Chapter Four

I tripped over that stupid little triangle thing you jam under the door to keep it open as we ran through a door that led into the kitchen. I didn't fall because squeezing Revenge's cold hand helped me keep my balance. I did stumble a little though, and my hip dug into the sharp edge of a corner. A small sigh of pain passed through my lips. Despite what I believe to be a life threatening injury, Revenge continued to unintentionally drag me behind him as we went to where ever it was he wanted to. Pots and pans hung above countertops, and they gleamed a little in the darkness. We took a sharp right, and Revenge's hand fell from mine. Gasping, I slowly came to a stop in the darkness. Revenge was opening a cabinet.

"What.. Are you.. Doing?" I said as I caught my breath.

"I believe our security system has been broken into. I am going to check for confirmation."

"You're going to find confirmation in a cabinet?"

"I have forgotten my cellular device. I don't really like it all that well. There should be something here…" Revenge said in a small whisper. I let out a sigh and turned around because I felt like someone was going to sneak up on us.

"Well, if Zane would have let me pack a few things before he kidnapped me I would have mine. Now we're going to-"

"Human, if you would be so kind to come here." I turned around and Revenge was standing next to a square hole in the ground.

"Ummm.. There's a square hole in the ground that wasn't there before." I glanced to see the island counter was now moved over. It must have been concealing the hole. That's why he was looking in a cabinet! He was looking for this… hole?

"I am aware of that. It is an escape tunnel. Now-Human! Get down!" His voice changed half way through his sentence. It got more distressed. Suddenly, his hand was on mine. It tightened around mine, and a sigh of pain past through my lips. His hand pulled my arm down and with it my body fell to the ground. His hand ripped away from my tight hold. When I looked up, Revenge was a couple of feet in front of me and had a sleek black gun in his hand. A man was running at him. Two smooth shots rang out down the hall as the man running at us sank to the ground. He just shot someone! I thought as my breath caught. My heart sank. I scrambled to my feet.

Worriedly, I raced to the man Revenge had shot. My mind twirled. All I could think about was trying to keep everyone alive. I kneeled onto the ground next to his unmoving body. My clean hands darted down to the bloody mess on his shirt. I wasn't good at this type of stuff. All I knew was that I had to apply pressure to his wounds. I didn't know what else to do! I knew CPR, but I didn't think that was something I should do at the moment. Would that even help? I didn't think it would. I should check his pulse! Just as I was about to, Revenge's voice entered my moment of inner struggling.

"Human, what are you doing? We are not-" A grunt sounded behind me, and my head whipped around to see Revenge in battle with two more men. Not men, I realized with a start, but other vampires. I glanced down at the injured man I was putting pressure on. The man's eyes opened to reveal red colored eyes. Shots echoed from behind me.

"Everything is going to be fine!" I shouted down to him. His mouth opened showing his fangs. Everything happened so quickly. His hands came up and shoved my helping hands off him. While I was distracted, I was pushed roughly to the ground. My head snapped back and hit the tiled ground. The vampire jumped on top of me and held my wrists to the ground with his hands. I grunted as I tried freeing myself.

"I was trying to save you!" I yelled at him, but he didn't seem to be listening. His eyes glinted bright red in the darkness as he leaned down closer to me. I tried pulling away with all my strength.

"Stay down!" Revenge's sturdy voice called. I pressed myself as close to the ground as I could. Silver glinted a few inches in front of my eyes as a knife dug into the head of the vampire on top of me. I could only stare up at the vampire's blank face expression. The handle of the knife stuck out only a few inches above me. It had hit him right between the eyes. Dark red blood dripped down his face, and the first drop hit the ground. I shifted my weight. Within a few seconds his whole body turned to the side as he fell down.

I struggled to get out from underneath him in panic. Suddenly, gentle hands were under my arms and helped slide my body out from underneath the vampires. I staggered a little as I got to my feet. One of Revenge's smooth hands reached out and captured mine.

"Blair," His face looked oddly strained. "how are you feeling? I am sorry for all of this." I glanced down at my bloody hand that was in his. My hand was bloody.

"What's happening? And you…you're… I don't understand." I took a deep breath and tried to settle down. "Are…are they…" I glanced down at the three motionless bodies. My heart was pumping fast, and I had this dizzy feeling. My hands were shaky.

