Blaylock wasn't sure what was only thing he knew was that he'd been drinking the most incredible tasting blood he'd ever had. Then he'd opened his eyes to the same pair of emerald green eyes that he'd seen before he'd lost consciousness. And now, he was receiving a death glare from some mean looking bastard.

All in a night's work.

He sooo didn't feel like killing again tonight.

"You dare drink from my sister?" the dark male inquired coldly. His green eyes were devoid of emotion, just like his voice.

Blay started to open his mouth to tell the asshole to "fuck off", hoping like hell that his voice didn't come out in a croak. But the female shot to her feet and threw herself between the two males.

"Stop this, Raphael!" she pleaded. Blay decided he liked her voice. It was thick with what sounded like a Russian accent, but it was sweet as a song.

"You should not have given him your blood," the strange male told his kin, obviously disapproving. "We do not know how it will affect him. He is not human, nor, as far as I can tell, is he Carpathian."

What the hell was a Carpathian? Blay wondered.

He noticed the female's hands clench into tight fists, "What was I to do then? Let him suffer? I told you, I believe he is my lifemate. It is my duty and my right to provide him with blood and aid him as much as I am able!" Her mane of midnight black hair swung as she defiantly tossed her head.

Blay wasn't sure what a lifemate was, but he was almost positive that he wasn't hers, despite what she believed.

Apparently, her scary brother thought the same, "You only believe he is your lifemate. You could merely be infatuated with this male. He is, after all, the first man you've seen that is not of our people."

"I am not a naive child, brother," she hissed. "It is not infatuation. I am drawn to him, my soul calls out for his!"

Clearing his throat, Blay held up his hands to show he meant no harm when the two strangers turned to him, "May I speak?"

The man didn't respond and continued to eye him with mistrust. The girl, however, stepped to his bedside, "I'm sorry you had to witness that. We were being quite rude, were we not?" she asked him with a slight, nervous smile.

Blay didn't answer at first, he studied the woman's face. When he'd first woken up he'd only seen her eyes but now, he got a good look at the face those eyes rested in.

And boy what a face.

He really wasn't that into girls, but even he had to admit that this woman was beautiful. Her pale skin seemed even paler in contrast to her dark hair, but it was flawless and appeared silky smooth. She was tall, he noted, probably close to his own six foot three. But where he had lean muscle, she was willowy. She appeared to possess the gracefulness that many predatory animals were gifted with, and with those piercing green eyes, framed by thick black lashes, she made quite the picture.

He'd never felt drawn to any woman, except this one.

Blay shook his head to clear it as he answered her, "No, you weren't rude." But your brother was. With a glance at the man in question, he decided to keep that last thought to himself. "Who are you?"

Shaking her head at her thoughtlessness, she put a slender hand to her chest, "How silly of me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Blaire Montreal." She waved a hand in her brother's direction, "This is my elder brother Raphael." Blay offered the man a nod in greetings that was not returned. Blaire frowned in his direction, but said nothing.

"Can you tell me where I am?" he asked the woman. She seemed more willing to talk than her sibling did.

Lowering herself to the edge of the bed, she took his hand, offering comfort. Blay wanted to pull away from her intimate touch, but the warmth radiating from her palm felt too good.

"I witnessed the fight you were in," Blaire admitted. "You were injured. I knew I could not just leave you there. So, I managed to bring you here to our hotel room to heal you. We're visiting the country, you see."

Glancing down at himself, he expected to see bandages or something covering his wounds. Blay blinked in confusion when he found nothing, no bandages, no wounds, not even a scar marring his skin. He slowly sat up, expecting to feel a jolt of pain run through him at the slight movement. But nothing happend. Sure he was a little sore, but it felt more like he'd been put through a hard workout than a fight.

Blay met the eyes of his rescuer, "How long was I out?" The injuries he sustained should've taken at least a week or two to heal properly.

She frowned, as if confused by the question, "A few hours."

He felt his jaw drop, the way she'd responded with those three little words, you'd think that it wasn't such a big deal. "Wha-? How?"

"Our race is gifted with healing abilities," Raphael finally spoke up. "My sister and I healed you."

A little in awe, Blay refocused his attention on Blaire. A blush crept up her cheeks, and she wouldn't meet his eyes. Blay recognized embarrassment when he saw it. "I'll admit," she forced it out, "that I am not a very skilled healer. I needed my brother's aid through most of the procedure."

Baffled, he couldn't help but ask, "But why? Why do so much for someone you don't even know?"

Blaire smile reached her eyes, sending them twinkling like the gems they resembled. Pressing a hand back to her heart, she told him, "But I do know you. In here." When he looked like he would argue, she held up a hand, "I know you do not understand, but I will try to explain."

She leaned forward, tilted her head, "But first, who and what exactly are you?"

