Here's another chapter. Hope you all like it. To the rest of the reviewers, thanks! To unimaginable insanity, I'll make a bio about the Donahue brothers at the next chapter. Sorry.

Chapter 16: The Night Princess

The Night Princess

by Phoenix Tears

It was a curse, to live forever. But eternity didn't look so bad when there is your loved one to share it with you. I never thought I will end up living forever; I thought I was going to grow old with my loved one, have lots of little me running about in the sunny yard and face death at the end of my time. But I'd never expect myself to face death so quickly, so merciless and so painful.

It wasn't normal the way I died; I know I was brutally murdered. I remember vividly the look of the murderer; a beautiful lady with the most gorgeous black hair and piercing dark eyes. She was beautiful, I cannot deny but the way she killed us was definitely not human. How a woman single-handedly murdered eight people in a go? All of us are grown men, except for our dearest sister.

That wasn't the only thing I remembered; I still remembered the burning sensation in my body. It felt like I was in hell, maybe I really went to hell. But when I awoke, I was laying in an abandoned house with seven other siblings of mine with me. None of them have awakened yet. I checked myself, I'm still in one piece, no missing flesh or scars could be seen. My skin was deathly pale; it looked as if I had never been in the sun for years. That attack should have left some scars on me but it didn't.

I looked around my surroundings; we are in a small room with no windows so there was no way for us to escape and although it was dark in the room, I could see perfectly clear. Gradually, my other siblings woke up and we sat together, trying to straighten out what had happened to us. We still looked the same; still the same blonde hair, blue eyes but the only thing different is our ghostly pale skin. What had happened to us?

The door creaked open and the lady from that night entered. She didn't look all too happy when she saw me.

"You've awaken." Her voice was surprisingly sexy and I found myself drawn to her each time she took a step closer.

"What is this place?" I finally asked, "What have you done to us?"

She didn't reply; instead she walked out and pulled a woman in. The woman was screaming and begging to be freed, tears were flowing down her cheeks and her red hair was a mess. Something stirred in me; not sympathy but something else.

She pushed the red head to us and in a very commanding tone, said, "Feed."

At first we just stared at her and the red head, which was crying even louder now. My sister put a comforting arm around the red head but she squirmed away, screaming, "Don't touch me, you vampires!"

Anger rose in me, how dare she scream at my sister when all she did was trying to be nice and accusing us of being vampires? Suddenly my youngest brother did something we didn't expect him to do; he pulled the red head towards him, pushed her hair back and bit down hard on her neck. The red head screamed and my younger sister let out a loud gasp of horror.

What is our dear brother doing?

Looking at the amount of blood flowing down from the wound, something stirred in me; an odd feeling of sudden hunger and craving. I inched forward and pulled the red head's wrist to my face and bit down too. I didn't know why I did it, something in me wanted to do it so I did. I drank the blood, tasting its sweetness against my tongue.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the black hair lady smiling down at us as my siblings joined me at my feast.

There was no more blood left to spare so we dropped the body and stared at the stranger who fed us this human. My younger sister was crying now, but no tears formed. "What did we do? What is happening to us?"

I was disgusted by myself; I kept rubbing my lips, trying to erase the taste of blood that still lingers. Why did I do that? What feared me even more is that I enjoyed the taste of it.

My younger brother was the first to speak, "Why did you make us into vampires like you, Reina?"

I looked at my younger brother, is that the lady's name and how did he know it? The lady called Reina raised an eyebrow at him, her red lips curved upwards.

"So we have a mind-reader." She looked at the rest of us, her eyes piercing cold, "Yes, I have turned you all. You can no longer walk under the sun unless you take enough amount of blood and you have forever, unless someone kills you or you decide to take your own life."

We decided to live forever.

We returned to our own home one night and father was relieved to see us. But he can tell something was different with us. He questioned us until we gave in and told him what we had become. At first, father was scared of us; pure horror was shown on his face. But when he calmed down, he asked us to change him. He wanted to live forever too, with us. None of us wanted to change him, none of us wanted to doom our father for eternity so we ran back to the abandon house where Reina lives.

Reina wasn't pleased to see us at first, but she let us stayed. We would stay in the house during the day and we would hunt at night. Reina taught us a lot of things; she taught us how to hunt, how to fully use our gift as hunters and how to avoid being the hunted. We stayed low to avoid suspicion. The villagers hated and feared vampires more than anything else and they will hunt and kill you if they had the chance so staying alive, wasn't always easy.

Staying together with Reina for a few weeks changed a lot of things between us siblings. We've gotten closer than before and we've gotten used to our primal instinct. Reina had gotten friendlier with us now, she trusted us more than she did the first time and she let us know her past too. Reina has been living for a longer time than we did, she moved around a lot so the villagers won't suspect anything.

