Hey guys. Here is the next chapter for you. This one has some NSFW stuff in it as a heads up.

Chapter Six: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

Max took a deep bracing breath and rolled her shoulders as she stood opposite Serana, just a couple of feet away. This was no doubt going to end in pain for her... and a lot of it since she had no notable combat skills. Even if she'd had some kind of martial arts training in life, it would be nothing compared to Serana's experience. She'd lived such a long time so must have fought her way out of many compromising situations. While she looked like the kind of person who would rather talk her way out of it, sometimes that wasn't possible.

After swallowing her apprehensions as best she could, Max assumed a hesitant fighting stance, one she'd probably picked up from over the top martial arts films in the past. This caused Serana's lip to quirk up into an amused smile. Max's tentative enthusiasm was at least something working in her favor. Her footwork and guard on the other hand needed work. The way Max was now, she'd fall flat on her ass if someone hit her. Still, that was something she needed to learn on her own.

"Whenever you're ready, Max," Serana prompted, curious to see what she actually had to work with. She wasn't expecting much, especially if Max's obvious lack of confidence in her skill was anything to go by.

Just when it looked like Max was simply going to stand there forever, she clumsily lunged forward. Serana stepped aside with ease, not even needing to block the attack. Max stumbled while trying to regain her balance. Surprisingly, she managed to stop herself from falling flat on her face. That might be seen as a miracle within itself.

When Max had finally composed herself enough, she turned back to Serana with a sheepish grin, "That could have gone better."

"You can certainly say that again," Serana chuckled lightly as she took a step closer to Max, "I can't fault you for effort at least."

"Well, I don't really want my ass to get kicked too badly," Max nervously mentioned as she rubbed at the back of her neck.

Serana allowed a slow, wicked grin to grace her features that sent shivers up her spine. "Well," she mused, "That's something you'll be getting used too in due time."

That statement didn't really instil Max with confidence. If anything, it made her even more worried about what was in store. It wasn't like she really had much choice in the matter though. She had to learn this. Still, that thought didn't help with her reservations much.

Serana paced over to where Max was stood, "Let me give you a few tips before we try again. Otherwise we'll be going around in circles. Firstly, I would avoid a head on attack where possible. Unless you are using it purely for distraction purposes."

"I guess that makes sense," Max agreed, feeling really foolish for even trying that now. Getting put on the spot like that didn't appear to be her strong point.

"See, you are learning already," Serana pointed out, "Make sure to learn it now, not when you are in real danger."

That seemed as good advice as any to Max. She had no intention of waiting until the last moment to find out that her combat skills were extremely lacking. Especially when she already knew that. Even though this process would be a struggle and painful, it would be worth it in the long run. That's what she had to keep telling herself anyway.

"Secondly, be aware of your surroundings," the older Vampiress continued with an air of expertise, "There are often opportunities you can exploit if you simply take the time to review all the possibilities. In the heat of battle, this may prove difficult. It may also be the defining factor in winning. Therefore, quick thinking is key."

In her experience, being able to adapt in such a way could completely turn the outcome of a fight. Combat was not merely about physical strength. Too many made this mistake. Underestimating an opponent because of this factor alone had brought about the downfall of so many 'invincible' supernaturals. Some by her own hand.

"Lastly, if you can gain an advantage over your opponent, you do it without question. Fairness should not even factor into your decision. If you hesitate, even for a second, you will not survive the encounter," Serana cautioned.

There was no room for integrity during a fight, between supernaturals especially. It was either kill or be killed. Simple as that.

Deciding that she had given Max enough pointers for now, Serana took a single step back, "That is all I shall give you for now. Without the active process of learning, anything else I have to tell you would be of very little help. Use the knowledge as you see fit during this training."

Max frowned lightly, still halfway convinced this was just a way for the vampiress to amuse herself at the fledgling's expense. She wouldn't be entirely wrong.

A few hours later saw Max laying on her side, panting harshly and glaring up at Serana. She had been completely outmatched by every meaning of the word. In fact, she hadn't even managed to land a single hit the entire time. Not even close. It was infuriating. What made it worse, really added insult to injury, was that Serana hadn't even been trying. She'd had no hope from the start. While Max had kind of expected that, it didn't make her feel any better.

