Disclaimer: Typical disclaimer applies…

Summary: After a gruesome war that nearly brought the two races to extinction, vampires and werewolves have been locked in an unstable truce from centuries. But when a certain vampire suddenly finds a certain werewolf's blood is all that he can consume palatably… Will it result to another bloody war or something else entirely?


Chapter 27

She woke up disorientated at mid-day. A groan escaped from her as she tried to roll over to her side. She instantly gave up the idea of flipping over and stayed flat on her back. Rolling her head to one side, her eyes landed on her bedmate's handsome profile.

Still immersed in her dreams/memories, last night's events were slow in coming back to her. Once it did, her eyes shifted to the inside of her elbow. There weren't any visible needle marks on them. Nonoko had most probably pulled the needles out before she retired. But, judging for the numbness she was feeling, her body was still fighting off the effects of the poison.

She sighed and turned her head straight back up. The small, barred window near the ceiling had a thick curtain on, but still allowed some daylight to filter through. Her mind groggily tried to focus on the strips of light playing on the ceiling but found her sight getting blurry. Before long, her heavy eyelids drifted shut, and she fell back to sleep.

The next she woke up, the grogginess was gone, and it was already passed midnight. Natsume was still dead asleep beside her, but she can see the steady rise and fall of his chest.

She slowly sat up. Her body still feeling a bit stiff, but most of the numbness was gone. Just as she'd swung her legs over the edge of the bed, the door creaked open and Ruka stepped in.

"Oh, you're awake," Ruka exclaimed, rushing forward to see if Mikan needed any help. Mikan waved him off as she stood up without help. "Are you sure you should be getting up, Mikan?"

"I feel fine, Ruka. I need to walk around and stretch." She didn't mention that she needed to move around and shake the numbness from her body. The quicker she had her blood circulating, the quicker her body can neutralized the remaining poison in her system.

Ruka looked like he was about to protest, so she quickly reassured him. "Don't worry, I'm not going out. I'll just wander around inside the castle." She turned back to him when she reached the doorway. "Can you please stay here and watch over Natsume while he's still out? Thanks." She didn't wait for a confirmation before she closed the door and slipped down the hall.

Ruka sighed and pulled up a chair beside the bed. Well, this really was why he came here for. But he didn't expect that he'd be watching only one patient instead of two.

Mikan strolled around the castle, contemplated what she could do to pass the time indoors. She didn't want to spend the rest of the evening doing absolutely nothing. Finding something to read around here should solve that problem.

Her mind recalled the enormous castle library with its vast collection of tomes. There's bound to be quite a few books there that would catch her interest. Once she got to the library, she released the latch and swung the door wide open. Her nose instantly picked up Natsume's scent as a draft wafted around the room.

She'd been here a time or two to pick out a book before dawn arrived. And every time, the goddamn leech's scent short-circuits her olfactory bulb. She briskly shook her head, trying to get the heady, masculine scent out of her mind. The library had been Natsume's sanctuary before he took to sharing a space with her. It was natural for his scent to linger around here, now if she could just keep it from distracting the hell out of her as always.

Stepping inside the cylindrical room, she looked around. Natsume did say that she could come in her whenever she wanted. Her eyes were instinctively drawn to the part of the library where she knew a certain book was shelved. Her lips curved into a soft smile. If the vampire she'd gifted that book with was comfortable enough to leave it here, she must have explicitly trust the current master vampire not to burn the castle down.

She went around exploring the tomes in the library, picking out those that had caught her interest along the way. Before she could walk pass five shelves lined against the wall, her arms were already full. She walked towards the couch, which had served as Natsume's bed prior to her arrival, and dumped the books she'd collected on top of it.

His scent was heavier around that area, but she kept to the task of sorting out through the books, and narrowing down her pickings. Once she'd narrowed the selection, she returned the rest of the books to their proper places on the shelves.

As she scooped up the books she'll be borrowing, something on a shelf nearest the couch caught her eye.

She hadn't noticed it on her prior visits to the library, probably because Natsume always came in with her and parked himself on the couch while she picked out some books. She snorted in self-disgust. She still can't believe how dangerous the man was to her mind's equilibrium, even to the point that she hadn't noticed something right in plain sight.

She stepped over to get a closer look, finding it to be some kind of case made of wood and glass. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the ancient-looking dagger housed reverently inside it.

The dagger's blade still gleamed against the dim light, even though she could see that part of the polished steel had already been stained with age. The leather wrapping the wooden handle was worn down and delicate, and would probably crumble to dust if touched. But the most interesting part of the dagger to her was the pommel, which bore a certain insignia.

It took her a minute to absorb the information, before she smiled to herself and went to retrieve the books she'll be borrowing for the night. The memory of what happened 3,000 years ago was already vague in her mind. And who could blame her, the brain had only so much capacity. New memories had pushed back older ones in order to make room, making older recollections fuzzy.

But one thing she does recall from that long ago night was a pair of mesmerizing crimson eyes, which were far too old for their owner at that time.


She was coming back with both arms filled with books, when her ears picked up a commotion coming from the room. She sighed. Judging by the anxiety in Ruka's voice, someone had woken up and decided not to remain in bed, as he should. Using her elbow, she depressed the door latch and shouldered the door open. The sight that greeted her made her eyebrows rise.

Ruka stood by the bedside, with a pleading expression on his face. His arms outstretched and tense, as if he wanted to just grab Natsume and make him stay put, and only his utmost respect for his best friend was stopping him.

Natsume, on the other hand, was awkwardly trying to crawl out of bed by the look of it. Trying was the key word. It doesn't look like he was going anywhere anytime soon.

Once Ruka noticed her standing by the doorway, he aimed his pitiful, beseeching look straight at her. She heaved another sigh and placed the books down. That look might not work on Natsume right now, but she really couldn't leave the poor man to deal with his stubborn, crimson-eyed best-friend alone.

Natsume stopped struggling to get out of bed and sent a glare her way. His eyes were a bit bloodshot, his hair was sticking up in odd directions, and his face was coved with a five o'clock shadow. But he still looked ruggedly and deliciously handsome.

