36 comments/ 33050 views/ 34 favorites A Midnight Rose Ch. 01 By: mochadesire So this is my first attempt and submission to Literotica. I would like to warn all readers now that this is not just a 'quickie', there is meant to be a build up to the good stuff and so the first few chapters will probably be devoid of a lot of sex. I hope people like the beginning; I have loads of ideas for this story and I have a feeling it will turn out to be a long one. Also sorry in advance for any typos or errors, I have yet to find an editor; anyone who is interested, get in touch! Let me know what you think, I'm not sure what people's reaction will be and would love some feedback as to whether it's worth continuing the story! Enjoy everyone... mochadesire. Chapter 1 "You're saying she's alive?" He smiled at these hissed words. They were spat out with such anger; it was like music to his ears. "My lady, she is alive- to some extent. Your mother didn't die, as you well know, and her spirit has not been reincarnated in another for the past 2,000 years but I believe now that she has embodied a woman- a human." He couldn't stop his lip curling in contempt. Humans were below his race in every sense. It was deplorable that any vampire would choose to shelter its soul in one. His mistress cackled maniacally. "A human?! Oh mother, you really have made this too easy," she chuckled to herself. The shadow at her side, shifted. The movement caused his face to be caught in the soft candle light of the cave they were in. He too, carried a smile. "Sister," he rasped, "I do believe it is time for our dearest mother to meet her match." "I couldn't agree more brother," she smirked. As one the siblings turned to him, the third shadow in the dark. He shivered slightly in their presence and at the murderous, identical looks on their faces. To say the Twins were dangerous was an understatement and at this moment in time he had never been more afraid of them. "It seems we have need of you," the sister purred, "Find the human and bring her to us." He bowed his head in acknowledgement of her wishes. "If I may ask, what do you plan on doing with her once I have found her, mistress, master?" he asked with all the politeness that was due. The brother turned his undead stare on him and he shivered again. The sister released another maniacal peal of laughter. Spoken in tones too low for anyone without supernatural hearing, the brother and sister whispered together: "She will be destroyed..." *** The night had started as well as one could have hoped. But if the drunk, grimy vampire rolling at her feet wasn't enough to place a sour note on the evening then the pissed off 8 ft flaming demon before her definitely was. The two had gotten into a fight at Rowan Mitchell's club, La Rosa Negra, the hottest night club in town for "otherworlders" and she was just about fed up of trying to persuade the demon not to burn the place to cinders. "Carl, as much as you wanna place Remy's head straight through that wall over there, I'm afraid I can't let you," she sighed, "You see, I would have done it already if it weren't for the fact that the building work is damn expensive". The demon, Carl, smirked, but his expression soon soured as his opponent had struggled to his feet. The flames at his hands intensified and the smell of brimstone peaked again. "Rowan, you know I can't let this piece of shit get away with what he did to Sara," he rasped. Sara, the object of his affection peaked around his huge torso and once again tried to calm her hot-headed boyfriend down. "Sweetie, you know he didn't mean it, I don't mind-" she tried to explain, fear clearly lacing her words. Carl growled fiercely, cutting her short. Clearly there was no room for redemption of Remy in his eyes. Rowan sighed. She was used to fights breaking out between the clientele that frequented her nightclub. After all most, if not all of them, were "otherworlders", the general term for creatures of myth and legend- vampires, were, elves, witches, goblins, trolls, shapeshifters and so on. You get the point. As a human among these dark beings, she was in no shape to be breaking up fights. Her human reflexes and strength was nothing compared to these two: they could break her in half without a moments delay. Flicking back a stray curl of midnight black hair, she turned on the drunken bastard who had started all of this. As a vampire he was naturally attractive; tall, well-muscled with high cheekbones and a straight nose. But all this was ruined somewhat by his greasy black hair which clung to his scalp like rats' tails and his blood-stained, mud-smeared attire. That, and the fact he was a sexist pig who couldn't keep his hands to himself. True to form he sneered, leering at her through eyes unfocused from hours of hitting the liquor hard. "Little cunt deserved it, di'nt she? Shakin' her ass at me like she thought I wouldn't notice, little bitch got what was comin'-" He got no further. A look of surprise crossed his face as Rowan's fist collided with his nose, causing it to break with a loud satisfying crack. The human scum had broken his nose! How the fuck did she- through a haze of pain he noticed the silver knuckledusters she wore. He cursed again, this time aloud. "Ooh, this one needs to be taught some manners," Carl cackled gleefully. He glanced at Rowan, bowing to her superiority in the matter. She didn't fail to notice the look of longing in his burning eyes. She gave him a quick nod. It was all the affirmation he needed. He advanced on the floored vampire, the longing in his eyes replaced with murderous intent. Carl paused upon hearing the polite cough behind him. He turned to see Rowan give him an amused look. "Take it far away from here Carl. This is no longer my business," she said quietly. The towering demon gave her a graceful but comical bow. The act was surprisingly innocent for an 8 ft angel of hell with talons to shame a sabertooth. Rowan turned her back on the scene which had drawn some stares from other clubbers. She chose to ignore the fading screams of the unfortunate vampire who had caused the trouble. In truth, she was slightly surprised at herself for her explosive reaction to Remy's words. She usually left the roughing up of overly disruptive clients to her were-bear and troll bouncers. "Save your pity Ro," she muttered to herself, "he doesn't deserve it". She turned her attention back to the club, her eyes falling on Sara. The poor girl was human like her, but didn't have a strong constitution when it came to violence. Ironic, thought Rowan, considering she was dating a demon, known by all to be one of the most violent races of otherworlders. "I'm so sorry boss, you know what Carl gets like!" she tried to explain. "Save it, Sara. I understand perfectly well," Rowan tried to put a strict tone on her voice but just couldn't manage it. Her resolve crumbled as Sara's baby blues widened and her full lower lip started to stick out. "Aw man, really? You know I can't be mad when you pout like that!" Sara's eyes sparkled mischievously and her lip poked out even more. "Come on, don't stand there acting cute, those bar orders aren't gunna take themselves. Go on, I pay you to serve drinks girl." Rowan laughed as Sara let out a huge smile and bounded over to the crowded bar to do her job. From the grin that the other vampire barman, John, gave this little ball of gorgeous energy, Rowan knew that Sara would be safe for the rest of the shift. *** Luke Phillips was really trying hard not to have a good time. His best-friend, self proclaimed ladies man Philippe Môntreve had dragged him here to La Rosa Negra in an attempt to cheer him up. The vampire lord's mood was permanently set on sour, given the current disruptions in his realm. All he wanted was to get out there and sort all that shit out and Philippe just wanted him to "chill". "It will be good for you," the tall laughing man had proclaimed in his lilting French accent when he dragged Luke out of his office and sent him off to get changed. Begrudgingly, Luke had done so, he did need a break, but he refused to give his friend the satisfaction of being right. Phillipe would be insatiable otherwise. "Please stop sulking Lukey-boy" Philippe exclaimed, throwing his arms around Luke's broad shoulders. "Just look at all this fresh tail, strutting around wearing less than sociably acceptable, all for our delight!" Philippe proceeded to do just that, his eyes caught on the bouncing, generous chest of a gyrating elf on the dance floor before coming to his senses and turning his attention once more to the brooding vampire at his side. His friend had been through a lot to become the vampire lord of this area but Philippe remained resolute in his quest to get him to loosen up and hopefully find a women. Almost 1,500 years was a long time to go without finding someone to settle down with. "Look man," the Frenchman sighed, his lightly accented voice taking on a softer tone, "I know you have a lot on your plate, but you have got to learn how to relax a bit! You can't keep working for the rest of your immortal life; eternity is a long time to go without a break." Luke's eyebrow rose slightly at this and his shoulders slumped just a little. "I know, Phil, I know," he sighed. His friend, satisfied for the moment, left him to get some drinks at the busy bar, leaving Luke in their booth to scan the room. The nightclub was tastefully decorated and modern. The strobe lights hurt his eyes slightly but otherwise he liked the darkness that the club maintained. Ignoring appreciative glances from several of woman his human mother would have termed "loose" his emerald eyes searched for Philippe at the bar. It's not that he wasn't interested in woman, far from it. His Italian looks gave him lightly tanned skin and wavy dark chocolate hair that made any woman pant like a bitch in heat. Before he was turned, he had been a manual labourer which had merited him with broad shoulders, heavily muscled arms and a torso that would make an Armani underwear model cry with envy. It was no wonder then that he attracted plenty of female attention. But tonight, it was unwanted attention; he just wanted a quiet night out with having to deal with a simpering woman clinging on his every word in hope that he might bed her tonight. A disruption in the corner to closest to him distracted him from his quest to find Phillipe. From his vantage point he could see a vampire snivelling on the floor at the feet of what looked like a human woman standing in the shadows whilst a huge male demon stood glowering over the both of them. Behind the demon hid a tiny blonde woman, her terror rolling off her in waves. Luke's interest was piqued. He quietly moved closer to the group, pushing his way through the throng on the dance floor. Using the natural shadows of the club he masked his presence and viewed the unveiling situation with some interest. The vampire on the floor had managed to get to his feet. "Remy," Luke hissed under his breath. What had that drunken son of a bitch done now? Luke's enhanced hearing picked up on the vampire's words as he struggled to his feet. He hissed again at the asshole's use of language. Luke expected the demon to rip Remy's unfortunate head off at this point so what happened next surprised him hugely. The human woman in the shadows, who had her back to him at this point suddenly moved. Her flying fist was as fast as lightening, colliding with the vampires face with a sickening thud. Luke could not hold back his chuckle; Remy had more than deserved that, the slimy bastard. What surprised him though was how she had managed to break the vampire's nose. Vampires were tough creatures, much stronger than humans, therefore it was unlikely that this human woman could have broken anything and yet Luke had heard the crack as clear as anything. His unasked question was answered when the spinning strobe lights suddenly lit up the woman's hands, which were still held up in a boxer's stance. Silver knuckledusters. Luke could have laughed again; this woman was tougher than she looked. Luke missed the rest of the exchange between this woman and the demon who now loped out of the club, Remy in tow. Luke was sure however, that the vampire would get his comeuppance. The demon's pint-sized girlfriend looked significantly happier now as she skipped past Luke and hopped over the bar to take some more orders. Luke, momentarily distracted by the blonde, now turned back in hope of seeing the woman who had spiked his interest. If his heart was beating, it would have stopped then as she finally came into the light. She was, for want of a better word, perfect. Her midnight black hair curled in ringlets to her tiny waist which flared into rounded hips. The oscillating lights of the club flung the definition of the muscles in her arms into harsh effect and showed clearly her toned six-pack. The woman was all muscle, toned and slender. Luke's cock suddenly felt incredibly strained in his tight jeans. She looked like a warrior princess, proud and regal, strong yet beautiful. She moved with an innate grace that was more befitting of a vampire rather than the human that she was. Luke could not help staring as she swung herself neatly over the bar, her pendulous breasts swaying lightly as she did so. "Jesus, you look you have been hit round the back of the head with a silver crowbar," Phillipe chose this moment to materialise. Luke gave him a scathing look before trying to hunt down the mysterious beautiful woman again. "So who is she?" Phillipe smirked. "What?" Luke tried to appear nonchalant, but Philippe wasn't having any of it. "Ha! Nice try man but you aren't going to be able to get past me. I've known you almost 1,000 years; I know when you have been struck dumb by a woman. Admittedly it hasn't happened often," he said with a shrug of his lean shoulders, "But now is definitely one of those moments!" He crowed triumphantly, secretly thrilled that Luke had finally started to show an interest in his night out. Philippe's eyes followed his friend's across the crowded club to the bar. He suddenly found the object of Luke's attention and whistled slowly. He could see why Luke looked struck dumb by the beautiful, independent and dangerous-looking woman behind the bar. "Lukey-boy," he proclaimed, "You 'ave no chance." *** Rowan's earlier actions had attracted mixed attention from the rest of the clients. Most gave her beaming smiles and congratulations, others exclaimed their surprise and admiration at how quick she had moved, she smiled her thanks at all of them but couldn't help that feeling of animosity that radiated from a select few. Remy may not have been liked by most, but when sober he was a strong vampire with a band of loyal followers. She feared that this matter would not be put to rest tonight. "Girl, you were fierce out there!" John exclaimed yet again. Rowan rolled her eyes yet again. If vampires were stereotypically dark and brooding, her gay vampire bar manager was the complete opposite. Nothing could dampen his mood; his setting permanently on 'optimistic'. "John, please don't," she said over the pounding beat of the music in the club, "I just want to forget all this, and I already feel like a celebrity or something!" She called her thanks to a bunch of were-cats who spoke their approval from the other end of the bar. "You see?" she exclaimed to a beaming John who handed her more glasses to fill. "Sweetie, you love it! Don't deny the truth!" he called, mincing his way down to the other end of the UV lit bar to serve another customer. Rowan shook her head in mirth. She'd never heard of a mincing vampire until she met John. He dispelled any common vampire stereotypes in his true flamboyant manner and she loved him for it. She froze suddenly, unable to ignore the feeling that she was being watched; intently. She cast her gaze around the club until they suddenly landed on two men standing in the shadows just in the corner of the club. She could not help the flood of heat that spread between her thighs as suddenly their features were lit by the strobes. The taller, blond one was not looking at her; instead he was smirking at his friend next to him. It was his friend that held Rowan's attention. He was gorgeous. Definitely European, she thought. His features were dark and smouldering and his gaze held her with such ferocious intensity that she couldn't help but shiver. She ran her eyes over his huge shoulders and muscled arms and started to wonder what it would be like to be wrapped in those arms. Her fantasies to a turn for the erotic and she shook her head to clear them. She tried to distract herself by throwing herself into her work, taking orders, filling drinks and generally keeping her clients happy. But she couldn't help sneaking little glances in his direction every now and again. His gaze would be on her without fail. *** At 2.00 AM Sara called for last orders. This ignited another rush to the bar and it was at least another half an hour before Rowan and her team managed to deal with them all. She was vaguely aware of someone slide into the seat just to the left of her and suddenly found herself face to face with the object of her fantasies. Oh god, he was even more beautiful than she realised. He resembled something like the mix between a model and a Greek god, his muscles seeming to strain out of his skin tight black silk shirt. This man was sin himself and Rowan felt the dampness between her thighs return instantly. "I'm Luke," he said softly holding out a huge hand for her to take. Rowan could have moaned in pleasure then and there; even his deep, sexy voice was a turn on. She took his hand, stating "Rowan" in return. She marvelled at how his hand almost enveloped hers. God what she would do to have those long, dextrous fingers in her pussy. She almost blushed at the thought, meeting his sparkling green eyes with her own azure ones. She silently scolded herself for turning so quickly into a red-faced school girl around this man. Luke took the moment's silence to peruse her at his leisure. She shivered noticeably at his blatant sweep of her body, his gaze lingering for longer than deemed appropriate on her substantial chest. Her nipples pebbled instantly, straining against the silk of her bra, causing them to rub with every miniscule movement. With each rub, came shoots of pleasure that went straight to her core. "Do you get a break anytime soon?" Luke rumbled, lifting his hand slowly to stroke a thumb along her jaw line. Rowan did moan then, even if it was almost imperceptive. However the look of manly pride that crossed his face told her he had heard. "As manager, I think I can manage to dictate when I take a break," she said, smugly. He bowed his head, allowing a few wavy tresses to hang over his smouldering eyes. "Good," he whispered in her ear, noting again with satisfaction that she shivered in pleasure. Rowan had almost passed out when he whispered in her ear, his cool breath caressing her neck. She swung herself over the bar nimbly and at once was able to face this