Chapter Ten

I awoke to the cheerful sounds of birds chirping outside of my bedroom window and smiled. I sat up and stretched then pushed the covers off of my legs, throwing them over the edge of the bed and stood.

I yawned quietly and walked into the bathroom. I padded to the sink and turned the silver knobs, wanting hot water. Steam floated up and covered the surface of the mirror before me as I grasped a hair tie from the side of the sink, pulling my hair back in a ponytail. I then bent and washed my face.

Once my face was clean and clear of soap, I turned the knobs off and grasped a towel from the towel rack beside me, drying off my face and straightened. As I pulled the towel away from my face, my eyes grew wide at the sight of the mirror because of what was written in the steam on its surface.

'Beware of the Vampire king.'

I screamed when I then saw a red scaly hideous face in the mirror. Jay jerked awake and flung the blanket from her as Angel's screamed echoed throughout the palace. Glenn bolted awake and immediately looked to Jay's side of the bed but found it empty.

His eyebrows furrowed as he looked around the empty bedroom. When another scream sounded, he scrambled out of bed and bolted towards the screams, terrified that it may be coming from his female.

Jay ran to her sister's room and grabbed the door knob when Glenn rounded a corner, seeing her. Grateful it wasn't her screaming, he ran up to her and frowned when she couldn't get the door to open. She tried again, pushing against the door with all of her strength as her heart thundered away in her chest.

When her attempt failed, she scowled at the knob then began banging her palm against he hard door as Glenn started to ram it with his shoulder.

"Angelica! Open this door!" Jay yelled, banging still.

I heard her yelling and Glenn's grunts as he tried to open the bedroom door and turned to run out of the bathroom when the bathroom door slammed shut. I screamed again and tugged on the knob with all of my might, but it wouldn't budge an inch.

"Jay! Help me please!" I screamed and banged my hand against the bathroom door.

Frantic, Jay pushed Glenn aside then kicked at the bowed door repeatedly until it gave way, flinging open. She ran inside with Glenn on her heels to the bathroom door as the lights above flickered.

Afraid, Jay glanced up at the lights and at Glenn then focused on the bathroom door. Both of heir hearts raced as I screamed for her. They quickly began pushing against the door but, just like the other, it wouldn't budge.

"We cannot open it!" Jay cried as they continued to push against the door.

"Jay please! Get me out of here!" I screamed, banging on the door still.

She remained frantic as she quickly looked about the room. Glenn had begun to ram the door with his shoulder when she looked back at him with fear in her eyes.

Tears streamed down my face as I continued to scream. I was frantic until I smelled brimstone. Wide eyed, I stopped banging on the door and slowly turned, finding the Underworld and it's king looking at me through the mirror.

The beast snarled at home, it's finger long fangs dripping with saliva as its long sharp claws curled menacingly. I was scared shitless as all sounds around me vanished, my attention fully on the beast in the mirror.

The beast then pointed at me with a dastardly-looking claw.

"Beware of the Vampire king," it growled. "For you be doomed to nothing but death."

With that, I screamed and fainted…

"You knew this would happen, did you not?" Jay accused Mark with an angry glare upon her face.

I had awakened when Glenn, Jay, and I arrived at Mark's palace in Aeroso. I now sat in the sofa in his study. Glenn sat beside me to keep me company, I guessed. The shaking had ceased but I was a nervous wreck.

I talked to Jay when I awoke; I told her of the shit I saw in the mirror. She then talked of my sanity and the fact of anyone risking it would be detrimental to me, but I knew now that with what I saw in that mirror would never leave me.

I don't know if I ever could go back to that room let alone seeing something like that again.

Mark looked so worried as he glanced down at me. Jay accused him of knowing this would happen, but did he really know? By the way he looked- so worried- I doubted he knew anything like this would ever happen.

But hey, what the hell did I know of anymore?

"Let me talk to her alone." Mark said finally.

