Chapter 17:

The next few minutes were a blur as I drifted in and out of consciousness. I felt as if I was floating on air as Fane carried me in his strong arms away to the privacy of what I recognized as my old room. Servants bustled about carrying out his every order, ensuring I was as comfortable as possible. With their help I was changed into a proper dress, a midnight black long sleeved gown with a long train and Fane's own crest embellished on the belt. However, I still felt strangely weak and disoriented and had to be carried to the bed before I collapsed. The fabric of the dress felt familiar (I remembered it was one of Fane's favorites), and I recognized my surroundings from my time living with Fane… Yet I felt oddly out of place. Still, it was infinitely better than being trapped within that necklace, which was still hanging about my neck. But none of that mattered to me at the moment. All I cared about was the mouse sitting on the bed beside me, clenching my hands softly in his as he ordered his servants about.

"Fane…" I whispered, trying to get his attention. He immediately forgot all about them as he looked at me with concern, leaning down and brushing my hair back from my face.

"What is it, my love?" Fane asked, his brow lined with worry. "Are you comfortable? What can I get for you? What do you need?"

"Shut up and come here," I replied, reaching up and pulling him down to kiss him. The servants wisely left the room, leaving us in privacy.

"Adrianna," Fane whispered softly between kisses. He clung to me almost desperately, and to my shock there were actually tears in his eyes. "Adrianna, how I've missed you so. I thought I would never… n-never see you again—"

"It's alright Fane," I replied with a small smile, feeling tears of my own appear. I cupped his face in my hands. "You did it; you brought me back. We're together now, and that's all that matters." Wrapping my arms around his neck I pulled him down further for an even deeper kiss. How long I had waited to feel those lips against mine, to hear his voice, just to feel him again. My heart raced as his lips trailed down my neck to my collarbone, then back to my lips. All too soon we had to part for air, but his hands still moved, caressing me and trailing down my sides and along my arms, shivers causing my fur to stand on end. Then to my dismay, I began to feel lightheaded and my vision grew dark again.

"F-Fane," I murmured worriedly, feeling as if I would pass out. Fane froze above me, instantly noticing the change. I felt his hands on my cheeks and tried to open my eyes, which felt so heavy.

"Adrianna… Adrianna please stay with me," Fane begged, holding me in his arms again. Thankfully the feeling soon passed, though I still felt drained.

"I'm ok," I replied, leaning against his chest tiredly. "Just… I just feel very weak."

"The spell must have drained all your energy," Fane remarked worriedly. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I promise I'm fine. You worry about me too much…"

"I can't help it. I just got you back. I don't want to lose you again."

I reached up and touched Fane's cheek softly. "I'm not going anywhere," I said with a smile.

"Good," Fane chuckled. "Now just relax. You need to rest and get your strength back."

I nodded with a smile and settled back against his chest, too tired to argue. Although I knew he was right. I needed to gain my strength back. And though he would never admit it, I'm sure the power he used for whatever the spell was must have drained him of energy as well. We both needed rest. Then we would have all the time in the world. Besides, there was nowhere else I wanted to be than right there in his arms.

As we rested together, Fane explained what had happened since I had been gone, his agony at my "death" and the painstaking search to find a way to bring me back and finding my doppelganger; he even told me of his failures. Heartbroken at all he had gone through for me, I reached up and stroked his hair softly, running my fingers through the raven black locks that shimmered in the moonlight.

"The world has been so cruel to you," I remarked softly. "I can't imagine how you've suffered through the years. And I wasn't here to support you..."

Fane tilted my head up gently. "Adrianna, it was in no way your fault," he replied. "You were taken from me, and I avenged your death a hundred times over with the perpetrators. All but one." I flinched at that, knowing exactly who Fane was talking about. "But such is the fate of a creature of the night," Fane continued with a bitter smile, quickly changing the subject. "That is my curse. To walk in darkness; a slave to my thirst for eternity. Sometimes I can't help but wonder that perhaps…perhaps I deserve to be cursed—"

I interrupted by putting my finger to his lips. "I've told you before, Fane," I said, "it's not a curse; it's a gift. You have amazing powers beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Think of what you could accomplish in this world."

Fane smiled warmly, placing a soft kiss on my forehead. "I remember; and I have given it much thought in these five hundred years. As we speak, I have agents on the move, and my empire is growing throughout the world." I noted a familiar devious and menacing light come into his dark blood colored eyes. "For too long vampires have laid dormant, living in the shadows beneath the foot of mortals while they hunt us to extinction because of their fear of us. Why should we hide when we have such power over mortals?"

