Hi well I am a little disappointed by the turn out. Reviews wise anyway. There has been plenty of interest and views, but only one review. I like to thank that reviewer. You know who you are. Thank you for reviewing. Well I won't be updating unless I get at least 5 reviews. So that makes it 6 in total. Surely it is not hard to press that little button at the bottom and just to write a few lines or two. Or even a few words. Please review. I am not asking for much. Please.

Lily

Chapter 2: Old Allegiances

The Countess Isabella of Orleans was in a foul mood, she was woken up at a very unacceptable time. And then she hears that her two captive prisoners have escaped. She knew she shouldn't have sent the old venators to keep an eye on them. Now she was five venators down, plus to add more drama to her already hectic day, Schuyler and Jack where now suspicious of her. Another thing she did not want to add to her ever mounting plate. She wanted them to trust her; she needed to befriend them in order to kill her. Like the age old saying, keep your friends closer, but keep your enemies closer. Of course her allegiances is with the man she loved, no still love, her Caligula, her Lucifer, slain and imprisoned by that wretched Michael Pure of Heart. Oh just thinking of Michael made her blood boil. She hated him, hated him for tearing her away from her one true love. Her Lucifer. But of course no one knew that, no one can ever know her true love for him, she never loved her current bond mate, whom she is using as a cover. She was thankful when he past away from this current cycle. It was true that she did care for Henri, but not in the way she felt for Lucifer, after all over the years she and Henri became close, for both of them never where assigned a twin, they bond mate less. They shared a connection, but Henri was not enough, no not enough to heal her heart.

She was over the moon when she heard that Michael was trapped in-between worlds, she thought good riddance, now the world was rid of the oh so powerful Uncorrupted. But now Gabrielle was awake, Isabella did like Gabrielle she was an old friend, but Gabrielle stood against the Dark Prince that was something that the Countess couldn't take, she wanted her love to rule. Rule both heaven and hell. He was the rightful king. She knew she would be seeking for her twin, for Michael. It wouldn't be long before Gabrielle found him; she knew that, they were twins. She knew she had to act fast. She knew Gabrielle would head for a gate, perhaps a gate that never should be opened, created by two former loyal officers of Lucifer, the angels Ezildur and Delilah. After all the two angels where weaker on their own. Delilah never veered well without Ezildur, Isabella pitied them, for they like her, where torn from their love, torn from each other, for forever, for they had to protect their gates, guard it. Never will they be together. She would help them, if she could, if they still followed the Dark Prince, but of course like Abbadon and Azrael they saw their wrong doing and switched sides at the last minute.

She pulled on a wicked smile as she rod in her car towards the restaurant Rosa, a fine Italian restaurant in the heart of Paris. She knew that Schuyler was more important than Gabrielle was. She would have to find her, her and Jack.

Isabella was fond of Jack Force, of Abbadon, she always was. She didn't want to kill him, but she had no choice for he fell in love and now is protecting the one person who threatened her from ever reuniting with her love. Schuyler Van Alen, oh how she has taken such a resemblance to Gabrielle, save it for her eyes and hair colour. Schuyler was full of light, so pure, so good. She couldn't help but laugh when she learnt that the New York Coven accused Schuyler of killing her own grandfather, she knew the girl was innocent, she was too good. Too pure to do such a thing as killing a fellow blue blood, but then again she knew who is was that had help manipulate the coven, Forsyth Llewellyn, the useless fool, he had always been weak, absolutely useless, he couldn't even get the coven to make him Regis, he couldn't even keep the identity of his daughter a secret to the coven. She knew he fled, she knew once she finds him, she was going to finish him off, kill him, she would destroy him and make it out she was helping the New York Coven, burning a traitor to the blue bloods, but truly she would kill him for being so damn useless, for not following the simple orders that Lucifer had set for him.

She knew she had to kill her, Schuyler Van Alen or at least keep her under her watchful eye, but no, her damn Italian venators had to go and lose them. How hard was it to kill a wretched half blood? She had so many priorities just a measly task to kill a fellow blue blood couldn't be done!