Serana strode over to her and crouched down. Her fingertips brushed against Max's throbbing cheek, causing her teeth to grit together, "That certainly looks painful. I didn't mean to be quite so rough with you," something about her tone seemed insincere, almost teasing. Maybe that was just Max's imagination as the wounded party in this fight.

Max wasn't even certain if she could move right now without feeling as if she was being stabbed repeatedly. She didn't want to test that theory out. Instead, she laid there as still as possible, only daring to move her eyes. At least the pain shouldn't last too long… she hoped. Otherwise, she'd be staying here for a while longer yet. She winced as a shooting pain entered her wrist and wondered whether something had been broken. In the heat of battle, the adrenaline and her instincts had overridden everything. Now though...

Serana noticed the slightly awkward angle. She wouldn't be surprised if Max had broken, or at the very least dislocated something. Especially with her inexperience. While Serana had been careful not to fully unleash her strength, it was still a possibility. She reached down and took Max's wrist, watching as her face scrunched up in pain. If Max didn't want it to set like that, she'd need to snap it back quickly. Without saying a word, Serana pulled on her wrist, hearing a sharp inhalation and stifled yelp as she re-positioned the bone with practiced motions.

"You are lucky that was simply a dislocation," Serana mentioned as she moved Max's wrist back and forth gently to ensure it was back in place, "Elsewhere however, we won't really know until I check."

"I don't feel too lucky," Max muttered through gritted teeth as Serana began checking to see if her ribs and other bones were still in tact.

For the most part, everything seemed in a relatively normal state. Some manipulation was required to get everything back into place. Apart from this, the worst Max would have to deal with would be bruising and some moderate wounds. She'd be back on her feet in no time, if a little stiff. It had been surprising to see Max last as long as she had really, so that at least was something Serana could work with. Learning the movements and building up stamina were more easily achieved than inspiring the determination to not give up. A fight was never truly over until an opponent had been completely destroyed. Some liked to toy with downed challengers and that complacency could backfire.

Max grunted as she was eased into a sitting position, before she decided to stand on her own power. "I'll be fine." she muttered.

"Indeed," Serana murmured, biting back a grin at Max's petulance. It was endearing how frustrated she was. Even though she was just starting to learn she still expected to be able to at least hold her own. Until she started improving immensely, Max would have to get used to this kind of beating.

Serana gestured, and felt the drain on her reserves as her magic responded by rippling out into the woods around them, fulfilling her wishes. The environment was altered, vines and branches snapping off and trees being felled according to her will. She knew this area like the back of her hand, and knew what was needed to move on to the next lesson. "A fight between supernaturals is rarely going to be stationary, not with our speed and strength. You need to know how to use the environment, and to be aware of your surroundings at all time."

Max watched on with curiosity, wondering what was planned for her next. The pain still lingered in her body, especially in the places that had made a worrying crack earlier, and she was starting to feel drained from the aftermath of the combat training. She wouldn't be able to go on much longer without a feed.

Once a path forward had been cleared, something that took mere moments, Serana turned to Max with a challenging smirk. This might have been better if Max could actually compete with her, but it would be interesting to see the outcome regardless. It would also give her a chance to play around with her powers. Some of them she hadn't used properly in a long time, simply because there had been no reason to.

"Now, we shall try something a little different," Serana mentioned before motioning towards the newly opened up path, "The aim is simple. Do you best to keep up. Ready?" before Max had the chance to reply or ask any questions, she was already beginning to move.

Max would have to be ready for impulsive and instantaneous action like this. She would get much less warning in any real encounter and most likely be on the other end of the chase.

Serana took off like a bullet from a gun, zipping along the forest at break neck speed. She couldn't hold back the laugh at Max's indignant "Hey!". Words would not help her now, only action would. She glanced back over her shoulder to see Max finally cottoning onto this. What her young companion was about to learn was that this forest was Serana's playground.

She decided to lull Max into a false sense of security, let her believe that she had a chance before incorporating hurdles into this. As she ran at a leisurely pace to allow Max to get closer, she began to ponder her options here. She didn't want to go too overboard as of now, but she had to provide a challenge.

