There is something darker one must understand about vampires, something I have leaned only recently. I suppose it makes sense on some level, though I personally do not understand it fully.

Human beings are by far the cruelest of all of the creatures. I only say that because they know when they are being cruel, and only they have the power to stop it. No one beyond themselves is accountable for their actions.

The cruelty and torture that the Count suffered at the hands of the Turks, and the betrayal of his men served as a catalyst to him becoming a vampire. He never told me directly about the day he was Turned, but he did tell me everything else about his childhood.

The rape, the beatings, the torture, all for the sake of a nonexistent peace. It wasn't until my dream that I had known the full details.

Which leads me to my new assessment; In order to become a vampire, the living victim must endure the cruelest of human conditions. Cruelty is the fire that refines the soul, melting it into purity. From that purity, we are born.

Dr. Van der Zanden and I set out in the moonlight, the other vampire's presence always remaining just beyond our field of detection. It was obviously intelligent, cruel, toying with us like this was some kind of game. Had it not been for Dante I never would have consented to this expedition, but I felt a certain sense duty, not only to Dante, but for some inexplicable reason, Dr. Van der Zanden and his wife, for taking care of my 'clan'. If it were me in their position, I wouldn't forgive anyone who turned their back, and at this point, I needed all of the allies I could get.

Augustijn and I were silent, both tracking like a pair of hunters after some great prey. Despite multiple attempts to convince me to take to the air, I was still unwilling to leave Dr. Van der Zanden's side.

You see, the problem with the Living as vampire hunters is that they are weak and easily corruptible. The Undead are not entirely impervious, either, but there is always safety in numbers, where one can easily watch the other's back.

On top of that, I feared betrayal. I did not want to be led out to the woods and slaughtered like a dog. So I had to keep and eye on Augustijn as well.
I caught a scent up ahead, beside a swamp. Fresh blood, virgin, male…

I broke into a run, and before Dr. Van der Zanden even knew I had gone, I was breaking through the bracken of the clearing. I spotted something white laying beneath some wild rose bushes beside the marsh, curled into a ball. I couldn't get close but I knew immediately what it was.

"Hans! Hans Van der Zanden!" I called, coming as close as I could. He had been smart to hide beneath the wild roses…

I saw his head come up from his knees, blond locks falling into his eyes, his face and neck smeared with blood.

"Away, vampire!"

"It's all right! I am a friend of your father's, my name is Integra Black."

As my name spilled from my lips, I heard a great ruckus in the trees; thousands of birds taking flight into the twilight sky.

"Back, monster!" He hissed, brandishing a sharpened tree branch. I couldn't help but appreciate the charm of his efforts.

"Hans, have you seen Dante? It's terribly important, please, you must tell me!" I called above the cawing. A chill ran down my spine as Hans simply curled into a tighter ball, drawing his knees closer to his chin. "Hans, tell me what happened."

"She took him." I heard him mumble.

"Where did she take him?"

He shook his head just as I heard Augustijn come crashing through the trees behind me.

"Integra! Hans!"

Hans shot out from beneath the bushes, nearly pushing me out of the way. "Papa!" he screamed, nearly jumping into the older man's arms. I turned back and glanced at the pair.

"Take him back to your home and make sure he's alright. I'm going ahead to look for Dante."

"I can't let you go on your own, Integra."

"Take Hans back."

I heard Hans ask a rude question about me, but Augustijn dismissed it with a hush.

"I'll return…"

"No, stay inside the house. I will bring Dante back."

And foolishly, without waiting for a response, I began my pursuit of the other female vampire. With each second that ticked my I was growing more and more annoyed by her game. When I found her, I would kill her.

I tracked the scent deeper and deeper into the trees, my surroundings becoming more an more familiar as I withdrew back into the Forbidden Forest. My stomach twisted into worried knots as the darkness closed in around me. I could handle this, but what about Dante?

His scent was faint, and seemed to be scattered. I paused for a moment, frustration seizing me. All around me in the great, moss-clad trees were doves, thousands of them, whispering in the trees, their hypnotic, lilting voices making it difficult to focus. I shook my head. These weren't normal birds. They didn't smell like doves. They smelled like vampires, or more specifically, one vampire.

"Reveal yourself!" I snarled, cocking my weapon and aiming it at the densest part of the flock. I could recall the Count being able to shape shift at will like this, taking the form of a large bat. I myself hadn't experimented with this, but I often wondered if I had the potential.

