Chapter Twenty-Six

"The knowledge of sin is the beginning of salvation."

- Latin Proverb

___

It felt like there was a very strong buzz in Marach's head. For a moment, his entire being was paralyzed. He couldn't move, speak, or even think. Was this his punishment for trying to save a vampire? Even if he did it to save Izzy and Serenity?

He tried to open his eyes once more. To his surprise, he was able to do so. He had to blink a few times to clear his vision, but what he saw turned his stomach.

He was sitting in the middle of a forest. But…more than that, his whole world was gray. He gasped, and nearly let out a wail. No, no! Not this accursed darkness! Hadn't he escaped it?! Oh…but did something happen to Izzy?!

"Marach?"

Marach relaxed almost immediately as his senses broadened. He could feel his lifemate with him, though he couldn't see her, and he hugged her tightly with his mind. "You're all right!"

"I think so, but something's wrong."

"What is?"

"I'm not seeing any colors."

Marach stilled, and observed his own lack of colors. For a moment he'd thought Izzy had been far away from him. But she…was she inside him?

"Wait, we're together?" Izzy asked uncertainly. "Well…that makes sense. I can feel Serenity with me, but she won't speak to me."

"Serenity's all right?"

"Yes, I was able to maintain her soul. I don't know what happened to Parn, though…"

"Where are you?"

Both Marach and Izzy stilled at the sound of this mournful voice. Marach observed his surroundings very carefully, but he didn't see anyone. They were alone in the forest.

"Where are you?"

It took him another moment to realize the question was coming from him. But it wasn't his voice saying it!

"Wait. Serenity's soul tried to merge with Parn's, right? And the two of us held onto her. All of us must've merged with Parn!"

"All of us? Then…we're inside Parn right now?! He's alive and roaming around?!"

It didn't seem that way to Marach. This situation didn't feel in the here and now. "This…might be a memory of his."

"What kind?"

"I honestly don't know."

"Frate…" Parn looked skyward. It was an overcast night, and so the sky looked like an endless abyss. "Frate…where are you?"

"Frate?"

"It's Romanian for 'brother'. Parn always called Cassander by this."

"If he's looking for his brother, then…" Izzy suddenly swallowed. "Is this a memory before he turned?!"

Marach was growing increasingly suspicious that this was the case. "It might be."

"Are you dead?!" Parn suddenly shouted, his lone voice echoing for miles. "Have you been murdered or did you walk into the sun?! Have you left this plane, and that is why you have left me?! Oh…" He hung his head. "Why did you abandon me, Cassander? Why must I live through this alone?! You promised me we would do this together! Now…"

Izzy felt a horrible chill. In the scenery around them, she could see black shapeless beings. They were all hissing at Parn, beckoning him. It confused her, but Marach understood. This really was Parn before he turned, and the darkness was calling him very strongly. And since Cassander was gone…

Parn squeezed his eyes shut and slapped his hands over his ears. "I'm not listening! I'M NOT LISTENING! I only want to find my brother, LEAVE ME ALONE!"

The darkness only seemed to laugh at him. Suddenly, there was a sharp call in the air, and the shadows abruptly departed. Parn barely noticed, still holding his hands to his ears. "Help me…please help me…"

Izzy could feel the words hum through Serenity. Parn had been reaching out for his brother back then, but the words touched his lifemate. Had he reached for her the same way Marach had reached for Izzy? Izzy tried to remember those days before Serenity collapsed, but they were very dim. She hadn't been paying attention to her sister.

"You didn't know you needed to, dragă. This isn't your fault."

"I knew I'd find you here."

Both Marach and Izzy jumped as Parn did. Parn looked up to see Cassander land upon the ground right in front of him. He looked clean and…honest. So little like the monster he would become.

But Marach knew better. He saw his outwardly clean disposition, but he could see past the magical façade. The darkness was already strong in Cassander…he had turned. And Parn was still Carpathian…

But Parn didn't see the danger posed to him. All he saw was the illusion of his clean-cut brother. Marach noted with growing dread that Parn's worry and grief over Cassander had consumed him for the past few days. He'd fed so very little and he'd slept very little. All of this coupled with his lessening resolve to fight the darkness.

"FRATE!" Parn shrieked. He jumped to his feet and threw his arms around his older brother. "Frate…Frate! It's really you! By God, you're alive!"

"Of course I'm alive, Parn," Cassander said easily enough. Parn was so happy that he didn't even notice that Cassander wasn't hugging him back. "I will not die easily."

Tears leapt into Izzy's eyes. She could hear and feel Parn's raw grief and utter relief. Even as a Carpathian, his love for his brother shined through. Now she could see Cassander as the monster he was, and her heart twisted up.

"What do you know about the pain he's suffered?! All the trials and tribulations and for what?! He's in pain, Isabel! Every waking moment of his life he's suffering! You don't understand. This is all…he loves his brother so much, but…he…"

"Marach," Izzy said suddenly, remembering those words Serenity spoke.

"We shall see what happens," was all he said.

"But where the hell were you?!" Parn snapped suddenly, pulling away from Cassander. "You abandoned me to face this darkness alone!"

"Don't be so upset," Cassander said neutrally. "I was gone, yes, but not for very long—"

"A year!" Parn almost growled the word. "You left me nearly a year ago! I've been all alone all this time! Why?! Why did you leave me?! You know I'm not as strong as you are! I-I can't do this alone, Frate, and neither should you!"

"I know, I know." Cassander shook his head and placed his hands on Parn's shoulders. "I'm terribly sorry for leaving you alone like this, but it was for a good cause." He grinned widely and leaned in closer to his brother. "I have found my lifemate."

