Sorry this has taken so long to get out. But finally, the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy ^^

Disclaimer: This is based off a book series by Christine Feehan. I own Diego, Lyon, Vincent, and their lifemates as well as Amber. All else belongs to Feehan.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

"So," I began, bored witless.

"So," Catie repeated.

"So," Victoria parroted.

"So," Amber finished, a ball of fire bouncing from each of her fingers.

Each of us was lined up outside of Diego's mansion, waiting on the arrival of Shea and Raven. The men were off on some mission; god only knows what they were up to. They just put us all outside and flew off, leaving us to our new lessons.

"I wonder what they're doing," Victoria asked, her fascination with her hands and hair.

"Getting drunk?" I drawled sarcastically. "They had three new Carpathian women in about a week of each other. I'm sure they're happy."

"Yes," Victoria supplied. "Lyon was so happy to finally find me. He…" she trailed off blushing, and I pointed my finger at the newest Carpathian woman accusingly.

"You really did have sex!" I cried out, my own face tinged pink. Victoria blushed as well, but didn't deny it, and I groaned at the mental image.

"Lucky bitch," Amber muttered, the ball of fire changing into ice. "I'd kill for a Carpathian lifemate."

"Have mine," I muttered. "You're free to him."

"I haven't seen your lifemate since…" Amber trailed off, but we all knew what she was implying. "Where did he go?"

"I don't know," I replied. "He was just…gone…when I woke up." I was silent and stared up at the night sky. "And dammit, after all of this, I still miss him."

For once, my tone wasn't guarded, and the longing and wanting was clearly evident in my voice. I felt sadness and pity for me, but instead of being depressed, I knew I wasn't alone. My sisters were here to lend their support in any way they could.

"He's going to come back," Amber replied, letting the ice ball disappear from her hand. She walked over and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"You're his heart and soul, Esmeralda. You give him light, happiness, and hope when he had none before. He WILL come back."

Her impassioned speech did make me feel better, but I still wanted him by my side. I would never admit it to Vincent, but I needed him.

"Are you ready for your lesson?" Shea asked. Our group of four turned and we saw Shea floating down from the second story window, surrounded by a cloud of mist. Of course, all of us fledglings gaped at the display of raw power, but Amber simply grinned.

"Where's Raven?" Victoria asked as Shea's toes lightly touched the ground.

"Here," came the voice of Raven.

The mist began to swirl and parted from Shea, only to form the shape of a human. The droplets began to merge and Raven slowly took form. Once the transformation was complete, she opened her eyes and smiled at the shock on our faces.

"This is what you will be learning today," Raven began. "Jacques will soon be back, and he'll oversee the training."

I dutifully raised my hand and Raven nodded at me.

"Where is he? If he's going to teach, why isn't he on time?"

Shea grinned conspiratorially at me, and answered for Raven.

"My lifemate is hunting to supply blood for each of you. When you shapeshift, you will use your power, even when another is holding the image for you."

Now Victoria raised her hand, copying my earlier action.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Shapeshifting is an art to Carpathians as well as our mode of survival. To transform, you must picture the image in your mind, down to the tiniest detail you could possibly imagine. This is why your lifemate, or Jacques for now, will hold the image in your mind."

"Yeah, you should have seen Mikhail," I agreed, elbowing Catie in the side. "He was a drunken owl."

"A drunk…owl?" Victoria asked, clearly confused. Of course, Raven, being the polite woman she was, replayed the memory for all four of us, causing all the women to burst out into laughter once more.

"As you see," Raven began, "Shapeshifting is difficult to master, especially when you start to hold the image by yourself. For now, you will need to be accustomed to the feeling of shifting, rather than shifting yourself."

"And…what do I do?" Amber asked, looking bored out of her mind.

"Sit still and look pretty," Catie quipped.

"Be a cheerleader?" Victoria suggested, her eyes full of laughter. Amber glared at this suggestion, but she broke ranks and walked over to the side so she could watch all of us at once. When she sat, she finally broke out into grin, smiling at the humor.

"For now, are there any questions you have for our race?" Shea asked. "While we wait on my lifemate, of course."

"What powers do we have other than shapeshifting?" Catie asked, clearly interested.

"We have many powers. Our race is exceptional at healing, and our blood does contain regenerative properties. If you were to give your blood, it would speed up the healing process of a human or a Carpathian. We recommend not letting humans freely drink your blood. To do so would begin to bring them into our world, and make the human uncomfortable in their natural state," Shea explained.

"Natural state?" I parroted.

"Humans thrive in sunlight. We must live in the night. We drink blood; they drink other liquids to nourish their bodies. They eat food, yet our stomachs can't hold any human food," Raven replied.

