Episode 10 Part 1

Diana and Aurora were walking together in the fields outside.

"I'm so glad you're back," the older sister said.

"I'm really glad you're back," the younger sister cried. "I was beginning to think I would never see you again. That perhaps you were never coming back,"

Diana clasped her hand. "I will always come back to you,"

"So, have you learnt much about your magic?"

"I surely have,"

"Well, I look forward to seeing you use it against our enemies,"

"I hope I am strong enough to stop Knox, to make him pay for what he did to us," Diana prayed.

"Let's hope you are," a cruel voice cackled.

The girls turned to see Peter Knox with Satu.

"Get her," Peter ordered.

In the blink of an eye, Satu held out her hand and she sent waves of sonic power at Aurora. She screamed as she grabbed her head and fell to her knees.

"Stop!" shouted Diana.

"Then stop her," challenged Peter.

Diana tried to do something with her hands but no magical energy came out. Not even witch fire of which she could form a bow and arrow and shoot it at her sister's captors.

"Nothing?" mocked Peter. "You've got nothing,"

"That's because she has no power," seethed Satu. She glared maliciously at Diana. "You are nothing. You can't even protect her sister. Her death will be on you," she flung her free hand to the side and Diana was thrown several yards back.

"No! Aurora!" the next thing she saw as she sat up was Satu finishing Aurora off with a fireball to the heart. "No!"

Diana woke up, hyperventilating. "Aurora," she breathed. She rubbed her ears and found herself inside her shared bed with Matthew in their London home. She reached for her neck and slipped out the locket Aurora had given her from inside her nightgown. She opened it and was instantly moved to tears seeing their face portraits inside.

"Diana?" Matthew's voice mumbled.

Sitting up, Matthew glimpsed worriedly at his mate. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

Diana sighed. "I just wanted to keep Aurora safe. But now she's stuck in the present in danger whilst we're here in the past safe and sound. I really regret leaving her behind,"

"Diana…" Matthew clasped her hand. "Don't you dare feel guilty. She chose to stay behind and you weren't responsible for her decision. And she's not alone. Besides, you've seen all the strangers in Elizabethan London. Perhaps it was best to leave her in the present,"

Diana clutched the locket which she never took off. "I just hope she's safe,"

Matthew warmly embraced her. "She is. I know Marcus will keep her safe,"

Diana embraced him back as she closed her eyes. "What if I can't master my magic? What if I can't protect anyone? Or her?"

Matthew stroked her hair. "I know you will. You are the most powerful witch I have ever met. If there is anyone who can protect our loved ones including Aurora, it's you. I know it's you," he kissed her hair and at that moment Diana no longer felt afraid for her sister. She was safe and it was all a dream.

Thomas sat up on his bed, not wearing a shirt. He lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling of his four-poster bed. He turned his head and he saw a picture of him and Argus together. He sighed. He swiped his feet to the floor, stood up and dressed up. Ten seconds later he was in the kitchen. And in less than one minute, he prepared breakfast for the Wilsons. By the time he had finished the buttered toast, the Wilsons had arrived downstairs, still wearing pyjamas.

"All prepared. Bon Appetit," Thomas clapped his hands.

"Thank you, Tom," Sophie sat down and on her food cravings, she munched on all the food he had prepared.

"You sure know how to prepare a good morning meal," Nate complimented, taking a bit out of his cereals.

"Thank you. I'm really glad you're enjoying it," Thomas smiled. "I thought that today I'd take you two around the city. I can't keep you guys locked up in my house all day. It is not how I wish to treat my guests,"

"And Aurora would freeze you if you kept us here all the time," Nate joked earning a loud chuckle from Sophie and eventually Thomas.

Thomas sat and ate only some nuts and drank some wine. He remained rather quiet and distant from his guests much to their concern.

"You seem rather distant," Sophie said.