"They are not dead, if that was the intent of your question. My weapons are made of silver, and silver makes them extremely weak. It puts them in a dreamlike state for a couple of hours." His eyes shined brightly in the darkness. His hand reached down and pulled on a chain that was wrapped around one of the still vampire's neck. His hand came away with a small necklace. "They are not from this court, and they are newly turned," he said as he examined the necklace. "We are being attacked, but I do not recognize this symbol. For now they are stuck here, due to the silver in their bodies, and then they will be put on trial by the Court of Radiance." I stared at their still bodies and jumped when Revenge's cool hand took mine.

His hand was gentle on mine as he pulled me toward the hole in the ground.

"I will be right behind you as you go down. It should be safe down here. I will have to set the lock on this entrance, so pause on the sixth step on the ladder so I can lock it." Revenge pulled the door to the entrance down and when the lock clicked we continued down the ladder. It was dark. It would have been pitch black if it wasn't for the Christmas like bulbs that hung from the ceiling every ten meters. The floor of the underground tunnel was dirt. The ceiling and the sides of the walls I assumed were made of steal. The tunnel stretched a long ways; I couldn't see an end.

Sometimes, I would hear a thud that would make me look toward the ceiling of the tunnel. Revenge's posture was perfect, and every once and a while he would slow down and listen to the sounds around us. If I would start to stray a little too far, just inches from his body, his hand would pull me back in. I saw his lips briefly twitch into a reluctant smile as I strayed two inches away on purpose. I stuck my tongue out at him when he pulled me closer to him. It was supposed to ease the tension; instead, it just made me look at my bloody hand again. Chills ran through my body.

Revenge started to pull me toward the side of the tunnel. We stopped on the side.

"There should be an emergency supply spot somewhere in the wall," he whispered as he let go of my hand. His palm pressed against the wall. A click made my head turn toward Revenge. His palm had pressed against a part of the wall, and the pressure made a small square door the size of his hand pop out. He started grabbing objects from the safe like space.

"What is that?" I whispered to him as I watched him put something into his ear.

"An earpiece that connects me with the others," he answered.

"This is Revenge. What is the status?" Revenge said quietly. Revenge froze for a minute while he listened to whoever was on the other line.

"It is official that we have been breached then. I read one of their tags, but I did not recognize the symbol. Have any of you recognized it?"

"Yes. I am with the human," Revenge said into what looked like empty air. I was starting to get frustrated; I wanted to know what it was they were talking about too. I crossed my arms inpatient.

"Dax, let me know as soon as you secure the system. I am currently in the tunnels. I will run a search pattern."

"Would you please take my hand?" Revenge asked. I put my hand in his with my pulse racing. I didn't know what I was to this group of vampires any more. Was I nothing? Maybe I was something? Were they my enemies? I glanced at Revenge. His expression was challenging; it seemed like he was daring whoever was out in the darkness to step forward to battle. He protected me… He couldn't be my enemy, right?

"There should not be any others down here. These tunnels are set up strictly for escape purposes. They are not even on the blue print." Five minutes later, we walked around a corner to enter a different hallway; Revenge immediately ducked down. I think he forgot I was not skilled at all with being sneaky. When he ducked so suddenly, my arm was pulled down, this made my ankle twist under me. A small hiss of pain exited my lips, but that was all the sound the vampires up ahead needed to turn their heads toward us. I froze. I heard the familiar sound of a knife flying at me and hit the ground hard before Revenge had to say anything. I thought it must be from Zane's blood.

"Oh my gosh! Did you just see that? I dodged that knife!" I whispered to Revenge who sighed as he slowly straightened up from his crouch. His hand that was holding mine slowly let go. Revenge reached for something in his black jacket. He quickly turned back to me. His fingers patiently took my hand and wrapped it around a black object. My stomach twisted when I saw his hand leave, and I was holding the black gun from before.

"It has silver bullets," he announced as he pulled out sword from a sheath I couldn't see because in had been hidden under his long black coat. "Hide behind that corner." His head nodded to the corner we had just turned.

"I don't want to lea-"

"Please, Blair. I would not like to see you get hurt. You are fragile." I stood there for a few seconds. His silver eyes were pleading. I found the little bit of blue in them I had to search for to notice. I sighed. Obeying, I walked backwards and around the corner. My heart jerked as gun shots echoed through the hallway, so I peeked around the corner. Revenge's sword sliced right through one intruder's neck. His sword came away dripping blood. The vampire fell to his knees decapitated. Blood collected on the ground in the darkness like a puddle of oil. I gagged.

