The first thing I'm aware of as I wake up is the painfully hard surface of rock beneath my bare back and against my shoulder and ribs where I lie on my side. It takes me a minute to comprehend why my head isn't resting against the stone too until a cold hand strokes down my cheek and makes me gasp, inhaling an interesting smell that reminds me of old books and dusty libraries, laced with a faint scent of cinnamon and wood…

I smile and snuggle in closer to the vampire's side, my cheek resting against his shoulder which is somewhat heated from my own body mixed with the light warmth from my blood flowing through his veins.

I stiffly push myself onto my elbow and turn towards him. Although Vicente's eyes are closed, his hand rubs down my shoulder and the side of his thin mouth twitches with a smile.

I note somewhat appreciatively the fullness of his cheeks and the pale pink of his closed eyelids. Unlike normally, the dark circles that bag under his eyes are significantly lightened, making him look years younger than I've ever seen him. I feel almost as though I've gone back in time and now lie beside a fresh vampire, centuries knocked off of his endless age.

He opens his eyes and stares at me for a long time, his deep amber eyes boring into mine. Without their usual deep red color, he looks human, not nearly as menacing as I imagine he's capable of, despite the ripple of strong but concealed muscles hidden beneath his thin frame.

"Ready for breakfast?" I smile a little at him and twirl a strand of his thin, brown hair around one of my fingers.

He hums, amused. "I had breakfast already." With that, he scratches at the dried blood streaked over my chest from the marks on my neck.

I laugh. "Well, maybe when I get up, I'll go and see Ocheeva for a contract before breakfast." I kiss the vampire's nose playfully. He seizes me, pulling me on top of him, my loose red hair spilling over my back and onto his shoulders.

"Stay any longer, and I might just have a second breakfast." Vicente's lips pull back in a menacing smile, revealing white, sharp fangs. His eyes gaze at my neck with passion.

I start wiggling, attempting to pull away from his iron grasp. "Contract!" I squeal, jerking against him. He pulls me tighter and my cheeks flush from my straining.

"Contract, Vicente!" My words scramble up between giggles as I push my hands against his face, twisting just out of grasp and falling off his coffin.

Wrapping the sheet around me, I shuffle towards the door just as strong hands grasp the sheet and pull me backwards into fangs that scrape invitingly over the flesh on my shoulder. I scramble for the door frame and grasp it as he pulls me backwards by the waist.

"CONTRACT!"

My fingers slip from the door frame and I collapse backwards, his fangs involuntarily sinking into my skin. Pleasure spikes through my body and he holds my neck up, sucking way. I allow myself to go limp, putting my life into his hands once again.

"Dusty!" I growl at the horse, pulling his reins. The ash-gray steed snorts and throws back his head, rearing up on his hind legs. I cling on desperately, trying not to fall off.

We've managed to get to the Imperial City before nightfall after having received the contract to kill Faelian from Ocheeva, except that Dusty refuses to lodge in the stables with the other mares.

"Please calm down!" I shout, just as the gray horse tosses me off his back. Luckily for me, I land in a hay stack while Dusty suddenly calms down and begins casually munching on grass as if nothing ever happened.

"Have it your way, you damned horse!" I shake my fist at him and trudge off towards the main gate, a dark green cloak wrapped around my armor, successfully hiding any distinguishing signs of my faction as well as concealing the Blade of Woe and Sufferthorn at my hip.

Traffic in the city begins to slowly trickle off into homes and behind locked doors by the time I arrive in the Talos Plaza District, a light drizzle of rain falling from the darkened sky onto any available surface. I won't be able to continue any more tonight outside unless I want to catch a cold. Tucking my cloak around me, I dart into the nearest inn, an expensive-looking building named the Tiber Septim Hotel.

As I close the door behind me, I gasp with all of the innocence of a farm girl. Rich tapestries adorn the wall and the furniture is covered with thick silks and deep velvets. Wooden chairs remain shiny and unscratched, like new.

The inhabitants of the inn are wearing finer clothes than I've ever had the privilege of adorning my body with, making my cheeks flush red when I realize how out of place I must look with my wild red hair and simple dark green cloak.

I step up to the stone counter where a woman in black and burgundy scribbles notes into logs. She looks up at me, her eyes darting over my attire before resting on my face again.

"Welcome, friend, to the Tiber Septim Hotel. I am Augusta Calidia, your hostess." She's an Imperial with a snooty voice that makes me want to rip her throat out.