man properly. Dear lord he was huge, she thought in alarm. As her gaze swept over him she noticed that he was indeed huge in all departments if the tell-tale bulge in his dark jeans was anything to go by. He chuckled quietly at her embarrassment. He was larger than most and his obvious display of arousal had evidently caused her cheeks to redden. "Perhaps you are not used to men wanting you so obviously, my dear?" he chuckled, "It is nothing to be embarrassed about, the moment I saw you I knew I wanted you." "Well you certainly didn't waste much time then," Rowan retorted. She was almost shocked by his forwardness. A Midnight Rose Ch. 01 He smirked at the flash of anger in her eyes as he leant forwards to breathe in her ear again, "I get what I want gorgeous, and by the looks of things our needs fall into the same category." She was about to fling another retort his way when suddenly she found herself not capable of stringing any words together. Luke had backed her against a shadowed wall, with two arms resting against the brickwork either side of her head. She struggled to breathe as his face leant closer to hers, his eyes glinting with need. This man filled her every sense with his overt sex appeal, driving her to insanity. "Tell me what you want," he murmured, his full lips leaving a line of fire as he trailed them down her jaws, nuzzling lightly at her neck. He left a trail of kisses all along her neck and shoulders, but refused to press them to hers. She moaned in agony as he continued to deny her. She was on fire, every nerve ending in her body tingling. Yet still she could not form the words she wanted so desperately to say. "Tell me," he growled softly in her ear. Luke couldn't keep this up much longer. He wanted so desperately to press his lips against hers. She was almost panting now, her breaths coming out in short, sharp bursts; her need was as great as his. On the verge of snapping Luke pulled back to stare deep into her eyes. The colour of the Aegean Sea, he could clearly see the desire beaming from their enigmatic depths. Just as he leaned in to begin his desperate teasing again she whispered softly, "Kiss me." "Sorry bella, what did you say? I didn't quite hear you..." Luke was playing with fire now and he knew it. Never had a woman gotten so far under his skin. When she had uttered those two seemingly harmless words he had almost lost it then and there. "Kiss me dammit!" she growled, her eyes turning stormy at his continued charade. With that he pulled her up to him into a kiss as passionate as it was domineering. Her soft lips moulded against his with a wild moan that caused him to push her roughly up against the wall. He pressed against her ruthlessly, his straining erection pressing delightfully against her scalding core. His skilled tongued plundered her mouth with the same confidence, pulling and teasing with undeniable skill. Rowan had lost all ability to breathe, her senses were on overload. She gasped in pleasure as he suddenly captured her tongue, sucking on it gently, causing her eyes to roll back into her head. Luke's brain was on overdrive. He was slowly losing grip on reality. Grinding his hips against hers, a soft haze fell over his senses as her whimpering moans caused him to lose another inch of control. "Stop me, before I lose all remnants of self-control," he breathed into her mouth, tugging her plump lower lip with his teeth. It was fair to give her the option; otherwise he was never letting her go. "No, don't stop," she begged, pulling his lips to hers again, slowly and seductively licking his bottom lip, tugging into her moist heat. "Never stop," she whispered breathlessly again. She almost cried out as his rigid muscle pressed intimately against her special spot, sending burst of pleasure straight to her core. Screw control, she thought, she wanted unbridled passion. He chuckled at her wantonness, pulling back despite her growled protests. "Meet me outside in five minutes; you are not escaping me tonight." Her stormy eyes were positively tempestuous now, glimmering clearly with need. He resisted the urge to kiss her again, running his thumb instead over her bruised lips. He turned suddenly, while he still had the power to resist her, to bring his car around. It was parked around the corner and he needed to get her into his bed soon, or he feared both of them would burst. She felt bereft as soon as he left her; surprised at his quick retreat. But his promise remained as haunting as a ghost, reminding her that this evening was far from over. Hauling herself away from the wall, she began with a few shaky steps towards the lit bar. She cursed inwardly, her knees and legs felt like jelly from Luke's arrogant administrations on her body. All at once her body tensed as a coarse hand slid around to grasp tightly at her neck. She tried to struggle, thrashing desperately in hope of escape. She froze again as a harsh chuckle, so different to the Luke's sensual one not minutes before, resounded in her ears. "Don't struggle bitch. It's worthless; just like you," a shadow sneered. Rowan felt his grip tighten as she struggled to draw in enough air to breathe. Her limbs started to feel limp as her brain screamed for more oxygen. Panic flooded through her, her blood pumping through her veins at one hundred kilometres an hour. She tried to scream. Her voice wouldn't respond; no air left in her lungs for speech. A sense of despair ripped through her as she felt herself being dragged towards the exit. Helpless, she cursed inwardly. Her mind screamed all manner of abuse, all hurled at her abductor. Suddenly, a pain exploded from the back of her skull. She moaned quietly as her body pitched towards the ground, as her world turned to black. To be continued... If you are hooked and want to know what happens to our lovely heroine I would like to let you know that I have started Chapter 2 but will only post if the reception of Chapter 1 is good! Let me know what you think and please do vote... Rowan depends on it. Until next time... mochadesire. A Midnight Rose Ch. 02 Thank you all so much for your comments on 'A Midnight Rose Ch.1' it was lovely to hear from you all. Obviously there are things that haven't been explained yet, perhaps actions of characters that are not fully understood; don't panic! I will try to explain everything over the course of the story. Just remember, everything happens for a reason and that what seems obvious to you as a reader may be completely alien to a character. This chapter has no sex in it at all; it's more of an explaining chapter. It helps build up the story line and characters so apologies if you are looking for anything a bit more steamy! Trust me; it's on its way. Keep commenting and voting; you really cannot understand how great it is to see how your stuff is appreciated unless you submit stories of your own. If there is anything feedback, any scenarios perhaps that you want to see, contact me and I will see what I can do. Enjoy! Until next time... mochadesire. Chapter 2 Luke had waited for more than five minutes. He gritted his teeth as he sat in the plush seat of his midnight 485 Italia Ferrari. Still there was no Rowan. Doubt crossed his mind. Had he simply imagined her passion? He found it hard to believe that someone could simply fake her wantonness, her sexy moans under his touch. Throwing the door open, he stalked towards the entrance of the club. He was angry now and fully intended to give his raven-haired beauty the retribution she deserved. He smirked as an image of her screaming exquisitely beneath him flashed before his eyes. He crossed the now quiet club, almost surprised at the difference from when he left it to now. He halted suddenly as his eyes fell on Philippe who was lounging against the bar. "What the fuck are you still doing here?" he ground out. Philippe raised an eyebrow at his friend's rough voice. "Alas, tonight was not a lucky night for me my dear friend." Luke smirked arrogantly. He sincerely doubted that. "Besides, I simply wished to meet that ravishing beauty who up until so recently had her gorgeous long legs wrapped around you." Philippe grinned to himself as the smirk was wiped off Luke's face and his features darkened visibly. Hell, he even thought he heard a murderous growl escape his lips. He raised another eyebrow. Immediately Luke sobered. "Sorry Philippe," he sighed, "As much as I would love to introduce you to my delightful new acquaintance, it appears she has run out on me." "Ah," was all Philippe said. He now understood what had his oldest friend on edge. Luke Phillips was not a man who liked not getting what he wanted. He quickly scanned the room in an effort to find the elusive woman who plagued Luke's thoughts when his light blue eyes rested on a knot of people on the other side of the bar. Anxiety was clear on all of their faces. Frantic whispers floated their way and what Philippe heard, he did not like. "Excusez-moi," he boomed. The group turned, startled by the loud, penetrating voice of the Frenchman. "I could not help but overhear your conversation," Luke smiled in spite of his growing sense of unease. Being a vampire, Philippe could probably hear a young couple having sex the other end of the street. A brightly dressed young vamp skipped hesitantly towards them... and then paled as his recognised Luke. "My lord," he said breathlessly, "My apologies, we did not know you were in the building." Luke brushed off his apologies; he was much more interested in what was worrying the young man and his co-workers. He gestured for the vampire to continue. John sighed quietly. He knew that Lord Phillips and his friend were to be trusted but he wasn't sure if the worries of a small club were enough to merit his attention. Straightening, he looked the older vampire in the eye. "Our manager is missing," he explained, "She normally locks up after everyone has left but we can't seem to find her. It's unusual because Ro would never skip out on this; besides she is the only one with the keys." Luke felt himself go cold. He was mildly aware of his incisors extending viciously, not even wincing as they tore slightly into his lips. He just stared. At first his mind was blank; not even a whispered thought echoed. And then like a blow to the head with a sledgehammer, reality kicked in. She was missing! Confusion registered amongst the fiery feeling of anger that raged through his veins. He should not feel so strongly about a woman he just met and yet... her cerulean eyes were burned onto his psyche. Phillip leaned quietly against the bar watching his friend carefully. As soon as John had finished speaking Luke had just frozen. He was still stood, shock still, a thousand and one emotions registering in his eyes. Damn this boy has it bad, thought Philippe. "My Lord, perhaps if it is not too much of an inconvenience, could you help us look for her?" John stuttered out, terrified of the murderous aura now emanating from Lord Phillips. His head whipped back and forth between the dead-still vampire and his friend who was watching him with careful amusement. "Um... Sir?" John was stumped. His lord hadn't uttered a word since he had finished speaking a few moments ago. He gestured helplessly to Phillipe who flashed him a guarded smile. "Pas de problème," Philippe answered smoothly, standing at once to attention. John immediately flashed him a grateful smile before retreating back towards his group who had begun to disperse throughout the building. He glanced back once at the gorgeous, blonde Frenchman and Lord Phillips. He shuddered. John hoped that if Rowan had been taken, the abductor knew what he was doing. He hoped for their sake they could run fast; the feral look in Luke's eyes did not appear forgiving. *** Not so far away... Darkness: swathes upon swathes of impenetrable black were all that she was aware of. Not a sound stirred. Not even a flicker of movement or a breath of fresh air. Then the pain came. There were sharp stabs like explosions in the night; dull throbs like the hum of an engine; and blankets of agony that descended like needle laced silk. Her mind could concentrate on nothing else; for it was never ending. Unable to raise her eyelids, unable to move her laden limbs, unable even to draw in more than a desperate snatch of air, she just lay there. She bathed in the pain. And she hoped for a miracle. *** Philippe grasped Luke firmly by the shoulders. He scanned the man's face, hoping for some sign of recognition. It had been five minutes since his friend had stalked back into the club looking like a child that had been cheated out of a treat. Still the only things of Luke that moved were his eyeballs that flickered to all corners of the club imitating the spinning strobe lights that previously lit it. Philippe sighed and flexed his arms briefly. What happened next was not one of his proudest moments but it was necessary. The harsh crack of his palm connecting with Luke's cheek echoed through the quiet room. Eyebrows raised, heads turned swiftly in surprise but Philippe was only looking for one reaction. Luke had suddenly begun growling ferociously; his fangs extended to their full potential and his eyes had a crimson sheen to them. There! There it was: that flash of recognition that Philippe needed. All at once the growling stopped, the fangs retracted and his eyes returned to their usual emerald. "Did you seriously just slap me?" Luke rumbled in shock. Philippe gave him a strained chuckle. "You could stand there pondering that question all day mon ami or you could shift your ass and help me and the others find that beautiful woman of yours. It would be a shame if she turned into vamp fodder." Either Luke chose to ignore him or he simply hadn't heard. Already he was striding purposefully across the room, turning this way and that, eyes clamped shut and nostrils flaring. Philippe followed careful not to interrupt or contaminate any scent that Luke might latch onto. His friend had been on this earth for a very long time; if anyone could hunt down the missing girl, he could. Luke was determined to sweep the entire place. He knew it to be unlikely that any of the staff of La Rosa Negra would find one specific scent among the hundreds that clung to every surface of the open space. Most were young; even the vampires seemed to be no older than 50. None would have the experience or power for this sort of job. He found himself staring at the stretch of wall where earlier he had pinned Rowan down and ravished her lips without mercy. He felt a twinge of apprehension; how would she react to him in the cold light of day? Would the passion still be there or would his forwardness put him back to where he started? He leaned his forehead against the frigid stone, his eyes still closed and breathed deeply, quelling any anxieties he felt. He was aware of Philippe standing close by, watching intently, but he ignored him. He just inhaled and searched. Amongst the smell of damp and the sweat of many he found something. There! A wisp of vanilla mixed with the slight tang of rose. His muscles tightened painfully as he latched on to what he knew to be her. "Philippe," he whispered, his eyes bright, "Vanilla and rose Philippe, by god's it's her." "Oh good, I was beginning to think that your obvious affection for that strip of wall was going to become a problem," Philippe grinned insatiably. "Could you not please?" Luke rubbed the bridge of his nose exasperatedly. The whisper of rose was so faint that he wasn't sure even he could follow it. The others had gathered; their searches and frenetic calls had been fruitless. They watched with guarded curiosity as the vampire cautiously picked his way away from the bar and towards the escape exit hidden in the shadows. As Luke got closer and closer to the exit, rumbles in his chest turned into low growls that escalated into full blown snarls. Only Philippe proceeded with caution behind him, the others choosing to value their lives and stay well back. The door was flung open. The moonlight highlighted the grubby alley behind the building. No one could hold back a gasp at what pooled on the tarmac. It was small, but chillingly recognisable: blood. The snarls escalated again. This time, the sound was a full-blown roar. *** Rowan couldn't remember the last time she felt this bad. The pain in her head had throbbed endlessly for what seemed like days. She was now vaguely aware of bonds around her ankles and wrists, from the chaffing that the rough rope provided every time she tried movement. She groaned at her helplessness. How had it come to this? She mentally rifled through her memories of the evening; Carl, the pissed off demon, the were-cats congratulating her for something, Luke... that searing kiss. All at once she was assaulted by the unusual mix of feeling both hot under the collar and a sense of self-loathing. She barely knew the man and she had behaved like a common whore in his presence! She recalled what he had said about getting what he wanted and gritted her teeth. The man might resemble Adonis but she made herself a promise not to let her resolve crumble so easily. Pain that lanced across her mind cut swiftly through her thoughts. She almost wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Here she was trussed up like a Christmas turkey, blood congealing around the wound to her head, in a strange place with her life in danger and she was thinking about her chances of getting laid! Laughter did well up then but it was short, barked and desperate. She struggled to sit upright against what felt to be a mildewed, stone wall. The damp had seeped into her thin shirt whilst she had been unconscious and the chill was beginning to affect her. Shivering, Rowan managed to properly look around for the first time. The warehouse was nothing special. Cavernous, excessively dirty, it was as inconspicuous as book in a library. Nothing about it screamed hints as to where she was; abandoned buildings such as this littered the city. Rowan let her head drop back against the wall in desperation, wincing as her actions merited another wave of agony. Cramp was beginning to work its way up her calves when suddenly a door to her right smashed open. The sound was like a shot, echoing onto infinity in the massive warehouse. She strained to see who had entered the building but found herself struggling to turn her head. Her neck still burned. She went limp again, silently seething. Steps resounded into the building's abyss. They were getting closer. Rowan could just about make out four distinct shadows in her peripheral vision. They came into her line of sight, one by one. The first was obviously the leader, he chose to stride straight up to her and with a resounding crack, struck her across the face. Rowan gritted her teeth and steeled herself against the rolls of pain that again threatened to overcome her. The others, she noticed, stayed well back. The leader knelt down to her level, determined to look his victim in the eye as he broke her. She saw the harsh jaw line, the crooked nose, the scarred