Simone sat in her new rooms simply admiring them.
Her rooms were simple in their design and dark, quite typical for vampires. The main room, where she sat on a couch, was rather spacious and comfortable. The walls were painted a dark, blood red color while the carpet was a deep, rich brown. Near the wooden double doors stood a black-stained dresser, and the black antique-style couch where she sat rested a few feet from it. Against one wall beside the window was a plain, oaken bookshelf. There were a few books on it, several on vampires and warfare but most were fiction. Settled a few feet in front of the bookshelf was a desk with a laptop and her guns on it.
The opposite wall sported a second set of double doors that led to the bedroom, which consisted only of a queen-sized canopy bed, a closet, and a door that led to the bathroom. The canopy bed had a thick, ebony comforter with clean, silver sheets. The pillows were the same silver as the sheets, while the canopy and bedposts were a rich gold color.
Simone smiled and stood up, going over to the bookshelf. She read the bindings of each book and pulled out one of the fictions called Salem's Lot. She skimmed over the back synopsis as she walked back to the couch and sat down. She opened the book and started to read. She'd gotten about twenty pages into it when the doors to her rooms burst open, and she glanced up to see Liane. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" she asked, sarcastically, returning to her reading.
"Haven't you heard me calling for you?" Liane wondered, blatantly ignoring Simone's question.
"No," Simone replied, turning the page as she finished reading it. "I've been in here reading for the last hour."
"Well, I've been calling you for at least five minutes," Liane told her, walking over to her. "Felix wants to see you."
"Who's Felix?" Simone asked, keeping her eyes on her book.
"He's the head Death Dealer around here," Liane answered. "He wants to check you out, I think."
"Ah," Simone replied, simply. She quickly finished her paragraph, dog-eared the page she'd stopped on, and set her book down on the couch. She smiled at Liane and stood up. "Lead the way." She gestured to the doors and waited for Liane.
"Okay," Liane agreed, standing up beside her. She led Simone down the stairs and through the main hall to the back room where they kept their weapons. "Felix."
Felix spun around in his chair with a sniper rifle in his hands and smiled at the girls. He stood up and set the gun down on the desk in front of him. "Hello, Liane," he greeted, nodding to her. He looked over at Simone and held out his hand to her. "And you must be the new girl. I'm Felix."
Simone shook his hand politely and smiled at him. "Simone," she told him, releasing his hand.
"You're strong," Felix said, nodding to himself. "That's good." He walked around his desk and past the girls, motioning for Simone to follow him. "Liane, thank you for bringing her to me. You may go about your business now. I'll look after her."
"Okay," Liane replied, slowly. She turned away from them and left the room.
Felix watched her go before turning to Simone, smiling slyly at her. "Follow me," he ordered. "I think it's about time we see what you can do."
Simone nodded and followed him without hesitation.
Erik and Amelia stood side by side in the main hall patiently awaiting the arrival of the Death Dealers.
Beside Erik was a little boy holding a battered teddy bear tightly to his little chest. He had short, light brown hair and bright blue-green eyes. His little nose was dotted with a few faint freckles, and his small, white fangs were quite sharp. He held Erik's hand loosely in his smaller one and clutched his bear tight, worried for his mother's safety.
A moment later, the front doors burst open, and the Death Dealers strode in, Mael and Sonia in the lead. None of them had been injured on the reconnaissance mission; they had gotten lucky this time.
"Mommy!" the little boy called, rushing forward the second he saw Sonia. He wrapped his little arms around her legs and hugged her tightly, burying his face in the tight leather pants.
Sonia smiled down at him and tenderly stroked his soft hair, watching Erik pick up the teddy bear he'd dropped.
"You're okay," the boy whimpered, looking up at her.
"Yes, Rudolf," Sonia agreed, kneeling down to his eye level. "I'm fine." She tenderly wiped the tears from his eyes and smiled warmly at him.
Rudolf sighed in relief and wrapped his arms around her neck, hugging her tightly.
Sonia returned the embrace and kissed his cheek gently.
"Hey, Rudolf," a soft, lilting voice cooed from behind them.
Rudolf looked up from his place Sonia's arms and smiled at Sacha when he saw her. He broke away from his mother and ran over to his cousin. "Sacha!" he cried, happily as she lifted him off the ground.
Sonia stood up and smiled at the two as they hugged. She half-listened to Rudolf's incessant babbles about his day and nearly jumped out of her skin when Erik's arm slipped around her waist. She looked over her shoulder at him and returned his warm smile.
"Did you find out anything useful?" Erik asked, turning his gaze back on his niece and son.
"Well, we did catch a lycan," Sacha answered, hearing his question. She set Rudolf on his feet and watched him go back to Sonia. She looked over at Amelia as she stopped beside Sonia before continuing. "He didn't tell us much… But we did get a clue as to where the hybrids may have gone."
"What might that be?" Amelia asked.
"He said that they were probably on the other side of the world by now," Sacha replied, smiling at her mother. "So, I'm guessing that they're in the Americas somewhere."
"The Americas?" Amelia repeated, thoughtfully.
Sacha nodded in agreement and brushed a black ringlet out of her face.