To break Max in gently, she flicked her wrist swiftly to the right. On command, a net of vines began to weave itself and close off the path directly behind her. She looked back just in time to see Max skid to an inelegant stop just inches from the newly formed barrier. It took her a couple of seconds to dodge around it and continue the chase. A tree root stuck above the ground slightly, one Serana could use here. As expected, Max headed straight forward into her trap. She waited until the opportune moment before motioning upwards. The root shot up just in time to connect with Max's foot. This unexpected collision caught her off guard. She stumbled forward, trying desperately to keep her balance. Her arm extended to reach out for a nearby tree, her hand clenching to steady herself. This caused her fingers to sink into the trunk from the grip. Once composed again, Max continued more cautiously. This time instead of heading blindly forward, she darted around more to avoid becoming such an easy target.

Now that Max was actively adapting her chasing techniques, it was time to increase the challenge. With a single motion from Serana, all the surrounding vine-like plants made a beeline towards Max, wrapping around her wrists and ankles to restrain her. The more she mindlessly struggled against them, the tighter the vines clung on. Panicking and blindly lashing out would never help her. She needed to learn to remain calm in the face of danger. Eventually, Serana sensed the subtle shift in Max's demeanor as her mind settled. All that was required to escape this was one concentrated tug, enough to break the vine on her uninjured wrist. Now with one hand free, the task was much simpler.

Serana watched on as she struggled, finding all this quite amusing really. The same on the other hand could not be said for Max. Every single obstacle thrown her way meant she had to expend more of her limited energy reserves, ones that were currently being used to heal her. She could slowly feel her grip on control fading as she raced through the forest, darting in and out of the trees to avoid getting attacked. Things were deteriorating rapidly for her.

Just as she thought she might collapse from the exhaustion, she picked up on a subtle scent on the air. It was immediately recognizable. Any remaining dominance Max had over her mind and body disappeared almost instantaneously. Her once blue irises gave way to a deep crimson as they pinpointed the direction of the blood scent. Without hesitation, the muscles in her legs pushed her forward. She didn't even flinch as the various branches and thorny bushes scratched at her pale skin. There was only one thing on her mind now.

As she approached closer to the source, the scent became increasingly more potent, only fueling her bloodlust. She was close now. So very close. The anticipation was overwhelming as she tracked down the location of her prey. She didn't slow down for even a second to plan. Stealth no longer factored in her attack. All she knew now was that intoxicating aroma.

"Max" that voice was familiar, one she trusted and found herself slowing reluctantly, but then she caught that delicious smell and all reason was blasted from her mind again.

Soon enough, she was mere feet from her destination. This close, she could see the situation that had led her here. There was a small group of people, maybe five, all crowded around near the bottom of a steep cliff face. One of them was pacing up and down, shouting incoherently at the phone clutched in his hand. Something about there being no signal. Another appeared to be hyperventilating due to blind panic. One man simply stared down, all the color drained from his face. There was an unmoving body on the ground just visible from where she stood. This was the source. She vaguely registered a snapped climbing rope hanging down limply from part way up the cliff face as it swayed in the wind. Not that Max really didn't cared how this had all come about.

She lunged forward towards the distracted group. One of them tried to get her attention, maybe to ask for help, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. His efforts to save whoever was bleeding out were rewarded with sharp fangs being sunk deeply into his neck. She let out a gratified purr as the tang filled her mouth. It took a moment for the man to react to this, but by that point it was much too late. The others around him watched on in horror, their feet pinned to the spot. Max could feel the energy very slowly returning as she fed, but it did little to sate the bloodlust. She needed more.

The bloodflow of the man her fangs were currently embedded in slowed considerably. She retracted from his neck and pushed him aside before turning her focus to the others. Their eyes widened at the blood trickling down her chin and fangs protruding from her mouth. That was all it took to get them running. A twisted grin pulled at her lips as she gave chase. Their attempts to flee would be futile, however hard they tried.

As Max methodically hunted down her fleeing prey, Serana looked on with interest. Initially she had set out to stop Max, worried that she might expose their existence in front of too many witnesses. This situation however would be easy enough to clean up after. Besides, she didn't really want to get in the way of Max's developing instincts. She wanted her to embrace them as much as possible. There was no point in interfering unless absolutely necessary.

One of the men had stumbled off to the left, away from where Max had ran off to. Serana took this opportunity to aid the silencing of witnesses as she sped off after him. One unfortunate accident had tipped things in her favor. Within a matter of seconds, she had caught up with the man. It almost seemed too easy, so she decided to have a little fun instead. After all, it was the actual hunt that appealed to her the most.

