A/N: I'm so sorry that it has taken me this long to update. Forgive me. I've had writers block and have been suffering from migraines, and I also have not been able to get computer access. Again, I'm sorry and will try to remember to update. Since I am busy with real life problems, I may only be able to get a chapter out every two weeks. So please bear with me, this story gets better I promise. Thnx.


Chapter Four

WHY SHE WAS running Luce didn't understand. Those two men had saved her, but they couldn't have been human; they moved too fast that she had trouble following their movements. And not to mention the whole lightening and fireball episode.

Luce had once seen a vampire control the weather to create such things as those balls of fire, but those two men just did not look like the hideous creatures she knew so well.

Somewhere deep within her mind was the answer, she knew it, but she just couldn't grasp it. They were not human, but not vampire.

"Damn, why can't I remember? What the hell are they?"

She ran until her legs finally gave out on her and collapsed. Falling down, she crawled into a large decaying hole of an old tree. It stank of wet rotted wood, but it was shelter and she wouldn't complain.

Closing her eyes for a few minutes, Luce tried to control her breathing. Her wound was becoming unbearable now, the pain severe and unrelenting. If she didn't get to a hospital she might bleed out to death, or worse, turn into the very thing she hated so much.

"Geez, talk about a real crappy night. I'm even talking to myself now. I must be in shock or on the boundaries of insanity. While I'm at it, great job, Luce on getting your team murdered. You sure showed those vamps." A sob escaped with her sigh. "At least the damn bastards are all dead; permanently."

Having told herself that crying never got her anywhere, just puffy eyed and drained, she swallowed down the guilt and blinked away the unshed tears.

Curling up into fetal position, Luce closed her eyes against the wave of nausea. Noticing that her pants were undone, she couldn't hold back another small whimper as she buttoned and zipped them.

Rocking herself slowly, exhaustion hit her full force. She succumbed to sleep, hoping that when... if she woke up, that she would still be herself; still human.

━━━ 死 ━━━

It wasn't hard at all to find her. Lukais bent down and peered into the hole of the tree to see her asleep. She looked so vulnerable and helpless. He hated himself for not being able to save her from the night's terrible events by finding her sooner in life.

"How is she, Lukais?" Trevok whispered.

"Sleeping; probably passed out from this whole ordeal. We need to get her home and taken care of." As he moved to scoop her up in his arms, her eyes shot open.

"No!" Luce yelled as she kicked further back into the concealing darkness of the hole. "Stay away from me."

Feeling hurt by her rejection from only wanting to help her, Lukais sat down at the hole's entry. "Now is that any way to treat us for saving your life?" He looked to Trevok. "You would think she would be grateful."

Confused as to what to do now, Luce sat hunched over, not moving, her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin resting on her knees.

"We will not hurt you, little one. Why would we when we went through all that trouble just to save you?" He said the words although it had been no trouble at all. The vampires were young and inexperienced. A Carpathian child could have destroyed them. But still, he spoke in a comforting, soft tone to help ease her frightened state.

"You could have gotten rid of them so you could mess with me." As she said it, it sounded ridiculous even to her. She sighed. "Thank you for helping me, but I'd much rather just take care of and be by myself. You understand. Just please go on your way and leave me alone."

Lukais didn't budge. "I'm afraid I could never leave you, especially in your condition. Let me help you. That open bite wound will not heal itself with you sitting in here not doing anything about it. Please, come out."

He added a light command to his last two words, and she felt it. Luce glared at him, anger overriding her earlier fear. "Don't ever do that again!"

He blinked innocently and turned his head. "Do not do what?"

"That mental push you just did; the silent, hidden order in your voice. I'm not some amateur who can't notice a subtle mind control."

"I was not trying to control you, never that."

"What then? You were hoping that I would comply and come out? No way, not now. Even then, not after what I saw you guys accomplish back there. A human can't direct the kind of fireworks you showed off."