Felix led Simone back to the weapons room and turned to her, smiling pleasantly. "You did well today," he told her. "I must say that I was quite impressed with your skill… How old did you say you were?"
"Oh, I'm about…" She paused in thought and counted off a few decades on her fingers. "Two hundred and eighty. I think."
"You're relatively young then too," Felix replied, tapping his chin thoughtfully. He shook his head to clear his mind and looked back at her. "How would you like to go on the lycan hunt with us tonight?"
"That'd be great," Simone agreed, smiling at him. "I don't have a suit though. Mine was ruined in a recent battle."
"That's no problem," Felix replied, waving her silent. "We've got plenty of extra suits that'll fit you. We'll have Alyth help you find one."
"Okay," Simone said, nodding in agreement.
Felix brushed past her and went to the doors. "Jessica!" he called.
A moment later, Jessica appeared in the doorway. She met Simone's eyes briefly before turning her gaze on Felix.
"Will you go get Alyth for me?" Felix asked.
Jessica nodded and scampered off to find the blonde Death Dealer.
Lily screamed at the top of her voice and bolted upright in her bed. She looked around quickly to find that she was in her room and buried her face in her hands, sobbing.
David was at her side a moment later, having been awakened by her shriek. He sat down beside her on her bed and pulled her into his arms, hugging her gently. He kissed the top of her head lightly and tenderly stroked her hair, rocking back and forth with her to calm her down.
After a few minutes, Lily sobs dwindled to slight whimpers and sniffles, and she looked up at David.
"Lily, sweetheart, what happened?" he asked, tenderly.
"I had that dream again," Lily whimpered, burying her face in her father's shirt. "The one with the sun and the lady, the one where she burns."
"There's no need to be afraid, little one." David wished Simone were here now, not off at the vampire mansion. She could always somehow manage to chase the nightmares away, both from him and their daughter. He rested his cheek on the top of Lily's head, kissing her softly. "It was all just a bad dream."
"But it… it seemed really real, Daddy." The little girl clung to him, new tears spilling from her eyes as she remembered her dream.
"Lily, honey, don't cry anymore. It's not real. It's all right. You're safe," David whispered to her.
"Why do I have these nightmares, Daddy? Why won't they go away?" Lily asked.
"I don't know, sweetie." It was the truth. Neither he nor Simone knew what the dreams that tortured their child meant, and it haunted them every day that they didn't know how to help her. "They'll leave soon. I know it."
"You think so?" the little girl asked, her eyes fluttering.
"Yes." David smiled down at her. "Why don't you sleep now, little one? The dreams will not return."
"You promise?" she asked, softly, slowly drifting off in the comfort of her father's arms.
"Yes. Now sleep." David wiped the tears from her face as she slept. He watched her sleep, his daughter, Simone's daughter, and he smiled at her. He laid her back down in her bed and tucked her in. He kissed her forehead and brushed the soft, black hair out of her face before returning to his own bed to get some sleep.
Simone stood on the roof of a building overlooking a busy city street, Kale, Alyth, and Felix right beside her. She took a deep, shaky breath to prepare herself for what she had to do and fixed her eyes on the street below.
A few minutes later, their targets appeared on the sidewalk amongst the throngs of humans.
Felix stood up from his crouch and nodded to the others. He casually stepped off the roof and landed lightly on his feet in the alley twenty feet below, Kale and Alyth immediately following him. He looked up at the roof and met Simone's eyes. His gaze hardened briefly, indicating his impatience.
Simone sighed and stepped off the roof. She was careful not to use her hands to help her balance when she landed, and she straightened immediately, smiling at her partners.
Felix returned her smile and motioned for them to follow him. He strode out onto the sidewalk and fell in about fifteen feet behind the lycans.
The Death Dealers followed the lycans until they came to a more deserted street on the other side of town. Once there, they pulled out their guns and opened fire on the pair of werewolves.
The lycans didn't have the time to retaliate with return fire. One of them got hit in the shoulder and went down. The other got hit in the leg and limped off to a nearby alleyway to get away from the vampires.
Alyth and Kale were about to chase him when Felix stopped them. "Let him go," he ordered, fixing his eyes on the writhing lycan at his feet. "We have what we came for."
Simone's lower lip trembled slightly as she looked down the barrel of her Beretta at her comrades and the lycan. Thankfully, she didn't recognize either of them, but she was still appalled that she had shot down one of her own. Slowly, she lowered the pistol to her side and put it gently back in the holster at her thigh. She took a deep breath as she watched Kale grab a fistful of the lycan's coat.
Kale wordlessly dragged the lycan down to the end of the street and into a run-down apartment complex. He took the werewolf upstairs and rudely tossed him into a metal chair. He went to the opposite wall and leaned against it casually as Felix came in with the girls.
Alyth shut the doors behind her as she came in.
Sonia and Erik stood in the throne room waiting for Amelia and Sacha.
Sonia balanced Rudolf on her hip and rested her cheek on the top of his head. She looked over her shoulder as she heard someone enter the room. She turned around to face Amelia and smiled warmly at the Elder.
"Are you ready to go?" Amelia asked, returning Sonia's smile.