"I don't want to talk about it," Thomas didn't make eye contact with them. "I'm just gonna go and get dressed," he left them alone but he avoided their concerned faces. They left a few hours later and Thomas took them on a nice tour around Oxford and its grand buildings. It was the Wilsons' first time in the city and it felt great to have their host welcome them around.

They came to some beautiful green parks after buying some tea and pastries.

"Thanks for taking us out," Sophie said.

"You sure it's safe?" asked Nate.

"Don't worry. The Knights will let us know if any Congregation members arrive here. We'll be fine. But it's not just them that I'm worried about,"

"What do you mean?" asked Sophie.

Thomas was captured by the echo of a familiar accent in his ear drums.

"Thomas? Thomas?!" Nate failed to get through to him.

His senses were captured by familiar smells. In an instant, Thomas gently urged them to a nearby crowded spot in the park.

"Tom, what is it?" Sophie asked.

Her only answer was Thomas keeping his firm face aimed through the gaps between all the heads. She and her husband glanced amid the crowd and they saw five Scottish men. They were sitting together around a large table at a restaurant opposite the park.

"Why are you staring at them?" Nathanial asked.

"Because they're trouble," seethed Thomas grimly.

Matthew and Diana were on the balcony outside their London enjoying some ale which Diana surprisingly found delicious.

"Better?" Matthew asked.

Diana nodded. "Yes. I'm glad it was all just a dream. The sooner I can learn how to use my magic, the sooner we can return home so we can protect everyone we've left behind,"

"The Knights will ensure their safety. As should Baldwin. Going to the past turned out to be a bigger challenge than I thought. Let us hope that word doesn't break out from Kit,"

Diana pursed her lips, remembering that jealous daemon. They observed the streets below watching the Londoners of the 16th century pass by. As they twisted their heads and spotted numerous locals, Matthew narrowed his eyes when he saw a group of five strong figures approaching the house. The smell of them set him off. "Into the house Diana,"

"What? Why?" Diana was becoming perplexed by his sudden overprotective nature.

"There's trouble. There are vampires here who have been a thorn in my side for centuries. And they mustn't see you. I have to tell them to leave before they find out you're here and where we're from," Matthew was becoming more serious than the other day. "Please will you go inside?"

"Okay," Diana said reluctantly. "But afterwards please tell me who they are,"

Matthew nodded. They went inside and a minute later, he walked out the front door and eyed the approaching vampires more menacingly. They were Scottish, hence their robes and checked stockings. The one who led them was the tallest and the stiffest of them of all, with shaved brown hair, an arrogant posture and dark eyes that pierced right into Matthew's cold blue eyes. He approached him slowly but he held a murderous expression on his face.

"Yet again we are repulsed to be in your presence Matthew Clairmont. Or Matthew Roydon as you're called here," he spoke menacingly.

Matthew stood in his position, unafraid of his tone. "You should know better than to speak to me this way Fergus. Just as you should know better than to intrude near my property,"

Fergus's eyebrows furrowed sinisterly. "I will not be threatened by the likes of you," he stepped forward, his family backing him up. "And neither will my family," the vampires behind him resembled a small but indomitable cavalry who looked like they would attack Matthew were they not surrounded by many creatures including humans, their common enemy.

"Tell me, where is Thomas? Is he out hunting witches again?"

"You will not speak of my son," Matthew warned. "And what he does is none of your business,"

"It is my business. If it involves my brother in them," the way he spoke, Fergus despised Thomas to the core.

"Argus and Thomas love each other. When can't you just try to accept their love?"

Argus approached him closer, turning more sinister every second. "You think I would accept the grandson of an arrogant power-seeking vampire as a brother-in-law?"

