LEADER

Selene pov

The forest slipped by in a black haze of mist and leaves as we speed by in the van we had stolen. David drove as he was the one who knew the way while Michael, our daughter and I rode in the back. It was the first time for us to truly get to know each other and bond as a family. Micheal had learned everything about her from the blood memories he had gained from me, all the memories of her life as subject two in antigen, freeing me and going on the run, all up to our meeting on the docks. And ever since they came into contact with each other they have not separated even once, always maintaining some form of physical contact. Now she was fast asleep in his lap while he stroked her hair absentmindedly. It was only at this moment that the full ramification of the situation hit me. Only now with Michael here did the big picture become visible. The thing that was brutally ripped from me and buried in lies so long ago was right in front of me once more. I had a family again, after six centuries alone in a vengeance fueled rage, I had a family again. My lungs struggled to expand as emotion swirled thick in my chest and tears clouded my vision. I was happy and terrified beyond words at the same time. Happy in watching the man I love caress the head of our child, the product of that love. But terrified in the fear of losing them especially know with the humans hunting us as well. His eyes locked with mine and I could see the multitude of questions swimming within them. Uncertainty squeezing his vocal cords, but finally they came.

Micheal – "did you know?"

Selene – "know what"

Michael – "that you were pregnant back then, is that why you were so desperate to get out of Budapest?"

Selene – I shook my head. "No, I didn't know, I never felt any symptoms. I just wanted to escape the purge. The thought of losing you was too much." I could see a small smile creep across his face.

Michael – "she can't go on like this, spending all those years being treated as a thing and not given a name. We must give her a proper name, tonight, no right now."

Selene – "actually I've been thinking about that but didn't want to commit to anything without you being there. What do you think about Eve, Alexandra, Corvin."

Michael – smiles and looks at her, stroking her hair. "Eve it is then, however I have a slightly different idea as to the last name. Actually I've been thinking about this since the purge. I figured that since we were going on the run it would be necessary to take on new names. So I was thinking of reverting to my ancestor's name."

I gasp, staring at him wide eyed. "Michael you don't mean."

Michael – "yes I do. The night I became a hybrid is the night I joined a new family, my true family. And Eve was born into that family, so she must bear the proper name, as must I.

I sigh deeply, knowing that what he was saying was true. She was born into the world of immortals and monsters, not man. She was a descendant of Alexander Corvinus, the first immortal which in a sense made her royalty. So there was only one name acceptable for her. "Very well, then from this night and forever more her name shall be Eve Alexandra Corvinus." He smiled and nodded proudly.

Michael – "And mine will be Michael Corvinus, as will yours." My breath caught in my throat and my eyes went wide. What did he just say, that it would be my name too.

Selene – "Michael you can't be serious. To bear the name of the founding father, I don't deserve-"

Micheal – "Selene. You are my mate, the woman I love with all of my being as well as the mother of my child. You were given power directly by my ancestor himself. You deserve so much more than just a name and if I have to marry you to get you to wear it then I'll drag you to an alter right now. So please just accept it, Mrs Corvinus." I couldn't hold back my tears, his words making me lightheaded with happiness. Warmth pulsed through my veins and down to the very marrow of my bones yearned for him. My body subconsciously listed forward till I was in his arms, my need for him too great. "God I've missed you," I whispered to him and once again I was crying and clinging to him while Eve slept between us. I'm a six hundred year old super vampire for crying out loud, I should have more composure than this but I just could not help it. Just then Eve began to stir from her sleep, her eyes creaking open slowly. She pulled herself up rubbing her eyes with one hand while the other stayed fixed to her father's lap.

Eve – "m-mom, d-dad. How long was I out." She addressed us with words that she was just as unaccustomed to saying as we were to hearing."

Selene – "Just under an hour dear, we should be arriving at the coven shortly."

Michael – "perfect timing though. Your mother and I have chosen a name for you." The joy that lit up her face nearly brought me to tears again but I reined them in. I had to be strong for her.

Selene - "What do you think of Eve Alexandra Corvinus?" I waited for her reaction as she lowered her head, her body starting to tremble as tears rolled down her cheeks. There was nothing but silent sniffling for about a minute before she launched herself at us, crashing us to the floor of the van and crying openly. "I love it" she kept repeating over and over, to happy to say anything else.