"Yes," Erik agreed, nodding to his sister. He slipped his arm around Sonia's waist and ruffled Rudolf's light brown hair affectionately. "We're just waiting for Sacha."
Amelia nodded in agreement and turned to the doors to watch for her daughter.
About five minutes passed before Sacha entered the room. She was dressed in a gold bikini-like top and a low-riding white skirt with gold trim, exposing her midriff. The silver bands around her upper arms sported two white sleeve-like cloths that reached her knees, and she now wore a pair of ornately carved Celtic bangles on her wrists. A silver necklace with an ebony stone pendant hung around her neck, and her hair was tied up with a gold band in high ponytail. She looked almost exactly like Amelia in that outfit. She smiled at them and spun around once before facing them again. "What do you think?" she asked, curiously.
"You look more and more like your mother every day," Erik commented, smiling at her.
Sacha giggled slightly at that and flushed a little in embarrassment. She returned his smile and looked at her mother. "Are we ready, Mother?" she wondered.
Amelia shook herself out of her reverie and met her daughter's gaze. "We are now," she answered, smiling at her. She really does look like me in that outfit, she thought.
"Okay," Sacha replied, returning the smile. "Then let's go." She turned around and walked out, the others following her. Once outside in the courtyard, she latched onto her mother's arm and rested her head on her shoulder. "Have you ever been to America, Mother?"
"No, I haven't," Amelia answered, leading her out to the car. She waited for the driver to open the door for them before sliding in with Sacha right behind her.
They settled in on one side and waited patiently for Erik and Sonia to take the seats across from them.
Sonia moved Rudolf from her hip to the seat between her and Erik and buckled him in. She kissed his forehead gently and brushed the hair out of his face.
The driver slid into the front seat and started the engine. He put the car in drive and headed for the airport.
By the time they reached the airport, Rudolf was sound asleep, and his head rested against Sonia's shoulder. He whimpered in protest when Erik lifted him from the car and carried him into the airport.
The five vampires walked to the gate where their plane was to take off, and they sat down in the darkest corner of the gate.
"This is the call for first class Flight 7952 to New York," a flight attendant announced, getting the vampires' attention.
They stood up and went to the open gateway. Amelia handed the flight attendant their tickets, and they boarded the plane.
Sonia sat down in the second row on the right and set Rudolf down beside her. She closed the window and buckled him in, buckling herself in when she finished.
Erik sat down in front of them and closed his window, buckling himself in.
Amelia and Sacha took their seats behind Sonia and closed their window as well.
About a half an hour later, the plane was airborne.
Simone sat beside Felix in the front seat of his viper and stared blankly out the window. She was absolutely disgusted with herself over what she'd done.
They'd taken the lycan to one of their safehouses and had interrogated him.
He had been reluctant to answer, needless to say, and Kale had been forced to "persuade" him.
Simone had been so horrified at what was happening that she had had to leave the room, saying that she wasn't used to torturing lycans to get answers. She had leaned against the outside wall of the room, forcing herself to listen to the interrogation.
They hadn't gotten any useful information from the lycan except that the lycans were getting ready to attack, so they had simply killed him and left.
Simone took a deep, shaky breath and blinked away her tears. Lucky for her, she hadn't recognized the lycan by name, but she had seen him before in the lycan mansion. It still tore at her heart the way they had treated and killed him, and she wasn't sure she could take it again.
She shook her head to clear her mind of those thoughts and focused on the passing scenery again, content to try to enjoy the ride back to the vampire mansion.
Christopher paced the floor in the library, clearly agitated about something. He turned to the doors angrily when they opened. "Where are my Death Dealers?!" he demanded, storming up to the startled servant.
"They are not back yet, my Lord," the servant replied, hanging his head in shame.
"Then why have you disturbed me?!" Christopher asked, furious now.
"I've come to inform you that the Lady Amelia and the Lord Erik have arrived from Budapest," the servant answered, finally daring to look up at the enraged Elder. "The Council is with them right now, my Lord."
Christopher wordlessly brushed past the servant and hurried to the main hall. He stopped dead in his tracks at what he saw there.
The seven American Council members were chatting with the European vampires as if they were old friends. The two younger females and the little boy with them were laughing cheerfully at a joke Ty, the Hawaiian Council member, had made, while Amelia and Erik had smug smiles on their faces.
Christopher cleared his throat to get everyone's attention and smiled at the European vampires, noticing off-handedly how the little boy cowered closer to his mother. "Welcome, Amelia and Erik," he announced, approaching them. "It is truly wonderful to see the two of you again. May I ask where Niklaus is?"
Amelia tensed visibly at the mention of her mate's name, and she hung her head to hide the tears that sprang to her eyes.
Sacha put her arm around her mother's shoulders and hugged her gently. She looked up at Erik and nodded to Christopher.
Erik took a deep breath and stepped away from Sonia and Rudolf up to Christopher. "He died almost fifty years ago," he said, his shoulders slumping.
"Oh," Christopher replied, suddenly realizing his gaffe. He immediately bowed to Amelia and smiled sadly at her. "Please accept my sincerest apologies. I didn't know."