My heart beat picked up, and my palms started sweating. I started feeling dizzy again. I was just about to stop peaking around the corner when red eyes looked into my green ones. Our eye contact was short, but it was long enough for the vampire to come storming at me. I turned back around the corner and held the gun out where I knew he would be turning the corner. My breath was heavy.

He was too fast. I went to go pull the trigger, but the gun was smacked out of my hand. The crazed vampire was bald, and his eyes were the same bright red as the others. His hands came out and shoved me against the wall. My head cracked back against the corner of the wall; the sound of the impact echoed. I let out a pained groan. My eyes spotted the black gun a couple of feet away.

The vampire swung a knife down, but before it could fully dig into my arm I turned away. Heat built up on my arm as the blade skimmed across my arm and cut a little into my skin; I couldn't fully dodge it. The vampire's eyes went wide as he froze just inches in front of me. Confused, I backed away scrambling from him and snatched the gun from the ground. The vampire that had attacked me was still frozen. I stared at him. My finger felt the cool metal of the trigger. I couldn't do it. I couldn't harm another. I let air slide between my lips. The vampire didn't move.

The vampire dropped to the ground. Revenge was behind the vampire who had been attacking me. I looked at Revenge questioningly as he pulled out his sword with a sickening sound. That's why the vampire attacking me had been frozen; Revenge had already gotten to him. I looked at the destruction around us. Revenge had dark splotches on his clothes, which I could only assume was blood. Revenge didn't move. He just stayed standing in the same spot. I felt really dizzy.

"Well, that went well," I said as I glanced at the five bodies on the ground. Their images made me feel hopeless.

"It turns out that I'm good at this fighting stuff. Who wouldda known?" I gave Revenge a sarcastic smile. His smile was very weak, and then it disappeared altogether.

"You are bleeding." His voice was low. I looked at my arm. I was still in my fudging pink pajamas, which just made me feel gross. I've been in them for three days. My right sleeve was slashed open, and blood had soaked into the fabric.

"You think I might get a cool battle scar?" I asked as my body swayed. I backed up a couple inches to lean against the wall.

"I would like to think you will not." Revenge's steps toward me were slow. His hands clasped lightly onto my arm. A large slanted gash stretched from my shoulder to half way to my elbow. His eyes stayed on the wound for a while. I watched his face as he turned my arm from side to side. I was losing a lot of blood. I could feel it in my body. It was the weirdest feeling like life was leaving me.

"It does not appear to be dangerously deep." His hands stayed on my arm as his eyes slowly examined my body then met my eyes. The small blue tint in his eyes seemed to gleam slightly in the darkness. I opened my mouth to say something, but I hesitated then closed my mouth slowly. One of his hands stayed on my arm as the other one leisurely came up against my cheek. He paused there with his eyes still searching mine. His eyes snapped away as he put a small amount of pressure on my cheek. My head turned to the side. His hand carefully pushed my brown hair behind my ear. A soft sigh came from my lips as a throbbing pain danced in my head.

"Your head is bleeding."

"Well, then maybe I'm not so hard headed after all," I joked as Revenge slowly dropped his palm from my face.

"You haven't failed to surprise me," Revenge said as he kept hold of my arm instead of my hand. We started walking. My feet dragged in the dark hall way as Revenge led me to where ever it was we were going.

"Zane, she is perfectly well and in good health." My head turned up to Revenge with a questioning look. Then I realized he was on the earpiece. Zane. His name sent an electric current though my body.

"Zane, I promise you that I am looking after here. Stay on your task with the princess. You will be able to see her in the near future." Without a word Revenge reached down and swung me into his arms. I laid my head against his chest and felt safer than I had in the past few days. Happiness settled in my stomach knowing that Zane was okay.

"I do not think talking to her is a good idea at the moment. She is a little stressed with the images she has seen today." A frown on his face showed Revenge's distress. I reached my hand that was on my good arm up, and I pressed my palm against his chest. Revenge's eyes shifted toward me. I nodded my head. He handed the earpiece to me.

"Zane?" I asked after I arranged the piece into my ear. His voice came over strained.

"My human," he said as if relieved.

"How are you? If need be I will receive a replacement for my current location, and I will come to see that you are doing well." I laughed. How weird is it that the same man who was going to kill me was so concerned on my wellbeing?

"Yeah..umm.. You know I'm fine... not even a scratch on me," I said as I stared down at the blood welling up and falling in small drops from my arm and onto my bloody shirt.

