First day of summer school today... quite enlightening let me tell you. But I didn't let it hinder my writing! So here you go, another longish chapter. I appreciate all who read (and review too)! Here is my specific thank you to you recent reviewers:

KaitlynEmmaRose, FaithCanDoWonders, darkangel1994, Lintered, bluesmidge101

Enjoy away. :D

I had been in bed for over an hour staring up at my ceiling trying to fall asleep when I heard voices. Two voices in fact. Draco had said he was going to sleep before me, and yet from what I could tell he was very much awake. And I could smell the visitor's blood. Blaise. I could hear every word from where I laid in bed, but I wanted to see if I could see through the crack in the door frame. There they stood, talking in hushed voices. What was going on?

"You're sure she's asleep?" Blaise asks hesitantly glancing at my door.

I back up instinctively even though there was no chance he could see through the door.

"Yes, she went to bed awhile ago. Now why are you here?" Draco asks sounding bored.

"I just wanted to bring a couple of things to your attention."

Oh hell. He couldn't remember… I made sure he was completely asleep and I healed the puncture marks. There was no way he could know I drank from him.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to continue?"

Should I run out there? Stop whatever he was about to say?

"It seems to me that I'm making more of an impact on our dear Delilah then you are."

I breathed a sigh of relief, so he didn't remember. But what was he talking about? I slid to the ground and peeked through the crack so I could watch and listen.

"How so?" Draco asks, unmoved. Whatever it was Blaise was referring to Draco didn't seem all that interested.

"She is practically my girlfriend, and soon I'll be able to use that in convincing her to help us. You were paired with her to do the same thing, but have failed miserably."

"She's not going to tell you anything. Whether she's dating you or not." Draco says, leaving the only area I could see. It sounded like he was getting something out of the fridge. What did they want me to tell them? And furthermore it was clear Blaise had an ulterior motive for hanging out with me. I suddenly no longer felt any guilt for feeding off of him.

"And you know this by your in-depth friendship? You humiliate and disparage her as often as possible."

"She's better than you Blaise. She'll eventually see through this ruse you're putting on." Draco says simply, stepping back into my line of vision. Blaise looked angry. I probably looked shocked. Did Draco just say that about me?

"We'll see about that when I get her to tell me all about her brother. You'll be the laughing stock then. She was practically handed to you on a platter, 72 hours last week with her and you've learned nothing. I get her to date me and trust me on my spare time and I'm ten times closer than you ever will be."

I froze. What was he going on about? Talking about my brother? What does he want to know, and why would I know it? And then it hit me. Everyone knows my brother is a vampire now. Ever since the summer when he had to flee because of the murders. Malachi warned me how wizards, especially ones trying to gain power, always try to lure vampires to their cause. But they never really know how. And now they want to know how. They think my brother told me a weakness or something that can control us. Damon didn't though. Malachi did, a week before I left to come here to Hogwarts.

I continued to practice, throwing blades and glaives every which way at every available target in the training room. It was the only way to relieve my stress. I hadn't slept since my brother fled, half of the known wizarding force not far behind. It was all my fault. I yelled in frustration as I took a sword from its sheath and began to hack at everything in sight.

"Delilah." His voice didn't stop me. Nothing could. I was on a rampage of anger and sadness. I wanted to die.

"Delilah!" He grabs the sword from my hands and throws it to the ground. I make to punch him, right in the chest, but he pulls me towards him instead wrapping me in a hug. It wasn't until then that I knew I was sobbing.

"Your brother is safe. He knows where to go and what to do. Of course I do not excuse his behavior. He broke more than a couple of laws and eventually will be punished for it, but he's safe."

My teeth ground together as he spoke. His words just made me angrier. At myself, at the laws, at the dead men who had deserved to die.

"The main reason why we are to keep a low profile is because,"

"Because we don't want to attract attention. I know. I know." I growl trying to push away. He held me firmly, still holding me in a hug.

"We don't want to attract attention because if we get captured, and a weaker soul reveals what I am about to tell you, then all vampires are doomed."

My silence urged him to go on. Even my tears had stopped. I had been waiting to find out this secret for the last month. But I was never ready he had said, but now. Now he was going to tell me.

"What wizards seek is our blood. When we die our blood turns to ash, but alive our blood creates other vampires." He explains pulling away just enough so he could look into my eyes.

"But why would wizards want that? To create even more of us?"

"Because they can extract our blood and use specific spells to control any vampires they make. Already when a vampire gives their blood to create a new vampire the sire will always feel the one they created. It's like a small connection that can only be severed through death. I will always know where you are and sometimes I even know how you're feeling. It's how I know your brother is safe. Imagine this power in the hands of a vampire controlled by wizards? They could create a vampire army that only kills specific people."

I listened in horror. This explains half the rules we are supposed to abide by. Why vampires were to remain neutral, apart from any other humans. Why our feedings were supposed to be random, and unhindered by prejudices.

"Does my brother know about this?"

"Yes. It is the sire's responsibility to teach everything there is to know about what it means to be a vampire. I've done the same with everyone I have turned."

I jerked slightly at that comment. I was by no means thankful for what Malachi had done to me, turning me into this. But I didn't hate him anymore. He gave me a new way to protect myself. He also gave me a new way to hurt the ones I loved, thinking about my brother. But how many people had Malachi done this to?
"How many of us have you turned?"

He stares down at me, but doesn't answer. What was he waiting for? It was a simple question.

"How many?" I repeat.

"Four. You, your brother, Ana, and Clarisse."

"Ana's dead. What about Clarisse?"

"Dead." He says, dropping his hands as well as his gaze. There was a pain there that I hadn't expected. I thought maybe she was just another Ana, turned against him. But it didn't sound like it. He sounded hurt.