Marach stiffened. What?! What was Cassander playing at? He'd obviously not found his lifemate or else he wouldn't be a vampire!

"You what?!" Memory of joy flew through Parn and he grabbed his brother's hands. "You've found her?! That's wonderful!" If he can find her, so can I! The thought came instantaneously to Parn's mind. The hope in this simple thought was no very heartbreaking.

"Do you see why I had to leave you? She was reluctant to accept me, and I wanted her to be as comfortable as possible in our world."

"Yes, of course I understand." The fact that his brother had abandoned him didn't seem to matter to Parn anymore. He was now full of so much hope, both for himself and for his brother, that he didn't doubt Cassander's words. "Where is she? Can I meet her?"

Cassander smiled once more, but it almost looked like a sneer. "Of course."

Both brothers took off into the sky and flew a great distance. Parn's jubilation and relief over flooded Marach's senses, as it did Izzy and Serenity. It happened! It finally happened! It didn't occur to Parn at all to question his brother's story, or to further question his disappearance. He was continuing to take Cassander's story at face-value.

Cassander led him away from the forest and towards an open road. There was nothing on the dirt road, not even a stray animal, but then something caught Marach's eye.

A black Ferrari.

"No!" Izzy cried out.

Both brothers landed upon the ground near the Ferrari. Marach's stomach clenched as he recognized Neve leaning against the driver's door. She was dressed in white, apparently, but instead of her usual bun her blonde hair was loose and hung to her shoulders in a pageboy. Her arms were folded over her chest and she was looking at the brothers with a stony expression on her face.

Parn straightened slowly. "Frate…she's beautiful! Is this your lifemate?"

Cassander grinned at Parn, but now the gesture looked obviously sinister. He sauntered over to Neve and slid an arm around her shoulders. "Yes…she is beautiful, isn't she?"

Neve reached up with a hand and plucked Cassander's hand off her shoulder between two fingers. "What are you doing, Cassander?" she asked him shortly. "You deliver your brother to me like this?"

Cassander's smile slipped, but he shrugged his shoulders. "He's close, isn't he?"

"I don't care how close he is," she snapped at him. "The important thing is that he's still Carpathian, and otherwise useless to me!"

Marach felt the smile fade from Parn, along with his joyous feelings. Confusion leaked through his system as he looked between the two of them.

"He's not far off," Cassander said defensively. "How was I suppose to know he'd hang on for a year?! Just give him time—"

"Give him time?!" Neve cut him off. "I don't have time for time! Look at him, you stupid git! He's not close to turning! In fact!" she jabbed a finger into Cassander's face. "Your reappearance seems to have revitalized him!"

"…What?" Parn asked numbly. "What you are two ta…" he trailed off as he looked at Cassander once more. Marach could clearly see the darkness pouring from him, emulating like an aura.

Parn suddenly shouted, and scrubbed a hand over his mouth. He jumped away from the pair. "Frate…FRATE! Y-You…" he shook his head furiously. "You are VAMPIRE?!"

Neve glanced at Parn. "Well, you were right about one thing. He is an idiot."

Parn didn't seem to hear Neve. His eyes were on Cassander. "Veriak ot en Karpatiiak…by the blood of the Prince…you…" pain ripped through Parn's body, and it caused the trio to feel it. "Cassander…you gave up your soul? You gave up your SOUL?!" he was screaming the words not, and how liquid spilled from his eyes. Parn was crying, even as an emotionless hunter! "Frate, what have you done?! W-Wha—how—THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" Parn dug his fists into his blonde hair, fingernails digging deep into his scalp. "My frate…my FRATE! Oh, God, please let this not be!"

"Be quiet!" Cassander hissed at him. He bared his teeth and his dark eyes glowed bright red. "You look like an idiot!"

"On second thought," Neve said slowly. "Perhaps he is not so well as I thought?"

Cassander took this as an incentive and stepped towards Parn. Parn had fallen to his knees, grief and shock consuming him. He couldn't even act upon his duty to kill a vampire, or to flee. "I have turned, my brother. I am all you have left in this world. You have nothing without me. Shh, don't be so sad. It is not nearly as bad as they wanted us to think." He sank to the ground beside Parn, and he touched his shoulder as though soothingly. "I am your frate, your older brother. I've looked out for you and I've always guided you to the right path." He leaned his head closer to Parn's. "And now I guide you to true power."

Parn shook his head. "It's wrong…it's wrong! You told me it was wrong! You always told me that this wasn't real power, but damnation on our beings!"

"I was wrong," Cassander said, his tone continuing to feign a soothing wrong. "I was wrong, Parn, and you will see. You don't know how good it feels to kill someone. To feel that heartbeat laboring against your own. The pulsating sensation against your stronger one, as it fights for life, and then fades, fades—"

"SHUT UP!" Parn jumped up and away from Cassander. "Shut up, shut up! How could you let this happen to yourself?! Is this why you left me?! Because you turned and you wanted me to turn?! Don't lie anymore!" he jabbed a finger at Neve. "I know she's not your lifemate! You wouldn't be a vampire if that were so! Where's your real lifemate?! Is she dead?! Is that why you turned?!"

Cassander 'tsked' and shook his head. "Lifemates don't exist, Parn."

"Yes, they do!" Parn cried. "Our parents were lifemates!"

"Our parents were lucky. Isa was able to fool himself into thinking Emä was his promised one. But it's all fake, little brother. There's no such thing as the one person meant for you. It just isn't possible."

"It's not a lie, and don't you talk about Isa like that!" Parn roared. "Lifemates are real!"

"Poor boy."

