Chapter 4

Forever Winter

The sheets were soaked in sweat and her hair clung to her forehead. Throughout the night, D had heard her in her sleep, crying and weeping without restraint. Her body had twisted and writhed on the bed, desperate to get away from something in her nightmare. Now she was awake and bereft. She drew her knees up to her chest and buried her head in them, trying to dull her sobs. D had been awake the whole time but had said nothing. This was something she had to go through alone. Without a doubt, her mind was reminding her of what she had gone through. Finally, as if sensing that he was watching her, she looked up at him. Tears stained her cheeks and her eyes were red and swollen.

"I remember...I remember what happen before you found me in the snow." She was quiet and solemn now.

D merely nodded. He remained in his fixed position up against the wall, his sword resting beside him. "It was vampires, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"What did they do to you?" He spoke softly and clearly.

She found herself choking up again at the question. "Horrible things. They did horrible things to me. Experiments. I gave birth to a baby. They took my baby from me."

"How many vampires were there?"

"I only remember seeing three face to face. But I know there were more." She said more composed now.

"What did they look like?" D asked.

"The details are unclear. But I remember that one of them was very tall and cruel. He seemed to be the leader. He was royalty or something." She paused before continuing. "He... hurt me." She squeezed her legs tighter together and held herself more firmly at the memory of the noble's touch.

D didn't ask for details. He knew what she meant. But his curiosity was raised at who she was talking about. "What was his name?"

"I don't remember."

"Tell me, what was his name?" He repeated, but this time with more forcefulness.

"I don't remember!" She wailed. Frustrated by his lack of empathy, she removed herself off the bed and moved to the bedroom balcony. She opened the glass windows and stood out in the open night air. A cool breeze caressed her skin and made her hair dance in the wind. Without considering who might see her, she untied the cloak and let it fall to the ground. She extended her wings and let them flap in the night air.

D stood and watched. If he was astounded it wasn't obvious by his blank expression. He had heard of such celestial beings but had never come face to face with one until now. She wasn't human after all. D had heard of her kind before but didn't think they existed anymore. There was a name for her species that began with A but because they were thought to have died out long ago all memory of them had been wiped from most people's consciousness. It was possible that she had been breed by the nobility, grown in a lab somewhere perhaps, implanted with limited memory and knowledge. Vampires loved to create and pervert species. They loved beauty and loved innocence. They were the two things vampires never grew tired of exploiting. As the moonlight shone down upon her, her blue eyes appeared to crystallize and shimmer like diamonds. She was truly a beautiful creature. After a few minutes, she came back inside; her wings were retracted a little.

"You need to be honest with me, D." She said as she came face to face with him. "Why did you help me? Why are you so curious about the one who held me captive? Do you know him?"

D didn't answer.

"Are you using me, D, to get to someone?" She demanded. Her eyes glanced down at the symbol on her wrist. On closer inspection, it appeared to be the letter D with a dragon wrapped around it. It looked like a family crest.

"My reasons are personal." He replied.

"Who are you D?

"You need to ask yourself that question." His stare was unforgiving. It was impossible to intimidate him. He moved away from the wall and stood fully upright, his large form daunting.

"That is the one thing I still don't know. I don't know what I am or where I came from. I don't even think I have a name."

"Why don't you choose one for yourself?" He suggested.

"Alright," she said thinking, "I want you to call me Winter, because of how you found me."

"As you wish."

"But you still haven't answered my question. Do you know the one who hurt me?" She asked.

D remained silent. It was obvious to her now that D would never tell her. Something about the tall Noble intrigued him. There was a connection there that he refused to reveal.

"At least do one for thing for me. I want you to help me get my baby back."

Again, D took his time in replying.

"From what you have told me about your ordeal, your baby is most certainly a half vampire. A half breed. Are you sure you want to raise a dhampir?"

"I don't care about the circumstances in which it was conceived. I don't care that it's a half breed. But I do care that it's got half of me in it. No matter what it's still MY baby. I don't even know if it was a boy or a girl. They took it away so quickly, I didn't even get a chance to hold it." The determination she had displayed on her face only moments ago was now replaced with deep seeded anguish that only a mother knew.

D waited patiently for her to finish.

"Please, I'm begging you, help me find my baby. I have no money to give you for payment. The only thing I can offer you is my body. It's not valuable to me anymore. He already took what was sanctified about it." She presumptuously began to remove her clothing when he stopped her with a gentle grasp of her arm.

"I will help you. But I do not require payment."

"Why, why would you help me then?" There was a moment when their eyes were locked in a silent stare.

"We still have a few hours until the sun rises. Try to get some sleep."

"I can't sleep without feeling his hands on me." She shivered. Her wings retracted and completely folded up.

"There's nothing I can do about that."

"Maybe there is. Would you...umm... hold me until the sun comes up?" Winter asked. It was an extremely bold demand on her part and one she didn't put much thought into. She heard a gruff voice let out a chuckle. For an unknown reason, D squeezed his left hand with great force. The chuckle promptly stopped.

"It would be best if you didn't make such a request." He told her.

"Please..." Refusing to take no for an answer, she fell into him. Her head nestled into his broad muscular shoulder. Winter wrapped her arms around his waist. By the feel of his body, she might as well have hugged solid steel. There was not one part of his body that felt soft or weak. Before, Winter thought D had been wearing some kind of body armour, but now she realised that it was his actual muscular body beneath the fabric of his garment. D was a spectacular specimen. He was night in physical form, pure darkness yet it was clear he was not evil. Winter let out a long held sigh and felt the mood in the room shift. She reached up and slid his hat off his head, his face now clearly visible. As they lay down on the bed together, her face rested on his massive chest. She was surprised and relieved that he had relented. His heart beat was slow and soothing to listen to.

To her astonishment, he gently touched her wings, rubbing a section of them between his thumb and forefinger. They were both strange creatures, to themselves as well as to others; at least they had that in common. But Winter feared that because of their connection with the Master vampire, they might have even more in common. But for right now, no where on earth was safer then where she was right this minute. She twirled her fingers in his long dark hair with the fascination of a small child. It was thick and springy to the touch. Forgetting her nightmare, her eyes closed and she eased into sleep. D remained alert and his eyes remained open even after dawn, preparing to face the terrifying day which was to come...