A/N: New update! Hope you all like it, unbetaed at the moment.

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Paths of Hate

Chapter 3

Debrecen, Hungary
July 15th 1753

9 years later

In the many years that had passed since his entire family had been murdered Liam's longing for justice had not wavered in the slightest. If anything his determination to kill the vampire that had destroyed his life was stronger than ever.

With every year he got a little closer to his goal. He learned to fight, honing his skills until they were a fine art. He was fast, an expert in axe and blade and an excellent marksmen with the crossbow. He had even fired a musket a few times. He could fight with his fists, and knew how to hold his own in hand to hand combat.

He was known to the demon world as the Scourge of Europe, no vampire or demon was safe from him, or the men who sometimes rode with him. They were always changing. Some died, some turned tail and left. But always there were a few men at his back, fighting beside him.

But it was him the demons feared, he could walk into a pub and every vampire in the place would be on alert, trying to hide their fear. The demons would tense, nostrils flaring. Every time he would walk to the bar, those on either side scooting away quickly, drinks spilling to the floor as behind him demon's and vampires slowly slipped out of their seats and out the door. He would lean his elbows on the rough wooden surface, and order a drink. When it came he asked the barman (or demon in some cases) if he knew Darla's whereabouts, many were curious about why he sort the Masters favourite childe, but he never told anyone. Kathy was his reason, it was his fault, he had failed to protect his little sister.

At this moment Liam was in a small room above the local tavern, lying on the bed staring up at the ceiling, curled around him was one of the serving girls, her long dark hair spread out over the pillow as she slept soundly, completely spent from the previous hours lovemaking.

The men he hunted with were downstairs, hunching over their pints of ale and having a merry old time. Darla was somewhere in the city, he had tracked her across the boarder from Austria a few day's previously, having found her and a few of her fellow vampires attacking a group of gypsies.

He sighed loudly and the girl beside his stirred, opened her soft brown eyes and looked at him. "Are you ok, sir?" she asks in Hungarian, raising up on her elbows and looking at him in concern.

He nodded "Aye," he replied, "I'm fine lass," he replied in English. He turned his head and allowed a smile to cross his features, his eyes lowering lazily. She smiled, leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

He moaned into her mouth, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulling her body against his. She giggled, running her hand over his chest and pulled away. Looking down at him she raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Again?" she asked, this time in heavily accented English.

She smirked at her and ran his hands down her sides until they came to rest on her hips, holding her flush against him so that she could feel his growing arousal. "Aye," he agreed, "again."

She laughed and kissed him again. They made love again, rolling over in the bed until she was nestled against the pillows, Liam covering her body with his as he hands roamed over her body. Soft moans and grunts hissed through their lips as hands and mouths found fevered flesh. He moaned and gasped, spreading her thighs apart and throwing her head back as his fingers rubbed between her thighs. When she was ready he guided himself inside her, pausing for a moment as she wrapped her legs around him before he started a steady rhythm. The old wooden bed squeaked rhythmically as he moved deep inside her. His slow, measured strokes becoming faster, and less controlled as they edged further and further to release.

Her muscles quivered around him, causing him to groan softly. He was almost there, he could feel himself ready to burst. He placed his hand between their heaving bodies and rubbed her sensitive flesh, causing her to cry out again, her release coming quickly, her walls tightening around him, igniting his own release. With a loud groan he pushed inside her and shuddered his release.

He sighed and relaxed onto her body, they kissed softly as she let out a breathless sigh and ran her hands down his back. He rolled off her, settling onto the bed beside her. She turned with him, wrapping her arms around his waist and snuggling against his side. He put his arm around her, resting his hand on her hip as he turned his head and looked out the window.

Soon the only sound was their soft breathing as she fell asleep beside him and he continued to stare silently out the window.

(v)

He spent the next day searching the city, scouring the streets and the more desolate areas of town. He cleaned out a few vampire nests, but none of them contained Darla. The day slipped away and before he knew it dusk had fallen, long shadows stretched out before him as he and his men headed back into the centre of town.

They stopped at a local eatery, ordering mugs of ale and plates of food, and Liam again found himself in the company of a pretty serving girl. She winked at him as she set down a second tankard of ale in front of him. She turned, her hips swaying seductively as she walked away.