"I apologize. I didn't mean to…" I attempt to reach out to him, make him feel better.

"It isn't your fault. You deserve to know."

"Deserve to know what?"

"I turned your brother because of you."

"No. No you didn't. You turned me because of him. He told me he asked you to." I say, shaking my head.

"My sire was the one your father owed the blood debt to, but since he died it passed on to me. I wasn't going to act on it. After all I didn't know why the man sold his two children to my sire. But then I saw you. I watched you for quite some time, learning all about your likes and dislikes. I knew you would never live without your brother, but you were better than him. You would never have asked me to turn him. You would have begged me not to and then kill yourself once he was gone from this earth. But I knew he would. He would ask me to turn you. So I did. I turned you letting him think it was for him. But it was for me."

"What?" I stumble slightly backing away from him. He wasn't being serious.

"When I first saw you I thought you were her. Clarisse. But I knew she was dead. She was killed in front of me. But there you were. After watching you for awhile I knew you weren't her. But you mesmerized me."

I stare at him, open mouthed and wide eyed. Was I really hearing this right? I didn't know what to say, so instead I ran. Or attempted to run, because he had me against the wall a second later.

"Please. Don't run." He whispers. I tremble slightly, from his touch or his words I didn't know.

"Are you finished?" Draco's bored expression hadn't wavered during Blaise's tirade.

"Yes. I just wanted to let you know you are going to fail."

"Noted. Now you can leave."

Blaise gave him one last disdainful look and then turned to go. I watched Draco close the door behind him and turn off the lights. In the darkness I could still see him, and realized he was headed directly for my door, not his. I stood and ran to my bed, jumping on it lightly. I shut my eyes as he opens the door. I lie there, breathing slowly.

"I don't hate you Lila, not really. It's the only way to protect you. I promised her. I have to make you hate me, us, our cause. It's the only good thing I can do."

He walks out the way he came in, shutting the door behind him. I sit up staring into the darkness. Was that for real?

I couldn't really wrap my head around what was said, both by Blaise and Draco. First I was going to meet up with Blaise on Thursday and feed on him again. That stupid little prick. I knew he was using me, but I thought it was to get back at Draco or something, not to get close to me and learn my brother's secrets. Well they are my secrets too, but no one knows that. It was hilarious to think Blaise thought I would tell him anything.

And then there was Draco. I simply couldn't grasp the thousands of jumbled thoughts swimming about in my head. So now not only do I have to figure out why Beth is acting the way she is, but I have to figure out what is up with Draco. I didn't trust him, but what he said tonight… what am I supposed to make of that?

I wake up suddenly to a loud crash in the kitchen. I look at the clock. It was a little past eight in the morning. Another crash. What the hell? I get up and walk out the door to see Draco rummaging through containers and throwing food in them. What the hell was he doing?

"Draco?" I ask, rubbing my eyes, thinking maybe I was just seeing things.

"Go back to sleep." He growls, taking out his wand and minimizing the containers.

"What are you doing?" I ask, watching him throw the containers in a sack.

"None of your business."

"Draco, just stop for a second." I reach and grab his arm. He rips it out of my grasp and glares at me. I stare at him with wide eyes. He seemed angry by all appearances but there was something even worse going on inside him. He was being torn apart with worry. Like deeply troubled about something horrible. Something that had him in a packing frenzy like no other.

"Go away Kane."

"Where are you going?"

"Go. Away." He growls.

"Draco. Look at me! What is going on?" I push his shoulder so he would turn and look at me. He grabs my wrist and pulls me so close I could feel his breath against my face. I didn't struggle; I couldn't get past the pain I was feeling through him.

"Can you not hear? I said, go away!" He shouts, and pushes me away again.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what the hell is wrong!"

His shoulders slumped and he ran his fingers through his hair. I wait, standing next to him unmoving. I was going stay put until I got an answer. I could wait all day.

"It's my mother." He sighs. When I didn't say anything he continued, "She was taken. I received the ransom note this morning."

He glances at me, probably to measure my reaction. He wasn't crying or anything, I couldn't imagine Draco ever doing that, but he looked broken.

"Where is the note?"

"It burned after I finished reading it."

"Who would kidnap your mother? I thought your family was protected by the Dark Lord himself."

"Do not mock me Delilah!" he yells. I flinch slightly. I hadn't meant him to take it that way; it just didn't make sense to me.

"I wasn't. I was being serious. Who would take her?" I ask quietly.

"Vigilantes. People who try to get to the Dark Lord by other means. Through his supporters and followers."

"And they want your money."

"I have to show up with the money at the address I was given by nine tonight."

"Why isn't your father dealing with this? You can't go. You're here at school."

Draco scoffs and begins packing again. Was he going crazy too? He's not allowed to do just leave school. Then again, nowadays I don't think the ministry of magic was in any state to deal with disobedient school children. But I still wasn't okay with Draco leaving by himself. Because it seemed no matter what I said he was doing this. Going out to save his mother.

I leave him there in the kitchen fumbling around. He was very uncoordinated at the moment and it would give me enough time to change and pack. I threw on my black leggings, a long black sweater and my boots. I dug around in my closet and found my belt. I clasp it around my waist under the sweater. It had my glaive, dagger, a set of throwing knives and a thin rope. I placed my wand in my boot and throw my hair in a pony tail. Within seconds I had some extra stuff thrown in a black bag and walked out into the living room.

"Ready?" I ask plopping my bag down on the couch.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Coming with you." I would be able to help him, protect him.

"Like hell you are. You're staying here and doing your homework like a good little girl."

"We're stuck together on weekends remember? Besides, you need me." I say grinning.