"Why am I being confined in bed while she's allowed to walk around?" he directed the question at Ruka.

Before Ruka could answer, Mikan walked over and easily rearranged him properly on the bed. "Because I can, unlike you," she said, fluffing up another pillow and placing it behind him to help prop him up. Natsume glared at her in annoyance, but kept silent as she rounded the bed and sat on the other side. He watched as she settled in on the bed beside him, his eyes drawn to the smooth expanse of her neck. His sharp hearing could pick up the beating of her heart, pumping her rich blood just beneath the surface of the delicious-looking neck.

Mikan was just about to reach for a book, when Natsume grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. For someone who was too weak to stand unaided, he sure got enough strength to pull a surprised Mikan down. He was about to bite down on her neck, when she snapped out of it. She firmly, but not crushingly, gripped him around the mouth to stop him and gave a gentle push, making him plop back down. "Nuh-uh," she told him resolutely. "You're sticking to cow's blood tonight. Right, Ruka?" she turned expectantly to the blond vampire.

"R-Right," Ruka stammered out. "I-I'll just go check your dinners with Nonoko." He was out the door in a flash. Once he was some distance way from the room, he slowed down and shook his head. Being in the same room as those two was quite awkward at times.

Mikan was still amusedly staring at the door were Ruka zoomed out, when she was tugged back down again. This time, she landed face-first onto Natsume's chest.

"Can you please stop dragging me down?" she pouted at Natsume, but settled in more comfortably beside him, her head pillowed on his shoulder and her arm slung across his waist. "How are you feeling this evening?" she asked.

Natsume responded with a disgruntled sounding "Hn".

"Glad to hear you're feeling better," she chuckled. "But still, none of my blood for you tonight," she said, pulling away from his side just as the door opened.

"Nii-chan! Nee-chan! Are you both okay?" Aoi cried out, spontaneously jumping on the bed with them. Mikan had to scoot closer to Natsume again to avoid getting bulldozed by the petite vampire.

"We wouldn't be if you'd managed to land your fat, heavy self on top of one of us," Natsume coolly scoffed.

Mikan laughed as she restrained Aoi from clawing Natsume's eye out. "As you can see, we're both fine, Aoi."

"I'm glad to see that everyone's quite lively tonight," Nonoko smiled as she brought in a dinner tray and carefully set the tray on the bedside table.

"Thanks, Nonoko," Mikan said, eagerly slipping to the edge of the bed. Her wide, hazel eyes decidedly focused on the five, thick slabs of beef stacked on the plate.

"Someone should present you to some committee. They can pass you off as a never-discovered wolf-pig hybrid," Natsume blandly teased her as Nonoko handed him his dinner.

"You're just grumpy 'coz you're not getting any of my blood tonight," Mikan huffed, biting off a chunk of meat.

"Who wants your blood?" he scoffed. "It's filled with fat and cholesterol from you pigging out all the time."

"I eat meat, you jerk! Meat is protein!" she protested. "And stop insinuating that I'm fat!"

As the two began to bicker in earnest, Nonoko whispered to Aoi, "I think it's time for us to leave." Aoi nodded and quietly backed out of the room with her. She couldn't agree more. Watching these two bicker was like intruding on something private.

After a while, the bickering stopped as Mikan proceeded to devour the last steak on her plate, and Natsume finally took a sip of his dinner. He winced as he gulped down cow's blood. He can't believe he was able live by the thin, bland liquid for a couple of millennia. His eyes strayed toward Mikan. Or maybe he's just getting spoiled with nightly doses of rich werewolf blood.

As he took another sip of blood, he peeked at Mikan over the goblet's rim as she unthinkingly ate her dinner. Well, he did know exactly why she wouldn't let him drink her blood tonight. She must still be feeling a bit of the poison in her system, and wasn't willing to risk getting poison back into him again. He glared at the remaining blood in the goblet and gave a silent sigh. The number of times she'd saved his life was starting to bug him.

When they finished their respective dinner, Mikan selected a book from the stack on the bedside table and settled on her side of the bed, her back against the headboard as she began reading. Natsume lay still on his side of the bed, propped up by some pillows. His eyes closed as if in rest.

Mikan peeked at him from the corner of her eyes, after a long moment of silence passed. She closed the book she was reading and turned to look at him. "You need a shave," she commented out of the blue. Her head tilted to one side as she studied the stubble growing around his chiseled lips. The short, dark hair covered the lower half of his handsome face, down to the top of his throat.

"If you can't see, I'm not in a position to shave myself right now, Idiot," he glowered at her. Hell, he could barely lift his arm without effort. And he certainly didn't cherished being reminded of his current vulnerability by the only woman he wanted to impress.

"I'll give you a shave then," she offered with a happy, sunny grin.

Natsume looked as if she'd just suggested that she'll lick him clean in place of a bath. On second thought, her tongue on him doesn't sound so bad in a very perverted way.

"I don't know what the heck's going on in the dirty, little mind of yours," Mikan drolly interrupted his thoughts. "But stop it."

Events after that were a blur to him. But the next thing he knew, he was in the den, seated on a recliner. A long piece of cloth hanged down his front, an edge tied around his neck. A hot towel covered the lower half of his face as he watched Mikan meticulously lathering up the shaving cream.

"You seem to know what you're doing," he noted after she removed the hot towel from his face, and began applying the shaving cream over his stubbles with a short-handled brush.

"I've done this before," she nonchalantly shrugged, "so you really don't have to worry. Now, just hold still while I prep the blade," she said, not knowing that her offhanded statement just sent Natsume's mind on overdrive.

Natsume followed her with his eyes. Mikan, being intimate enough with another man to give him a personal shave like this, did not sit well with him at all. His face set into a scowl. Just imagining Mikan with someone else was enough to make him see red. Other men in her life had better be in her past, or he'll be driven to murder them.

He watched as Mikan stepped back and began expertly stropping the razor to fine-tune its edge. It wasn't one of those newer safety razors he uses nowadays. It was an old-fashioned straight-edged razor blade that can slit a person's throat.