His went blank as stone, he simply replied, "My name is Blaylock. As to the what, I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Raphael spoke again, "You don't have to pretend. We know you're not human, neither are you Carpathian, nor are you lycan."

There was that word again, "What exactly is a Carpathian?"

Blaire and her brother exchanged a look and a silent argument seemed to be waging between them, Was this Carpathian thing so important?

Eyes shining with the victory of their unheard argument, Blaire returned her full attention to Blaylock. Once again, he found himself struck by her beauty.

"Carpathians," she began. "Are an ancient race that are of the earth. We need the earth to sleep in during the day and its precious minerals rejuvenate and heal us. Our people are very strong psychics and we have the ability to shift our shape." She paused, as if she were wary to continue.

Sensing his sister's unease, Raphael picked up where she left off, "We survive on the blood of humans instead of ingesting nutrients."

Shock flashed across Blay's face, "So you're vampires?"

Raphael shook his head, "The vampire, the undead, are Carpathian males that have given up their souls. They are purely evil, Carpathians, on the other hand, are warriors with honor. Our males, even some females, hunt the undead to protect humanity from their vile nature."

"There are more," Blay whispered to himself.

"More of what?" Blaire asked him curiously.

He met her green gaze with his, "More vampires." When her brows furrowed, he explained, "I belong to a race of vampires, very different from yours."

Her eyes widened at his words. She turned to her brother, "How can this be? How have we never known?"

"I'm wondering the same thing," Blay consented, he too looked towards the male.

Raphael was silent as he pondered the situation. "There is an easy explanation," he said after a minute or two. "Our races simply have never been in the same region, and even if we had been. Carpathians, and I assume your people as well, go to great lengths to remain hidden from humans. Our people come from the Carpathian Mountains and it was not until the last few centuries that our people have started venturing to other continents. Blaylock, where did your species originate?"

Blay was so shocked that the emotionless male had actually called him by his name he blurted out the answer to the question without really thinking about it, "England. Many of us remain there, but in the last two hundred years, some have come to the states."

Nodding, Raphael gazed out the window and into the night, "Nearly a thousand years ago, our last prince sent a few males out into the world to hunt the vampires that left our homeland. It is rather surprising that even they were unaware of another race of blood drinkers," it was said quietly, as if he was talking more to himself rather than anyone else.

A look of sadness passed over Blaire's face, "Our race is facing extinction." Her head dropped and she focused on her clasped hands in her lap, "There are only about twenty mated pairs left."

Empathy awashed Blay. How would he feel if his own species was on the brink of extinction?

Raphael drew nearer, he placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Xavier is dead, little sister. The threat to our people is gone. Now, we have a chance." His message was meant to be comforting, but his emotionless tone had it falling short.

Nevertheless, Blaire smiled and linked her hand with her brother's, "I know."

A moment of silence passed before Blaire refocused on him. Her eyes bright with curiousity, she touched Blay's arm gently. "What is your race, Blaylock?"

They shared so much with him, so why the heck not? He started to explain, but before he could get a word out, Raphael held up a hand to silence him. The foreign male glanced at Blaire, "Dawn is approaching. We must get ready to sleep."

Her lips pouted in disappointment, making her seem very young and innocent. After a moment, she perked up as she asked him, "Are your people sensitive to the sun as well?"

Blay nodded, cutting his eyes warily towards the balcony, "If you're unable to be exposed to sunlight, you made a no-no by checking into a hotel."

Raphael's green eyes narrowed in warning, but Blaire quickly spoke up before he could retort, "Raphael's business associates insisted on staying in the same hotel as us. Since it's only for a few nights, we agreed to it." Gesturing towards the bathroom and the closet, she added, "We sleep in there."

"Isn't that uncomfortable?" Blay inquired.

She began to reassure him, but a growl from her elder brother silenced her. "That's enough," he snapped. "We've already told him too much."

"But-!"

"He is a stranger," Raphael interrupted her.

She glared at him for a moment, and Blay was sure she was going to start another argument. But when her shoulders slumped, he knew she'd given in, "Yes, brother."

Pleased with her obedience, Raphael inclined his head. He pointed at the closer, "Go. I'll join you shortly."

Defiance gleamed in her eyes, but she cast one last glance at Blay before she got to her feet and went to the spacious closet. The door clicked quietly behind her.

All of a sudden, Blay was being lifted into a pair of muscular arms. His blue eyes widening, he glared at Raphael, "What the fuck, man?!"

"You're heavy," Raphael remarked, ignoring his cursing. Blay eyeballed Raphael. The male didn't possess as much muscle as Blay, he was more lean, but apparently the size difference didn't make a darn difference in this situation.

Blay bared his fangs, "Put me down, mother fucker!"

The Carpathian shrugged, "As you wish." On cue, he dropped Blay onto the hard tile floor of the bathroom. Blay couldn't contain the grunt that escaped him.

