Author's Note

Hey everyone, this is my first fan fiction. I wanted to write one based on Sunshine, but it wasn't allowed! This fan fiction is based on the Carpathian/Dark Series, by Christine Feehan, and all original characters (i.e. Gregori, Mikhail, etc.) belong to her. All ideas related to the Carpathians and their world belong to her as well. The beginning chapters may be a little boring for some people, but as I intend this to be a long story,I need to set up. Characters that belong to me will be noted at the beginning of each chapter for clarity. Please read and review!

Chapter One

AN: New Characters : These characters belong to me: Eranites, Arianna, Bethany, Aristes, Hadriel. All other characters belong to Christine Feehan.

Pronunciation: This is my intended pronunciation of names:

Eranites: (ehr- uh-NIGH-tees)

Arianna (ehr-ree-AHN-uh)

Bethany: Obvious!

Aristes: (uh-RIZ-tees)

Hadriel (HA-dray-ell)

Hope that was helpful!

Now for the story...

Hospitals are strange places. There, while the mortally wounded are healed, and serious surgeries performed, people who would ordinarily never meet, do meet. Their loved ones might be seeing the same doctor, or maybe they have adjacent hospital beds. Grief brings people together. But it was mostly a small, unimportant thing that caused Eranites and the twins to meet.

As Eranites exited the sterile emergency room, and entered the only slightly less sterile waiting room, he saw none of the hospital-white walls, the ancient magazines, or the stiff, economically priced, "wood-like" chairs. He in fact, saw nothing, something that disoriented him, to put it mildly. He was blind, and being pushed in a wheelchair by his pale and worried mother, followed closely by his imposing, but no less worried, father.

His normally extraordinary mental capabilities weren't functioning; he was essentially a normal human. He had no telepathy, and he had tried teleportation and shape shifting after the snake had bitten him. He grimaced, remembering the pain and shock of the bite.

He and his parents had been on an evening hike in the hills, when from out of nowhere, a snake had struck quickly and violently. Pain hadlanced through his leg, as he stumbled and fell, his body nearly paralyzed. His vision hadbecome blurrier with every minute, until his world was only sound and solid shadow. If he had been human, he would have died. But his extraordinary Carpathian body had withstood the onslaught, if only barely. His parents had immediately teleported to the nearest hospital, where he had been sent straight to the emergency room.They hadwiped all memories of strange DNA and other such medical anomalies from the doctors' minds.

In the wheelchair, Eranites presented a calm façade. Though he should've been crying, screaming, or tearing his hair out, he simply sat and thought. Most people would attribute it to shock, but Eranites knew why he felt no emotion. His world was gray, as it had been even before he hadlost his sight. He felt nothing, and felt for no one other than his family. The beast that lived inside was strong, and his pleasure in killing was growing. Soon he would turn, or seek eternal rest.

His parents however, were devastated. As a blind Carpathian, he could not hunt vampires, or find his life mate to continue their species. There were already too few of their race. They knew that this tragedy might cause Eranites to seek the sun and end his pain forever. They silently conveyed their thoughts to each other.

He will never see again? Are you sure? Hadriel asked.

The doctor said he is lucky he can walk. Aristes replied.

So we have lost another.

Yes, I'm afraid it seems so.

Do we return to the Mountains?

No, let's not tell Eranites that he is blind for life. Maybe the doctor is wrong…Let us stay here in America and visit as we intended. Eranites need not know that anything is wrong.

Are you sure that is wise? He may never recover.

Something inside me says he will, if he makes the effort to live.

You have a point. Though that is a big if.

I know. Have hope love.

They broke contact and gazed down at their son, who seemed to fill the wheelchair and overflow it. It was unfair, and they both knew it. Those who are the youngest, strongest, and most able, often are struck down. Eranites was their hope for the future. He was the strongest of them all, with the best mind and body. One day, he would have been prince of their people.

Eranites knew all this. He knew he was his peoples' hope, knew he was now a useless burden to his parents. If only he could find his lifemate, a woman who was his light and could heal him like no one elsecould. Every Carpathian male spent his existence looking for his lifemate, to calm the beast within him and give color and emotion to his life, things that most had lost long ago. Eranites also knew that being blind, his chances of finding his mate were one million to one. He shook his head bitterly. As soon as I am alone, he thought, I seek the fire. Then he heard the girl's scream.

AN: Review! And when you do, tell me what you think about mature content later on!