A/N: Okay, firstly my apologies for the length of time this has taken me. I've been busy recreating the original draft and adding new bits to the story as I wasn't happy with how it was progressing. I realised that I needed more character development and most of all, more emphasis on the worship, hence why this has been on and off for ages.

I would like to thank everyone who has added this to their alerts/favourites list and everyone who has reviewed the chapters so far. Without that, I would not have continued with this, so thank you all very much.

Chapter 7

Obsession and Struggle

As the days progressed Dinah and Hecate's treatment of each other only became worse and with it so did Dinah's feelings of resentment towards me.

Not a day went past that she did not let me know the superiority of her position. I would walk past her and she would push me into the wall, trip me up as I carried dresses to Hecate. She was ruthless and without compassion for any living thing it would seem. Of course it wasn't just me that she directed her frustrations to although I certainly received more than my fair share. Anyone below her station was subjected to the harsh sting of her hand; unfortunately no one had the courage to stand up to her. She was Raziel's Higher Concubine; only Hecate was above her in the hierarchy and she alone was not enough to stop the sultry tyrant who succumbed to Lord Raziel's whims.

Hecate tried ever so hard to persuade me that Dinah's obsession was due to one thing, her jealousy... But I could not see why Dinah would be so envious of me; nor anyone else for that matter.

As time passed I kept my eyes open and began to make sense of the situation. No one dared touch Dinah, intimidate her or correct her; no one except Hecate who held power over her, but still Dinah persisted in fighting her superior at every step. Their rivalry was based purely on a constant power-struggle. Dinah wished to have Hecate's status within the group and she would go out of her way to make Hecate feel vulnerable. But Hecate was a confident woman who knew how to get the things she wanted without throwing a tantrum; her main defence and attack methods were to remind Dinah and anyone else just why she had the status she had. She did this in obvious ways such as presenting herself before Kain at ceremonies and letting him drink from her as the others watched and in more subtle ways such as training me to one day become a better worshipper and concubine than Dinah could ever hope to be.

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I awoke one day to find a pair of large rusty scissors on my pillow next to my face. I was puzzled by this as they'd been laid rather close to my eye. Maybe Dinah had intended to blind me. In my drowsy state I reach for them and pushed myself off my bed, only to see my hair fall from my scalp. I touched my head and when I pulled my hand away my red hair hung from my fingers in big clumps. I ran to the nearest mirror as quickly as I could, aware that my hair would trail behind me. I did not recognise my reflection, this could not be me, my hair was so short, less than an inch long now but it had been done in such haste that it was spiky and jagged. I had never been beautiful but now I was ugly. I still held the rusty old scissors in my hand and the rage of this insanity built within me. I had done nothing wrong except try to be the best I could be, why was I hated by this person so?

Hecate walked around the corner just in time to see me smash the mirror with my clenched fist. I wish I'd had clearer insight before doing that, the shards tore into the flesh at the back of my hand and I began to bleed profusely.

Hecate grabbed me quickly by my shoulders and led me down to her bedchamber. Once there she sat me by the idol extended my bleeding hand over it to let my blood drip.

"Don't waste your blood, my dear, every drop is precious." She said as she looked at me. She sighed as she ran her fingers through my short hair, "Her actions are appalling. She won't get away with this Ana… I will make sure of it." I did not answer her. I could only think of my parents, my mother would've been outraged, my father even more so… But I was not with them now; they could not fight my battles for me as they had done in the past.

I looked at Hecate who busied herself with getting a dressing for my wound and thought of how she'd become so close to me simply out of my ordeals. Until this point she had taken over the responsibilities where my parents had left them. I looked back at my bleeding hand.

This is silly, I thought, Things cannot continue like this. If I don't make my stand now then she will systematically destroy me. Once more I turned to Hecate who approached me with fabrics to bind my hand tightly. I couldn't let her continue being my protector, if for no other reason than she would not be around to do so if her duties brought her to death one day which was inevitable.

Mother had told me to respect my Elders, and I did. My father though had reminded me in the last moments before I left that only the strong survive, it was the way of life, the turning of the Wheel.

"Hecate… I want to go to The Matriarch."

She stopped and looked at me, "Are you sure, Ana?"

I nodded at her. I was not enthusiastic about putting myself in such a position but it was necessary evil. I would approach my fear of her with calm stability. Dinah had no right to treat me like this, regardless of being her inferior. I needed to prove myself, not just to stop this, but to show everyone that I was worthy; that I deserved to be Lord Raziel's concubine. Dinah would know me and she would respect me.

"You bring shame to our Order," The Matriarch snarled behind her veil, it was hard to tell which of us she directed this to. The rasp edge to the voice had not changed and heavy breathing filled the gap between sentences. She was still as terrifying as I remembered.

I knelt on the soft carpeted floor in front of her and Dinah sat in the same manner to my right. She had been most appalled that she had been brought here and worse yet that she had to sit next to me; objecting that as a Higher she should sit ahead of me not to my side.

I felt self conscious with my chopped hair. Dinah only looked more stunning now sat next to me. Sitting before the Matriarch I was not allowed to even cover my head with my hood or else it would be disrespectful to our Mother.