"Relax," she told him as she came closer. "You're tensing up."

"You're not the one who might have a chunk of your face taken off," he glared at her.

"I told you I've done this before," she reiterated, gently pushing him back down. She then pulled back the skin of his cheek with the tips of her fingers and did a quick swipe with the razor before he could utter another word.

Natsume couldn't help but feel the spot on his cheek to see if blood was gushing out. Surprisingly, he felt nothing but smooth skin. He stared at her incredulously. Damn if it wasn't smoother then after he'd used a safety razor on it.

Once he dropped his hand back down and leaned back on the recliner, Mikan took it as a sign for her to continue. Natsume closed his eyes when she began shaving him again, deciding to relax and enjoy Mikan's ministrations.

"You do know what you have to do now, don't you," she whispered, wiping his face with a hot towel after she'd finished giving him a shave. "The situation isn't something you can overlook anymore."

Crimson eyes opened and stared up at wide hazel ones. He sighed, knowing she's right. He can't overlook the attacks anymore, especially now that it was perpetrated within the castle walls. He'd been hoping that the attempts on his life would just go away if he ignored it long enough. The culprit was bound to give up sooner or later if he can't successfully kill him after so many attempts. But it wasn't just his life at stake anymore. The security of his coven was now an issue.

He didn't want to pry into his coven member's businesses, but the attacks were leaving him no choice. Not to mention the month-long deadline Mikan negotiated with the humans was getting close. And he sure as heck wasn't going to allow the human overlord to have Mikan.

"Loosen up," she interrupted his thoughts. "Give yourself until tomorrow night. Right now, you still need to recover properly," she said, using her thumbs to rub his temples in a firm, circular motion. Natsume melted with her touch. His body went slack and sunk deeper on the recliner's cushion. His eyes drifted shut again. He barely restrained a blissful moan as she began massaging his scalp.

Mikan smiled. She was thoroughly enjoying herself, liking the feel of her hands running through his soft, silky hair. The soft smile turned down into a frown. Maybe she was liking it a bit too much for her own good.

The following night, Natsume sat on his usual high-backed chair in the great hall. Aoi and Ruka stood a bit behind him like two solemn sentinels. The tension in the room was thick as they watched the members of the coven gather. But Mikan seems oblivious to it all as she lay peacefully on the floor beside Natsume's chair in her wolf form.

To any ordinary observer, Mikan might appear as if she doesn't care about the ongoing proceedings. But even with her relaxed facade, Natsume knew enough that she was on high alert. Her tense, pointed ears were a dead giveaway. In a flash, she could undoubtedly rip out the throat of anyone who comes at him. Just the thought of her protecting him brought a small smirk on his face despite the dire situation.

When everyone seemed to be inside the great hall, Natsume motioned for Nonoko and Sumire to close the doors. He then nodded to Ruka, who stepped up, catching everyone's attention.

"I know you're all wondering why you've been called here today," Ruka spoke. The crowd erupted into hushed whispers, but was silence with a single glare from Natsume. Ruka cleared his throat and continued. "I'm sure by now, you've all had somehow heard about the trouble with the humans." Another wave of hushed whispers rippled through the crowd, but was instantly silenced when Natsume emitted growl. Clearly, the master vampire doesn't like his spokesman being interrupted. "Natsume wants everyone's cooperation to help clear this coven's name. Can everyone please check first if everyone is accounted for before we proceed?"

Everyone looked at the person next to them. There were a few callouts in the first minute or so, but everyone seems to be in the great hall. Ruka glanced at Natsume and waited for his nod of consent. Once Natsume gave it, he turned back to the crowd. "The master's going to do a sweep of everyone in the room." That brought on another round of murmurings but was quickly quieted when Natsume stood up with a fierce frown on his face.

Ruka coughed trying to ease the tension in the room. "If everyone would please stay calm and try not to block Natsume while he does the sweep, we can get this all over soon. Please just bear with it. Thank you, everyone, for your cooperation."

As soon as Ruka finished his statement, Natsume closed his eyes and started his probe. He kept a stony front, but he was inwardly flinching due to some of the memories flashing through his mind. Now he remembered why he never liked probing into other people's mind. The stuff in there was enough to give you a century full of nightmares.

At the end, Natsume heaved a sigh of relief and sat back down. He shook his head as an answer to Ruka and Aoi's expectant gazes.

"Guess that means that whoever's attacking the humans isn't from our coven," Ruka said with a disappointed frown. He was glad the culprit isn't one of them. But now they don't have any leads on who's attacking the humans and who's trying to get rid of Natsume. He was pretty sure they're most likely the same person. He doesn't know what to think, really just wanting all this to be over with.

"I suppose, this means we can let all of them go now," Aoi said, also disappointed with this turn of events.

"Not just yet please," Mikan suddenly uttered out of nowhere, surprising Aoi and Ruka. They didn't even remember seeing her change form. Natsume though, doesn't seem affected. He was probably fully aware exactly where Mikan was and in what form she's in all this time.

"What do you have in mind?" Natsume asked softly, his crimson eyes boring into her.

"I don't know," she murmured, tapping her chin with an index finger in thought. "But my instinct tells me that someone's missing. I just can't put my finger on it right now."

Natsume's eyes narrowed. He abruptly stood from his seat, catching everyone's attention. "I want everyone to double-check right now and make sure that everyone's in here!"

That command got everyone scrambling to account for everyone again. Groups within the coven quickly verified that their friends were present. A few shouts for confirmation were heard as persons who hanged out with more than one group were proven to be there. When everyone had settled down again, they still couldn't determine if anyone was missing.

Natsume's irritated growl had the crowd scrambling a foot back. Despite his show of anger, Mikan placed her hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him back down to his seat. "You're not helping any by scaring them you know," she scolded him. "And the smell of their fear is…" She suddenly stopped mid-sentence. "Smell… Smell… That's it! That smell that kept nagging my mind."

"What do you mean?" Natsume glared at her. "What smell?"

"It's the scent that I picked up when I found you unconscious in the forest. It's the same scent that I couldn't place when I smelled it in the castle," she grinned.