"But it's only a matter of time. Soon they will learn just what power vampires are capable of, and by then it will be too late. Once I give the word, vampires in every country will rise and wage war on the mortal world. The streets will flow red with their blood while we rule supreme..."

The image Fane was conjuring with his words caused my stomach to churn. I knew that he had always wanted more in life; being a Count simply wasn't enough. He'd always wanted to prove his worth and show the world that he was capable of more. But even I could never have imagined this. The way he talked of killing innocents so casually…

Suddenly my head began feeling heavy again and I felt weak and oddly off balance. Fane must have noticed because he pulled me closer.

"You're shivering…"

"I-I'm fine. It's just, this body. It feels so… foreign."

"It's only temporary, my love. It will pass."

"But it isn't my body. It looks like me, but... it's not. And this girl; my doppelganger…she had a life of her own and now she's separated from her own loved ones." I looked up at Fane unable to hide the sadness in my voice. "Doesn't it seem...unfair?"

Fane averted his eyes and frowned. "It was a necessary sacrifice," he replied. "Like you said before; you and I are together now, and that's all that matters."

"Yes, of course." Settling back against his chest, I grew quiet again, yet I couldn't get the thought out of my head. I still didn't understand it all but somehow I still felt connected to this girl, like I could sense her; as if we were sharing this body, but I was the one in control while she was only trapped, forced to watch as I controlled her body. It felt wrong to me. "I'm only saying... You said my soul was connected to this necklace," I added, touching the gem around my neck gingerly. "What if I took it off? What if something happens to it? This isn't my body, if something happens to the necklace then what will happen to my soul? Even if I was able to cross over, I might not ever be able to come back." My voice shook as I looked up at him. "I don't want to leave you alone again."

Fane winced at that. "You have to trust me," he replied. "It took centuries to finally get this to work, and I swear I won't let anything take you away from me again."

"I do trust you. But… maybe we can find a more permanent solution."

"There is none!" Fane insisted, his voice becoming strained as he grew more agitated. "The witch told me this was the only way, and it took me far too long to succeed. Now that I have you I won't risk losing you again."

I bit my lip, but I couldn't just let the matter drop. "There must be another way—"

"Don't you understand?!" Fane suddenly burst, causing me to jump in surprise. "There is no other way! Don't you think if there was I would have found it by now? I spent centuries trying to revive you, and failed time after time! And now that I finally have you back this is the thanks I get?!"

"Fane, I didn't mean…"

"It doesn't matter. The world shall soon know of my power. They will tremble before my might, and they will see how mistaken they were. I had hoped to have you rule by my side…"

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be." My ears flattened as Fane let out a scoffing laugh. I frowned. "You dare doubt my love? After all we've been through-"

"We?" Fane asked, arching one eyebrow skeptically. "You've been dead for five centuries!"

"Exactly!" I shouted, now losing my own temper. "I've been stuck here, unable to cross over to the other side yet unable to even roam as a ghost through these halls." My hand went to the necklace around my neck and I gripped it tightly. "I've spent half a millennia chained to this stupid gem, waiting for you to free my soul from this prison. And never once did I doubt that you would succeed."

Fane opened his mouth to retort, but stopped himself. Instead he sighed sadly, and for the first time since I'd known him, he looked tired. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have even died in the first place," he said quietly, looking down at the floor ashamed. "I may have brought you back, but… not all of you. I was so focused on reviving you that I didn't think of the consequences of my actions. I should have researched more, I should have found another way, without a doppelganger. But I was too impatient. Then when I finally succeed, I accuse you and doubt your love; when I don't even deserve you. I…" Fane's voice shook. "Adrianna, I'm sorry."

Before I could stop him, Fane swept past me and fled out the door. "Fane, wait…!" I called, but he was already gone, moving so fast that my mortal eyes were unable to keep up. "Idiot," I muttered under my breath, though at the same time my heart was breaking for him. Determined to go after him, I grabbed a red cloak from the wardrobe and fastened it around my neck to guard against the cold in case he had fled outside the castle. Just before I went out the door, I stopped by a side table and opened the drawer where I knew Fane kept a dagger. Sure enough, the knife was there, and I took it as a precaution as I went after him.

The only question was… where had he gone?

…..

After the ritual, I had lost all will to fight as the guards dragged me back to the dungeons. Why bother, I thought. I had nothing left to fight for. After all, the Amber I knew was long gone. The way she had looked at me, that fear in her eyes before Fane had cast whatever spell over her; it would haunt me the rest of my life, however short that might be.

I was brought back to reality as I realized that the guards had stopped. Looking up, I saw them looking ahead furtively, obviously aware of something or someone up ahead, even if I didn't see them.

