Part Seventeen

They gathered together on the cots by the light of a single lantern. Adrian removed his boots, gloves and his coat, folding it carefully and placing it on a nearby chair. He set the remainder of the wine on the table beside the lantern. It cast a long shadow along the worn wood and onto the wall behind it. Unlike the rest of the cavernous Hold this space was cozy and comfortable. Adrian could almost relax here.

Trevor thoughtlessly discarded his clothes in a heap, keeping only his breeches as he crawled onto the bed and laid on his back in the center of the two small cots. Sypha removed her outer robes and her arm sleeves, but kept the black dress which she wore beneath her other layers. She leaned her back against the headboard and began raking her fingers slowly through Trevor's hair. It put an immediate smile on his face and he stretched languidly, rumbling a contented purr of approval. Adrian smiled at the pair of them together and Sypha met his eyes, beckoning him to join them. He leaned against the table for a moment, simply watching Sypha's fingers as they carded through the dark brown strands of the hunter's hair.

She knew how to handle Trevor. He'd been sulky when they talked around the fire, but now he was far more sedate, settling nicely as she worked a different kind of magic. Adrian hovered between the table and the cots and finally deemed to crawl onto one side and sit beside Sypha at the head of the bed. He sidled up to her warmth and took a selfish moment to simply enjoy being close to them both, the things he'd been remembering and discussing in the past hours all washing over him in a mixture that left him wanting to ignore all of it and just bury himself in Sypha's lap. Instead he stretched his legs out beside Trevor, his bare toes stark white in contrast to the honeyed tan of Trevor's chest and abdomen. His hands lay loosely in his lap, fingers toying with the corner of one of the blankets.

"This is nice, all of us together," Sypha said once Adrian was settled. She favoured them with an affectionate sweep of her blue eyes, lingering on Adrian's for a long moment before she broke the look and began massaging Trevor's shoulders with both hands.

Adrian watched her hands work, remembering how good it felt to have Sypha rub the tension from his neck and shoulders earlier that afternoon. She was a natural. It was quiet for several minutes except for Trevor's occasional noise of enjoyment. It would be so easy to just sag into the cot and relax, but he knew he needed to have the courage to discuss with Trevor what he and Sypha had talked about. He'd put it off long enough. There was no benefit to waiting, as much as he wanted to find reasons to. He was trying to imagine how he should begin, how Trevor might react to his words. Would he be understanding? Would he be completely unreasonable? Would he want to fight? It was impossible to say. He could make cases for almost any reaction.

Adrian's apprehension grew as Sypha kept looking over to him, obviously expecting him to start the ball rolling. He was woefully under-equipped for that.

He kept glancing nervously at Trevor. Every time he thought he knew what to say the words died before he could speak them. Finally he hopped off the bed in a smooth motion and took up the wine. He fingered the neck of the bottle and returned to his position on the cot. Trevor followed him with a curious eye. Damned perceptive hunter, he felt like the man could read him like an open book. He took a drink from the bottle and swallowed it begrudgingly. Sypha was watching him steadily now, her hands having stilled on Trevor's shoulders.

"So," she began, dragging the word out.

Trevor looked from Sypha to Adrian. He sat up and crossed his legs, turning to face them on the cot. He snatched the bottle from Adrian's grasp and finished it off in one long swallow, setting the empty vessel on the floor beside the bed with a soft clink. The small sound was swallowed up by the dark around them. The room suddenly seemed oppressive and pregnant with the weight of something that lingered between the three of them.

"So," Trevor said, parroting Sypha. "Are you ever going to tell me what the Hell is going on? You literally turned into a wild animal and ran away to avoid… I don't know what. Something shitty, obviously. You aren't going to make me guess, are you?"

Adrian was well aware of the guilty look on his face. He looked down in surprise, realizing he'd accidentally torn a corner clean of the wool blanket. Slowly he met Trevor's eyes.

"I… uhm- well yes, there is… something..." he fumbled his way through an utterly failed sentence and ended up looking at Sypha to see if she was going to come to his rescue. She smiled encouragingly and grabbed one of his hands.

