Disclaimer: Don't own diddly squat.

The tension in Cachtice Castle was palpable. The members of the Lycan horde felt awkward, and out of place in their lavish accommodations. The baroness had provided her guests with every luxury available to her. Actually, said accommodations were not much to begin with, but all of the Lycan warriors had been slaves or servants in their past lives, so even the slightest comfort seemed enormously extravagant to them. Lucian was the most pampered of them all. Anya had personally made sure that Lucian was given only the best: the best food, clothing, rooms and so on and so forth. Needless to say, the residents of the castle were a bit disgruntled. Who were these barbaric men that the Lady Anya doted so much upon? They were soon to find out, for Lucian had not forgotten his main purpose in Cachtice; to recruit. She will soon tire of her hospitality, Lucian thought to himself. Perhaps then I will attempt to steal her men from under her. Lucian had been surprised to discover that the baroness kept no slaves. She had, apparently, freed them on the very week she had come into her title. In return, she had been given the unconditional loyalty of the townspeople. It would be tricky then to enlist the men from Cachtice village into the Lycan cause. But Lucian had no doubt that where the promise of freedom failed, the prospect of immortality would succeed. Even if it came with a price. Lucian was musing over these things when a soft knock interrupted his thoughts. He rose from his bed and went to open the door, to find Anya standing on his doorway.

"I only came to make sure that your accommodations are to your liking", she said. Lucian wondered if he had imagined her blush. "I wanted to see for myself that you were comfortable."

"Oh I'm comfortable alright. This is quite an improvement from sleeping on the cold floors of the forest." She chuckled a little nervously. "That's true."An awkward silence ensued. Anya bit her lip, a sure sign to anyone who knew her well enough that she was uncomfortable.

"Well. If you're alright then I'll leave you to your rest", at that Anya hurried away without waiting for a response. Lucian saw her walk away with an amused expression on his face. She's a strange one, he thought before closing his door. He found himself smiling long after she had gone.

As she strode away, Anya felt her blush deepen in embarrassment. What an idiot he must think I am, she thought. Why did she have to act this way in his presence? No one had ever inspired such a response from her. Lucian, she found that she could not get his name out of her head. His beautiful, mournful gaze was fascinating to her. She wanted to know what he had seen with those magnificently clear blue eyes that he should suffer thus. He exuded a sense of power and leadership, along with a sharp intelligence. And, Anya had to admit to herself, he wasn't too hard on the eyes either. It was difficult for her, therefore, to imagine him as a werewolf. How could such a monster be hidden beneath such a striking entity? She shook her head to clear her thoughts; it wouldn't do to think of the Lycan leader this way. No matter how handsome and appealing he was, she could not afford to forget that he was a monster underneath it all. In spite of her resolve, she found herself thinking more and more about her wolfish guest. Nothing will ever come of it anyway, she told herself. What harm could it possibly do?

Lord Viktor had just finished draining the locksmith's twin granddaughter's, when he heard a muffled cry down the hallway. There was one more person left to kill. The locksmith's beautiful daughter: Selene. He had met her once or twice before and had found her to be an enchanting youth. It was a pity that he had to kill her. He thought of this as he stepped into the hallway. Only a few feet before him, the girl knelt with her dead mother in her arms. Not a girl anymore, he thought dryly. More years have passed than I recalled. Immortals always had a different perspective of time than mortals. When Selene heard his approach she looked up and saw a dark shadow before her. Viktor gasped audibly. For a moment he thought he beheld his beautiful daughter, Sonja, once more. His heart felt a surge of grief at the thought of ending this young mortal's life. He knew that she was not Sonja; all that was left of his only daughter was a charred corpse in Castle Corvinus. Nevertheless, he could not make himself destroy one who resembled his beloved Sonja so strongly. No, he thought, she must live! He started towards the frightened girl but she backed away from him, her eyes wide with terror.

"It's alright, my child", he said in a soothing voice. Viktor already had a story in place to explain what had happened. "They've gone now. You are safe with me." She looked confused.

"Lord Viktor? Who is gone, the ones that did this?" she asked, fresh tears coursing down her tears.

"Yes my dear. I have been on the monsters' trail for days. Alas, I did not arrive fast enough to save your loved ones." She sobbed at this. He stepped closer to her and opened his arms. She embraced him, seeking comfort. "Do not worry my dear, the werewolves will pay with their lives for this abomination. I will make sure of it."Selene managed to nod against his shoulder. "And if you so wish it, I want to give you a gift that will enable you to exact revenge on the wretched beasts yourself." Selene lifted her head from Viktor's shoulder. "Yes", her eyes were hard and determined as she said this, "I want that".

"Come my child, I'll take you somewhere safe." Selene followed her dark savior, grateful for his help and compassion.