I force a smile. "I'd like to rent a room for the night." I still have a whole day before the disease finally sets into my body and makes me kin to Vicente, but that doesn't mean I don't need sleep.

Augusta's eyes still flick over my appearance, as if she's trying to deduce whether or not I can pay. "Why, yes. I do have a lovely room available for a mere 40 gold a night. Are you interested?"

I reach into my coin purse from under the cloak and pull out the gold, placing them on the counter.

She flashes me a professional smile. "Excellent. The room is on the floor upstairs, at the west end of the hall. I do hope you rest well."

I hesitate before heading off to the stairs. Might as well ask her about the target, right?

"Would you happen to know anything about an elf named Faelian?"

The Imperial narrows her eyes at me. "I might know him. I might not. I don't see how it's any of your business." Her eyes flick over me again, as if trying to figure out what kind of a person I am.

I sigh inwardly before reaching yet again into my coin purse and pulling out a handful of the gold pieces. I place them on the counter before her, watching as her eyes widen.

"Now I'm going to ask you again, what do you know about the elf named Faelian?" My voice takes a dangerous edge and I watch the slight amount of panic cross over Augusta's face, as if she just realized that I'm not someone she wants to mess with.

"F-Faelian?" Her voice quivers before continuing. "Oh, I know him all right! A waste of life, that one. He lives here you know, with his sweetheart, Atraena. What that poor girl sees in him I'll never know. Atraena pays for their room, their food, everything. She's quite wealthy, I believe. Faelian used to have money... used to be quite a gentleman, too. But that was before he took a fancy to the... you know. The skooma. Now Faelian's hardly ever here. He's off using skooma, or wandering the city looking for some, I imagine. He comes back every night to be with Atraena, but only for a few hours. I swear, that High Elf is going to wind up dead if he keeps living like this."

The entire speech is said quickly, coming out in nearly one breath of air. When she's done she smiles at me before sweeping the coins off the counter.

"So Atraena lives in the hotel?"

Augusta's head bobs up and down. I nod at her before heading up towards my room, leaving the Imperial woman to count the gold I bribed her with. I've heard of Skooma from the books I used to read. Nasty stuff it is; I'd never want to get addicted to it.

Pushing open the door to the room, I almost gasp out loud. A large, soft, plushy-looking bed with fluffy pillows and an intricate headboard waits in the center of the room. Beautiful tapestries and indoor plants sit on the walls and on end tables, adding color. Thick, creamy colored curtains with white lace hang on the windows. If I had lots of money, I'd want a huge room like this for me and Vicente to stay in…though I know he'd never like sleeping on a mattress.

I drop my bag inside and run to the bed before flopping into it. The comforter is soft against my cheek and I want to curl up and sleep, but I know I still have business to attend to. Sighing, I sit up and dig through my bag, pulling out a dark blue satin gown.

After changing and wrapping up my Dark Brotherhood armor inside my cloak before hiding it, I head back down towards the lobby. The blue dress is foreign on my body; something I picked up on my travels as to not arouse suspicion.

Surprisingly, a few people mingle in the lobby downstairs…including a tall Altmer woman dressed in deep green silks, who must be Atraena. Taking a deep breath, I pull the tie out of my braid so my wavy red hair falls down my face and over my chest in an attempt to look more elegant. It's time to mingle with the locals.

I stride across the floor up to her. She turns her head to me, a polite smile etched across her sharp features.

"Yes, my good Lady? How may I help you?" She sweeps her eyes over me, an occurrence that seems to be common place in this hotel. I must past her test because she turns to give me her full attention.

"I just want to introduce myself," I deliver smoothly. "I am Rivera." The Breton name rolls easily off my tongue. As a little girl, I always wanted to name a child Rivera, but now that I'm almost a vampire, it seems I'll just have to settle for having it as my alibi.

She flashes me a big smile. "I am Atraena; it is pleasant to meet you."

"Would you like a drink?" I hold my hand out toward a seat in the center of the room and she sits down. I walk over to the counter where Augusta is and buy some expensive wine. Hopefully if I can get her drunk enough she'll talk…

I pour us both glasses, although I prefer to work without my judgment clouded by alcohol. Perhaps once I'm off a contract and together with Vicente…

Atraena takes a drink of wine after rolling it around in the glass. "This is nice wine you bought. A lady who knows her tastes is impressive."