With a glare up at Raphael, he rubbed his throbbing hip.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to spend the night in here," Raphael said with not a hint of remorse.

"So, I'm a prisoner then?" Blay growled the question.

Shrugging, the male turned to go, "Call it what you like. But I will allow no harm to come to my sister. Not even from her potential lifemate."

Pushing himself to his feet, Blay crossed his thick arms of his chest and scowled, "I don't even know what a lifemate is."

The Carpathian halted, and peered at Blay over his shoulder. He seemed to want to say something, thinking better of it, he simply shook his head and exited the bathroom. The door shut behind him, leaving Blay in the dark.

Did he really think that a flimsy bathroom door would keep him in here? Not that he wanted to feel the painful rays of the morning sun, he really didn't like Raphael's cocky attitude.

When he tried the handle, it turned but the door wouldn't open. Thinking the Carpathian had jammed something against the door, Blay tried ramming his shoulder against the wood. Still nothing.

Gritting his teeth until they ached, he tried to punch a hole through the door, but no matter how hard he punched against the wood, it remained intact.

"What," punch. "The," punch. "FUCK?!" Punch.

"Would you please stop that?" the deep voice penetrated the thumping of his fist against the obstacle. "You're not going to be able to break through this door."

Blay stopped the abuse on his stinging knuckles and gave the door an eat-shit glare, hoping Raphael could feel it through the wood. "What did you do?" he demanded to know.

"I put a barrier of sorts around the room. You will not be able to escape and it will keep enemies from entering. In other words, you'll be safe and so will we."

Pushing a hand through his wavy red locks, Blay breath hissed through his teeth as he tried to calm down. It wasn't if he disregarded safety, although, "You could've asked me."

Silence was the only answer he received, he assumed Raphael had said what he wanted and left. With a huff of irritation, Blay sat down on the tile floor, his back against the door he'd abused. "He could've at least let me bring a pillow."

With a sigh, Blay rested his head on the door. It was dark in the small room from the lack of windows, but with his excellent night vision, he didn't mind very much. Once again, he pressed a hand to his side, to the back of his leg, where he knew the worst of the injuries had been. He was amazed at the Carpathian healing abilities. While his species healed fast, none were blessed with a healing touch.

Blaire chose that moment to enter his thoughts. Man, she was pretty, even he had to admit that, gorgeous even. Her dark hair and her green eyes suddenly had him picturing someone else, this time, one of the eyes was blue. Qhuinn.

And just like that, the heartache he'd felt at the Iron Mask returned. A whispered curse escaped from his lips, he rapped his head sharply against the wood. Why? Why couldn't he get rid of these feelings? Better yet, why couldn't the Scribe Virgin, the mother of his race, have made him normal? By now, Blay could've found a nice shellan, settled down, and perhaps even at least had one child by now.

But nope. He wasn't into girls. Oh he'd tried, he'd tried so hard to feel something for women. Forced himself to have sex with them, while it hadn't been terrible, it hadn't been satisfying at all. Instead, he'd fallen in love with his best friend. Who, by the way, was totally straight, and now, even spoken for.

He kneaded the bridge of his nose, beginning to feel the first stages of a headache. The thing was, he wasn't even attracted to any men, only Qhuinn. There must be something seriously wrong with him, right?

Blay tilted his head back and studied the ceiling as if it held all the answers he sought. You know, if he had a shellan, he figured she would be a lot like Blaire. Gorgreous, sweet as sugar, and only had eyes for him. Yeah, he thought with a smile, she was his dream shellan, if he was interested in such things.

"Blaylock?" his name flowed through the wood, soft and sweet as a lullaby.

Blinking in surprise, he replied, "Blaire? But your brother said-"

"I know what my brother said," she huffed in annoyance. She sounded a bit distracted.

Blay frowned, his brows lowered over his eyes, "What are you doing?"

"I'm undoing my brother's safeguards. While I'm not a great healer, I am very good with safeguards. My brother was even the one who taught me how to make them. I can unravel them, it'll just take me some time."

By safeguard, he guessed she meant the barrier Raphael spoke of. "Won't you get into trouble? He seemed pretty serious."

Her voice was strained as she concentrated, but she answered cheerily anyway, "Oh he will be quite furious. But sometimes, you have to break the rules when you know it's the right thing to do. Right?"

Blay thought about how John, Qhuinn, and he fought the lessers and fought alongside the rules, despite the ancient traditions stating against it. "Yeah," he said with a smile, "I guess you're right."

"Aha!" she crowed. "I got it! Okay, I'm coming in, okay?"

Why not? he asked himself. Better than being along, right? "Sure. Come on in. But hurry up. I don't want you caught out there when the sun comes up."

He didn't have to tell her twice, the door swung open quickly. Blay caught a glimpse of Blaire's crouched form in the doorway before she ducked inside the bathroom, she shut the door behind her, sending the room, once again into darkness.