cheeks and the oily, long hair before she stared straight into his eyes. He sneered, twisting his features even more as she recognised what burned in his eyes. It certainly wasn't mercy. Rowan shuddered violently, almost convulsing as she matched gazes with this man. She could see no trace of humanity in his gaze; it was cruel and unforgiving. Summoning on all of her remaining strength, she strained her spine again, determined not to give this scum the satisfaction of seeing her vulnerable. Then she spat directly into his left eye. It was worth it to hear his curses; to hear the stream of abuse that was flung her way. She would have been smug but oh no, she was not even allowed that satisfaction. Grasping her head roughly, the now furious abductor smashed it back against the brickwork before striking her hard again across her cheeks. "Why would you do that, bitch?" he snarled, his eyes taken on a slight sheen of crimson, incisors extending slightly. "I was perfectly ready t' allow you t' explain your actions with our Remy this evening, but it seems you do not wish to 'ave any liberties." He swiped a thumb almost tenderly across her cheek, smudging the line of blood that had begun to flow in earnest. He then grinned cruelly and spat back at her. Rowan flinched harshly as the globule of spittle just missed her wide eyes. She tried not to react as it oozed down over her cheekbones, threatening to slide over her lips. The truth had come out. She had known that her rendezvous with Remy and Carl earlier in the evening would come back to bite her in the butt. She tried desperately to cling on to her consciousness as her vision started to swim and blur before her. She was aware of one of the silent perpetrators joining the leader and handing him something. Rowan tried to let her head roll back, shutting her eyes to block out the agonising ache that came from the base of her skull. She bit her lip to prevent from crying out as her jaw was grabbed roughly and her head was forced forward. Upon opening her eyes she found herself not staring into the muddy brown ones of her abductor, but the chilling, lifeless ones of Remy. She fought the urge to scream and pressed herself desperately as far back as she could possibly go. The rough surface of the wall scratched at her skin as she recoiled in horror. "This is your doing you know," the vampire exclaimed, laughing manically. "Poor, poor Remy didn't know what was coming when he crossed you now did he?" Her gaze flitted in disbelief between him and Remy's dismembered head. She glanced quickly at the stump of his neck, still dripping with blood and suppressed an urge to vomit. She tried to look away but the vampire wasn't having any of it. Grabbing her by the jaw again she was forced to look straight into the eyes of Remy. "'E was like this when we found 'im," the slime ball whispered in her ear. "We should only treat you like your little friends treated him. T'is only fair," his tone was menacing as the others behind him advanced silently. As light hit each individual face, Rowan could only see anger and hatred reflected in their eyes. For one of only a few times in her life, she felt truly afraid. No amount of training or smooth-talking could forestall what was coming. She had no doubt that these creatures would kill her. She also had no doubt they would enjoy it. She began to tug frantically on her bonds but they would not give. She could only stare on in panic as the four vampire advanced on her, moonlight glinting off of their razor incisors. Refusing to scream, she squeezed her eyes shut. *** The blows never came. One minute she was expecting a barrage of blinding agony and the next there was only silence. Rowan forced herself to open one eye. The sight that beheld her caused the other to spring open and her jaw to drop to the floor. Luke and his friend stood in all their glory before her. The four attackers had stopped advancing and were staring uncertainly at each other. The leader stepped forward hesitantly. "My lord, urm- well- what are you doing 'ere?" He squirmed as he talked, all bravado gone, not unable to avoid the murderous looks on both the vampires' faces. Luke looked at him in disgust. The creature had been about to rip the head off of a woman, and here he was sounding as if he had done nothing wrong. How could he dare to sound innocent after all the events of this night? "Well my dear fledgling, you appear to have something that I would very much like back. Unfortunately for all of you, it appears that you weren't intending to return what was borrowed and hence...," he sighed dramatically as if delivering a soliloquy in a Shakespeare play, "it must be decided whether I am pissed off enough to end your miserable existences here on this earth." Philippe snorted as Luke's initially cordial and eloquent speech took a turn for the ruthless. He was having enormous fun making the young vampires squirm for he was sure that they had all heard of what he and Luke were capable of. Upon hearing Luke's words, the one of the far left looked like he was ready to pass out with fright and the others looked ready to flee at a moments notice. Luke stood stoic and impassionate in front of them. Philippe's glee immediately dissipated when he noticed the body slumped behind the four vampires. Blood ran in rivulets down the plains of its face, dripping seductively off the end of the nose and chin. He breathed in harshly; a wisp of vanilla. He whipped his head around to look at Luke. The strain on his face showed clearly that he too had recognised the person on the floor. Luke was struggling to keep his composure. The blood that dripped from Rowan's wounds smelt so alluring, so seductive that he was hard pressed not to sprint to her side and taste it for himself. At the same time, the other side of him wanted urgently to scoop her body up in his arms and spirit her away to his private physician. She looked so helpless that he couldn't help himself. Thankfully, his control won out. Unfortunately, his patience didn't. "Apologies gentlemen, but for your crimes against this human you know the punishment," he snarled. Philippe tensed almost imperceptibly beside him. The four men took this moment to scatter, the one to the far left breaking first. As he streaked towards the door, Philippe took after him. He was caught within seconds. Philippe admired the fledgling's final act in the face of adversity, not even wincing as the young vampires claws swiped at his skin. With a snap, his neck was broken and he collapsed to the floor. A quick scan of the room revealed to Philippe that the others had been dispatched just as quickly; though perhaps not as neatly. A Midnight Rose Ch. 02 Luke had held no fury back as his ripped the heads from the vampires' shoulders. Anyone who was watching him would have beheld no humanity in his eyes, any remorse or regret, just pure animalistic anger. They were knocked off one by one, just more unknown names to add to a list. All at once the sound of shredding and snarling dissipated. Silence reigned. "Padre, perdona i miei peccati questo giorno," Luke whispered to himself as all his anger drained away, leaving only emptiness. "Luke. I think the Father will understand of your actions today," Philippe stated clapping him on the shoulder. "The blood shed tonight was not started by us." Luke nodded briskly. It still was not enough to make him stop feeling guilty. *** Rowan was not aware of many things. She could feel the burning in her wrists and ankles; she could feel the stabs of pain in the back of her skull and she was aware of the silence. For the life of her she could not remember how it had become so quiet. She could remember being frightened, but not why. She could remember feeling pain, but not how. She was vaguely aware of someone trying to talk to her. Shadows began to sharpen. Undistinguishable blobs of colour became defined features. Chocolate, wavy tendrils hung down over concerned green orbs that took on a tinge of amusement as she attempted to swat them away. "Woman, you better lie still," he stated matter-of-factly, "You have stopped bleeding but we are still not sure of the true extent of the damage." His sentence took a while to sink in. "Woman?" she whispered hoarsely. Luke stared blankly back at her. "If you ever call me 'woman' again, I will personally ensure you sport a black eye for at least a week," she managed to rasp out furiously before lapsing into pain-filled silence once more. Low chuckles filled the room. Philippe was shaking silently with mirth in the corner, tears practically streaming down his face. "You should see your face Lukey-boy," he exclaimed delightedly, as his friend's features changed from that of concern to pure, sudden indignation. Philippe truly loved this human. Rowan stifled a smile, resisting the urge to laugh with the unknown, affable man lounging not far from the hospital bed she was lying on. "Where the hell am I anyway?" she asked, now able to achieve a full range of movement in her neck without substantial pain. The room she was in was completely nondescript. The walls were unadorned and stark white. There was no furniture save for the hospital bed she was currently lying in, a few cabinets of sorts and the chair Philippe was currently lounging in. Bare, strip lights flooded the place, giving it a clinical, almost prison-like feel. "You are in the medical centre at my house," Luke grumbled, still smarting from her earlier comment. "We thought it best to get you to the nearest place of medical assistance considering your... afflictions." He chose his words carefully, in an attempt not to rile himself up too much. The anger was too raw to ignore. Rowan sat up suddenly, the full weight of his explanation registering in her mind. She looked wildly at the two men as if they had grown extra heads and in turn, they stared bemusedly back. "You brought me to your house instead of a hospital?" She tried not to screech as she struggled to free herself from the restrictive blankets covering her. "What the fuck were you thinking? I don't know either of you!" A little panic welled up in her chest as she struggled off the gurney, fighting desperately against the swimming of her vision and her pounding headache. Both the men made noises of protest at her movements and Luke gently tried to coax her back to a horizontal position. Begrudgingly, he was impressed. Rowan was a little fireball when she was angry, her black curls flying with a life of their own, the blue in her eyes turning to ice, imitating almost the complete reciprocal of her earlier passion. She had managed to extricate herself from his administrations and was now stood, chest heaving, against the back concrete wall of the room. Her gaze was accusing. Luke held up his palms in surrender and back off slightly. He understood her frustration. But the Neanderthal in him was simply smug that he was being the protector; without his snap actions, she would have lost too much blood. Philippe was still grinning inanely from his plush chair in the corner chanting softly in French "Hit him!" over and over under his breath. Philippe, that isn't helping, Luke thought to him exasperatedly. Philippe shrugged nonchalantly, proclaiming his innocence in the matter. Rowan cautiously watched the two men. The room had become painfully quiet as the silence stretched on between her and Luke. She avoided looking him in the eyes knowing her resolve hinged on the fact that she was resisting his charms. The crash of the door slamming open made all three of them jump. Philippe looked sheepish as he uttered a cry of surprise and the chair he was leaning back in thudded resolutely back onto four legs. Serves you right, Luke projected smugly. "Ah, my dear, you shouldn't be out of bed!" the doctor who bustled into the room exclaimed, "You need to give your body time to acclimatise to the trauma that it's been through." Rowan blinked slowly, staring blankly at the scrubs-clad woman before her. Her feminine presence helped relax her slightly; balancing out the overpowering testosterone that flooded the room. The female was very short, reminding Rowan of her best friend, and fussed and clucked like a mother hen would with her chicks. She shooed Philippe and Luke out of the room exclaiming how they were bad influences that should entertain themselves elsewhere. Philippe swept Rowan a fluid, flamboyant bow before striding purposefully away. Luke however, followed more slowly, turning only once at the door to fix Rowan with his gaze again. Whilst his stare was intense, she managed not to show her inner turmoil. She almost melted at the need she saw burning there like a bonfire but her head scolded her, reminding her of how he was in all sense and purposes, a stranger. Succumbing to the fussing of the medic, she ignored the pangs in her chest as he strode out without another backwards glance. *** The matronly doctor was a definite fusser. After introducing herself to Rowan as Tanji, a were-wolf originally born in South Africa but turned upon her move to the States, she made a great show of putting Rowan back into bed and flustered hugely over her now healing wounds. "You're as tough as nails you are, my sweet," she clucked warmly, swabbing the gashes on Rowan's face. Rowan smiled wanly and distracted herself by marvelling at the contrast the dark woman's ebony skin made with the stark white of the room. She focused on this to blot out the stinging as the antiseptic Tanji used was dabbed onto her tender skin. Her mind drifted and she found herself remembering Luke's face as he had left the room earlier. She tried to place the emotion she remembered being there amongst the anxiety. Was it...? No it couldn't be, she argued with herself. It was almost as though, she thought, he looked bereft. Her addled mind struggled to comprehend why a being as powerful and as beautiful as Luke Phillips would feel bereft at leaving her presence. She had tried so hard to view him as a horny man just wanting to get laid, as if it would justify her anger towards her own wanton behaviour earlier, but all his actions seem to contradict her. Why would he bring her to his house? It seemed to defy her theory that she was just a sexual means to an end for him. No, she thought fiercely. She refused to repeat her initial moment of weakness and view him as someone who truly cared for her. She hoped now that she was more relaxed to his presence it would be easier for her to resist him. The tiny devil in her mind snorted its derision. Rowan was thinking so intently that she missed Tanji's next question. The were-doctor was apparently satisfied that her reluctant patient was settled and not going to drop dead at any point and was now gazing expectantly at her. "I'm sorry, could you repeat the question?" Rowan asked. Tanji tutted and smiled. She asked Rowan if there was anything she could ask Lord Phillips for to make her stay more comfortable. Rowan ground her teeth together; if it was her choice, she wouldn't even be 'staying' here at all. The observant Tanji, obviously aware of this, again smiled sympathetically. "His lordship wouldn't have brought you here unless it was absolutely imperative. He did the right thing; you could have had internal bleeding and a human hospital would have been bound to ask awkward and nosy questions," she coaxed, seeing that Rowan was still unconvinced. "He may seem forward to you, but trust me, as his doctor and friend I can tell you his behaviour tonight has been somewhat out of character." Rowan mused upon this and nodded. Tanji, satisfied, made to leave the room. "Wait," Rowan called, "Could you ask Luke- er- Lord Phillips if he could ring my friend?" she asked hesitantly. "She will be worried sick." And severely pissed off, she thought shrewdly. Tanji nodded, taking the written number from Rowan and pocketing it. She beamed warmly as Rowan's eyelids began to droop and strategically slipped out, turning the light out as she went. As the room plunged into darkness, Rowan closed her eyes and slipped gratefully out onto a sea of unconsciousness. *** Philippe would not leave Luke alone. He followed him around the dark mansion like a lost puppy, a belligerent smile constantly on his face. Although the Frenchman never said a word, the look on his face spoke volumes. The two men had settled into the library to wait for the doctor to come and impart her verdict. Luke had taken to pacing around the room, not quite able to just sit and wait. Philippe on the other hand, true to form, was sprawled in a very large wing-backed arm chair, his eyes following Luke as he tirelessly paced in front of the roaring fire. Luke could hear all of Philippe's unspoken questions resounding in his mind but he refused to answer. He had thrown up his mental blocks as soon as he had left Rowan's room but he was fairly certain his friend could sense his inner turmoil. One thousand and one thoughts were steaming through his mind like freight trains and he couldn't make a head or tails of it all. The raven-haired girl lying in his medical wing had well and truly rattled him. His head jerked up as the huge oak doors creaked open and Tanji slipped quietly into the room. "Jambo Tanji," Philippe called lazily from his position by the fire place, raising his hand in greeting. The werewolf dipped her head in acknowledgement and quickly turned to fix Luke with a disapproving frown. Internally, he groaned. Tanji was renowned for her occasional acts of severe berating and he somehow got the feeling he was about to be on the end of one. As his trusted doctor, the caring South African was one of the few people he let speak to him as an equal. He hoped he would not come to regret that decision, he thought, as the woman huffed in a way that only an annoyed woman knows how. "Medically, the girl is past all stages of danger. There is no internal bleeding and the blows to her head have caused no neurological damage," she stated tersely. "As a doctor, I am encouraged by the rate at which her wounds seem to be knitting together." She paused then for a moment and folded her arms across her body. Luke mentally braced himself. Tanji sighed sadly as she felt all of the frustration that she had let build up from visiting Rowan drain away. She wanted so badly to be pissed off with Luke for messing with the girl's head but she could see as clear as day that her lord was similarly shaken. "What have you done Luka?" she whispered affectionately. Luke suddenly felt incredibly drained. He had been expecting a barrage of abuse from the werewolf but hearing her sympathy just took all of his pent up energy out of him. The woman was gazing at him, the sadness in her eyes glinting in the light of the fire as she waited for him to explain. Philippe, who had been watching interestedly, took the moment's silence to straighten and clear his throat. "I took the liberty of doing a little reading," he launched into it without waiting for the two others to acknowledge him. Luke looked a little taken aback and Tanji just shook her head of braids bemusedly. "When