"Now, now, bite your tongue, you impulsive little girl." A soft, lilting voice cooed from the trees. Somehow, the sheer sound of the voice made my blood boil. I recognized the voice, and immediately I hated her, but I stayed my hand. I wanted to get Dante and I out of this alive, and now, more than ever, was a time for diplomacy.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, forcing my voice into an even tone that bordered on deadpan.

The doves all broke into a soft flapping that sounded remarkably like laughter, taking flight through the branches, dispersing in all directions. One swooped close overhead and I felt something slimy smack into my face. I grabbed at it before it could fall and much to my disgust and shock, I was staring down at an eyeball, it's iris a deep brown that bordered on black. I knew that eyeball immediately, by scent if nothing else. I felt my limbs shaking with anger, nearly crushing the eyeball in rage. I cast it aside, my senses alive in the forest as I pursued my prey. I could smell her, and I felt my chest swell: Dante's scent was with hers, his blood still pounding through his veins. I could feel his pain, his despair: he didn't believe that his salvation would come.

But he was still alive, and that is what mattered. I felt tears of joy swell in my chest, but I had to force them back and keep going.

I broke through the bracken into a clearing with a large pool. My eyes were met with the site of Lillith, sitting, balanced delicately on a downed log. She was by every description a beautiful woman, with pale skin and long, black hair rolling over her bared shoulders in waves. She had a full mouth that was pulled into a lightly amused smile, and a thin nose, but her eyes were the most startling part of her. I had never seen such and exhibit of utter cruelty and amusement reflected in her eyes as she watched Dante, who was lying on the cold, damp ground, one hand covering his missing eye, the other clutching his stomach.

His own long, dark hair was matted to his face, his olive skin drenched in blood and vomit. The pain was excruciating for him, and I could smell his fear. His blood was in the air, sending goose bumps down my spine. I was amazed he was still alive; his injuries were serious, but not lethal. He'd lost a lot of blood.
I must have taken them by surprise, or at least, Lillith seemed surprised when she saw me appear before her suddenly. Dante didn't react to me; I believe that he had withdrawn into his own little world by then, his mind lost in the pain.

I pulled Dante into my arms, holding him with one arm and leveling my gun with her white-clad breast.

"If you touch anyone from my clan again…"

Her smile broadened, her sharp teeth stained with blood, her purplish-red eyes glittering maliciously.

"You poor, misguided little girl. That Boyar obviously didn't give you the complete story…"

"Silence, you wretched hag." I raised the gun to her neck and opened fire, pulling the trigger back and severing her head with bullets. She simply laughed, shrouding herself with mist. I felt myself begin to tremble, Dante's deadweight seeming unusually heavy.

"I expected more of you. You will lose this war if you don't side with me. I'll take what the Boyar owes me." And like a flame extinguished by water, she vanished in a flock of doves, leaving me alone in the clearing with Dante.

I leaned him back in my arms, his heartbeat slowing with each moment that passed. He was dying.

XxX

I don't recall ever having traveled so quickly in my life. My eyes were blurred with scarlet tears by the time I passed the Van der Zanden's garden gate, Dante slumped against my neck. Augustijn ran out to meet me, taking Dante from me with some effort. We were both covered in blood, but I didn't even notice.

We laid Dante out on the kitchen table, Uta pressing a damp cloth to his forehead. He was awake, but he didn't seem aware. Uta said it was because of shock. His heartbeat had stabilized, but it still seemed painfully slow.

He was trembling violently as Uta cleaned up his empty eye socket. I was torn between repulsion and hunger as she dabbed the blood away with a rag soaked in some alcohol. Augustijn and I had to hold him down to keep him from furthering the extent of his injuries. At random points, he would just fly into a fit, trying to attack anyone who came near, then going completely rigid, he would settle against the heavy table as if waiting patiently for death to take him.

His long, black hair was so crusted with mud, blood, and bile that Uta had to cut it until it rested on his shoulders. It seemed a shame to do so, but Uta was trying her best to keep Dante comfortable and alive.

Throughout the night, I spoke softly to Dante, but it was to no avail. He was just a shell, sedated by some poultice Uta had given him. The hours crawled past, each achingly slow as the heavy sky grew lighter. I think deep down I knew Dante was going to die from the moment I heard that he had gone after Hans, but I didn't want to believe it.

I blamed myself. Had it not been for my anger, for my stupidity, and my stubborn pride, he and Anna would be safe.

My stomach twisted into knots as I thought of Anna. If the woman had gone after Dante, what was to stop her from going after Anna?