One of the men beside him laughed "How do you do it, boss?" he asked in a crisp English accent.

Liam smirked at his friend. When he was younger a wink or a smile was sometimes the only thing it took to get a women into his bed. Back in his home town of Galway he had bedded almost half of the available women in the town, and even some of those who weren't. It was a game to him, he didn't care about any of them. More than once he woke up in the middle of the night to slip out the window, never speaking to the woman again.

With his sister and parents dead there was more important things on his mind then getting a woman into his bed. The one last night had been the first in a long time, almost a year. Much longer then he had gone without a women before. But last night had been different, he had needed it, and the woman had been more than willing to satisfy them for him.

It made him realise he had changed, no longer the man who had left Galway angry and alone. Gone were the days when he wanted to bed any girl who showed an interest. Now he needed more, he wanted a partner, someone he could marry and grow old with.

But with the life he led, the danger he constantly put himself in, a wife would be a complication he didn't need. Somebody else he needed to be responsible for, and with Darla still out there he couldn't afford any distractions.

Or another death on his conscience.

He needed to be focused, so that he could kill her when he found her.

Night-time had fallen has he had been sitting there musing, so he quickly finished his meal, got up and signalled to the men to finish up. John and Peter, drained the last on their ale and wiped their mouths quickly before heading out the door to ready the horses. Alan grunted, pointed to the bar and the girl who was looking at them through a curtain of dark hair, and told Liam in no uncertain terms that he was staying right here tonight. Liam snorted, the look Alan gave the pretty barmaid telling him exactly why he wasn't hunting vampires tonight.

The rest of the men gave no objection though, most of them were even younger then he was and eager for the rush a fight with a nest of vampires would give them. They finished their meals, and drained the last of their ale before getting to their feet and ambling outside. They re-saddled the horses and set out for the main part of town, where people would still be outside, visiting ale houses, restaurants or socialising with friends and family in theatres, or play houses.

They split up into two groups, with five men in each, heading in opposite directions. Liam and his men rode for a while, stopping to talk to those who walked past. A frightened scream shattered the night. He came from up ahead. With a shout Liam kicked his horse into a gallop, his men right behind him. Rounding a corner he signalled the men, together they reined in their horses.

A few hundred meters ahead of them a half dozen vampires were milling around a group of humans, who were panicking, screaming in fear. Some were feeding, blood running down their chins, others stood back content to prolong the horror. A few bodies already lay on the ground. Two vampires were quickly turned to dust, crossbow bolts lodged in their breasts.

The others turned, snarls ripping from their throats. Some vampires attacked, and died. The others turned and ran, his comrades in hot pursuit.

The humans screamed, men grabbed for their women and backed away before breaking into a run and getting away.

Liam didn't move, there was one vampire remaining. She seemed unconcerned by the melee' around her, casually dropping the body of her victim to the floor and raising her head to look Liam in the eye. She licked her lips slowly, savouring the taste before she smiled at him, a cruel smile.

"So, you found me?" she purred, tossing her hair behind her shoulder.

He narrowed his eyes at the vampire. "I told you, I won't rest until you're dust."

Darla merely laughed at him as he dismounted from the horse and drew his sword. "I'm going to kill you" he said, as he took a step forward.

Grinning arrogantly Darla stepped back and turned her head. Liam followed her gaze, a few shops down a group of soldiers stepped out of the pup. Talking amongst themselves, finally relaxing after a long day on duty.

They stopped when they saw Liam and Darla, there eyes immediately going to the sword in his hand, and the bodies that littered the ground around him.

"Hey!" shouted one of the men in Hungarian, drawing his own sword and running towards him "You their, Stop!"

Liam cursed turned his head and looked straight at Darla. "Damn you," he hissed, "I'll make you pay for this." He turned away, vaulting back onto his horse and kicking it into a run. The soldiers yelled in anger, and attempted to chase him down the street but it was no use. He dodged a few people milling around on the corner before disappearing from sight.

Darla clapped her hands in front of her mouth and started laughing.

(v)

He let the horse run, taking him out of town and as far away from the soldiers as he could. He would double back in the morning and meet his men back at the pub. They wouldn't be able to stay in town any longer, the soldiers knew his face and it wouldn't be long before they caught up to him.