"With each blood transfer," Shea began, "You bring the human closer to our world. They would begin to take on our traits while retaining their human characteristics."

"Then why not turn them?" Victoria asked. "We've all turned. You could repopulate the Carpathian race by turning humans."

Both Shea and Raven shook their heads.

"A woman must be a psychic to have the ability to turn into a Carpathian. If not, she becomes the undead: the nosferatu. They are creatures who will serve the one that turns them, much like a puppet would serve its master."

All three of us hung our heads at the despairing news.

"So there's no way to save our race?" Catie asked.

"Go forth and multiply," I promptly quipped, breaking the tension around us. Catie groaned, knowing she walked right into that one, and let it slide.

"Ah, here's my lifemate," Shea said, and the three of us fledglings began to scan the skies.

"He's in the forest, numbnuts," Amber told us. Almost as one, we looked straight to Jacques, who appeared at the forest's edge. He walked over sensually, his eyes full of love and promise for his lifemate. It was clear she was the only one he saw, and it was true for her as well.

"We're here too!" Amber called out, a grin on her face.

A snowball appeared in midair and launched itself at Amber, who barely dodged the attack.

"That was uncalled for!" she called back.

"But it was satisfying," Jacques told her, a grin on his face.

"All right, all right," I began, stopping the banter. "I know how much fun this is for the two of you, but I want to learn shapeshifting."

"You aren't going to learn it," Amber pointed out wisely, keeping a straight face.

"At least we can shift," Catie replied primly.

Amber mocked glared at us, and the three of us grinned back at her. Score one for the fledglings.

"Esmeralda is right," Jacques agreed. "We should start the training exercise. Who wants to go first?" All three of us stepped forward, and each of us glared at the other two.

"We'll have to settle this one way," Victoria stated, a glint in her eyes.

"Yes." I agreed.

"We'll have to duel it out," Catie finished up, and we made a circle with the three of us.

"No, wait a minute-"Shea began, but Jacques silenced her, a boyish grin on his face.

"Just watch," he told her, keeping her in place by a hold on her arm.

The three of us held out our right hands, then started.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors!" we all cried together.

"Damn!" Catie and I yelled, seeing as how Victoria's scissors beat our papers. We let her step forward, and both of the older women began to laugh at our childish antics. Victoria, who looked quite smug, placed a hand on her hip and looked at Jacques.

"Are we going to do this?" she asked, a cocky smirk on her face.

"Of course!" Jacques answered. "Are you ready? You'll feel a prickling sensation, as well as the feeling of not having a body, or your body spreading out over distances."

"I'm ready for anything," Victoria replied.

Jacques nodded and she immediately burst into mist. I felt a burst of panic and fear, and she came back into her body with a yelp. Of course, Catie and I fell to the ground laughing at her disgruntled look, glad that we didn't go first.

"Nice to see I have such polite friends," she muttered.

"Go Victoria! You can win! Beat those evil vampies again!" Amber's horrible cheer sent Catie and myself into howls of laughter, blood red tears sliding down our cheeks.

"I hope you all die a horrible and painful death," Victoria muttered darkly.

"Again? Jacques asked. Through some manly sense of self preservation, his face was impassive, but it made no difference to Catie and I. We couldn't stop laughing at the surprise on her face.

"Again," Victoria agreed.

"Turn her into a bunny!" Catie cried out.

"No! A penguin!" I argued.

Both Catie and I dissolved into peals of laughter again, and Victoria turned to us, irritated. However, energy crackled in the air around us, and Catie and I opened our eyes to see blue sparks of electricity jumping from Victoria's fingertips.

"PMS! Amber cried out. "Run!"

She bolted as Catie and I received the full brunt of an electric attack. It was definitely an uncomfortable sensation, bordering pain instead of discomfort, but we took it as our due. We did provoke her after all.

"Are you two all right?" Shea asked as Catie and I sat up.

"Please. We've had worse," Catie replied.

"Just a flesh wound," I agreed.

A reluctant smile slid onto Victoria's face, and we smiled at her in return. She turned back to Jacques, who suddenly stiffened. Shea and Raven followed suit, each sinking into an attack position.

"All of you. Back inside of the house!" Jacques commanded.

"I'm coming with you!" Shea argued, but Jacques took a step toward the forest. A beautiful man stepped into the light of the moon and all three of us fledglings simply stared, not sure what to make of this person. The way the elder Carpathians were acting, he seemed to be a vampire.

"I have come because I have smelled virgin blood," the vampire said, looking at Catie and myself. Both of our eyes widened and we immediately pointed accusingly at the other.