I felt the grip on my hand tighten, the glaze slowly vanishing from Dante's undamaged eye. The sky outside was a soft shade of pink, dew forming on the yellow roses that adorned the kitchen window.

"Don't speak, Dante." I cautioned, quietly begging him to hold on just a little longer. He smiled at us all, a collective shudder running through the room; his teeth had grown sharper in the night.

"Don't be afraid, Signorina…" he whispered, his cheeks flushed from the tremendous effort it was taking for him to even draw breath. "I can't think of a better place to die."

"I'm so sorry, Dante…" I whispered, taking off my blood-soaked jumper.

"No, It's not your fault, Integra…"

Without hesitation, I seized a kitchen knife from the counter, slashing my wrist in a downward stroke and jamming the torn flesh into Dante's open mouth. I heard Uta scream, and Augustijn tried to stop me, but Dante's lips were firmly in place, gently licking the blood from my wound. I felt the same electric feeling in my core that I felt when I drank the Counts blood, and I suddenly understood what it was to create a vampire. I felt embarrassed at the sudden realization of what I was doing, but I couldn't stop, especially since it could save Dante.

"Integra, you fool!" Augustijn hissed, raising his hand against me, but Uta stopped him.

"Augustijn."

"I can't let him die…I just can't…" I wiped my eyes, not wanting to cry. Dante began to cough and I pulled my arm away, Uta wrapping it tightly in a clean dishtowel. He was trying so hard, he wanted to live.

I could see it in his battered face.

Dante continued to cough and choke on the blood. Dr. Van der Zanden rolled him on his side, and Dante gasped, spitting the blood out on the table. He pushed Augustijn away, trying to sit up, but merely slumping forward into my outstretched arms.

"Relax, Dante…please…you're making it worse." I whispered, laying him back down on the table as gently as I possibly could.

"Integra…I…" His voice got lost in his throat, his open eye staring glassily at the ceiling, glossing over as his heart stopped. I heaved a sob, sinking to my knees. It hadn't worked. I had, once again, been too late.

I was only dimly aware of Uta's arms around my shoulders, her own tears soaking my dress. I covered my face with my hands, trying to keep myself from crying. No…Anna would never forgive me…

The silence that followed in the room was almost unbearable. I'm not certain anyone quite knew what to do. The sun was filtering in through the windows, the color of gold painting the walls, the scent of the roses and fresh bread surrounded us as the birds sang traitorously in the trees outside.

Dante was dead.

I was in disbelief as Dr. Van der Zanden draped a white sheet over Dante's body. There was something beautiful about the way it draped over Dante's face, falling softly on his chest. That morning felt cold to me, but in a beautiful way, like a flower blooming, only to be felled by a breeze.

I sat back against the kitchen cupboards, just staring blankly at Dante's motionless body. My own disbelief screamed through my ears. I was expecting him to get up any moment now, to announce that he was a vampire, and he was thirsty for blood…

Nothing.

Uta was sobbing relentlessly beside me, clutching at my dress. I put my hand on her upper back, hanging my head low. I was beyond tears. I had tried in vain to save him, breaking the rules, attempting procreation.

Uta muttered a soft prayer, wiping her eyes as she rose to her feet.

I felt Augustijn take me by the elbow, leading me through the short hallway into the living room, turning up the slightly spiraled staircase. He was clearly agitated, but said nothing.

I hoped he wasn't too angry with me, or disappointed in me. My actions in the kitchen were selfish and desperate, I realized, but I didn't need to be told this. Not yet anyway.

He stopped at the head of the stairs, turning to me. His eyes seemed to be a little more sunken, and the grey in his stubble seemed more obvious than usual. I felt a tear streak down my cheek, and I looked away from his even gaze. He took my chin with his thumb.

"You have a long fight ahead of you now. I know you're not as young as you seem, but you must first understand that this is not your fault. Dante went out after Hans on his own volition. Dante knew the dangers, and he chose to save my son from that monster. Secondly, you must understand that you cannot protect everyone, especially not those you love. You surround yourself with strong willed people. They will do as they please."

"Dr. Van der Zanden, with all due respect, how can one say that it is not my fault when, had I come out of the forest sooner, something could have been done?"

"That vampire does as she pleases and answers to none, unless I am mistaken." He said, clasping his hands on my shoulders. "But Dante is dead, and Anna is headed for Romania via London. You haven't the time to be dawdling. You stay here and watch Hans carefully and make a plan, Uta and I will fetch the undertaker."

XxX

A/n: Sorry for the late update. I just moved into a new apartment and don't have internet yet :/