Poor, poor Ani. I felt for her. I really did. The girl had been through a lot lately. She really needed a vacation. I'm sure I could have talked Ruben into giving her one. She needed to get away from all this. From Tristian, from Julius and lastly, and as much as I hated to admit it, from Silas as well. Maybe if she left and was on her own, away from everyone, then maybe the nightmares would stop. Maybe she would stop beating herself up about it all and come to terms that she couldn't fix everything.

It was the bond with Julius that drove her mad most nights. She felt every time he was having pleasure with someone else. Ani would feel hot and seductive. It was several times now that I have walked in as she tried to practically rip Tristian's clothes off. I knew something was wrong. And then the other day, I saw them on the floor, practically about to hump on the kitchen floor. I wasn't sure what had gotten into her. Now, the worst of it, was feeling Julius's anger. He could feel what she was feeling, when she was feeling it and he knew how to manipulate her. He would get angry, one, because I knew he cared about her a deal, so her being or feeling something for someone else put him on edge, and two, because he was spiteful. He purposely got angry so Ani would explode like she did. And the only way to snap her out of it at all was to give her a good smacking herself.

I regret hitting her so hard. Her face started to bruise up immediately as she cried on the floor after Silas left the bar. It was a sad departing between them. He nodded to me his farewell, which I understood. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes at all. To feel so drawn to someone you couldn't have or didn't know how to help. I wouldn't be able to do it. And I couldn't sit around watch it happen to my dearest friend either. So I went to her and put my arms around her sobbing shoulders as she turned into my chest and cried on my shoulder even harder. I could smell her agony as it fell from her eyes and I could taste the scotch she just drank.

"Portia, what's wrong with me?" she sobbed, tears streaming down her face frantically.

"Oh, hun. It's not you." I choked out myself, nearly bringing myself to tears as well. The smell of her blood excited my nerves, but I had to push them aside. Ani needed me. I couldn't get wrapped up in the fact that blood cells had been broken along her cheek bone and were swelling up on her face. I touched it lightly, hoping, just hoping that maybe this once she would let me have a taste. I should have been full up on blood after tonight. I had plenty of Ruben's, even after I healed him. He seemed to enjoy it immensely, as if it didn't show in his pants that he enjoyed it, but I was still thirsty, maybe blood thirsty to rip those bikers to shreds.

"Hey, uh, I'll go ahead and close up early. Why don't you take her outside for some fresh air, or back into my office." Ruben interrupted as he smiled at me and looked sad upon Ani before he tapped Ginger on the shoulder to wake her up. "Time to go home Ging. Bar's closing."

"Wha-a-t? I need more drink doh." the red haired woman swayed on her feet. She was a complete mess as her red hair stuck to her face from where she had been laying. The freckles were almost nonexistent to the flush in her face.

"No, it's time to go, do you need me to call someone to pick you up?" Ruben asked, holding a hand at her back to steady her.

"No...I can walk myself." the drunk woman replied as she pushed Ruben away and stumbled past us on the floor. She looked bug eyed at us before she stuttered again, "Wha-a-t's wro-o-ng witch you?

"Her boyfriend just called it quits. She's fine though. Have a good night, Ginger" I answered as Ani cried even harder on my shoulder and I rocked her back and forth. At this point, I would love to have drank this drunk and gotten a buzz myself. I wish she would just leave, before I made her gone. I had my fill of drunks in the bar tonight. Once with the bikers and now I felt like taking vengeance on the drunk woman.

Once the way-too-drunk-to-even-think-of-walking-anywhere woman left the bar, or should I say, marinated meat, Ruben locked up the doors and posted a sign that read, "Closing Early Due to Family Emergency". I nodded my head in gratitude and tried to pick up Ani from the bar floor. She didn't want to budge, but with my new found strength, I was able to get her up and over my shoulder in a fireman's carry and took her into Ruben's office. I sat her down on the little black leather love seat that dominated the back wall of the office and went to the bathroom to grab a wet towel to wash her face with. She just curled up on the love seat with her face to the back and away from me and everyone. Her hands covered her face as her back heaved from her sobbing.

"Come, turn this way." I told her as I gently reached out and toughed her shoulder and she slowly turned to look at me.

"I hate her Portia" she said quietly.

"Who?" I asked.

"Morrigan. It is all her fault" she cried, only this time her voice held malice.

I rubbed her back, "I know hun, I know."

Ani turned around quickly and looked up at me, "No, you don't know. While you've been out and about in your new form, enjoying every second of it, I've been living in hell! Do you know what I've been going through?"

Again with the anger. I wish Julius would just settle down, "Look, I know this isn't your real feelings, this is Julius's feelings through you."

"No, Portia! It's not! This is me! I'm mad! I'm mad at everything! I'm mad at the fact that I've been played and now I feel like I've been left with nothing." Ani cried, tears streaming down her face. "I'm mad because if it wasn't for her, I would still be with Silas. I wouldn't be in this mess with Julius and Tristian. I wouldn't have to worry about feeling someone else's lust or rage. I could just be myself!"