"Show yourself!" one of them demanded, brandishing a spear in front of him defensively.

"You should learn to watch your back," a familiar voice said from behind us, and I winced at the sick sound of something cutting through flesh as the guard fell down dead with a wooden stake impaled in his back and through his chest. The other guard whirled around only to meet the same fate.

In the chaos I had lost my footing and fell to my knees, and braced myself for the same thing to happen to me. But instead I found the restraints on my wrists fall to the floor.

"You know, this is the second time I've had to save your life, detective," said the voice, and I couldn't hide a slight smile as I saw Damien saunter forward, ignoring the blood spatters on his clothes.

"I had everything under control," I replied calmly, standing to my feet and dusting my sleeve.

"Clearly," Damien replied, raising one eyebrow as he looked at the dead guards.

"Fine. I owe you one."

"You owe me two, actually."

"Whatever."

"Basil!"

I turned and was relieved to see Dawson and Janssen running toward us. Though my heart leapt when I saw they were splattered with as much blood as Damien. Janssen chuckled grimly at my expression.

"We had a run-in with a group of Fane's minions, including those ladies from the ball," he explained. "One of the she-devils fled and two were injured, but they got away."

"The rest weren't so lucky," Damien added with a devilish smile.

"I must commend Dr. Dawson," Janssen continued, clapping Dawson on the back. "Quite the able-bodied fighter, he is."

"Military instincts," Dawson replied with a tired smile.

"Now what of Miss Amber? Where has the demon taken her?"

I briefly explained to them what happened during the ritual to Amber to the best of my ability. Dawson shared my grief, hanging his head sadly, while Janssen's eyes flashed with anger that Fane had succeeded.

"And Ratigan?" he asked.

My ears flattened as I told how at first he had tried to help save Amber, but eventually was subdued with me and now his mind belonged to Fane. Janssen nodded solemnly, then put a hand on my shoulder gently.

"I know it looks bleak, but there's still hope Mr. Basil," he replied. "Every spell has a counter; if there's any way to get her back and reverse the spell we'll find it. Now if you were in Fane's place, where would you have taken her?"

"The most secure place in the castle," I replied.

"Probably the highest tower away from enemies," Damien added. "Maybe even his own room."

"Then we'll start there. Keep a wary eye out gentlemen," Janssen cautioned. "There's sure to be more demons in this lair."

Sure enough, we ran into several more vampires along the way, forcing us to fight for our lives. But eventually we managed to reach the west tower and began our ascent up the winding flight of stairs. The chance that we could still save Amber gave me strength, and I bounded up the steps ahead of the others. However I stopped short as I collided with someone coming down, nearly knocking me backwards down the stairs. I held onto them tightly as I regained my balance, and was utterly shocked to see Amber staring up at me, eyes flashing as she struggled in my grip.

"Oprește-te! Dă-i drumul!"

"Amber please, it's me-!" I was cut short as her fist made contact with my face. Hard. Stunned, I fell back against the wall clutching my mouth and tasting blood, though I managed to keep a tight hold on her wrist until the others came. Trapped, she looked at us with pleading eyes, her gaze darting back and forth between us until she saw Damien. There seemed to be a flicker of recognition in her eyes and a smile spread on her face as finally she tore herself from my grasp and rushed to him.

"Marin!" she cried, throwing her arms around Damien's waist in a tight embrace. Looking up she began questioning him worriedly. "Marin, ce se întâmplă? Cine sunt acești oameni și ce au făcut cu Fane—?"

Damien quickly composed himself after initially standing for a moment in surprise. Then, placing both hands on her shoulders, the vampire leaned down and spoke to her rapidly in Romanian. We watched while she listened carefully, occasionally asking a question. I could only assume he was explaining the situation to her so she would understand, but the secretiveness of the conversation and the way she looked from Damien back to us caused the wheels in my head to turn. I wished I knew exactly what he was telling her. A few minutes later, as if to allay any suspicions, Damien turned back to us and translated.

"She's just confused," he explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "She realizes that she's in Amber's body, but she didn't know who you were and thought you were trying to hurt her."

Janssen stared at Damien in confusion. "I didn't know you were Romanian…"

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me Doctor," Damien replied cryptically. Janssen opened his mouth to say more but I quickly intervened, wanting to keep to the task at hand.

"Ask her where the Count is hiding."

"She won't tell us," Janssen replied. "She's far too loyal to him. We're strangers to her, and as soon as she discovers our intentions she will see us as the enemy. Remember, this is Adrianna we're dealing with, not Amber."

