Hey, so sorry it took so long for this one to come out but I've been super busy and I barely have time to come on here anymore. I kind of left you off on a cliff hanger so I hope I didn't irritate you too much with the wait. Hope you like it!

Chapter 2:Examination

I had so many questions swimming in my head but I was too shocked to ask any. This was worse than any nightmare that I had about this day. Nothing could compare to what I was facing now.
My brother, Stephan, was obviously a member of the Council and a vampire. The problem about the Council was that they were like a human government and the worst part about that was that nothing would ever get one of them in trouble. I most likely wouldn't be getting out of here like I had came in. Stephan, the one I knew back in Ohio, would never think about hurting me in any way but the Stephan standing in front of me, would probably put that thought into action. He wasn't even human anymore.
Jonas moved in front of me, enough so that I couldn't see Stephan, and put one finger up behind his back. The signal meant wait and that was the last thing I wanted to do.
"I think we should get some other member in here," Jonas said, trying to negotiate with the man standing in front of him. I heard the clicking of dress shoes go to the right and now I could see Stephan again.
He smiled, one that wasn't warm and comforting like I was used to seeing. "You have nothing to worry about. Quickly in and then you can leave,"he told Jonas while staring at me. he had an insane look in his eyes and I wondered what he was planning.
"I'm not leaving without her." Jonas's voice was a lot more protective than I was used to but even I saw that the words weren't one hundred percent truthful. I hope Stephan did nothing stupid to deserve this but at the same time I couldn't care less.
" You do something for me,"Stephan started, raising his hand to point at Jonas. "And I do something for you." I didn't know if Jonas would stoop that low but at this point I couldn't trust anybody. The Stephan I knew right now had something in plan. He was going to make it a success any which way. I never saw Jonas in action so I wasn't really sure how well that part would go. As for Stephan, if he still held on to the tough brother side of him, then he would surely get what he wanted.
"I don't owe you anything," Jonasa said harshly. he began to stand straighter and ball his hands into fists. I guess he too was thinking that this may become more than just a verbal fight.
Stephan laughed darkly, his eyes becoming darker also. " No, you don't but she does," he says,a smile still glued to his face. I repeated the words in my head over and over again at least enough times to make it more confusing.
Jonas turned around, not fully so that he would be totally defenseless against Stephan if he made a move, and looked at me. I was just as confused as he was. I didn't owe my brother anything at all. I wasn't a type to not give back what I took or borrowed. If Jonas would just leave now, he wouldn't be in any kind of trouble but of course he wasn't that smart. He would get all the luck since a cross was in the pocket of his jacket, even if he didn't believe in some being watching over him.
"Don't play dumb, Nina. You owe me your life," he said with clenched teeth. My life? Stephan wanted my life? I was already under someone else's control. Nothing was mine anymore. I never asked Stephan to do anything for me, our family wasn't anything like that.
Jonas started to say something but I didn't want him to fight for me anymore. I touched his hand and moved forward. I knew what I had to do.
" I can give you that, Stephan, but just let him go," I whispered with a quivering lip. Jonas,to me, was somebody I would definitely die for. No matter how much he hurt me during the short time that I spent here, I was willing to die instead of rotting away.
Stephan reached for my hand but Jonas rudely, though he deserved it, slaps away his hand. Stephan looks down at his hand and slowly flexes them.
As quick as he began to charge our way, Jonas pulled out something that he then stuck in Stephan's chest. Once both backed away, I recognized it as a iron-made stake. Even though I was just beginning to learn that close to every myth was real, the stake seemed like a figment to my imagination.
Stephan staggers and slowly falls on his knees. His mouth opens wide, gasping for air air and grabs the stake protruding from his body. Blood the color of the darkest, unlit night makes its way down his chin. Still being his sister, I start to cry and run forward. Jonas grabs me from behind and makes both my arms no use. The tears come down quicker and heavier, but the pain in my arms doesn't hurt as much when I'm not struggling. It should of came to me that that was obvious but I only heard one thought in my head. Save him! my brain yelled, sending my nerves to a frenzy. My body was immobilized, I couldn't do anything.
"Don't let him die! Jonas, please," I yelled, not sure if the words were even heard. I was thrown into hysterics.
Stephan closes his eyes and his face is no longer pained. It goes blank and when he opens his eyes, they are dazed. He takes in what I think is his last breath and looks at me. "I'll always be with-." He begins to choke and my breath catches. "You,"he breathes out, and falls limp to the floor. The stake shows on the other side, it had gone all the way through. Jonas lets go and I crawl to my brother's side. He is cold and his veins show through his white skin. I shiver from the sight of him but slowly roll him over. His eyes are wide open, staring at the ceiling, and I watch as his face becomes covered with tears, my tears.
Jonas comes to kneel next to me but doesn't comfort me like I needed somebody to. He pulled pen his jacket, putting his hand in the inside pocket and came out with my cross. It wasn't against that law to have one because vampires would burn from its touch but because it portrayed life it was everything an unliving creature wanted. He placed the cross on Stephan's head and lightly closed his eyes with a touch of a hand. Now Stephan's life had completely ended, he was totally gone from this world.