Michael's tone became soft. "We weren't there to hear your first cry, nor your first words. We never saw you take your first steps. We couldn't comfort you after you had your first nightmare, or listen to tales of your wildest dreams. But at least we could give you a name and I swear that we will be here for every step you take from now on, our precious daughter, Eve. All she could do was nod, too many unfamiliar emotions swirling inside her to put into words. Then David, who seemed a bit reluctant to interrupt us announced. "We're here, although I'm not sure how my father will react to me bringing you back here after what happened the last time, especial now with, Michael in tow." There was a quick flash of anger across Michael's face as we exited the van. Ah yes, he must be seeing the memories of when the coven was attacked by the lycans and Eve was taken. The closer we got the more agitated Michael seemed to become. David opened the secret door and we followed him through, travelling the same route as before with David out front, Eve right beside me and Michael close behind us. Thanks to my memories he knew the layout of the place as if he'd been here before himself, but something about him has been off a while now. Since we left the van he's been silent and on edge and when I took his hand I could see the same flash of anger smoldering deep within his eyes. This place seemed to upset him to the point where even Eve could pick up on it, glancing at him then at me, her eyes asking me what was wrong with him. I could only shake my head but whatever it was I knew was important.

Every vampire we passed stared at us wide-eyed, shocked to see us again. One who had just rounded a corner and saw immediately turned and ran back into the room, no doubt to inform Thomas – David's father and leader of the coven – that we were here yet again. As we entered the room we were surrounded by Vampires holding guns - assault rifles, shotguns and pistols - all trained straight at us. And Thomas stood in the center of the room.

Selene – "Well, thank you for such a warm reception; you certainly know how to make your guest feel welcomed." I spat at him with distaste.

Thomas – "How dare you return here? Have you not cause enough death. Is our destruction what you wish for? You leave, now. And as for my son, have you no shame. To bring not only her and her offspring but her mate here again after what they have brought upon us. You can leave with them, because I will not watch you die again." I could hear the pain in his voice as he spoke to his son. I had to make our intentions about coming here clear before I drove a wedge between David and his father.

Selene – "We have no intention of staying. The only reason we came here being that my-" I turn to introduce Michael but the words died at the precipice of my lips. His eyes were black as night boring in Thomas's. His teeth had become fangs and his nails grew to claws and he uttered one word... "You." Eve moved behind me, sensing the anger and power coming from her father. Suddenly everything made sense to me now. Shit, why had I not seen it before, his desire to come here, his reaction in the van, the silent anger brewing within him? I had thought that it was this place and the bad memories that were causing his unease but it was not. His true reason for coming here was for Thomas. For the man who had handed Eve, our daughter, his child, over to the lycans in order to save the coven but most likely himself. Michael had come here with every intention of killing him and deep down I was all too happy about that fact. Before anyone realized that Michael had moved – except me of course – his right hand was already wrapped around Thomas's throat.

Michael - "YOU DARE GIVE MY DAUGHTER TO LYCANS" he shouted. Thomas went wide-eyed as Michael lifted him off the ground with ease, and slammed him into the dais eve once laid on when she was being healed, splitting it. "Do you have any idea of what you nearly caused" he said. Shifting his hand from his throat to his shirt and throwing him into a pillar, cracking it as Thomas coughed up blood. "In your cowardice, you give the lycans the key to wiping out the vampire and human races." He was before Thomas in an instant, grabbing him by the face, lifting him and slamming him head first into the stone column. A couple of the vampires guarding us panicked at seeing Michael attack their leader and opened fire. Michael dropped Thomas and shook violently as round after round pierced his body. When the gun fired finally stopped they expected to see his body fall lifelessly to the floor but he just turned to them with a look on his face that said, did you, actually, just shoot me. He threw off his coat, shifting into his hybrid from (the one from underworld evolution when he fought Marcus) and roared at them as his body pushed the bullets back out. They back up, dropping their guns as they realized that Michael was no lycan or vampire but something else entirely, something they couldn't hope to match. He set his sights back on Thomas, grabbing him by the throat again, ignoring his pitiful flailing attempts to escape. He straightened the fingers of his free hand into a knife palm, positioning it right to Thomas's heart.

David – "NO!" he shouted from beside me. Michael turned to face him and I saw David take a tiny step back. "Please don't, don't kill him. I know what he did was cowardly, but he acted for the good of the coven. He had no way of knowing what the lycans could have wanted her for. Please, he's my father." He pleaded, looking Michael right in the eyes. After a few seconds elapsed Michael turned back to Thomas, still pinned to the wall. Then shifted back to human and dropped him.