Matthew looked like he was about to strike but he kept his temper. "You do well to choose your words the next time you describe my father. Everything Phillipe has done; he has done for the greater good of our kind. At least Argus can see it whilst you are not,"

Fergus did nothing but glare back with hate. "When the time comes, your family will regret you stole him from us,"

"We didn't steal him from you. He fell in love with my son and I am proud to call him my son-in-law. He chose to join us whilst you allowed yourself to build walls of hatred and prejudice, so I suggest you leave now,"

Fergus swerved around and turned his back. He marched away into the streets, leaving a snubbed Matthew standing on that street where they had come close to a bloody fight. He walked back inside the house and he saw Diana standing by the fireplace. She didn't look cross but by her firm shoulders and linked fingers, he knew he had to explain what transpired out there.

"Who was he?" Diana asked. "What does he have against you?"

Matthew invited her to the table. She sat down and he glanced darkly down at her. "His name is Fergus MacDuff,"

In the present, Thomas spoke to his friends but kept his eyes glued to the head of the Scottish cold-blooded creature whom his father had just spoken to in the past. "He's the head of the Scottish MacDuff Vampire Clan. They are widely known amongst the vampire communities. They often consort themselves with powerful ones to try and achieve their own ambitions,"

The way he spoke repulsively made Nathanial and Sophie twist their heads to him. "But not yours?" Nate asked.

"My late mate Argus was his brother. They had differences about my family,"

"There's a feud between the de Clairmonts and them, isn't there," Sophie figured out cleverly.

"Yes," Thomas said. "It's not safe here. Let's talk over some coffee," he guided the daemons away to get as far away as possible from Fergus. He took one last glance and just behind the corner, he saw a pair of cold unforgiving eyes staring back at him. He slowly turned away.

"Argus…was his brother," Matthew explained to Diana. "Fergus despised him and Thomas together,"

"Why?" Diana asked.

Matthew poured wine for them. "The MacDuffs have hated the de Clairmonts for centuries. When Phillippe formed the Congregation and established the Covenant, they accused him of seeking power over other vampire families aside from witches and daemons. Even though his intentions were good they refused to abide by his laws. An endless feud brewed between us for centuries,"

Diana was surprised to hear about their cynicism. "How did Thomas and Argus come together then?" she pushed before taking a sip of wine.

At a coffee shop, Thomas told the daemons about the MacDuffs and their grudge against his family. He then decided he would move on to the story of how he and the head's brother fell in love.

"Argus was once captured by witches seven hundred years ago. I was hunting them down in England to try and take vengeance for my human family when I discovered he was in their clutches. I rescued him and nursed him back to health. We fell in love after that and Argus though loyal and devoted to his family began to see mine in a new light. My father believed our union could bring our families together. But Fergus who had become the head of their family at that time became outraged. He demanded that Argus leave me and cut any ties. Or he would break war against us. Argus was willing to protect me. But Matthew used the Knights of Lazarus to repel their threats so I could be happy with the vampire he loved. Argus cut himself off from his family forever,"

"That sounds both happy and sad," Nate said solemnly.

"It didn't stop there did it," Sophie intelligently stated with her daemon powers.

"I only wish that Fergus had realised our intentions were for the greater good of everything," said Matthew.

"At least Thomas and Argus got to be together," Diana tried to lift his spirits but Matthew couldn't be so easily swayed. "What happened when Argus died?"

"When Argus was killed, the MacDuffs blamed Thomas for years. They tried to capture him but Marcus and I stopped them. Baldwin on the Congregation wanted him gone but as a de Clairmont representative he was expected to follow laws and customs and therefore had to enforce a threat on the MacDuff's should they attack us again,"

Is that why your uncle Baldwin hates you so much?" a sorrowful Sophie asked Thomas.

He nodded. "Loving and mating with a member of a rival family made him very bitter towards me. He desperately wanted the MacDuffs to kill me to ease the feud,"

"But his position didn't give him the right to do that," Nate ingeniously assumed.

Thomas nodded again. "That's all in the past now. There may be no fighting but the feud remains strong, nevertheless. We must be cautious with them at all times. Let's discuss something else now. I don't want to talk about it anymore," he sipped on his tea.