the hell did you get a chance to do any reading?" Luke spluttered. It seemed to him that the evening had been non-stop and although it had been several hours since they had arrived back at the mansion, he did not recall Philippe slipping off at any point to, as he put it, 'do a little reading'. Philippe smirked impassively. "Well, whilst you were burning a hole in the rug there with your insatiable pacing, I grabbed a few tomes and looked some things up. Your head was so far up in the clouds you wouldn't have even noticed if I stripped naked and started doing an Irish jig." Tanji snorted loudly, clutching her hips as she shook with laughter, whilst Luke shot him daggers. Philippe held up his hands in mock indignation as if to say 'what did I do?' "As I was saying," he continued as Tanji managed to find some remnants of control, "I found some rather interesting things." He stopped talking as if he had finished all he had to say and flicked at the velvet upholstery of his chair as if in boredom. He looked up and met the expectant gazes of the two others. "What?" he said innocently. Luke growled in exasperation and the doctor shook her head again, muttering all manner of curses in her native Swahili. "Careful, Tanji," Philippe berated humorously, "Since you were the one to teach me Swahili, I do know when you are calling me a 'pig-headed asshole'." Tanji stuck out her small tongue at him. Luke had endured this exchange with infinite patience and as the room lapsed into silence again he put his question to Philippe. "What did you find out Phil?" The Frenchman's face suddenly got serious, his ever-present smile faded. He almost looked worried to Luke, which freaked him out hugely. His friend could be faced with a pissed off troll and would still be whistling 'Dixie' cheerily. Philippe fixed his friend with an intent stare. He spoke carefully. "Your rather odd behaviour reminded me somewhat of something I witnessed on my little stay with Ryan." Ryan Renshaw was the area Alpha werewolf whose compound just bordered Luke's grounds. The two men had got on handsomely when they first met and now they used their respective powers to ensure a strong alliance between the were's and the vampires. It wasn't uncommon for members of Ryan's pack to be sent to live in Luke's mansion or vice versa when numbers were stretched thin or when either of the two groups were in any danger. Last year, Ryan had been having a lot of trouble from a neighbouring Alpha who had become greedy, autocratic and neglecting of his pack's needs. Luke had 'lent' Philippe as insurance to Ryan's cause and the Frenchman often raved about the experiences he had had as part of the Alpha's pack. "You remember that while I was there Ryan found his mate in one of the females in the other pack," Philippe started again. Luke nodded. He remembered all too well how Ryan had been when he first met Sarah. He smiled as he recalled how uncertain and soppy the huge, strong werewolf had been and also how irritable the man had become when he couldn't see his mate. The whole process had been pretty messy and he was definitely relieved that that particular episode was behind them and Sarah was now happily settled in as alpha bitch of the Renshaw pack. Philippe continued. "I remember as clear as day the emotions that Ryan went through when he first met Sarah. He acted rashly, he didn't think about anyone else but her and he was especially jealous and protective of her. The man was insatiable. Pain in the ass to be honest," Philippe sighed. Luke waited for him to get to his point. Beside him Tanji had become very still and pensive. "What I wanted to say is that your behaviour tonight reminded me very much of Ryan's when he met Sarah. So I read up on were matings and also manage to find some stuff on vampire matings." Luke still wasn't sure where Philippe was going with this. "Phil, you know that vampire matings are exceedingly rare right?" Philippe nodded in agreement. "Yes I know. There is a one in a million chance of a vampire finding its true soul mate. That sort of thing is much more common amongst the weres." Tanji nodded comprehension clear in her dark eyes. "I read up a bit on vamp history. The first mating was that of Queen Allaine's: the first vampire. She was a rarity. Created by Nephthys, the Egyptian goddess, out of jealousy of her sister Isis's power and popularity amongst the Egyptian people, Allaine was known originally as Asypha. It means 'pure one'. She was a creature that Nephthys intended to be the prime species; the one that would ultimately rule the human race and thus was given all the powers common to everyday vampires." Luke could see that Tanji was enthralled by Philippe's story telling; she gazed at him avidly as his recount unfolded. "Allaine had also had many powers above and beyond that of vampires. As our blood has diluted over the ages, so have our skills. Did you know Tanji, that vampires consider Allaine to be the mother of the weres and shape shifters also?" Tanji murmured in interest. The story of the were origins was different depending on who told it and she was always anxious to learn something new. "Anyway, back to the point. Allaine found her mate and in a situation that is unique to that of a mated vampire couple, she conceived children: firstly twins and then another child. Her third child, Senah, was mutated. He was born without blood lust and became the father of the were races and of the shape shifters." Tanji gasped in understanding. She knew of the name 'Senah'; his story was also told to young were children as that of their creator. Philippe sat back as he continued, staring deep into the fire. "The twins that Allaine bore grew to be evil. They resented their mother, who instead of using her powers over the human race for authoritarian leadership, was well-loved by the humans. They believed in a separation of the species, fully believing that they were superior. So they killed Allaine's mate, their father, in retaliation to their mother's continued abhorrence to their plan for ultimate superiority. Allaine, suffice to say, was distraught. Losing a mate is the ultimate loss," Tanji nodded in agreement, tears causing her eyes to glisten softly in the light of the fire, "She grew tired of her constant struggle with the Twins and so decided that she would do the unthinkable: she separated her soul from her physical body so that it might wander this earth and be reincarnated in that of a like-minded, worthy being." Philippe finished dramatically, winking at Luke as Tanji sighed in wonder at the mystery of it all. Luke smiled wryly, still unsure of why Philippe was telling them all this. "Anyway, I digress," the Frenchman pronounced, "What I was getting at is that the bond that Allaine and her mate felt is one only broken by death. It transcends time and it is definitely powerful. As you know it is incredibly rare, it has probably only happened a few times in all of our recorded history as a race. But, you know, there is always the possibility..." he trailed off, gesturing needlessly. Something clicked in Luke's brain. He stared at Philippe who was gazing impassively back at him. The only sound for a few minutes was the fierce crackling of the fire in the hearth and the movement of air whistling through Tanji's teeth as she breathed in and out. A Midnight Rose Ch. 02 "You think," Luke started, "That that is what has happened to me?" He struggled to wrap his mind around the concept. "You think that Rowan... is my mate?" To be continued... I hope everyone enjoys the latest instalment and that you all breathe a collective sigh of relief that Rowan has survived past chapter 1! I will try to always post a chapter every Sunday so look to next week for more surprises. Vote and comment away; I can't wait to hear from you. mochadesire A Midnight Rose Ch. 03 Thank you all again for your comments, I apologise for any mistakes people find, I will do my best to rectify them over the course of the series! This is a bit of a short chapter I'm afraid but good news: I plan to post Chapter 4 (which will be a big one) on Wednesday so you all get an extra chapter this week (aren't you lucky)! Enjoy everyone... mochadesire Chapter 3 Silence had reigned in the library for a good five minutes. All that while Luke had stared at Philippe as if he was crazy and Philippe had gazed passively back. The Frenchman even looked somewhat amused. Tanji's eyes were wide as saucers as she observed both of the men. Luke's trance broke when he became aware of Philippe happily humming under his breath. "The Harry Potter theme tune? Are you fucking kidding me?" Luke growled, not quite able to understand how his friend could be so nonchalant about it all. Philippe beamed in response and proclaimed innocently: "What? It's a brilliant tune." Tanji immediately collapsed into giggles, shaking hysterically; Luke too felt the corners of his lips tug upwards into a reluctant smile. The ice had been broken. "You know, sometimes I really loathe the fact that you are impossible to be mad at," he stated resignedly. Whilst he wanted to wipe that smirk off of Philippe's face, he knew that it was not the vampire's fault. He was simply the messenger. Luke sat heavily on his plush leather sofa, the material creaking gently in protest at his sudden weight. It groaned again softly as Tanji seated herself slowly next to him, worry clearly showing in the lines of her dark face. "How are you feeling Luka?" she asked gently, her small hand coming up to rest sympathetically across his broad, tense shoulders. Philippe, who had stopped humming, leant forward intently, the smile on his face undermining the puzzlement and anxiety that showed in the depths of his cerulean eyes. Luke shrugged, his face resting in his hands. "I don't know. What would you do if you suddenly found out that a woman you just met is going to be your mate for the rest of your life?" His voice took on a sarcastic tone that he immediately regretted when he noticed Tanji quietly grit her teeth and held back a retort. "I don't know about you," Philippe proclaimed in a bored tone that belied the severity of the situation, "But I would have had her strapped down to by bed by now." He grinned mischievously and waggled his pale eyebrows suggestively. Luke shot him a withering look. "Yeah," he said as if stating the obvious, "And how do you think that would have gone down with Rowan?" He shuddered dramatically, imagining the scenario. "The woman would crucify me." Philippe looked coy. "I thought she said if you called her 'woman' that she would slug you round the face?" he said petulantly. If looks could kill; Philippe would have been dead in that moment. Luke rose silently from his place by the fire to gaze out of the large bay windows in the library. He rested his forehead against the freezing panes of glass and closed his eyes. He felt the first rays of sunlight stroke his face like a kindly mother and not for the first time in his long life, he felt relieved that the myths about vampires not being able to stand the sun were just that: myths. He relaxed under the soft caress of the sunrise, the magenta and burnt orange hues suddenly bursting into the gloomy room. Luke pondered on life and how it had boiled down to this moment in time; to that one exquisite woman lying battered and bruised downstairs. Luke immediately felt all of his one thousand, five hundred years of age. He had been sired all that time ago in rural Italy; blissfully unaware of the world. His Sire had taken him under her wing, she had taught him to control his bloodlust and she had taught him to protect himself. She, like Rowan, had been a fiery, beautiful woman of Egyptian origin. She had an exotic demeanour that caused men to flock to her like sheep. But Luke had come to see that she was far from perfect. Underneath that perfect façade, he learned that she fostered a soul that was pure evil. She took pleasure in the pain of others and was only happy when she was scaring some poor soul to their deaths. Luke remembered the day he left; the burden that felt like it had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders. He had wandered, listless, for a while until he was fortunate enough to work a passage to the New World. He had never looked back. Aware that Philippe and Tanji had slipped from the room a while ago, Luke's thoughts once again turned to Rowan. He couldn't help himself. It was like every way he turned she was there; just close enough to appear reachable, but just far enough to make him lose hope. Luke whispered his vocabulary of swear words into the panes in every language he knew. Finding resolve in that personal method of blowing off steam, he straightened purposefully. The sun lit the angular planes of his cheeks, making his golden tan appear to glow. As he strode intently from the empty room, no one would have been able to mistake the look in his eyes; he was going to seduce his woman, no matter how hard she resisted. *** Rowan shot up out of bed with a cry. Her gaze was wild, her bouncing curls in complete disarray. Momentarily disorientated, she failed to recognise the room she was in. Trying desperately to reign in her rapid breathing she recalled the nightmare that jolted her back to reality. She had been back in the warehouse, slumped against the wall, the dismembered head of Remy lolling besides her. Four indescribable shadows were advancing on her, menace beating off of them in dark waves. She had scrambled frantically; her hands and feet were bound. The beasts continued to creep forward as she felt her fear threaten to paralyse her. She knew that Luke would come for her before she was overcome; she just knew it. Slowly but surely, the shadows moved closer and closer. Rowan had felt a scream building in her throat. As the pain began, she jolted awake, screaming for Luke. Rowan was thoroughly shaken. Her breathing was fast and ragged and her hands trembled ferociously. As the memories of the previous night flooded back to her, she began to sluggishly recall her surroundings: the kindly doctor who had fussed over her, the pain of her wounds being swabbed, the intense stare Luke had fixed her with before he left the room. She hung her head, the tip of her chin just coming to rest against the soft mounds of her chest. Never had she felt so completely drained. Although her body had stopped screaming at her for the abuse it had received the night previously, her mind seriously ached from questions going over and over in her mind. Most of them, she found, involved Luke. She jumped wildly as the door banged open, showing her the tall Frenchman who was, true to form, grinning inanely. "Bonjour!" he boomed flinging his arms wide as if he were going to suddenly run up to her and embrace her. Rowan smiled wanly back at him, slightly overwhelmed by the man's overbearing personality. "You know, you have caused quite a stir my dear. If I needed sleep, I would certainly be feeling the affects of an all-nighter now," he beamed, not looking for a moment like he had been awake all night. The benefits of being undead, Rowan thought bitingly. She quietly preened knowing that Luke had been up all night worried about her but then mentally slapped herself for indulging him. Philippe appeared to be looking for something. He was rifling through drawers looking puzzled and put out. Rowan's curiosity got the better of her. "What are you doing?" she asked, not quite sure what to make of the affable vampire. Philippe looked up at her, startled, as if he had only just remembered she was there. "Oh, I'm looking for Jack," he mused, opening another cupboard. Rowan was dumbfounded. Her jaw was slack as she watched the man move around the room in a flurry of activity until he had exhausted every option to him. With a greatly dramatised sigh, he sat heavily in the chair and perused her with pensive eyes. "Tanji has hidden her bottle well," he said as if on an after thought. Rowan was still staring at him blankly from the hospital gurney. Then the penny dropped. "You mean Jack Daniels!" she exclaimed, wondering for the life of her what the Frenchman would need with a bottle of Jack Daniels early in the morning. Philippe looked at her curiously as if it had been obvious all along. "Yes of course," he stated matter-of-factly, "Greatest thing the Americans created in my eyes; I don't go without it for breakfast. It sets me up just right for the day." He said it with such normalcy that Rowan spluttered with mirth. There was something about the man that just seemed so pleasant that she could not help but relax around him. Philippe was glad that he had managed to put the startled girl at ease. She looked a lot more beautiful when she was laughing, he noticed. Her eyes lit up, her skin glowed and suddenly she didn't look so cold and distant. Although to both Rowan and Luke he seemed aloof and extremely relaxed about the situation the two had found themselves in, Philippe was secretly very worried. So he had employed a defence mechanism so old that even Luke hadn't seen through it: he simply pretended the problem wasn't there. "So my dear, what is on the agenda for today?" he asked, trying to keep spirits up and minds off of current pressing issues. Rowan's face darkened briefly as she pondered his question. "I would like to go home," she said firmly, "if Tanji says that I am fit to, of course," she added as an after thought. Philippe bit his tongue and tried not to let on how much he thought that was a bad idea. "Rowan," he sighed, "you know it will be difficult for you to return home; at least for a while that is?" She looked shocked and suddenly very angry. "Why must I be cooped up here?" she retorted, "I'm a grown woman. I can more than take care of myself, so if you think that I'm going to cower here just because some vampires wanted some pay-back, you are severely delusional!" Philippe shifted uncomfortably in his seat, suddenly very aware of the fact that he really didn't want this woman mad at him. The look in her eyes made it very clear that anyone who pissed her off would be in for a hell of a lot of grief. It was ironic then, that the next person through the door was a very determined looking Luke. The vampire looked like he was on a mission but stopped abruptly sensing the unease in the air. What happened? Luke thought to Philippe. The other man looked uneasy. She wants to go home came the whispered reply. Rowan watched the silent exchange, her anger only slightly dissipating. As soon as Luke had walked through that door her heart had started to pound; she was 99% sure that Luke knew it too. Unlike Philippe, whose energy seemed to know no bounds, Luke did look like he was feeling the effects of a long night. Despite not actually needing sleep to function, the vampire looked very weary, darkened circles showing under his eyes. How is it possible for him to still look sexy, Rowan thought desperately. His tanned skin glowed under the harsh strip lights of the room, his bulging shoulders and arms straining from the tight, crumpled shirt he was