Just as quick as he'd been upon her, Wesker recoiled as though he'd been scalded with hot water, growling in obvious frustration as he stormed over to his desk and grabbed the offending bit of technology.

'What do you want?" he hissed. Julianna tuned him out, gathering herself as a hand brushed back the hair that had escaped her braid. Holy shit, that was close, she thought, her body still quivering from that brief moment which had felt like forever. Another minute and she were sure something much more intense would have happened. A flush came over her face at the thought. Now that was something she'd rather not get herself into. It's not like there are any more of your kind, her mind offered. She ignored that as she watched Wesker with his back turned. Strange… it was the first time she'd taken a moment to notice how well his shirt fit him.

Oh, stop it! She chided herself, turning away and facing the counter again. Her eyes looked over everything and anything, trying to take her mind off of what just happened. That's when Julianna noticed a bit of broken glass close to where her back had been. Following the trail, she finally saw a slender metal and glass instrument that had an orange liquid all over it. A syringe, Jenna's voice echoed in her mind. But what was it doing here out in the open? Wesker must have left it out on accident. She frowned at that; Wesker wasn't the kind of person to just forget something like this.

The thought that he'd done so with the purpose of using it from something else never crossed her mind.

No matter, he or she were bound to get cut by it sooner or later (not that it would be a life threatening one), so Juliana grabbed a paper towel and scraped everything off to the side where a trashcan rested, wiping them all into it then using another towel to wipe up the residue that remained before throwing both towels away. She looked over her work, making sure she hadn't missed anything. A satisfied smile came to Julianna's face, one that soon faded as soon as she heard Wesker hang up on whoever he was talking to, all but slamming it down on his desk making Julianna jump in surprise. His angry breathing went on for a good minute before his eyes slid over in her direction, noticing how Julianna was turned in his direction. They looked her up and down then back to his phone, standing up fully and walking back to her.

Red met reddish orange for a moment as he resumed his previous position with either arm at her sides. Juliana looked to each limb then back up at him questioningly. No words passed between either inhuman creatures for a long moment.

'Wesker, despite looking cool and collected before her, was seething with anger. He was so close, so close to sedating her for his experiment and once more being foiled. He'd be damned if he failed a third time.

Then another thought crossed his mind. Perhaps using just her wasn't the right way to go about extracting Eclipse. She'd said it was spread through blood, so why not use this as an opportunity to rid himself of cumbersome employees that had tried his patience one too many times? After all, Wesker had only heard what Eclipse could do but had never seen it in action.

'Now then," he began. 'As you were saying- Eclipse is only spread through blood."

'Yes," Julianna confirmed. 'If it is infectious as Jenna and her history books believe, I imagine that you would be ripping out your veins instead of speaking and standing before me."

'Ad you don't believe it's possible."

'Jenna gave me a small demonstration on blood, but I still have my doubts that it truly does just that on an actual person." Julianna paused for a moment, giving him a strange look. 'Why do you ask?" Wesker gave her an ominous smirk, one which made her blood run cold.

'That is about to change," he muttered, leaning in to whisper in her ear. 'I require your assistance for an experiment of mine." He chuckled at the words, sending a thrill through Julianna. A primal part of her that had been dormant for so long suddenly roused itself, filling her with intrigue and anticipation. He may have evil notions in mind, but whatever they were, they were making her feel more alive than she'd felt in all her time awake.

The warmth of the seaside cottage was a welcome distraction from the cold outside as Ereavia and Riordan sat by the roaring fire in the stone fireplace, hot cups of tea in their hands. Clive had left but an hour ago, attending to "business matters" as he put it. They thought nothing of it as it gave them time to catch up on things each had missed out on. They just finished the discussion of Ereavia's schooling and her work. She didn't smile at the last part, but she told him.

Riordan hadn't said anything after that, only stared into the fire with his stormy gray eyes. Ereavia looked at him, studying her brother before glancing down at her tea, taking a sip as he glanced at her. Ereavia's violet eyes looked back at him in return, smiling as she lowered her cup.

'Not as good as Mother's tea, but just as good," Riordan said, taking a sip.

'Mother always made the best, especially her jasmine lavender tea. They always made me so sleepy afterward."