I was drawn to Reina, more and more each day. None of my brothers showed any interest in this exotic beauty other than me. My eyes could not stop following her, and my dead heart would start beating rapidly every time she is near. I will worry when she doesn't return after the hunting trip. I loved listening to her voice, I loved the way her lips curl into a smile and I love the feeling of her being close to me. Is this love? Have I fallen in love with the one woman that killed me?

My mind-reading brother had slowly mastered his mind-reading gift and sensed my thoughts, he would always smile at me and tease me, "If you don't hurry, someone else might take her."

Then I would worry; if one of my brothers approached her first, will she agree to them? But if I approached her, will she run away? I took my chances and I approached her one night.

She was sitting alone on the hill top, her hair as dark as the night falling across her shoulders in curls. I walked up to her and she sensed my approach.

"Come, sit." She said, without looking at me. I obediently sat next to her, my heart rate increasing. She could very well hear my heartbeat and she chuckled at that, "Why is it every time I am near, your heart sounded like this?"

"Maybe because I am in love with you?" I said.

And she laughed. "No, my dear, you do not love me. It's the connection between us that made you think you are in love with me."

"But what if I really am in love with you?" I asked once more.

"Then prove it."

And we made love under the starry moonlight.

But I wasn't the only one that have found my soul mate, my little brother had too. We were supportive at first, encouraging him to approach his soul mate. But when we knew who it was, none of us agreed with it.

"Why?" my little brother said, his voice filled with anger, "Weren't you all supportive at first? Is it wrong to want your soul mate? To live your forever with her and love her?"

"It is not wrong, my little brother." One of us replied.

"Then what wrong is it!"

"That she is our sister!"

No one said anything else as our little brother stomped out of the room, slamming the door loudly behind him.

My pity little brother, he must think that we hated him. But in truth, we loved him too much to let him with his soul mate when she is our only sister. Fate is cruel; for one's soul mate to be his sister, is one person he can never be with and never have. No matter how much he wants to hold her, kiss her, show her how much she means to him; he can never do it. It will be incest.

In the end, we let him have his way.

Looking at them together, their happy smiles and the way they look at each other; we never regretted letting them together. The world seemed so much better now, I have Reina and my little brother and sister have each other. But the only one missing from our life is our father.

After a long talk, we decided to let him into our world. Since Reina was the oldest among us and the most skilled, she was the one to turn father and we were to show him the way of surviving.

Father was turned; and through the process I have to hear him scream, begged as the same fire we've felt burned through his veins, turning him into one of us. Three days, his screams finally stopped. He was one of us now. Father was quick in taking up the ways of hunting and less than a month he was already as skilled as we were.

For a year, we lived in the same house until the villagers started to get suspicious and we moved to another village. We got a simple house near the mountains and we stayed there for a few years. Then we would move again when suspicions rose. We keep doing the same thing for the next ten years.

It was in the mid-nineties when my little mind-reader brother started to give me weird looks. I can't read minds so I never understand what he was thinking when he was looking at me. But I was starting to guess it was a look of pity. Whenever asked, he would just turn away and said it was nothing.

Everyone took turns hunting; sometimes I would go with Reina but most of the time I would go with my brothers. We would hunt far away from our living area to avoid suspicion and it will take us at least one full day to return home.

One day, I returned home from hunting earlier than usual. I thought everyone went out but my sensitive ears caught voices on the second floor above and I went up. At first I smelt sex and I chuckled to myself, thinking it was probably my little brother and sister is doing 'it'. But it wasn't their smell I caught on, it was Reina's.

Without thinking any further, I pulled open our bedroom door and true enough, there laid my beloved Reina.

With my father.

Instantly Reina jumped out of bed, pulling the covers to cover her naked body but my father laid there unmoving. Reina approached me and started rambling some excuse but I didn't listen to anything she said. Instead, I walked out of the room and out of the house.

My world fell apart; the woman I thought was my soul mate was actually sleeping with my father for all this time. Is this why my little brother kept giving me those pity look because he knew what they were doing behind my back? Why didn't my brother tell me then? Not to hurt my feelings perhaps? But he should have told me earlier, so I won't have to walk in on them when they were half way doing 'it'. They must have been doing 'it' every time I went hunting, but when did Reina started to betray me? And why didn't I notice those obvious signs at all?

I was dry-crying, since vampires don't have tears. I didn't want to return to place I used to call 'home' but the little mind-reader found me and brought me back. I don't know how to face my father and Reina together but I have to face the fact that Reina had betrayed me and what was done is done. My younger sister and little brother was the only one that knew who Reina was betraying me with and they said nothing to the other siblings when they asked.

A few days later, Reina came back to me. She was begging me to forgive her, giving me all those excuses I find impossible and asking me to take her back. At first, I was angry; after she cheated on me with my father, how dare she come back to me and ask me to take her back?

But when I look at her, that anger subsided. Reina was beautiful; her dark as night hair, piercing dark eyes and full red lips, she was a beauty no man can resist. Is this why my so-called father slept with her because she seduced him or was it the other way? And what does he have that I don't?