"Get inside!" Jacques ordered, causing Catie and I to leap to our feet. We began to run back inside, Raven and Shea following us, but Amber stayed behind.

I turned, frightened for my friend, but Raven caught me and continued to drag me to the house. The last I saw of my friend was the sight of her holding her arrow of light, pointing it at the vampire's heart.

We entered the house and Raven began to chant in an unknown language, one that seemed to reverberate within my soul. Shea joined in on the chant, her arms moving to match Raven's.

"What are they doing?" Victoria asked.

"I think they're casting spells," I replied. "To keep the vampire out."

"Oh," Victoria replied, caught up in the movements of Shea and Raven.

Finally, the two women stopped chanting and their arms dropped to their sides. Their gaze drifted outside and us fledglings peeked around the corner. We saw lightning crashing from the sky and fire raining from the heavens, but the combatants themselves were hidden from view.

"Will they be all right?" Victoria asked, her voice filled with worry.

"Yes. My lifemate is brother to the prince. He is a great hunter."

Her voice, filled with trust and belief in her lifemate, calmed us all slightly.

"I'm sorry," I replied "If I hadn't have laughed so hard, I wouldn't have called the vampire to us."

I felt nothing but guilt and shame at my childlike actions, and it was remorse that shone through my eyes.

"I'm sorry too," Catie said, linking her hand with mine. "She wasn't alone. I did it too. I helped call the vampire."

Both of us were swimming in guilt. If either of our friends got hurt, it was on our conscious.

"Raven!" Shea cried out.

"I sense it," Raven replied, her eyes darkening in determination. "Would you like to help?" Raven asked us, a kind smile on her lips. Catie and I nodded mutely, reacting to the note of urgency. "All right. Hold hands everyone. Make a continuous circle." We did as she bade and looked toward Raven for our next directions. "Consider this another part of your schooling," she continued. "Close your eyes." Of course, all four of us followed her orders. "Shea?" Raven asked.

"Yes. I can help channel," she replied, her hand tightening slightly over mine.

"Good. Now I want you all to concentrate. Feel your power deep inside of you."

I could feel energy building around us; the air began to cackle with static electricity. It was a powerful and heady feeling as the five of us combined powers, and it was hard to control it inside of me.

"Don't control the energy," Raven admonished. "Let it flow through you to the next person. If you contain the energy, you limit its power."

"Like water?" I asked.

"Exactly like water. Let it flow through you like a wave. Shea and I will channel the energy, so you three just need to concentrate on your own powers."

I did as she bade and felt the uncomfortable pressure lessen from within me. Now, I felt the energy expand from us, and felt the evil taint just as Catie and Victoria did. All of us shuddered, trying to get away from it, but Shea stopped us.

"The vampire is scouting the premises looking for a way inside. We must kill him, or he will kill us."

A new wave of determination flowed through us and the energy around us increased in volume.

"We need more power. Lifemate, please," Raven whispered. She might have not meant to say it out loud, but the idea was cast. Raw power exploded from Raven and she threw her head back, trying to taper down on the power.

"Lifemate," I whispered in my mind. "I know we're not on the best of terms, but I need your help. I accidentally called a vampire to the home. I need your help in killing it. Please, help me. Help us. We're trapped inside."

I listened, but nothing answered me. I called out to him with all of my will and might, trying to find him, but it seemed as though my calls were going unanswered. It was disappointing, but not all that surprising.

"Mor-forwyn," came the voice of Vincent. "I would never leave you alone to the hands of a vampire. It is insulting for you to think I have deserted you in my time of need."

Joy exploded within me and I couldn't contain the smile on my face. Lips skimmed my cheek, perilously close to my lips, then pulled back.

"I will join with you. Are you prepared, mor-forwyn?"

"Yes…lifemate."

Much like Raven, I felt an explosion of power within me, and I gasped at the raw intensity.

"Call your lifemates!" Shea commanded, helping me to harness the power flowing from me.

"Already on it," Victoria said with a smirk as Catie now exploded with energy from her lifemate. Victoria's was the last, but she too had enough to help kill the vampire.

"Shea?" Raven asked.

"Ready, Raven."

The two women lifted their arms into the air and the fledglings followed suit. We felt the energy rising above us much like a beacon, and it gathered into a storm cloud above the mansion.

"Now!" Raven commanded. Lighting literally fell like rain around the house, aiming for the vampire as well as anywhere his filthy hands had touched.