'I think that was the idea, little sister," he laughed. 'You had boundless energy back then."

'I got us all into trouble too," Ereavia recalled. 'I never thought the day would come that Mother would be so desperate to put me to sleep."

'You weren't that bad," Riordan remarked.

'Yes, I was," Ereavia argued, smacking his arms and earning a laugh from her brother. 'Admit it. I was a handful and I was annoying as a kid."

'No," he said playfully, ruffling her hair. 'I was the awful one." Ereavia giggled, both siblings quieting themselves.

'You were especially awful to Julianna." She mentioned. 'You always pestered her when she was reading or poking fun at her if she read romance novels."

'Oh she would get so pissed at that!" he laughed. 'Lord Byron was her favorite as well as Keats. You wouldn't think someone like her would like them so much." Riordan went silent. 'Maybe she read them so that she could feel love for another through them."

'What about Hayden, the man from South Africa? Didn't she love him?"

'Hayden, and Sybil, and Rebecca, and Tayne, two human men and… him."

'Melchiah?" Ereavia innocently asked.

'Yes… though I'd like to think it was lust on his part. He used her feelings against her, especially after what he did to Mother…" he suddenly stopped. Ereavia understood right away. That was a memory that neither of them lingered on for very long. A solemn mood fell upon them.

'No matter what, keep your memories of Mother. Don't remember her the way you last saw her at her funeral pyre. Think of her smile, her laugh, and above all, remember her love for us all."

'I do, big brother. I do." She answered. Ereavia paused then added, 'What do you remember about Mother?"

'That she was the sweetest, most loving and gentle creature in all existence." He began. 'No matter what I asked her, she always had an answer for me. And the food she made… I've yet to meet anyone who could outdo her stews."

'Oh sweet Jesus, her stews! My favorite was her spicy chicken stew with potatoes, carrots, and gravy-"

'Stop before you make me hungry," he chided with a smile. 'It's true what humans say about a mother's cooking."

'Nothing beats it," Ereavia finished with a beam. It slowly began to fade, however, at the thought of their dear mother. Ereavia had only been a child when she died, still remembering the last embrace, her last kiss, her last goodbye.

Tears fell down her cheeks.

'I miss her," she started to cry. 'I miss her so much." Riordan put down his cup and did the same to hers before drawing her into an embrace.

'I know little sister," he started. 'I miss her too." Riordan rubbed soothing circles on Ereavia's shoulders, the girl trapped in a woman's body crying for what felt like ages.

'I wish we could go back," Ereavia wept. 'I wish we could go back to the way things were. I wish Amarant was still in England, that everyone was alive. I just don't want to be in this world anymore." Riordan said nothing; just let her get everything off her chest. 'I want it to be me, you, Julianna and Mother together again so I don't feel so lost all the time. I'm living a double life, too afraid of what will happen if I dare live out in the open. I've lived for so long as Jenna Kelly that I don't even know who I am anymore."

'I know who you are," Riordan replied in their native tongue.

'You do, but not Julianna. I've had to lie to her; I've helped do horrible things to her... Riordan if she knew, if Mother saw me, both of them would hate me."

'No they wouldn't. You've done what you've had to do to survive. No one can fault you for doing what you must."

'Riordan if you saw what I've seen, if you knew what Umbrella and whoever else is in on this is planning to do, what they are going to unleash on this world, you'd know why I am so afraid. Why I am so afraid for Julianna…" Riordan stopped Ereavia before she could go any farther.

'What do you mean "going to unleash"? What's going on?"

'It's Wesker, Riordan." Ereavia clarified. 'Albert Wesker, he's… he's creating something horrible and Julianna's going to help him if he gets into her head."

'Wesker?" Riordan asked in disbelief. 'You've seen him?" Ereavia nodded.

'I've been an inside source for Clive along with a few others. We've been trying to find a way to get Julianna away from him, but we're running out of time." Riordan grew very serious.

'Ereavia, I need you to tell me everything you've seen and everything you know about Wesker's plans." She hesitated. 'Ereavia I can't help you or Julianna if I don't know what I'm dealing with. You said you want it to be me, you, and Julianna again. Please tell me. I can't lose either one of you, not when I've only just found you." Ereavia's vivid violet eyes stared into her brother's eyes. Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, she closed her eyes and then opened them again.

