Disclaimer: Don't own anything and since I'm a student that includes money: it wouldn't be worthwhile to sue me.
The sun had set a few hours ago and a dark shape crept silently across the border. Had anyone been there to see it they would have mistaken it for a shadow. Once over it broke into a run, its four legs covering the distance easily with predatory speed and grace until it reached the estate. Making its way quickly to the back, keeping to the shadows, its belly low to the ground it found the gate to the kitchen gardens and wriggled under it to get inside. Pausing it sniffed the air before making it's way cautiously to the right, towards a conservatory. It found the door open and ran inside. The door clicked shut behind it as it entered and it turned regarding the man by the door. The wolf shook its head before turning and making its way back to the centre of the conservatory, until he found a secluded spot in which to change.
The change was painful but he endured, gritting his teeth as bone and muscle where forced back, contracting and changing and in some cases disappearing as though they had never been. Muzzle became mouth and he lay on the floor, naked and gasping for air. His body slick with unknown fluids. Composing himself he stood and someone threw a soft cotton blanket at him. He caught it without looking and wrapped it around himself. It stuck and he would have preferred to do without it but he would not wish to embarrass his host. He emerged form his hiding place and sprawled on a long wooden bench. Nodding to the tall, pale man who sat across from him. There was a glass of milk waiting for him and he drank it down greedily without saying a word. The other man brushed imaginary dust from his jacket lapel before running a hand through his blonde hair, impatient but too smart to voice that opinion.
Ulrich grinned at him, enjoying his discomfort. "Cortez," he nodded his greeting. Cortez returned the nod silently, twisting his hands together.
"If we are caught…" he began.
"We won't be," Ulrich scoffed, his smiled confidant and full of hard edges. "Besides, don't you want your revenge? Don't you want to see that human slut learn some manners?" His tone dropped to soft and coxing.
A wicked smile tugged at Cortez's lips, "that would be most…desirable," his voice was a whisper against satin sheets as he thought of all the possible ways there were to exact revenge. Ulrich smiled knowing he had guessed well as to the method of dispelling any doubts the vampire may have had over associating with a werewolf. And on vampire land no less.
"Can I assume you have a plan?" enquired Cortez.
Ulrich nodded, "yes but please remember, she's mine. You can have her when I'm done. I promise I'll leave enough for you to break and certainly enough to scream," he added, pure blood lust filling his eyes.
"When?" Cortez asked, his voice breathy with anticipation, all doubts forgotten.
"Tomorrow," Ulrich replied and they fell into a discussion of exactly how they would kidnap Kara and bring Hunter to their mercy.
***
Hunter entered Kara's room silently and approached her bed. The blood red velvet curtains were drawn as usual. A sight he always seemed to be viewing from the wrong side. He pulled them silently apart and looked on her sleeping face. He was tempted to wake her and show her just how much he loved and missed her but noting the dark shadows under her eyes, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He knew she was spending an awful lot of time in bed but he also knew that despite that she wasn't getting nearly as much sleep as she should. He leaned on one of the bedposts, finding the soft sound of her breathing almost hypnotic. She was dreaming. Something pleasant but beyond that he couldn't tell. He wouldn't know the twists and turns her dreams took until after they were fully bonded and that wouldn't happen until after the wedding.
His father had not been pleased when he announced he was taking the day off to spend time with Kara. He ranted and railed at Hunter. Issued all manner of threats and given his million and two favourite lectures on duties and responsibility. Eventually he'd degenerated into telling Hunter that a human woman was making him soft and the look in Hunter's eyes had given even his father pause and ceased all argument on the subject. And now, looking at her nestled in the midst of the bed, missing her when she was an arms reach away, he could not regret how adamant he'd been. A picnic would do them both good.
He sank onto the bed and brushed stray strands of hair from her face. She stirred and muttered something, moving closer to him like a heat seeking missile.
"Will you still want me when you know the price of my love?" he whispered sadly, believing firmly that the answer was no.
"Love you…" she murmured, still lock away in her dream, as she curled against his leg. He dropped a kiss on her forehead. Unable to bear tearing himself away he settled beside her, wrapping one arm around her to keep her warm and safe. His eyes drifted shut.
***
Cortez wondered the halls of his estate. Ulrich had left some time ago and he felt more settled knowing that he had a plan. The more Ulrich had talked the more certain he'd become of success. He stopped in front of a small oak door that was almost hidden and pushed it open. There was one item in the room, draped in black silk. He tugged at it, revelling a portrait of Kara's smiling face. He'd paid very dearly to obtain it but that really wasn't a problem since he'd killed the artist the second the painting was done. The paint hadn't even been dry on the canvass when the poor man's blood had filled his mouth. A pity really since the man had clearly been talented, bringing her vibrancy of spirit to life with paints and oil, capturing the fire in her eyes. And to think, he'd only seen her once.
He traced a finger along a painted cheek, smiling softly. He truly believed she would have hit him herself that night if the Prince hadn't beaten her to it. Still he couldn't fathom why the Prince was marrying her. She was human, not even a half-breed vampire, which would have been bad enough, but human! To Cortez the whole affair was unthinkable. Humans were toys, slaves, things to use and then discard, nothing more. Not things to be loved! And now a human girl had wrapped the Prince around her finger, no doubt by wrapping something else around him first, and was worming her way into the very heart of things. A human Princess! It left a bad taste in his mouth. This would surly be the beginning of ruin for all pure blood families. It simply had to be dealt with and if the Prince was too blinded by a pretty whore to see that, well then he was more than happy to take care of her himself. He smiled in the darkness, thinking on how much he was going to enjoy hearing her scream, her cries for mercy and the inevitable silencing of both.
Loping through his forest on four legs, Ulrich was thinking much the same.