"You what?" Natsume banged the arm of his chair, breaking it off and sending the piece crashing to the floor. "Why the heck didn't you tell me?" he yelled.

"Because I wasn't sure it was anything!" she screamed back. "Do you know how many scents my nose picks up on a daily basis? I can smell every airborne molecule within a mile around me, and even twice to trice that distance when the wind's blowing. Do you know how hard it is to shift through all of that information and just recall a single goddamn scent?"

"You're making a scene in front of my coven," Natsume stoically told her. "Now just tell me who it was that matched the scent."

Mikan didn't seem to hear the latter part of that. "Hell yeah I'm making a scene! Everyone here doesn't give a damn if I make a scene or not. I'm sure everyone here expects me to make a scene sooner or later for their entertainment. I'm sure that…" Before she should utter under word, Natsume grabbed her and sealed her mouth shut with his.

After a minute of being lick-locked, Natsume pulled away but kept her body flushed against his. "There, now we both just made a scene. Now tell me who hell it is causing all this goddamn trouble."

It took a moment for Mikan's fried brain to catch up. "Umm… well…" She cleared her throat to hide her discomfiture. "That woman named Luna?" she asked. "Where is she right now?"

Natsume turned to the crowd, intending to order them to look for the woman. But everyone had overheard and was already searching for her. Luna never did get along very well with any of the coven members. She never hanged out with any of them, let alone a particular group. It was typical for someone to account for those closes to them and part of the group they associate with. It wasn't very hard to overlook a single, solitary person whom they knew but doesn't socialize with them.

"Find her! Find her now!" Natsume snarled, setting everyone in motion. Everyone headed for the doors, intending to scour the whole castle and the surrounding grounds.

Mikan turned to leave with the rest, but Natsume grabbed her arm and pulled her back into his arms. "Not you," he breathed in her ear. "I want you in our room, on our bed. Naked and waiting for me." He gently nibbled on her earlobe for emphasis.

"I-I-I'd be more useful aiding in the search," she stammered, trying her best to keep the flush off her face. But she knew she was failing miserably. "She'd already have a head start. I can point out which direction she went. Besides, you still need to inform the humans that you already have a suspect on who the rogue vampire is."

That made Natsume paused for a moment before he turned to Ruka, who hasn't left the room yet but headed for the door with the others. "Ruka," he called out, catching the blonde's attention, "ride out to town and inform the humans what's going on here." Ruka nodded in confirmation and hurried out.

Once Ruka was gone, Natsume dragged Mikan outside. "You got a minute to point out which direction she'd headed," he told her.

Mikan began sniffing the air as soon as they were outside the castle. She walked around sniffing with Natsume following closely behind her. Every time they'd passed some coven members, he'd gestured for them to follow. "Why only a minute?" she asked, not minding the group of vampires trailing behind her. But before he could answer, her nose picked up something. "Oh, wait," she gave a few more sniffs. "Got it! She went that way," she said pointing out a trail headed away east from the castle.

Natsume gestured for the vampires to head that way. The vampires gave no argument and started running through the trail at high speed. Mikan was about to shift and join the hunt, but Natsume quickly grabbed her before she could. "You want to know why you only got a minute." He provocatively brushed up against her. "That's because that's only how long I can hold myself back."

"Why do I have to get stuck with a horny, perverted leech of all things," Mikan complained but didn't put up any resistance as he dragged her inside. He must have been affected by the kiss just as much as she had. "What if she doubles back? You need me out there tracking her."

Natsume stopped on his tracks and turn back to her. "They're vampires. Our noses might not be as sharp as yours, but we still have an above average sense of smell. They'll be able to track her down once they locked on to her scent on that trail. Now quit trying to skip out on me," he growled and started towing her again.


"YOU LOST HER!"

The group who when after Luna's trail flinched. Their master vampire looked angry enough to roast them and feed them to Mikan. It really wasn't their fault though.

One of them gathered all his nerve and stepped forward, intending to explain the reason they lost the scent trail. "My lord," he started then audibly gulped. Natsume's death glare nearly made his already shaky composure crumbled. "I-It's j-j-just that she'd gone too far east. We couldn't t-trace her scent and… and… dawn is only a couple of hours away…" His voice ended with a slight squeak as he quickly stepped back. Natsume was looking more and more homicidal.

"East?" Mikan murmured. "She went beyond the eastern border of the lowlands?" The vampire who spoke mutely nodded in confirmation. Mikan turned to Natsume. "Well, you really can't blame them if she headed there. Even I would have had a difficult time trying to track her down if that's where she'd gone." She sat down on the thick rug laid out in front of the fireplace, that same rug that Natsume bought for her in Tsubasa and Misaki's shop. "Why don't you guys go wash your faces then go get some fresh air," she suggested with a kind smile. "I'm sure your noses must be stinging right now."

The group of vampires blushed and gratefully bowed to her before heading out of the great hall to do just as she said. Natsume watched them with narrowed eyes. He didn't like that she'd smiled at them like that. Her smiles were supposed to be just for him. Before he's mood could take a turn for the worse, she aimed that thousand-watt smile of hers straight at him, sending a bolt of electricity through his body. Now that smile was meant only for him.

A corner of his lips quirked up as his bad mood melted away. He got up from his chair and plopped down beside her on the rug. "You want to explain why you'd just let members of my coven off so easily?" he asked, comfortably pillowing his head on her lap.

"Have you been to the eastern border of the lowlands?" she asked rhetorically.

"Yes," he answered back, closing his eyes as she gently stroked back his hair. From his calm, laid-back attitude, she could surmise he already knew the answer to his and her questions.

"Then you should know the answer." She continued stroking his hair. "Werewolves tend to avoid going anywhere near that area. The smell of sulfur in that place is enough to singe off a werewolf's muzzle." She scrunched up her nose. "Even though not as enhanced as ours, you said so yourself, vampires have an above average sense of smell. I can imagine just how much their noses must be burning. Not to mention that…" Before she could finish, Natsume leaned up and cut off her words with a searing kiss.

