Author's Note: Hey Guys! So it seems that the creative juices was really flowing these two weeks and this lovely chapter came out during the process. So you all get Chapter Nine ( and maybe ten) earlier than I expected. Enjoy!

Music for this chapter- Lithium- Evanescence ( Kirstin and David talk)

All Around Me- Flyleaf (James and Kirstin in bed)

Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't Sue.

Chapter 9- Confrontation

After the full sunrise, James raced us back through the forest stopping a few feet before the end so we could walk the rest. I thought silently about the commitment James has signed me too. I am his mate. But how? How could I really be his mate if I'm not eternal like he was? Does that make me less than a real mate? The questions swirled a whirlwind of answered questions around me, until I just went ahead and asked him about it.

" Tell me more about this 'mate' business" I asked, " How could I really be your mate if we haven't mated?"

" Well, technically your not because your still human" said James jumping from tree to tree, " for right now your like a human pet or a snack"

I stopped in my tracks for a moment.

" A pet?"

" Yes, some of our kind have them. Most feed on them, others just like to keep them around like this weird coven I encountered..."

" So I'm a pet now? " I said my brow furrowing, " some plaything you like to get your fix from?"

He jumped down in front of me and ran a hard finger down my face, putting a lock of my hair behind my ear.

" Never" He whispered, " You are very special to me, always remember that"

I smiled at him, taking his hand in mine. We walked in silence for the remainder of the hike, still hand in hand till the forest floor became flatter and the trees spread apart.. Then my house came into view with an unexpected face.

"David" I muttered

James stepped in front of me crouched low ready to attack. David followed suit, his eyes gleaming gold; He was the Guardian.

" Get away from her vampire" growled David. He started to slowly circle around us, his eyes piercing James' with the deepest malice

" Why don't you come over here and make me" hissed James, shifting his body around me, blocking me from view.

"Kirstin! Move away from him!" Yelled David, ignoring James

" David he's not going to hurt me" I said walking in front of James

" Stay back" James muttered pushing me backwards with a solid arm.

David's eyes shifted slightly from James to me, giving me a look. He straightened up suddenly, his eyes wide. " You drunk his blood... I smell it on you... I'LL KILL HIM!"

David rushed towards us at an incredible speed. James pushed me out of the way into the snow as their bodies crashed into each other with a sickening crunch. James slapped David , shooting him many feet into the forest. James looked back at me telling me to go into the house but I couldn't hear him. All I was focused on was the long crack down his face. It looked like some one tried to deface a beautiful sculpture. My sense of sound slowly came back to me as I heard another echo of his voice. It was cut from another blow by David, but James returned the favor for his cracked face. He slashed David across the face with sharp nails, making the snow bright red.

" Stop it" I said, tears stinging my eyes as I heard David's howl of pain.

David quickly recovered and took James by the neck and started to slowly turn to the left. James' eyes became very wide with fear and muttered a harsh "never again" and plunged his nails deep into David's throat. It was David's turn to be sacred. He coughed and blood ran from the corners of his mouth.

" STOP IT! I yelled, falling in the snow, " STOP IT NOW!

By some invisible force they were pushed away from each other. James got up, shaking the snow from his hair and rolling his neck. He threw me a confused look as I ran over to David to see if he was okay. He was on all fours, still coughing up blood.

" I thought you said that Guardian's had the same powers as Vampires" I muttered to James

" I did" He hissed

I took a look at David's neck and the wounds James gave him were already gone. Before I could even ask if he was okay, James grabbed my upper arm putting me a safe distance away from David. Then he got up, his eyes still gleaming with its gold glow.

" Why are you here?" I asked

" I need to talk to you... as me"

His golden eyes ebbed away into the familiar green eyes of my David.

" Okay" I said walking towards David. He reached out for my hand and when I took his it was incredibly warm. This time I welcomed the warmth of his hand as we walked into my yard.

He walked me over to the snow covered gazebo, the soft crunch of snow and heavy breathing a light layer over the silence between was weird yet pleasant to be around David again. I missed his presence more than I thought I did. I welcome it a lot more than the Guardian's.