Lukais sighed and again looked to Trevok for help. "Tell me what to do, brother. I am stumped. Never have I encountered this sort of situation."

Trevok laughed and sat down several feet away from Lukais and his lifemate. "You are on your own, Lukais. If you can not convince her that we only wish to help her, then you will have to go with strategy B."

"And what, might I ask is strategy b?" Luce interrupted.

Trevok peered around the hole to look inside at her, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Simple. Wait until you pass out from blood loss and go in there and get you. Although if we wait any longer you could very well die from loss of blood, and that I just can not allow; because not only would your death be a terrible loss, but you would be killing my brother in the process. I do not wish to lose him when we have finally found the only way for him to live."

"Huh, and that would be... what?"

"You, of course. Oh, and I believe that this bag is yours. I found it, as well as the gun, which I put inside." Trevok tossed the backpack to Lukais. "If you come out you can have it back."

"Well, yah sure, cause that's incentive enough."

"Great." Lukais perked up.

"Lukais, she was being sarcastic." Trevok shook his head. "You must excuse my brother. Being so long without emotion must have short-circuited his brain along with his intelligence."

Luce stifled a laugh with a muffled cough. "And why would he be without emotion? Is he that big of a hothead?"

"Hothead?" Lukais looked back and forth between his brother and lifemate. "I am right here you know."

Trevok dismissed his brother with a wave of his hand. "It is possible. But do give him some credit; he is having quite a night himself. It's not everyday that one such as us finds his lifemate. Lukais is undergoing..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Just wait right there. Lifemate? That's the second time I've heard that tonight. The first time was that ass of a vamp getting all hungry and horny on me. He said that I was going to be his redemption, his lifemate. Now explain why you say this now? And make it quick, I'm feeling sick again and light-headed."

Lukais inched hesitantly into the hole, he did not want to frighten her further but he couldn't just sit there while she faded away. "I will explain everything but you must allow me help you. I will not let you die."

"Sounds like another command, but no extra push this time." She mentally gave him a brownie point for the effort. She sighed and shook her head in resignation, causing her to sway.

Lukais threw out a hand to steady her. "Please, let me help you." His heart was sore seeing her like this. The new emotions he felt were becoming bothersome. If he didn't care so much that he would anger her by forcing her to go back to his home with him, he would already have done it by now. And he did not want her angry. He knew that he was going to have enough problems ahead when he tried to explain who and what he was to her.

"Alright, I give up. This is pointless anyways. If I don't go, I'll die. But if I do go, it can't be worse than death." She stumbled just trying to get to he hands and knees; a bad sign that she was far gone. If they were going to hurt her, they could have easily of done so by now instead of chatting. She had no strength to defend herself at this point.

Lukais handed her backpack to Trevok. He leaned over her and pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. "Do not be afraid, I swear we will not harm you in any way. I just want you safe and well."

"Can't argue with that." Luce smiled and rested her head against his shoulder. "Are you going to take me to a hospital?"

"No, my brother and I will be able to heal you much faster and more efficiently than any human doctor can." He spoke softly as he walked.

"Human doctor? Interesting choice of words. Can you make yourself stand out anymore?" Her words were beginning to slur together. Her eyelids were heavy and now near impossible to keep open. Not wanting to fall asleep, she forced herself to stay awake and keep talking. "So what are you anyways? Your not vampire; I've been around them long enough to see a major difference. You moved so fast back there and the fire and lightning; it was all almost familiar in a weird way. I can't place my finger on it. I feel as though I know what you are, but I just can't remember for the life of me. Why is that?"

Lukais looked back at Trevok who only shrugged. "Give me some time and you will have the answers. I need to get you home very quickly. You seem to understand enough to know we're not human, so if I were to… say… jump into the air and fly us to my house, would that scare you?"

Luce laughed despite herself. "There is nothing you couldn't possibly do that would make me lose my mind right now. As it is, I think I'm already crazy. Go ahead and do your tricks, I'll just close my eyes and hope I pass out and stay unconscious till this nightmare is over."