A/N: Okay, so as promised, here is the second part which I loved writing. So much happens! Ahh! There is no present-times-portion-thingy in this part. Anyways, sorry this chapter had to be broken up into two parts, but enjoy! Review/fav/alert/message! XOXO to my lovely readers.

***Still centuries ago***

After I discovered Miguel's secret, our friendship grew stronger. Sometimes I wondered how far it would go. There were times when Miguel made me laugh so hard I wanted to cry. I thought that would be the perfect way to spend the rest of my life, laughing with my friend. But there were some fatal flaws in our relationship, things that couldn't be ignored.

Miguel was a servant. Most of the time he was working, and when I saw him with other servants, wolves, or vampires present, we had to act completely indifferent to each other. I watched while other vampires rudely commanded him to fetch things or people, and threaten to kill him when he wasn't efficient enough.

Another problem was age. Not my age, which was several lifetimes older than Miguel's, but the fact that Miguel was aging when I wasn't. I watched as he slowly grew taller and taller. His shoulder's became wider, his arms stronger. I felt ugly for being incapable of changing. And although Miguel assured me it was fine that I didn't age, it didn't help the fantasy in my head of us being young friends forever.

The last problem was probably the most horrible of them all. I discovered it in the most humiliating of ways. The night started off normal, and then one thing led to another, and Miguel and I kissed. All the emotion and energy and passion I had been feeling over the course of many months flowed through me like a tidal wave. I couldn't stop myself. Suddenly, my fangs clicked and the moment was over. "Were you going to…?" Miguel asked wearily.

"N-no," I stuttered, and stepped away from him, my hand covering my mouth pathetically, "It just happened, I don't know."

Two years passed since Mae left and each day I wondered about her. I feared the worst. Miguel seemed inclined to agree. "It's probably not good that she isn't back by now," Miguel told me. "Other people that the King hired before Mae have already returned."

I sighed, and asked Miguel if he wanted to play chess with me later that night. He declined. "I was going to see my sister tonight." He told me and stood to leave my room. I waved him off, a little disappointed, but nothing I couldn't survive.

It was almost dawn when I heard intense yelling from the foyer. At first, I considered not going to see what the ruckus was about. But the level of anger was unparalleled, and I knew the voice belonged to the King. Curious, I left to find the source of the fight.

"This little rat has been lying to us this entire time!" Russell shouted. The room vibrated with a buzz from all the people watching. I entered towards the back of the crowd, but the second I realized what was happening, I pushed my way to the front.

A mouse squealed in his grasp, squeaking in pain from the pressure. I'm sure Russell was hardly closing his fist, and if he really wanted to, Miguel could have been squeezed to jelly. But even the smallest amount of pressure from a 1500 year old vampire would be unbearable.

"Stop!" I cried out, "You are killing him!" I could feel the smallest hint of blood beginning to well in my eyes as tears. "Please! Let him go!" I stepped forward, and two guards grabbed a hold of my arms. I thrashed in their grasp, and the wolf-men were barely able to contain me.

Russell didn't even look at me. "Reveal yourself, slave!" He cried, and threw the rat to the ground. Instantly upon impact, the rat turned into a man. He was naked, just like a werewolf after transformation, but everyone knew he wasn't one. He was the servant they all commanded around on a nightly basis: Miguel.

"So," Russell crooned, "You've been a shape-shifter this entire time? Why didn't you tell us? I would have promoted you from servant."

"Y-you would have pr-promoted me to p-prisoner." Miguel's whimpered through gritted teeth. His breathing was labored from the multitude of cracked ribs I was sure he was now suffering from.

"You've been impersonating my wolves, leaving the sanctity of this castle, perhaps more?" Russell was shaking his head as he spoke, clearly with great distaste. He narrowed his eyes down at Miguel and snarled, "You deserve to die."

"No!" I shouted, and threw myself out of the guards grasp. "Please, it would be a great loss to me if you killed him."

Russell finally acknowledged me now that I was standing next to Miguel. He raised his eyebrows, as if shocked I would want anything to do with him. "What is your interest in this shifter?"

Miguel was staring up at me, and he barely managed to mumble, "N-no, Juliana, d-don't."

I tried to ignore how pitiful he sounded and focused on appeasing Russell. "This shifter has been very kind to me while I have resided in your castle. He… he means a lot to me. As a friend."