Amelia looked up from the floor and forced herself to smile weakly at him. "It's all right," she told him, wiping the stray tears from her eyes. "I didn't expect you to know about his death. Our Covens lost contact with yours centuries ago."
Christopher nodded in agreement and was just about to speak again when-
"Daddy, who's here?" Liane asked, coming down the stairs. She stopped at the base of the stairs, her hand still on the banister, and fixed her confused eyes on Sonia. After a moment, she shook her head to clear her thoughts and walked up to her father's side, glancing at Sonia again.
"These are the European Elders that I've told you about, my daughter," Christopher answered, smiling at her. "This is Amelia, Erik, and…"
"Sacha, Sonia, and Rudolf," Erik finished, pointing to each person in turn.
"I'm very pleased to meet all of you," Liane said, smiling at the new arrivals. "I'm Liane, Christopher's daughter."
Sacha returned the smile and nodded to her approvingly.
Amelia stepped out of Sacha's grasp and turned to face Liane. She carefully studied her face and discretely sniffed the air before turning to Christopher. "Your daughter is very rebellious, Christopher," she told him, stepping back to Sacha's side.
"What makes you say that?" Christopher asked, not believing her.
"She's lying to you," Amelia answered, simply.
"About what?" Christopher wondered, getting angry with her accusations.
"She's pregnant," Amelia replied, glancing at Liane.
"Pregnant!" Christopher exclaimed, shocked.
"How did you know that?" Liane asked, her eyes flashing blue in her anger. She hadn't wanted her father to know about it yet, and now this strange Elder had told him.
"It's true?!" Christopher demanded, turning to Liane in shock.
Liane met his gaze briefly before dropping her eyes to the floor in shame. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Daddy," she mumbled, knowing he'd heard her. "I just didn't think you'd approve. I-"
"Why wouldn't I approve?" Christopher wondered, his anger diminishing slightly. "Who has done this to you, my daughter?"
"A lycan," Amelia answered for the young vampiress, knowing she would never tell him the truth herself.
Christopher looked up at Amelia sharply, and his face twisted in rage when Liane made no move to argue with her. "So, this is what you do when you "go out" at night," he deduced, grinding his fangs in anger.
Liane nodded meekly and nervously awaited her punishment, daring a quick glance up at her father. She was sorry she had.
Christopher's face was rapidly reddening, and his eyes were the ice blue that marked a vampire. His fangs could be seen grinding together through his slightly open lips, and his fists were clenching and unclenching in his rage. He was just about to blow up at his daughter when the doors burst open, and the Death Dealers appeared. He looked up at the Dealers and relaxed a little, relieved to see them. "You have good news, I hope," he growled.
Felix opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Sonia.
"Simone?!" Sonia exclaimed, shocked.
"Sonia?!" Simone replied, meeting her twin's eyes.
Amelia and Sacha turned around to look at the Death Dealers, vaguely recognizing the name.
Amelia's eyes widened in surprise before turning blue and narrowing when she realized who was standing, wide-eyed, in the doorway. "YOU!!!" she yelled, furiously.
The Death Dealers immediately backed away from Simone and stared at her in surprise.
"What's going on?" Felix asked, turning to Simone. "You know them?"
"Of course she knows us!" Amelia replied, her rage growing by leaps and bounds. "She's the hybrid who killed Niklaus!"
"Hybrid!" Christopher exclaimed, stunned that he had been harboring a fugitive from the European Coven.
"Yes," Amelia agreed, glancing at him briefly. "She's the one we've been hunting for the past fifty years."
Christopher turned his blazing blue eyes on Simone and pursed his lips. "Seize her!" he ordered.
Simone backed away as the Death Dealers closed in around her, and she growled threateningly at them, her eyes turning navy blue.
"Stop her before she can make the change!" Amelia told them, noticing Simone's eyes change color.
The Death Dealers leapt at her and tackled her to the floor.
Simone tried to fight them off only to feel the prick of a needle in the side of her neck. She gasped in surprise and threw the Dealer that had injected her with some unknown substance away. She managed to toss two more Dealers off of her before the serum started to take affect. Her movements were getting slow and sluggish, and her vision was dancing.
After a few minutes, she fell limp underneath the pair of Dealers still holding her.
The Dealers hauled her to her feet and dragged her away towards the cells that were in the basement.
"Take her too," Christopher ordered after a moment of thought, pointing to Liane.
The Dealers nodded, and two more seized Liane's arms, following along behind their comrades to the cells.
"But Daddy…" Liane protested, struggling against her captors. "Why? What did I do?"
"You coupled with a mangy animal," Christopher answered, pointedly avoiding her eyes. He half-listened to her yells as she was taken away and met Amelia's eyes.
"You did well," Amelia told him, her coldness returning. "Now, we just have to wait for their mates to come to their rescue."
Christopher nodded and led the European vampires to their rooms.
Erik wrapped his arm around Sonia's shoulders and kissed her right temple gently, smiling reassuringly at her when she looked up at him.
Rudolf tugged on Sonia's hand and stared up at her with wide, innocent blue-green eyes. "Mommy, who was that?" he asked, curiously.
"No one, Rudolf," Erik answered, ruffling the boy's light brown hair affectionately. "That was no one."
