David's foot booted Niko in the face, causing the Italian's nose to explode with a crack. The warm blood splattered Star's cheek as she crouched on the dock, her hands wrapped around her throat in an effort to shield her neck from Niko's razor-like teeth. She felt his hands leaving her as Niko fell backwards and clutched his face with a cry.

'I said,' growled David. 'She is mine. Get your hands off her.' Niko raged with pain, the blood flowing from between his fingers and dripping steadily down his front as Star crawled to David's feet to get away from him. He stepped in front of her, reaching down to grab the front of Niko's shirt.

'Santa Carla is ours, amico mia, mine and yours. This girl belongs to us all.' Niko pushed himself up to his feet and stood head to head with David, his bloody shirt still clutched in David's hand.

'It's mine,' David intoned menacingly. 'This city is mine and everything in it is mine. I will not let you destroy what belongs to me.' Star couldn't see how flat and dark David's eyes had become, how his strong jaw began to change and his teeth lengthened, but she could feel the fury coming off him in cold waves. Gathering herself together she managed to find her feet again, though her hands were shaking as she stepped back.

'Get on my bike, Star,' David said without even looking back. Star moved quickly, grabbing up her bag first and then reaching around David's legs to pick up Tozier's blade. She soon pulled back her hand as a kick from David's heavy black boot sent the knife sailing clear across the pier and into the calm sea below with a barely audible splash. 'Don't touch that,' David barked at her. 'I said get on the bike, we're leaving.' The girl scrabbled back and hurried to the motorcycle that gleamed silver and black in the moonlight. Pushing the tangled hair from her frightened, weary eyes, Star watched as Niko brought his hands up to try and loosen David's grip on his bloody shirt.

'What are you going to do with me?' he asked quietly though Star, being just a few feet away, heard every word. Niko's voice still had that cool, confident accent and was unconcerned, mocking almost. 'Max will hear of this, my father will tell him. You know Franco will not tolerate such treatment of his beloved son. This could even mean war between our houses, if I want it to.' He began to laugh, watching some kind of emotion flicker across David's face no doubt. It was a quiet, gentle sound that rose to a deep roll of utter amusement. 'I would advise that you choose your next move very, very carefully.'

Star, sitting on the bike behind, could only see how David's fist clenched even harder, as though he wanted nothing more than to crush that handful of fabric to dust. But then David's other fist came up and he punched Niko away from him, forcefully shoving him backwards so the other man stumbled. Niko laughed again and peered around David, glaring with black want at Star.

'This isn't over, bella. Believe me, it isn't over. I will not rest until I have your blood upon my lips.' He lifted a hand and blew a flirty air kiss in Star's direction, causing David to roar and lunge at the figure that retreated almost too quickly for Star to see. The girl shuffled backwards on the leather seat, clutching at her bag and making room for David as he stomped over and straddled the bike with a long, graceful movement, despite the thunder on his face.

His nostrils flared as he turned to her and Star could see his eyes dilate, even in the dark. His features had returned to their normal striking broodiness, but there was still something edgy about him.

'Did he bite you?' David demanded. Star suddenly remembered the blood that had splattered her cheek from Niko's broken nose.

'No,' she said, raising a hand to her face to wipe at the blood and lifting her wet fingers to eye level to inspect it. 'Hey!' she cried in surprise as David suddenly slapped her hand away.

'Don't lick it,' David warned, firmly.

'I wasn't going to lick it!' Star said, indignantly. 'What do you think I am, a bloodsucker?'

'Not yet,' he grinned grimly, revving the engine to life and careening off along the pier with such speed that Star squawked and had to fling her arms around his waist to stop herself from falling off the back. 'But you soon will be,' David chuckled, his voice raised to carry over the whip of the wind as they sped along.

Star was soon grinning too, the earlier fear and weariness disappearing with each mile of the Boardwalk that whizzed by beneath the bike's wheels. She crouched low behind David's broad back to stop the sand that was kicked up from scratching her face as they bumped down onto the shoreline and wound along the ocean's edge and followed the coast north.

