I got NINE reviews! Thanks you guys! Although, as i didn't get them in time i didn't update last Sunday, but hopefully you will be pleased because this chapter has over 2000 words! Which is almost double what the other chapters usually are!

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and i am sorry i didn't preview or really even reply, i was just so busy! Anyway, that is a bad excuse i know...

Anyway, I don't own the Night World series, my name isn't LJSmith!

Please review!

Eva
xxx

"Jez! That man is a vampire! We have to get out of here!"

Darren's POV

I froze, still holding my sister, wondering if Jez had noticed my slip up.

I hadn't exactly told her all the truth about the kidnap. The men weren't just men, they had been vampires and what they had done to me and Skye and the people there was still too painful in my mind for me to ever want to remember it again. Although I knew that if we survived I would have to explain the story again and relive all those horrible scenes.

"What?"

The loud exclamation seemed to shatter the stillness of the forest. In my memories it was burning and loud yet in reality there was no noise at all. The man wasn't looking like a monster or screaming loudly. He looked like a man, except there was something not quite right. Something primal and animal and almost reptile seemed to inhabit his body. But I knew it was his body. He was all that.

I turned to Jez and saw her face light up in horror at the man in front of us.

"Now now Darren, what did I tell you about saying things you aren't supposed too?"

I snarled at the man. His voice brought me out of frozen position and I stumbled to get Skye as far away from him as possible.

He was tall and intimidating and he knew it. He used it to his advantage.

I sneaked a glance at Jez and vaguely surprised to find that she wasn't pointing at me and saying I was crazy, instead she was gazing in horror at the bald man. Maybe she could sense he was danger and she thought I was right?

In my dreams of the man he always seemed much more monsterish, if that is a word. He always seemed worse, more animalistic but never once in any of my nightmares did he appear as what he truly looked like. Me, well all humans generally. I think that him in this guise is worse because I know that if I hadn't seen him before I would have been fooled once again. When he was an animal I recognised him for exactly what he is, a predator but in this form he seems the same as any human being. But there is something in the way he walks, the way he smiles, even the way he breathes, as if he knows he is better than me and that he knows he could crush me, as if every thing he does should be worshipped because it is so great. Superior. But then Darwin would say he is superior. He is the ultimate predator. He has the most perfect disguise. He knows how to act and is impossibly fast. Strong and violent and can tell what you are thinking. Perfectly capable of killing any human except he doesn't, he tortures them. He pulls out their lives so that they live but don't live because that is not any sort of life that even the most deadly of criminals deserves. Not even he deserves something like that.

"Thinking about me again? Darren you really need to get over this little obsession. You wouldn't want out guest to get the wrong impression now would we? Especially as I am a relative of hers! Jez I see you have met Darren, I didn't realise you were still around, I guess you are a wild power after all. What has Darren told you about me? I presume it wasn't that I am a vampire judging by the surprised look you had on your face when he revealed that. Did he say we kidnapped him? Did he say how cruel we were? Well, I just want you to know that it was all true!"

He was a relative of Jez's? I looked to her in horror and surprise and saw her snarl. Then she leapt towards him.

"My friends killed you before and now it's my turn. You sent people after my mother! You are probably paying Esther to track me and try to hurt Morgead!"

He smirked and sidestepped her advances easily.

"Of course I did, another abomination is about to be born. It will be vermin, just like you. Your father was weak. He fell in love with a sickly human. He fell in love with vermin, with food."

I could see that the accusations were hurting Jez. I suddenly heard a sort of voice in my head, it sounded like Jez. Her eyes caught mine for a minute and I realised she was trying to send a message to me.

'Darren, I am so sorry that I didn't tell you, I didn't realise that you had been kidnapped by vampires! You need to get Skye and yourself out of here. As soon as you can find a phone, ring this number and you will be protected. Remember this number, 07645327594. I am so so sorry!'

Then I felt the connection leave and her focus was solely on Hunter.

I repeated the number in my head, over and over again until I was sure I got it, and then I sent out a silent thank you and hoped that she heard. Yes I was annoyed at her for not saying she was a vampire but she seemed to be on the right side, if there was one, and so I hoped that she would survive. She had helped me survive and I knew she had helped Skye.

"My mother was not vermin! She was a good person and you killed her!"

"I should have killed you while I got the chance! I guess I didn't realise you were going to go astray. I thought I could trust the Blackthorn but obviously he is just as traitorous to our race as you are!"

I felt the force behind his words and I knew he truly believed them. But I also knew that they would just provoke Jez more. I knew that I should try to get away and to a phone but I couldn't help it, I was watching them fight with the same sort of sick fascination that people have when they drive past a car crash. I couldn't help myself.

"Don't you dare say that about my soulmate!"