Trevor looked between them suspiciously. "Is… is she pregnant? Did you guys… I mean have you… you know…" he trailed off, his brow lowered as he thought about that a little more and shook his head. "No that doesn't add up. Wait… are you guys… fuck. That's it isn't it. You're leaving me. You're running away together."

Sypha burst out laughing, snorting in that obnoxious way she did when she thought something was especially funny. "No we aren't leaving you. Don't ever worry about that." She slipped her free hand into Trevor's lap. He wrapped it in one of his own, gripping her fingers tightly.

"Oh thank God," Trevor said, visibly relieved. Sypha leaned over and planted a kiss on Trevor's stubbled chin.

"I was just talking about our future together five minutes ago. This is nothing like that Trev," Sypha encouraged, easing the tension with her light and reassuring tone.

Adrian watched them and sighed at his own hesitance. This was silly. He was closer to Trevor and Sypha than anyone. Trevor would understand, even if it took a little convincing. He wasn't unreasonable and what they were proposing put Sypha in no danger. They all stood to gain from this. He needed to simply get it out in actual words, then deal with Trevor attacking him or rejecting him or yelling at him or whatever initial reaction would come of it. He held Trevor's gaze for a long minute, trying to find the right words.

"Come on. A man can only take so much suspense. Just say something!"

"Trev shut up and let him talk," Sypha scolded.

It was now or never. Adrian took a preparatory breath and opened his mouth to speak. "I…" he closed his mouth, growing frustrated with himself. He berated his own foolish stuttering, swallowing intently and sitting up straighter. When he finally spoke his voice was strong and confident. A small part of him thought his mother would be proud of that. "Yes, there is something I want to talk to you about. I shouldn't be so anxious, but its a… sensitive subject. This is an unconventional situation."

Trevor didn't say anything, but he gave Adrian his full attention.

"I made a decision a long time ago to abide by a certain… personal standard. That choice came with a price. I sacrificed a measure of my power which I didn't need before. Abilities that I could live without. Now we are at war. Our enemy is the most powerful vampire on the planet and we may benefit from some of those things. Sypha and I had a discussion this afternoon wherein she reminded me of this. She persuaded me to recognize the foolishness of facing Father without every possible advantage at our disposal. She's right."

Adrian took a steadying breath, feeling better for having put something out there. It was a start. He searched Trevor's face for comprehension, but the hunter just lowered his brows until there was a little crease between them. "So you're saying that you've been holding back?"

"Not exactly."

He could see the wheels turning behind Trevor's eyes. "Well what are you trying to say then? What 'personal standard'? What abilities did you give up? You aren't making a lot of sense."

"I'll try to explain. When I was growing up I struggled to find a balance between the part of me which is human, and the part which is vampire. It should come as no surprise that violence and death are deeply ingrained within vampire culture, but you already know that I refused to kill humans, or to feed on their blood after a certain age. I was deeply unsettled by the prospect of harming people. I eventually discovered that I could subsist from animal blood, but the transition was difficult. Before I was ten years old it was impossible. My body required at least small amounts of human blood to grow. Once I was physically an adult I had more success, but my abstinence had unpleasant side effects. I grew weaker. I lost certain abilities. I felt that this was an acceptable sacrifice to make if it meant I didn't need to hurt anyone. I became accustomed to my new limitations, and found I could manage with relative ease. Unfortunately my decision created a lot of tension between myself and my father. He thought his enemies would use my weakness against him, and he was embarrassed that his son was not behaving in a manner fitting of a vampire prince. As a scientist, he tried to appeal to my sense of logic by collecting data from samples of my blood and tissue, which demonstrated that I was malnourished as a result of my unconventional diet. I didn't care. I was proud of my choices and I refused to bend to his will. I stood my ground, and have not tasted human blood since that time." Adrian felt a small swell of pride at telling his story. He studied Trevor's face, waiting for realization to wash over his features.

"Wait, did you just say that you were physically an adult at ten years old?"

Of course Trevor would latch onto that unimportant detail and not the point of his story. Sypha was looking equally as curious and Adrian looked between them and nodded. "I had an… unusual childhood, as you might expect. I aged roughly twice as fast as a human child. But that isn't the point. We can discuss the peculiarities of my life at a more appropriate juncture. Lets try to stay focused."