Parn finally looked at Neve, who was slowly approaching him. She looked sorry for him! "How much have you been brainwashed by such ideologies? The lifemate principle is much like religion; an excuse to keep people in line. And of course you ver—Carpathians, are tied to this principle to continue being loyal to a Prince who only rewards his clique with women."

Parn growled and snapped his teeth at her. "If you don't want to be hurt, get the hell away from me!"

Neve threw her head back and laughed loudly. "And what can you do against me? I, who has served directly under the tutelage of Xavier himself!"

Parn looked between the two once more. More anger and hurt built up inside of him. "Cassander…you didn't just turn. You aligned yourself with the faction who committed genocide against us!"

"Vlad committed genocide against us!" Cassander snapped. "If our Prince hadn't been so weak, none of those atrocities would've happened! Our parents would still be alive! No…" Cassander shook his head, his mouth snarling. "Now we are stuck with a Prince led around by his foolish woman! A Prince who has secured women only for his friends!"

"That isn't true!"

"Who of our kind in this past century had supposedly found their lifemates?! Mikhail, Jacques, Gregori, Byron, the Savage twins—they are ALL friends of the Prince! Only they have been blessed with finding their supposed lifemates. But that isn't all! ALL of Gregori's siblings have lifemates, and look at the De La Cruz brothers! Suddenly over half of them have lifemates in the Dragonseeker clan!"

"Frate—"

"What about the rest of us?! Do you see the Prince trying as hard for the lot of us to find our promised ones as he did for his friends?! NO! And do you know why?! Because lifemates aren't real! He throws women at his friends, the same way he threw his own sister at a hunter who was NOT her lifemate, and they all delude themselves into thinking they're saved! But we can't be saved! No!" he stopped Parn from responding. "This is our fate, Parn, as it's always been. The path I have chosen to real power…that is our fate. The Dubrinskys simply use this notion of lifemates to control us…to domesticate us like DOGS!"

Parn stared at him mutely for a long time. Marach could feel that Parn was still in shock over these revelations, but…he believed in a measure of Cassander's words. It didn't help Parn's case that his own lifemate was on the other side of the world.

To Marach's surprise though, Parn shook his head once more. "You are WEAK, Frate! What you have is not real power, but pure evil! And I will have no part in that!" Parn poised himself for attack. "Because you are my brother, I will dispense justice upon you myself."

Parn lunged at Cassander. Cassander didn't lift a finger to stop him, and neither did Neve. The mage simply stepped back, away from the brothers.

Then, Cassander spoke. And his tone was very somber. "You would kill your own brother then, fratele mai mic?"

Parn faltered at the affectionate tone, even if it was fake. Cassander took the opportunity to lunge forward and tackle Parn to the ground. Parn put up a struggle, and the trio felt pain ripped through them as Cassander smashed Parn head hard into the ground.

Their vision swam with Parn's, and they began to lose consciousness with Parn. Neve walked over to boldly stand above Parn. She folded her arms and leaned down over him. "You're playing upon his feelings, Cassander. Feelings he shouldn't have. I don't doubt he's close to turning, but—"

"Give him a few days," Cassander said promisingly. "We'll make good work of him."

Neve almost smiled. "I've never seen a Carpathian turn. It should be interesting."

The world faded to black. It was several long moments of darkness before the world began to shimmer. Parn slowly but surely regained consciousness, and Marach gained full awareness of his surroundings. They were in a room of sorts. And there weren't any windows or lights.

"Hello, Parn."

Parn's eyes snapped open. He was lying on his side in the center of the room. Six unknown vampires were standing over him, each of them laughing and hissing. Marach and Izzy only vaguely recognized them. Several of them had been in the group that had tried to ambush the sisters, and were killed by the hunters.

Parn quickly sat, eyeing them in the confusion. "What is this?"

Suddenly, all six of them were upon him. Marach shoved Izzy and Serenity away as fire raced across Parn's skin and straight through all of them. The vampires latched upon different parts of Parn's body and proceeded to suck him dry. Parn hollered in pain and tried to fight, but his strength fled him. In mere moments he slumped against the floor, his body laboring for breath and life.

The vampire stood up and away from him, leaving him enough just enough blood so that the loss wouldn't be mortal. But it definitely left him weak…and helpless from anything else that would happen.

"Ugh!" one of the vampires scrubbed at his mouth. "Hunter blood…it's disgusting!"

"Or rather his blood is disgusting?" another laughed. "Weakling boy who couldn't even fight a woman?"

They all shared a round of laughs before they left the room. No sooner had they left did Cassander walk in. The older brother calmly bit into his own wrist as he approached Parn. He knelt down beside his prone brother and held out his wrist. "You are in need of blood. Take mine."

Parn turned his head away. Cassander followed the motion anyways. "You will die without blood, Parn. You need to replenish yourself. Take mine."

"I will die then," Parn hissed, but his voice was incredibly weak.

Cassander sighed, as though he were becoming impatient. "Why do you delay the inevitable, Parn? I am trying to help you."

"I don't need your help."

"You've always needed my help," Cassander snapped at him. "You'd be nothing without me! You would've died long ago without my guidance! And here I am, once more trying to help you! Aren't I your frate?" Cassander touched him gently on the shoulder. "All you have is me, Parn. We have to stick together. That was the promise we made to each other."

But Parn shook his head. Cassander scoffed, and licked his bleeding wrist. "Soon, little brother. Very soon you will be begging for blood." Then Cassander left him alone as well.

Parn remained there on the floor, alone and very weak. Blood was slightly trickling out of his gaping wounds, and blood tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. Shadows moved all around the room, promising him power and pleasure. He closed his eyes, but there was nothing to block darkness from swirling around him.

