MoonMama89: yeah I almost wrote it differently but realized she didn't deserve it. I will try to work that in if not at some point in there. You will see that and much more. Thank you very much. That's not a problem I only watched for the Damon and Elena storyline, I was a totally Delana fan. I love Underworld though. I did enjoy Awakening though the latest one was great since they brought the coven aspect fully back in and brought it back to its roots so to speak. I think Michael wasn't in it because they had written him out to get killed off and since he would have only been in one scene they used the stunt double for it instead. Though I agree the series would have been better if he had been kept in and the storyline could have become very interesting. Like now if there was a final one with him being 'shock alive' and being reunited with selene and finding out he has a daughter I think that dynamic could have been a great source of conclusion and happiness for her to get in the end. And yes me and my new guy are having fun, in fact we had fun twice this week. 😉 well technically once but still its been great. I even gave him his first of something and he definitely enjoyed it. I don't want to 'count my chickens before they hatch' but I'm really hoping so. How often do you meet someone born literally one day apart from you. Granted the years added to but still. His b-day is the day after mine. I wonder if that means anything…anyways enjoy.

1 review nice, I'm glad this is being enjoyed, lets see how you all like this chapter coming up. please read and review.

A vampire's forbidden love: the lies that bind us ch.12

Mamoru POV

I watched over our elder as he drank the last bit of the blood from the bag he had been given. He would be up and about soon enough but not combat ready for another day or so. It was by sheer luck alone that Emon had missed his heart. I truly believed that he missed on purpose to make Usagi suffer. That man was cruel to incredibly deep depths. I remembered back in college when I did profiles on killers and who motivated them as part of a psychology course before turning to medicine going forward.

He could have been several of them combined into one for all of his devious, malicious traits. I remembered leaving the psychology department after that as I realized I wanted to help people that were physically wounded rather than delve into the minds of sociopaths and Emon was turning into a text book sociopath. At least his actions were. To injure such a good man who was his own father simply to be free of authority is ridiculous.

He made Damon seem like a vacation to be near. I couldn't comprehend how Emon could do this. I tried even to research the psychology online but other than a lot of text book jargon there wasn't much that would tell me what his mentality was like. "There's no use in figuring out my son." I heard from the bed. I looked over and saw our elder sitting up in bed, looking at me like I was wasting my time.

"Sir with all due respect I want to make sure if Usagi is unable to get to him for some reason or another I can ensure his demise." I explain. I had thought about it ever since leaving the last counsel meeting. It wasn't something I'd spoken to Usagi about just yet but I had planned to explain it to her later on. We were all fighting towards the same goal here. So I figured to try and research his psyche so I could understand how I could warp his mind against him. I had to do something right?

I mean I loved Usagi. I couldn't fathom anything or anyone hurting her. The fact that Emon was able to get inside and hurt our elder and how much it hurt her, I felt this irrepressible need to kill him if she wasn't able to or in the area to do so. At least this way we could guarantee his death without fault. Not that I believed her incapable of doing so but IF she was saw thrown through a wall then I would be there to have her back. No questions asked.

"He was always a complex youth and a devious man that cared not for anyone at the end of the day other than those that he felt 'understood' him." he glanced to the side, away from me as he seemed to be settled in a decision. "I did what I thought was best at the time but then again I think that's what every parent feels." He chuckled mirthlessly. "I've come to the realization far later than I would have preferred about his issues but its better later than never right?" he tried to smile at me.

"I supposed correct." I ventured, sitting by his bedside, phone forgotten in my hand. "Might I tell you something that you promise NEVER to divulge to anyone…not even Usagi?" He asked. I nodded since he was keeping the intent to ask her to wed me a secret as well. "I loved all of my children…more than I could bear at times. Even the one that never came to be I loved her." The pain of losing that child was still a hard bit for him to bear.