She stalked her prey, using her control over the forest to rustle bushes and abruptly close off established pathways. This all served to heighten the panic and drive the man deeper into her realm. Every now and then, she caught the flicker of increasing panic building up in his eyes. It was the same look every single one of her targets had during a hunt.

Once bored of toying with this man, she raced ahead to place herself directly in his path just beyond his sight. Within a few moments, she could see him stumbling forward while panting heavily. He froze when he noticed her, but found himself unable to move. His mind willed his feet to run, not that it did him any good. An invisible force weighed down on him as Serana approached at a leisurely pace. While his face remained expressionless, his eyes revealed the terror. This only intensified as his neck was aggressively pierced.

She savored the taste, pulling draughts from the man's bloodstream as she kept half an ear out and listened for the other screams as Max continued her hunt. Her fangs retracted and her eyes returned to their usual shimmering shade of amber as the blood source ran dry. She licked the remaining blood from her lips before searching to find Max. All she really had to do was follow the faint blood trail. She really was rather pleased, despite the lack of attention she'd given Max's condition after the day's training she had not thought that it would lead to this.

In retrospect, she supposed it was inevitable. The younger the vampire the faster they worked through their reserves, especially as they were more active and their bodies were still in a period of transition. It didn't take her long to track Max down. She was sat with her back propped up against a tree trunk just a few feet away from what could only be her last kill. Judging by her laxed posture and troubled expression, she was just coming down from her bloodlust high now. No doubt she would be beating herself up over this. Just as she had done every other time. This internal moral dilemma after every kill would lessen over time. Serana would make sure of that.

Max lifted her head to face Serana as she approach, half expecting to get scolded for running off like that. Her worries were eased when she saw the other woman's expression. Instead of being stern and reprimanding, she appeared to be content with the outcome. Although, it was hard to tell exactly what she was thinking. Max worried her lip between her teeth as she waited for the verdict on this unexpected situation. Serana picked up on this and decided to let her squirm a little longer. It was entertaining to see the various emotions cycling across Max's face as she nervously waited.

Serana allowed herself to smile, "While you could use some lessons in herding," she said rather lightly, "It seems you've gotten the hang of hunting for your prey."

Max sighed at this, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them, "It was… easier this time. Maybe even enjoyable in a way," she didn't sound too thrilled about admitting this.

"That is the way it should be, Max."

"I… didn't need to hunt them all down. I was fine after the second one, but… I kept going anyway," her eyes drifted over towards the lifeless body nearby, "He died for nothing."

"Max," Serana said gently, "It's the way of things in this world. And it's been that way for a very long time. Your instincts are natural urges, ones you should therefore not suppress. Human society is the only one I know of that morally regulates these naturally occurring impulses.-Well," Serana allowed herself a slight smirk here, "aside from werewolves, but that's because it's annoying to constantly repair damages from them losing their cool- You are not human, so those ridiculous notions no longer apply to you," she took a step closer to the young fledgeling, her tone reassuring and gentle, "There is nothing wrong with embracing who you really are or pursuing what you really want."

Max was still frowning, unsure, and Serana knew she'd have to keep trying to sway her. "Sleep on it," the elder suggested, "we should get home. Something tells me this incident won't go unnoticed, and we have been active for quite a while in this area."

The body just feet from Max was getting a little unsettling now, so she agreed to this. Anything to get away from here. She inhaled deeply before getting to her feet and following Serana back to the place that she now considered her home. It was the only one she knew.

Once back inside the confines of the house, Serana turned to Max with a smile as she motioned down the hallway, "Go get cleaned up. It will help make you feel better."

Max took her up on the suggestion and began making her way down to the bathroom at the end of the corridor. She entered inside the last door on the right, leading into the stone walled room. After shutting the door behind her, she made her way over to the corner bath wedged snugly against the walls to her right and let the water run. While she was waiting for it to fill, she got undressed.

As she did, she noticed that the numerous wounds and bruises previously covering her pale skin had all but disappeared now. Most of the pain had gone too, although she did feel stiff. She rolled her shoulders as she watched the water level rise, switching off the tap before it became too full. After easing herself into the bath, she rested her head back on the rim and stared up at the ceiling.