"I feel the need to see you." I do too, I answered in my head. It was physically hurting me. I had anxiety and an ache somewhere inside of my chest. This stupid blood bond was not being nice. What is it with me? Stockholm syndrome. Just great. At least I could diagnose my disease and learn how to heal it. Yeah, how are you going to do that? A very negative side of me said in my head. Google? You'll just type in "how to get rid of Stockholm syndrome?"

"I'm sure I'll get the displeasure of seeing you sometime soon," my voice came out defeated. My head hurt. I didn't feel like thinking. I heard a muffled sound which I assumed was a chuckle of laughter. I, of course, didn't see how he thought that was funny.

"I will see you somewhere in the near future, but as for now I have to go." And then he was gone. Revenge took the earpiece, and put it in his pocket. I was more exhausted than before. Talking had taken the small amount of energy left in me. Somehow we were out of the tunnels. I couldn't remember how we had gotten out.

Just as Revenge was about to open a door, the lights started flickering back on. We stepped into a room that reminded me of a waiting room at a dentist.

"She is injured," Revenge's voice was sturdy as he announced that into the half-filled room. Shocked humans looked at us with wide eyes. I could only imagine what we looked like. I glanced up at Revenge's face. A couple of smudges of blood were on the right side of his face. His black hair was clumped together in some places too with a sticky looking substance. The fabric on my arm was soaked in blood. My hands were smudged with blood. I looked around dizzily at the humans waiting patiently in their chairs. We were a bloody mess. Pun intended.

"Sir, if you would kindly wait-" A woman with curly amber colored hair spoke from behind a desk.

"I'm sorry, but I would like to refrain from taking your order. I do not believe waiting is in the best interest of her wellbeing."

"I see." The woman's brown eyes scanned the room as she got up.

"Please follow me." Revenge held me in his arms as he followed to woman to a door. My eyes stopped on a girl. Her blond hair wasn't what made me remember her; it was the scar that cut down her right eye to the top of her right lip. When she saw me give her a fleeting look, she smiled. Her smile disappeared as we stepped through the door and out of the waiting room.

A shower, a nap, a bandage, a few stitches, a splint, and a few staples in my head later, Revenge opened the door to his 'living quarters'. His 'living quarters' turned out to be what looked like a two bedroom apartment. I didn't even tour around his apartment, although I did notice that there were no windows. Revenge led me straight to the room I'd be staying in. I collapsed on the bed.

"I had them bring in this bed while you were at the doctor's."

"Ahhhh thank you," I said as I sank into the mattress and pulled the blankets over my head. When Revenge didn't answer I pulled the blankets back down and glanced at him. He was standing in the doorway to the room staring at the foot of the bed. It was amazing how much safer I felt with him around now that he had saved my life.

"What's up?" I asked in confusion. His hair was still a little damp from a shower. He was dressed in new clean clothes, but he had rolled his sweater sleeves up a little. Scratches covered the sides of his arms. I wanted to smack my head I felt so stupid. Why would I not think about Revenge being injured? I just assumed he would heal. You know what I blamed this on? Vampire books. They made vampires seem invincible. He glanced up to my question.

"I should be going now. Goodnight." He started to close the door and leave.

"Oh no you don't! Get back here!" I yelled as much as my tired voice could. His retreating form stopped and slowly turned.

"Do you have any bandages or peroxide…or stuff like that?"

"Yes. You do not have to worry about not having the supplies. I had someone bring some supplies down. They're in that drawer there." He pointed at a dresser on the other side of the room. I got up and opened the drawer with my left hand. My right arm was in a splint. I grabbed a bottle of peroxide, a couple of washcloths, and Band-Aids all in one hand. That's skill. I sat back down on the side of the bed.

"Come here." I patted the spot on the bed next to me. He gave me a confused expression as he slowly walked into the room. When he sat down next to me, my left hand reached out and grabbed his arm. He flinched at the contact and then went incredibly still. I turned his arm over.

"Why didn't you say anything about being hurt?" I said softly.

"I will heal." His voice was a small whisper.

"I'm going to heal too."

"You are going to heal at a slow rate. In an hour or so my wounds will be completely healed." He started to move his pale arm away from me.

"Well.. We should at least bandage the worst of them. You don't look so well." He became motionless again. "Please? It'll make me feel better." His eyes flickered over me as if he were going to find the answer to some question taped somewhere on my body.

"You should take off your sweater." I couldn't help the small blush that appeared on my face when I said that.

"I just do not understand," he said quietly as his arm moved out of his sweater.