He hated that he lost her. Nothing can truly ever replace having a child leave the earth, especially one that's taken from you. It feels like your world is shrinking and your just trying to keep a float in a bay that has a tidal wave coming towards you and as much as you want to give in you have no choice but to be there for the other children that did survive. You focus on them and their wellbeing to have a reminder that you have others to love and cherish watching them grow and becoming the adults you and your beloved had wished for them to be.

Yet to lose her to Yamamoro, Damon to Usagi in a sense even though it was his own choices that lead to the downfall, and to have your other son that you THOUGHT was dead, the one you mourned for who knows how long, come back to you only to literally stab you twice because he hated you that much for being a good father and NOT the figure that he wanted in his life, and to have his death ordered by the counsel themselves…I could only imagine how heart breaking this is for our elder.

So for him yes I would keep this to myself, it was the least I could do. "Yet…it always brought such sadness to my heart that though I love all of my children I grew to dislike both Damon in the end and mostly Emon through his life. I loved them both but I disliked them for their actions onto others and their disregard for the positive things I taught them." He begrudgingly admitted as I listened.

"A parent isn't supposed to favor one over the other, it creates animosity and divides siblings up yet I know I began to favor a child in the end." This I was confused on. Who could that be? He hadn't mentioned Usagi as part of that, not to that degree anyways so who? "She wasn't even mine by birth yet I love her as my own daughter." It was Usagi! "She lost so much in the time I knew her." He began.

"Her blood family all gone, her friend who would become her fiancée turned and now gone…" he continued before looking at me, "Yet I cared for her more because she gives off this spark that I've only ever seen in my own love. Someone that if she were still around would have loved to have been a mother figure to her." His mate. "The reason I am telling you this is because I do favor Usagi as she's the child I'd wished I'd had…and I'm a poor excuse for a father to feel that way." He admitted.

"No…" I tried but he silenced me, "You're still very young yet and don't have any children…yet…" to which I blushed but smiled, "Doesn't mean I won't…that we won't…" I thought of the possibilities of Usagi and I having kids together. It brought an emotion to me that I previously didn't know could exist within me. Visualizing her growing big with my child was something I hadn't yet conceived myself yet this somehow made me think of that possible notion happening for us.

"It doesn't mean that I hadn't been a part of a family before this." he looked at me like he was curious to know more, "It may have been an incredibly long time ago but I still remember things and what I do remember was love, devotion and even though we can never go back and right wrongs we can use the current situations to make them right for the future coming forward." I expressed to him.

Our elder chuckled, "You already sound wiser than your years. Usagi has been rubbing off on you." I smiled at that, "Actually its something my father used to tell me when I was younger. I didn't get it till Usagi came into my life but yeah he told me." I said, "He sounds like a wise man." He acknowledged. "He was…I think he would have liked you." I admit. Our elder nodded, "Of course I'm the elder." And we both laughed at it.

Then he seemed to sober up from the mirth that had been present only moments before, "I said what I said because Usagi, IF anything should come to happen to me permanently, will be taking my seat at the counsel. The only reason I wasn't present as a member during the case hearings was due to it being my own coven involved. By law since we are too close to the issue at hand we are to recognize that we cannot be a part of the decision process BUT we can advise the leaders of the coven." I nodded.

My understand becoming more clear as he spoke, "When she does come to power in there you will become to power yourself and it's a task NOT to be taken lightly." I nodded again but followed it with, "Sir, with all due respect you're not going anywhere for a LONG time." I smiled only to be met with his serious face making me halt myself, "We both know that Emon will do whatever it takes to bring her down." this I did know.

"She will need you there in the fall out of it all." Before I could respond he stated, "Because at the end of the day he wants me dead as well. My own son…wants me dead…for being under able to nurture his darkness." For the first time I saw a tear enter his eyes. I didn't speak, shocked to see it, "If it's one thing I always tried to instill into my children was equality within the ranks of vampires and the understanding that this world belongs to the humans." It was good that he still held true to such accurate and realistic images.