I pulled her into a hug again and I rubbed her back, "I'm so sorry, Ani. I never wanted this to happen either."

"I don't see you wallowing in grief though. You're out there, hunting and attacking like all the other creatures out there. Your business is booming now because of your new found strength and powers. You're not trapped like I am! You can't imagine the nightmares that haunt me at night."

I had to admit that she was correct. I had been living like I was untouchable now. My new found relationship with Ruben, as much as I would have chewed my own arm off if I had to be next to him before, now we were closer because of what happened. I had this great relationship with Ruben and it was like I was rubbing it in Ani's face after what she went through. She had a wonderful guy, Silas, that adored her, only to be ripped away from him by her Aunt, who seduced her and Julius into bonding together, trapping them both in an emotional roller coaster. Now, Tristian's in the picture and he seems to be trying to swoon Ani as well, though playing the careful part of "Protector", which I didn't buy at all. He was a trickster and I was sure of it. He was playing on another team and I was sure of it. I read up on Fairies. I read about the Danu. I knew what they were like, at least from a mortals point of view. They weren't nice and they weren't gracious like Tristian was being. And considering that Morrigan, the goddess that had possessed Ani's Aunt Morrigan, coincidentally similarly named, was also a Danu.

"You know, you're right, Ani." I admited, "You're right about everything. It's not fair and I haven't been fair to you either. I've tried to shield you, but it seems that I've only added to the problem by flaunting my success and personal life. I'm sorry."

She shook her head,"It's not your fault, Portia. It's I that should be sorry." Ani wiped away a fresh tear that ran down her rosy cheeks.

I could see now why Julius and Silas were so attracted to her. She was a beautiful girl. I had always known that, but with my new eyes, I could see why. She was delicate and divine. Graceful in her moments and splendidly statuesque in her features. Her hair was like spun gold that hung in thick, heavy curls. Her lips were enticing with their rosy pink color and her eyes were the beautiful turquoise blue of the Caribbean ocean. She was a goddess among men. She smelled like fresh roses cut and I found my mouth watering just being near her. Now I knew what drew them to her.

I swallowed, trying to regain my composure, "Hun, you don't have to be sorry at all." I touched her face gentle with my hand and slowly leaned in to kiss her cheek. "All will be ok. I promise."

Ani just looked up at me and nodded. "I think I should go home. I don't think I could finish my shift here."

"No worries, Ruben's already closed the bar" I soothed her again, running my hand down from her head to her shoulders. She was my best friend, so there was never anything sexual between us, but I found myself unable to not touch her.

"Closed? Oh well, not as if anyone was going to come in tonight after that bar fight anyways." She muttered as she tried to get to her feet.

I stood up with her and took her arm in mine, keeping her steady as she was still a bit wobbly on her feet from the amount of drinks she had. She normally did not drink very much as it pulled her shields down on her visions. She noticed that right away when Ruben grabbed a hold of her. She muttered in his ear, "I love you too, Rubey."

I just laughed. Now, she was far from crying, far from angry, and now she was just drunk. A drunk who had visions and obviously didn't have control of her emotions. A great mix. Ruben set her up on the bar, once again and started shoveling drinks into her. Maybe if she was drunk it would dull the bond enough to where she might not be affected by it as much. One could only hope, but then I would be turning my best friend into the likes of people like Ginger who couldn't live without be trashed up on some sort of liquor. It was just one disaster after another.

Then, as if out of no where, I felt sick. Sick to my stomach. A feeling I didn't think I would have being a Vampyre. This kind of feeling made me want to throw up. I doubled over and held a hand to my stomach and fell on my knees to the floor, coughing. Ruben shouted for me, "Portia? What's wrong?"

"Somethings not right." I answered. The only person I had a connection to was Silas, because he was, as folklore would state, my maker. I was bonded to him, but not in a way like Ani and Julius were. We were bonded to know when one needed the other. If one of us were in trouble, the other would know where to find us. This was a sickening feeling. Something was off, and it scared me to think it was Silas. That's when I heard it, or saw it. Just like Ani always described all her visions, it was as if my vision went black and all I saw was Silas, standing in a clearing calling my name.

That is when Ani doubled over. Her screaming was loud and ear piercing. She fell to the floor, her back arching and hands thrashing. It was as if she was being attacked. As if she was fighting something off of her. She scratched at her shoulders as if something was on her, but nothing was there. Julius. It had to be Julius she was feeling. His pain and struggle. It had to be that Silas and Julius were in trouble and it seemed that neither Ani nor I were going to be much help.

"Ruben, hurry. Get my car. Here's my keys, we need to go. Now!" I yelled as I threw him the keys from my pocket and he darted out of the door. I picked myself up, trying to wash the sickning feeling away so I could grab the still screaming and crying Ani off the floor and out into the car. We needed to find Silas and Julius, and quick.