wearing. She had to bite her lip to keep from moaning out loud. What was it about this man that had her acting like a love-struck, horny teenager? Luke was similarly struggling with his feelings. The huge doe-eyed stare she had given him when he had stridden into the room was enough to undo any man. She was still wearing that same clothes as last night; her thin chiffon black shirt showing glimpses of a lacy bra underneath. Her chest was heaving slightly, as if she had been startled, making her firm, luscious globes rise and fall delicately. Her soft, rosy, parted lips just screamed to be abused with his kisses and half of him wanted to run to her and do just that. Rowan shivered lightly as his heated gaze swept over her body. His eyes felt like they were leaving a line of fire across her skin; she tried not to like it too much. The change in his gaze was instantaneous as it fell on her neck. She saw it shift from blazing heat to smouldering anger in a split second; he was emitting thunderous growls to accompany it. Philippe, too, looked uncharacteristically concerned. "What the hell is that?" Luke spat, trying hard not to hit something very hard. The harsh light of the room had revelled all of the soft nooks and crannies of Rowan body and with it, a harsh, jagged scar that spanned the golden skin of her throat. "What's it to you?" she asked, similarly hostile. The scar was old; a burden she had borne since she was nine years old. It was a permanent reminder of a past life; a life that she would rather forget. Luke saw old pain resurface in her expressive eyes and instantly regretted his harsh words. He cursed inwardly. He was trying to make her more comfortable in his presence, not to hate him more! But the scar on her neck had made him see red; it went against everything he believed that someone would and could hurt her like that. He moved hesitantly forward, as if seeking her permission. She didn't flinch or look like she was going to hit him, so he took that as a good sign. Her eyelids fluttered lightly as he traced the knotted skin with the pad of his thumb. "Oh Rowan," he sighed. Rowan was torn. Her heart told her that she loved the feel of his fingers against the sensitive skin at her throat, but her head sparred with it, shouting loudly that her past was none of Luke's business. She clenched her fists tightly as Luke retreated, a sorrowful look on his face. Philippe cocked his head and decided that it would be a good idea to slip out. The intimacy of Luke's actions had screamed for privacy and so he felt obliged to give it. He sped out of the room to find Tanji; the doctor was going to teach him some more Xhosa, a language from her home country. At the last moment, his head whipped around once more to gaze open the scene unfolding in the medical room. No words had been uttered but Rowan didn't look as if she was going to cause Luke any damage any time soon so Philippe felt reassured that it was safe to leave them. *** Luke said nothing. He just stood, looking at Rowan, as her mind clearly fought over whether to let him in on her past or not. She looked extremely dejected and Luke once again struggled not to ask who did this to her so that he could hunt them down and rip their worthless heads off. "He's already dead Luke," Rowan said quietly. The vampire looked surprised that she had read him so easily. She wanted to smile, if there was one emotion that Luke couldn't hide very well, it was anger. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. She felt him shift slightly and so was not unsurprised when the bed sank perceptively with his weight. "I was nine," she whispered, her eyes still shut, "my mother had died of cancer three years earlier. My father had become a raging alcoholic, consumed by grief." Luke remained silent and unmoving. "One night he came home, even more drunk than usual," her voice dragged, as if she was reluctant to recount the story, "He was completely delusional, hallucinating. He saw me and mistook me for my mother." Luke felt cold, leaning forward unconsciously. "He firmly believed that I was her ghost, come back from the dead to haunt him. He lost it completely. He came at me with a broken bottle and slashed at me, screaming for me to be gone." Her words had become barely audible and Luke noticed how hard Rowan was trying to keep from letting tears fall. "I managed to avoid most of his swipes," she continued, "but obviously I wasn't fast enough." She gestured to her throat and sighed. Luke just looked at her. He had no words that were sufficient enough for what she had survived so he didn't bother to say anything at all. He softly picked up her limp hand and brushed the pad of his thumb over her knuckles absent-mindedly. Rowan felt her breathing hitch and hoped to hell that he hadn't heard. His delicate strokes were more than enough to make all of her carefully constructed barriers come tumbling down. Her mind was a warzone of lust and denial. He looked straight into her eyes with his piercing green stare that spoke volumes. She saw desire there, but she also saw sorrow and sympathy. The air crackled with heat between them. She could hear his breathing now; it was just as ragged as hers. Luke decided to risk it. He trailed his hand up her toned arm, slowing grasping her neck lightly to pull her head towards his. Sparks flew as their lips touched for the second time. This kiss was as tender as the first had been demanding. His lips brushed against hers, his tongue flicked out to swipe tenderly at her slit, seeking entrance. As Rowan moaned seductively, her lips parted, his probing tongue dipped into her moist recesses. Before she could think to stop it, her tongue responded, duelling with his intricately. Her body was on fire when he sucked gently on the tip of her tongue, sending little shoots of electricity straight to her core. She absent-mindedly groaned in pleasure as she thought of how she could get used to all the sensations Luke was bombarding her body with. Rowan's brain suddenly kicked into gear. Her lips slammed shut and her body went immediately rigid. She pulled away harshly from Luke, who looked utterly bewildered at her change of heart. He was frowning, puzzled, as she leapt of the bed and turned on him all at once. "Do you make a habit of seducing vulnerable woman?" she snapped, ignoring the twinge in her heart as hurt crossed his masculine features. He crossed his arms protectively in front of his chest, causing his biceps to bulge just that little bit more. "You didn't seem to be objecting too much my dear," he said tersely. "Just because I didn't instantly object does not mean you have the right to just maul me whenever you want." Luke raised an eyebrow. He stood suddenly, his enormous presence filling the room. "I will wait," he whispered almost menacingly, "I will wait for whenever you get over this silly state of denial you are in right now. I will wait until you come to me," he advanced slowly, "yes, when you come to me." He had stopped toe-to-toe with her, staring deep into her eyes with a fire that belied his cool exterior. A harsh crack echoed through the silent room. Rowan stared in horror at the red mark that had started to form across Luke's cheek where she had slapped him. He looked just as shocked as she did. But his surprise faded quickly and Rowan found herself scrabbling against the concrete walls as he continued to advance on her until she was pressed up against the wall. Luke could hear Rowan's heart beat going out of control as he trapped her against the wall. His cheek still smarting from her slap, he captured her parted, rosy lips before she could protest. Sucking gently on them, he memorised that taste of vanilla that was oh so Rowan and then he spun out of the room, leaving her gasping for air. Rowan's head was reeling. The searing kiss Luke had given her had taken her breath away before he had disappeared completely without so much of a backwards glance. She grabbed the pillow from the hospital bed and screamed into it before slamming his fists into it one after the other. Her anger just kept boiling over and she suddenly felt extremely claustrophobic in this stripped room. She threw the pillow at the wall, ignoring all that aches of her body, and slammed the door open. She was gone in an instant. *** Fuck this house is huge, Rowan thought as she sped along the corridors of the medical centre. It had been five minutes since leaving the small room she had been in over night and she was already lost. There were no windows in the utilitarian corridors and each one looked exactly the same. As she was about to give up, she came across a huge, heavy-duty metal door. It looked locked. A Midnight Rose Ch. 03 Rowan cocked her head, the loose ebony tendrils of her hair tumbling over her shoulder and caressing her back. How the hell was she meant to get past that? The door looked like it could probably withstand a blast from a nuclear warhead and she found herself wondering why someone would need such security. As she stood there pondering, a harsh whirring sound echoed from the middle of the door and it grated slowly open. Tanji squealed and instantly dropped the charts she had been perusing as she saw a very flushed looking Rowan standing sheepishly before her. She swore loudly and began to pick up the fallen paperwork. Rowan rushed forward to help her. "What the hell are you doing wandering around?" Tanji demanded once she had regained a relative normalcy. Rowan had the good grace to look a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry Tanji. Luke just-," Rowan halted abruptly and clenched her fists slightly to keep from getting too angry again. She breathed deeply. "I would like to go home," she said firmly. Tanji looked worried. She looked around nervously as if Rowan had just told her she wanted to murder the president. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, honey," she sighed resignedly. Rowan gritted her teeth and made to move past the doctor. "Fine, then I will find the way out by myself," she retorted. Rowan flinched when Tanji's hand suddenly shot out and grasped her forearm painfully. Meeting the were's eyes, Rowan could see understanding there, but also reluctance. She felt guilty for being so selfish but Rowan just wanted out. She needed to be away from her vampire; the one that was slowly driving her to insanity. "I need out Tanji," she said softly, "I can't stay here. I have a life and Luke needs to realise it doesn't just stop for him." Tanji looked like she wanted to say something but decided against it. Nodding briefly and saying nothing, she grasped Rowan's hand and pulled her along the corridor. Rowan noticed that the décor had gone from cold and stripped bare to deep oak panels and ornate chandeliers all of a sudden. It was like she had stepped out of a sci-fi horror film and into a period drama. Huge bay windows started to appear with deep burgundy drapes, placed sporadically in the walls of this never ending hallway. Rowan stopped harshly when she passed the first open one, tugging Tanji to an abrupt halt. The sun was still low in the sky, not quite raised to its highest height. It cast a golden hue over the landscape that Rowan could see through the huge pane of glass; it was beautiful. A huge expanse of grass swept up to a distant line of trees. Interspersed in this blanket were quaint flowerbeds bursting with jewel-like colour. The whole effect was breathtaking, culminating in an overflowing fountain at the centre, whose spray formed the illusion of a millions sparkling rainbows in the air. Tanji smiled at the transfixed girl. Luke had spent a huge deal on his gardens and he was exceedingly proud of them. None-the-less she coughed impatiently. "Rowan," she said gently, "I thought you were anxious to leave?" The girl looked mildly stunned, turning to look at Tanji as if she had forgotten she was there. Mentally shaking herself Rowan reverted back to her cold, efficient self. Tanji sighed inwardly at the changes in Rowan. Watching her gaze out over the beautiful grounds of the vampire lord's mansion had given Tanji a rare glimpse of a care-free, vulnerable Rowan that cared not for the grievances of the world. The doctor felt overwhelming sadness that the young human felt she needed to hide her true-self behind layers of cast-iron stubbornness and defence. Gesturing for Rowan to follow on, Tanji once again set off through the winding, ornate corridors of the mansion, taking routes where she knew they would not run into Luke. They passed endless doors on their journey and Rowan began to wonder if they were ever going to reach the exit. She grew uneasy with every step she took, as if her very soul wanted to rebel against her will to leave. She gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the pounding ache in her chest as her mind flashed through images of every intimate encounter between her and Luke. Tanji suddenly stopped; her hand on the handle of the door in front of her. She turned suddenly to give Rowan a fierce look. "I do not condone you leaving," the South African said abruptly, "Luke is my dear friend and I know he will be livid with you gone. But as a woman, I understand," she sighed, "Luke can be... overbearing at times and I get your need to escape him and clear your head." She handed Rowan a set of keys. "Take my car," she said, "It's the blue Range Rover." Rowan felt overcome with both guilt and gratitude. She knew that Tanji would bear the brunt of Luke's anger once he knew she was gone. The doctor shouldn't have helped her and yet here she was handing over the keys to Rowan's old life. Overcome with gratitude she swept up the smaller woman into a fierce embrace. "Thank you," she whispered. Rowan swept out of the house into the soft sunlight of the morning. Glancing once more back to the mansion and the life she was leaving behind, she could not help but feel an overwhelming sense of sadness that both shocked and confused her. She paused for a moment, half of her wanting to run back through the door and into the vampire's arms for a another toe-curling kiss, the other half of her thinking that Luke would move on and forget she ever existed after no time at all. A single tear escaped her eyes; sliding over the planes of her cheeks to drop to the ground. Rowan touched the damp line it had created in surprise: she was crying? With an exasperated cry she searched for the blue car Tanji had leant her. She hated how confused and vulnerable Luke made her! The sooner she got away from him, she thought, the sooner she would be able to get her head straight. With that, she was gone; all that remained in her place was a cloud of dust. *** Tanji watched the car speed away with a deep sense of regret in her heart. She could not have kept the girl here against her will but nor was she happy that she wanted to leave. With a heavy heart she turned away from the window and headed off to find Luke. The vampire was going to be livid. *** Rowan wanted to cry in relief as she came into sight of her block of flats. Whilst she had only been away one night, it had felt like a life time. She pulled up outside the door to the building, and made her way slowly up to the top floor where she and her friend had lived for the past three years. Upon reaching the door she automatically reached for her keys. "Fuck!" she exclaimed as her fingers scraped against an empty pocket and she suddenly remembered that her phone with her bag and keys were still at the bar. She was stood there, completely at loss of what to do when suddenly the door slammed open. Rowan knew she was in for a whole world of trouble at the look on her best-friend's face. Mina Sunshine looked positively thunderous. The tiny blonde was stood in the door frame with her hands on her slender hips, looking for all the world like a teacher would look to a small child. "Where the hell have you-," she started. Her eyes widened and her speech trailed off when she noticed the bruises and cuts that still peppered Rowan's face. "Well fuck me," she blurted, "Who the hell did you piss off?" Rowan smiled tiredly and pushed past the small woman to get into the apartment. Flopping down onto the huge leather sofa that dominated their living space, she covered her eyes with a hand. "Are you gunna talk," Mina said grumpily, "Or am I gunna have to drag it out of you?" The blonde flounced across the room and lounged at the other end of the sofa, her keen eyes watching Rowan intently. To anyone else, it would have seemed that the girl was being completely insensitive but Rowan felt relaxed in the abrasive woman's presence. She knew that Mina would tell her exactly what she thought; withholding no punches. It was refreshing. She had known Mina right through her childhood. She was Rowan's oldest friend and had coached her through every dark phase in her life. When Rowan's mother had died of cancer, Mina had rocked Rowan to sleep and wiped away the tears. When Rowan's father had attacked her, Mina had been the one to call an ambulance and staunch the blood flow; even at the tender age of nine. In return, Rowan had helped Mina through all her ups and downs as well. Mina was a were; a very rare one at that. Upon her first shift, it had been Rowan that sat with here whist she tried to figure out how to use her new body. Turning into a huge white tiger had been a daunting task for the eighteen-year-old, especially one so used to being at the smaller end of the spectrum. Rowan had been her rock throughout the entire phase and as such, the two women had become fiercely loyal to each other. They literally could not live without each other. With a sigh, Rowan sat up and met Mina's intense gaze. "Would it kill you to be a bit more sympathetic," she grumbled good-naturedly. The girl shrugged. "Yes," she said simply, before beaming widely. "Love you Ro!" she exclaimed in a loud sing-song voice. Rowan grinned back before he smile slid from her face and turned into a frown. As she recounted the events of the past night, Mina's bright expression also soured. When Rowan told her about the four vampires that had attacked her, Mina looked positively thunderous. Rowan noticed that the girl's nails lengthened slightly into claws and her brown eyes lightened to orange. As the story continued the blonde regained some control and her features returned to normal. Rowan finished her recount and looked to Mina for her reaction. Her friend's head was cocked and she looked thoughtful. "What?" Rowan asked. She shifted her weight slightly. Her friend's eyes took on a wicked gleam. "If I was you, I would have stayed and fucked that Luke guy senseless." Rowan's jaw went slack before she burst into laughter. Trust Mina she thought as her sides heaved helplessly. *** Watching the two girls laugh, a shadow shifted across the street. It smiled evilly to itself as it strode away, plans turning over and over in its head. With gentle hiss, talons and teeth extended and the glow of its eyes took on a crimson tinge. The raven-haired human had no idea what was coming for her. To be continued... I know this is a short one, I'm not completely happy with it but hopefully Chapter 4 will redeem me... look out for posting on Wednesday! mochadesire A Midnight Rose Ch. 04 Thank you all for your comments and votes of the previous chapters; in all seriousness, they keep me going even when I find this parts of this story to be a complete slog! For your viewing pleasure... a little extra shot of Rowan and Luke to get you through the week. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter and I do hope that you all find something to like in it too. Enjoy... mochadesire Chapter 4 Luke knew the minute that Tanji entered the kitchen something was wrong. He and Philippe had congregated in the huge, modern room as soon as they had left the medical centre, both anxious for a shot of caffeine. The kitchen was well-equipped: the weres that lived in the mansion needed food after all. But for the vampires of the house, the epicentre of the kitchen was the enormous, industrial coffee machine that was permanently kept full with aromatic Arabica beans. Even though they needed no food, both Philippe and Luke could not make it through each day without using the machine. Both the men had looked up when Tanji slipped into the otherwise empty room. Luke sensed the woman's heartbeat: it was going fast. He growled quietly; something was not right. "What's happened?" he rumbled. Tanji tried to look nonchalant and innocent, much to Luke's annoyance. "Tanji, I have known you for ten years. I do know when you aren't telling me something." The doctor muttered, "Ten years too long if you ask me." Luke smirked and Philippe chuckled at the woman's discomfort. The two of them stayed quiet, sipping on their coffees whilst they waited for Tanji to come clean. She squirmed as the quiet began to stretch on. She had expected Luke to try and get the truth out of her more aggressively; after all, they both knew that she wasn't telling him something. She mentally steeled herself. "Rowan left," she whispered. Tanji flinched as the china espresso cup in Luke's hand shattered into a million pieces in his fist with a resounding crack. The tiny, razor shards tinkled onto the granite work surface where the two men were sat; the only sound in the dead silence of the room. Luke was dumbstruck. He ignored the remnants of the cup that were digging into the skin of his palm as his mind whirled with Tanji's revelation. Suddenly he hurled the saucer in front of him at the wall, where it too, smashed into oblivion. "Why can't that damned woman just stay put?!" he roared, not noticing that Tanji was trembling in fear. His incisors were fully extended and he could feel his beast rising from the depths of his mind. He could feel Philippe sending soothing messages along their metal link but all he was focused on was his green-eyed mate; the one who was getting away. Hey asshole, Tanji looks ready to pass out in fright so quit the Nosferatu act will you? Philippe's accented voice boomed in his mind, startling him out of his murderous reverie. "I'm sorry Tanji," Luke said wearily as the red haze faded from before his eyes. He sat down heavily at the breakfast bar, thinking that he had been apologising an awful lot to his friend since Rowan had jumped head first into his life. "Why did she leave?" he muttered, his heart aching in his chest as the knowledge sank in. Tanji came forward timidly to place a comforting hand on his arm as he stared hopelessly into the gleaming surface below him. "She felt trapped Luke," she said softly, "She felt like she was entering a life she had had no choice in and that scared her." Luke made an impatient noise. "But how the hell am I meant to protect her from Remy's piece-of-shit minions if I have no idea where she is?" he cried. Philippe looked at him sharply, concern etched into his features. "Get a grip Luke," he said firmly, "You know as well as I that Rowan is no wilting wallflower. She can hold her own. All that remains is to see what you are going to do about getting her back." The Frenchman swirled his drink around in the vessel it was in, as if musing. Luke almost felt foolish as a tidal wave of relief flooded through him. "You think this is all redeemable?" he asked, hating the way his deep voice sounded needy. Tanji smiled sadly. "She may act like she hates you, but that woman is just as affected by you as you are by her," she said. "That is what scares her! She is afraid of the intensity of her feelings and how fast her life has become with you in it. She is so used to independency that she has become afraid of intimacy." The woman beamed triumphantly. "So you will just have to show her that you intend to stick around." Luke looked thoroughly bewildered. For all his one thousand, five hundred years of ages he had never been in the situation where he had had to chase the woman. It was usually the other way around! Philippe, sensing his thoughts, smirked. This is going to be a very steep learning curve for you Luke. Luke shot the other vampire, who was perched on the window sill on the other side of the breakfast bar, a withering look. He knew that in this situation, Philippe too, would be hopeless. The Frenchman had been with more woman than any man he had known; a true womanizer. The vampire also had no idea how to chase a woman; for all that he was gifted in the bedroom, the man had never once had to work for his pleasures. Like Luke, he attracted woman like moths to a flame, each one of them chomping at the bit for a piece of his European, chiselled good looks. Both the vampires turned on Tanji expectantly. As if guessing what they were thinking she rolled her dark eyes in mock annoyance. "You two are hopeless, you know that right?" Philippe beamed whole-heartedly. "Yes we do, although I would say that Luke is far more hopeless than I." His grin broke into a deep-throated chuckle as Luke once again scowled at him. Tanji too, began to laugh. Luke's head whipped back and forth comically, watching the two of them laughing at him. "Are you two just going to sit there giggling like school girls," he retorted, "Or are you going to help me get my mate back?" His eyebrows were raised as his two friends collapsed even further into hysterics. He threw his hands up in mock desperation and stalked out of the room, the echoes of laughter rebounding down the panelled halls after him. *** Rowan wasn't going to lie; she had been incredibly terse since leaving the mansion. Small things seemed to annoy her more than usual and she seemed permanently stuck in a foul mood. The aching in her chest had not let up and she had a feeling that it wouldn't until she talked to Luke again. Mina had noticed her friend's funk but, uncharacteristically, she hadn't commented. Of course, there were raised eyebrows and titters left, right and centre but the were chose not to antagonise her friend further. She wanted to keep her head in contact with her neck and shoulders. The people at work had also begun to avoid Rowan. The message had been made pretty clear when she had almost made Sara burst into tears over something as small as a slight mix up in stock orders. Rowan seemed completely oblivious to the fact that her colleagues were giving her wide-berth; she was too focused on her own issues. Fact of the matter was: she missed Luke. She missed him so much it scared her. She struggled to understand how she could come to care for the vampire so much in such a short space of time and that annoyed her. Finally John had come over to her whilst she was taking stock and had firm words. "Look," he said firmly, "No one here want to intrude on your personal issues but none of us can help it if you bring those issues to work with you." His words were not unkind; he was just trying to get his message across seriously, in spite of his neon pink tipped spiky hair and too-tight jeans. "When it got to the point where you are making the others upset for no reason, I knew I had to intervene." Rowan looked placidly back at the vampire who was gripping her shoulders firmly. "We know you went through something awful that night last week, hell the cuts are still visible, but you have to keep all your personal hang-ups at home; it's not fair on the rest of us." Rowan sat heavily, shrugging John's hands from her shoulders. She rested her head in her palms, fully aware that the vampire was right. "I suppose I better apologise to Sara, hadn't I?" she sighed, lifting her head to look at John. He nodded kindly and held up a hand to help her up from the crate she was slumped on. Rowan took his hand and pulled the startled young vampire into a crushing embrace. "Thanks John," she whispered, "I don't know what I would do without you sometimes." She beamed as John nodded wisely. "I agree with that," he said in mock-seriousness, "I think you would struggle if I wasn't around." She laughed loudly, the sound reverberating around the small cellar they were in. She linked her arm in his and the two headed up towards the bar. Coming up the narrow stairs and through the heavy swing door that lead to the centre of the club, both John and Rowan were surprised to see most of the staff clustered at one end of the long bar. As they approached and people noticed them, Rowan felt incredibly guilty as most of them avoided eye-contact and started shuffling nervously. She hung her head slightly as she realised how right her bar manager was. Clearing her throat, she called for everyone's attention. "Everyone! Could I just say something to you all?" she spoke loudly as conversations began to quieten down. "I know that I have been- for want of a better word- a complete bitch to you over the last few days and I just would like to say that I am sorry." She sighed and ran a hand absent-mindedly through her unbound, midnight tresses. "It's just been a rough- what the fuck is that?" she exclaimed mid-sentence as the crowd around the bar had thinned and she could see a huge object resting on top of it. Perched on the metal counter was the most enormous bunch of rose she had ever seen. An intricate mixture of blood-red and black roses, Rowan knew that they had to have set the sender back by a fair amount. She had never even seen black roses before! Not even aware that she was moving forward, she reached the bar and stood dumbstruck before the bouquet. "Who sent these?" she whispered, a hand hesitantly come up to stroke a velvet petal of one of the buds. Her were-bear bouncer, Brent, came up behind her. "Some short-ass vamp delivered them, but he said they came from the top. That's all we know," Brent rumbled in his impossibly deep voice. "There's a card perched on top," he pointed it out to her. Rowan pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow at him. "Unfortunately I can't reach that," she said laughingly. The huge man grinned. "No problem," he said, plucking the ivory card easily out of from among the blooms. As he held it out to her, Rowan felt her hand shaking. Taking it from him nervously, she turned it over to see a flowing gold script. "What does it say?" John exclaimed excitedly, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. Rowan was staring at the card, a curious look on her face. Per la mia mezzanotte rosa, the card read. She repeated it to the crowd, eliciting a few confused faces from those whose grasp on languages were not as great as others. "Is it Spanish?" someone called from the back of the crowd. Given its gravelly voice, Rowan assumed it was one of the goblins. "No, it's Italian," she corrected. "I think it means 'for my midnight rose'." She froze suddenly. Luke was European. What had the messenger said? That the roses had come from the top? Her heart fluttered hopelessly, causing her to frown. John noticed the face that Rowan had pulled. Quickly, he began calling: "Okay everyone, back to work, show's over and we still have a shift to do starting in three hours. Disperse!" He ignored the grumbles as the rest of the employees retreated to various corners of the large building, knowing them to be good-natured. He slung an arm over Rowan's lightly muscled shoulders, noticing that they were trembling slightly. "You know who they are from," he murmured, "Don't you?" Blowing out the breath she had been holding, she shifted under the weight of his slung forearm. "Mm," Rowan whispered, "I think I do." "So, why the sad face?" John was confused. Despite being prickly and tough to those who didn't know her, Rowan's closest friends knew her to be a true romantic; someone who would completely fall to pieces for a delivery of stunning roses. The vampire wasn't sure why his manager wasn't all smiles. "The sad face is because I didn't think this guy cared so much," she admitted, "I was perfectly happy thinking that I was just a casual fuck, a woman he took a fancy to one night. It was easier to be mad at him that way and ignore how I truly felt." "How do you really feel?" John probed gently. Ro's face clouded and she clenched her empty fist. Relaxing it, she let out a slow breath and shut her eyes. "I've known him for all of five days, of which three of those we haven't been talking. And yet," she continued, "I cannot help but feel wrong when he isn't around." She pulled a face. "Is that too weird?" John looked mildly bemused. Pulling Rowan into a fierce embrace, he chuckled in her ear. "No my dear, it isn't too weird. But I can understand why you would be afraid of what you're feeling; you have prevented yourself from letting your guard down for too long!" He scolded her, shaking his index finger in her face in mock anger. She smiled and nodded. Rowan had been with men over the years, but they had been few and far between. The more time that stretched between each one, the more she began to throw up the barriers. She blocked off any emotional feeling towards the men she was with, even though she knew that her coldness would push them away. Rowan had thought she was okay with not having someone in her life. She had been forced to be extremely independent as a child and taught herself to appear confident to others even when she felt like a wreck inside. Then Luke had come along and thrown her fragile state of balance into extreme upheaval. Apparently he wasn't satisfied with just doing that either. So lost in her own thoughts, she barely caught John's question. He asked her gently if she didn't mind telling him who the mysterious man was. Sighing she said: "His name is Luke. He's a vampire." She stopped there, not knowing how to continue. It brought home to her how little she actually knew about the handsome vampire. They had come together based on pure, animalistic attraction, not because they were interested in each other's hobbies. She looked up and was surprised to see John's jaw hanging open, his eyes bugging in his head. "What?" she asked completely confused. John spluttered and gestured wildly, as if he wasn't quite sure what to say next. "Do you mean Luke Phillips?" he said excitedly, "Look's like he invented the term 'tall, dark and handsome'?" Rowan nodded, she was still confused. "Oh. My. God," John squealed, flapping his hands, positively skipping with excitement. "You know who that is, don't you?" Rowan shook her head and shrugged. She thought Luke was just another vampire; albeit one with a hell of a lot of money. "He's the vampire lord for the entire of East coast! From the tip of Maine, east to Minnesota and all the way down to Louisiana, if you have problems big enough and you are a vampire, you go to him. He's like the king of the area; the top dog!" John was in a complete state. He was practically bouncing off the walls. Rowan however, could not find it within herself to be amused by John's unusual behaviour. From the top... Brent's words swum in her mind. "Oh God," she groaned, "They are definitely from him." John stopped bouncing for just a moment. He looked at her curiously. "Why are you not ecstatic about this? Lord Phillips hasn't gone after a woman like this since..." he pondered, "Well, since forever. The guy could almost be classed as a self-confessed bachelor. He was completely married to his job." He beamed again. "He needs a woman to get him to loosen up a bit." Nudging Rowan suggestively, he waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Know any tricks?" he goaded. Rowan groaned at his positivity. Seeing that she was unconvinced, John's face softened. "Give him a chance Ro," he murmured, "Let him in; you never know, it could be the best thing you ever do." With that, he spun on his Cuban heels and marched off to help the others with the rest of the stock, leaving Rowan to stare wistfully into the crimson and raven petals. *** Mina knew the minute Rowan got home by the slamming of the front door. She sighed; one day that door was going to come off its hinges with the force that Rowan slammed it shut. She looked up from the magazine she was reading, ready to berate her friend, when she was met with the comical site of Rowan struggling with the biggest bouquet of flowers she had ever seen. "Wow," she whistled, "Who is he and where do I find one of my own?" Mina was not easily impressed but the flowers had definitely put a tick in her books. They were exquisite. Where did you even find roses that colour anyway? Rowan cursed as she struggled to set the roses down on the small side table next to the sofa in the apartment. "Luke," she retorted simply. Mina cocked her head in confusion. "You mean the Luke you ran away from? The one you have been pining after for the last three days?" Rowan looked affronted. "I have not been pining! I've just-," she sighed mid-rant, the wind already gone from her sails. "Yes, the Luke I ran away from," she said resignedly as she threw her bag on the couch and moved to make a cup of instant coffee. She felt Mina's eyes on her at all times. "What?" she snapped, annoyed by her friend's lack of comments. "I thought you would have lots to say on the matter." The were simply raised an eyebrow, as if amused by Rowan's anger. Rowan bit her cheek. "Sorry Mina, I'm a little on edge." "Love, you have been on edge the minute you got back from that vampire's house," the tiny blonde said matter-of-factly, "You may not have noticed, but that man so clearly is under your skin that it's painful watching you not do anything about it." The girl flicked over the page of her magazine absently. "So you want me to just forgive him because he sends me an expensive bunch of flowers?" Rowan spat, "I'm sorry but that is just not going to happen!" She slammed down the mug she had fetched from the cupboard and flicked the kettle on. She narrowed her eyes at her room-mate who looked completely nonplussed. "I didn't say forgive him," Mina said carefully, aware that Rowan was ready to blow her top, "I just think that maybe you should give him the chance to explain himself. You never know, it could be enlightening for the both of you." She pretended to go back to reading the story in front of her as she waited for her words to sink in. The tension in the small kitchen was palpable and Mina was fully aware that Rowan was trying