"Emon never saw this as positive things and I fear what brought this on was the very elder that held such distain towards Usagi." he muttered. "I've honestly never liked that elder but maintained respect for him due to his many positive accomplishments over the many millennium in service to the counsel and to his own coven." I accepted this but still didn't like him either. I disliked his blatant issues with her simply for existing in this world.

"I hadn't known that all this time he knew my son was alive and well. He disregarded the counsel and showed that he has little to no respect towards me as an elder or as a man whose also a father." He sighed in slight anger, "Instead he took up that role himself to a degree and sheltered my son when he was wanted for his crimes. Gave him a means to live on even though he was supposed to be dead." It felt weird to hear this from him but it was the truth all the same as I was suddenly getting an understanding of things here.

"As much as one can love a child and dislike them at the same time it doesn't mean one still can't feel betrayed in some form by a co-worker of sorts. A frenemy who chooses to keep the information of the child from the parent that lives to raise them and teach them as they see fit and nurture a side of the child that should have been work on in the appropriate way and not feed more hatred towards others." I expressed.

The tear fell as he seemed to get choked up, "I love my children Mamoru…" he looked at me with barely repressed emotional pain at all of this, "ALL of them…blood and adopted…" he wiped the tear away only to have one more fall in its stead, "I always will…" he gathered himself as he looked to me with acceptance in his eyes, "But Usagi, the one whom I've grown to love so dearly…the one that I know I've realized I do favor over all needs to be the one to kill Emon." I was stunned by that.

It was as if he knew what I had planned to do. His expression was easy to read as he looked at me, "I…." I tried as he stated, "She needs to kill him just as YOU need to kill that Lycan leader and protect her when she cannot. After all no one is invincible." He explained. "Mamoru I trust you with my daughters care and well-being…" I was swelling with emotion at his words, "Otherwise I wouldn't have given you her hand." I nodded in deep respect for him. "Then again…" he smiled.

"I had already accepted you a while back as a son of sorts when Usagi confided in you so deeply and fully with her heart and soul. You two were meant for one another." I couldn't speak at his wonder words as they touched me so deeply, "When she does kill him and you kill that lycan leader - " before he could finis though Usagi came down to the infirmary where we were. I stood up and greeted her with a kiss as she looked to our elder.

"It's good to see you gained back your color." She noted, clearly happy that he was back but at the same time wishing he wasn't down here at all. "My darling I need to talk to you for a moment." I made to leave out when he motioned for me to stay. Usagi went to his side and sat down opposite me where he sat up. Definitely looking much better than before. For an elder he healed damned fast compared to my speed in healing.

Then again my wound was far less risky than his was. "I know you think you know Emon based on what I've told you so far but there's one thing you need to know above all else." He began, "Nani?" She asked, "That he needs to be stopped at all costs." He regarded her. "I'm aware of that though I have also been asking myself something as of late." She seemed to be trying to ask him something.

He seemed to read her though, better than I could have at the moment. "Why didn't I kill him myself?" he asked. I was as shocked as she was. "You're one of the oldest and strongest of us…why didn't you?" she asked, a few angry tears burning her eyes. "Because…" he wiped them away, "No matter what he's done or become he is still my son…and I love him as I love you…" that broke her heart a bit in a good way.

She hadn't expected to hear that. "And I love you as a father as well…" that we both knew took a lot for her to verbalize. Both of us knowing how she felt regarding anything seeming like it was going to replace the image of her blood parents and brother who had died tragically so long ago, never to know what would become of their daughter. Usagi had fought for too long to avoid familial attachments and now she had many in the form of sisters in arms, a father now, loyal friends and me…her mate.

"I just could bear to kill him. My darling…" he looked tired in these moments, more so a reflection of his emotions rather than physicality. "I watched my mate give birth to him, watched him grow up, throughout the years, saw what he was becoming and yet I wasn't mentally strong enough to make that final blow. I couldn't kill my son. Now I must give you the burden to bear and while I regret it as it should be me since I had a hand in bringing him into it I lacked the emotional strength to do it." conviction was in her eyes at his words.