"I've never heard of a vampire drinking tea before," Nate said.

"Vampires usually prefer the taste of wine from the old centuries," Sophie said.

"Correct Sophie," Thomas said. "I admire daemons for their high intelligence, telepathic abilities and glimmerings of supernatural power,"

"Most times they're not always reliable," Nate said glumly. "That's why witches and vampires are so down on us. They think they can just call us mental headaches. No offence to you Tom,"

"Don't ever say that about yourselves. Daemons in this world truly matter whether witches and vampires see it or not. Aurora's very lucky to have you two as friends. Tell me, how did you three meet?"

"We went to university to study art together," Sophie explained. "She knew I was a daemon because of my artistic skills and rather than let old creature grudges cloud her judgement we became very close friends,"

"And she helped us get together," Nate added in happily. "Sophie was so mad with anxiety until Aurora helped her admit her feelings to me,"

"She really is a lovely girl," Thomas said admirably.

"How do you feel about your brother dating her?" Nate asked.

"I feel very happy for them," Thomas's face beamed. "Marcus truly deserves happiness. He was always elated for me and Argus and now I want to feel the same way for him,"

"But you also feel despondent because you wish you were experiencing what they have," Sophie added in.

"Soph," Nate hissed gently.

Sophie immediately apologised. "Sorry. I didn't think,"

"It's okay Sophie," Thomas assured. "Once again I'm very impressed by your abilities. You're both helping me recognise the importance of daemons in the world. I'm sorry for the way my kind have been prejudiced against your race,"

"No need to be," Nate assured.

"Can I get you both some cookies and cake?" Thomas offered.

"Oh, no thanks. Gotta keep a good diet for the baby," Sophie patted her baby bump.

"You're so lucky to have a child coming along," Thomas said. "I always wanted that. But fate just had different turnouts for me,"

"Don't you ever feel like you want to find love again?"

Thomas closed his eyes. "I would rather we talked about something else if you don't mind," he knew that Sophie was only trying to help out but it dented his heart to talk about love when that romantic feeling he had felt for centuries had withered away the day he lost the love of his life.

"And still in the present the feud never ends," sighed Diana. "Is this what Thomas meant by other dangers?"

Matthew nodded. "Don't worry for Aurora. I'm sure she is already safe in Oxford with him and Marcus. They'll protect her, no matter what,"

Hope flowed through Diana again as she clutched the ice locket which Aurora had gifted her. "Why aren't the MacDuffs brought before the Congregation if they despise Phillipe's rules?"

"Over time, they saw that they kept us safe from humans. Still, they resented the fact that a der Clairmont was expected to have a position and that Phillipe remains remembered. We must remain cautious of them whilst we remain here. If they find out about us and that we're not from this time, it could be very catastrophic. Not just for us, but for time itself. You must promise me you'll do everything I say if I feel they are around,"

"I promise,"

Marcus and Aurora were walking around Oxford together. With the feeling of none of their enemies stalking around the city, it felt like it could just be the two of them together, being cheerful in each other's company. They had been to romantic opera at the theatre today and they were now enjoying a fantastic walk in the beautiful Botanic Gardens.

"I've always wanted to visit these gardens," she said admirably.

Marcus chortled. "You mean to tell me you've never visited them in all the time you've been here?"

An awkward Aurora shook her head. Marcus chuckled again, unable to contain himself.

They came to a bench where there were many pairs of names engraved on the wood. One pair that attracted Aurora, in particular, were the names: Lyra and Will. "Tell me, ever you ever read the series His Dark Materials?"

"Nope,"

"I loved to read the books when I was a kid. It was set in Oxford and it was about two kids falling in love. And they were forced to leave one another," Aurora sat down upon the bench of marked lovers.

"That's so sad," Marcus said sadly sitting down next to her. "Are these books the reason why you love Oxford so much?"