Her rooms were simple in their design and dark, quite typical for vampires. The main room, where she sat on a couch, was rather spacious and comfortable. The walls were painted a dark, blood red color while the carpet was a deep, rich brown. Near the wooden double doors stood a black-stained dresser, and the black antique-style couch where she sat rested a few feet from it. Against one wall beside the window was a plain, oaken bookshelf. There were a few books on it, several on vampires and warfare but most were fiction. Settled a few feet in front of the bookshelf was a desk with a laptop and her guns on it.
The opposite wall sported a second set of double doors that led to the bedroom, which consisted only of a queen-sized canopy bed, a closet, and a door that led to the bathroom. The canopy bed had a thick, ebony comforter with clean, silver sheets. The pillows were the same silver as the sheets, while the canopy and bedposts were a rich gold color.
Simone smiled and stood up, going over to the bookshelf. She read the bindings of each book and pulled out one of the fictions called Salem's Lot. She skimmed over the back synopsis as she walked back to the couch and sat down. She opened the book and started to read. She'd gotten about twenty pages into it when the doors to her rooms burst open, and she glanced up to see Liane. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" she asked, sarcastically, returning to her reading.
"Haven't you heard me calling for you?" Liane wondered, blatantly ignoring Simone's question.
"No," Simone replied, turning the page as she finished reading it. "I've been in here reading for the last hour."
"Well, I've been calling you for at least five minutes," Liane told her, walking over to her. "Felix wants to see you."
"Who's Felix?" Simone asked, keeping her eyes on her book.
"He's the head Death Dealer around here," Liane answered. "He wants to check you out, I think."
"Ah," Simone replied, simply. She quickly finished her paragraph, dog-eared the page she'd stopped on, and set her book down on the couch. She smiled at Liane and stood up. "Lead the way." She gestured to the doors and waited for Liane.
"Okay," Liane agreed, standing up beside her. She led Simone down the stairs and through the main hall to the back room where they kept their weapons. "Felix."
Felix spun around in his chair with a sniper rifle in his hands and smiled at the girls. He stood up and set the gun down on the desk in front of him. "Hello, Liane," he greeted, nodding to her. He looked over at Simone and held out his hand to her. "And you must be the new girl. I'm Felix."
Simone shook his hand politely and smiled at him. "Simone," she told him, releasing his hand.
"You're strong," Felix said, nodding to himself. "That's good." He walked around his desk and past the girls, motioning for Simone to follow him. "Liane, thank you for bringing her to me. You may go about your business now. I'll look after her."
"Okay," Liane replied, slowly. She turned away from them and left the room.
Felix watched her go before turning to Simone, smiling slyly at her. "Follow me," he ordered. "I think it's about time we see what you can do."
Simone nodded and followed him without hesitation.
Erik and Amelia stood side by side in the main hall patiently awaiting the arrival of the Death Dealers.
Beside Erik was a little boy holding a battered teddy bear tightly to his little chest. He had short, light brown hair and bright blue-green eyes. His little nose was dotted with a few faint freckles, and his small, white fangs were quite sharp. He held Erik's hand loosely in his smaller one and clutched his bear tight, worried for his mother's safety.
A moment later, the front doors burst open, and the Death Dealers strode in, Mael and Sonia in the lead. None of them had been injured on the reconnaissance mission; they had gotten lucky this time.
"Mommy!" the little boy called, rushing forward the second he saw Sonia. He wrapped his little arms around her legs and hugged her tightly, burying his face in the tight leather pants.
Sonia smiled down at him and tenderly stroked his soft hair, watching Erik pick up the teddy bear he'd dropped.
"You're okay," the boy whimpered, looking up at her.
"Yes, Rudolf," Sonia agreed, kneeling down to his eye level. "I'm fine." She tenderly wiped the tears from his eyes and smiled warmly at him.
Rudolf sighed in relief and wrapped his arms around her neck, hugging her tightly.
Sonia returned the embrace and kissed his cheek gently.
"Hey, Rudolf," a soft, lilting voice cooed from behind them.
Rudolf looked up from his place Sonia's arms and smiled at Sacha when he saw her. He broke away from his mother and ran over to his cousin. "Sacha!" he cried, happily as she lifted him off the ground.
Sonia stood up and smiled at the two as they hugged. She half-listened to Rudolf's incessant babbles about his day and nearly jumped out of her skin when Erik's arm slipped around her waist. She looked over her shoulder at him and returned his warm smile.
"Did you find out anything useful?" Erik asked, turning his gaze back on his niece and son.
"Well, we did catch a lycan," Sacha answered, hearing his question. She set Rudolf on his feet and watched him go back to Sonia. She looked over at Amelia as she stopped beside Sonia before continuing. "He didn't tell us much… But we did get a clue as to where the hybrids may have gone."
"What might that be?" Amelia asked.
"He said that they were probably on the other side of the world by now," Sacha replied, smiling at her mother. "So, I'm guessing that they're in the Americas somewhere."
"The Americas?" Amelia repeated, thoughtfully.
Sacha nodded in agreement and brushed a black ringlet out of her face.