Russell clapped his hands together and laughed. "As a friend? Please, child, even an old soul like me can see where this is going. If you feel for him the way you do, why didn't you ever drink from him?"

I bit my lip. "I do not harm my friends."

"Friends, friends," The vampire King muttered, growing annoyed. "I can hear you, darling, but I simply don't believe you. And this animal is a traitor to me, and to you, for that matter. Assuming you had no idea of his double nature, hmm?"

I glanced down at Miguel who groaned softly. "No," I said slowly, "He never told me."

Miguel's eyes shut tighter and I couldn't help but feel nervous now. Not only was I putting myself on the line by even defying the King, but now I had lied. If I didn't watch myself, I would be next in line for execution after Miguel.

The King's eyes evaluated me slowly. He hummed to himself, and walked in a circle around us. "Give him your blood," he commanded.

I was shocked. "What?"

"Do not defy me!" Russell yelled, and I jumped a little in my skin.

I looked down at Miguel who was staring back up at me fearfully. "Juliana," he whimpered. I knew he was dying.

"I-I do not know how," I confessed. "I have never willing given someone my blood before."

Russell's personality seemingly flipped again, because he suddenly calmed down and put his hand on my shoulder. "My dear girl, you really don't know anything about turning someone?"

I felt my heart skip a beat. "Turning?"

"Why, of course. If you want this little shifter to live, then that's the way it must be."

"But, can I not just give him my blood and he'll heal himself?"

He vampire pressed down on my shoulder so forcefully I fell to my knees. He knelt down next to me and took my arm. Biting into my forearm, he roughly tore my flesh and held the wound over Miguel's face. I inhaled sharply at the pain, but didn't try to pull away because I knew the King would never let me go.

The blood fell on Miguel's cheek and rolled to his lips. With Russell's other hand, he forced Miguel's mouth open and several drops of blood were swallowed.

"There's no time tonight for a proper burial," the King declared, standing up and pulling me up with him. "So, we will all congregate back here tomorrow night at midnight, for drama's sake." He turned to three of the guards and demanded, "Take Juliana and her shifter back to her room. Make sure neither of them gets cold feet."

He dipped his head at me as he excused himself, and then stalked off to another portion of the castle. A pair of strong hands grasped my shoulders and began to direct me up the stairs. I saw one of the guards scoop up Miguel and carry him behind us. In moments we were in my bedroom, Miguel was dumped on the floor, and the doors were slammed shut.

I groaned, and collapsed on my bed with my face in my hands. This was not what I had intended when I had decided to speak up and save Miguel. I didn't want to turn him, I doubted he wanted to be turned either. After my experience with Godric, there wasn't an ounce of me that wanted to become a maker myself. I lifted my head up to glance over at Miguel. "I am so sorry," I whispered, "I had no idea this would happen."

Miguel began to sit up right, I could tell my blood was already beginning to heal him and make him stronger. He shook his head and said, "Juliana, thank you."

I frowned and shook my head back at him. "Why? I've made a mess of everything."

He laughed half-heartedly and shrugged. "Well, if I had to choose, I'd rather be killed by you then by the King."

"But, I'm not going to kill you. Russell is going to make sure I burry you, and then you will return a vampire." I paused for a moment and wondered aloud, "Can shifter's even become vampires?"

Miguel lifted his palms up. "I have no idea. I've never heard of a shifter-vampire before. Perhaps it won't work. Maybe when you kill me, I'll never wake up."

I fought back tears because I knew they would frighten Miguel. "I don't want to kill you."

He smiled at me. "I know."

I didn't sleep well during the day, and when night finally fell, I was still exhausted. I got out of bed and saw Miguel had deep, dark circles under his eyes. "You didn't sleep either?" He asked me and I shook my head. "Were you cold?"

I frowned and asked, "Why would you say that?"

"Because I saw you shivering all last night. Every time I though you were asleep you would start to shake like you were cold. You were under all the sheets and pillows though, so it was hard to tell how you could possibly be cold."

My mind instantly ran to Godric, but I tried my best to push any thoughts of him out of my head. I refused to think about my mischievous, maleficent maker at a time like this. Of all the nights for him to be pestering me about my location… I thought to myself.

"We should try to escape." I said, breaking the ice. Miguel looked up at me with wide eyes.

"The second we open that door, the guards will kill both of us for even attempting to escape."