"Help me…"

Marach's heart lurched as he heard this simple plea. Izzy choked on a sob, but Serenity was silent. "Please…someone help me."

"Dr. Crane?"

Marach blinked. What? In a flash the scene had changed. It was a busy hospital hallway, and people were milling about, doctors, patients, visitors, and the like.

Serenity was in doctor's scrubs, and her blonde hair had been tied back. Her hands were open, and a clipboard lay at her feet.

"Dr. Crane?" the tech at her side repeated. "Are you all right?"

"Oh." Serenity looked dazed and confused, and blinked several times. She smiled slightly at the tech. "Yes. I must have had a short spell."

"You've worked for nine days straight, ten hours each day," the tech sighed. "It's really no wonder. But take it easy, okay?"

"Yes, I will." Serenity smiled as she leaned down to pick up the clipboard. But she looked very puzzled by her "spell". What was that?

"She heard Parn's cry for help," Izzy realized.

"It must be it," Marach said. "But they're too far, and he's in an unknown place. She wouldn't have known to look for him."

"That's right."

Both Marach and Izzy stiffened. That sounded like Parn who'd said that, but they were caught in his memory. Was Parn reliving this too?!

Predictably, Parn's memory only got worse. The next time Parn woke up, he was chained to a wall and ravenously hungry. The vampires came for him again, but they provided him food. Food in the form of rats. They laughed and threw the rats at Parn, some of them alive and some of them dead.

"Eat up, here's your food!" one of them laughed loudly.

Parn was so delirious from the lack of food that he first bit into one of the dead rats! Once he realized his mistake he tossed the thing aside and tried to grab the live ones scurrying around the room. The vampires openly laughed and taunted at him as he tried to give chase, despite being chained. Overall, he was only able to catch one rat and he tried to restrain himself from taking too much blood. He somehow managed to stop himself in time, but the rat died upon the floor minutes later from blood loss. Parn felt too sickened and weak to feel grief for its death.

"One down!" a vampire roared, kicking the dead rat across the room.

"Before we go," another announced as they gathered up the living rats. "We'll leave you a present."

He threw one more rat at Parn. Parn grabbed it and bit into its body, but Marach immediately noticed something different about this rat. It smelled completely different and the blood… "No!"

The rat was infected with rabies!

It clawed Parn's face up. He howled in pain and released the rat, knowing too late what was wrong with it. But the rat was merciless and full of rage, biting and clawing his face and neck for several more moments before the vampires took him back and left Parn alone with the corpses of the other rats. Rabies couldn't kill or effect a Carpathian, but the disease ripped through his body for several hours before it could be dispelled. Marach absorbed most of the horror of the pain, but he couldn't shield Izzy and Serenity from it completely. Izzy whimpered and cried beside him, while Serenity remained silent.

It was impossible to tell how much time lapsed. Parn's days were filled with torture and torment. Various vampires would visit him and alternate between draining him of blood and beating him savagely. They laughed at him and taunted him, and the darkness that swirled the room joined in their banter.

Cassander wouldn't join the "festivities", but would come in afterwards to comfort Parn and offer blood. At first Parn would ignore Cassander, but after a while it became too much. Though his brother was the source of all this torment, Parn would take the fake comfort. He would hug his brother and cry, and Cassander kept up the illusion of being a concerned brother. It was absolutely sickening to Marach. Didn't Parn realize Cassander was orchestrating all of this with Neve?!

But he felt the torment in Parn's mind. He saw nobody but the vampires, his brother, and Neve. He called for help, both with his voice and mind, but nobody answered. He had no one but the foul ones that surrounded him, and slowly but surely…they were brainwashing him.

"They really did a number on you this time," Cassander said, feigning sympathy once more as he touched the bruises on Parn's face and throat. He bit into his wrist and offered it to Parn. "Please, stop fighting me. You need your strength, little brother."

Hunger and the need for comfort beat at Parn. He saw the tainted blood, offered freely to him, and his vision began to vibrate slightly. Without needing prompt he lunged forward and latched upon Cassander's wrist. Cassander hissed with approval. "Good! Good, little brother…"

Parn willfully took the foul blood. It ripped apart his insides; twisting him, but his body…it was accepting this poison as proper nourishment. Because he hadn't been nourished properly in so long…

Still, the shame Parn felt afterwards was unmistaken. Cassander closed his wound and smiled at his brother. "Everything will be all right now, Parn. Just trust in your brother…"

But it didn't get better. Now vampire blood had infected Parn's body, and the call of the darkness was getting stronger and stronger. It absolutely terrified Marach. He knew that same darkness, and heard the same calls. But it'd never been this loud!

"Why do you hang on?"

Marach tensed. Neve was there, dressed in her usual white. Eis was at the far corner of the room watching them, but Neve was standing over Parn.

"It is useless," she told him. "When you have nothing to await you in the end. Your family and friends are gone. All you have is your brother, and how do you repay him for it? You reject him and fight him, though he tries to help you."

"Leave me be!" Parn hissed. "You filthy bitch!"

Neve arched an eyebrow. "Am I to be insulted by a weakling such as yourself? Who was nowhere for his brother when he turned?"

"Cassander chose…" Parn trailed off and shook his head. No matter what, his love for his brother continued to shine through. "My lifemate…she…"

Neve leaned in close so that her face was inches from his. "Lifemates don't exist, Parn. They never have and never will. If this was true, wouldn't your woman be here?" she laughed shortly. "You call to her enough as it is. Where is she, then? Why hasn't she come for you?" she leaned in closer and whispered, "It's because she doesn't exist."