"You must succeed where I failed my darling daughter. Give Emon peace of mind in the form of death. He will not stop otherwise in his quest." He made her promise as they spoke that she would deliver that final blow to Emon. It was a strike for the family that she had become a part of even if she wasn't related in any sense of the word and only by his claim of her as his child. And now I finally got it.

He wanted Emon to be killed by someone of the family line and not a stranger. Even though she wasn't a direct descendant in any manner, she still carried Damon's blood in her body therefore in a split way making it family that would put an end to the coming bloodshed before it could be spill out any further and his own brother in a twisted metaphorical sense be the one to bring an end to him once and for all. His second in command and the leader of this coven now. I looked at the scene in awe.

"You should know…" she began, "It was Kitiara who let Emon inside the estate. She was spotted on the camera's down there and when presented with the evidence she confessed." Our elder seemed to hate it as the minor amount of shock took over as he closed his eyes at the betrayal of yet another elder but closed off that side of him as he asked her, "Did she explain why?" the need to know in his face.

"Naoyuki had blackmailed her. She had unknowingly supported his providing Emon supplies over the years. He threatened to use it against her but when Emon went after you she felt guilty for her actions and admitted to it. She helped confirm the location in exchange for safety and security away from Emon and Naoyuki." She supplied. That was a big ball of information I didn't previously know.

"Chikao will ensure she gets punished." Our elder stated confidently, "Oh he will. He already alluded to sending her to the 'vampire prison' off in a secluded section so she could live out her days in fear of mostly Naoyuki till he was caught." She expressed. I had heard very little of this 'vampire prison' she spoke of, but from what I did hear was that it didn't sound like a spa treatment to be had.

"You should really get the rest of your rest in before you're out of here tomorrow. You need to make sure you get your appearances in if Chikao's words were any indication." I tell him. "Hai, I know." He muttered, "He's a good man, any advice he has would be best to follow." He advised himself. We nodded as I escorted Usagi out of his curtained off bed. "I'll let you know if anything happens but either way he'll be up and about before your back down here again…more than likely anyways." I assure her.

She smiled before hugging and kissing me. I accepted this happily as it had been days if not longer since we were last intimate. It felt to long. I wanted her back in bed again, hell I just to be back between her legs again but I knew that wouldn't be happening for a moment. Plus I couldn't do that with our elder down here. That was just too weird. "I'll have Soren come down here for the next shift so I can take a breather. We've been rotating." I explain to her, "Good thinking." She kisses me one last time before leaving.

I watch her leave as I sigh. This was a long few days yet it felt like they were flying by to me. I hadn't had to use my medical knowledge like this is over a year now so I was glad it came rushing back to me to help out. Now one of our most respected elders was nearly at one hundred percent and I was glad that Soren and I had been trading shifts. It seemed that everyone was working together…we were going to win this against Emon.

Usagi POV

I made my way upstairs to see Chikao in his room when a messenger passed me by, "Chikao will see you in the counsel's chambers." I nodded my acceptance of that and started to head back. I realized I was passing by our elder's room and couldn't help but look inside of it now as it was cleaned of anything that resembled a fight or what had happened at all. The sounds of Emon's words and the smell of our elders blood were still so fresh even though the scent was bleached and scented away leaving only a woodsy pine scent behind.

The wood floor holding no trace of the incident so that when the elder returned he wouldn't have to have a reminder of what his own son had done to him. The vampires did a good clean up job to ensure the smell and feel would be gone. They made sure no one would know what happened here other than the ones who saw it. The window had been fixed with new glass and from what I could tell as I walked up to it, made thicker.