to burn a hole in her forehead with her stare. But she stood her ground and refused to even acknowledge the other woman's presence until she heard the whistle of a held breath escape through clenched teeth. She glanced up to see Rowan looking at her bemusedly. "Are you calm again now?" Mina asked innocently. Rowan rolled her eyes and nodded, taking a sip of the steaming coffee that had brewed. She relaxed against the work surface and stared thoughtfully out of the window above the sink. She started violently when Mina suddenly snuck up beside her and slipped her arms around her waist. Despite the fact that the were only came up to Rowan's shoulder, she gave the best hugs in the world. Rowan instantly relaxed into the embrace, slipping into a comfortable silence with her friend. They both knew not everything had to be said out loud. A Midnight Rose Ch. 04 *** Luke had read the same sentence about five times. He was reading a letter of appeal from a vampire in the Delaware who was having a boundary issue with a neighbouring were-wolf. The argument seemed so petty to Luke, who had seen similar letters thousands of times before but with this one, it seemed like he could not concentrate at all. It had been at least a day since his courier had told him that Rowan had received the flowers and still nothing. Letting the letter fall from his hands to the desk in front of him, Luke rested his chin on his knuckles and gazed wistfully out of the window. Sensing a shift in the room, he rolled his eyes. "Why do you bother trying to sneak up on me Philippe?" he snorted, "You know that I can sense you a mile away." The Frenchman stepped forward out of the shadows and pretended to look annoyed. "I knew I shouldn't have let you heal me with your blood," he said, shaking his head mournfully, "Now you are constantly in my head." Luke laughed. Whilst now, just under one thousand years later, it was funny to the two men, at the time it had not been a laughing matter. The date had been the 14th October 1066; the place had been Senlac Hill. The Norman army was struggling against English resistance and Philippe had just been shot through the neck with an arrow. Though Luke had not known him at the time, he took pity on the dying Frenchman who even with his dying breath had tried to make a joke of the situation. So Luke had healed and turned him, mixing their blood and giving Philippe eternal life. The two had been close ever since, their bond made even stronger by the mental link they shared. You know one thousand years is a long time for someone to put up with you, both physically and mentally, Luke thought sarcastically. You think that I am a chore; you should try having you in your head! Philippe grinned and shot Luke a finger humorously. He settled his tall frame into the chair opposite Luke and continued to stare at him, smiling maddeningly. "What do I get the feeling that you want to tell me something?" Luke asked suspiciously. Despite knowing the man for most of his eternal life, sometimes even Luke struggled to figure out Philippe. Notoriously difficult to read, his permanent and unfailing optimism often hid skilfully any negative feelings the vampire felt. Now though, Luke was fairly sure that his friend was just sticking around to further piss him off: Philippe never once did miss up on an opportunity to antagonise Luke. Philippe shifted his weight unnecessarily. He loved the fact that Luke was so on edge; it made him incredibly easy to wind up. "Good letter?" he asked nodding to the piece of paper that lay forgotten on the desk top. Luke scowled. They both knew he was not here to talk business. Gazes locked, the two men tried to stare each other down, each one waiting for the other to give. Surprisingly, it was Philippe who looked away first, causing Luke's suspicion to deepen further. Staring out the window, the Frenchman said casually, "Tanji got her car back." Luke shrugged, still not understanding why his friend had chosen to bother him with such trivial information. Philippe wanted to laugh. His friend looked really pissed off now; he hadn't even realised the significance of what he had just said. Deciding to really push the boundaries, Philippe slowly bought his feet up and maintaining eye contact at all times, he rested his ankles on the surface of Luke's paper-strewn desk. The vampire looked murderous. "What the fuck do you want Philippe?" he growled, "Can't you see that I'm not in the mood here?" Philippe just continued to smile maddeningly, completely unfazed. "The person who borrowed Tanji's car has returned it," he repeated, waiting for the penny to drop. Tanji had told Luke the day that Rowan left that she had leant the human her car and Luke had not been happy about it at all. Luke mouthed the sentence with wide eyes as it suddenly clicked. "Is she still here?" he whispered hoarsely, his chest suddenly feeling incredibly restricted. Philippe looked like he was thoroughly enjoying the fact that at the simple mention of his mate's name, the vampire lord was reduced to a love-struck teenager. "Oh yes," Philippe replied casually, "She decided to stay for tea with Tanji. The two of them seem to have hit it off handsomely." Luke didn't stick around to hear the rest of the sentence. He had sped out of the room in a flash, leaving only an amused Philippe and a fluster of forgotten papers. *** Rowan could not stop her heart from pounding. She had decided earlier that it was time that Tanji got her car back, despite noticing that in the garage there were more than several other cars as well as motorbikes. She felt sick to her stomach as she had driven through the ornate gates and up the long drive. She swore that the gravelled driveway seemed to stretch on into the distance, as if the house was moving further and further away, and so she was almost surprised when she had to swerve and brake sharply to prevent from running straight through an intricate flowerbed. Sat there with her heart pounding, the engine still running, she began to wonder whether this was all an incredibly bad idea. She knew that she had to return the car at some point; she was just dreading the idea of finally having to talk to Luke again. Would she be able to hold it together? Rowan flinched sharply at a loud rapping against the passenger seat window. She peered through it to see an amused looking, young, dark haired man staring back at her. "Are you okay miss?" he called through the closed door, his voice muffled by the window. Rowan lowered the window and the boy peered in. "Could you possibly go and get Tanji for me?" Rowan asked, trying to keep the tremors out of her voice. The boy looked blank. "You know," she continued, panic rising, "The doctor?" At last, comprehension flooded the boy's face. "Oh, you mean Doc! Sorry, all us weres in the house don't use her name out of respect. I'm afraid she has been known to me as 'Doc' my entire life and I had completely forgotten she actually had a name." The boy grinned infectiously at his mistake. "I'll just run and fetch her," he called over his shoulder, already sprinting through the huge main door of the mansion. Rowan was just finishing parking the car properly when Tanji came rushing out of the mansion followed by Philippe who stood lounging in the doorway, watching interestedly. As Rowan got out of the car, she caught off guard by the South African doctor throwing her arms around her and pulling her into a fierce, motherly embrace. "My dear, how are you doing?" she asked excitedly, running a critical, medically trained eye over Rowan's healing face. Rowan smiled. "Yeah, I'm doing well thanks. I can't believe how fast my cuts healed, it was incredible!" she enthused, trying to make conversation despite feeling sick to her stomach. Tanji laughed. "Oh that. I put a special salve on them that we bought off of the Fae. It speeds up healing, helps the skin to knit together faster. It also prevents scarring so you won't have to worry about that pretty face of yours!" Tanji beamed as she talked, completely oblivious to Rowan's internal turmoil. She clasped Rowan's hand and dragged her towards the house, stating that she simply must stay for a while and chat. Passing Philippe, who had not moved, she nodded in acknowledgement to his murmured greeting and smile. By the time she and Tanji had entered the hall, the vampire had already disappeared. "Ergh, I hate it when they do that," the doctor grumbled, "Weres move pretty fast but we have nothing on those vampires; one minute they are there, next minute they aren't! Creeps me out." They made their way along panelled corridors that were lit up by the midday sun streaming in through the floor to ceiling windows. Reaching the end of the hallway, Tanji ushered Rowan into the kitchen. The two settings could not have been any more different if they tried. Whilst the hall was ornate, grand and vintage, the kitchen was modern and futuristic with pale walls and glass and stainless steel everywhere. Rowan looked about her in wonder, struggling to imagine this room set in such an old and decadent mansion. Tanji bustled about the room grabbing mugs and milk and various other paraphernalia as she went like a mini hurricane. She was humming something that Rowan didn't recognise. "That's a pretty tune," she said conversationally. Tanji smiled again, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "My mother used to sing it to me as a girl. It's a song that her grandmother used to sing to her when she was younger and living in Tanzania. It always makes me feel happier when I sing it." Rowan did not press for any details; the sadness in Tanji's eyes indicated that there was not a happy ending to that story. The doctor set down a mug of steaming coffee in front of Rowan triumphantly. "I never did fully understand that damned machine the vampires of this house worship so much, so you are lucky to get a drink at all. Milk or sugar?" Rowan shook her head and the doctor once again bustled around the room making her own drink. Rowan looked on curiously as she added lemon and honey to a cup of tea. "I know, I know, the English would crucify me if they saw me 'wrecking' of cup of tea like this but I can't help it! It's the way that my mother made it for me as a girl and it's the way I will drink it until I die. No matter how much stick I get from Philippe." The were scowled humorously before sitting heavily at the breakfast bar next to Rowan. "So how have you been my dear?" her voice softened and she scanned Rowan's face tenderly. The kindness in her eyes almost undid Rowan right then and there. "I have been okay," she said carefully, "A little- erm- irritable, but that's probably because of my injuries," she added hastily. Tanji raised an eyebrow, thoroughly unconvinced. "That's bullshit and you know it," the doctor said bluntly. "Just so you know, Luke has been just as irritable, if not more so." Rowan looked up quickly to see the doctor smiling at her encouragingly. "He's going to want to see me, isn't he?" Rowan asked quietly. Tanji nodded apologetically. "Nothing in the world could stop him," the were-doctor said. The two women sat in companionable silence for a while, each one sipping their respective drink quietly. Tanji finished hers first and rose quickly to put her crockery into the stainless steel dishwasher. She came back over to where Rowan was still sat, unmoving, staring into the distance. "Give him a chance, my love," she said softly, placing her dark hand over Rowan's lighter one. "I'm confident you will not regret it." With that, the doctor slipped from the room to where she knew Luke was hiding in the shadows, listening. "Don't cock this up," she growled fiercely before hugging the tall vampire tightly. "Good luck." Luke smiled thinly as Tanji swept past him to some other distant corner of the huge house. He felt stupid for feeling so nervous about talking to this woman; normally this sort of thing was no problem and came to him naturally! So what was it about this one that had him on edge? She's my mate, he thought, that's why. Slipping into the room, he felt his throat choke at the sight of her. She was sat near the window, the sunlight bathing her in an ethereal glow, causing glints of dark blue to shine in her ringlets that cascaded down her back. She was wearing a pair of artfully ripped stone-washed jeans with pumps and tight-shirt that showcased her trim body to perfection. He felt like he could stand there all day watching her as her chest rose and fell softly with each breath and her eyelids fluttered with every blink. As she noticed his presence in the room, she turned her head sharply, causing her curls to fly in disarray. Luke loved the chaos of her long hair and longed to thread his fingers through it. She met his gaze with her bright sapphire ones, the intensity of her stare enough to theoretically make his breath catch. The two said nothing, their intense stares enough to satisfy each other for the moment. Rowan felt her heart pound as Luke stepped into the light. She didn't remember him looking so damn perfect. He looked every inch a man in his low slung, slouchy jeans and shirt; it was enough to send a feeling of warmth to her core. He was clean shaven but his hair was unruly, suggesting that he had been running his hands through it constantly. That gave Rowan a smug feeling of satisfaction to know that the gorgeous vampire was just as affected by her as she was by him. "You came back," Luke stated simply in his deep bass. Rowan nodded, not trusting herself to speak. He came closer. "Why did you leave?" he almost whispered, catching her gaze and holding it. Rowan could not look away; his eyes were captivating. So instead she shut them and sighed, "I'm sorry, I truly am, I just needed some space to breathe. You scared me." Her tone was accusing but they both knew she did not mean to offend. Opening her eyes, she sucked in air sharply in surprise. Luke was standing right in front of her, his gaze locked on hers, his moist lips no more than an inch away from hers. "I apologise for scaring you," he murmured, "Are you scared now?" He sounded unsure of himself despite the intimacy of his actions, almost as if he was expecting her to slap him again. The sexy husk of his low voice sent a shiver down Rowan's spine. For a moment, there was no sound but her shallow breathing as she forgot how to speak. "No," she managed to whisper. Luke smiled slowly. "Good," he whispered, leaning forward to cover that last distance between them. Rowan sighed as his lips pressed exquisitely against hers. The softness of them against hers marvelled her as Luke angled his head to deepen the kiss. Flicking his tongue experimentally he swiped the join of her lips, seeking entrance. He was rewarded with a low moan that reverberated through him, causing his cock to swell uncomfortably in his restrictive jeans. She parted her lips for him allowing their tongues to duel as he slowly forced open her thighs to stand between them. Luke felt like his head would explode as he felt the heat between Rowan's thighs. He fought every urge in his body not to rip all the clothes off from her body as she captured his tongue and sucked seductively on the tip. His eyes shot open to see her gazing up at him through her thick eyelashes. He watched, captivated, as she slowly winked before pulling him back towards her again. "What's gotten into you?" he mumbled hoarsely against her lips, her soft breathing caressing his face. He felt her smile against him as she pulled him in closer, pressing herself against his rock-hard body. "I guess I just decided what I wanted," she whispered punctuating each word with kiss along his jaw line, leaving a trail of fire was she went. With a growl, Luke snaked his hands under her ass and lifted her bodily against him. She gasped as the bulge of his crotch rubbed against her through their layers of clothing, sending a jolt of pure electricity straight through her. She felt a rush of air as Luke sped out of the kitchen at top speed and into what she assumed to be his bedroom. She laughed, surprised, at his haste. The laughter however, died in her throat when she saw a look of raw animalistic need in Luke's eyes as he loomed over her. Kneeling up on the bed where he had dumped her, she ran her hands along the planes of his chest, marvelling at the hard muscle she felt beneath her fingertips. Luke felt his eyes roll back in his head as her fingers brush against his nipples. He concentrated hard on not throwing her onto the bed and ravishing her straight away. Instead, he indulged her. His eyes shot open again and he stared at his mate as he felt her fingers slowly but surely trace downwards. She felt his stomach muscles clench and unclench as she trailed the tips of her fingers over the ridges of his abdomen. Luke thought he might explode before she reached her destination. Determined not to be out done, Luke gently stilled her hand. She looked up at him, cocking her head in a fashion that was so adorable that Luke struggled not to pepper her face with kisses. "If you continue like that, my dear, this will be no fun at all," he growled gently. She smiled and bit her lip, suddenly unsure of herself. Luke had reached the point where he decided she was wearing far too much clothing. He reached for her, frantically tugging at buttons whilst he nuzzled her lips. A low moan built up in her throat as his hands slid up beneath her shirt, toying with the underside of her bra, before eventually venturing under it to stroke the smooth underside of her breast. Rowan gasped as a ripping sound filled the room. She stared in dismay at her destroyed shirt, but her disappointment was soon forgotten. "I'll buy you a new one," Luke grunted as he noticed the look on her face. As Rowan shrugged off the remains of her shirt, he took the opportunity to stare at her unveiled body. It is sinful, he thought, that something as perfect as that has to be kept covered. Her breasts swelled and threatening to spill out of the simple black lace bra that she wore. Above the right one was the tiny tattoo of a rose, the crimson of its petals stark against her golden skin. Luke felt his throat close up as he stared at the small flower. He thought it was the most erotic thing he had ever seen. Rowan felt her breathing get shallower as Luke swooped down to place a sweet kiss against the soft, smooth skin of her chest. Her heart thudded against her breastbone as he continued to trail his lips across her chest, swiping his tongue against the valley of her cleavage. With a sudden twist of his wrist, Luke snapped the clasp of her bra open. Somewhere at the back of her mind, registering amongst the pure pleasure she felt, Rowan thought that she was glad he hadn't destroyed her bra too. She cried out loud when he clamped his lips firmly around one nipple, his tongue flicking at it causing it to harden almost painfully. With his other hand, he traced a line up over her stomach, brushing against the sensitive underside of her breast, to circle the other areola with his fingertips. Rowan jerked