'Woah, lookie look, boys!' The irrepressibly happy tone of Paul carried loud and clear above the still rumbling engine, though David had skidded to a stop beside a driftwood fire surrounded by a circle of heaped rocks. The beautiful eerie blue glow kicked up by the salt dried into the wood illuminated the other three boys as they sat around, relaxed.

'Where ya been?' Paul enquired, lounging back on his side as he sprawled beside the fire. David cut the engine and kicked the stand out from under his bike, sitting down beside Dwayne.

'Saving her ass again,' David said, gesturing to Star as she climbed off the bike and pressed herself close to Dwayne's side. Her brother turned to lay aside a well-loved six-string, freeing up his arm to drape around Star and pull her close.

'What happened? You're bleeding?' Dwayne gripped her chin, frowning in concern as he examined the blood.

'It's not my blood. It's Niko's.'

'From that old restaurant place?' Dwayne asked.

'Yeah,' David answered for her, elbows resting on his knees as he tossed a few dry twigs into the flames, causing them to flicker a pretty shade of green. 'I think we've just started a war.'

'Woah man!' Paul leapt up excitedly, kicking over the can of beer he'd been drinking. 'Let's do it. Name the time and the place, man and I'm there.' Marco crowed in delight, picking up on Paul's enthusiasm.

'Hell yeah, brah!' He swung his fist into his palm before loudly high-fiving Paul. 'Bring it on, let's fight!'

'No,' David said without looking up from the dancing, almost hypnotic flames. 'Not yet.' Dwayne nodded in agreement, his warm brown eyes thoughtful as he looked up at the other two. Marco was grinning, his blue eyes wide as he ran two hands through his blonde curls. He was eager, excited. But he was still young. Paul looked pumped, flexing his arms beneath the torn sleeves of his jacket.

'We aren't ready yet,' David said, and the other two sat back down like two toddlers chided for making too much noise. 'As a colony we aren't strong enough to take them on.'

'There's only two of them, there are four of you,' Star pointed out, rubbing the blood from her cheek again and glaring at David as if daring him to strike her hand away again. 'You could take them easily.'

'There may only be two,' David acknowledged, his cold eyes lingering on her with interest in a way that made her drop her gaze and her hand. 'But there could be more. Also, Franco and his son are descended from a line that goes way back, a powerful family known for its strength. It wouldn't surprise me to find there are more of them in Santa Carla. Numbers, rather than strength might give us an advantage, if there are only two of them. However, we also have something of value we can use to give us the upper hand.'

'What's that?' Dwayne asked, as Paul and Marco exchanged confused looks.

'Her.' David jerked his head at Star.

'What?' the girl cried, her brown eyes alight with disgust. 'I am not a bargaining chip for you to use!' Dwayne gave a little growl and held her tighter against his side. David fixed her with his icy, unrelenting stare.

'You'll be whatever I say you are,' he said simply. But Star refused to drop her gaze or to look away this time. The blue-green flames played gently over her pretty face, giving her dark wide eyes an ethereal glaze.

'I am going to become one of you, I can help you fight,' she said firmly, challenging David to deny her.

'Get outta here, girl!' Paul laughed. 'You couldn't fight a cold, let alone a vampire!'

'I want to fight,' she insisted, refusing to look away from David. He shook his head slowly.

'Not until this is over. He wants you as you are, you're no good to us if I turn you now.'

Star looked hurt and Dwayne looked pissed, but he held his tongue and slammed his fist into the sand beside him. David chuckled.

'Niko wants her blood, Dwayne. You know it won't be the same when she's one of us, her blood won't be as sweet to him. We can use her as she is to lure him to us.'

'Then what?' Marco asked, eager. David shrugged.

'If we can get Niko on his own, we'll have the upper hand for sure. We either get him and his father to agree to leave, or we kill them. Santa Carla isn't going to be big enough for two colonies. Especially the way they've been feeding lately.'

'And Star?' Dwayne asked with a dark frown. David contemplated the beautiful girl who glowered back at him.

'I'll turn her. If she survives this.'