A sad truth that IF he ever tried something again he'd have a harder time getting out. Not impossible but harder. I ALMOST wanted him to try something stupid again, just to see the look on his face for him to try again and realize he should put more force into breaking it open. I think part of me just wanted to see him fumble before I killed him. I sighed. Perhaps this estate wasn't as fool proof as I thought it was BUT that didn't mean that we weren't the best for a reason and Emon was about to find that out.

I touched the window and played out the scene again and again in my head on what happened. I felt that my reaction time should have been sooner. I should have caught on quicker, ran faster, hit him harder away from our elder. Why didn't I react quicker? Why did it take those few extra seconds? It gave Emon the time he needed. Yet I already knew why and it made me lower my hand from the window to clench my fists in anger at myself.

The fact that he stabbed my father figure twice had immobilized me for the few scant seconds extra to long. It gave him the chance to escape even after I slammed my body into him to remove him from our elder. He hadn't even tried to deflect my body slam, only let it happen. I even saw the expression on his face for those few seconds of time. Satisfaction. Disturbing satisfaction that made me want to rip his throat out.

His words had been cold and yet happy. Like he'd succeeded in his true task. Not to kill me, no not yet…he wanted to hurt me first. Make me suffer as he felt he did when I killed Damon. It didn't matter why, he cared not, he only cared to get even and get his way as he's always wanted in life. It didn't matter who got hurt in the process and the ones that he hated or held animosity towards got eh the brute force of it.

In the end I knew it was because he got what he deep down had come for. Yes he wanted to kill me but even deeper down he wanted to confront his father over his 'daddy issues'. To have that showdown like in an old western or a scene straight from a Greek tragedy play of who was better and more wrong in their choices and ideology. Truth was Emon was wrong on all accounts but wouldn't ever admit to it because he doesn't believe it.

The way he saw it he was a belief he had. It was kind of hard to tell them that their choices were wrong when it was a belief to them and NOT a choice. Emon truly believed in his ideas and where he came from and how things SHOULD be. I imagine talking to his father whom didn't hold those same meriting beliefs was in some ways a liberated to finally speak with him and a disappointment that he still didn't share his views and wanted what was best for everyone and not simply our race.

Emon failed to realize how the world would react to vampires and lycan's being actual beings and not what they thought was real. I honestly don't think they could handle it. Having our elder tell us what Emon wanted was a true sucker punch but at least know we knew what his motives and goals were. And while our elder is definitely better as a fighter and stronger as a vampire Emon preyed upon his weakness of being unwilling to kill his own child and it worked. I hoped to NEVER have to come across the same decision in my lifetime.

This wasn't Sophie's choice. This was our choice and I would make sure any children Mamoru and I had would be good and know the difference and the consequences of both. That either way you can develop enemies and must always be smarter than your adversary and stronger not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well and still let those who care in to formulate friendships and bonds with others.

We lived those values day in and day out and they would deserve to know the truth of both sides of the fence…as much as we could afford to tell them at the right ages. When those decisions were made anyways. All I could think now on Emon and his run away from the estate was…You better be glad you ran you little cowardly piece of shit bastard, because I am coming for you…now you're the hunted and I'm the hunter.

I looked to the ground where I last saw the sword and had an idea come to me. I left out and found Soren in the command center on the way down, "Where is that sword Emon had?" I asked him, "Been put in the case for future use once it was examined for particulates." He replied, "Was there anything of use on it?" I asked him. "A third confirmation of the coven he resides at." He stated. That was good to know…granted I wished we'd gotten that BEFORE the whole deal with Kitiara but I digress.

We would have needed more confirmation anyways. "I want to take it when I leave for Emon's coven. I can use it to cut off his head and serve it to Chikao for what he's done to everyone here, whether they know it or not." I told him. He smiled realizing what I meant, "Having his head cut off by his own sword…nice little climactic touch there." He noted. "Exactly." I responded and headed downstairs.

I went down the few flights of stairs to the counsel's room where we'd been convening in for the last few weeks as the guards allowed me in and close the entrance behind me. I saw Chikao inside as he was in front of me up on the level where the chairs were. "You requested to see me earlier." I stated. He wasn't facing me as he sat in his chair. He had his head bowed as he looked up at me…he looked tired.

