Hi!
I'm sorry it took me so long to post this new chapter. I hope you will forgive me and that this chapter is worth the wait.

Thank you to my two betas Ancholia and Moonjat!

Please let me know if you liked it, I love your reviews! :)

The Dark Venus (R)

The candles were making a shining circle around her bed. She used to fear fire, not anymore. Her long hair spread upon the pillow, her long black gown on the white sheets, she was a beautiful demon back from hell.

She'd watched all his reaction back from the first murder to the discovery of her secret message and she had seen the slow evolution from concern to deep fear. The light slowly disappearing in his eyes, letting place to a cold old memory was her deepest pleasure. Josef Kostan was broken, desperate and scared. He didn't know who his enemy was, only the image of a ghost back from a terrible past, back from death. She had what she finally wanted. Revenge and soon death.

She smiled, her red mischievous lips lightened by the warm light of the candles. She had called France minutes ago. They told her that it was time. She had been ready for this for a long time, since her murder. Since that terrible night.

Her body tensed with the anticipated excitement. In a few hours her revenge would be complete. Humans and vampires would slowly wake up for this new day not even knowing what would happen soon. They would open their eyes, some in peace, other in fear and one would close them forever. Josef Kostan was going to die tonight.

***

The rain hit the walls of the castle. The sun was hidden behind loud, grey and black clouds, full of anger. The dead leaves on the ground were drowning in the muddy water, the trees were completely naked from their green leaves. Life had left them for the bitter winter.

The lonely castle was silent and seemed bowed by the weight of the water falling from the sky and by the terrible purpose which was planned by its occupants.

In a closed room, in the basement, three dark creatures were smiling.

"She's going to move in a few hours and then she'll have his head."

"Good, good. We have to be ready for her return." Richelieu said sitting on his chair.

"The plane is waiting for my instruction. I'll go to L.A to see his inanimate body."

"No."

Lance turned, the dark vampire hidden in his black cloak, only the icy light from his eyes shining through the shadows, stood a few inches from him.

"You'll stay here Lance. She'll bring us the head as we planned."

"But I want to be there."

"Lance." interrupted Richelieu and showed him the door.

Lance's black eye burned with anger as he left the room.

The dark figure moved silently, a cold wave following him.

"The American community is going to fall with him and his bloodline will disappear."

"There's still Mick St John who was turned by Kostan." Added Richelieu.

"He won't live long. I foresaw it." He smiled.

"And what about this girl?"

"If that human told us right, then she's ours. But don't let us get carried away by this human. We'll make the decision in time. First she's going to give us Kostan's head, then we'll see."

***

He looked at the ceiling. The morning's light was slowly entering the room. He hadn't slept. He just couldn't. The guilt burning his mind. Why had he told them about Beth?

He'd spent the night remembering each word from his phone conversation and each time, his whole body burned with anger.

He slowly stood up and went to the bathroom. He closed his eyes as he turned on the light, then saw his reflexion in the mirror. He looked terrible. His eyes surrounded by dark blue rings, his cheeks hollow, his lips pale.

It was time to go to work, but Talbot couldn't focus. He knew he'd done something very wrong, stupid, which was going to probably cost Beth's life. He turned his eyes from the mirror, unable to see his face, unable to watch the man who'd betrayed her.

He stepped in the shower and tried to think. He had to tell her, but how? She was with St John and Kostan who were going to kill him. His heart began to beat faster. Kostan was supposed to call him today as he did everyday. He had to answer him, especially after the call he got last night.

Talbot leaned his head down. If only he could hide the truth to Kostan, but he knew that the vampire would feel his fear and guess that he was hiding something. He was lost. He had betrayed her. He turned the warm water to the cold one. The reaction was instantanous. His muscles contracted with the cold aggression on his skin, awaking every cell of his body and mind. He stepped outside and grabbed a towel before walking back into his bedroom.

The large mirror of his dressing showed him what he didn't want to see. He opened it without looking at his figure in the mirror. He studied all the perfectly white shirts, black suits in front of him. He was a successful, smart man, but he had ruined everything. He took the first thing in front of him and dressed.

He took his suitcase and keys and walked towards the door. Just before he opened it, he exhaled, looking down. Suddenly he hit the door with his fist.

The short pain was nothing consider the one in his heart and especially nothing with what was waiting for him.

***

The sound of the living city was a peaceful melody. He stood in his red dressing gown of silk, a glass of blood mixed with whisky in his hand. His head was hurting him, he couldn't rest that day. His dreams were disturbing him. Since Beth had brought back from the past his darker memories, his mind had opened a door which was closed for many years. All the memories with Aliana, her voice, the smell and the touch of her sweet skin, the taste of her blood were surrounding him in a violent hallucination.