Parn spat in Neve's face. Her face flushed with fury and she summoned an ice spear and stabbed it into the ground. Eis stepped forward, and the pair lifted Parn straight up and abruptly impaled him upon it.

A feminine gasp ripped through Marach's mind. The scene changed once more to the outside. He immediately saw Izzy and Serenity. The sisters were geared up for rollerblading and were blading down the boardwalk. Izzy had gained a lead on Serenity when the sister suddenly went rigid. Pain and shock flew across Serenity's face before she lost her balance and fell backwards, hitting her helmeted head hard upon the curb.

"Serenity!" Izzy spun around on her blades and quickly skated back to her sister. A small crowd formed around Serenity's body and Izzy had to elbow her way through them to get to her. "Serenity, are you all right?!"

Serenity groaned, holding a hand to her head. Izzy moved to almost take off her helmet, but stopped herself. "Did you hit your head?! Someone call an ambulance!"

"Izzy…" Serenity looked more dazed and confused than hurt. And Marach had a feeling it had nothing to do with her fall. "What happened?"

"That caused her fall?!" Izzy cried out. "Neve's assault on Parn?!"

The image abruptly faded, and they were back in that loathsome room. Parn's body was at an angle over the spear impaled through his stomach, his blood spilling all over the floor.

"Why don't I leave you here," Neve said. "To think about my words." She turned to go, but spun around. "Lifemates aren't real, Parn. Once you finally understand this, the knowledge will set you free."

And they left him like that. The spear melted within hours, but he was still injured. In the time that followed his attack, the tormenting rapidly increased. With each beating and feeding though, the vampires began to punctuate one thing.

"There are no lifemates!"

"Why should we have ONE promised one when there are billions of women out there for the taking?!"

"Where are our promised women, then?! Isn't it a lofty coincidence that lifemates suddenly started popping up for the taking once our Prince got his?! NOBODY had been bounded up to that point!"

The vampires continued to beat at Parn and rammed these notions into his head. But it was Cassander who left the most profound impact upon Parn.

"If they exist, where is mine? Why couldn't she save my soul before I gave it up? Where is yours? What kind of woman would ignore your cries for help, little brother?"

Parn choked on a sob, and Cassander soothed him. "Shh, don't be upset. It's a harsh reality for us, but the truth always sets you free. I know you've been holding on this long for your promised one, and I know it hurts you to know she doesn't exist. But you'll get over it in time, Parn. I did, so you are certain to."

Marach wanted to attack Cassander. That he was able to dispel justice upon his former best friend didn't seem satisfying at all. Parn had been his brother, and Parn had always loved Cassander. He was becoming increasingly more nauseas as the darkness closed tighter around Parn. It was becoming apparent that a combination of this group of vampires, Neve, and Cassander were what facilitated Parn into becoming a vampire.

He remembered Serenity's pleas for mercy for Parn, and her allusions to the pain he suffered. And Marach hadn't listened at all.

"You're not to blame for this," Izzy reassured him. "You couldn't have stopped this. And if you'd tried, you probably would've ended up like Parn."

It didn't make Marach feel any better, and Parn's thoughts in this memory echoed through them. Lifemates don't exist. She's not here. She's not here…

"Marach, this is so horrible." There were tears in Izzy's voice. "When will this end?"

Marach had a sinking feeling it would end soon. The memories suddenly flew by in a blur. The rituals of beatings and draining and brainwashing continued, but suddenly Marach noticed something different. After each session the vampires or Neve would give Parn a small animal to feed upon. But this time, nobody was giving him anything. It got to the point that he wouldn't notice the beatings or Cassander's fake comfort. I'm hungry. I'm starving. Need blood, need blood…He'd come to the point that he'd stopped calling for Serenity. He no longer believed she was there, and his sole focus was to replenish himself.

Marach became frightened. The darkness now had a physical shape and was blanketing Parn. It hugged him as though he were a baby in a womb, and it whispered softly to him of all its evil promises. Parn was trying so hard no to listen, but he didn't have the capabilities to resist its call. Still, his soul held on fast to his body, fighting with all its might to stay within, to keep Parn clean.

It was painful to see anything out of Parn's eyes. Everything they opened his vision was rocky and bright colors swam around. he basked in the pleasure of the colors, the illusions that the darkness created for him, but the darkness would only give him a small taste of it before it all faded.

And then…

"Wake up, little brother."

Parn opened his eyes. His delirium and hunger was starting to affect the trio reliving these memories, and Marach picked up a sweet smell. A fresh smell. Parn's teeth immediately lengthened.

They were in a much larger room now, full of vampires. Cassander was kneeling over Parn, who was sprawled on the floor in the center of the room.

And in front of Parn…Marach's felt bile rise in his throat. Two vampires held a teenage girl in front of Parn. She looked frightened and haggard, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't have been older than seventeen.

"We have a gift for you," Cassander said. "For your cooperation."

The vampires shoved the girl to the floor, and she landed hard on her knees. She held up shaking hands, her hysteria rising, to their great pleasure. "Lassen Sie b-bitte mich gehen! Lassen Sie mich nach Hause gehen! Ich schwöre, dass ich niemanden um dies erzählen werde! Bitte lassen Sie mich nach Hause gehen! Ich will meine Mutter!"

"German," Marach said grimly. "I don't think I need to translate further, do I?"

"She wants to go home," Izzy guessed sadly.

"Parn." Cassander motioned to his brother. "Look at her. Isn't she beautiful? She's a clean girl, Parn. No drugs, no alcohol, no diseases. She's fresh and plump and right for your taking."

Parn groaned in anguish. He could smell her freshness, and he could hear her strong heartbeat. His vision began to rattle violently in time with it.

