"To me?" I asked warily before taking the envelope. "How would they know my name?"

Jared shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe Emilia told her captors who she hired as body guards."

Rui shook his head. "Nah. She doesn't care enough about us to learn our names," he stated.

"I… I have to agree with you on that," the FBI agent mumbled under his breath.

The lycan looked back to me, his brow furrowing at the scowl forming on my face. "Zero?" he asked in a worried tone.

"I wonder," I began slowly, "if Emilia was the target to begin with."

Both men were shocked at my suggestion. "What?! Emilia is a world famous broadway actor who does small productions like the Twilight musical during her spare time! She has connections that you couldn't possibly imagine-"

"By connections, you mean fellow broadway stars, musical theatre directors and producers, along with a few rich and horny boyfriends?" I asked with a raised brow and wrinkled nose. "Besides, she said she never dealt with the mafia before, so why would they be after her?"

Rui's golden eyes widened as he began to catch on to my train of thought. "Zero… you can't mean…"

I closed my eyes and lowered my head. "Emilia was not the target; she was the bait used to get me and Rui here under the assumption that she was going to be killed. That poem… those Level E's… all of that was an act to draw us out."

"And if the letter's addressed to you, then that means…" Jared muttered as he finally connected the dots.

"You're the target," Rui breathed. "It makes sense; you're as famous as Emilia is in the vampire world. Your name alone is enough to strike fear in the hearts of nobles! You're-"

"Do I need a cape and super hero name to go with that as well? Rui, it's not a big deal," I said coolly.

Rui seemed taken aback. "I know, but still! You're in danger, and we've all fallen for their trap!"

"No, right now Emilia Delgado is in danger."

Jared nodded impatiently. "Maybe her location is given in the letter. Whatever you decide to do next, I'll support you in any way possible," he said.

I timidly opened the letter, tossing the envelope to the side and unfolding the pristine paper. "Damn, it's been typed… we won't be able to I.D. who wrote it," I muttered before reading on:

Mr. Kiryuu Zero:

It appears we are at an impasse. I have something you were hired to protect, and you have something I want. Miss Delgado is safe, but if you do not abide by the following rules, she will end p at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Deliver the ransom payment of $2 million at the Metro Gold Line parking lot by midnight. Do not involve the policeIn clear sight, you will place your anti-vampire weapon on the ground. Announce loud and clear that you are the murderer of Shizuka Hio. Then we will release Miss Delgado to you, and you are free to leave.

I look forward to meeting you.

Best Regards,

Boss

"That prick!" I shouted, tearing the paper in half and throwing the pieces to the ground. "I fuckin' hate vampire bastards like him!"

Rui glanced over to me. "I feel ya," he murmured.

Jared knelt down, taking the pieces of torn paper and putting them together. "It looks like a clean handover, though I don't understand the last part. Who's this Shizuka person?"

"She…" I choked, placing my hand over the mark on my neck, "she's the one who made me what I am today. It's a settled matter, though, because I didn't kill her."

The FBI agent sighed deeply, looking down at his watch. "Could you please tell them once by admitting it? Emilia doesn't have a lot of time left, and we still have no plan."

Rui raised his hand nervously. "I have an idea. Do the Americans still use a SWAT team?"

"… yeah…?"

Rui grinned, an arch to his brow. "I've got a plan."

"Are you ready to do this?"

"Yeah; what makes you think I wouldn't be ready?"

Rui shrugged as he pulled the car to a stop and killed the engine. "I know you're ready to do this, I think I said that just to put myself at ease," he replied.

I furrowed my brow, confused at his words. "Eh? Why are you so concerned about me all of a sudden?" I asked. He turned back towards me, his eyes lowered as if in shame. "Rui?"

"Ever since I met you a year ago in that interrogation room, you've been everything to me; you've given me a home, food… companionship. I never got that from anyone in my family, let alone the people I once called friends. If I lose you to this stupid game they're playing… I don't know what I'm going to do with myself."

Those words… I had never heard anything more beautiful or meaningful come from his lips before. Had I really had such an impact on him? "Rui," I whispered.

He blushed, looking away and stammering, "Get out of the damn car; we have a shitty damsel in distress that won't shut up if we don't get her back."

I smiled, patting Rui's shoulder. "I'll be fine," I said as I stepped out of the car and dragged the heavy briefcase from the back seat.

"I'll be circling around the block, so I'll know if you need anything. Don't forget the signal for Jared if anything goes wrong."

"I got it," I said coolly before slamming the door shut and starting my long walk to the parking lot. Save for a few cars, the lot was empty. With a sigh, I leaned against one of the cars and waited for someone to show; it was getting close to midnight, and I wasn't about to waste my time if no one was going to show. After a while, I saw a figure coming towards me, a tall man wearing a pristine black suit. His graying hair was slicked back and pale blue eyes peered out coldly to me. He smiled crookedly when he saw me.

"I see you got the letter," he stated in a raspy tone.

I looked around, asking, "Are you the only one they sent, or is this an act, too?"

"You catch on quick," the man said as he stuff his hands in his pockets. "Exactly what I would expect from a Kiryuu."

My eyes narrowed. "I got your damn money," I hissed, lifting up the briefcase.

The man stared at it for a while, a sly look on his face. "How do I know that it's a trap and not the ransom payment?" he questioned, glancing back to me.