"You talk too much," he smirked at her dumbstruck expression, before settling his head back on her lap. He could get used to this. She does tend to babble when she gets into a topic. This way, he could tell her that she's talking his ears off in very enjoyable manner. Enjoyable for him anyway.

Mikan glared at him when she recovered but opted not to comment, not wanting to spoil the peaceful mood.

Comfortable silence reigned between the two, until it was interrupted by a knock on the door. Natsume gave a lazy, cat-like stretch then sat up. "Enter," he called out.

Ruka cracked open the door and gave him a nod. "The human overload sent an emissary back with me," he told Natsume. He waited for Natsume's nod of acknowledgement before signaling the emissary to precede him inside. A familiar dark-haired figure stepped into the great hall.

"Tsubasa!" Mikan exclaimed happily. "Good to see you again." She launched to her feet and was about to head towards him, when she was suddenly yanked back. She fell on her rump with a loud thud. The rug helped cushion the impact but it wasn't thick enough to absorb all the shock. Her tailbone's going to ache for the next few minutes.

"Why are you here?" Natsume literally growled, not minding that he'd just basically toss Mikan on the floor to keep her away from Tsubasa.

"I'm the emissary," Tsubasa grinned. "The overlord thought it would be a good sign of trust for him to send in an important representative, unescorted, to discuss a few things with you. That important someone being the commander of his army," he cleared his throat, "a.k.a. me."

Crimson eyes narrowed. "If you're that important someone," he spat, "then your overlord is highly insulting me." He turned to Ruka. "Drain him of blood then send his carcass back."

Tsubasa paled. "What the…"

"Quit teasing him, Natsume," Mikan scolded him. Natsume crossed his arms and quietly muttered out a "who said anything about me teasing him", which earned him a glare from Mikan. "Sorry about that, Tsubasa. Natsume's just in a foul mood tonight."

"Well, anyway," Tsubasa cleared his throat again. "From what I'd been briefed on, you identified the rogue as a female vampire named Luna. My overlord is satisfied that you'd already apprehended the rogue. So, that should be the end of the problem between us and your coven. Right?" he grinned. But that grin slipped off from what he saw on Natsume's and Mikan's faces.

Mikan flinched. "There's going to be a bit of a problem on the apprehended part."

"She escaped, didn't she?" Tsubasa sighed out the rhetorical query. "Let's go to Plan B then. Can you guys give us a detailed description of the rogue? We can warn the town's people to keep an eye out for her."

"That's a total waste of time," Natsume bluntly told him. "She won't be heading back to town anytime soon. The group who went after her said she went east."

"Why the hell would she head east?" Tsubasa asked with a perplexed expression on his face. "That place is the demon realm. Anyone who would venture there alone either has an invitation from a demon lord, is exceedingly strong, or supremely suicidal."

"Well, we don't know. It's unlikely, but she might have doubled back," Mikan offhandedly commented then turned to Natsume. "We'll have to check that tomorrow night, while her trail is still somewhat fresh."

Natsume nodded, feeling satisfied that she'd included him. "We'll double-check, but it'll have to be tomorrow. Dawn's almost here." He directed his gaze on Tsubasa. "You can tell that to your overlord. Now get the hell out."

"Must you be so rude?" Mikan growled at him. "Come on, Tsubasa. I'll walk you…"

Natsume interrupted by snaking an arm around her waist. "Ruka, please walk him out." Ruka nodded and proceeded to do as Natsume asked.

She faced him and snarled. "Quit grabbing me, Leech."

"I'll grab you when I want to," he smirked and pulled her close. He knew she was irritated at him. She usually calls him Natsume nowadays, except when she's angry with him. She reverts back to calling him Leech during those times. Truth was, he doesn't know why he dislikes the human so much. Maybe it was the fact that he was a little frustrated that the human was so close to his Mikan.

"You're so rude and despicable," she said, giving his shoulder a light tap. But, from the way she snuggled closer against him, he knew she'd already forgiven his rudeness to Tsubasa.

"We should get to bed," he said, kissing the top of her head and steering her towards the bedroom. "We'll see if we can still track her down as soon as the sun goes down tomorrow."


The night after Luna fled, they headed east and tried to see where she'd gone. Mikan still managed to follow her trail east to the sulfur flats that were part of the demon realm, but the smell of sulfur was too overpowering. It covered the trail even from her nose. Not to mention that the smell made her eyes water and her poor nose hurt like hell.

When her nose was feeling a bit better, she and Natsume coursed though the length of the eastern border, making sure that Luna hadn't doubled back somewhere along it. But there was not trace. It appeared that she really did head further inward the demon realm. And after that, it was as if Luna just vanished off the face of the earth.

It's been almost five months now since she'd been captured, and the warm summer nights were slowly fading. Autumn was settling in, and the blood moon wouldn't be far along with it. Mikan sighed. It's time for her to start thinking about going back to her pack.

She stared sadly at the male sleeping beside her. This wasn't going to be easy. She could only hope that Natsume would understand and consent to let her go. If he doesn't, she'd be forced to find a means of escape. She sighed again and cuddled against him.

She doesn't want to leave here on bad terms. After her duties for their upcoming pack gathering are done, she wanted to be able to see everyone here again, especially Natsume.

As if knowing she was thinking of him, Natsume stirred beside her and flung an arm around her waist. Mikan gave a soft smile and nuzzled the hollow just above his collar bone. She really hoped that she could reason with him.


Mikan stood by the doorway and studied the vampire seated by the table. He was currently focused on the task of sword cleaning and polishing. After the lecture she'd given him about not maintaining it. He'd gone the extra mile of taking care of the thing almost nightly.

Speaking of swords, she really needed to get back to the stronghold. Their sword had been due for maintenance months ago. If the owner ever found out that she hadn't stuck to its regular upkeep, she'd be in very big trouble.

The light from the adjacent fireplace flickered, highlighting Natsume's handsome features. It made something inside her flutter. Like a thousand butterflies taking flight.

"Until when are you going to stand there?" he asked, snapping her out of her minor trance but he didn't look up from the sword.

