Kione again unceremoniously tossed the feline formed Snowhawk on the bed before him. “Well, mare, I'd guess that the wolves won't mind if we borrow this little cabin until I find something better.” The vampiric Delphin had brought her to the small cabin in the Northern forests that once was a summer home for Janus and Adian's family. “I highly doubt they'd even think to look here.” He regarded the female for a moment, then commanded her, “Change forms. Back to your true form.” Snowhawk complied, shifting back to her Delphin form, having no other choice. “You are so different from her. Yet in so many ways the same,” he mused as he continued to look at her. “Where are you, Emerald?” he asked, leaning closer to her.

The female Delphin's half-closed eyes blinked shut, reopening to a cold blue, and Emerald's voice called out “Save me...” as Snowhawk's head went back. She again blinked, and her eyes returned to their normal magenta.

“Emerald?!” Kione called out. “Emerald, come back!” he yelled, grabbing Snowhawk's shoulders and shaking the mare lightly. “Emerald, don't leave me.”

The elder vampire had long forgotten how to cry, but as he looked at Snowhawk's face, a single tear formed at the corner of her eye. “She's not gone. She'd never leave me again.” He leaned over, gently kissing away the tear making it's way down the side of Snowhawk's face, hoping Emerald would feel it.

*********

A coal black shadow moved away from the window. Onyx happened to sense other Delphin nearby, and found Snowhawk under Kione's command. I'm sure the wolves would like to know where she is, he thought, then trotted off to the city. The old Royal Guard didn't have the ability to travel quickly like the vampires, so the trip would take him nearly three days on foot.

Three days later, Onyx arrived at the Sininensusi estate. He found Rais first, and was surprised to see the Director before the lupine brothers.

“Good to see you again, Onyx,” the Director bowed.

“And you, Rais. Have you seen the brothers?”

“They should be arriving back soon. Did you have news for them?”

“Yes. I've found Snowhawk and the elder vampire. I'm sure they'll be pleased to hear that.”

“Indeed. Their attempt to rescue her didn't go well, and it sounds like the elder brother will need some patching up before he goes anywhere.”

The pair chatted and waited for the brothers to arrive, catching up on the past decade. Their conversation would go on for two hours before the other Lupino arrived.

“Just the Delphin we needed to see,” Adian began.

“And I'm sure you'll be pleased to know what I have to tell you as well,” Onyx replied.

“Please tell us you know where she is,” Janus pleaded.

“I do,” the Delphin responded. “I happened across her and the elder vampire as I was wandering the Northern forests.

“Is he at the old cabin?” Adian asked, canting his head to the side.

“He is.”

“Son of a bitch,” Adian growled. “We never would have thought to look up there, but it's an obvious hiding place when I think of it.”

“Let's go,” Janus said.

“But your wound–“ the Director began, but soon found himself cut off.

“It's fine. Thanks to Anya's residual venom, I heal faster than normal.”

“May I at least inspect it?”

“Of course,” Janus replied, and lifted his still blood-stained, cut shirt. The wound had indeed closed, and prodding from the Director didn't draw out any cries of pain from the light-furred Lupino.

“Very well, you appear to be healed enough that it shouldn't tear open. But be careful anyway.”

“Let's go then,” Adian said to his brother and the Delphin Guard.

*********

Back at the cabin, Kione had still not released Snowhawk from his command. He hoped that her mental state in this condition would draw Emerald out, but all he'd managed to do was exhaust himself by keeping her restricted. “Emerald, where are you?” he whispered in the pale Delphin's ear.

“Save me,” she had said. But from what, Kione wondered. She should be able to take control of Snowhawk at any point. Why hasn't she? The vampire was utterly confused.

He sat back in the chair next to the bed, watching the other Delphin. “I guess I could settle for you if we can't get her back. But I'll have to get the wolves out of the picture first. Or at least Janus. Adian will be easy enough to take you from.”

The female Delphin fidgeted at hearing this. Kione's control over her was weakening the more stressed he became, and she was getting more and more able to respond to him. But he knew better than to let her free, even though he was exhausting himself. She had been able to run here as a half vampire, so running away would be no trouble for her. He'd not been able to find a suitable place to attach the chain that still hung from her collar. If he could, he could at least release her and rest. There were plenty of sturdy things to attach it to, but he had not found any tools. “I suppose I could let you go back to them and just come after you when I'm ready, or hope Emerald will bring you back before then.”

Kione thought over this for a few moments, then snapped his fingers once at Snowhawk. She blinked in response a few times, then slowly sat up.

“I'm letting you go, for now, mare.”

“Why?” she said, side eyeing him and unsure.