I avoid blushing. A matter of luck, I suppose, given I just pointed to a bottle and paid the gold for it, leaving a dent in my coin purse.

"What brings you to the Tiber Septim Hotel?" I inquire to her, hoping to delay her long enough to get some information.

The Altmer woman grimaces. "I live here for the time until I can find a more suitable home. How about you?"

Feigning a smile, I utter the first excuse that comes to mind. "I'm a business woman. I have work here in the Imperial City."

It seems that the wealthy Altmer is mostly concerned with class and money because her eyes light up and she grins at me. "Intelligent and good taste in wine. You're my kind of woman."

I laugh almost nervously and refill her glass as she finishes it. "It's awfully lonely to stay in a big hotel like this in the Imperial City alone."

I note how quickly she takes another gulp of wine, her cheeks flushing pink. "Well…I'm not alone. I have Faelian…my sweet…my true love." Her voice is hesitant and I process her words in my mind. Something about the way she phrases the sentence suggests her love life isn't stable.

"Sounds like there is trouble in paradise." I take a small sip of my wine. It is thick upon my tongue, sweet yet bitter.

Atraena doesn't respond. "How about you? Is there someone for you?" She looks up at me with big, slanted green eyes.

"Well…yes. He couldn't come with me though." His aged, wrinkled face flashes in my mind and I smile to myself.

"What is his name?" She leans forward now. This woman definitely has a soft spot for romance. I can imagine that she reads those romantic books like The Lusty Argonian Maid. Actually, I think Ocheeva is one of those types, too.

"His name is Vicente. He's my true love." At this I actually do smile, a warm feeling washing over me. My true love. "He wants me to share an eternity with him." Well, to be fair, he never actually said that, but the way his eyes light up whenever we talk about my impending vampirism…it is clear to me that he wants to covet me for an infinite amount of time.

Atraena opens her mouth, emitting a soft sigh. "That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard. When is the big day?"

"Big day?" I echo, my mind drawing a blank. What does she mean?

"Well surely you're getting married, aren't you?"

I almost gasp, flushing red. "I – I don't know. We haven't planned anything." Marriage? Is that what Vicente wants?

I try to imagine myself in a fluffy white dress, hanging on his arm at the alter, taking his name…Zaris Valtieri?

No. I shake the thought away. We're assassins…I can't imagine him ever proposing to me. We haven't even said the 'L' word yet. Love.

"Oh, well I hope you work it out soon. I wish…" She falters, her voice dropping off, a distant look in her eyes. It only lasts a second before she shakes her head. "Well, never mind. I won't bore you with details."

I take another drink of my wine before scooting to the edge of my seat. Atraena's golden features are colored now, the alcohol playing a toll on her as she pours her third glass.

"You can tell me. I don't mind." I smile gently at her. After a minute her features soften, and tears begin to prick at the corner of her eyes. She pulls out a handkerchief and daps at them.

"Please, I... I don't mean to get emotional but... I feel I can trust you."She sniffles and I nod at her, willing her to continue.

"I just don't know what to do about Faelian! All he thinks about, all he cares about, is skooma! He was a fine young man once. But he's lost everything. His looks, his money... his self-respect. I followed him a few times, to see where he goes. He walks around the city looking for skooma, and then goes to Lorkmir's house for several hours. It's in the Elven Gardens District. I think the house is deserted!" Her voice rises as she becomes agitated. "That's why he goes there. So he can escape from life and do his skooma!" With a huff and a few tears sliding down her cheeks, she settles back into her seat before finishing off another glass of wine.

"Thank you for listening. You're a good friend. I just hope my sweet Faelian can clean himself up, or that awful skooma will be the death of him!"

I have the information I need. I stand up and pat her on the shoulder.

"If you don't mind, I need to get to bed to wake up early tomorrow for work. But…you can keep the wine."

Atraena glances up at me, a small smile on her lips. "Thank you…Rivera, was it? You're very kind."

I just smile at her again, avoiding cheering as I head back up to my bed.

I carefully rotate the pick, trying to unlock the door to Lorkmir's house. I listen for the click, which soon follows. If Atraena is correct, Faelian should be in here…and then I can kill him and be done with the contract and return to Cheydinhal.

Today is the last day of my humanity before I become a vampire, but I don't feel any different. I still like normal food and the sun provides welcoming warmth on my skin. This is probably normal, though. I know I'll be like Vicente before the day is through.