She stepped forward and sat down on the rug. "You sure you're not wearing that sword out from all the polishing you're doing?" she asked, ignoring his question as she grab one of the books strewed on the rug amongst the few throw pillows.

"You said I could polish it every night if I want to," he replied. He gave the sword a final wipe and stood up, taking the sword with him and placing it on its stand on the mantle.

It took him a while, but he'd finally gotten accustomed to the sword's weight. Couple the regular heavy sword lifting with a steady supply of Mikan's blood and play-fights with her, and he had to say that he's in the best shape he'd been in his entire existence. He'd like to keep it that way as best he could. From the way Mikan ran her hands on him when they're together, he's pretty sure she also appreciates his form right now.

After he replaced the sword, he strode towards the rug and sat down beside her. He reached for some pillows and propped himself on them, before grabbing a book he hadn't finished reading yet. As soon as he was settled, Mikan shifted her position so that she could use his stomach in place of a pillow.

It had become a habit for them to dawdle on the comfortable rug he'd bought, especially with the seasons changing and the night air turning frigid. That is, they hang out here when they're in a mood to stay indoors but out of bed. The cold weather certainly didn't agree with the master vampire, as he became more and more adamant that they stay indoors and out of the cold.

She didn't mind. Natsume would still accompany her when she needed to run. But due to the cool weather conditions, he preferred that she change into her lycan form so that he can stay warm, buried against the thick fur on her back, instead of him taking Lucian.

From the rug, the hearth gave them enough light to read the books they'd selected from the castle's extensive library, and the heat from the fire chased away the night chills, much to Natsume's liking.

They stayed that way for a long while. Each immersed in the book he/she was reading. As the night grew deeper, Mikan finally closed her book and strengthen her resolve. She got up, brushed the wrinkles off her clothes, and went to stand by the edge of the rug.

She drew a deep breath then slowly released it. Well, here goes nothing. "Natsume, we need to talk," she uttered quietly but with a hint of steel underlying her words.

Natsume glanced up from his book. He didn't like the serious tone of her voice; it could mean nothing but bad news. News, he had a feeling, he doesn't want to hear.

She took another deep breath as crimson eyes bored into her. He's certainly not going to like what she's about to say, but it needed to be said. "I have to go back to my pack," she exhaled out.

Her skin prickled as crimson eyes froze, and he stared coldly at her. Fire, she knew he could control. But why does she felt chilled to the bones by his gaze? Or was that cold dread she was sensing?

Dread that she won't be able to come back here once she left.

"Too bad," he callously sneered. "You can't," he said, lifting his arm and showing her the band on his wrist. "Remember."

"You can ask Nonoko to remove the bands from us," she told him somewhat forlornly. She could already feel that he wasn't going to allow her to walk freely out of here.

He snapped the book he was reading shut. "This conversation is over," he said, rising from where he sat.

Mikan sighed as he strode away. "Can't you grant me my freewill in this?" she whispered sadly.

Natsume didn't give an indication that he'd heard her and continued walking out of the hall.


His fist collided with the solid stone wall, extensively damaging blocks around his fist and fracturing the ones surrounding it.

She wanted to leave!

Just the thought of it made him grind his teeth and caused an urge to beat something to a bloody pulp.

No, he won't allow her to leave. He can't allow her to leave!

He was now certain that she's his lifemate. And he'd be damned if he lets her go!


Mikan dejectedly sighed as she took her bath. It was daylight, and she'd left Natsume in day-sleep on the bed next door. They hadn't really spoken to each other these past couple of days, even though they still slept in the same room and the same bed as each other.

Well, she had her answer. Now she only had a month before the blood moon to plan her escape. Too bad it wasn't as easy as it sounds.

The band on her wrist was active from sunset to sunrise the following day. And during its interval of inactivity, the reinforcement spell on the castle would be on in full-force.

She sank lower into the trepid bathing water. She can't think of a way to escape while the band is active. Not only would she be dragging Natsume along with her after a certain distance, alerting him of her attempt to escape. But the whole coven would also be awake during that time.

She didn't want to harm anyone if they try to stop her escape, which they'd be forced to do since she's their master vampire's blood source. It looked like her only choice was during daylight, but she had to find a way around the protective spell the castle would be under.

Rising halfway out of the water, she leaned on the side of the bathing pool to think. While her mind was coming up and rejecting one solution after another, she unconsciously converted one finger into a claw and started scratching a figure into the stone flooring in front of her.

She thought of just about everything to take down or force her way through the barrier, from commissioning a mage to counter the spell, to sticking her hand out the window before the barrier fully closed it off. Sadly, all those plans she came up with, ranging from the most complex to most simple, also have their downsides.

First of all, where the heck was she going to find a mage without Natsume knowing about it? And the barrier is liable to cut her hand off, since she doesn't know exactly how it was designed to barricade the castle.

She sighed again and stared down at the two interlocking circles she'd carved on the stone's surface with her claw.

Her eyes fixed themselves on the engraved figure, instinctively knowing it was significant. Now if only her slow brain can catch on to what her instinct was telling her. When it finally clicked on her mind, her eyes widened with disbelief. This was the answer to her problem!

She had been trying to tackle the problem too directly! All she needed to do now is see if the couple of hitches she contemplated exist. If they don't, then she'll be out of here before the month is through.


"Damn it!" Mikan cursed loudly as one of her claws broke off. Blood dripped freely on the rock she was digging through. Escaping was harder than she'd anticipated. The ground around the castle might be soft and lush with grass and other vegetation, but someone had the foresight to build the castle itself on top of a granite formation.

She was getting sorely tempted to use her fist to just pulverize the rock hindering her way. But her werewolf strength isn't of any use in this endeavor. An uncalculated punch from her would not only destroy the part of the rock-base blocking her escape, it would also fissure the area around it, jeopardizing the castle's foundations. Even though she needed to escape and get back to her pack, she wasn't willing to risk bring the whole castle down on top of them, especially since the vampires consider this place as their home. She bet the leeches would be very displeased if the castle was destroyed, probably just as much as she and her pack would be pissed off if someone demolishes the stronghold.