Felix led Simone back to the weapons room and turned to her, smiling pleasantly. "You did well today," he told her. "I must say that I was quite impressed with your skill… How old did you say you were?"
"Oh, I'm about…" She paused in thought and counted off a few decades on her fingers. "Two hundred and eighty. I think."
"You're relatively young then too," Felix replied, tapping his chin thoughtfully. He shook his head to clear his mind and looked back at her. "How would you like to go on the lycan hunt with us tonight?"
"That'd be great," Simone agreed, smiling at him. "I don't have a suit though. Mine was ruined in a recent battle."
"That's no problem," Felix replied, waving her silent. "We've got plenty of extra suits that'll fit you. We'll have Alyth help you find one."
"Okay," Simone said, nodding in agreement.
Felix brushed past her and went to the doors. "Jessica!" he called.
A moment later, Jessica appeared in the doorway. She met Simone's eyes briefly before turning her gaze on Felix.
"Will you go get Alyth for me?" Felix asked.
Jessica nodded and scampered off to find the blonde Death Dealer.
Lily screamed at the top of her voice and bolted upright in her bed. She looked around quickly to find that she was in her room and buried her face in her hands, sobbing.
David was at her side a moment later, having been awakened by her shriek. He sat down beside her on her bed and pulled her into his arms, hugging her gently. He kissed the top of her head lightly and tenderly stroked her hair, rocking back and forth with her to calm her down.
After a few minutes, Lily sobs dwindled to slight whimpers and sniffles, and she looked up at David.
"Lily, sweetheart, what happened?" he asked, tenderly.
"I had that dream again," Lily whimpered, burying her face in her father's shirt. "The one with the sun and the lady, the one where she burns."
"There's no need to be afraid, little one." David wished Simone were here now, not off at the vampire mansion. She could always somehow manage to chase the nightmares away, both from him and their daughter. He rested his cheek on the top of Lily's head, kissing her softly. "It was all just a bad dream."
"But it… it seemed really real, Daddy." The little girl clung to him, new tears spilling from her eyes as she remembered her dream.
"Lily, honey, don't cry anymore. It's not real. It's all right. You're safe," David whispered to her.
"Why do I have these nightmares, Daddy? Why won't they go away?" Lily asked.
"I don't know, sweetie." It was the truth. Neither he nor Simone knew what the dreams that tortured their child meant, and it haunted them every day that they didn't know how to help her. "They'll leave soon. I know it."
"You think so?" the little girl asked, her eyes fluttering.
"Yes." David smiled down at her. "Why don't you sleep now, little one? The dreams will not return."
"You promise?" she asked, softly, slowly drifting off in the comfort of her father's arms.
"Yes. Now sleep." David wiped the tears from her face as she slept. He watched her sleep, his daughter, Simone's daughter, and he smiled at her. He laid her back down in her bed and tucked her in. He kissed her forehead and brushed the soft, black hair out of her face before returning to his own bed to get some sleep.
Simone stood on the roof of a building overlooking a busy city street, Kale, Alyth, and Felix right beside her. She took a deep, shaky breath to prepare herself for what she had to do and fixed her eyes on the street below.
A few minutes later, their targets appeared on the sidewalk amongst the throngs of humans.
Felix stood up from his crouch and nodded to the others. He casually stepped off the roof and landed lightly on his feet in the alley twenty feet below, Kale and Alyth immediately following him. He looked up at the roof and met Simone's eyes. His gaze hardened briefly, indicating his impatience.
Simone sighed and stepped off the roof. She was careful not to use her hands to help her balance when she landed, and she straightened immediately, smiling at her partners.
Felix returned her smile and motioned for them to follow him. He strode out onto the sidewalk and fell in about fifteen feet behind the lycans.
The Death Dealers followed the lycans until they came to a more deserted street on the other side of town. Once there, they pulled out their guns and opened fire on the pair of werewolves.
The lycans didn't have the time to retaliate with return fire. One of them got hit in the shoulder and went down. The other got hit in the leg and limped off to a nearby alleyway to get away from the vampires.
Alyth and Kale were about to chase him when Felix stopped them. "Let him go," he ordered, fixing his eyes on the writhing lycan at his feet. "We have what we came for."
Simone's lower lip trembled slightly as she looked down the barrel of her Beretta at her comrades and the lycan. Thankfully, she didn't recognize either of them, but she was still appalled that she had shot down one of her own. Slowly, she lowered the pistol to her side and put it gently back in the holster at her thigh. She took a deep breath as she watched Kale grab a fistful of the lycan's coat.
Kale wordlessly dragged the lycan down to the end of the street and into a run-down apartment complex. He took the werewolf upstairs and rudely tossed him into a metal chair. He went to the opposite wall and leaned against it casually as Felix came in with the girls.
Alyth shut the doors behind her as she came in.
Sonia and Erik stood in the throne room waiting for Amelia and Sacha.
Sonia balanced Rudolf on her hip and rested her cheek on the top of his head. She looked over her shoulder as she heard someone enter the room. She turned around to face Amelia and smiled warmly at the Elder.
"Are you ready to go?" Amelia asked, returning Sonia's smile.