Sypha snorted at that and Adrian had to wonder what he'd said that was funny. He raised a brow at her and she just gave him a smile, leaning over to give him a peck on the jaw like she'd done to Trevor a moment ago. "You're doing great," she whispered to him.

The hunter's brow was creased in thought as he considered what Adrian had said. "You don't look very malnourished to me. Seems like you're healthy as a horse."

Adrian knew Trevor didn't want to hear what he was really saying; he didn't want to give it life by voicing it out loud. He was in denial. Adrian stared hard at him. "There's no visible difference," he looked down at himself, realizing that perhaps that wasn't true. "Well, not much of one, anyhow."

Trevor exhaled loudly, his shoulders stiffening as his features hardened. His good humour had quickly evaporated. "So we're talking about blood. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, everything with vampires always comes down to fucking blood."

Sypha shot him a scowl. "Trevor that isn't fair."

He pulled his hand out of Sypha's. It twitched and closed into a fist reflexively. "Sypha I'm willing to accept a lot of unconventional shit. Our lives are far from normal, and being involved with fangs over here has been great so far, but he said he only ate animals. He sleeps with us for shit's sake."

Adrian cleared his throat, trying to take back the conversation before it degenerated into an argument. "I've never considered going back to human blood before, Trevor. I have lived perfectly well without it for a decade. Sypha confronted me. She found some books here which detailed studies your ancestors performed on vampires. Human blood is necessary for vampires to retain their full capabilities. I've fared better than most because I am half human, but she makes a valid point. Its asinine to face my father with a handicap. I am endangering you both by refusing it."

Adrian held his ground, not flinching or wincing as he watched Trevor's expression morph into a serious, hard scowl. His jaw tightened and his neck muscles slowly stood out like cords yanked taut. He closed his eyes and his nostrils flared as he took a long, deep breath and let it out once more. When he opened his eyes they were like two cold gems glinting icily in his face.

Adrian didn't break his stare away from the hunter's, hoping that Trevor would recognize his solemnity as he spoke. "Sypha has generously offered me her blood. I insisted that we discuss it with you first, before I bite her, but I have accepted her offer." It felt like a weight lifted off his chest when he said it. He took a calming breath of his own, flicking his gaze to Sypha who favoured him with an approving smile and a nod. She squeezed his fingers and he squeezed hers back with a small smile. He looked back at Trevor. "She won't be in any danger. I don't need very muc-

"Stop. Just shut up. Stop it," Trevor cut him off sharply, his jaw hard, the muscle clenching visibly. Both his hands were curled into fists and he looked like he was working to restrain himself from some kind of physical attack.

"Trevor, be reasonable," Sypha said gently, putting her hand on his shoulder. He jerked and twisted to snatch her wrist in his grip, just holding it in the air between them. Adrian was ready to move to her defense if he needed to, which he sorely hoped he didn't. His heart was sinking to his stomach as he realized that this was not going to go smoothly. He had expected anger, but he didn't think it would be directed at Sypha.

Trevor gently released Sypha's wrist, laying it gingerly back in her lap without any harm done. He rolled his shoulders and Adrian could see every inch of him tensed and bunched and ready for a fight, his bare chest and arms literally rippling as he processed Adrian's words and worked to find his own. His grave expression turned on Sypha.

"You can't do this."

Sypha gave an exasperated sigh. "I knew you were going to freak out."

The hunter shook his head. "I'm not freaking out. You just don't understand. You can't do this. You can't let him bite you."

She crossed her arms. "Its not your decision. I can, and I will. It was his idea to tell you about it, he wanted to make sure we respected your feelings. Trev its Adrian. I trust him. He's not some strange vam-"

"I don't care Sypha. No."

Adrian was battling the rapidly growing desire to unbutton his skin so he could crawl out of it and disappear. He was actually quite proud of himself for explaining the situation as clearly as he had, but now his confidence was shrinking in light of Trevor's obvious refusal. He'd known the hunter wouldn't like it, but he thought Trevor trusted him not to hurt Sypha. He tried to interject but Trevor cut him off.