The release of energy around us was much…as crude as this sounded, an orgasm, leaving the three of us young one drained. We fell to the floor, panting with exertion, as Shea and Raven tried to slow their rapid beating. The smell of blood was heavy in the air, and I looked around to see all five of us sweating blood, then literally fell onto the floor.

"I…don't think…this is for me…" Catie managed to say. "I'm going to be a trophy wife." I would have laughed if I had the energy, but I merely grunted and let my body try to recover.

"Are the three of you all right?" Shea asked, noting our various positions on the floor. Catie was sprawled over Victoria and myself, but none of us particularly felt like moving.

"Peachy," Victoria replied.

"You three did well for your first channeling," Shea complimented.

"Nice to know we did something right for a change," I stated.

"Yeah. And I didn't have to turn back into mist," Victoria agreed.

"There's always tomorrow," Catie replied.

"Fuck you," Victoria said, managing to gather the strength to flick off both of us. Her chore done, she let her hand fall to the floor.

"Raven!" Mikhail cried out. The three of us on the floor simply looked over to see the absent lifemates return. Lyon appeared at Victoria's side and Diego appeared at Catie's. Mikhail already had his lifemate in his arms while Shea turned to the window to look for her lifemate, leaving me feeling…desolate.

Everyone's lifemates were around them, except for Shea's, who was most likely finishing up his battle. It left me alone, blood covering my body, too weak to get up and exit the room. I felt a pang. I wanted Vincent at my side, no matter what had happened between us. I wanted him to hold me; I wanted him to be here to take care of me.

But, this was always how I had lived. I had to look out for myself. I should have been used to it, but somehow, I thought my lifemate would be at my side by now, helping me to my room.

A tear leaked from my eye and trailed into the pool of hair below me, alerting the Carpathian's around me to my sadness.

"Esmeralda," Catie whispered, holding out her hand and letting it fall onto mine.

I shook my head, just wanting to be alone, when Jacques and Amber entered the house. Shea flew over to her lifemate, checking him for injuries, and Amber looked straight of us.

"You guys look like hell," she stated. The only thing wrong with her was her mussed hair, and the three of us on the ground glared angrily.

"Fuck you," we chorused.

Amber broke out into a grin, but being as perceptive as she was, she noticed the ratio of people in the room. Her face softened and she walked over to me, causing another tear to drip from my eyes.

"Come one. Let's get you in the shower, huh?"

"No need," Diego stated, waving his hand at me. Immediately, my clothes and skin were free of blood.

"Yes there is. Make a Jacuzzi upstairs. Big enough for four. Pronto."

"What do you want a Jacuzzi for?" Diego asked, puzzled.

"Just do it," Catie snapped. Seeing the brief anger from his lifemate caused him to grin, and he kissed her nose.

"Anything for you, petite fluer." He waved his hand again, then picked up his lifemate, who was now clean as well.

"It's upstairs in Esmeralda's room," he told us.

"Can you take the three girls upstairs?" Raven asked. "We will discuss what happened when you return." Lyon and Diego nodded, but Amber smiled.

"I'll be in the tub. Sorry, Raven. The water calls to me."

Raven laughed, the sound silky smooth, yet oddly soothing.

"It's quite all right. Keep those three out of trouble, would you?"

"As if I could," Amber retorted, but picked me up from my position on the floor. "Man, I'm glad I'm a mage," she replied, waving her arms in a pattern. Immediately I felt lightweight as if my body was a mere feather, and Amber swung me around, bridal style.

"Now let's go and have some girl time," she replied, and the group trouped upstairs.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

A few minutes later, I found myself in the tub, naked with my three other friends. We were exhausted and tired, but the water was massaging our tired muscles.

"This is the life," Amber stated as she sank lower into the water. "I'm glad I could share this with you guys."

"I'm glad Esmeralda's a freak," Victoria stated bluntly. "No offense."

"Non taken," I replied. "Being right and shoving it in your face is enough."

"Oh ha, ha," she replied, but a smile was on her face.

"Technically, if it wasn't for MY lifemate, we'd still be back in the USA. So you should all thank him."

"Thank that pervert?" I asked, barking with laughter. "Not a chance."

"He does like to look at Catie's boobs," Amber replied. Almost instinctively, Catie covered her chest, causing all of us to laugh.

"Esmeralda?" Amber asked, her voice somber. Everyone's laughter died instantly as the mood in the tub changed, and we watched Amber intently.

"Yeah?" I asked quietly.

"Why were you crying?"

"Because I was alone," I replied softly, bringing my knees to my chest. "You were all I had in the world. I hated my parents. I had nowhere else to go and nowhere else to turn to. You had me, and I had you. Now, you have lifemates to look after you. You guys don't need me anymore."