Jay's eyebrows rose. "Why? So you could hurt her as well? I do not think so, pal." She said vehemently.

He then looked at her and blinked.

"I assure you that I would never harm my female."

I cocked my head very slightly. He sounded honest as I then remembered how he vowed the exact same thing to me in the courtyard last night. I sensed the honesty in his voice then as I did now, and I believed him wholeheartedly. Now Jay on the other hand.

"You know, she was never like this until you came into her life. And now she is fucked up by seeing the Underworld and Big Show." Jay glared up at him.

Mark's eyes grew wide and he slowly looked down at me.

"You saw the beast?"

Glenn and Jay looked at me now and if I wasn't so tired then I'd be blushing right now. But none of that would be happening anytime soon.

I looked up into Mark's eyes and nodded slowly. Something seemed to falter within him as his eyes started to change from a steady green to a menacing black. Glenn looked up at Mark then swallowed nervously. I then looked at the Wolf king with furrowed eyebrows. Was the Wolf afraid of the Vampire?

"Why is this scaly asshole after Angelica?" Jay asked Mark then folded her arms across her chest.

Mark's head snapped her way and a growl erupted from deep within his chest. Glenn suddenly stood and stepped to Jay's side with a determined mien as Jay unfolded her arms slowly and stared up at Mark.

"If I knew that then we'd be somewhere. Don't ask stupid questions, Jay the Wise." He said with sarcasm and a hint of a warning in his tone.

"Excuse me? What did you say because I did not hear you." She hissed, glaring up at him.

He growled again, baring his fangs and my eyes grew wide as did Glenn's.

"Watch yourself, winged one." He warned.

Her eyes narrowed. "You do not intimidate me, Vampire. Do not fucking threaten me." She hissed.

His eyes narrowed as well but before he could retort, Glenn intervened.

"Stop it, both of you. Mark needs to talk to Angelica alone so come, Jay." He said and grasped her hand in his.

She pulled her hand from his and looked at him, shaking her head.

"No Glenn. I am not leaving my sister here with-"

"Jay, please go with Glenn." I said softly.

She suddenly looked at me and closed her mouth. She walked to the sofa and squatted before me then grasped my hands in hers.

"Are you sure, Angel?" She asked with concern in her eyes.

I nodded and tried to give her a reassuring smile, but she wasn't buying it. 'What would I do without her?' I thought with a small smile.

"Please go. I'll be fine."

She sighed then slowly stood.

"All right. But I am only doing this because you asked me to and not for him." She said with a glare Mark's way.

Mark glared right back at her and she rolled her eyes then grabbed Glenn's hand in hers, leaving out of the study with Glenn closing the door quietly behind him.

Mark walked to the sofa and knelt down before me. With my head down, I noticed his clothing had changed since last night. He now wore black slacks and a black sweater. He looked great compared to what I must have looked like.

To sum it up short and sweet, I looked like shit.

"Angie, when did you see the beast?" He asked me softly.

I lifted my head and looked into his eyes then cocked my head slightly. His eyes still flickered so did that mean I should be fearful of him?

"Um, early this morning. It was light outside but I- I don't know what time it was."

"And what did this fiend say to you?"

"Why are you making me recant this?" I asked as my eyebrows furrowed. "I don't want to do this, Mark. It just scared the hell out of me!" I said and stood, walking to the vast bookcase beside the sofa.

He stood as well and looked at me, his gaze watchful. Feeling sorry for myself was something I've felt and done way too often. But now, those damn tears threatened to fall again as all I wanted to do was curl up on the floor and rock back and forth, crying my eyes out.

I released a shaky breath then spoke.

"I saw, 'Beware of the Vampire king' written on the bathroom mirror after I washed my face. I then saw the beast itself. It- it snarled at me, it's fangs and claws as long as my fingers and its eyes were black. I- I was terrified as all sounds around me faded except for its voice."

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hands and sniffles before continuing.

