Whilst writing this chapter I nearly wrote the sentence: "the breather breathed", haha what a dummy I am. :3

Thank you Skeletal Princess and Yep19333 for your wonderful reviews. :)

Mir pulled a human and Erin behind the bar just as the doors burst open. The vampiress heard many footsteps and the sound of heartbeats in the room increased by at least ten.

The knife was ripped from the breather's hand and pressed against her neck once more. His eyes stared unforgivingly down on her.

"What happens if you cut a vampires throat?" He hissed, his eyes glittering crimson.

She slashed at him only to have her wrist snatched in his hand. "Let me go!"

"No idea!" He ignored her question. "Let's try it!"

Erin didn't know either what would happen if he slit her throat. She was lucky, shuffling on the other side of the bar made all three of them freeze.

A woman, a slayer by the scent of her blood, spoke into a phone. "He's not here." The blade dug dangerously deep into her carotid artery. Mir put a finger to his lips. Erin strained to hear the receiver's voice. "Fine. Yes. I'll call you then." They heard multiple footsteps and then the closing of the doors.

"I didn't call them!" Erin said before Mir had the chance to potentially murder her. Her eyes made contact with his. "You know I'm not lying."

He slowly released her though- "But you are the reason they are here" -the vampire's slender fingers remained curled around her wrist. Curiosity glittered in Mir's sapphire depths. "Why would a slayer want retribution for a vampire?"

"Why would a slayer send so many men to kill one vampire?" It was no explanation, but she hoped the question would tide him over until she could think of an acceptable answer. "They don't care about me Mir." Only Jonno would mourn her. And even then, he'd probably tell himself that she'd died the second Vlad's fangs had pierced her neck.

Mir bristled at something. "I told you to stop thinking about Vlad."

"Do you think now is really the time to nitpick about that?" She scowled and got to her feet, carefully glancing at the door and brushing dust off her clothes. Mir's human also removed himself from the floor, glancing at the vampire with more than just fear.

Sympathy?

"Shit," The breather muttered. "I can't be a part of this."

The knife was still clutched in tightly in Mir's hand as he too got to his feet. "A part of what? My life? Have you forgotten that I don't actually have one?"

Erin suddenly felt like she was eavesdropping on something private. While being a vampire meant she was everything creepy and criminal Mir and this breather obviously knew each other and well… she didn't want to lose the read she had on her ex to sympathy.

He was no open book, not at all but she was sure she could read him by now. Chey and this human were his friends and some stupid piece of Vlad that was still in him meant she could use this against him. Vlad was stupidly loyal – she would be truly surprised if amnesia changed that. He'd do anything to save them.

She tuned out the argument.

Studying Mir was more preferable, especially since this fight was doubtful to really go anywhere. If she knew Mir like she knew Vlad then he'd make Russ forget or he'd beg and plead and grovel.

Then a particularly violent motion from Mir made her rapidly refocus on the conversation.

The breather's fell forward. He collapsed into Mir's arms as blood exploded from a thin slit across his throat. Immediately the vampire's lips sought to cover the gap that was swiftly spewing plasma.

"Mir!" She hissed, almost sounding as horrified as she felt. With all her strength she pulled him away from the dying breather and slapped him around the face. The human collapsed on the floor without any support.

Mir looked coldly at her through Vlad's features. The blood coated his mouth and chin, some of it had even made it onto his collar.

"He was your friend!" The shrillness of her voice surprised even her and she ripped the bloody knife from his hands and threw it across the room. The bar was empty; everyone had cleared out with the presence of slayers. Mir's eyes were also empty as he glanced at the breather, choking out his last few breaths.

"And now he's not." He grabbed her wrist tightly. "Let's go." Erin allowed him to bodily drag her out of the bar.

It's so hard to drink neatly, Mir thought as the shower washed away the remnants of his only friend other than Cheyenne. Russ… Well… He'd had to go. The vampire had known that. Doing it quick and replacing the guilt with hunger was enough of a balm to dull the pain. If the thief couldn't accept his secret, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't tell someone. Mir was too smart to let that get away from him.

The water was cold by this point but he left it running. Let it cool the temperature of his blood back to his glacial state as a reminder that he was not human and that risking himself with Russ was stupid. If Cheyenne hadn't have been so accepting of his secret and caring of him she'd be dead too. Mir knew that and he knew that he was a monster. Erin's reaction had confirmed it. He was fine with that.

There was no space for loose ends in his splintered life. Not with slayers travelling across the country to kill him. He didn't quite understand the concept of humans taking up a stake and trying to kill the undead but he didn't understand a lot about vampires at this current time. Erin wasn't willing to tell him much either.

He turned off the shower and stood in front of the mirror. Even the towel he was drying himself with was invisible to the reflective glass.

Erin knew about vampirism and all these things, from his past to his powers, she knew. But she most certainly wasn't willing to tell. His aggressiveness had only postponed her next assassination attempt and she would not give up what she knew because it was what he wanted from her.

He was also fine with that. Entanglements like theirs would end badly anyway. He'd have to kill Erin eventually.

They were vampires. Jagged fangs and red eyes. The whole shebang.

Mir couldn't trust anyone with his secrets, his feelings. That was obvious.

He wasn't exactly fine with that.

I worry this chapter moved too quickly but I'm not going to change it because I am lazy like that, yay me!

Tell me what you think and I'll see you next week guys. :D