"We'll always need you," Catie protested.

"Not like we used to, though," I replied. "We depended on each other. Now, you guys have found the love of your life. I…just felt…left out."

Silence weighed heavily around me, and I could feel tears prickling my eyes.

"You could never be left out," Victoria agreed, her hand coming to hold mine.

"When we killed that vampire, all three of us collapsed. Lyon and Diego were there to pick you up and carry you to safety. They cleaned you, kissed you, and comforted you. I didn't have anyone. Amber and I don't have anyone."

Amber looked away, uncomfortable that I had come close to what she was feeling.

"We had no one there but us two to rely on each other. You both have fantastic lives…God, what am I saying. I'm just being depressing, that's all."

"You're right," Amber admitted. "I do feel alone. I'm not Carpathian and I'm not human. I don't fit in with any world except with one whose members are either immortal or dead. I couldn't tell my secret but I had to protect everyone alone for all of my life. I…know what Esmeralda feels like."

Again, it was silent around us, each of us in our own thoughts or own worlds.

"I miss my lifemate," I whispered. "I want him to come back, but then I want him to stay away."

"Why?" Catie asked, not understanding.

"If he comes back and I trust him, I might not be able to move on if he betrays me. What if he keeps leaving like he did yesterday? What if he leaves and dies on me? I won't be able to go on. Yet...I don't want to be alone anymore. I want someone to love like you two."

"It may be hard…" Victoria stated, strangely serious and sober for once. "But you need to give him a chance. Better to love once than to never love at all. Remember what was on your wall?"

"The greatest thing in life is to love and be loved in return," I quoted.

"Exactly. Follow your heart. Let him in. Trust him. If he dies, if he betrays you, at least you loved as fully as you will ever be able to. You'll never get another chance like this."

"You're right," I whispered, watching the bubbles around us flow with the current. "I…should give him a chance."

"Hey," Amber said, breaking the silence. "Want to screw with their boyfriends?" she suggested, looking at me.

"How?" I asked.

"Easy. You need blood, right?" I nodded. "Their boyfriends have already supplied them with blood. If I give you my blood, they'll smell it and be turned on. Then their boyfriends'll be jealous, and it'll be amusing."

"Well, I do need the blood, but won't you turn into a vampire?"

"Not unless I take your blood," she replied. "Plus, Szyael's blood runs through my veins. He's an ancient master, and will help replenish your strength." She was quiet, then continued. "I know you well enough that you don't want to take another lifemate's blood. You'll either provide it yourself or take it from your lifemate." I hesitated, but nodded.

Just talking about blood had caused my incisors to lengthen, and I eyed Amber's neck like a predator would its prey. I could feel her blood pumping through her and hear it flow through her system. Amber held up her wrist and immediately I pounced, holding her wrist reverently. I hadn't feed from a live human in quite some time, and couldn't hold myself back.

"Sorry," I apologized before sinking my teeth into her delicate wrist. The blood hit me hard and I began to drink greedily, the taste and freshness of the blood an allure I couldn't resist. I didn't want their pity. I didn't want their blood. I was fine with Amber supplying me. No one else.

Amber and Victoria had also come perilously close to Amber's wrist, each of us intoxicated by the smell of blood. Knowing I should stop before I took too much, I withdrew my teeth and licked the wound closed. Catie dove in and lapped the remaining drops of blood, and Victoria was following suit.

However, I could feel my body singing. The raw power I could feel inside of me was a heady feeling, and I knew this was an ancient's blood as Amber had said.

"What the hell is going on here?" Diego demanded to know, breaking into our reverie.

Amber's wrist was still held out in front of her and Diego had caught Catie and Victoria in mid-lick. I began to laugh, feeling their embarrassment, just as Lyon walked in and saw the slightly off scene. His eyes widened at the implications, and my laughter increased at the look on his face. Apparently, even a slight hint of lesbianism could still render a man speechless, even if he was immortal.

Soon after, Amber joined in on my laughter, seeing how well our mischief had turned out. Catie and Victoria were both embarrassed as hell at the whole situation, and Lyon's entrance made it that much worse for them.

Finally, Diego closed his mouth and stared at Catie, his face shimmering hurt.

"I…I…" Catie opened her mouth to apologize, but Diego managed to finish his sentence. "I..can't believe you didn't take any pictures!" he cried out. Amber and I began to howl with laugher, holding our stomachs, both of us begging him to stop.

"You damn pervert!" Catie yelled throwing a bar of soap at her lifemate. Both men gallantly retreated, wanting to fight another day, and Catie sank back into the tub.

"Typical male," she muttered.