"Yes," Erik agreed, nodding to his sister. He slipped his arm around Sonia's waist and ruffled Rudolf's light brown hair affectionately. "We're just waiting for Sacha."
Amelia nodded in agreement and turned to the doors to watch for her daughter.
About five minutes passed before Sacha entered the room. She was dressed in a gold bikini-like top and a low-riding white skirt with gold trim, exposing her midriff. The silver bands around her upper arms sported two white sleeve-like cloths that reached her knees, and she now wore a pair of ornately carved Celtic bangles on her wrists. A silver necklace with an ebony stone pendant hung around her neck, and her hair was tied up with a gold band in high ponytail. She looked almost exactly like Amelia in that outfit. She smiled at them and spun around once before facing them again. "What do you think?" she asked, curiously.
"You look more and more like your mother every day," Erik commented, smiling at her.
Sacha giggled slightly at that and flushed a little in embarrassment. She returned his smile and looked at her mother. "Are we ready, Mother?" she wondered.
Amelia shook herself out of her reverie and met her daughter's gaze. "We are now," she answered, smiling at her. She really does look like me in that outfit, she thought.
"Okay," Sacha replied, returning the smile. "Then let's go." She turned around and walked out, the others following her. Once outside in the courtyard, she latched onto her mother's arm and rested her head on her shoulder. "Have you ever been to America, Mother?"
"No, I haven't," Amelia answered, leading her out to the car. She waited for the driver to open the door for them before sliding in with Sacha right behind her.
They settled in on one side and waited patiently for Erik and Sonia to take the seats across from them.
Sonia moved Rudolf from her hip to the seat between her and Erik and buckled him in. She kissed his forehead gently and brushed the hair out of his face.
The driver slid into the front seat and started the engine. He put the car in drive and headed for the airport.
By the time they reached the airport, Rudolf was sound asleep, and his head rested against Sonia's shoulder. He whimpered in protest when Erik lifted him from the car and carried him into the airport.
The five vampires walked to the gate where their plane was to take off, and they sat down in the darkest corner of the gate.
"This is the call for first class Flight 7952 to New York," a flight attendant announced, getting the vampires' attention.
They stood up and went to the open gateway. Amelia handed the flight attendant their tickets, and they boarded the plane.
Sonia sat down in the second row on the right and set Rudolf down beside her. She closed the window and buckled him in, buckling herself in when she finished.
Erik sat down in front of them and closed his window, buckling himself in.
Amelia and Sacha took their seats behind Sonia and closed their window as well.
About a half an hour later, the plane was airborne.
Simone sat beside Felix in the front seat of his viper and stared blankly out the window. She was absolutely disgusted with herself over what she'd done.
They'd taken the lycan to one of their safehouses and had interrogated him.
He had been reluctant to answer, needless to say, and Kale had been forced to "persuade" him.
Simone had been so horrified at what was happening that she had had to leave the room, saying that she wasn't used to torturing lycans to get answers. She had leaned against the outside wall of the room, forcing herself to listen to the interrogation.
They hadn't gotten any useful information from the lycan except that the lycans were getting ready to attack, so they had simply killed him and left.
Simone took a deep, shaky breath and blinked away her tears. Lucky for her, she hadn't recognized the lycan by name, but she had seen him before in the lycan mansion. It still tore at her heart the way they had treated and killed him, and she wasn't sure she could take it again.
She shook her head to clear her mind of those thoughts and focused on the passing scenery again, content to try to enjoy the ride back to the vampire mansion.
Christopher paced the floor in the library, clearly agitated about something. He turned to the doors angrily when they opened. "Where are my Death Dealers?!" he demanded, storming up to the startled servant.
"They are not back yet, my Lord," the servant replied, hanging his head in shame.
"Then why have you disturbed me?!" Christopher asked, furious now.
"I've come to inform you that the Lady Amelia and the Lord Erik have arrived from Budapest," the servant answered, finally daring to look up at the enraged Elder. "The Council is with them right now, my Lord."
Christopher wordlessly brushed past the servant and hurried to the main hall. He stopped dead in his tracks at what he saw there.
The seven American Council members were chatting with the European vampires as if they were old friends. The two younger females and the little boy with them were laughing cheerfully at a joke Ty, the Hawaiian Council member, had made, while Amelia and Erik had smug smiles on their faces.
Christopher cleared his throat to get everyone's attention and smiled at the European vampires, noticing off-handedly how the little boy cowered closer to his mother. "Welcome, Amelia and Erik," he announced, approaching them. "It is truly wonderful to see the two of you again. May I ask where Niklaus is?"
Amelia tensed visibly at the mention of her mate's name, and she hung her head to hide the tears that sprang to her eyes.
Sacha put her arm around her mother's shoulders and hugged her gently. She looked up at Erik and nodded to Christopher.
Erik took a deep breath and stepped away from Sonia and Rudolf up to Christopher. "He died almost fifty years ago," he said, his shoulders slumping.
"Oh," Christopher replied, suddenly realizing his gaffe. He immediately bowed to Amelia and smiled sadly at her. "Please accept my sincerest apologies. I didn't know."