The tears were not falling anymore and my face was dry. How could this day get any worse? That was just not possible. AS Jonas picked me up, trying to help me walk, I saw Stephan's body flicker to the one I remember from the early days in Ohio. Just as quickly, it went back to a cold vampire that died at the hand of the guy standing next to me.
I heard tiny bits of false explanations coming from Jonas as we walked out. Faces blurred and getting up the stairs was something I didn't know happened. Jonas produced a silver key from his back pants pocket and put it into the know of the door. Once I was dragged into the room, I saw that it wasn't exactly mine. It was my keeper's clean kept room. I had only once entered here after I nearly got removed from this mansion but he made it clear that going in without his permission was strictly not allowed. I don't see how this was a good reason to go in his room and I definitely didn't want to over stay my welcome when that time came. What I really wanted to do right now was go to my own room to mourn for my dead brother. He wasn't even supposed to be here, wherever here was.
I halted when he dragged me past the huge dresser on the right and when he finally let go of my wrist, seeing that I wasn't going to move, I noticed that he left behind purple bruises. They didn't hurt as much as the pain in my heart. The loss of my brother took a huge chink of love out of my heart. We were always so close and I thought that life had to be so cruel to take him away. I hope the cross that was left with him would give him more luck than it did ever for me.
"I-I'm going to go." My voice seemed distant like it wasn't even me speaking it. He was taking off his jacket when he made his way over to me. I couldn't ever get used to the swiftness of a vampire but I wasn't in one of those moods to try to figure it out.
I wasn't so sure what had happened before I was set down on the bed by Jonas but I didn't care at the moment because I was too tired, I noticed, to think. His face held onto each shadow and his facial features stood out a lot more in the dark. That's what happens with a creature of the night. What stood out most was his eyes, red with hunger and thirst, both of which would be tamed by me.
He disappeared for an instant but the slight shifting of the matress got me believing that he was laying next to me. He sighed.
"I'm sorry for putting you through that" His breath hit my neck, the proximity too close for the keeper pet relationship but I liked it. It was not only comforting but it was exactly what I wanted. I wondered if he felt the same way.
I turned my body towards the way Jonas's was and I gasped when our faces were now so close that I saw the black specks in his bright red eyes. He blinks and I feel like I must do that also. It's just something I'm used to; I felt that I needed to be in sync with him.
"I need to tell you something but...I just can't figure out how to say it," Jonas whispered, his breath warm against my face. He looked like he really wanted to tell me something bu the words weren't coming to him at all. He ran his thumb down his chin and looked at me with piercing eyes.
I knew that I shouldn't but I had to. His thoughts were open to me and I only blocked them out because I hated the look of disappointment on his face. I focused on a part of his mind that directed to the important thoughts and came across a few that were meant for me.
Before I could though, I needed to hear him approve of it, to make it feel right. His body jumped a little as he suddenly realized what I wanted to do. He and I both knew that that was the only way that I could understand what he wanted to say.
Go ahead, his thoughts rang out. The other good thing about mind reading, other than the thoughts being totally easy to read, is that the emotions were just as vivid. So I knew he wasn't lying or going to be disappointed when it happened.
It didn't take long to make his thoughts mine but it took longer for me to actually understand it. Pictures of the first time he met me with him being behind a tree, hiding. My hair was pulled into a tight up do and his thoughts made it look prettier than it really was. the dress was short, exposing both my long, slender legs and my glowing neck. Through his eyes, I could see my blood flowing through each individual vein, which was appetizing to him.
He sent me more messages and vivid images, too much for me to completely understand each and every one. One stood out more than any of the images in my mind now. It seems more like a fantasy since I don't remember doing this but I still watched it like a movie.
My skin was unusually tan, making myself glow and in some ways seductive. The plainnedd of my strapless shiry startled me and especially when it exposed some of my stomach. A skirt, flowing dwon past my knees, laid low on my hips. My black hair tumbled down, exposing nothing of my neck and it fit perfectly around my face. When I swayed over to Jonas, who looked like he always did, I noticed my movements were almost like dancing, fluid and rhythmic. I was making a slow circle around him, purposely gliding against him so that his eyes followed me. I stopped in front of his body and grabbed his face with both my hands. He didn't stop me, seeming to actually like it, so I came closer. He roughly pulled me forward, wrapping both hands around my lower back, and kissed me just as roughly.
I untangled myself from his thoughts, breathing heavily and feeling tingling on my lips. I bit my bottom lip and looked at Jonas, really looked at him. He didn't look away though it looked like he wanted to and he let out a dry noise of a sigh.
"Jonas?" I didn't know what else to say besides that and if he answered, I still wouldn't know. he stared at me questioningly and I didn't know if he would say anything at all. I wanted him to though just to hear him speak.
"What is this supposed to mean?," I asked him, saying it quietly. To answer this he sent nothing but three simple words.

I love you.