In yoga, one is taught to breath through your nose to clear your thoughts and relax your senses. Dave practiced yoga religiously and followed the techniques to a tee. While he no longer had to breathe, he felt his senses becoming calmer in just a few minutes.

And that was exactly what he needed when he was going to confront his girlfriend later. Dave turned his attention to his girlfriend. "Want to tell me what that was about?"

"We were just dancing and having a good time, David." Trish explained.

Dave nodded. "I'm sure you were."

Trish immediately let go of her boyfriend's hand. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"We're going home." He said in a cold demeanor. "Trisha, you're coming with me tonight. Nitro, London and Melina, please escort Stacy home."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Stacy shook her head.

Dave walked up to Stacy and backed her against a wall. "You're leaving now."

Seeing Dave so close to her, Stacy quickly relented and calmed down. He wasn't trying to be polite or nice and he meant business. "Alright, damn. You don't need to be so rude about it!"

---------------------

Cold and grossly uncomfortable. Dark without a touch of light. Trish rubbed her arms as she adjusted to the freezing temperature inside Dave's Mercedes. It wasn't that cold inside the car, she silently admitted. But Dave's chilly demeanor towards her was nothing but warm and fuzzy.

"You know if you're mad at me, just say it. You don't have to be so damn passive-aggressive about it." Trish said quietly.

Dave continued to drive and didn't say a word. He figured anything he would say now would just make things that much more uncomfortable. And he had a lot on his mind.

Trish looked over to Dave. "Look, we were just dancing and having a good time. We weren't planning to do anything with those guys." She defended. Once again, Dave's silence killed her.

Upon arriving back to his home, Dave got out of the car. He walked over and opened the car door for Trish to step out. She studied his face. While he appeared to be calm and collected, Trish saw no color in Dave's eyes. They were almost a smoky grey color. He didn't blink once and Trish could tell he was trying very hard to maintain his cool.

"Are you going to get out?" He asked.

"I'm not sure if I should." Trish admitted.

"Fine. Stay in there." Dave shut the car door and headed towards the home.

Trish quickly unbuckled and got out of the car. She quickly walked up to Dave and began to yell at him. "Don't you ever disrespect me like that!"

"Woman, you better lower your voice." Dave stared at Trish. "Now let's be real clear on something. I don't want to know what you were doing with Jeff and Edge, and right about now, I don't think I care. But you are forbidden to be around any of them."

Trish was enraged. "Forbidden? You forbid me to do something? I'm not your fuckin' property, David!"

"Trish, you don't know what Jeff and Edge are capable of. And there is no guarantee what would've happened if we didn't show up."

"I can take care of myself, David."

"You can't take care of yourself against four people."

"I'm not weak, Dave. I carry a gun. I know how to use it."

"You can't use a gun against the Brood, Trish. Just like you can't use a gun against me or any other member of the Family or the Brood." Dave warned. "This conversation is over. This is the last time I'm going to speak on this." He opened the door and stepped aside.

Trish folded her arms. "I'm not going inside."

"Trish, get inside."

"No, I'm staying out here." She sat down on the steps.

"Fine." Dave slammed the door and walked inside the home.

Once inside the home, Dave headed upstairs to his bedroom. He took off his shirt and shoes and collapsed on the bed. He stared up at the ceiling and just shook his head. He wasn't apologetic about being protective of his girlfriend and he wasn't second-thinking his tone.

Dave had already lost the love of his life to Edge before and he wasn't about to take chances with Trish. Concluding that nothing was going to get accomplished by remaining angry at her, Dave headed downstairs to get his girlfriend. He opened the door and found Trish on the steps, wiping her eyes and muffling her tears.

Dave closed the door behind him and sat on the steps beside her. "Come inside, Honey."

"So you can treat me like a dog again?" She sniffled.

He put his arms around her. "Trisha…"

"Dave, I know girls who have put up bullshit treatment with their boyfriends, alright? I know girls who let their men call them names and what-not because they know they're going to get really nice gifts in return." She wiped her cheeks more. "Yeah, I shouldn't have been out with those guys tonight. Yeah, maybe I should've stay home. But I do know I didn't deserve you treating me the way you did."

Dave kissed the side of Trish's head. "I won't disrespect you again, Trisha. And I mean that. You mean too much to me and I don't want to lose you."