So, here she was, murdering her claws for days now, excavating a hole through almost solid rock. And speaking of murdering her claws, she cursed again as another claw snapped. There goes another one.

Mikan sighed as she staunched the blood flowing out of her newly injured fingertip with her other hand. It hurts like hell, but thankfully, her body had a quick regenerating ability.

Her sight ventured across the room as she took a break to wait for the bleeding to stop and for her claw to grow back. From all the noise she was making, it was good that the sun was still high up in the sky, or else, everyone in the castle would have known what she was up to days ago. Not to mention, Natsume would put a stop to her the moment he learns about this, via chains and tranquilizer most likely. She better make a good job of hiding the scent of her blood in the hole she's been digging. He seemed to beat even her sense of smell where her blood's concerned.

Speaking of Natsume, she stood up from the beside the escape route she's constructing and walked over to where she'd moved the bed.

They might still share the same bed and the same room, but they haven't been talking to each other lately. She looked at the hole she'd dug then back at Natsume's sleeping form. Another sigh escaped her as she made her decision, heading for the bathing room to wash away the dirt and blood from her hands.

Her escape can wait. She still had more than a month to finish her escape route anyway.

She went back to the room and moved the bed – with Natsume, dead-to-the-world, still on it – back in its place against the wall, hiding the hole she'd started on the flooring underneath the bed. She then lay down beside Natsume, snuggling against his side and finding a comfortable position to sleep in.

She'd probably never admit it, but she misses him dreadfully.


A sigh echoed in the great hall, followed by the sound of a book being snapped shut. It had been a fortnight now since Mikan opened the subject of her returning to her pack. And since that time, they haven't had any meaningful conversation between the two of them. They still slept beside each other in the same bed, but she seemed to be getting colder and more distant from him with each passing day. Her evenings nowadays consisted of spending time with just about anyone in the coven, except for him. His only consolations were that she wasn't withholding her blood from him, though it came from a cup these days, and that he still got to hold her in his arms the few moments before dawn arrives.

He was definitely finding out that Mikan can match his stubbornness head-on. He didn't know about her, but if this continued on, he was sure he's going to crack once the month was through.

Even though he wanted her to stay with him, he also wanted to make her happy. And if that meant letting her go, he'd do it. But he'll give himself another week or so to wholly prepare himself for the deed.

Especially his already aching heart.


It took her more than a week, but she'd finally finished the little tunnel she'd been constructing. Thankfully, after she'd broken through the rock blocking the way, she found nothing but soft solid. The tunnel was small enough that she'd been able to easily hide the resulting rubble. She just hoped that she'd estimated its size correctly, enough for her to fit through in her wolf form.

She was almost certain now that this escape plan would work, having already physically passed under the castle's barrier via her tunnel. Just a single swipe from her and she'd be able to break through the ground just outside the castle wall. But she stopped and sat back. Her gaze landed on her sleeping companion. She got up and went to him. Her eyes softened as she studied his sleeping face.

One more night.

Just one more night with him. She'll give herself that before she returns to her pack.


Mikan warily peeked into the great hall. All her senses were on high alert to judge the mood within. Thankfully, she found him to be tranquilly reading. She took the opportunity to slip inside and sat on the rug in front of the fireplace.

In truth, she didn't know what she'd do if Natsume was in a bad mood tonight. She needed this night to be, at the most, uneventful for the both of them. If tonight could be the last she spends with him, she wanted to be able to fondly remember it for the rest of her life.

Natsume took it as a signal to come join her like they used to. Without delay, he put aside the book he was reading and went to her. As soon as he settled on the rug, Mikan slid closer and leaned against him. He used the opportunity to snake an arm around her and pull her even closer. Damn, he missed her so much this past weeks.

Silence permeated the room. It wasn't a tensed silence though; neither was it too comfortable. It was a silence between two people who had a lot on their minds, but neither one wanted to say anything.

He glanced down at her as she stared into the crackling fire in the hearth. The firelight highlighted her profile, making her delicate features more prominent. Crimson eyes softened as he noted how beautiful she was. He shifted a bit and pressed a kiss on the top of her head.

He knew he should inform her that he was allowing her to return to her pack. But his selfishness won over.

Tomorrow night.

He'll tell her tomorrow night as soon as he wakes at dusk. For now, he just wanted one more night with her.


Hazel eyes cracked open just as the sun peeked over the horizon. She shifted in bed, only to have a muscular arm tighten around her waist. The male behind her sleepily nuzzled her shoulder then planted a kiss on her neck, murmuring her name.

She fully turned around and snuggled against him, draping her body half atop his. His heart was still beating strongly in his chest, but she knew it wouldn't be long before day-sleep took over and it grinds nearly to a halt.

His hand rested just above her hip, his thumb idly rubbing the small of her back. He blatantly fought against falling into day-sleep as he held her close, savoring their intimacy. But as the sun rose higher in the sky, the urge to sleep became too much to counter. He gave her a last weak squeeze, before his movements stopped altogether.

She sat up as his heartbeat began to slowdown, knowing that he's already in that semi-conscious zone between dreams and reality. Their love-making last night had an edge of desperation to it. She just didn't know if the desperation was his, or a reflection her own. Leaning down, she pressed a kiss on the corner of his lips.

"I'm really sorry for leaving like this, Natsume," she whispered to him. "But I have no choice. My pack needs me." She gently brushed back his fringes with the tips of her fingers. "I promise I'll see if I can come back here as soon as I'm free of my duties." Her hand skimmed against his check in parting, before she drew a steadying breath and got out of bed.

As she dressed, her eyes lingered on him, burning every detail of his features in her mind. If, by chance, she couldn't be with him again, she will fondly treasure the memories of their time together.

After slipping on her jerkin, she glanced at him one final time before she shifted to her wolf form and crawled under the bed. She couldn't risk moving Natsume away from the wall this time. After she's escaped, no one will be in the room with him to make sure he doesn't get exposed to direct sunlight. With the bed covering the tunnel she'd made and the wall and curtain blocking the sun, she can be assured of Natsume's relative safety.