'Alright," she agreed. 'It all started six months ago when the London Cave In happened."

The farther she and Wesker proceeded down the hall, the darker and colder it seemed to get. The entire time they walked, occasionally she'd hear the angry growls and roars (A Hunter, she thought with disgust.) from whatever was down here. The sounds of human beings screaming and the strong metallic smell of blood was unnerving in a way she couldn't explain.

Lights flickered above them, intensifying her unease until they reached a large metal door that looked like it would be impossible for a normal man to open. Then again, neither she nor Wesker was normal creatures. He opened the door and ushered her into the near pitch black room save for a light which hung alone. The only occupant was a bound man with a bloodied white sack over his head sat directly under said light.

Her red eyes adapted quickly to the dark, too quickly for Julianna's liking. But she had not the time to think about it as Wesker closed and locked the door behind him, nearly blending in with the darkness was it not for his skin and blonde hair. She glanced at him to the man in the chair; her nose filled with the scent of fear in the air that she knew didn't come from either of them. It should have frightened her how she was able to smell such a thing, but it only caused a deep primal part of her to rouse itself, coming to life like a moth to a flame.

She felt a satisfaction knowing that the man was obviously afraid of them, a satisfaction she wanted nothing to do with. Fear makes the blood run quicker and taste so much sweeter, a haunting voice told her. Julianna was taken aback by this. It sounded like two voices put together… but where had it come from? So confused by its appearance, Julianna never heard Wesker as he came to rest behind her, nor did she feel his hands settle on her hips.

'How long has it been since your last blood transfusion?" he asked in a husky voice, a shiver going down her spine at the sensation of his lips caressing her ear.

'I… it was before Jenna left… earlier this week." She replied shakily, it was already difficult for her to think and know what her words were and what were the words of that voice that kept egging on darker thoughts. The hands that were gripping her hips weren't helping to quell it either.

'But surely you crave the real way, do you not?" Wesker asked. 'Surely you'd rather savor the kill of a blood source more than having it fed to you through a tube." He had an undeniable point; she didn't like having a blood transfusion. It would be so much easier to sink her teeth into a helpless victim's neck, draining away their life source…

But you can't! Another voice said. If you do, you'll become one of them.

Stupid little girl, you're already one of them. You were one of the night long ere your cries echoed in the night. Accept your nature, and stop complaining.

So caught up in this mental war, Julianna never noticed that Wesker had left her behind in favor of walking to the man who- upon hearing their entrance- began pleading and begging for mercy, promising anything in the world if they set him free. His breath came quick, near the point of hyperventilating. Without warning, Wesker struck the man in the stomach so hard blood shot out. Julianna winced at the sight- knowing Wesker, he put every ounce of force behind that.

'Enough of your sniveling," he growled. 'I gave you enough warnings as to what would happen if you failed me again." The man quieted himself, but his breathing remained labored as he struggled to get control of it once more. His fear intensified to the point that all of Julianna's teeth- especially her canines- began aching, an insatiable hunger filling her.

The only thing that was stopping her from lunging at the helpless human was Wesker, who was suddenly holding a rather interesting blade in his hand, one she'd never seen him take out in the first place. Her red eyes immediately locked onto it, watching as Wesker toyed with it, running his gloved fingers up and down the length of it. His eyes were on hers the entire time as Julianna came closer, interested in what it was he was planning to do with this.

Once she was close enough, Julianna took a closer look at the knife. It was your standard run of the mill blade; it started out smooth, then became jagged towards the last inch of the blade before ending at the black hilt. Her right hand rose to touch it, her small slender fingers joining Wesker's as they ran along it. She'd thought he'd jerk away from her close proximity, but rather he said and did nothing. In fact, he looked… pleased that she too was playing with the sharpness, gladly running the risk of getting cut as his hand brushed against hers every once in a while.

All of that changed, however, when she nicked her index finger on the tip of the blade.