Trish leaned against Dave's chest and let her crying subside. After going back inside to retrieve a blanket and pillows, Dave led Trish to a nearby hammock. They both spent the night staring at the stars in the dark sky. As Trish fell asleep in the hammock, Dave was briefly awakened by the presence of the Family returning.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Everything is alright." Melina said. "She was a talkative bitch. Wah-wah-wah, blah-blah-blah."

London approached Dave. "There's going to be problems, man."

"What problems?"

"Man, we dropped her off at her place but when we looked out the window, we saw the Brood pull up." Nitro said. "They followed us. Once they spotted us, they disappeared."

Dave rolled his eyes. "Surprise, surprise. Alright, first thing tomorrow morning, we're going to get Trish's belongings. She's moving in here."

"In here?" Melina yelled.

"Is there a problem, Melina?" Dave asked.

Melina quickly changed her tone and dropped her head. "No, Dave, there isn't."

"Good. We're going to set up a system where Trish is followed everywhere until I turn her, which is going to happen soon." Dave said. "And then we'll take it from there."

"Alright." They said in unison. "We'll take it from there. 'Night, Dave."

"Night, kids."

Dave covered him and Trish with the blankets more as the Family entered the home. The last few days were emotionally and mentally challenging for the couple as they adjusted to each other. But Dave was feeling more than just protective of Trish. He truly loved and cherished her. And he wasn't about to have anything happen to her. I'll kill Edge and Jeff before they lay a finger on her.

Moments later, Taker appeared from the darkness and approached Dave. "So what happened tonight?"

"We almost got into with the Brood." Dave said as Trish adjusted her position. "They followed her roommate home so Trish is going to live here now."

"As she should." Take agreed. "What about the roommate?"

"I don't know." Dave shrugged.

Taker looked at his watch and thought about the possibilities. He would be surprised if Stacy was still alive. "She's probably dead. Alright, soon and I mean real soon, Trish needs to get turned. If they know where she lives, they're going to kill her."

Dave held Trish a little tighter. "I know."

"Keep me posted." Taker said before he disappeared into the night.

Dave looked down at his girlfriend and once again kissed her head. He didn't have a few more months, weeks or even days to turn Trish.

Trish needed to be turned as soon as possible. And Dave knew Edge's intentions were anything but pure. If Dave and Taker weren't going to kill Trish, Edge was more than willing to see that she met her demise.

-----------------------------------------------

The Brood entered Trish's apartment, looking for her. They opened cabinets and doors and whatever they could find. Searching high and low for Trish, they concluded that she was nowhere to be found.

"She's not here." Jeff said to Edge.

"Damn it!" Edge stomped his foot.

"Her roommate is here, though." Carlito motioned to Stacy's room.

Edge walked over to the kitchen counter and slammed his hand down on it. "I wanted the blonde." He calmed down long enough to reformulate his plan. "Okay, let's do this. We're getting the roommate. I'll deal with Dave and Trish later."

Entering Stacy's bedroom, they set their eyes on Stacy, who was sleeping peacefully. Her long blonde hair cascaded her face and her bed sheets hugged her curvy body. Looking around her roommate, the Brood discovered that she was also a fan of the occult; with various books on witches, vampires, and the afterlife.

Quickly snorting a line of cocaine to clear his thoughts, Edge pulled back the sheets and opened Stacy's legs. Disrobing his clothing, he climbed on top of her and quickly moved inside her. Stacy was quickly sobered up once she realized what was happening. She was too confused and incoherent to realize that the rest of the Brood were watching them have sex.

As Edge flicked his tongue against Stacy's, he caressed her body with his free hand. Stacy wrapped her legs around him tighter as she felt her body prepare for an orgasm. Once she had an orgasm, Edge's fangs appeared and he sunk them into Stacy's neck. Stacy's life quickly disappeared as her eyes turned black and breathing became shallow.

Edge quickly got off Stacy and watched her living soul slowly morph into the afterlife. Moments later, Stacy was born again—with grey eyes, an intense expression and wicked aura what was prevalent.

She adjusted her vision and looked around her. "What happened to me?" She asked.

Lilian smiled and walked over to her. "Welcome to the Brood."