Much like our elder did not moments before as I left him. "Hai…you realize now that with everything that has happened that Emon is a powerful vampire. Not just through his strength of physicality but also his manipulative nature." He near questions. "Well I wasn't about to presume he'd go easy." I expressed, making it clear I did understand as I kept the tone serious yet with a tinge of mirth.

"I will also presume you understand that while you did defeat Yamamoro which is a feat on its own you did that with a bit of aid from Mamoru." I conceded that fact. "More than likely you will not have that this time as he will probably be fighting the lycan leader who will be guarding Emon from you and the rest that you bring with you. They are his guards now." I nodded my head to the possible fight about to commence. "Hai, sir." I accepted.

"Then at this time it would be wise of you to become stronger." This I wasn't understanding of his direction on. He seemed to get that as he smiled a tinge now. "Sir?" I questioned, "Usagi as much as you've accomplished this you will need aid on but not in the form of more vampires to be there in your corner but in what I have to offer." I as even more confused. "Accept my blood to have more strength, Usagi." my eyes widened in shock at the offer.

That was a huge thing to be obtainable from my stand point. An ordinary vampire wouldn't be offered something like that not without being of a certain age and chosen by the elder himself to be granted it. To drink elder blood was more of an honor than anything. Their blood was that much more powerful and therefore that much more potent to take in. I looked at him in the eyes to be sure I had heard right.

"You are strong Usagi, stronger than one could have initially thought when you first got here and I don't mean at this estate but the first one." I nodded recalling the events clearly. "But at the end of the day Emon is and will remain physically stronger than you unless he were to be in a deep sleep or be drained of the majority of his own blood. I doubt that will happen." Yeah I had to admit I couldn't see that happening any time soon. Plus I didn't want him to sleep off what he did like it was nothing…what we all wanted was far greater than that.

"Yes you defeated Yamamoro but it nearly cost you your life." I had to concede to that as well as that nearly did cost me my life that day. It was kind of hard to forget when it felt sometimes like it happened yesterday and NOT a little over a year ago. I can almost still smell the scent of Yamamoro's blood as it spilt on the floors of where we fought and where he died. He was a tough contender.

The look in Yamamoro's eyes will never leave me in his final moments. "Emon has already taken you down a peg by harming your elder." I closed my eyes at that for a moment. I know he didn't mean it as a negative to knock me down but to tell me the truth in how things were. Didn't mean I had to like it but at least accept the truth of it so I could do better in moving forward when it came to killing that rat bastard.

"Like I've forgotten that." I muttered to him, unable to hide a bit of the negative emotion that came with it in my tone along with my sarcasm that I couldn't hide either. I could tell he was ignoring the potential sarcasm in my voice and focusing on the seriousness in my words and the negative emotion displayed there. "He knew it would compromise you, make you lose focus…" I knew what he meant.

He knew it would screw with me and mess with my head…my judgement. I had to express my feelings on that so that he knew how focused it had made me now. "You know before I came in here, I visited our elder's room…" he looked at me almost expectantly. He wanted to know what I saw in the aftermath and how I felt about it. In a sense it was a bit like being recognized and not just for a case, but in me as an individual.

I also felt a bit humbled that it seemed we were having a conversation that not only wasn't case related but seemed to be something of higher importance. Things were about to change and I needed to be at the forefront of it so that I could move everyone forward. I just wish I knew what this change was. "I saw how things looked afterwards…" I began, "And all I kept thinking about was what I should have done." He let me continue on knowing I needed to tell him.

"I have the images burned into my retinas like an open flame that ceases to leave me. I regretted not reacting sooner. Even by those few seconds." They were all the seconds Emon needed after all. Replaying it as I did, had I reacted those few seconds sooner I would have caught him more off guard and might have dazed him just enough to be caught by the guards that tensed in to go after him but were to late themselves.