"It said, 'Beware of the Vampire king, for you be doomed to nothing but death…'" I said, my voice cracking from my tears.

Mark listened then grew motionless upon hearing the beasts' threat to his female. 'Why would it threaten her now? Is this because of the battle I fought in with the fiend centuries ago?' Mark thought. Then the sounds of his father's screams and the sickening sound of the beast's laughter filled his mind.

His hands fisted at his sides so hard that his claws pierced the skin of his palms, blood was drawn. He closed his eyes and shook his head, grappling for control until he could no longer hear those haunting sounds in his head.

When he opened his eyes, he focused on Angie. Looking at her seemed to calm him some as he noticed she had grasped a shelf of the bookcase and was trembling. She saw that bastard? Did she know why the fiend was now returning?

"Do you know why the beast said that to you?"

I leaned back against the bookcase gently, looking at him with those damn tears in my eyes and shook my head.

"No but why must I beware of you? Did you sell your soul or something?"

He shook his head. "No I didn't sell my soul, Angie."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, his eyes averted from mine.

"Back in eighteen hundred and ninety one, I fought alongside my father in the Battle of Rage. We fought Big Show- the beast you saw in the mirror- because it had killed so many people, mortal as well as immortal, that my father finally put his foot down.

"The fiend slaughtered everything in its path and would've killed me as well if it weren't for my father pushing me out of the way, saving my life." He said softly as his eyes flashed to black; tears threatened to fall, and I frowned.

"What happened next?" I whispered.

The Vampire looked at me then responded.

"My father pushed me out of harms way as he fought with all of his might. But it wasn't enough because that fucker got the upper hand. It clawed my father to shreds right before my eyes and would've gotten to me if I hadn't escaped through a portal…"

My heart went out to him as eyes welled with more tears.

"How old were you?" I asked then.

"Fifteen…" He said as a line red tear rolled down his cheek.

Unable to stand there any longer, I pushed off of the bookcase and walked to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close as more tears fell…

"So the beast is warning me because of what happened to you when you were young?"

I removed my arms from his waist as he wearily sighed and let go of me then turned and walked to his desk, leaning his hip against it. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, his hair falling around his face.

His face looked weary of everything, his true age showing. By the way, how old was he? The connection we shared had me going to him, wanting to ease the pain he felt. 'So was this what my sister spoke of?' I think it was, but I didn't really understand it as my feet started moving toward him.

He did fascinate me so.

Stopping before him, I cautiously placed s shaky hand upon his forearm. He slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head as looked down at me. His now green eyes were filled with so many emotions as anger and sadness were just some of them.

He sighed then.

"The fiend will kill anything and anyone that is close to me. It probably knows that you're my female. That's why the beast is warning you."

My eyebrows rose as I looked up at him. This was really serious.

"So in some ways you're blessed but in others, you're damned." I said softly with furrowed eyebrows and a frown.

"Exactly, Angie."

He slowly straightened to his full height as I removed my hand from his arm. He continued to look down at me as I felt protected and safe from anything and anyone.

"I vow to the heavens that I will protect you until the ends of time." He said, his green eyes full of promise.

As I looked up at him, I smiled softly. Seeing her smile shocked him for a moment, considering what he had told her just then.

"Then that means forever?" I asked softly.

He smirked then nodded.

"Yes it does, Angie."

Full of so many emotions, flattery got the best of me as I wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him again. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close, unwilling to let me go.

"So you're sister is an Angel. Does that mean you're a full blooded Angel as well?" He asked then, changing the subject of which I was grateful for.

I shook my head against his chest.

"No, I'm a Phangel. I'm part-"

His eyes grew wide and he quickly drew back slightly, looking down at me.

"You're a rare one, I see."

I nodded. "Yes, Mark, I am. How about that?"

His green eyes dipped to my lips and unable to help myself, I reached up and grasped his face with both hands and tugged him down until our lips met…