I gulped and nodded, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that it was someone else in Amber's body who was communicating with us. "Then how are we supposed to find him?"

"We may not have to," Janssen answered, glancing toward her. "He won't leave without her… not after just getting her back. He'll come for her, and when he does, we'll be waiting for him."

My ears flattened but to my surprise Damien spoke up first. "You're going to use her as bait?" he asked incredibly while she stood behind him still clutching his hand and glaring at the rest of us suspiciously. It was clear she knew we were Fane's enemies and didn't trust us. Yet she seemed to be most comfortable with Damien, as if they had met before.

"It's the only way to draw him out of hiding," Janssen insisted. "Unless she'll tell us where he is—"

Janssen was interrupted by Adrianna shouting angrily in Romanian.

"What did she say?" I asked.

"Nothing that a lady should say…" Damien answered, trying to hold in a laugh.

"This is not the time for games, Damien!" Janssen reprimanded.

"I don't think I have to translate that she's clearly pissed at you," Damien replied, more defensively this time, "and she's sure as hell not going to trust you when you plan to use her as bait!"

"Arguing isn't going to help," Dawson pointed out.

"Ask her again," I said to Damien almost desperately. "Explain to her that we just want to get Amber back."

Damien nodded and tried again, and Adrianna replied, looking unsure. "She asked what would happen to her after we get Amber back?"

We were all silent at that. Finally I spoke up. "I don't know," I replied honestly. "But tell her we would do all we could to help keep her alive as well."

"I don't know that that's possible…" Janssen interjected.

"If we want her cooperation, we'll just have to try," I replied. I turned back to Adrianna and asked her myself. "Please. We need your help…"

Damien translated again, and we waited as Adrianna grew quiet. She gazed at me for a few moments, then suddenly spoke to me.

"Esti… Basil?"

I nodded, though I wondered how she could have possibly known my name. However I didn't question it for long as she finally nodded, then spoke rapidly in Romanian.

"She agrees to tell us where she thinks Fane might be," Damien said, "but only if we promise not to harm him."

Janssen scoffed. "Out of the question—"

"Done," I blurted. The others stared at me. "As long as we save Amber that's all that matters."

"You forget that bastard vampire murdered my fiancé," Janssen glared, gripping his crossbow more tightly.

"Doctor," I replied evenly, trying to keep him calm, "I can't even begin to imagine how you've suffered from Maria's death. But revenge is not the answer. At least not at the moment."

"Then when is the right moment?" Janssen asked desperately. "When she's lured us straight into his trap?!"

"Gentlemen—" Dawson tried to speak up.

"So long as you threaten Fane, she is not going to cooperate!"

"Um, Basil—"

"Not now Dawson!"

"She'll cooperate with a little 'persuasion'…"

"You dare threaten her?!"

I winced as a shrill whistle split the air. Once he had gotten our attention, Dawson huffed in frustration. "If you two would shut up for a moment, I think we have a bigger problem on our hands!"

"And just what might that be?"

"Amber… Adrianna… whoever she is, she's gone!"

"What?!"

"She ran while you were fighting over who gets to kill Fane and when. Damien went after her—Wait, Basil…!"

"Don't just stand there Dawson," I shouted over my shoulder. "There's not a moment to lose!"

As we ran back down the staircase, we met another group of vampires at the bottom and were forced to confront them, losing precious time.

"Keep going," Janssen yelled in the midst of the fight. "We'll follow soon, just don't let her get away!"

I didn't question him as I continued to follow Adrianna, but my heart leapt as I found the way barred by Ratigan himself, snarling and baring his fangs. I leapt out of the way as he lunged at me, only to crash into the wall behind me. I jumped to my feet and ran, but fell on my face as he leapt and crashed into my legs. Turning over, I held an arm up to shield my face as he was about to rip into me with his claws, but he stopped short as Damien leapt on his back and locked his arms around his neck, choking him from behind.

"Go!" Damien shouted. "I'll hold him off!"

"But—!"

"I can handle him, just go! Now!"

I hated to leave them behind, but I quickly scrambled to my feet and continued my search for Adrianna, following her trail all the way down to the first level and even outside the castle. Luckily it was easier to follow her footprints in the snow covered ground, and I tracked them down through a garden to a cemetery. At last I saw her, weaving in and out of the tombstones, clutching a knife in her hand for protection. She seemed to be searching for something, so I quietly followed to see where she would go, hoping she would lead me to Fane.

Finally she stopped at one of the catacombs. The door was already cracked open, indicating someone had already been inside. I watched her go inside and waited, thinking Fane might be there, but when I heard no other voices I quietly followed.