"I Felt that I should have done something more." I spoke with conviction, regret burning in my throat as I spoke up, "I played out half a dozen scenarios in my mind's eye on what I could have done differently…how I should have reacted faster, hit Emon harder than I did…something..." I calmed myself down even though I burned with anger at myself. First my mate gets hurt even if he did recover and now my father figure…Emon knew what he was doing.

"But in the end it didn't matter because we can't change the past. No matter how hard we try. All we can do is use the past mistakes to see how we can rectify and forge ahead in the future. I plan to do just that against Emon. He may think he has the upper hand now and frankly I want him to think that. I want him to feel that confidence, I want him to think he's won…cause when I make him fall the hit will be that much harder for him to bear." I expressed to him as he gave me a small smile.

"He won't know what hit him." I tell him. I guess he realized I had beaten myself up over it and knew that Emon wasn't easy to go after and therefore knew that I knew steps had to be taken against him. Chikao motions for me to step forward up towards the seats. They looked even richer and bigger up close. The fabric worn but beautiful in its kept appearance. The wood thick and old but sturdy.

They would last another fifty years easily. Seeing them up and so close, they were already a bit imposing down where we normally stood so this was a bit of a shock to be up by them even if there was no one sitting in them but he in his own chair. Just because you got to be in the meetings didn't mean you got to sit in these seats as they were reserved for the elders as they passed judgement on others.

Observers such as myself and even Damon as we were never in a joint meeting together, could stand during the meeting to showcase that we were paying attention and actively listening. There were only chairs for the elders to sit in so that when the next elder comes to the seat they take the seats of their father or mother to resume the line of counsel within the bloodline or in the alternative cases, to ensure the proper protocols and procedures are kept in place and traditions are maintained as best as possible.

Sometimes that changes to BUT the point is there are no others seat besides those for the elders to sit. So I didn't dare sit next to him as I walked forward up to him. I would never presume to sit in one of these chairs. Not without direct approval from him. It would be in a way disrespectful to ignore such protocols. I made sure to stand far enough back to not make him have to look up to me in any manner.

"This is true…and I've already come to see how you've been making similar changes already within your coven that Minako has placed within her own and that others are now implementing within theirs." That I hadn't known about. "Changes are already in the air and now more need to be made to fulfill them. To lead us into a new era but NOT without keeping the old ways intact and preserved so that we never forget where we came from." I had to admit he had a point there as he continued to speak to me.

"It's there to fuel you, to make you stronger in the mind, body and in the deepest reaches of your soul that sometimes you might think is gone but is really hiding till you need to call upon it." That I normally wouldn't have seen coming from him but I guess it did make sense. If you didn't have that sense in your mind then your body can falter afterwards and if you didn't have it in your soul there was no turning back.

It might also be a little something of what our elder was expressing to me to a degree regarding how far gone Emon was. How he was 'too far gone' and he is. I looked up at Chikao as he continued on, "As you have been all these years. You've grown so much since you first arrived here and trained till you were one of the best the coven's all over have ever known." That I wasn't aware of either.

To be one of the best in one's own coven was one thing but to be one of the best in all of the covens all over was something else entirely. It made me wonder what my training had gotten me into all those years ago or rather what Damon got me into all that time ago when he began to train me with his own technics among others. Was this something that I was truly ready for or did I truly bite off more than I could chew?

Though looking at Chikao I knew for a fact that I wouldn't be here to accept this high of an honor if he didn't BELIEVE I was ready for what came next when I feed from him. "You never relented or let others keep you down you just pushed past it and persevered forward. And not only did you become the leader here but you gained it through loyalty and respect and even before that you gained your elder's respect and love as a father to a daughter and even found love." he spoke.