"Why don't you come over and see for yourself?" I asked, taking Bloody Rose out from the inside of my jacket and gently setting it on the ground. "See? I followed step two, just to make it easier for you to trust me."

"You're a vampire like me, and I know not to trust vampire scum such as yourself. Open the case yourself and show me the money," he sneered.

With a disgruntled smirk, I opened the case and tossed a stack of bills at him. "There, it's as authentic as you'll ever get it. Two million, right? It's all here. Now hand the girl over."

"Ah, ah, ah," the man said with a wave of a finger. "You seem to be forgetting step three."

I smiled, shrugging my shoulders. "I'm sorry, I guess I didn't read it."

The man laughed. "That's quite all right; you see that car over there?" he asked, pointing to a car in the far corner of the lot. I turned to see Emilia locked inside, duct tape over her mouth and hands tied to the steering wheel. She was crying. "If you don't comply with step three, that car will end up twenty feet in the air in flames, and your actress will be nothing more than charred black flesh and bones. It is your choice, though."

I bared my fangs, controlling my shaking arms as I held my fists back. "You bastard…"

"You have three seconds to confess; did you, or did you not kill Shizuka Hio?"

"… I killed her… with the beast she implanted in me, I ripped her apart and fed like there was no tomorrow. I. Killed. Shizuka Hio."

"Did you now?"

"Yeah, I did."

The guy erupted in laughter. I snarled, shouting, "What the fuck are you laughing at?! I told you that I killed her, so give the girl back, damn it!"

He smirked, tilting his head. "I know you didn't. I just wanted to see how weak you were, and how easily you would say those words although you despise them so. Kiryuu Zero… you are a weak man."

The ear piece Jared had given me suddenly began to crackle as Rui joined on the frequency. "Zero, get out of there! Jared's men found a sniper, and it looks like there's more. Get out now!"

"I told you not to get the police involved, didn't I? Pity you didn't follow the rules. It was a fun game, though."

I felt as if a hole had been torn through my side as I heard the sniper pull the trigger. I gulped back a cry of pain, my eyes wide as my spine felt as if it was bending and cracking in several places and my lungs were exploding. Falling forward on my knees, I watched with a blank expression as the man coolly turned and walked away. My voice gurgled as my words were lost in a puddle of blood. The sound of Emilia's screams echoed in my ears as she pounded on the car window with her head and shoulder.

"ZERO!"

I had never seen Rui run as fast as he did now. His arms flailed as he jumped over the stairs at the end of the lot and his feet pounded into the pavement. I felt myself begin to fall backwards before strong arms caught me. Golden eyes gazed in fear at my own, his breaths coming in deep gulps. "Hey man, don't leave me alone like this! We're gonna take care of ya!" he exhaled hoarsely. Then he looked down to my wound, his already wide eyes widening further. "Dear God…" he gasped.

"Rui… I can't feel my arm…" I managed to rasp. When I saw him look over past me, I turned my head to see parts of my bloodied arm and side strewn out on the pavement. I gave a hopeless whimper. "M-my arm…"

"Rui! Zero! We heard a shot go off! What happened?!" Jared came to a sudden stop when he saw the damage, a sickening color coming to his face. "Oh my God…" he rasped, turning away to keep from vomiting.

My breaths quickened as I lost more blood. The monster inside me wasn't about to die quite yet. Although I felt so much pain, I also felt so alive. Rui raised his head, his golden eyes reflecting the red glare that filmed over my violet orbs. "Zero? What's happening to you?" he asked in a shaking voice.

"Blood…"

"What?"

"Rui… I need blood… Now!"

My one good hand tightly grasped Rui's shirt collar as I pulled myself up. He looked so frightened as he hesitantly pushed me away. "No, I can't! Zero, you can't have my blood; it might kill you!"

"I… don't care…" I said breathlessly. The tattoo on the side of my neck began to burn with an intensity I'd yet to experience, but I couldn't hold back any longer. "Please… I need to feed…"

Jared came up quickly behind Rui, gun pointed at me. "You," he hissed, "you're one of them! You're a demon! A monster!"

Rui quickly glanced back to the raging FBI agent, waving his hand impatiently. "No, don't shoot! Zero is a hunter, not a monster! Put your gun away! NOW!" Then he turned to me, moving thick black and red hair to reveal his smooth, tan skin. "It is said that a vampire who drinks the blood of a lycan will either die or never again thirst for blood like an animal. Either way, the beast inside you will go silent."

My eyes widened as he craned his head to the side, exposing his neck further to me. "I'm… I'm so sorry, Rui…" I whispered before sinking my fangs into his neck and drinking the sweet blood that oozed from the wound. How long had it been since I tasted real blood? I took the blood tablets for so long that this taste seemed so new and fresh to me. After tonight, I would never return to those damn tablets.

Jared watched in shock, his gun slowly falling from his sweaty fingers. "Oh my God," he muttered, backing away, "his body… it's regenerating…"

Before long, I began to feel the right side of my body again; pulling away and licking the remaining blood from my lips and chin, I looked down to see my wound had sealed, and my right hand now rested gently on the ground. Rui chuckled nervously, wiping away the perspiration that had built on his now pale face. "Heh… it worked…" he said hoarsely.

"Yeah, I… guess… it did…" I groaned before falling back in Rui's arms unconscious.

"Zero! Hey, wake up! ZERO!"