Once inside, I saw Adrianna alone standing in the middle of the room beside a coffin, running her hand along the lid sadly. Her ear twitched and suddenly she whirled around, pointing the knife at me. I put up my hands in defense.

"Amber… Amber it's me."

There was another brief flicker of recognition in her eyes but she still glared, keeping the knife on me. Even so I dared to take another step.

"Please… you must remember me…"

Apparently I took one step too far. I barely dodged out of the way as she lunged at me with the knife. She tried to dart around me but I managed to grab her before she could reach the door. We struggled for a few moments, but I didn't use all my strength as I was afraid I would hurt her. I only twisted her wrist just so until she finally dropped the knife, but she continued to put up a fight. In the struggle she almost slipped out of my grasp and I grabbed at her desperately, but was only able to clutch the necklace around her neck as we both fell to the floor, causing the chain to snap and it to come off of her.

Adrianna clutched her neck and stared as I held the necklace dangling in my hand. She suddenly spoke again, reaching out desperately.

"Te rog ... Te rog, nu face. Dă-mi-o înapoi…"

My heart broke as she begged on her knees. But as I looked down at the glowing red gem, an idea occurred to me.

"Dă-mi-o înapoi!" She screamed, lunging at me again trying to take the necklace by force. But before she could get it I threw the necklace on the floor with all my might, causing the jewel to shatter into pieces. Adrianna froze, her eyes glazing over as she stared up at me, then collapsed on the floor. I immediately ran to her and knelt down, holding her in my arms and watching mesmerized as the glow from the necklace moved across the floor and seemed to enter her chest. Then another bluish light seemed to leave her body and floated up into the air, passing through the ceiling and disappearing altogether.

I panted in exhaustion, still trying to process what had just happened. However, that was all forgotten as I turned my attention back to her. I put my hand on her face, growing horrified at how pale she looked. Laying her down on her back, I put my ear to her chest, but heard no heartbeat.

Oh no…

Moments later I heard Dawson and Janssen enter the tomb. Still partially in shock, I looked up at Dawson, struggling to remain calm.

"D-Dawson, she… s-she's not breathing!"

Dawsom rushed over and knelt down beside her, leaning down as I did to listen to her heartbeat. I felt my heart sink at the look on his face, and he immediately began trying to resuscitate her, trying to find a spark of life. I cradled her head in my hands while Dawson worked, brushing her hair out of her face while I feared the worst.

"N-No," I whispered. I looked up at my friend frantically. "Dawson, d-do something!"

Tears were already falling from the doctor's face as Dawson felt for a pulse one last time. "I've done all I can, Basil," he quietly replied, shaking his head sadly. "I-I'm afraid… she's gone."

I could only look down at her still form in shock. I could clearly see the evidence for myself, but still refused to believe. "No," I insisted, pushing him away angrily. "She can't be, she just can't. Not after all we've been through." Laying her back down on the floor, I continued pumping up and down on her chest, trying to bring her back.

"Come on," I panted. "Come on, Amber. Wake up. Please wake up…"

She didn't stir. She was so still; as if she were sleeping. But she wouldn't wake up.

Once the awful truth began to settle in, I trembled as I took her into my arms, kissing her face softly, hoping that she would awaken by some miracle. Pleading, begging…

"Darling, o-open your eyes. W-We can't let him win. You must wake up, you must!" My voice began to shake with emotion as I felt my world begin to fall apart.

"P-Please, Amber… D-Don't leave me! I… I love you." Once the words had left my mouth, I felt tears streaming down my cheeks for the first time in years. Such a simple phrase, yet I'd been too cowardly to say it to her face. I should have told her of my feelings weeks, no, months ago. And now that I finally gathered to courage to say it out loud, she couldn't hear me. She would never know how I really felt about her.

"I'm sorry. Oh god, I'm so sorry!" I whispered over and over, clutching her to me tightly. "Please, Amber. I love you…"

Author's Note: So... a lot going on in this chapter. A lot of arguments, alliances are tested... and Damien knows Romanian? How convenient! Or is there really more to him than we know...?!

And can I just say how much I love writing Adrianna? Need to do that more often ^^

Also... first time I've killed off an OC. And I'm incredibly sad now :C Oh well, maybe she's not really dead, trololol

And another thing... just imagine Fane's reaction when he finds out... O.O

Basil, Dawson, and Ratigan (c)Eve Titus and Disney
Fane, Amber, Adrianna, Damien, and Janssen (c)Me

And if you're curious what Damien looks like check out my gallery on dA. And don't confuse him with Mimmime's Damien, who happens to be Fane's immortal slave... you'll hear more about him later :D