He remembered the first night he saw her, her first kiss, his turning. Everything was so vivid in his mind. He brought the cold glass to his lips and emptied the blood. The whisky filled with the fresh blood all his tensed body.

He looked at the sun which slowly began its descent, leaving the darkness above them. Josef was nervous, he could feel something would happen soon. It was now only a matter of time before he would finally face the woman who had changed his life forever.

He put the glass on a table and when to his dressing room. He chose his favorite suit, dark blue, with a black shirt and a silver tie. His movements were mechanical, like a man ready to face his destiny.

When he was ready, Josef arrived in his office. His men weren't there yet. He turned all the computers on and read the first numbers of the day. An ironic smile brushed his lips. He won money this day and maybe it was his last one. He went to pour himself another drink. The warm and caramel-sour scent of the Whisky awoken his senses.

He walked towards his desk, looking at the sky showing a beautiful explosion of warm colours. He put the glass on the desk, his hand in the trousers, lost in the contemplation of the sky. He was suddenly nostalgic. He turned to his chair and as he sat down, his eyes opened wide, his hands shaking.

In the middle of the table, lay a black envelope.

***

He slowly opened his eyes and felt an arm across his stomach. He lifted his head and looked down at the blonde sleeping head on his chest. He smiled. He had never felt so happy in his life. He was lying in his freezer with his Beth.

His body was aching for blood. He concentrated on Beth's breath and caught that she was deep in rest. He moved her carefully on his side and slowly got of the freezer without awaking her. He knew how much she needed to rest and for the first time, he saw how tired she had been.

In the shower, he thought of the last weeks, how everything had changed so fast. He couldn't hardly believe that he was finally with the woman he loved. So many obstacles had crossed their ways; Coraline, he a vampire, she a human, then the turning and her visions. Somehow he always knew it would be her and only her and Mick felt that all these obstacles had made their love stronger.

He remembered her beautiful smile when, lying both naked on his couch, he had welcomed her home. Not only her smile, but all the expressions which made her face so beautiful, so rich, confirmed each time his complete love for her.

The water ran through his hair as he rubbed them with shampoo. His fingers in his hair reminded him of how he liked to feel her fingers in his curls. He remembered the last time they were both standing in that same shower, making love, the feeling of her skin against his, her voice moaning his name, the weight of her body in his arms as he pushed deep inside her, her walls tight around him, wet, her breath against his skin, the look in her eyes, full of lust and love, then changing into iceblue, making her more gorgeous than ever, her tongue playing with his in their mouths, licking his neck, the sounds of their growls and moans completed by the sound of the exertions of their bodies meeting each other, wet, sweaty, her fangs piercing his skin, her blood in his mouth, he finally exploding inside her.

Mick opened his eyes and felt his fangs in his mouth. Great, he thought, now he was hungry and aroused. He turned off the water and dried himself. As he was finished, he walked outside the bathroom and as he reached the freezer's room, he stopped and concentrated on Beth's breathing. She was still resting, deep in her dreams. He went downstairs and poured himself a glass of fresh blood. He went with the glass to his office, waiting for Beth to wake up. He turned his computer on and opened the murders' file. Pictures appeared on the screen with his notes. He watched the symbol and thought of Josef's past. The violence in the murders showed a terrible anger. What could motivate such a hatred? Mick read his notes and remembered what Henri had told them. The French family was behind those murders and they were using someone close to Josef to do that work. The murderer was the connection between the murders and the French bloodline. Mick drew to lines from the word "murders" and "French bloodline" and wrote one word between the lines: Aliana.

There was a good reason they had chosen her, she wanted revenge, but for what? Something was missing. Mick inhaled and emptied his glass of blood. He watched the clock and looked towards the stairs. He focused on the room where she was still lying and heard that she wasn't awake. He stood up and went to the kitchen. As he rinsed the glass, he stared at the stairs and thought of how Beth was tired. He smiled to himself, last night hadn't been for rest. After he had told her welcome, she had kissed him. He had answered it leisurely at first, then the sensation of their tongues rubbing each other awoke desire again. They had made love slowly, enjoying the touch of each other. He on top of her, her legs high around his waist, one of her hand on his buttock feeling his muscles tightened as he pushed inside her, the other one in his hair. He held her by her thigh, enjoying the softness of her skin, moving slowly in and out until they both reached climax.

The cell phone awoke Mick from his day dream and he looked at the screen almost relieved to disturb his sudden desire to wake up Beth. It was Guillermo who called him and asked him to come.

Mick took his leather jacket and as he reached the door, he stopped and concentrated on Beth's breathing. There was no change. He left her a note on the kitchen surface and left the appartment, hoping that she wouldn't need him.