" David, what happened to you? Where have you been?" I asked as I entered the gazebo. But David suddenly turned around and pulled me into a bear hug.

" I am so sorry"

I stood there, enveloped in his heat and sweet smoke sent. His arms wrapped tightly around my waist and ran up and down my back. I felt his lips graze my cheek. I couldn't let him go any further.

" David, stop" I said pushing away from his grip.

" I missed you so much" said David," He took you away from me"

" No one took me from anybody" I said angrily, " I belonged to no one but myself before I met James. But now I am his"

" What?" said David staring at me with wide eyes. They darted over to my neck where James' bite mark remained.

" He's tainted you!" he bellowed, his eyes turning back to gold," You let that beast feed off of you!"

" Yes! Because I love him!" I bellowed back

" You can't love him!" he growled

" Why not?"

" Because I love you and I am the only one good enough for you! He will kill you and once he does, you'll be one of his devote slaves until he finds some one new. I've watched him do it for centuries"

" Now I know why you always hated every guy I would be with" I spat, " because you have this deranged idea that I'm ment for you. I am a woman of my own destiny and you have no part in it"

David stared at me with anger and frustration in his eyes. I knew it was not my David looking back at me, but the overbearing Guardian. He suddenly got up and slowly walked off the gazebo.

" Since you don't believe me, ask the Vampire about a Victoria" he said over his shoulder.

I watched David walk way from me once again, unsure if it would really be him or the Guardian I will cross paths with again. I suddenly felt a cold hand in mine.

" I'm okay" I muttered as I curled up in his arms. I felt him kiss my forehead.

" Lets go inside"

We went inside the warm house, ascending up the stairs to my room. I shed off my coat and boots and grabbed my robe to head towards the bathroom. I stood still in the shower for the longest, letting the water run over my body. The warm water relaxed me from the morning's events. They all lifted so many questions...

Did my words really stop James and David from killing each other? Does this link up to why James' venom doesn't effect me? But the one question that's buzzing the loudest in my head was "who is Victoria?" and how was she linked to him? My Mate...my stranger... my James. I felt a strong wave of jealousy rise in me as I lathered up the soap. What was this woman to him? An old flame? From which life? His past or his constant present? Can an old flame really be old if she was apart of his afterlife? I splashed some water on my face, trying to forget my thoughts about Victoria.

I got out of the shower, dried off and put on my robe. When I entered my room, James was already on my bed staring up at my ceiling. His black long sleeved shirt and boots littered my floor along with some of my clothing I was too lazy to hang up. I noticed that he doesn't like to wear clothes unless he really needs to. Not that I mind of course, I guess its apart of his nomadic nature. I walk over to the bed and his crimson eyes shift over to me. He gets up immediately, pulling me in the bed with him. He puts a hand in my damp hair and runs the other down my body over the plush fabric of my robe. His kiss sent waves of electricity across my body and took my breath away. With each kiss he sent my conscience away for a vacation and let pure instinct take over. It was directing me to one thing ...

James seemed to read my mind.

He lowered me down on the pillows, crashing himself on to my body, making it tingle. He let my lips free for a moment, hovering over them for a moment as if afraid to part.

" Nothing like Victoria... My beautiful mate" he muttered.

He ran his hand down the opening of my robe, ready to break the divide between him and my naked skin.

I stopped his hand.

"Who is Victoria?"

Author's Note: DUN DUN DUNNNNNN! Ah, I missed those good ol' cliffhangers. Good times good times... So we had some James/ David action and some Kirstin/David action and Kirstin/ James steaminess. The Guardian loves the guarded... there should be and will be some consequences and road blocks because of that. And Kirstin's curiosity and annoyance over Victoria finally gets her to ask about the woman ( with help from Dave). Will James recollection of his former mate Victoria interfere with his relationship with his "new mate"? Will this effect Kirstin's decision to join James and his world? Btw... when is Kirstin's Family coming back to the states and how will they react to the news of her "attack"? Keep Reading, Reviewing, Faving and Alerting!

P.S: I would really appreciate that the readers who Fave and Alert the story also review too! I love hearing your feed back and it encourages me even more to write for you guys.

Much love!

Lady Nightshade1