Everything was happening too quickly. In a matter of weeks, her entire world had been flipped upside down. She'd been thrown into a whole new reality, with next to no recollection of the one she had left behind. You'd have thought that might make it easier, not knowing what she now had to give up, but in truth it just made her feel lost. Like she didn't really belong anywhere. She was torn between an unknown past and an uncertain future.

At least she wasn't completely alone. Serana was trying to help her re-adjust and learn. It was more than that though. Despite being a total stranger, she had brought Max into her home, kept her from totally freaking out and had just been there. She couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips then… or the accompanying flashes from the few dreams she'd had.

Max slumped down deeper into the water, her chin partially immersed. She still didn't really know what to make of them. It always left her feeling flustered, but also excited in a way. It's not like she could stop them, even if she wanted to. Besides, Serana herself had said that she shouldn't be suppressing natural urges. There was no way she could ever see herself admitting outright though. She highly doubted that someone as strong, independant and pretty as Serana would ever go for her anyway.

Realizing the mootness of this thought, she shook it from her mind and instead focused on relaxing. It was getting harder to concentrate as a gentle haze settled over her thoughts. So much had happened today, so she supposed it made sense to feel like this. This time was especially overwhelming though. Her eyelids began to get very heavy, threatening to close. The more she resisted, the harder it became to focus her attention. It wasn't unpleasant, but it had come at an inconvenient time. Her limbs became dead weights and started to tingle ever so slightly. All she could really do now was give herself over to this consuming feeling.

"Pleasant dreams, Max," a hushed voice whispered from the other side of the door once Max was finally under, "I'll see you there soon."

Max's eyes opened slowly, the grogginess from earlier still lingering. She lifted her left arm, which had been hanging out over the side of the bath, and rubbed at her eyes. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was. She vaguely recalled the events that had led her to falling asleep like this. There was no indication of the time, so she had no clue how long she'd been like this.

Once the remnants of sleep had finally left her, she proceeded to make her way out of the water and grab a towel from the rack just beside her. She felt considerably better now thanks to the combination of a meal, being clean and sleep. After toweling herself dry, she glanced down at the stone floor in search of her clothes. Her brow furrowed when they were nowhere to be seen. For now, she wrapped the towel around herself. Maybe she just needed to look a bit closer. She'd been so out of it before that they could be anywhere.

She checked in every conceivable place they could be, but it was like they'd just vanished into thin air. As she stood there scratching her head, the door creaked open. The noise alerted Max and she turned around, startled to see Serana standing there so unashamedly. She instinctively brought her hand up to the towel to make sure it was secure, before stammering a choked, "W-what are you-?"

The words became stuck in her throat as her eyes finally met those mesmerising amber irises. They drew her in, distracted her line of thought. Serana's eyes never left hers as she began to stride towards Max, "This is my house. I may go where I please. When I please."

Her tone was compelling, immediately cutting off any objections Max might have had to having her privacy invaded in this way. Before she could realize it, Max had been back up against the furthest wall with no way to escape. She swallowed hard and clutched tighter at the towel, feeling very vulnerable now. Her mouth opened and closed silently as those predatory eyes bore into hers with a burning intensity. It was a gaze that did not ask, instead demanded.

Without warning, the older Vampiress leaned in and roughly pressed her mouth to Max's. The fledgling's eyes widened in shock and her eyebrows shot up at this, even more so when she felt Serana's tongue force its way in. A short, sharp pain entered her lip as a fang nipped at it, making her gasp. This was all happening so fast, a blur of action.

Before Max really had time to process everything, she felt the hand that had once been grasping the towel violently pulled away and pinned to the wall behind her. Not breaking the kiss, Serana's other hand tugged aggressively at the towel, pulling it away and letting it fall to the floor. Max instinctively tried to cover herself, but instead was pushed further into the wall. Serana's eyes snapped open, pinning her to the spot as her free hand began wondering along Max's chest. She had no desire to pander to an illusion of patience or tenderness today.

Max's body began to throb, and she was trapped in the older vampire's grip, drawn in by the irises that burned with an inner light. They had an almost hypnotizing effect on her, soothing her worries and dissolving any tension, but also sending a jolt of pleasure at the unrestrained longing.

