Gathering her into his arms he leapt and was in flight in moments, heading to the home he had taken residence in, across the Ottawa river and in the depths of the Gatineau Hills.