When I enter the house, Faelian is nowhere in sight, but the first floor has been trashed. Ingredients and foodstuff lie smashed on the floor, bits of glass scattered everywhere. I navigate around the mess to a set of stairs heading into the basement.

As soon as I descend the stairs it is clear why the house is abandoned. A thick smell permeates the air and I cover my nose. The decomposing body of the man who must be Lorkmir lies in a dried pool of his own blood, clearly stabbed to death, the weapon nearby. I imagine Faelian must have done this.

I hurry and rush back up to the first floor to escape the scent of rotting flesh, nearly running into an Altmer man.

"Hey…how did you get in here? Are you here for the skooma?" His eyes have a glassy tint to them and his voice is rough, clearly affected by the drug he's been taking. There are dark bags under his eyes.

Time to get to work. I hold out my hands, taking his face in them. "It's time to sleep now. Hush, dear Faelian." My hands tingle for the kill, and I find myself almost lusting for the blood to well out of his veins and onto the floor.

He looks in my general direction, but I feel as though his gaze passes right over me. "Sleep? But... Nah. No, I... I'm not tired. Not tired right now. I have lots of... you know... energy. The skooma! I can feel it.. in my veins..."

My hand slowly drifts to my belt where I unsheathe Sufferthorn, accompanied by the usual slink of metal on metal. Faelian's eyes open wide but he never has a chance to call for help. Before he's quite realized it, the dagger is buried in his heart and he falls over backwards, red blossoming on his tunic. My heart swells in my chest and I bend down, running my finger through the red liquid.

"Good night, Faelian," I whisper to the corpse as I pull myself away, somewhat dazed by the kill, and then sneak out of the house.

I get back to Cheydinhal while it is still light. The Black Door slides silently open for me, and I caress the cold metal before entering my beloved Sanctuary.

"Gak!" A skeleton guardian waves his hand at me as I stride pass him, and I smile. Even for being large skeletons, the guardians are awfully friendly and have grown on me, almost as much as Schemer. I like to scratch the rat's head whenever he brushes up against my leg.

As I pass the training room I hear some light, playful arguments and the sound of weapons hitting weapons as my family trains together, but I continue down the hallway.

Ocheeva is sitting in her room when I enter, picking over a piece of fish while reading The Lusty Argonian Maid. She grins at me and motions for me to sit down with her.

"Greetings Sister. I trust you travelled well?" Her raspy voice fills the silence and I smile, happy to be back at home. My brothers and sisters are family to me, and I miss them anytime I am gone.

"Just fine, thank you Ocheeva. The Night Mother's work has been completed."

She gives me a large, toothy grin "That's wonderful to hear. The High Elf Faelian now swims in the maelstrom of darkness at the feet of our Dread Father, Sithis. And, there were no witnesses to your handiwork. Because of the discretion you exercised, Captain Phillida will not suspect the Dark Brotherhood was involved, and will not meddle in our affairs."

Adamus Phillida, I actually forgot about him. Thank Sithis the contract went okay, I wouldn't want to have botched it up and drawn unwanted attention to our family.

"Here is your reward and bonus. Both have been well earned! Go now and rest, and may the Night Mother guard your dreams." The Argonian hands me a coin purse, one of the magically enchanted ones that is bigger on the inside, and a bow that looks somewhat like something I could have gotten at a weapon smith if it were not for the deadly enchantment that pulses through my hands when I hold it.

I string the bow over my back. "Thank you Ocheeva. Do you have another contract for me?"

She scoops up another bite of fish while she talks to me. "Yes I do. It relies on your ability to remain fully undetected."

Well, I think I can do that. I got through the Imperial prison completely undetected. I nod my head and she continues.

"Excellent, you truly are as eager as Vicente says you are." My cheeks flush red, and laughs throatily. "Now listen closely. Nestled in the mountains to the west lies Fort Sutch. It is the home of the warlord Roderick and his mercenaries. Roderick has recently taken ill. He now lies in eternal slumber, kept alive only by the daily administration of a powerful medicine. You must infiltrate Fort Sutch, find Roderick's medicine, and replace it with a poisoned bottle I will provide. But you must remain undetected! Whomever arranged this contract wants it to look like Roderick died from his illness, so discretion is essential. Attack no one! Be seen by no one! If you are detected, the poisoning will fail, and Roderick must be killed in some other manner." She hands me the poisoned bottle which I tuck into a loop on my armor.

"It will be done." I try to make sure to fulfill my contracts to the exact descriptions. What good is an assassin for Sithis if they cannot follow directions?