Serana's hand cupped Max's left breast, squeezing and digging her long nails into pale skin. Max winced slightly at this, but the elation far outweighed the pain. All the while, Serana's eyes remained pinned on Max's face, watching the reactions with smug interest. The girl's eyes were glazed, and she was breathing hard from the surprise kiss. She wondered what would happen when she finally pushed Max to the edge. What would she look like then?

The answer to that question would have to wait.

Her hand moved over to the other side after briefly inspecting the red marks on Max's skin. In a way, she couldn't wait to skip over all this build up. To just let loose and not have to restrict herself. That time would come soon enough though. As she tweaked the nipple between her fingers and thumb, earning her a satisfying moan, she idly decided that she would need to start incorporating more physical interactions into her conversations with Max while awake. However subtle at first. While this was entertaining, she would get nowhere confined simply to a dream, however realistic.

She pushed these thoughts out of her mind for now, instead focusing on the task at hand. With one final playful tug, her fingertips moved on down over Max's stomach. While her plan did not involve going the whole way in dream, she could still tease as much as she liked. Leave Max hungry for more. That was the key to a successful prolonged seduction such as this.

When Serana's hand brushed against Max's inner thigh, she jumped a little, very briefly breaking away from kissing before Serana pressed their lips together once more. She could feel Max tense up against her as her long, slender fingers moved closer to the spot that would send her to the brink of ecstasy.

Serana smirked at the obvious anticipation in Max's expression and the rest of her body. One she would not alleviate… now anyway, as tempting as it might be. She retracted her fingers slightly, earning her a disappointed whimper. Serana laughed lowly, ensuring Max's arms were both pinned above her as the elder vampiress pressed closer against her protege and the woman's thigh planted itself firmly between Max's legs. "That's not how this works Max," she purred lowly.

Max's expression was strained with trying not to react too strongly to her thigh, knowing that if she pushed her luck she'd be back to square one again. She gritted her teeth as Serana teasingly pressed against her before pulling back again. Max wasn't sure how much more of this she could actually take before it drove her crazy. It was taking all her self-restraint to keep calm right now and there was no way Serana hadn't realized that. She would be right.

After a long moment, Serana encompassed both of Max's wrists with one hand to allow her other to wander freely. Her fingers returned to the inside of Max's thigh once more, but much closer to where Max would want her now. It was so tempting, and easy, to just glaze over all this planned out teasing foreplay… what she wanted was right there at her fingertips. Deciding to indulge herself just a little, as well as tormenting Max further, she ran her index finger over the opening before pulling away once more. Max's body shuddered against her when she did this. She made sure to catch Max's eye as she brought her finger to her lips, licking at it. No doubt if Max could blush right now, she would.

It was almost too easy to tease her. That's what made it so fun. "Did you like that?" she asked teasingly, already knowing the answer.

Max looked away shyly, nodding her head slightly. This was not a satisfactory answer. Half-hearted motions were not enough. Serana took Max's chin between her fingers, pulling her head back up to focus on her. She kept her tone calm, although found it difficult to keep out the anger over this non-committal gesture out, "I don't think I quite caught that."

After seeing the flicker of threatening disapproval in Serana's normally serene amber eyes, Max swallowed before answering, "Yes."

Even though Serana had expected this answer, she needed Max to say it aloud. To become more forthcoming around her. If not, Max would forever harbor her thoughts and feelings. Serana didn't want to have to be the one always backing her into a corner to get her to admit things. Especially today of all days, when she really didn't feel like playing around.

Maybe it was time for Max to start earning these little encounters. She had done the groundwork, drawn on certain desires. If Max had to put a little work into this, then it might even intensify the longing. It was worth a try at least. She had all the time she could ever want. It would be much more effective than waiting around anyway.

With this decided, she leaned in close to Max's ear and whispered, "And now, Max. You'll have to prove to me that you actually want this. Earn it."

After this final subconscious demand had time to settle, she offered Max a seductive smile as she slowly let everything fade, relinquished her control. It would be interesting to see how this one challenge-like statement would affect Max's behavior from now on.

Amber eyes opened as Serana finally returned from the dream realm. She decided to let Max rest just a while longer before waking her. It would allow her to process everything that had happened properly. Despite being a last minute addition, she believed that Max would finally start acting off her own back soon enough. Maybe with a little incentive every now and then if necessary. Hopefully that would not be needed.

