Selene never thought she could feel a stronger hatred than that which fueled her own private battle against the Lycans. The sight of the traitor Kraven in the presence of a respected Elder made her undead blood run cold. This was not a game in which Kraven could just scatter the pieces according to his own desires. This was a war, and at the moment, the coven was very vulnerable.

It had taken much of her willpower, combined with Michael's strong arms, to keep her from shooting him dead on the spot. Nothing justified behavior like this. The fact that Lucian had been alive and well, not to mention in league with Kraven, still caused a bubble of acidic fear the rise in her throat, gnawing painfully like bile threatening to spill. No one knew of this fear, not even Michael. Selene couldn't risk appearing weak at a time like this.

It was Michael who had restored peace in her; he escorted her up the winding staircase to their private quarters, away from prying eyes and unwanted intrusions. With the events of the past two days weighing on her mind, Selene was more than willing to put everything aside and spend the daylight hours in the arms of her lover.

Selene was dominant in every aspect of her immortal life, so it was only logical that she'd be dominant in sex. It had been Selene that brought Michael to his knees, moaning and writing beneath her with every penetration. Her hands guided his hips as her fangs broke his skin, spilling both of the man's precious liquids. He filled her like a searing rive, but in the end, it was Michael, not Selene, who was begging for more. They made love until every muscle in their body burned and their legs lay weak and useless against the sheets.

Michael lay with Selene, his heart still racing and his cheeks flushed with the Hybrid blood that had created such an abomination. He had become something that both Vampyres and Lycans feared and desired. Now that Viktor was dead, Michael's future didn't seem so bleak. While Marcus was driven in the constant war, he did not hold the personal hatred for the creatures as Viktor had. Though Michael was indeed Lycan at heart, his commitment was to the Vampyres. He and Marcus were scheduled to meet and discuss the terms of living, and the detaining process on the nights of full moon. For the time being, however, he had complete control over his body, and lay in his content human form alongside the cold, dark beauty that was Selene

He could feel his lover's heartbeat pounding heavily; her undead blood surging to the surface to give her cold, alabaster skin a hint of warmth and color. Michael's only reason for being alive at all was Selene, and his love for her was evident in his tight embrace. They lay side-by-side, their bodies pressed seamlessly together. Her head rested on his muscular arm, her hair splayed over skin and sheet. His other arm was wrapped around her side, their entwined fingers pressed up beneath the warmth of her breast.

Though Selene's eyes were closed, she was very much awake. No sleep could fall upon her worried mind. No sweet amount of sex could wipe these images from her thoughts. Everything she had placed her trust in…everything she believed in…it had all been a lie. What more treachery would be revealed to her in the weeks to come? All these years, she'd been killing creatures who had done nothing to deserve such a demise.

A flash of images swam before her eyes, and for a moment, she was lost to the memories.

The young girl was accustomed to sleeping through thunder, as storms were frequent. It was the abnormality of the shrill shrieks against the thunderous background that woke her. For a moment, she was disoriented, but then another cry of terror sent all forms of sleep from her eyes and her body trembling with fear.

Meanwhile, the family's horses screamed in the stales as though in heat while each was bitten sharply by a pair of ivory fangs. The Death Dealers accompanied Viktor everywhere, even on these treasonous binges. The Dark Lord himself was standing outside, his body occasionally illuminated by a flash of lightening, waiting for the humans to walk into his trap.

Though Selene's father was a large, strong man, he stood no chance against the immortal Elder. He fired his shotgun once blindly before Viktor snapped his neck with an effortless flick of the wrist. He didn't leave the body to rest in the soaking earth until every drop of blood has been purged from his flesh.

With horrified eyes, Selene stood frozen in the doorway, witnessing the horrible slaughter. Her mother screamed at her to get back inside through grief stricken sobs. She knew she should get to her niece's room, but her feet and legs seemed disconnected from her mind. By the time she tore her eyes away from her mother's death, she feared it would be too late to save the twins.

When she reached her niece's room, the Vampyre was already there, standing over the bodies of the young twins. At the sight of their broken necks and mangled throats, Selene nearly fainted. The terror grew as Viktor approached her, his regal and bloody face revealing nothing of the thoughts running through his head. Thoughts of Sonja. As he towered over her, she felt fear take complete control and consciousness fell away from her.

With a soft gasp, her eyes flew open, and her heart seemed to leap from her throat while a tear spilled slowly from her eye.

"Selene?" Michael's voice came as a steady beacon breaking through the torrent of memories and bringing her back to the surface. He could feel her tears sting like ice against the bare skin of his arm. "What's the matter, baby?" He'd never seen a show of emotion like this, and to be honest? It scared him.

Selene rolled over slowly, reaching out to wrap thin white arms around Michael's more tanned shoulders. She buried her face in his chest, trying to stop such a painful show of emotion. Several minutes passed before she had regained enough composure to speak.

"I…I love you…." She admitted softly, her lips brushing against the bulging muscle of his chest. After all of the lies and all the deceit, Selene found solid ground to stand upon in Michael. She meant that statement with every fiber of her undead heart.

There was silence for a moment before she felt Michael's grip tighten around her. With his eyes shut sadly, his lips found her ears and whispered huskily into them an admittance of his own emotions.

'I will never let you go."