"You can transform into a mouse and scurry away. I can run really fast. I'm sure at least one of us will make it out alive."

Miguel looked sadly at me. "I don't think it's worth the risk. Look, Juliana. I'm the one who has been lying. I'm the one who has made the mistakes. I don't want to take you down with me."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I can make my own decisions. I am not going to turn you if I can help it. I am not ready to be a maker… I don't think I ever will be. I won't let Russell force me to do something I'm not willing to do."

Miguel and I were both standing when we heard some grunting on the other side of the door. "I think the guards are in a fight." Miguel told me in a whisper.

"They are distracted. We should escape now, if ever."

Miguel nodded at me, and we moved to the door. I counted to three with my fingers, and on the third, I swung open the doors only to be stopped dead in my path.

Standing directly before me, surrounded by the blood and guts of the guards, was Godric. His small dark frame was red with blood and he quickly stepped into the room with us and shut the door. Miguel was blank faced with terror, and I couldn't imagine myself looking much different.

"Godric?" I asked aloud, just to make sure it was really him.

He flicked a piece of a man's kidney of his shoulder and nodded at me. "Juliana."

My mouth was hanging open like a fish out of water. "What are you doing here?" I glanced over to Miguel and saw that he was backing up. Godric was pretty horrifying- and that was without the blood and guts. "Are you here to kill me, because now is really not the best time."

Scoffing, Godric crossed his arms. "Is there ever a good time to let me kill you? Seriously, Juliana? Sometimes I question your intelligence."

Now it was my turn to cross my arms. "My intelligence is fine, thank you very much. In fact, I was just developing a brilliant escape plan with Miguel."

Godric's black eyes narrowed in on Miguel. He seemed to hate him just by looking at him. The vampire sniffed the air. "Why does he smell like a dirty animal?"

"Hey," Miguel groaned, insulted, "That's not fair. They don't have clean water in the slave's quarters."

"He's a shifter, Godric. He can turn into any animal he wants."

Godric turned back to me. "I know what a shifter is. I've killed several of them."

Miguel threw his hands up in surrender. "That won't be necessary here."

"Indeed," I agreed and stood between the two of them. "I'm supposed to turn him."

"Ha!" Godric let out a hallow laugh. "I can't imagine you being the parental type. You were a terrible progeny… As a maker you are bound to be disastrous."

"The vote of confidence is great, Godric." I sighed, and took a step back to grab Miguel's hand. "Thanks for killing the guards, though. But we need to continue with our escape now."

I pulled Miguel into the hallway and past the intestines of the guards. Godric was close at my heels. "Why on earth are you here, Godric?" I asked when he refused to leave.

"To save you, of course."

I stopped instantly and turned to him. "That's a lie; I know it is. Do you take me for some kind of fool?"

"Well, yes."

I took a step away from him and held out my hand to stop him from continuing. "I am not a fool."

"It certainly wasn't intelligent to live here for so long, now was it?"

I felt myself turning into Mae. "This castle is perfectly safe," I recited.

Godric groaned in exasperation. "It's run by a lunatic who's obsessed with power!"

"But I'm still alive!"

"You live every day in fear!"

I put my hands on my hips. "That is not true."

Godric was staring me down, infuriated and not hiding it well. "Do not treat me like an idiot, Juliana. You may have refused to be my bride, but you are still my progeny. Every night I can feel your fear, your sadness, your… lust," he cut a cold stare to Miguel and I felt my face flush in embarrassment. Godric continued, "To tell you the truth, it's obnoxious. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why you still live here when you feel that way." His eyes darkened even more and he whispered, "It's the wolves, isn't it? You hate werewolves; you're terrified of them. But you just can't kill these ones, can you?"

"Juliana," Miguel whispered, pulling on my hand.

"Hush. Not now Miguel." I kept my eyes on Godric. "You don't know the first thing about what I feel."

"I know everything. You can't leave because of Mae, right?" I felt myself force a sob to stay in my throat. "How long has it been now, two years?"

The tears pooling in my eyes refused to stay put. I quickly whipped one bloody streak off my cheek and hissed, "Stop talking to me."

"She is dead, Juliana. The King killed her. He's insane, and Mae wouldn't play his games, so he killed her. The only reason you're still alive is because you are practically his little puppet. It is nauseating how naïve you are."