This is so embarrassing…

"Matriarch, I must object-"

"Be silent Dinah!" She ordered, there was no anger to her voice but it was dominant despite the way she struggled with each word, "Your mind screams your outrage enough without having to hear you speak as well. Calm your inner thoughts; both of you."

I bit my lip, not that doing so would silence my mind but maybe it would help subdue it. I hated this situation, the years of being told my place had left me with a mostly silent demeanour as you may have guessed, but I could only hope that this was about to change.

Isis was there, lurking within the shadows behind the Matriarch, maintaining her vigil over the creature.

The air was thick with the musky incense from the burners surrounding us which made looking at the wise woman near impossible through the haze.

"There is obvious conflict between you both. A conflict of wills and of power. I have before me one of my most distinguished pupils, Dinah, a great asset to our cause. You know this fact," I noticed the turn of her head as the Matriarch looked at me, "But there is also fresh blood, with desire and longing. Don't think that you don't know what I say child, your mind is on a constant path to be the best. Hecate has trained you well." She was silent for a while as she inhaled a deep breath, "I am ashamed of your actions Dinah. You should be as sisters to one another, not resorting to such acts of selfishness."

Dinah's face screwed up in disgust, "I did not do that!" She pointed a finger at my nearly shaven head without looking in my direction.

"I know you didn't," The Matriarch replied.

My heart stopped beating, I looked at the people around me but they seemed unaware of my shock; Dinah hadn't done this to me? Then who had? Were there other enemies that I was not aware of? I was boiling inside from the way Dinah spoke about me, and from the new found knowledge that perhaps someone had acted for her. "That does not excuse the way you have treated Hecate's student in recent years, we reserve that treatment for the slaves. You must learn to control your envy child; remember who it is you are dealing with."

"A simple creature with no intellect." Dinah spat.

"I am not simple! I was chosen by Lord Kain himself!" I exclaimed, I'd had enough, this was one insult too many.

Dinah looked at me stunned that I had spoken back to her. Before she could move the Matriarch extended her arm which made her fingers push against the thin veil that surrounded her, for the first time revealing that the fingers were black and so thin they may have been skeletal. Dinah lifted her arm to smack me but was stopped by the same unseen force that had held me by my hair that first day here.

"You will hold your hand, child. Your status is high in this society but I will not permit your violence in my chamber, not to Hecate's student… Isis? Come here, come closer," Isis emerged from her background, I had almost forgotten she was there, "Isis? You know this red haired child. Is she worthy?"

Isis considered me for a while before she spoke, "She is a good girl, Matriarch as I'm sure you are aware, Anastasia is quiet and subdued but that I believe is due to the treatment she has received of late."

"I agree with you. However there is more to this child than you may see with your eyes alone."

"May I ask what you see?" Isis asked the creature concealed by its veils. With one arm still raised to keep Dinah from striking me the creature turned.

"Child, your silence holds you back." The rasp edge to her voice subsided and sounded a lot more human, almost like the way my mother used to impart knowledge to me, "You have potential young one, you are good enough to be given to the one you desire, but you must focus."

I'm good enough? For Raziel?

"Yes…" She answered simply having read my mind. I couldn't believe it; I was being encouraged by her.

"What should I do, Matriarch?" I asked, "I'll do whatever it takes to be his." Luckily for me Dinah would not know who I was talking about.

The voice of a young, well educated woman with a soft tone filled my head.

Sing… I shivered, the voice had come from nowhere but at the same time, it had obviously emanated from… The Matriarch? Was this her voice? Her real voice?

"Your weakness child, comes from your silence. Do not be held back by it. If you feel this way about him, you must let him know. You are worthy."

Dinah was not impressed with the words the Matriarch used. It implied that I was beyond her reach. She turned back to Dinah who was still fighting to smack me.

"I will not tolerate these behaviours in my sect. You will hereby leave each other be and resume your duties. If you continue this conduct; you will not be given another chance and your fates will be unthinkable." Dinah's face dropped and so did her hand. Her straight back curved as she submitted to the decision, like a small child may try to 'hide' from a disapproving parent.

We were dismissed together along with Isis who locked the door to the chamber as we left. Dinah did not look at me, did not even acknowledge me or the conversation.

I extended my hand to her as an invitation to let the past go but as I did she stormed off, her straight blonde hair swaying madly.

I stood still for a moment, thinking about what had been said, letting the words sink into my mind. I was good enough, I was worthy.

Show him how you feel… Sing… I felt warm inside, like my mother had just embraced me and told me how well I'd done. I smiled and started to run through the corridors back to Hecate who would be waiting for me eagerly.

I told her that I would learn to sing, as instructed by the Matriarch.

I told Hecate of my desire to serve Raziel for the first time. She explained that this could still be possible for when I turned sixteen I would be presented before my masters with my friends, we would offer our first blood sacrifice for the vampire our teacher had been serving and then we would perform for them. After the presentation ceremony it would be decided which of the vampires we would be given to permanently. With that in mind I decided that I would do all I could to be chosen by Raziel. Hecate stood by my decision, for if I were chosen to serve Raziel, it would drive Dinah crazy.

Hecate smiled at me and took my chin in her fingers. I was still a bit shorter than her by now but growing fast.

"Well, if that is your decision my dear. Let us find some music to practise with."