He cursed Darla, she planned it, she knew there were soldiers at the end of the street. It made him even more determined to kill her.

Underneath him his horse staggered and almost fell, the poor beast was exhausted. He cursed and jumped from its back moments before it stumbled to the ground, squealing in pain as its foreleg twisted and snapped.

Liam swore again and drew his sword, walking towards the animal. He held its upper body still before he quickly cut its throat, putting the poor animal out of its misery. So much for doubling back to town. With a sigh he pulled his bags from the saddle and walked away, heading towards some lights in the distance.

The town he headed towards was barely a speck on a map. A hotel, a pub, and a blacksmith's surrounded by a small cluster of thatched cottages.

As he walked into the small pub a hush fell over the cluster of grubby coal workers as they all turned to look at him. He ordered a tankard of ale and sat down at a small table by the window. The men continued to watch him with suspicion. He looked up, and then slowly reached under his shirt and pulled out the golden cross that hang around his neck.

It was the right move, as they relaxed in their seats. One of the older men raised his arm and waved him over.

Liam hesitated for a moment, he liked keeping to himself and years on the road had heightened his wariness and suspicion of strangers. Still, these men were not vampires. If anything happened he had his sword and a half-dozen knives stashed on his person.

He shrugged, grabbed his ale and stood up. Walking over he greeted them warmly, using the only Hungarian he knew, his accent terrible and making the men pause. One of the men cleared his throat. "You are not from around ere' are you?" he asked slowly in passible but strongly accented English.

Liam smiled. "Aye, ya got that right mate. I'm from Galway, in Ireland." He held out his hand "I'm Liam."

The man smiled, "Endre," he shook Liam's hand.

Endre translated for the rest of the table, and a few nodded their understanding. Most of the table however appeared confused, and unaware of what 'Ireland' was. He didn't mind, he was a long way from home and these men were not the kind to care about the world outside their own.

They sat and drank for about half an hour, exchanging stories about home. He asked them about their families and where they worked. Only one of them knew more than a couple of words, so the conversation was slow as Endre translated back and forth between English and Hungarian. Whenever he could Liam would speak in the men's native tongue, but his Hungarian was spotty at best, and most of the words he knew weren't for polite company.

After a while one of the men asked him why he was here and Liam fell silent, lost for the right words. Finally he touched the golden cross around his neck.

"A, vámpírok?" one of the men whispered softly.

Liam's head whipped around, his eyes widened. "Aye." He agreed, the word translating through the communication barrier. A few of the men cast him furtive looks as they spoke quickly amongst themselves.

Liam cleared his throat. "I'm hunting a vampire," he explained, "a very old vampire, she has alluded me for years. I get close and then she manages to slip away again."

Endre translated, but before he was finished the rest of them started talking rapidly in Hungarian, shaking their heads and obviously debating the story he had told them.

While Liam picked up a few words here and here he didn't know enough to follow the conversation. So he sat patiently, folding his arms across his chest and waiting for the men to finish speaking.

Finally the young translator held up his hand and yelled for silence. He turned to Liam. "We know about the vampires, and the demons" he said, unexpectedly.

Liam's eyes widened, he blinked and leaned forward. "Tell me what you know," he said in a low voice.

Endre paused, glancing at his friends for permission. "We know a demon, he is very old, and very evil."

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Liam. "Do you want me to kill him?"

"I do not believe you can sir," the man said quietly, "no, I believe he can help you."

"Help? From a demon?" Liam's voice was practically a snarl.

Endre nodded "Yes sir, I believe he can help you with your vampire problem."

Liam paused, his eyes narrowing. Against his better judgement he considered the possibility of asking for help from a demon. Finally he sighed "Does this demon have a name?" he asked reluctantly.

"Yes, his name is Sahjhan."

(v)

Nový Targ, Poland
September 9th, 1753

It took him almost two months to track the demon down. It was surprisingly easy to find compared to the vampire he was tracking. The demon didn't even bother to hide his tracks. Liam followed him across the border, following the whispers of the gypsy caravan's that criss-crossed the area. But it was a cloaked man standing in the rain outside a pub that pointed him in the direction of the demon's lair. Liam asked the man to guide him to the place but no amount of coin to persuade the man to accompany him, and he let the man slink back into the shadows. This wasn't his fight.