She was the Regis of the European Coven, as she has been for many years. She was the one who made sure innocent Red Blood girls were taken and impregnated; she made sure no one ever knew about half Silver and half Red Blood spawns, but then that wretched half blood had to go and discover the truth. The truth she had hidden for so long, the truth first discovered by Schuyler's wretched mother. She had to find Schuyler. That was her top priority now. For the Dark Prince to have a chance to ever return, return to his full glory she had to eliminate the prophecy. It was down to her, no one else could take up such task. Everyone was so damn useless, first Nan Cutler now Forsyth Llewellyn, it was down to her. It always has been.

Sitting in the restaurant now, somehow part of her thought her loyal conduit would appear, after all this was the favourite restaurant of the Baron. Yet she knew he never ever would again return, for it was her who sent him to his death, she had Leviathan kill him. It was the only way to lure Schuyler into a room on her own, but then Abbadon and Michael had to show up! They had to go and ruin her already perfectly laid plan. On the plus side she eliminated Michael, for awhile anyway. But he was not her intended target, however much she wish he was, she knew she had to be professional, she knew she couldn't let her own personal vendettas get in the way of the task at hand, she knew she would get her revenge once her love returned. Oh, he will return she was sure of it. Oh how she has waited, so long has she waited, but like they do say patience is a virtue. She would be his queen; she would rule too, alongside him, she could finally shed herself of her false identity. The identity that she has long undertaken and has long wanted to shed.

As she sipped her final Italian wine, she started to reflect, reflect about the life she has adopted since Rome. How it pained her that Lucifer was no longer around, but she knew she had to act as if she hated him, but the truth is she loved him. She had to be trusted, trusted by the fellow Blue Bloods, so that she one day would become Regis. Long and hard has she worked her way up and worked her trust. No one ever dared to disobey her: no one. Sighing she remembered back to Rome, where she promised Caligula that she would work for him, that she would make sure he returned to this world if anything was to happen to him.

"Drusilla, my sister, my love." He whispered softly.

"Caligula, what is it that troubles you? Tell me, tell me my love." Replied with the same softness in her voice.

"I fear for the future, our future. I am going to ask you to do something for me. I know you are the only one who will be able to carry out this."

"What is it? Anything for you, my Caligula."

"If anything is to happen to me, I want you to make sure that I can come back. Be my little rouge, take control of the Coven, lead them make them fear you, make sure in any way you can it is possible for me to return."

"Of course my love, I will do as you bid. You will be our King."

"And my love you will be our queen, my queen."

"I will not fail you."

"Ever the faithful one, I know you will not disappoint me, you never do."

They were so close, so close to being together, to rule together, but at the last minute, their hopes and dreams where cruelly taken from them, by the Uncorrupted, the wretched archangels.

Schuyler Van Alen, was seeking the gatekeepers, to protect them, Isabella knew she had to stop her from fulfilling her legacy, the legacy set upon her from birth. She had done well to keep them from finding the keepers, but now they were no longer under her protection, the pair would be harder to seek out. But she did know that Schuyler and Jack where seeking out the gatekeeper of the Gate of Promise: Catherine. Who was once Regis of the European Coven, but her line was long lost. This evidentially led to the Countess to become Regis. Yes, she too had to seek out Catherine, get to Catherine and have her minions waiting for the couple. Yes. That was her plan. She would ambush them, send her venators after them, they won't suspect it, she was sure of that.

Just thinking that she was one step closer to saving her love, to eliminate the one person that threatened the rise of the Dark Prince, put a smile on her beautiful aging face. Her foul mood, turned slightly, she will not fail him, no she never will. She was who he truly trusted, she will bring him back, it was a promise she intended to keep, and her life depended on it. She needed him.

The world was changing, and she glad she was part of it, glad to have participated in the change for the better, for the good, or should it be for the bad. Chuckling to herself, she knew it wouldn't be long, the Silver Bloods where gaining more power day by day, the Blue Bloods would put up a good fight, she could give them that, but she knew her army or rather Lucifer's army of Silver Bloods would be ten times stronger, ten times better, ten times more in numbers than the Blues. The Blues where a dying breed, yes victory was so close. She could feel it, won't be long now, till she will be with her love. Then she will get her vengeance for those who ever wronged her, and she knew who she would start with, oh yes she did. She would start off with Michael: Michael Pure of Heart.