Michael – "I would've already killed you if it wasn't for the profound respect I have for your son." Then Michael turned to the gathered vampires. "IS THIS WHAT YOU CALL LIVING. HIDING LIKE RATS AND PRAYING THE HUMANS DON'T FIND YOU. IS THIS WHAT VAMPIRES HAVE BECOME. Pathetic, were you not once the ruling class? Have you truly given up your pride so easily? Well I for one will not accept it; I am not going to run of hide from humans or lycans any longer and will never let my daughter live such a life either." He then jumped onto the broken dais, turning slowing to look each and every one of them in the eyes. "My name is Michael Corvinus. I am a direct descendant of Alexander Corvinus, the first immortal. I am neither vampire nor lycan but the first hybrid of both. And as of this moment, I am the leader of this coven. If ANYONE objects, then step forward now."

He turned slowly, staring at each of them, eyes as black as midnight, claws and fangs out once again. No dared to challenge him, especially not Thomas, not after the beating he just took. But then someone did step forward, it was Olivia, the doctor who had healed Eve the first time we were here. Michael turned to face her but she quickly bowed to him, then to me.

Selene – "You're the doctor who saved my daughter. I never got to express my thanks to you for that."

Olivia – "Please there is no need for it for it is what healers do. However I would like to inquire as to what you meant about handing the lycans the key to wiping out the vampire and lycans races." I looked to all the vampires in the hall and saw the same question written in their expressions. I nodded as Micheal jumped off the dais and moved towards us.

Selene - "Eve is unique and in a class of her own" I sad taking her hand and gazing at her lovingly. "Not only is she a direct descendant of Alexander Corvinus but she is also a pure born hybrid. As such I have no doubt that she will one day surpass her father and me in strength. However the lycans saw something else entirely. From her DNA the lycans were able to extrapolate a vaccine capable of making them immune to sliver." Loud gasp went up from every vampire in the room and the look of utter horror and disbelief on Thomas's face was quiet satisfying. "She managed to escape and free me before they could complete it. That is, until a certain someone handed her right back over to them." Every head turned towards Thomas who now stood rigidly in place, dumbfounded at what he had done. I heard Michael growl like he had decided to kill him after all. "If I, along with the help of David here had not gone and rescued her, then this war with the lycans and humans would have ended with the lycans victorious, and the rest of us extinct."

David – "Congratulations father, all these year's perching the importance of our survival and you nearly cause our destruction yourself." I watched as shame and regret clouded the elder vampires face and he turned away from his peers to leave in silence.

Michael – "And where do you think you're going. I never said you could leave" he said coldly.

Thomas – "And what would you have me do. Be ridiculed for my actions to protect my, this coven. Or will you just kill me and be done with it?" He spat back.

Michael – "What I want you to do now is the same thing your son wants from you. I want you to fight for our survival."

Thomas – "You what?"

Michael – "the humans have spent over the last decade hunting both lycans and vampires to extinction. And because we have had no true leaders they have been far too successful at it. But that changes now, as a descendant of Corvinus and a hybrid, I will take control over both vampires and Lycans as is my birthright. You will show respect to me, mate Selene who now bears the Corvinus name, and my daughter, and you will fight, or I'll rip your fucking head off." He then jump back onto the dais "at this moment ladies and gentlemen, we are at war. But I won't do this the way Victor had, or the way Marcus had intended to, but in my own way. Selene can you take David and couple others and capture some lycans, bring them here alive." Knowing Michael I had a pretty good idea about was he was going to do so I nodded. "And as for you Thomas, I need you to take a party and head to every coven that you know. Tell every vampire you meet of who I am and what I have said, bring them here. And the rest of you, I want you to take inventory of everything in this base. I want every gun, bullet and able body accounted for, now move. Everyone bust into action, getting into groups to complete their task, a fire they had long forgotten roaring back to life inside them. Finally they had purpose again, not just waiting to be found and kill, and Michael had cemented himself as the new leader with their complete trust and loyalty. He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me kissing, me sweetly and I had to fight to not jump him right here and now.

Selene – "Well this was unexpected" I said softly.

Michael – "I know. I'm still not sure what came over me back there. I just knew we couldn't live a life running and hiding" He replied.

Eve – "Dad's a total bad-ass" She said with awe in her voice. "Wait does this make me like a princess or something?" she looked to both of us.

Michael – "yes, I guess it kind of does doesn't it."

Eve – "Awesome."

David – "Selene, we're ready when you are." He said running up to me a few minutes later.

Selene – "Alright I'm on my way" I say to him then turned back to Michael. "Are you sure about this, a war with the humans won't be easy and could very well be the end of us."

Michael – "yeah it very well could be. But I know that as long as we're together we can face anything. Besides, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve.

Selene – "oh really. Well then I can't wait to see them.

To Be Continued.