In truths, she didn't feel it- her skin had quickly knit itself back together in the split second it took to injure it in the first place. The blood that had welled remained on it, as well as on the tip of the knife. Julianna drew back her hand to examine the blood, her eyes solely focused on the carmine liquid. Her vision swam for a brief moment before it cleared, albeit tinged at the edges with crimson. Slowly, very slowly, she brought her once cut finger to her mouth and licked it clean, the voices in her head purring in satisfaction.

Wesker watched as she ran her hand on his knife again, purposefully cutting herself a second time and drawing her sliced fingers into her mouth, her eyes closing in what appeared to be pleasure. He couldn't contain the sick smile that wormed its way out when her eyes opened again. Gone were the docile wine reds that he'd grown accustomed to- now they'd become a hellish red, the pupil's bestial slivers. Strange… though the fluorescent bulbs above them were no wheres near the spectrum needed to do so, it appeared that her eyes were glowing, reminding him of the way the Las Plagas virus caused the host's eyes to do the same.

That primal look in her eyes caused all thoughts to leave his mind, her head cocked slightly to the left as she stared at him. That look in her eyes… any human would have been sent running. But he was no human. He was a different species altogether, stronger and powerful even more so that someone of her lineage. No, he didn't find that gleam in her eyes to be frightening. In fact, he'd never admit it, that stare held both the promise to kill if provoked and the promise that he'd get more than a good time if he only chose to accept it.

It was a damn good thing Wesker was in such a good mood right now.

His head moved to the left, to the helpless mortal trapped in the chair. Julianna's eyes slowly did the same, observing the handiwork of whoever had violently brought the man here in the first place.

'Do you require blood, Julianna?" Wesker asked, looking back at her.

'Yes," she replied. Hell, even her voice sounded different- huskier with more of a deeper timbre than her usual airy voice. He made a mental note to bring this side of her out more often.

'Then this man will satisfy that craving for you," Wesker informed her, taking one of Julianna's hands into his own and placing the knife within it. 'Punish him for interrupting us." Julianna took hold of the blade, turning it this way and that before looking back at Wesker, a sinister smile coming to her face.

'Gladly."

'So the rumors are true," Riordan said to himself as Ereavia finished explaining. 'Wesker truly does have Eclipse."

'Not yet, but as long as he has Julianna, he may as well have it." She clarified. 'The fakes we planted years ago didn't work as long as we'd hoped. In truths, I'm surprised they worked at all."

'Well we did put them together fast," Riordan pointed out. 'At least we didn't mess up to the point of blowing us all to hell."

'But that's beside the point. We need to do something and fast. The more time we wait-" A cheery ringtone interrupted the siblings, causing both to jump in surprise. Ereavia pulled out her phone from her back pocket, looking at the caller id. 'Sorry big brother, I have to take this." Riordan waved her along, settling back onto the floor in front of the fire. Ereavia nodded, trying to hide the unease she suddenly felt. Why she didn't know, but she had a sneaky suspicion that something was amiss if she was being called on her personal phone rather than her work phone. She flipped open the phone.

'Hey Reagan, how are you-"

'Ereavia- Jenna, we have a problem," a hysterical Reagan said, obviously shaking in fear on the other line. Ereavia's face grew serious at the sound of her friend's panic.

'Are you alright? What's going on?" she asked, Riordan looking at up her at the change in his sister's demeanor.

'I'm fine," Reagan confirmed. 'It's Trent! He's… He called Wesker to report our findings on the recent synthesizing of T with Julianna's blood, and the next thing we knew, two UBCS soldiers came in and took him away!"

'What?!" Ereavia shrieked, a hand coming to cover her mouth.

'I don't know where they took him, but I saw Wesker heading towards the holding cells."

'What about Julianna? Is she alright? Is she safe?" Riordan too grew concerned at the mention of Julianna's name, jumping to his feet. Reagan grew silent. 'Reagan, please tell me! Where is she? Where is my sister?"

'Wesker took her with him."

A/N- Whatever is going to happen to the poor human in the holding cells, I wonder? ;) Be warned, the next chapter is going to be bloody as hell and going to contain a little something that everyone's been waiting on. It's already written on paper, just got to get it typed up and ran through Grammarly before it can be posted.

Thank you once again for the reviews and the follows! Please keep it up! It doesn't go unnoticed. =)