"Hmm?" I asked him with confusion plainly on my face. He took his sweater off then paused.

"Are you scared of me?"

"Why would I be scared of you? Oh, I guess there was that one time where you drugged me…that was just the other day, actually." I paused then glimpsed at his troubled expression again.

"I'm not afraid of you, Revenge."

"You have just seen what my kind can do…what they will do, yet you sit here and aid the same type of creature that has hurt you." I poured peroxide on the washcloth. There were small cuts all over his arms that were almost already gone. There was a gash as long as mine on the upper part of his arm, it was already a scab. I didn't care; it was still going to be bandaged. I almost laughed, but he was being so serious.

"Revenge, you're being super silly right now. You're not a creature." I watched his expression stay the same as I put peroxide on his cut.

"And I'm not afraid of you…because you're good. You're just good." I wrapped a white bandage around his arm.

"I am glad you think so, but many people would disagree with you." His face was turned away from me.

"And who would disagree with me?"

"The many people who have died by my hand." He fidgeted. He actually looked nervous. He shifted and was starting to get up.

"Hey! I'm not finished," I protested. The creaking of the door flying open made my head snap away from Revenge. My heart lifted and then dropped when I saw his angry expression.

"Rev, I would like you out now," his lips barely moved as he spoke those words.

"Zane, she is-" Revenge tried to object.

"Revenge, that was a command." In silence Revenge left the room. The small click of the door closing echoed in the space. He just stared at me for a moment.

"You lied to me." His silver blue eyes were iced over. I didn't know what to say so I just looked at him with my heart beating quickly in my chest.

"Do you feel it?" His voice dropped and became softer as he got closer to me.

"I don't-" He let out a irritated sigh.

"Something ties me to you. It is something I have never gone through in a long time. I feel as if I am connected to you. I get… I get frustrated because of you. Do you understand?"

"Oh, I understand. You are one of the most frustrating people I think I-"

"Do not make that mistake." His voice grew sharp.

"I am not a person, my human. I am not something that feels too much, and when I do feel the tiniest bit of anything I do not make the choice that my heart wants."

"You have a heart?" I said with a smile, only because I find it funny that the vampires I have read about always deny something about having a heart in the sense of emotions. A smile filters onto his face.

"You do not like to take things seriously."

"Life is short." I glanced up at his tilted head that I became used to. I believed he did that when he is trying to answer a question he has asked himself and he couldn't t quite figure it out.

"So it seems." His hand ran across my face. He grabbed my chin with a rough hand.

"Don't you dare lie to me again," he whispered into my ear. The chills slid down my body. I closed my eyes, and swallowed loudly. All I could think about was how easy it would be for him to snap my neck. Suddenly, his hand was gone, and my eyes opened to an empty room.

That night I dreamt of red eyes and pale fingers reaching out to touch me but never succeeding.

Why hello there :) Thanks to everyone who reviews and reads! It truly does motivate me!

What was everyone's favorite part in this chapter?

- I like Revenge talking to Blair at the end :) I liked writing it haha.

***Review Responses***

1SouthernBelle- I love oatmeal! Haha and yeah, you can do a lot with it so that totally makes sense! It makes me happy to hear that you love it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! :D Flying or reading minds… reading minds would just be so interesting… but it might suck sometimes too… haha I can't choose between those two! They are both cool but for different reasons! Thanks so much for your review :) it means a lot to me!

AlexandraSterling418-Well this chapter sort of answered what happened with the lights! Someone broke in to The Court of Radiance :/ haha I've never tried fish! Lol I always get too scared to try it. I'm one of those really picky eaters. I hate being picky, but I just can't help it! Haha Thank you for your review! :D

Krystal Lynn2- YUM! Good choice! Deep dish is where it's at! Now I really want pizza! I actually LOVE review responses :) it's one of my favorite parts of writing because well…it's cool to know who is reading your story! And it's cool to hear what everyone thinks of it! :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that it stayed interesting :) Thank you so much for your review! As I said, I love getting them! Haha

dannyz- Hello :) thank you for your review! I get raviolis every time I go to Olive Garden! Yum! Thanks for all your compliments too! :) they made me super happy! Ahhh! So glad you love it 3 I should be updating about once a week? I can't be absolutely positive with that but that's my guess!

Tamika-ahahahaha! :) I'm happy to hear you like it! Thanks for your review! I should be posting once a week, but that's just a guess! Haha thanks again!

Thanks to everyone who favorites/alerts too!