It was a still night, the moon obscured by clouds when he tethered his new horse to a tree and slowly crept through the woods.

He made his way slowly around the small thatched cottage, crouching down and peering carefully through the small window set in the side of the house. Inside he noticed a cosy room, a fire blazing in the corner. In front of the fire the demon sat in an armchair. On closer inspection the demon appeared humanoid, yet its face was pockmarked and scared.

He pulled the sword from his scabbard and stepped back from the window. He took a deep breath and threw himself through the window, crashing through and landing in a shower of glass in the middle of the room. The glass rained down around him as he stood up quickly.

He stared down at the demon, and raised his eyebrows. "Sahjhan, I've been looking for you for a while. We need to talk," he said.

The demon put down his pipe and crossed its arms over its chest. "Who wants to know?"

Liam smirked. "The Scrounge of Europe"

Sahjhan froze. His eyes going wide as he got to his feet. "And what? You're here to kill me? I'm a lot harder to kill then I look, boy."

Without warning Liam lunged forward thrusting the sword into the middle of the demon's chest. It passed right through as if the demon hadn't been there at all. No pain passed over the demon's face. Sahjhan smirked and stepped forward, the sword going even further into his body. "Like I said," he said slowly, "I'm hard to kill. Being incorporeal in this dimension does that."

Liam's smirk didn't waver as he opened the satchel that was hanging around his shoulder and pulled out an ancient urn. "I am well aware of your tricks demon. If I wanted to kill you I could, quiet easily. Lucky for you that's not why I'm here."

"Then what are you here for?" Sahjhan hissed angrily.

"I want to make a deal." Liam said, taking a step back, pulling his sword from the demons chest and lowering it.

Sahjhan blinked in surprise. "A deal?" he asked, "What kind of deal?"

"I have a vampire problem." Liam explained, "you might have heard of her. Her name is Darla, I've been hunting her for the past four years and as much as I try, I cannot best her. So I need a game change."

"Go on," the demon prompted, his curiosity spiked.

"I heard what you can do, how you can move between dimensions and time. I want you to do that for me."

"You want…"

"I want you to travel to the future. I want you to find Darla at her most vulnerable, then I want you to take me there, so that I can kill her."

Sahjhan paused. The urn is Liam's hand was one of the few things in this dimension that could kill him. With a simple incantation (which he had no doubt Liam knew) he would be sucked into the Urn and trapped. Then, Liam had a choice. He could let the urn be, trapping Sahjhan there for the rest of eternity, or he could smash the urn, killing him instantly.

"You won't kill me," Sahjhan said with certainty.

"If you do this for me, then no I won't" Liam said seriously.

Sahjhan paused for a moment, then held out his hand. "Deal." He said. Both men shook hands before the demon slowly misted away.

Left in the cottage by himself Liam relaxed, looked around before sitting down in the arm chair in front of the fire. Only minutes pass before Sahjhan appeared again in the room.

"I found her," he said "She's weak, you'll be able to kill her easily."

"When?" Liam asked.

"Almost 250 years into the future, on the other side of the world. You sure you want to do this?" he asked.

Liam nodded. "She needs to pay for what she did to me and my family, I can't kill her now, I've tried and failed to many times already. But I'm damn well not going to give up until I do. If this means I can send her to hell like she deserves then it will be worth it."

"Well don't say I didn't warn you, the future is a strange place. With even stranger people. I hope you can handle it boy."

Liam smirked. "Worried about me now? I'm touched."

Sahjhan held out his hand again. "Ready?"

"As I ever will be." Liam replied and placed his hand in the demons. Slowly Liam vanished. Gone to the future with the push of magic.

Inside the small cottage, alone again Sahjhan smiled a cruel smile and clapped his hands together. "Done."

A/N: Thanks for reading everyone. If you liked it please review and tell me what you think. I'm hoping it's been easy to follow with all the stuff i've been changing, but if you are wondering about something feel free to ask, I don't mind. I've also been working on a new Harry Potter story at the moment as well, a Draco/Hermione fic, so if you like that pairing i'm hoping to have that story up fairly soon as well. I know my updates with this story are sporadic at best, but i'm really trying to get a good schedule going around work. I'll try and update this monthly from now on, if it starts getting much longer then that feel free to kick my ass. :)

xx

Ashes