In the end, I let her back.

It was a mistake I wish I could undo. Letting her back in, I fell in love with her again. And I was hurt in the end, again.

That day everyone had gone out to hunt, Reina and I were the only ones left in the house. We were both lying in bed, cuddling together and enjoying the company of each other.

Suddenly, Reina attacked me.

I was quick enough to dodge it and the silver blade slit my shoulder, missing my heart. I sprinted out of bed, confused and angry. Reina stood up at the other side of the bed; both her eyes were fury red. The silver blade held at her right hand, dripping with my blood from the cut. I didn't dare to swift my eyes away from her; although I am stronger than her but she was quicker. She had always been faster than I am although I catch up to her strength as time passes. I could feel the wound slowly closing up and my anger rose.

"Why did you attack me? Are you trying to kill me?" I asked a foolish question I should have realized. Reina just smiled at me, her fangs fully extracted, and her red eyes danced with menace.

She slashed at me again, this time faster and harder. I managed to block a few strikes but always too close to my heart. My primal part wanted to fight back, but my conscience didn't want to hurt her. In the end I knocked the blade out of her hand and held her by her neck up at the wall. She hissed angrily at me, both of her hands scratching at my face and hands. I ignored her flinging arms and asked, "Why, Reina? I thought you loved me?"

She laughed, "Loved you? Silly boy, just because I slept with you doesn't mean I loved you."

I pressed harder, "Then, what is the motive for you to come back to me?"

That made her laugh even more, "Don't you see, my dear boy? Your weakness is when you are with me! I nearly got your heart, didn't I? But I missed."

I shook my head; silly Reina, you already got my heart a long time ago.

"You have to kill me now or I will kill you the next time I lie in your bed, love." She smirked at me, "Or are you too weak to kill me?"

"You know I can never kill you, love. Give me a good enough reason and I will spare your life." I said through gritted teeth.

My beautiful Reina, my goddess, my angel of death; she was everything, my soul mate and my life. She smiled at me, "Just kill me."

And I did as she requested.

The only remaining of Reina was the pile of ashes on the floor and the memory of her. We moved a few weeks later, to a mansion uphill. It was beautiful; I have to admit, even before father asked some constructor to redecorate the 80's designs. It was well furnished a week later and we moved in. It wasn't long after that that some other vampires came and joined us, willing to work for us as long as they could be in a coven.

We met werewolves too, living fifteen miles from our area and they didn't like us much. They thought we are threatening their territory and wanted to fight us off their land but father made a deal with them, not willing to fight with them. A treaty was made, and two werewolves volunteered to stay as slaves as long as we do not attack their kind. One of them was a female and another male, both of them are different from our kind; sun-kissed skin and taller than average humans.

But the trouble just started brewing and werewolves are the least of our troubles.

A month after we moved to this new mansion we now called 'home', we met vampire hunters. Like vampires and werewolves that are supposed to be just mystical creatures in story books, vampire hunters exist too. There were two hunters; a female and a male which father suspected were a newly-married couple. They were too busy in their honeymoon to not notice us. There were only two of them and we could have easily wiped them out from the face of the earth but it will only draw the other vampire hunters' attention.

Vampire hunters are humans trained to kill and erase the world of blood-sucking demons. They were taught never to trust a vampire's words and to be caution at all times. But like any ordinary humans, they fall in love too.

I could remember vividly the looks of the hunters; both have reddish-black hair and plain brown eyes. Nothing too glamorous like the vampires but they still stood out more than normal people; after all, could they help it if their ancestors used to drink vampire's blood, making them stronger and prettier?

They call us monsters, but when they are no different. They too, slaughter vampires without a second thought. They say we are monsters because we drink blood from living humans, but weren't they the same, drinking the blood of a vampire who used to live like they do? They call us heartless because we kill their families, friends and lovers; but didn't they do the same? They kill our families, friends and lovers just because we are doomed to live for all eternity. Have they ever thought about the fact that some of us didn't choose this fate? That some of us was brutally murdered just to wake up and find ourselves a corpse that had to strive on blood for survival?

But the hunters never think that far, they just think about wiping us of the face of the earth, thinking they are doing the world a huge great favor. Of course the werewolves are grateful that hunters track and kill us; they hated us for centuries and still continue to hate us.

But, why? Why out of so many of us siblings, it had to be her?

We were late, too late. I ran, each of us, ran to her. With our vampire speed, it took us less than a minute to reach there, to aid our only sister who is in danger. But no, we had to arrive there a little too late.

But not too late to see her smiling at us painfully, her smile still so enchanting and whispering the words that were too soft for humans to hear.

"I will love you all forever."

My beloved dearest sister; she was the light of our life when the night took us in. She was different from the rest of us; she remained kind-hearted like she used to be back when she was alive, she remained not hurting anything living or dead unless necessary and she will forever remained as our night princess.

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