“Because I'm exhausted and you're too much trouble for me right now. Go back to your wolves,” he said, reaching over to her, and releasing the lock on her collar. “Just know I'll be back. Or Emerald will,” he grinned.

“She won't be,” Snowhawk replied, crawling from the bed and keeping as much distance between her and the vampire as possible.

“Don't worry, mare, I am a Delphin of my word. You can go, for now.” Not needing to be told again, Snowhawk quickly opened the door and ran from the small cabin. “Mares,” Kione sighed. 

*********

Little more than a day later, Snowhawk trotted down the road leading from the cabin, still confused as to why the vampire would release her, and what he meant by Emerald being back. She didn't remember Emerald crying out for help, and barely remembered the elder vampire's pleading for his lost mate. The sound of a vehicle caught her attention, and she looked up to see a familiar truck driving toward her. She waved her arms, trying to catch the driver's attention. The truck half slid to a halt near her, as Janus nearly fell trying to jump out of the still moving vehicle. The wolf ran to his mate, gathering her into his arms upon reaching her and squeezing her tightly. 

“How did you escape, love?” he asked after several moments of silence.

“He let me go. Said he was exhausted and that I was too much trouble for him to deal with at this time.”

“Exhausted?” Janus asked, confused.

“There's only so long you can keep someone controlled,” Adian explained as he walked to the pair, closely followed by Onyx. “If he kept her like that for these past days, then he's been expending a lot of energy, and probably had little to eat. As for her being trouble, well, I'm sure you can understand that much.”

“He said Emerald may return,” Snowhawk began, folding her ears back. “I don't remember much, but he was calling for her.”

“She may not be gone, then,” Onyx commented. “She could just be well hidden.”

Snowhawk sighed, looking down. “This is almost too much.”

“I know, love,” Janus replied, “But you're not alone through this.”

As his brother embraced the pale Delphin, Adian looked away. He couldn't deny the pang of jealousy he felt, but knew that he just needed to bide his time. “Let's get back,” the younger brother said. “We don't want to tempt fate.”

*********

Upon reaching the estate, the brothers, Onyx and Snowhawk were greeted by Director Rais. “Snowhawk, I'm glad to see you're safe.”

“Safe, but still in need of your assistance,” she replied.

“Of course. I'll let you settle in, then we can get started.”

“Thank you, Director.”

“I told you, please call me Rais,” the Director smiled.

“Of course,” she replied, smiling back.

As Snowhawk vanished off to her room, Rais turned to the other Lupino and the Delphin still standing. “I'll be honest and say I'm not sure if she can be helped this time. We've still never tried this serum on a full vampire.”

“We have faith in you and your team, Rais. You've been invaluable in helping us before,” Janus responded.

“Well, it's just me right now. My team will arrive if I need them.”

Adian nodded. “Still, you're here to help, and we can't thank you enough.”

Some thirty minutes later, Snowhawk returned, still drying her mane from her recent shower. “Well, I think I'm ready.”

“Very well then,” Rais nodded, “let's get started.”

The Lupino and the Delphin vanished into the study. It would be the first trip of many over the next weeks. Each injection of the serum reduced Snowhawk's vampiric powers, but at a slower rate than the first time. It would take twice as long, more than six months, to rid her of the vampiric toxin in her blood. And the pain was just as great as before, though it was over a longer period.

“It's possible this will stop working in the future for you, so be careful,” the Director warned.

“Hopefully,” Snowhawk returned, “Kione won't come back for me for another decade, if ever.”

“We need to take care of him before that,” Adian interjected.

“Last I checked, he was still creeping around your family's old cabin, but he may not stay there forever.”

“I'd hope not,” Janus frowned.

“I'll head back up there in a few days to check again.”

“Thank you, Onyx.”

Rais gave a small bow to the others. “I'll head back to Juv. If you folks need me again, please don't hesitate to call.”

“Of course. Thank you again, Rais,” Janus replied, returning the bow.

The Director left for Juv within the next hour. After he was on his way, Janus took Snowhawk back to her room. Adian clenched his fists as he watched his brother walk away with the female Delphin.

Onyx, noticing the boiling jealousy, turned to the younger brother and said, “You can't keep up this charade forever.”

“I don't have to wait forever,” Adian nearly growled. “Just long enough for him to be gone.”

“That might as well be forever.”

“I can wait. I'm patient. But I swear he flaunts it in my face.”

“Perhaps, but he may not even realize it.”

“Its still infuriating.”

“I can imagine. But you still can't hide it forever.”

“No. But I have to, for her sake.”

“And your brother?”

“Very little I do anymore is for him. It's her.”

Onyx shook his head. “You're going to drive yourself as batty as that other vampire is.”

“No,” Adian replied. “Kione's got a couple thousand years and a twice dead mate over me.”