"They are. I loved to read adventures set in Oxford as a kid. I used to pretend I was having adventures of my own right here in this city. Now it feels like it's actually happening," She stared out at the green trees and the historic buildings that surrounded the grounds.

Marcus shuffled closer to her. "I like it here. Whenever I want to be alone, I come here. It's where I think about things,"

"Sounds just like my spot back home," Aurora almost felt like she could see them both back on her hill where he had found and comforted her. She leaned her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. They stayed in that quiet position for a long while hearing nothing but the soft breezes blow by, observing happy pairs walking around the gardens.

As Aurora's eyes slowly closed and he could feel her heart beating slower, Marcus felt an uncanny chill slither down his spine. He could feel a pair of cold eyes pressing down on the hairs of his skin.

About ten metres away from where they sat, Fergus narrowed his eyes observing them sinisterly.

Aurora felt Marcus's chin lifting off her head. Her eyes opened and she could see a nervous face looking out for something like danger. "What's wrong Marcus?"

Before Marcus could answer, a disturbing voice of disgust approached them. "When there are two de Clairmonts in town, it means something is set in motion,"

The couple turned to see Fergus and his vampire cronies about three metres from the bench. Instinctively, Marcus pulled Aurora behind him protectively. "You shouldn't be here Fergus,"

"You up to any trouble?" mocked the head of the MacDuff family.

Aurora frowned at the vampire who taunted her boyfriend. "Who may I ask are you?"

"I see you've got yourself a girlfriend, Marcus. She's no vampire that's for certain," Fergus was inquisitive as he glanced wickedly at Aurora. "I would like to examine this creature," he stepped forward but in a blur, Marcus swopped right in front of him.

"You will not touch her," he snarled. "She is my love and I will not allow you anywhere near her,"

Fergus sniggered at his protective nature. "You really wanna start a fight?"

"If I were you, I would leave," Aurora warned. "You really wanna do this? In a human park? You'll be the one exposing us and who's gonna get in trouble?"

Fergus snarled at her as she spoke back to him.

"Fergus, she's right," a vampire next to him said. "Not here," he begged.

Fergus pressed his lips together and frowned. He looked back at Marcus. "Your brother was spying on me earlier today. Along with two friends of his. Two daemons I could smell,"

Aurora stepped up again without thinking. "They're my friends. And I'm warning you, stay away from them,"

"Quite a cheeky lady you've got here," Fergus was staring at Aurora with a strange expression. He wanted to touch her but Marcus moved a little more in front of her. "Can't the lady take care of herself?" he mocked.

"I can handle myself. You have no idea what I am," Aurora answered back bravely. "And Marcus doesn't protect me. We protect each other. And we protect our loved ones too. So, stay a good distance away from Thomas and our friends if you know what's good for you,"

A dark look crawled over Fergus's expressions. "You're gonna wish you hadn't said that missy. I'll leave you love-birds alone. Come on," he swerved sharply away from the couple and he disappeared with all his family members.

Marcus turned around, mad in the face.

"You needed my help," Aurora said.

"Aurora, I promised Diana I would protect you. How can I do that if you put yourself in harm's way?" he exclaimed, his voice low but his exasperated face red in the face.

"Like I said to that vampire, whoever he was…you don't protect me, we protect each other. That's what people do when they're in a relationship, they have each other's backs. They don't take each other for granted. I will not take you for granted and watch you risk your life for me,"

Marcus was deeply touched. "You really are the bravest woman I've ever met. But you're still a little reckless,"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Aurora smiled and he smiled back. She wanted it to last but her smile dropped and she turned serious. "Marcus, who was that guy?"

Marcus turned serious. "Best not to talk here," he led her away; they held hands.

Fergus observed from behind a fence as they left the entrance; he frowned and pulled out his phone.

That's another chapter for Season 2 done. What do you all think of the tension rising? And the relationships that are blooming? I hope you all are enjoying the story. Please send reviews and let me know what you all think so far? I would love to see your opinions. See you all soon.