"Sypha look at this," he said suddenly, twisting on the bed so she could see where he pointed. He had so many scars that Adrian hadn't noticed it before, but now it was impossible not to see the obvious evidence of a horrid looking vampire bite that had long since healed over. A chunk had been torn out of the meat of his shoulder. This had been no simple pair of fangs dug into the flesh, a bite had been ripped out of him entirely. Adrian winced, knowing that it must have been a hideously painful wound. That he had survived the altercation at all was impressive. Most humans, even hunters, had no chance once teeth pierced flesh. By that point it was already too late.

Sypha's eyes widened as she stared at the puckered scar for several long seconds. She traced her finger over the disfigured flesh before meeting Trevor's eyes. "Is that from a vampire?"

"You're damn right it is. If I hadn't shoved my dagger between her ribs in the same second she got me with her fucking fangs I'd have been lunch. She tore a chunk out of me almost to the bone. I could see my own tendons moving around. I know Adrian's not our enemy. I care about him, and he cares about us, but he's still a vampire. The second there's blood involved everything will change. He could kill you by accident. You know how strong he is."

Adrian felt Trevor's words hit him like a kick in the gut. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Worse was the way Sypha was absorbing it, her eyes pinned to the deep scar as an uncertain look crept over her face. Did she actually believe him? He was incredulous. How could either of them possibly think he would put Sypha in danger? Did they think he was teetering on the edge of self control, barely containing his beastly urges? He'd lived with them for months. He bandaged their wounds, stood beside them in battle, watched over them as they slept; did they think him so dangerous? It was preposterous. There had to be some misunderstanding.

Trevor pulled both of Sypha's hands into his and looked into her face seriously. "You can't willingly agree to this Syph, I won't let you."

Vexed, Adrian huffed and his lip curled with disgust. He stood up from the cot, unable to contain his reaction to their lack of faith. He was revolted by the implication that he might tear into Sypha with such heedless violence. "You can't honestly believe that I mean to subject her to such brutality," he gestured sharply at Trevor's shoulder. "What kind of monster do you take me for?"

He glared at them both, feeling deeply betrayed. How could they believe he would ever do something so abhorrent to someone he cared for so deeply? "Have I given you any reason to doubt me? Do you think so little of me?" His chest was rapidly rising and falling, his breath coming quick and he thought he might actually cry if he weren't so enraged. "Why would you think for a moment that I would- would-" he was so upset he couldn't even finish his sentence, instead he just seethed at them both.

Sypha kept looking at Trevor's scar, avoiding Adrian's reproachful stare. Trevor was wearing a grim expression that said he wasn't happy that they were having this conversation. "Honestly Adrian… I haven't seen anything that would prove me wrong. Any time I've seen you uhh… feed, its been pretty intense. The rabbits I brought when you were in the cage? You tore them apart. You even ate the eyes and the fucking bones. The goat? You killed it in a few seconds and ripped it open, ate its heart whole, the liver, everything. I watched you take the bear down too. You were so caught up in it I don't think you even noticed I was watching. You slammed it into the wall so hard the bricks caved, and you drained the entire thing in minutes. Even tonight you got a deer and you came back soaked in blood from head to toe. So yes, I do have a reason to think you're dangerous around blood. Several reasons, actually. You're a vampire Adrian, half human or not. Its your nature. You've more than proven that you aren't going to hurt us, obviously. I know you aren't running around salivating for our blood. I know you're in control of yourself, but you've also shown us that you get pretty vicious around your food and I can't take the chance that Sypha ends up with a chunk missing or her heart ripped out."

Adrian was shocked into silence. He stared at the hunter with mounting revulsion, thinking back on each thing he described and realizing that they had only seen the worst. His normal hunting and feeding activities weren't their business. They were personal. But when he'd been imprisoned and starved they brought him prey, and he had been so desperate by that point that he'd devoured every last shred he could from the small animals. He recalled a rabbit's empty skull rolling across the floor of the cage and hitting the bars, then looking up to see Sypha's horrified expression. His stomach twisted, a flare of nausea rising at the memory. He had literally desiccated into a fucking skeleton from starvation – it wasn't fair to make assumptions about him based on that – but it was true that they had witnessed the most savage facets of his appetite. They had seen him at his very worst on more than one occasion. Those instances had been so extreme, it had never occurred to him they might think such things were normal. He thought it was clear that what had transpired when he was in the cage was an exceptional circumstance. His body had been pushed beyond its own limits. It had been torture.