"Shut up!" I cried, and pushed him away from me. Godric wasn't expecting the blow and he flew clear down the hall.

"Juliana!" Miguel shouted and pointed ahead. I turned my back on Godric, and saw that four wolves were darting towards us, barking and snarling with their teeth bared. I told myself to run towards them and snap their necks, but I couldn't move. My fear never ceased to get the better of me when it came to wolves. I was always at its mercy.

Godric ran up from behind us and disposed of each of the wolves in a matter of seconds. He approached me again with his hand outstretched, welcoming. "Let me help you, Juliana."

I turned to Miguel for guidance, and he nodded his head. Wearily, I took Godric's hand and we followed him around the castle. We dodged everyone: vampires, werewolves, and even servants. I knew all of them would turn us over to the King if we were seen. Eventually, we stopped in an open room, with walls that seemingly stretched for miles up to the ceiling.

"Why are we here?" I asked Godric.

"This is how I entered the castle." He pointed up to the ceiling. "We climb." He turned to Miguel and said with disregard, "You can turn into a bird or something."

Both Miguel and I turned our heads up to the ceiling and looked around for our escape. It was a tiny window where the ceiling and the wall met that was used for ventilation in the summer months. Miguel shrugged and said, "Well, I guess I'll see you on the other side. Grab my clothes, will you?"

He jumped up, and while in the air his clothes tumbled to the ground. He changed into a small, black bat. The transformation must have been difficult, because his flight was quite erratic. Miguel flew in a spiral up, tilting from side to side and sometimes appearing as if he were going to tumble back down to earth. Finally, he made it to the window and sat on the sill, waiting for us.

I scooped up Miguel's clothes and headed to the wall. Godric followed me and motioned for me to go first. I dug my nails into the wall and heaved myself up. The effort was tiresome, but eventually I made it to the window and pulled myself through it. Godric came in moments after me.

Once we were all on the roof, it only took us a few seconds to get back down. Godric and I jumped clear across the moat, and Miguel fluttered wildly to us. We hurried into the forest, trying to put as much distance between the castle and us as possible. When we were several miles away, I set Miguel's clothes down and he transformed back into his human form.

"Are you going to see you're sister now?" I asked.

"Yes, we need to start running as soon as possible. I don't want to be anywhere near this castle and I don't want her to be either." Miguel looked at me carefully, and then glanced over to Godric. In a low voice he asked, "Are you going to be okay, you know, with him?"

Godric growled warningly and I turned around to shoot him a deadly look. "I'll be fine," I told Miguel, "I hope I get to see you again."

"Me too." He leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek.

Godric's growl intensified and he barked, "Alright, enough."

Miguel frowned and backed away. He waved goodbye before darting off in the direction of his home.

Once Miguel was gone, I turned back to Godric and realized what an awkward position I was now in. "Uh, thank you, Godric."

He didn't smile, he just stared back at me with an very characteristically unreadable expression. "What are you going to do now?" he asked me.

I shrugged and looked around the forest as if to find some obvious answer to that question. I had been thinking about that question myself as we were running, and without Mae to decide where to lead us, I had no idea where to go.

"I guess I'll just head to the nearest town and look for Mae." I resolved. Immediately, Godric looked annoyed.

"She is dead, Juliana. What about that concept is so difficult for you to comprehend? How long as she been gone?"

"Two years."

"Do you really think she would have left you alone for two years? Are you really this stupid?"

I cringed. "Well, what would you suggest if you are so wise?"

The vampire softened a little and took a step closer to me. "Come live with me. You haven't yet learned to be completely self-sufficient and I can teach you how. You can leave whenever you feel competent; I have no hold over you now."

"I am an independent vampire, Godric. I don't need you to protect me."

"I am well aware of that. Perhaps, you could just spend the day. Unless, of course, you feel inclined to stay longer."

"I can find my own place to stay."

Godric nodded solemnly, but I saw a smirk start to play at his lips. "I suppose learning how to fly wouldn't interest you then."

I already had another rejection lined up in my mind, but when he said that, I couldn't help but bite my pride. I wanted to learn how to fly. Mae knew how to fly, and she said she would teach me when I was older. She never indicated how old, and I never asked. But now that Mae was gone, Godric could potentially be one of the only people who could teach me.

"…Perhaps just one day."

Godric's smirk widened into a smile and he gestured deeper into the forest. "Follow me."