His reference to Damon and his misdeeds had me nodding till he mentioned the rest and had me wiping away a stray tear before but also stating, "Sir, to accept this is a high honor and I'm not sure that applies to me." as much as I wanted to accept it I hadn't actually done anything significant to say yes. I was barely a few millennia old and just barely became leader due to our elders decision and Damon's naming of me as second in command.

He smiled, "It does more so than you know. Damon and Emon both wanted and lusted after power and in Emon's case domination over the world in the end. His greed will be the very thing that gets him killed. You however don't. You value the lives around you and don't see them as expendable." That was true. "Did you know that I've seen more respect here towards you as a leader than in other covens I've been in?" I shook my head no as I hadn't.

"Did you also know that they way this coven works is becoming family like? That you've achieved something very few leaders have? Minako has but that's also due to her relationship with her guard." The very thing that Kitiara was probably expressing earlier. She seemed to have a distain for it. "Natural respect out of loyalty and friendship rather than fear or just simply duty. That's what makes you a great leader and what will be necessary for you going forward." He smiled in recognition.

I sighed and accepted that. Understanding his reasoning as I watched as he took out a simple carved knife out from his robes and drew it across his open palm allowing the blood to flow out just a little bit. I accepted his palm in my hand as I leaned in towards it getting on my knee in front of him on his left side as I lowered my face to it. The scent already sweet as I couldn't help but let my teeth extend a bit in response.

It smelled rich and perhaps that was due to the purity of it. My eyes darkened a bit in response as I looked back to him in one last bit of accepting confirmation. He smiled, "Go ahead my child." He soothed in a very pacifying manner. I asked one last question, "What will happen to me?" I didn't know of anyone this had happened to personally, not that I'm aware of anyways so I didn't know what this would do to me.

"You will become the very future this coven needs…you will become a challenge to Emon." His soothing voice and the expression in his eyes had me sold. I felt lured in as his eyes conveyed to do so without fear or doubt in my mind nor my heart. Letting relaxation come over me I leaned forward to taste him as I placed my mouth on the cut and forced my teeth to retract so that I didn't pull more blood than what was necessary from him.

To do this for someone like me was rare considering how many life memories could be seen from an elder. They lived so many lifetimes it sometimes became overwhelming for an ordinary vampire to handle and could even result in a vampire blacking out as they grasped onto a new piece of information recovered from a memory. That could wind up being deadly in a fight and in loose of life.

However Chikao thought it necessary for me to do this and I wasn't about to refuse such a gift regardless of how well I handled it. Besides something told me I could which is why he was giving me this. It was a process to take in though. Many would even think the memory trips were an hallucination but rather they were the memories of the elders previous lifetimes, it would just come to the vampire so jumbled that it would take hours to process them all and even longer to filter through them all.

At first it would seem like incoherent thoughts and images to try and grasp and understand to gain some form of interpretation from them but reality was it was like having a downloaded file of a literal several life worth of images and events pushed into your head for you to sort through and process correctly and NOT misinterpret for fear of what effect it could have on the future of who you were or what happened to others.

Only the elders truly possess the power and skill gained over centuries of training to successfully organize the thoughts and memories into a single cohesive vision if they were to be given blood from another elder. A detailed record of how they reigned the good and the bad. Other vampires such as myself could do so but not in the short amount of time they could. For someone of my caliber it would take weeks if not months to sort them all out.

While it was meant more as a helpful boost to end Emon I also realized that it gave me a test to see how well I could fair with the new knowledge I would gain. How I could work now, fight now going forward as I would also gain to his own fighting tricks. Any other skills he possessed that I could learn from now would be with me. It was like being given a personal hack into the resume and life experience of another.

It would also be difficult to use these little hacks as I had to sort through them one memory at a time. It would be highly beneficial but also a burden to bear. There were always secrets that were sometimes deep and dark enough that were hidden and that should REMAIN hidden. So as I tasted his blood and felt it flow down my throat as I shut my eyes and let the images come as they bombarded me. I felt whole and full as I felt swallowed up and removed from my own body…one thing was for certain I would never be truly the same after this.