The final example Trevor had given was from tonight – he hadn't been bloodied because of some crazed feeding activity – he'd gutted an animal with his face for lack of a better option. That was a messy process, but maybe Trevor hadn't considered that. Evidently he thought that Adrian just… lost himself in it.

He was filled with so many conflicting emotions at the moment that it was both suffocating and paralyzing together. He was aghast that Trevor thought those things and still accepted him, and he was disgusted and embarrassed that he could think he was such a monster in the first place. He felt tears stinging his eyes, his voice strangled and choked off. He fought to say something in his own defense and he simply couldn't make himself speak because the lump in his chest arrested his words before they could leave his lips. He realized Trevor was still talking.

"Look Adrian, I know this is not what you wanted to hear. If you have to have human blood to be at full strength then I'll cut myself and pour some in a glass. Or Syph can if she's determined that it be her. But we can't take any chances with bites. That's reasonable, right?"

Adrian had nearly forgotten Sypha. He glanced at her, scared that she'd be looking at him the same way Trevor was. She was wearing a pained expression on her face now, confused and dismayed at what was transpiring. She obviously hadn't drawn the same conclusions as Trevor had, thank God, but Adrian could see the fear in her eyes when the hunter listed all the brutal killings they had witnessed Adrian make. She turned wide blue eyes on Adrian. They burned with her question, were you going to hurt me?

Tears were sliding down Adrian's cheeks as he tried in vain to find his voice. He swallowed back the urge to openly sob, knowing he needed to set his hurt feelings aside and explain. It was imperative that he find the right words and correct these wild misconceptions before they went on any longer. Adrian wiped away his tears and forced himself to ignore the way his stomach was heaving and threatening to empty itself. He swallowed back his disgust and ground his teeth together until he was sure he could make his voice work properly.

"Trevor what you are implying is obscene," he began in as calm a tone as he could muster. "You have clearly gotten the wrong idea about all of this."

Sypha was watching him hopefully. She visibly relaxed at his words, putting a hand on her chest and exhaling with obvious relief. Trevor was not flinching under his piercing glare, still convinced that he was right.

When they didn't say anything he continued in the same measured voice. "I would never, ever, injure Sypha in the way that vampire bit you. That is grossly unnecessary."

Trevor crossed his arms. "I'm sure you wouldn't mean to, but that's the thing with vampires and blood. It fucks with your restraint. Makes you lose control." he retorted and Adrian ground his teeth together so tightly he was sure the other two could see his jaw muscles popping. He tried extremely hard not to snarl at Trevor and show his fangs. Behaving like a vampire right now would be counter-productive, but Trevor wasn't making it easy. He was battling the desire to throw the hunter across the room.

Sypha shot Trevor an offended look. "Trevor!" she chided him but the hunter ignored her.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," he ground out in a low, measured voice that he hoped was not actually a growl. He took a breath, forcing himself to relax marginally. This was important. More important than how deeply insulted he was. "Perhaps I am partly to blame for your misconception. I keep the details of my hunting activities private because they are none of your business, but you are drawing foolish conclusions based on what you witnessed in an extreme situation. That's going to stop now." Adrian was standing at his full height, pinning Trevor in place with his intense stare. His hands were balled into fists at his sides and he did not give Trevor a chance to argue with him.

"First, let me remind you that both you and Sypha have been injured around me on numerous occasions, and I've never devolved into some kind of slavering beast at the sight or scent of your blood. I have cleaned and bandaged your wounds repeatedly without issue. You have never been in danger and I think you both know that quite well." He looked between them, seeing no sign of disagreement. Good.