She hung around for another few moments outside the room. In that time, an entertaining idea crossed her mind. She could very easily wake Max without being physically present in the room itself, but she was curious to see what reaction her presence would inspire. The more she thought about it, the more drawn she was to the plan.

Deciding that she had waited long enough, she carefully opened the door. Once inside, she gracefully strode over to the bathtub, noticing Max there with her eyes closed and hand dangling over the rim. She made her way over, crouching down to gently take hold of Max's hand before leaning in close to her ear, "Max… time to wake up."

Max's face twitched as she came to, her eyelashes fluttering as indecipherable noises came from her throat. It was, if Serana was honest, quite adorable. Her head lolled to the left as she started to wake, putting them face to face now with mere inches between them. This was almost too perfect a setup.

After a few more seconds, Max's eyes finally opened. They remained unfocused as she blinked a few times, her left hand going to rub them. Just like before in the dream. Her brow furrowed slightly when her motion was restricted. Max soon sobred up the moment she was conscious enough to concentrate. It took her mind a while to catch up with what she was seeing. Even then she couldn't believe it.

Serana offered her a charming smile, her amber eyes shimmering, "Oh good. You are finally awake. I was starting to get worried something had happened. You have been in here a long time."

The expression on Max's face now was priceless. Better than anything she could have ever imagined. Her mouth hung slightly agape, moving soundlessly before she bit at her lip. She stared on wide-eyed with her eyebrows knitted together in utter confusion and shock.

"What is wrong, Max?" Serana asked innocently, trying hard to suppress the smug grin threatening to creep onto her face.

Max had no idea how Serana could act so calmly about all this when she was verging on totally freaking out. Well… she should be freaking out, but for some reason the panic kept getting pushed back before it really had the chance to set in. It was weird. She crossed her legs and placed her right arm over her chest, even though it was way too late to worry about that. Still, it made her feel a bit less awkward.

Serana had to smile at this useless action before standing up once more, giving Max's hand a light squeeze before letting it fall back, "I shall leave you to it. Don't keep me waiting too long though."

This encounter left Max feeling more confused than ever.

While Max was very gradually getting adjusted to her new lifestyle, Chloe was desperately trying to put all the pieces together to track her down. She'd called in on a few favors, as had Rachel, but it didn't seem to be getting them anywhere. It was infuriating. While having a few contacts higher up in the chain was a useful resource, it took them for-fucking-ever to process everything. She just wanted to get out there and do… something. Instead, she was stuck here. Waiting.

She had tried hard to investigate while all the formal side of things were being sorted, but it was getting increasingly difficult to do. She had managed to get Frank on side, promising him that she would get his pack's official territory claims fast tracked if he helped. She had enough sway to do that given her reputation. Whether it would be successful or not was another thing, but at least it would get looked at, which was a step up. Frank seemed happy enough with the arrangement. Certain departments were… reluctant to review the requests of werewolves. This boiled down to their explosive temper and the subsequent damages that occurred. That would be their problem now though, not hers. At least she had eyes and ears in the forest now.

Rachel also managed to rope a few of her fanged friends to keep an eye out for trouble in neighboring towns and cities. When she said neighboring, that actually meant anywhere within a hundred mile radius of the forest. It was necessary considering how far a Vampire could get in such a short space of time. If she had her way, she would have made it a much larger area, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

Not only that, but both of them had started trying to pinpoint a few potential family line the mystery older Vampire from the incident the other day could belong to. It was hard to do without the records, something they would follow up on soon once all this bullshit admin stuff had been sorted, but between them they did know some who could fit the bill. It might help narrow down their research. In a way, Chloe wished that she'd paid more attention in her training when they'd talk about vampiric family lines. Of course, she hadn't cared about all that at the time. She'd wanted to bypass the "irrelevant crap" and focus on actually beating the shit out of someone. A foolish mentality she regretted ever accepting.

She leaned back in her chair, sighing as she stared up at the ceiling. This was beyond any tiredness she had felt before. It was becoming a struggle to actually keep her eyes open or rouse herself up enough to move. Sure, in the past she'd pulled a couple of consecutive all-nighters, but never to this extent. This past week, she'd had about four hours or so of broken rest. She'd been supplementing her lack of sleep with an endless supply of caffeine. Not something she would ever recommend.

It was then that she heard the door creak open. She shot up, trying to look as awake and busy as possible.