On the road to the morgue, his cellphone rang again and Mick answered without watching the name on the screen.

"I'm on my way, Guillermo!"

"Mick."

It wasn't Guillermo, but the voice of someone deeply worried. Josef.

"Josef, what happened?"

"My office, right now."

Mick pulled down and changed the direction. The motor of the Mercedes echoed in the streets of sleeping L.A.

***

Josef hung up and put the phone on the desk, next to the black envelope. His face was frozen, his eyes wide opened.

The office was silent, the whole building was plunged into darkness and silence. Suddenly it occurred to Josef that something was wrong. His pupils left the sight of the letter and found the little clock on the desk. At this time, his men were supposed to be already there, trying to buy and sell auctions.

He looked at the red letter on the black enveloppe. The words were so clear. "I'm back for you."

Josef pulled the letter on the side and opened a drawer. He took a gun with silver amunition. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the whole environnement. Beyond the human's lifes, there were no sounds, only the terrible silence around him. The silence before the storm. Then it reached him, the scent, a familiar scent of orchids. His fingers squeezed the gun.

She was here.

***

The cars moved on the streets like small insects and she was the goddess watching them, smiling.

Everything was just like she wanted. The building was empty. She had put a warning on the front doors, "Gas leak" was enough to repulse human and vampires. The zone was cleared and ready for her work.

Her long hair brushed by the wind, moved in rhythm with her long black coat which hide her long sword in her hand, a black orchid on the pommel. She inhaled the air and smelled him. She smiled. She slowly moved towards the door and opened it.

The stairs were a long corridor which would guide her to her last victim. She walked downstairs, making no noise, like a cat ready to catch the mouse.

She stopped in the middle and listened. Josef was in the level just below her. She listened to him. He knew she was here, he'd just caught her soft scent, the one he had been so addicted to. He knew who was coming to kill him.

She smiled and followed the steps to the door of his level. She opened it carefully. She wanted him to wait for her. The corridor was silent, the lights guiding her to the place where he was. She could smell him, his feelings.

She was near the office, Josef was just around the corner. She inhaled deeply the air and felt his fear. She knew he was waiting.

Her steps echoed in the corridor, she slowly turned and saw him standing in the middle of the office, his face pallid like the dead.

***

She was finally here, in front of him. Beautiful and dangerous. He couldn't believe it, he didn't understand.

"Why?" His voice echoed in the room.

"My vengeance helps others."

Her cold and evil voice gave him shivers. He still didn't understand. That was impossible, because

"You were dead."

Suddenly her laugh echoed between the walls, like the devil himself was there.

"Yes, I was but you should have done the job yourself. Your friend is as naïve as you are."

She made one step towards him, her sword in her back.

"I don't forgive those who try to kill me. Your young stupid friend ruined my life, my reputation and all this because of you."

"Lola, you-"

"Now you will die."

***

As he entered the building, he didn't notice the sign on the door and was surprised to see the hall empty. There should be at least several people watching who entered or left the place. He took the elevator, a little nervous.

The car stopped at the right level and the doors slowly opened. He caught voices as he walked down the corridor then stopped. He recognized Josef but didn't know who he was with. He went carefully towards the office, then turned to see a woman's back, with long hair and a sword in her hand. Josef was staring at her, his face pallid, his eyes silver, fangs out.

Suddenly the woman turned around and saw him. His heart stopped beating as he saw the terrible face of the demon in front of him. He didn't have time to understand what happened when a loud sound echoed, followed by a violent scream.

Everything happened very fast. His body was suddenly taken by a strange force, lifted in the air, the window broken and falling into the void.

The only thing he could catch was the voice of Josef Kostan screaming his name as the wind brushed his face.

"Talbot!"

***

Darkness…

My footsteps echo in the cold corridor… the candles lighten my way… anger feels my heart…they have decapitated Lady Dubois…

Darkness…

I see the door, his office, I know he's not here, I slowly push open the door…

Darkness…

A long, tall white candle with a red cross burns next to me… I stand behind the desk… there is an old document…I recognize some names on it… each name followed by a bloodtype… Richelieu B+, Armand du Plessis A-, me AB-… a name on top of the list… the father of my bloodline…one name, one bloodtype…AB-

Darkness…

The air is suddenly cold… the candle's light slowly disappear and darkness fills the room… Someone is with me… I see a long and tall figure in front of me… his face is hidden in the darkness… his eyes… two white cold lights in the darkness… his voice is evil…"Blood is the answer."

Darkness.

Her eyes opened widely, her face tensed by the fear, her mind paralysed by the vision of those cold white eyes.