"Second, you said yourself the vampire who bit you was trying to kill you. If she'd managed your throat she would have. There is literally no comparison between that and what Sypha and I discussed. That you would even suggest such a thing is reprehensible." He took another measured breath, uncomfortable with what he was preparing to say next. He hated to admit weakness at the best of times. This entire situation was beyond humiliating.

"Third, what transpired in the cage was the absolute lowest point of my entire life. I sustained injuries that would kill a man ten times over. Pain beyond what I believed it possible to tolerate. I experienced the complete and total loss of all dignity. Helplessness so acute I am nearly sick thinking of it. You left me to starve for weeks. I felt my own body eat itself, watched myself dry up and waste until I was essentially a living corpse." Adrian had to pause here as a shudder of revulsion nearly made him retch before he could regain his composure. The memories were still fresh and he wasn't prepared to relive them so soon. He stilled, closing his eyes for a moment and forcing the awful images from his mind. When he opened them again he leveled a searing glare at Trevor, who shifted uncomfortably. "That you would twist that situation around and use it to pass judgment on me is deplorable," he snapped, eyes burning with indignation.

"Let me make this perfectly clear, Belmont. I am absolutely in control of myself. I have spent my life honing that control, perfecting it and denying myself the very thing I need to thrive because I despise causing pain and fear. I do not take Sypha's offer lightly. I insisted we discuss it with you. I could easily have bitten her this afternoon. My fangs were at her neck. She was willing. I was not. Because of you."

Trevor had the wherewithal to look both guilty and sheepish now, glancing between Sypha and Adrian, obviously beginning to realize that he was wrong. The dhampir was not finished, however, and was now looming over Trevor with an admonishing countenance. His aura was making the air around them tingle. The hairs on the back of Trevor's arms and neck stood up. Adrian could see his discomfort, likely his hunter instincts were going haywire, screaming at him that there was a pissed off vampire far too close for comfort. Good. Adrian intentionally let him stew in that, determined to prove himself without hiding anything. If Trevor thought he was some unstable mixture of impulse and violence he was sorely mistaken. Adrian was not teetering between bloodlust and sanity. He was firmly in control of his faculties.

"Since you clearly don't understand me as well as you think you do, let me spell it out for you. Blood does not trigger some feral loss of composure. There is no maddening wave of instinct which overtakes reason. I would never disfigure someone I care for. That you would even suggest I might do something like that to Sypha demonstrates an appalling degree of mistrust which I am not willing to tolerate. I will not continue this farce. You either trust me or you don't. I have never hidden my nature from either of you. You know exactly what I am, and until this moment I thought that you accepted that. I have been vulnerable and open with you. I have tried things that scared me and trusted you both to lead me through them safely, and you have. What you described Trevor… I never realized you thought of me like that. Like some barely-contained monster at risk of losing control over myself if my appetite is sufficiently provoked. I am shocked that you would think me so unhinged and still have me in your bed. That would be idiocy. Are you an idiot, Trevor?"

Trevor gulped. "I- uhh… I didn't mean..."

Adrian waited for him to say something more, eyes unwavering and glittering with hurt. When he next spoke his voice came softer, almost a whisper. "You truly think I would ever hurt either of you?"

Trevor met his eyes, realization and understanding finally colouring his expression. He looked at his lap. "No," he admitted quietly, looking appropriately ashamed of himself.

"Then why treat me that way?" his voice cracked this time, his bottom lip nearly trembling with the threat of tears. He took a steadying breath, needing to remain objective and see the rest of this through.

"Look I fucked up, alright? I'm sorry. What was I supposed to think? Vampires kill people. I've seen it my whole life. I've been bitten by a vampire and it was fucking awful. I didn't want that to happen to Sypha. I thought blood made you… go feral. Every time I've seen that side of you its been like that. Even tonight."

Adrian frowned. "Tonight? The deer? You weren't even there."

"But you were a bloody mess when you got back, it was all over you."

"Because I removed the entrails. As a wolf. Without hands. How exactly do you think I accomplished that?"

Trevor examined his lap intently. "I- uh, I didn't think of that."

"No, you didn't. What did you assume? That I indulged some hedonistic inclination to bathe in blood? Rolled myself in its bleeding corpse?"

"I don't know… I guess maybe..." the hunter glanced up at him.