"You're in need of blood. And her body is full of it. Take your fill of her. Don't." Cassander grabbed Parn when he tried to move away. "Shh, don't deny yourself any longer. You have need and she will give it all to you. Don't you see? You know now that lifemates don't exist. That our existence is just a fruitless endeavor to appease our supposed Prince. You have nothing to hide from any more. You have nothing to fear. Do not fear her, or your calling."

Parn looked at the girl. She was a beautiful girl, and she stared back at him with fear. Her fear made her pulse race faster. He could see the artery in her neck protrude against her skin, and it pulsed with her heartbeat. Parn groaned again and he gasped, his sharp teeth gaping out of his mouth. He hadn't fed in almost two weeks by this point…how he'd managed to hold on to life this long was amazing. But now death seemed preferable to what he had to do.

"Do it."

Marach jerked. It was that horrible, hideous voice of the embodiment of Parn's darkness. The world became consumed in black, until only Parn and the girl remained. His vision continued to rattle, and his heartbeat raced along with her own. "Do it, Parn. Take her blood. Take her life. Take back the strength you have lost. Lick her skin. Rip out her throat. Taste her flesh…"

Parn had nothing else to listen to but this coaxing. And he was hungry, so hungry and lost…

"Nein!" the girl screamed, and she tried to scramble away. "BITTE NEIN!"

Parn lunged at her. She screamed, but he clamped his arms around her, pinning her arms to her sides. He sank his teeth deep into her throat, ripping the flesh off and ripping out the artery, causing her blood to shoot out like a fountain. He gulped it all down and slammed his mouth against her open wound.

All around them, hideous screams of pain, terror, and anguish vibrated through the darkness. The darkness itself roared in victory and swirled around them, laughing at the girl's feeble struggles and goading and cheering for Parn to suck her dry.

Another scream ripped through the darkness. Marach realized with horror that it was Parn who was screaming, even though he was occupied with drinking from the girl. Marach looked up and saw Parn's soul, clutching at his head and screaming in anguish. He tried to reach for his body, as though to pull him away from the girl, but abruptly the girl's heartbeat ceased. Parn's soul screamed in hideous denial as he were forcibly wrenched from his body.

The darkness laughed and taunted the lost soul as it swirled around Parn and entered his body, twisting up his insides. But…even without his soul, Parn's body seemed to resist the darkness itself just a little bit.

But not enough.

In the end, Parn was left sitting on the floor in front of the dead girl, the vampires swooping down upon him. When he lifted his head, his dark eyes were blazing red. He was a vampire.

Cassander smiled at him genuinely for the first time since this ordeal started. "There now. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"What is this?!"

Neve suddenly swept into the room. The dead girl immediately caught her eye and she raced over to check on her. She glared at the assembly with hate and fury. "Whose idea was this?!"

"Mine," one vampire spoke up. "And he's—"

Neve produced an ice spear and stabbed him straight through the heart. He was dead before he hit the floor. "Disgusting vermin! What have I told you about using children for your means?!" she glared at Parn as well. "I ought to kill you too!"

"Calm down," Cassander said, standing up. "We have finally succeeded. Parn has given up his soul."

"It took you three months to get to this point," Neve snapped. She looked back at Parn. "You'd better prove yourself useful or you'll end up like this!" she motioned to the dead vampire.

Parn glared back at her. The darkness was now part of him, as his soul had been. But, there was no escaping the hate he felt for the female mage.

Marach could hear more crying now, and he focused his attention upon it. He saw another image of Izzy and Serenity, and he saw Serenity kneeling on the ground, wailing hysterically and gripping a hand at her chest…at her heart.

"I knew it," Izzy said. "I knew that was because she felt his turning. But Parn…oh God, Marach! How could they do this to him?! I can't believe it! Serenity was right! She'd been right all along! Why didn't I just listen to her?!"

He didn't know how to comfort his lifemate, because he felt the same guilt and sorrow. He'd condemned Parn as adamantly as he would any vampire. But he had no idea Parn had practically been forced into his darkness.

"It was not your place to show me mercy. Even now…I deserve none."

Marach swallowed thickly, and hugged Izzy to him. "Parn…"

___

Marach felt the air reenter his lungs, and he knew he was back in his own body. It was with great difficulty that he opened his eyes, and regained his bearings.

He was back in the cave. Izzy lay beside him on the ground, though she was still unconscious. He reached for his lifemate, weakly cupping a hand to her cheek. "Iubita mea?"

"You both lost a lot of blood."

Marach turned his head. Falcon was kneeling over him, offering his wrist. "I offer my blood freely."

Marach hadn't been aware of how much blood he actually gave to Parn, but that in addition to his soul departing his body left quite a toll on him. He was grateful for the ancient's blood, though he quickly noted that Falcon's expression was stony, and that the hunter was blocking him.

His strength somewhat regained, Marach slowly sat up. Beside him, Izzy was slowly rising to consciousness. One of the female hunters stepped forward and offered her blood to Izzy. Marach looked around the cavern warily. It was overflowing with hunters, all of whom were blocking him, and none of them had welcoming expressions.

Right. He closed his eyes. I betrayed the Prince.

"Mmm…" Izzy became fully aware with blood replenishing her. She quickly sat up, though it caused her to be very dizzy. "Marach! Serenity, she—"

Marach took hold of her hand and opened his eyes. Several feet away, Parn was still sprawled on the floor. Serenity was sprawled on top of him, and his arms were slung loosely around her. He reached for Serenity, and his heart leapt into his throat. Serenity wasn't well, not at all! She was still alive, but her life force…

Gregori had knelt down next to the pair, though his eyes were on Parn. "This is the vampire?"