Jez let out an inhuman scream and launched herself at Hunter. While doing so she grabbed a stick off the ground and cut her arm. Blood started to flow and I felt nauseous. Suddenly she outstretched her arms and a sort of blue fire spread out of them and engulfed Hunter. He screamed and Jez laughed. It was terrifying yet exhilarating at the same time. The man who had wrecked my life being hurt as he hurt me.

Then the fire stopped and all that was left was a crisp body. He was definitely dead.

Jez turned to me and although I knew I should be scared because I had just seen her do this to a man I wasn't. She looked at me and smiled exasperatedly.

"I thought I told you to go! To take Skye and get out of here!"

I shrugged.

"You did but- Jez! Behind you!"

She turned as fast as a snake strikes and plunged the twig she was used before to cut herself into Hunter's body. It convulsed briefly before collapsing once again. I had seen his body stand up and start healing and that was how I warned her. I thought he had been dead, he certainly looked dead before.

"Is he dead now?"

My voice was timid and I chastised myself internally.

"Possibly not. Two of my friends claimed to have killed him before but he has always come back. To make sure I will have to burn the body and put more wood into it. He seems to have been charmed. Anyway, you need to go. You have to go and call that number, you still know it right?"

I nodded.

"07645327594"

"Good, now you go and find a phone, I think Skye will wake up now that Hunter is dead. But I can check to make sure once I have started a fire."

After that she whizzed around, collecting anything that could burn and piled them high around Hunter's body. Then she cut herself once again and used the blue fire to start the Pyre.

"Okay, if you give me Skye I can go into her mind and see if she is awaking."

I nodded and handed over the limp body of my little sister.

If the circumstances hadn't been so grim I would have laughed. Jez and Skye just looked so comical. It looked like a séance. Jez was cradling Skye's head in her hands and had closed her eyes and was muttering. It only took a minute and then both of them woke up.

Skye's eyes opened slowly as if she thought there would be something terrible on the outside. She glanced around warily and then caught sight of me. She leapt up pushing Jez back and jumped onto me and wrapped her legs around me like a monkey.

"Hey Skye."

I laughed in relief; she was actually back and okay!

"Darren! You're back! I have missed you!"

She then got off and went over to Jez.

"Jezzie, I am sorry I pushed you over. Jezzie? Jez?"

Her voice became urgent.

"Jez!"

I went over to her and saw that Jez was lying down at am awkward angle. As if she had fainted.

"Damn it!"

I realised I couldn't just leave her there so I picked up her body, being careful of the baby bump.

I knew I couldn't take her to the hospital because of what she was but I couldn't just leave her. The only option would be to ring the number she had given me.

"Skye, we have to go and get some help for Jez."

Skye's lip wobbled.

"But I want to go home!"

"I know."

I took her hand in mine.

"I just want to go home!"

I pulled her up and gave her a hug.

"C'mon, it'll be an adventure!"

"Fine…"

She huffed. I just hoped that she wasn't going to start sulking; she is always insufferable when she sulks.

We walked slowly but steadily. I don't know how long we walked for, it must have been hours but eventually we managed to reach the border of the woods and found a petrol station.

I walked up to the desk inside the little shop.

"Excuse me."

The man there looked up, obviously surprised to see Skye and me with Jez in between us.

"You kids lost?"

I shrugged.

"I need to use a phone but I don't have any change. Could I please use your phone or could you give me some change?"

I hoped he would be the Good Samaritan type and he was. I was in luck.

"Here you are kid."

He have me a five pound note and five pound coins.

"Hey, is you sister or whoever she is alright?"

I nodded and tried to make my eyes as wide and innocent as possible.

"Yeah, it's just a side-effect of the pregnancy, thanks for your help."

I walked slowly outside where the light was just beginning to go and went over to the pay phone.

Once there I put in a pound and dialled the number Jez had given me.

"Hello?"

"Hi, um… I don't know how to say this, do you know someone called Jez?"

I stuttered awkwardly.

"Who is this?"

The voice was male and became slightly aggressive.

"My name is Darren, I was with her and this guy, Hunter came out and then she saved my sister and killed him and then, she fainted or something but she said I could call this number and get help. Can you help?"

I knew I had been rambling and for a minute I thought the person was going to hang up because there was just silence.

"Where are you?"

"I don't know exactly, somewhere near Sherwood Forest."

"England!"

I frowned for a minute.

"Yeah!"

I hadn't noticed yet that the man's voice had an American accent.

"Okay, someone will be with you in about an hour, we can trace the call."

I paused for a minute.

"Wait, who exactly is coming?"

"Circle Daybreak, who did you think?"

Um... the phone number was one i made up so please don't ring it, that sounds stupid but i should probably say that it isn't a real number, it would be so cool it is was Circle Daybreak number but unfortunately...

Review people!