"Nice try Chloe, but I saw that," Rachel softly commented as she pushed her way into the room, with a tray full of proper food for once. Chloe had been living off junk food ever since Max's disappearance, proven by the precarious mountain of trash shoved in the corner of the room. While she'd never been the healthiest of eaters, this was ridiculous even for her.

"I was just… resting my eyes," Chloe weakly protested as Rachel approached her.

"Uh-huh," Rachel skeptically replied as she cleared a space on the messy desk for the tray.

If she had thought Chloe's office was chaotic before, it was nothing compared to now. This investigation was consuming her. If she continued like this, she'd run herself into the ground and be of no use to anyone. While Chloe knew that all too well, she still refused to listen. She always had been stubborn. It was getting to the point where Rachel was seriously considering slipping some sleeping pills into her drink or something to force her to rest. She didn't want to resort to that, but… it was painful watching her like this. There were only so many times she could keep pointing out that Chloe needed sleep. They had already gotten into several arguments about it.

"Thanks," Chloe mumbled not even looking at the tray.

Rachel crossed her arms and put on her sternest tone, "Eat. Now."

Chloe looked as if she might protest, but she was way beyond the point of having the energy left to. Instead, she reluctantly pulled the tray towards her and began to eat. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Rachel was right. Refusing to eat wouldn't help her or Max. In fact, if Max was here, she would probably be lecturing her about it. Chloe's hands shook at this thought and she bit back the tears as she focused on the tray.

Rachel noticed this, but didn't say anything. Now was not the time for teasing. She waited patiently until Chloe had finished everything off before relaxing. Chloe had always been reckless, disregarding her health and safety, but this was a whole new level of self-neglect. What was even more worrying was that she had visibly lost a lot of weight. She had always been on the thin side, even though she ate enough to feed an entire army. For someone of her height, she would now be classed as unhealthily underweight.

It wasn't just her physical condition that worried Rachel, also her emotional. The layers of endless stress she was piling on herself were too much for one person to handle. Even if your name was Chloe Price. The immense tension in her shoulders was enough to make Rachel feel stressed just looking at her.

Rachel moved around the other side of the desk, much to Chloe's confusion, until she came to stand just behind her. Before Chloe could ask what she was doing, Rachel placed her hands on her shoulders and began to work out the huge knots. After a moment of hesitation, Chloe let out a sigh and relaxed back in the chair with her eyes closed. Her thumbs pressed in hard, inspiring a sharp inhalation of breath. Her hands glided up to Chloe's neck, hearing a loud crack as she massaged. Once satisfied, she gently tipped Chloe's head back to get at her temples. This wasn't much, but if it helped for even a few minutes then it was worth doing.

She slowly retracted her hands while staring down at her old friend. In these past couple of weeks alone she seemed to have aged. This wasn't the case of course, Witchers aged slowly, to the point where at a hundred years old they could be as spry and active as they were in their twenties. The most age meant to a monster hunter, was experience.

Chloe sighed deeply, her eyes closed for now, "What am I going to do, Rach? All this waiting around is driving me mad."

Chloe Price had never been patient, even at the best of times. Now, when Max was in serious danger, her limited restraint was being pushed to the edge. It was of course understandable. With every moment passing, it became harder to track Max down. For all they knew, she could have already left the area. Their only solid lead had been Frank's sighting of Max a while back. Everything else had been pure speculation. It was this uncertainty that made it impossible to rest. If Chloe knew for definite that Max was ok, regardless of where she was exactly, it would take a huge weight off her mind.

Rachel perched herself on the edge of the desk, gently swinging her feet. There was little comfort she could provide for Chloe now. As much as she wanted to say that everything would be fine, that they would find Max in no time, she couldn't. Neither of them knew what the future held. It would be cruel to inspire hope, only for it to be crushed later. Either way, they couldn't stop looking until they found a definite answer.

"I think we've done all we can for now, Chloe. As difficult as it is, we just have to wait around. The only thing you can do now is try to get yourself as fighting fit as possible, ready for when we bust this case wide open," she offered up a reassuring smile, "We'll find out what's happening, one way or another."

Chloe stood up from her chair and positioned herself in front of the small window in her office overlooking the streets, "I just hope we find out in time."

Have an awesome day guys and see you next time.