"Yes." Gabriel Daratrazanoff stepped forward beside his younger brother, folding his arms over his broad chest. "Something is wrong, though."

"He doesn't seem the same," someone added. "We encountered him before, but his presence is different now. I don't sense darkness around him."

"We saved him!" Izzy blurted out, gripping Marach's arm. "Serenity gave him her healing blood and we found his soul! We restored his soul to his body! We saved him!"

They all looked at Izzy as though she was a lunatic, and Marach swallowed thickly. He knew they would be very lucky to leave this cave alive. "I don't believe he's a danger."

Silence greeted his words. Gregori stared at him his silver eyes, sending chills down Marach's spine. Then, he spoke, "Let's find out then."

"Gregori, don't do anything reckless," Razvan warned him.

"It's not reckless when you act to protect your people." But he glared at Marach. "Something you sorely lack."

Marach winced at that. Gregori picked up one of Parn's limp hands, and pointed his index finger. The nail extended to a long talon, and he cut open Parn's thumb. A trickle of red blood began to run down the thumb and Gregori collected onto the tip of his finger.

Everyone waited with abated breath as Gregori looked at the blood, rubbing it between his fingers. He didn't look like he was in pain, but that meant nothing. Gregori was very good at hiding his emotions; he could be in agony for all they knew.

He spoke once more, "This blood doesn't hurt me."

A collective gasp rose amongst the hunters, but Gregori continued, "Something is odd about this blood, though. It doesn't smell right. It's not a vampire's blood, but this isn't like any Carpathian blood I've ever seen. But, my skin isn't sizzling as vampire's blood would do."

"Are they right then?" Ivory asked. "Did Serenity purify this vampire?"

Gregori shook his head. "They claimed to have restored his soul. I will enter his body to confirm whether or not this happened."

"Is that wise?" Vikirnoff asked. "This could very well be a trap."

"We have no choice, do we? But whether or not he was able to change back, that doesn't change the fact that he betrayed us."

"But he—" Izzy said.

"Silence." Izzy immediately shut up.

Gregori became a force of light and entered Parn's body. The other hunters stood watch in silence. They were all looking at Marach and Izzy closely, and Marach held onto his lifemate. He knew what rested ahead for him wouldn't be pleasant, but he would be damned if he allowed Izzy to feel the same wrath.

Very abruptly, Gregori returned to his body. His face was white, but he looked neutral. "It's in there."

"His soul is back?!" Rafael cried out. "But how is that possible?!"

"Soul or not, he is vampire!" another shouted. "We have to kill him!"

Surprisingly, Gregori shook his head. "His body didn't attack me when I went inside it. This is hard to believe, but everything looks clean in there. I do not like the looks of this, but for all intensive purposes he technically isn't a vampire."

"Technically?!" Gabriel shouted.

"His soul has returned to his body, and the darkness that invades a vampire has retreated. And his body didn't attack me as an invader, and his blood and organs looked normal." He shrugged stiffly. "It were as though he'd never turned."

"But he did turn," Tariq snapped. "What you claim is impossible!"

"Would you like a look at his body for yourself?" Gregori asked.

Suddenly, Parn's eyes snapped open. He let out a huge, gaping gasp and his body arched against the floor. The whole cavern became on high alert, and many of the male hunters tried to shield the females.

Then, Parn relax against the floor. His breathing was still ragged, and very heavy, but he didn't jump up and attack anyone. He lifted his hand idly and looked at the blood on his fingers. He turned his head, and saw Serenity sprawled on top of him. His features visibly softened and he reached for her, but stopped short of touching her hair, no doubt because of his bloody hand.

"Do you know where you are?" Gregori asked stiffly.

Parn turned to look at him. His other arm seemed to tight around Serenity protectively. "The Dark One…"

Marach jumped to his feet and hurried over to them. He heard the protest from the others as he knelt down on Parn's other side. "Are you back, Parn?"

Parn then looked at him. His face twisted up in pain. "How could you let me come back, Marach? After everything I've done…" He quickly turned his head towards Gregori. "It was me. I forced them to save my life. I did it all for my own means."

"If that were really true," Gregori said slowly. "Then you wouldn't be alive right now. I would've seen to you personally."

Parn silenced, and looked at Serenity again. "Look…I don't care about me, but she…" he shook his head. "Something's wrong, I just know it is!"

"Yes, there is," Gregori said grimly. He looked up at Izzy as she came over to them. "I have given Serenity my blood, which has counted as her second blood exchange. Unfortunately her internal injuries are too severe for my blood alone to help her. I'm particularly concerned about her brain. There seems to be significant damage to it, but I haven't healed brain damage very often in the past."

Izzy slowly knelt down beside Marach. "…Brain damage?" she asked quietly.

"You are a neurosurgeon, correct? You must know in your human medicinal sense what extensive blood loss does to the brain."

"I-I'm still a student, I…" Izzy touched Serenity's back. "If you've given her your blood, why is she like this?"

Serenity looked like she was peacefully sleeping on top of Parn, but that wasn't the case. Her skin was so pale that it looked translucent, and her lips were white. She didn't even look like she was breathing.

"Because I'm forcing her body to keep going," Gregori said. "There was too much trauma damage done to her as a result of her giving up so much blood. Here, I can show you the extent of her injuries, and you can relay to me which areas of her brain are damaged. Link with me."

Izzy looked at Marach, who held onto her hand once more. "We can save Serenity this way, dragă."