Amelia looked up from the floor and forced herself to smile weakly at him. "It's all right," she told him, wiping the stray tears from her eyes. "I didn't expect you to know about his death. Our Covens lost contact with yours centuries ago."
Christopher nodded in agreement and was just about to speak again when-
"Daddy, who's here?" Liane asked, coming down the stairs. She stopped at the base of the stairs, her hand still on the banister, and fixed her confused eyes on Sonia. After a moment, she shook her head to clear her thoughts and walked up to her father's side, glancing at Sonia again.
"These are the European Elders that I've told you about, my daughter," Christopher answered, smiling at her. "This is Amelia, Erik, and…"
"Sacha, Sonia, and Rudolf," Erik finished, pointing to each person in turn.
"I'm very pleased to meet all of you," Liane said, smiling at the new arrivals. "I'm Liane, Christopher's daughter."
Sacha returned the smile and nodded to her approvingly.
Amelia stepped out of Sacha's grasp and turned to face Liane. She carefully studied her face and discretely sniffed the air before turning to Christopher. "Your daughter is very rebellious, Christopher," she told him, stepping back to Sacha's side.
"What makes you say that?" Christopher asked, not believing her.
"She's lying to you," Amelia answered, simply.
"About what?" Christopher wondered, getting angry with her accusations.
"She's pregnant," Amelia replied, glancing at Liane.
"Pregnant!" Christopher exclaimed, shocked.
"How did you know that?" Liane asked, her eyes flashing blue in her anger. She hadn't wanted her father to know about it yet, and now this strange Elder had told him.
"It's true?!" Christopher demanded, turning to Liane in shock.
Liane met his gaze briefly before dropping her eyes to the floor in shame. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Daddy," she mumbled, knowing he'd heard her. "I just didn't think you'd approve. I-"
"Why wouldn't I approve?" Christopher wondered, his anger diminishing slightly. "Who has done this to you, my daughter?"
"A lycan," Amelia answered for the young vampiress, knowing she would never tell him the truth herself.
Christopher looked up at Amelia sharply, and his face twisted in rage when Liane made no move to argue with her. "So, this is what you do when you "go out" at night," he deduced, grinding his fangs in anger.
Liane nodded meekly and nervously awaited her punishment, daring a quick glance up at her father. She was sorry she had.
Christopher's face was rapidly reddening, and his eyes were the ice blue that marked a vampire. His fangs could be seen grinding together through his slightly open lips, and his fists were clenching and unclenching in his rage. He was just about to blow up at his daughter when the doors burst open, and the Death Dealers appeared. He looked up at the Dealers and relaxed a little, relieved to see them. "You have good news, I hope," he growled.
Felix opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Sonia.
"Simone?!" Sonia exclaimed, shocked.
"Sonia?!" Simone replied, meeting her twin's eyes.
Amelia and Sacha turned around to look at the Death Dealers, vaguely recognizing the name.
Amelia's eyes widened in surprise before turning blue and narrowing when she realized who was standing, wide-eyed, in the doorway. "YOU!!!" she yelled, furiously.
The Death Dealers immediately backed away from Simone and stared at her in surprise.
"What's going on?" Felix asked, turning to Simone. "You know them?"
"Of course she knows us!" Amelia replied, her rage growing by leaps and bounds. "She's the hybrid who killed Niklaus!"
"Hybrid!" Christopher exclaimed, stunned that he had been harboring a fugitive from the European Coven.
"Yes," Amelia agreed, glancing at him briefly. "She's the one we've been hunting for the past fifty years."
Christopher turned his blazing blue eyes on Simone and pursed his lips. "Seize her!" he ordered.
Simone backed away as the Death Dealers closed in around her, and she growled threateningly at them, her eyes turning navy blue.
"Stop her before she can make the change!" Amelia told them, noticing Simone's eyes change color.
The Death Dealers leapt at her and tackled her to the floor.
Simone tried to fight them off only to feel the prick of a needle in the side of her neck. She gasped in surprise and threw the Dealer that had injected her with some unknown substance away. She managed to toss two more Dealers off of her before the serum started to take affect. Her movements were getting slow and sluggish, and her vision was dancing.
After a few minutes, she fell limp underneath the pair of Dealers still holding her.
The Dealers hauled her to her feet and dragged her away towards the cells that were in the basement.
"Take her too," Christopher ordered after a moment of thought, pointing to Liane.
The Dealers nodded, and two more seized Liane's arms, following along behind their comrades to the cells.
"But Daddy…" Liane protested, struggling against her captors. "Why? What did I do?"
"You coupled with a mangy animal," Christopher answered, pointedly avoiding her eyes. He half-listened to her yells as she was taken away and met Amelia's eyes.
"You did well," Amelia told him, her coldness returning. "Now, we just have to wait for their mates to come to their rescue."
Christopher nodded and led the European vampires to their rooms.
Erik wrapped his arm around Sonia's shoulders and kissed her right temple gently, smiling reassuringly at her when she looked up at him.
Rudolf tugged on Sonia's hand and stared up at her with wide, innocent blue-green eyes. "Mommy, who was that?" he asked, curiously.
"No one, Rudolf," Erik answered, ruffling the boy's light brown hair affectionately. "That was no one."