She dived head-first into the hole and began digging her way through the soft soil. Finally, her paw broke though grass on the other side and sunlight began spilling into her little tunnel. She worked faster, widening the hole to fit her body. It took a few more swipes of her paw before she deemed it wide enough for her, and attempted to crawl through. Well, attempted was the word.

She gave off a pitiful canine whine as her lower half got stuck. Damn it to hell, she was so sure she could fit in the bloody hole. Okay, so maybe she'd been eating a bit too heartily since Natsume gave her a free go on their meat storage. She tried to back out, but found she couldn't. She was stuck! Kicking her hind legs, she desperately tried to push herself out.

Feeling the soil around her body loosening, she kicked harder to escape. She felt something solid poke then dig into her side but ignored it. A burning sensation started on her side, but she could felt her lower half slip pass the tight spot inch by inch.

After a few more minutes of struggle, she was finally out of the hole. It was only then that she sensed the stinging sensation on her side. She whimpered. She might have escaped in one piece, but she wasn't uninjured. A large gash ran the length of her body. The wound was already healing, but it still hurt like hell.

She turned back to the tunnel and examined what caused the injury. The rugged edge of a rock stuck out maliciously on one face of the tunnel, still covered in her blood. The red liquid ran down from the jugged rock and created a small puddle at the base of the tunnel's slope.

Shaking her head, she can't do anything about all the blood now. She just hoped that Natsume doesn't freak out when he woke up and found it. Glancing around, she looked for something to plug the hole with. The blood was bound to attract one creature or another. She didn't want Natsume waking up to find an uninvited critter had crawled into the bedroom with him.

Loping to the back of the castle, she found a large, unused water trough. It would have to do as a temporary cover for the hole. She shifted to her human form and hissed. The wound on her side had stopped bleeding, but it hadn't fully closed yet. She just hoped carrying the heavy, wooden trough won't reopen the wound.

She grabbed a side of the trough and hefted it on her shoulder. She squeezed her eyes shut and muffled a pained groan as the skin on her side stretched. Thankful, the wound stayed close. Carrying the trough back to her makeshift tunnel, she placed it inverted over the hole. That should do it for now.

After making sure the trough complete covered the tunnel she'd made, she shifted back to her wolf form. With a final glance at the castle, she took off to the forest and toward the highlands.


Inside a log cabin hidden deep in the highland woods, a raven-haired werewolf tinkered with another invention of hers. A thud on the other side of the door had her looking up. The door swung open, and Koko peeped in.

"Hey, Hotaru. You know when Mikan will be back? It's only a few weeks before the blood moon. We need her here for the preparations."

Amethyst eyes narrowed at him. "Do I look like I'm her keeper? And do you think I'm stupid enough not to know that the time for the pack gathering is near?"

Koko gulped then instinctively stepped back. "I-I'll just go help ready the preparations." He turned tail, ready to blot, but turned back around when the beta called his name.

"That door was locked, Koko," she stoically stated.

"Oh," he stared down at the door latch, his mind slowly processing its implication. "I-I-It must have broken when I opened it." He scratched the back of his head. "I'm sor–" A mechanical click interrupted his apology. "No! Hotaru! No! I didn't mean to break–" A solid ball of iron the size of a shotput, smacked him in the face.

Hotaru stepped up beside him and nudged his body with a foot to roll him outside, before slamming the door close and bolting it from within. She really needed to get a heavy-duty door latch that can withstand werewolf forces. Her careless packmates seemed to have a propensity for break them, especially when they're locked.

Her idiotic best-friend better come back soon. No way in hell was she going to lead a pack of idiots. If left in-charge, she was bound to kill her packmates to prevent the idiot infestation from affecting her. Besides, the way she figured it, only another idiot can lead a pack consisting mostly of idiots, herself was an exception of course.

Speaking of idiots, her sharp ears picked up a distinct howl at the distance, closer to the highlands than the lowlands. She smirked. Looks like their alpha's finally coming back. Her smirk turned down to a frown. This might mean she'll have to prepare to get that wristband off of her. Oh well, she shrugged, if they can't get it off, Mikan would just have to start regenerating her hand after it's severed.


Even before he'd fully awakened from day-sleep, he instinctively knew would find her gone. Rolling to face her side of the bed, he reached out. His arm hit the vacant space beside him. "Mikan," he weakly murmured her name like a whispered prayer, hoping to the heavens that it was just a dream; that she wasn't really gone.

He could still feel the sun above the horizon, but he forced his eyes to pry open and scan the bedroom. No Mikan.

Everything in him might was screaming that she's isn't there anymore; nevertheless, he compelled his body to crawl out of bed and find her. He unsteadily stood up, quite a feat considering that the sun hadn't fully set. Placing one foot in front of the other, he slowly and unsteadily shuffled forward. His feet felt as heavy as lead as he dragged them along.

He continued on, the room swaying with every step he took. Mikan could just be in the bathing room, and he was worrying about nothing. But he needed to be sure.

An unintelligible curse escaped him as he tripped over his own feet, barely keeping himself from stumbling to the floor. Once he got near enough, he grasped the door frame leading to the bathing room like a lifeline. He leaned against it, gasping for breath. Damn it! How long was it before the bloody sun fully sets, and he gains more goddamn power? Just the trek across the bedroom took everything in him.

Silence greeted him in the bathing room as soon as he'd managed to get the door opened. Something seemed to clamp down on his chest, making it harder for him to breathe than it already was and taking him to his knees.

No. This can't be happening. He was planning to get Nonoko to remove the band from her and let her to return to her pack to tonight. But before that, he was supposed to ask her to return and stay with him as soon as she'd finished whatever her business has with her pack. He wasn't sure how werewolves find their mates, but he wanted her to give them both a chance.

Now, he wasn't even sure if she'll come back.

Still deep in their slumber, every vampire within the castle didn't hear their master's anguished roar.

CHAPTER END


A/N: Well, here it is your long awaited update. Finished it on the first of the month, but couldn't publish since I haven't proofread it. I don't want to get scolded again about not giving an effort to proofread it before posting… T_T… Now, I'm pooped… (-.-)