"I know you will do well. Now get some rest, Sister." Ocheeva rubs my shoulder affectionately and I smile at her.

"I will." I nod and head towards the Living Quarters with the intent to change. A couple of days of wearing leather tends to make one's joints hurt and feel stiff. As I enter into the bedroom, I am greeted by frantic waving from Antoinetta, who is lying on her bed reading.

"How'd it go?" She greets me, her voice as high pitched and excited as ever.

"It was alright - more or less a boring and easy job. I had to suck up to some Altmer woman and then kill her boyfriend." I unbuckle the straps on my armor, slowly removing it to change into something more comfortable. Antoinetta laughs before falling silent for a second.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be a vampire today? I mean that is why you let Vicente bite you, right?"

I stiffen, my knuckles tightening on the leather before pulling it off roughly. "I will be, just give it time."

"But you don't feel any different? You certainly don't look any different." She swings her legs over to the edge and stares at me, somewhat unnerving as I change into a pair of cloth pants and a blouse.

Ignoring her, I toss my armor into my truck. I will be a vampire. Maybe you don't know it until it happens…I mean, I didn't drink any potions or do anything to prohibit the process.

"I need to go and see Vicente," I grunt to her, before exiting the room.

I raise my hand to knock on the door, but before my fist even meets the wood a hand snakes out and grasps the front of my shirt, pulling me inside and shoving me against the wall.

"So you just thought you'd ask me for the Gift so I would suck your blood and then cure yourself? What game are you playing at?" Vicente's hand wraps around my throat, his red eyes in my face, fangs at the ready.

Fear spikes through my body. "I'm not playing at any game!" I choke out from underneath his dangerous grip. My eyes keep drifting down to his fangs and for the first time in a while, I truly am terrified of what he's capable of.

"You should be a vampire and you're not!" Hurt flashes over his features and I feel a pang of remorse. Vicente has made an oath not to drink the blood of any family members – the only exception he made was for me because I planned to join him in the night.

"I didn't – " My voice catches and I choke, "do anything! I've been counting the days hoping for it!" Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, threatening to spill over.

Unreadable emotions cross his face before he slackens his hand and pulls it away. I cough and choke, reading up to touch my tender neck as tears fall over my cheeks.

Vicente closes his eyes and rubs the bridge of his nose. "Please don't cry." He pulls me into his arms and I bury my face into his shirt.

"I d-didn't d-do anything to n-not become a vampire!" My voice is muffled in his shirt as I hiccup and clutch him.

He's silent for a moment, rubbing his hand over my hair. "Alright, I believe you. But I don't understand how you couldn't become a vampire, considering how many times I bit you, unless you're somehow…"

Vicente's voice travels off, and after several minutes of a long silence, I look up from his shirt to see his face. He's stark white, more pale than I've ever seen him.

My teeth connect with my lip and my heart begins racing. Why is he afraid?

"What? Please tell me what's the matter? I'm somehow what?" I attempt to shake him, but that's about as useful as trying to topple a brick wall with a feather.

His red eyes dart down to me. "What do you know about your family and their history?" His voice is very quiet, nearly a whisper.

I shake my head. "Well nothing really, my family were all just normal people who – " Vicente opens his mouth, interrupting me.

"Zaris, what is your family name?" His hands tighten on my shoulders.

Feeling confused, I pull my eyebrows together. "I don't see how that is important."

"Please Zarissis, what is your family name?" His voice has a note of urgency I've never heard before, and I simply look at up him. If he sounds like this, then it must be important.

"My full name is Zarissis Rahallen."

Vicente's eyes widen and he releases me before pulling away from me until he's facing the wall, running his hands over his face.

"Oh Sithis, why did it have to be you?" He sounds so disparaging, but I don't know why he's upset. His words hit a chord in me that hurts. Why would he say something like that?

I cross my arms, feeling defensive. "Tell me what you know now and stop hiding it from me. What does my family name have to do with anything, especially with being unable to become a vampire?"

Slowly, Vicente turns around to face me. His eyes are guarded, much like the day he offered to change me. Whatever this is, he's afraid of getting hurt.

"Zaris," he begins slowly, resting his hands on the back of a chair. "The Rahallens are a family of vampire slayers."

The silence that followed was so thick I could have heard a pin drop from the Main Hall.

Oooh, I'm a meanie for hanging it here! This was mostly just a filler chapter, but the next one will be more exciting!