"I-I…" she quickly looked at Parn, whose dark eyes were on Serenity. Dark eyes; his eyes were no longer red, and his body no longer looked filthy. His hair was white-blonde once more, and he just looked…happy. "Serenity did this to save you, Parn. And I'm going to do everything I can to help my sister."

"Yes, please do," Parn agreed. "But as for me…I don't deserve mercy."

"But you—"

"I have betrayed my Prince, Sisar." Izzy's heart clenched at the nickname. He called her sister. "I should've chosen death when I was put into that situation. I didn't, and I have made my people suffer for it. When it is time for my judgment, I will accept it."

"But if you had accepted death," Izzy said. "Then Serenity wouldn't have been any better off."

Parn said nothing to this, but Gregori leaned forward. "We must hurry, Isabel. We are keeping Serenity alive as best as we can, but we have to act fast to understand how to truly save her."

"Merge with me," Marach told her. "And I will merge with Gregori's mind when he enters Serenity's body."

Izzy nodded stiffly. "A-All right."

She did as she was told, holding onto Marach's mind tightly. Please Serenity. Oh please, let the damage be minimal! But she knew it wasn't minimal with Gregori asking for her help.

Gregori became a force of life once more and entered Serenity's body. Through Gregori's eyes Izzy could see her sister's internal infrastructure. Gregori's blood was coursing through her, but it was plain to see the damage done to her from blood loss. Her organs were covered in dark spots, a sign of dead flesh upon them, no doubt from the lack of blood accessed to them. She saw Serenity's heart, which was slowly being repaired, but she could see it laboring fiercely under the damage done to it.

When Gregori traveled to her brain, though Izzy couldn't stop her tears. Though he went through her system, Izzy pulled out of Marach's head and clutched her hands to her face. She looked down at her sister in horror and in grief.

"What's wrong?" Marach asked, though he knew the answer.

Izzy choked on a sob. "Her frontal and parietal lobes might as well not be there! They're nothing but dead flesh! Her pons and medulla…oh God, Marach!" she was full blown sobbing by the time Gregori emerged from her. "Please, save her! Can't you do anything?!"

"By your reaction," Gregori said. "I can easily see that she is not in a good way."

"Even if we give her all the blood in the world, she can't possibly function as she is! She'd be blind and deaf…and her corpus callosum is dead flesh! She'll have no control over her body!"

The cavern fell silent once more, save for Izzy's loud sobbing. Gregori looked around at the faces surrounding them before he looked at Marach and Izzy. "…Isabel. You must know then that there is a way to save her."

"To c-c-change her?" Izzy scrubbed at her face. "Isn't there any other way?"

"Her blood hasn't been completely replenished. We can surely repair all this internal damage, but without sufficient blood the repairs mean nothing."

"But she isn't conscious! How can she make such a decision?!"

"That's why I'm asking you," Gregori said. "On behalf of your sister, would you like me to save her?"

"I can't make that decision!" Izzy cried. "Serenity's a grown adult! What if she doesn't want to be changed into a Carpathian?!"

"Then she's going to die. I'm certain the life of your sister matters more to you than whether or not she's human."

Izzy looked at Marach. "Isn't there another way?!"

Marach shook his head. "I am sorry, Isabel. This is all we can do for Serenity."

Izzy looked down at her sister. She hadn't expected this at all. She hadn't been prepared for this outcome. She'd been operating on the belief that killing Parn would solve everything, and Serenity could go on with her life and finally be happy. As a human.

And now…now Parn was alive, and by all means Carpathian again. But Serenity was dying, and severely brain-damaged from her lack of blood. Serenity had so much promise and now…

"Oh God…" How would they explain this to their parents?! It was bad enough just thinking about how Mr. Crane would take to knowing Izzy was no longer human, but both daughters?! And their healing blood…Shea wouldn't be able to make a proper potion without it. This was so hard…

"Isabel."

Izzy stiffened, and looked down at Serenity. "Is that you?"

"Marach reached for me and found me. Oh Izzy, I'm so tired…"

"Parn's alive, Serenity! You saved him!"

"We both did, Izzy. I wouldn't have returned to my body without you."

"Oh Serenity…" Tears burned at her eyes once more. "Your body…"

"I know. I feel trapped in here, Izzy. All this time…I felt like I wanted to die but now I feel like I want to live."

"But Serenity, the only way to save you is to convert you into a Carpathian!"

"I know."

Izzy didn't like the resolved acceptance in Serenity's voice. She looked at Marach, and then at Parn. "Serenity, I won't sugarcoat anything. It will hurt a lot, so much that you might not be able to take it."

"I felt Parn's soul leave his body. There can be no worse pain than that."

"But—"

"None."

Izzy knew she couldn't argue with that. "Serenity…Parn is still condemned. They might not let him live, and Marach and I are in a lot of trouble already. If you turn now, you might be stuck forever without your lifemate."

Serenity was silent for a long moment. "What should I do then, Izzy? Don't you want me to live?"

"Of course I do!"

"They told you converting me is the only way to save me, right? Izzy…I want to live. I want to live."

"I know. But Mom and Dad—"

"We'll talk to them together, Izzy. But I can't talk to them as I am now. Please…let them save me."

Izzy slid her arms around Serenity's prone body and hugged her tightly. "I love you. I love you so much, Serenity!"

"…I love you too."

Izzy abruptly pulled away and stood up, walking away and wiping her face. "…Do it," she said quietly.

"Do it."

Marach winced. Those were the same words she used to confirm her own conversion. He stood up to go to her side. "We're ready, Gregori."

Gregori nodded, and pulled Serenity off Parn, laying her down beside him. He lifted his wrist to his mouth, but before his teeth sank in Parn grabbed his arms. His eyes were full of determination.

"I'll do it."