Adrian snarled when their eyes met, indignant ire burning in his gaze. "Evidently there is no detail of my life which can remain private without your mistrust and suspicion forcing it into the light," he had to swallow back a growl at this entire preposterous joke of a situation. No matter what he did or said, Trevor thought the worst of him. It wasn't fair. He forced himself to sit on the bed again, trying in vain to keep his claws from shredding the blankets as he gathered his thoughts. Sypha eyed him warily, but didn't shrink away, for which he was grateful. At least she didn't think he was some kind of monster. When he felt ready he bit his words out in a low voice that was laced with resentment.

"Yes, I do have instincts to hunt and to kill. They do not overtake my sensibilities, but they do exist and it is enjoyable to satisfy them, especially when I am deeply troubled or stressed, as I was by my discussion with Sypha. I never considered tasting human blood ever again and the thought of breaking my self-imposed fast has brought some difficult memories to mind. I admit I have concerns about how it will affect me because of my feelings towards her. I care deeply for her, and I recognize that my vampire side is brought forth by strong feelings, such as arousal or affection. These thoughts were the source of my distraction earlier this evening. I was quite preoccupied with her scent and heartbeat and it was infuriating because I haven't been swayed by such things since the time I was a small child, when the need for human blood first arose. I easily learned to manage my natural inclinations with guidance from my father, and I wanted to take time to think about that and remember how I dealt with it the first time around. When you were asking me why I was so distracted, that is why. I wasn't ready to talk about it yet but you kept pushing, so I became the wolf to avoid the discussion.

"I heard the deer and ran into the trees to chase it. I pursued the animal for a time, letting it run because I very much needed that, to hunt something. When it slowed I wounded it on the flank and chased it further, eventually closing in and taking it with a bite to the neck, over the trachea to cut off oxygen. When it lost consciousness I fed on its blood until it died, then I removed the entrails because I thought it would be less troublesome to do it out in the woods than beside the entrance to the Hold. Such a thing is challenging in the form of the wolf as it must be accomplished with my teeth, hence the blood on my muzzle and paws. I dragged the animal back to you and you butchered it. I recall you thanking me for doing the messy part. So there you have it, since you cannot possibly give me an inch of trust, and since you must know every personal detail of my life, there it is. Perhaps you would prefer to accompany me next time, to assure yourself that I'm being truthful."

As he was speaking Adrian's face was contorted by anger. Sypha had been very quietly watching the exchange between he and Trevor, and now she deemed it the right time to approach Adrian and put a reassuring hand on his leg, rubbing in small circles. He wanted to lean into her, but he was too upset at the moment.

Trevor listened to him intently with a guarded expression. "I didn't realize all of that," he said slowly, but Adrian didn't want to hear it.

"No, you just assumed the worst of me and never bothered to look any deeper. All you see is a vampire. That's all you want to see. No matter how vulnerable I make myself you simply won't recognize that I am more than only that. All of this was a mistake. I should have known better than to throw my hand in with a Belmont. Father was right about humans. I don't belong here."

"Adrian that's not true," Sypha said quickly but Adrian didn't give her a chance to say more. He stood in a quick and fluid motion and regarded the pair on the cots, carefully schooling his features into a dispassionate frown. Sypha looked at him, pleading, but he didn't meet her eyes. He turned and walked out of the circle of light cast by the single lantern, allowing the darkness to swallow him up. As he reached the edge of the light he became mist, just to prove to them – and himself – how utterly different they were, how laughable it was for him to think they could ever accept him. He reformed when he was out of the immediate room, stalking silently through the blackness of the Hold.

~o~O~o~

A/N: I know this chapter was basically just one long conversation. Well... argument. Trevor was being pretty insensitive because he's deeply uncomfortable with the whole blood drinking thing and his past experiences have not helped that. Sypha didn't get a chance to say much between Trevor and Adrian's back and forth.
I debated holding this back until I was finished with the whole part that followed but decided to break it into two so it wouldn't be too long, and so I could focus on the next part without going back to this part and tweaking in 8000 times. I hope this chapter had the effect I was going for. Would love to hear what you think!