her hips involuntarily, brushing against his straining erection. Luke groaned deep in his throat as her hips movements made her grind against him. He continued his assaults on her nipple, caressing the dusky areola with the tip of his tongue. Encouraged by her breathy groans of pleasure, Luke gently nibbled on her pebbled tips. Looking up to stare at her flushed face as her harsh breathing turned suddenly into a wild cry, Luke felt his cock harden more than he thought possible. He was sure that he would blow his load right there just watching her if he didn't concentrate. Rowan raised her head when she felt his amazing administrations stop. She noticed him staring at her, his eyes almost black with desire. She grinned evilly. Wrapping her long legs around his waist, she used her momentum to roll Luke onto his back so that she was straddling him. Luke watched, captivated as her pendulous breasts swayed slightly with the motion. They fit perfectly in his palm, firm and pert, with dusky areolas. Still mesmerised he didn't notice that Rowan had begun to lean forward until he felt her slid her tongue along the side of his neck, stroking the vein that lay just beneath the skin. Luke struggled to keep his fangs from extending as she sucked lightly on a pressure point just below his jaw. Rowan almost purred in delight when Luke hands swept up her still jean-clad thighs to clasp her ass and squeeze gently. She pressed herself up against him once more, squashing her breasts against his chest. She rumbled in annoyance; he was still almost fully clothed. A Midnight Rose Ch. 04 As her fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, Luke chuckled. Gently prising her hands away, he ripped the shirt in two and threw it away. It's not like he didn't have any more. Rowan bit her lip. There was not an ounce of fat on him. Here before her was the well-muscled body of a man who liked to keep in shape. The smooth planes of his broad chest sloped down into the ridges of his abdomen and his tapered waist. Her eyes continued downwards. She bit her lip again, this time more out of worry than pleasure. If the tell-tale bulge in the front of his jeans was anything to go by, she was in huge trouble. Luke watched her drinking in his body with interest. He noticed her eyes darken to the colour of a stormy sea as her gaze slowly wound down. "Take my jeans off," he ordered quietly, his voice still husky. Luke felt his chest constrict as Rowan slowly undid the clasp and the zipper on his jeans and made to tug them down. He lifted his hips slightly to allow her to remove them more easily. She was still biting her ruby red lips in a way that Luke found impossibly erotic. "Take it out," he managed to whisper. Rowan met his gaze as she slid her hand under the waistband of his underwear to grasp his swollen member. It twitched under her touch. Luke let his head fall back onto the silken sheets as he felt her warm hand grasp his cock firmly. He felt it twitch and groaned as she freed it from the restrictions of his boxers. What happened next caused his head to jerk up wildly in surprise. Rowan was fascinated by his erection. Seeing that his eyes were closed in the heat of the moment, she leant forward and lightly brushed her lips over the engorged head. She was rewarded with an involuntary hip thrust and a startled cry. She slowly smiled as she used her tongue this time to trace a slow line across his heated skin. Luke felt like he could spontaneously combust at any point. He had never known a woman to affect him so badly. He hissed as she suddenly enveloped the tip of his cock in her moist mouth and sucked hard. Rowan released his member from her mouth with a soft pop. She trailed her tongue up one side, before repeating on the other side, every so often flicking her tongue against the sensitive skin on the underside. From Luke's strained expression, she guessed he was enjoying himself. As she took him in her mouth, Luke's fingers bunched in the sheets beneath him. His hips jerked up and down slightly, wanting desperately to bury his cock deep in her throat. Rowan retreated away from him again with a slight smile. Luke's eyes shot open again and his head jerked up. Oh no, you don't, he thought hungrily, drinking in her semi naked form. With a muffled roar, he flipped her onto her back in a move that knocked the breath from her lungs. Before she knew it, her jeans had joined the pile of ruined clothes on the floor. Luke almost collapsed when he revealed the tiny scrap of lace she was wearing. If he hadn't have been on the bed, his knees almost certainly would have buckled. "That cannot constitute as underwear," he whispered, his throat suddenly incredibly dry. With a slow, sexy smile she slipped her fingers beneath the band and shimmed them down her silky thighs to uncover her shaven sex for him. Luke could smell her arousal. Musky, with a hint of sweetness, the scent hit him with the force of a freight train. His head swimming, he gravitated towards her moist slit, dragging his tongue along it from top to bottom. Rowan squirmed and whimpered in anticipation. Luke sucked on one puffy outer lip, lavishing it with his tongue before moving to the other. He parted them, his tongue snaking out to sample her moisture. To him it was like nothing in the world; tangy and yet sweet with that ever present cloying vanilla. Good god, this woman was enough to drive him to insanity. She held her breath as his lips moved antagonisingly slowly to the top of her heated core. There, they quickly sought out their target and latched onto it. Rowan bit down a scream as he sucked hard on her swollen clit, alternating between flicking it gently and grazing his teeth against it. She wound her hands in his hair, pressing him against her sopping pussy, anxious for more. Luke knew that if he wasn't inside her soon, he would pass out with excitement. For him, there was no time for foreplay. He needed her, and he needed her now. Swiftly, he spread her smooth thighs and reached under then to caress the silken skin of her ass for leverage. Her breath was coming short and fast as she felt the head of his cock brush against her heat. She had her eyes closed; each movement was magnified to her senses. Luke couldn't wait any longer. Grasping her hips roughly he sank into her with one thrust. They both groaned simultaneously as his length slid deep into her slick tunnel. Sparks went off in Rowan's brain as she felt him fill her completely. She felt him pause, all nine inches of him buried to the hilt inside her. Her eyelids fluttered open just in time to see Luke smile wickedly. She barely had time to breathe as he drew out slowly before thrusting deep into her again. Her back arched, "Fuck!" she cried. She clasped his hand tightly as he did it over and over again, drawing out frustratingly slowly before plunging back into her depths again. She rolled her hips in impatience, jerking upwards to greet each downward stroke. "Luke," she growled through a haze of passion. "Yes my dear?" he said, punctuating the last word with a downward stroke that took her breath away. "Fuck me." Luke was more than happy to oblige. With a feral snarl he slammed back into her, driving deep and fast into her tight pussy. He felt her clench around him exquisitely, the walls of her slick channel pulsating lightly around his plunging cock. He smiled with male satisfaction as she arched her back towards him, her lips formed in a silent 'o'. He felt her nails dig into the muscles of his shoulders as he brought up one hand to fondle a straining nipple. A light sheen of sweat covered the couple as their hips ground together in the soft light of the room. Rowan's infrequent whimpers had turned into sexy moans that increased in magnitude every time Luke's cock drove back into her. She could feel a wave of lust building from her core, starting with the sensations there and slowly spreading outwards. As he pounded into her, with each stroke trying to go deeper, she strained for release. She could feel it, creeping up on her: a lurking, growing presence in the dark. She thrust her hips up to meet Luke's with renewed vigour as the sensation grew and grew. "Come for me sweetheart," Luke grunted as he felt her spongy walls tighten around him like a vice. Luke felt his balls contract as Rowan exploded beneath him with a strangled cry. Wave after wave of pleasure ripped through her, sending sporadic spasms through every muscle. The rippling of her internal walls throughout her orgasm was enough to undo Luke completely. He too, came with a sharp cry, shooting his load deep into her pussy. Their hips met jerkily as they both ground through undulating ripples of pleasure that streaked through them both like a line of fire. Luke slowed his movements as gradually his orgasm subsided. He couldn't remember the last time he had come so hard. Regaining some level of control, he looked down at the woman sprawled beneath him. Her ebony ringlets, blending into the dark silken sheets beneath her, were spread in a wide halo. Her chest rose and fell in shallow, irregular breaths. A fine sheen covered her body, highlighting her golden skin in the flicking, dim light of the room. Luke slipped his softening cock from her body to prop himself up beside her. He gazed at her beautiful form lying there on his bed and all of a sudden felt incredibly pleased with himself. He honestly felt like one of the luckiest guys in the world. "Rowan," he whispered, nibbling gently on her ear lobe, "Are you okay?" She groaned and rolled over to face him slightly. Luke recoiled in horror as her eyelids lifted slowly. Her cerulean orbs had completely disappeared. They, along with the whites of her eyes had been replaced by an impenetrable midnight sheen that was wholly inhuman. He stared on in shock as her entire body convulsed and with a piercing scream that was not of this world, she collapsed back onto the covers; she had fainted clean away. Luke trembled in disbelief. What the fuck had just happened? To be continued... Yes, another cliff-hanger... you should be used to them by now! Please let me know what you think, your votes and comments are invaluable to me. Until next time... mochadesire. A Midnight Rose Ch. 05 First off, an apology: life has been crazy this past week and the only time I have been at home has been to sleep! But thankfully I have a lot more time on my hands now so I will be able to post more frequently. Secondly, thank you all again for your comments and your votes, they are always appreciated and I do hope you take the time out after reading the latest instalment to vote and comment on this one too! Enjoy... mochadesire Chapter 5 The scream split his mind like a lightening bolt. It was blood-curdling, piercing, and it almost made him smile to think someone was in such pain. He sat up instantly, shock still, as the echoes of the cry reverberated around his mind. Where had it come from? He concentrated hard, trying to pin-point the origin as the echoes became whispered clues in the dark recesses of his psyche. They circled alluringly, almost within reach to impart their knowledge yet just far away enough to taunt him. Something clicked. Images washed over him, wave after wave, imprinting themselves into his memory. Michael smiled slowly, showing his tiny, sharp teeth to a dark and empty room. His vicious fangs were elongated to full potential and they flickered like glittering diamonds in the moonlight. The Twins would be pleased, he thought. Flinging off the crimson sheets from his king-sized bed he rolled off the mattress to place his feet on the frozen, stone-flagged floor. In a blink of an eye, he loomed menacingly over the desk of his tired-looking secretary; a young vamp of only three years. "What can I do for you Sir?" she stammered, desperately rubbing the sleep out of her eyes to stare bleary-eyed at his naked torso. Michael smirked. Though cute, this girl didn't have what it took to be a permanent fixture on his staff. He made a mental note to be rid of her. "Tara, darling," he purred seductively. She shivered at his tone. "I need a ticket to the States and I need it yesterday." The girl blinked at him once, before burying her head and clacking away at the keyboard in front of her furiously. "There is a flight leaving in two hours Sir," she said in a meek tone, "Would you like a first class ticket?" Michael rolled his eyes with impatience. "Of course," he snapped, savouring the flash of fear that shot across the woman's face. He spun without another word back towards his room, appearing there as if out of thin air. Throwing a bag together, he began to laugh, peals of pure evil ringing through the low rafters. Allaine my dear, he thought, I'm coming to get you... *** Rowan felt like she was waking up from a decade of sleep. Dark waves washed over her as she gradually clawed towards the light of consciousness. Blinking slowly, she opened her eyes to gaze blearily at the drapes of the canopy bed she was lying on. The drapes were a gorgeous deep red, not a blood red, more of a warm autumnal one. The sheets beneath her ruffled as she stretched luxuriously like a cat. She felt wonderfully sated. Rowan rolled over onto her side where she came face to face with a heap of solid muscle. She smiled shyly to herself, remembering tracing her fingers over that same muscle earlier, which she now recognised to be Luke's abdomen. She lifted her chin towards his face and murmured, "If I wake up like this every time we have sex, we are never leaving this bed." She expected a chuckle or at least a self-satisfied male smirk from the vampire but as her eyes rested on his face, she saw nothing but horror mixed with a healthy dose of shock. His green eyes were wide and his mouth that had kissed her so sensually, was hanging wide open. "What?" she asked, unease growing inside of her. Luke couldn't believe it. After her terrifying screech, Rowan had passed out only to wake up a few minutes later as if nothing had happened. He had lain there throughout the entire ordeal, his chest pounding, as he waited for her to wake and explain. However, no such luck for him. Her cerulean gaze was almost serene with only a touch of concern as she met his stare. "Can you honestly tell me you remember nothing?" he croaked hoarsely. She sat up on the bed, drawing the sheet that she had wrapped around her close as if in modesty. Rowan frowned, her nose crinkling. "I remember one of the best nights of my life," she said slowly, smiling wickedly at him. She threw in a seductive wink for good measure; but that did nothing to sway him. Luke leapt off of the bed; unable to understand what was going on. He began to pace the breadth of the room in front of her, blissfully unconcerned of his nakedness. She watched, avid, as the muscles in his torso and legs clenched and relaxed with each movement. Luke was muttering under his breath. He paced a little and then stopped, looking at her sharply, and then pacing again. He looked like he was fighting an internal battle. He stopped pacing suddenly and came to crouch in front of Rowan. He sighed, hanging his head. "Are you human?" he whispered carefully. His mate looked taken aback. "Of course!" she exclaimed scornfully, bunching up the covers so that they covered her swaying chest. Suddenly the room felt very close, as if the walls were moving in on her. Luke's gaze was intense, sharp enough to seem like it could drag the information he needed from her mind, whether she knew it was there or not. He had looked expectant and now he seemed disappointed; if not disbelieving. Luke chose his next words carefully. He did not want to frighten Rowan away again. "When we had finished... urm-having sex," Rowan wanted to laugh he seemed so uncomfortable, "You, well- you screamed and blacked out. And I don't mean a scream in a good way," Luke rushed out, staring Rowan straight in the eye as he said it. He saw no lies in her azure eyes. Instead he saw the shock ingrained in the flowing lines of her face, the wideness of her eyes, the flutter of her full eyelashes. Rowan shook her head. "I don't remember that," she muttered hoarsely. Luke was looking at her intently, as if in deep thought. Picking up one of her stray hands, he began to stroke the knuckle absent-mindedly. "The scream didn't sound human," Luke whispered, almost too low for Rowan to catch. She gasped and snatched her hand out of his grasp. He looked at her sharply in surprise at her sudden withdrawal. "What are you saying Luke?" she asked icily. "Are you saying I'm lying?" She struggled to stand, attempting to keep the silky sheet wrapped firmly around her to preserve her remaining shreds of dignity. "I have been human all my life and trust me when I say that I am not an otherworlder!" She punctuated her words with sharp jabs to Luke's bare chest. Luke held his hands up in surrender. "La mia rosa," he placated, slowly retreating as she advanced on him, fury blazing in her eyes, "I am not calling you a liar; trust me, I am just as confused as you are." Rowan seemed satisfied for the moment. The anger she felt slowly seeped away and in its place was burning curiosity. "Do you know anyone who may understand what happened?" she asked quietly. Luke raised his hand absent-mindedly to stroke the line of her jaw with the pad of his thumb. She bit her lip. Cocking his head, he said, "I will get my best people searching." He paused as if in thought. "I guess that means dragging Philippe away from the gym for a while," he added drying. Rowan giggled; she was glad that the tension between them had dissipated somewhat. A voice in the back of her mind wondered whether it would always be so hot and cold between them; whether they were forever cursed to either hate or love each other. All thoughts fled her mind when she felt the smooth sheet that she had been clutching so tight around her body, be tugged loose. She heard Luke pull in a breath harshly as the material slid over her luscious breasts like a waterfall. She shivered as it whispered across the smooth planes of her abdomen to pool delicately at her feet. Luke bit back a groan. All thoughts of anxiety and fear had fled from his mind as soon as the silken sheets had slithered away, revealing to him her body in all its glory. Earlier he had been too quick to appreciate it but now he felt like he could stare at her all day and still not get bored. The head of his swollen penis brushed insistently against his lower abdomen but for the moment he ignored it's almost painful throbbing. "Stand in the middle of the room," he ordered hoarsely. Luke was surprised he could even form words right now; the woman before him literally took his breath away. Rowan frowned slightly and considered refusing. But then an idea flashed through her mind and she fought back a sly smile. Instead, she dipped her head in obedience and moved past him to stand centre stage. Luke gasped harshly again. Flicking all her hair over one shoulder, she looked back at him through her full eyelashes to see his mouth hanging open slightly. "What is that?" he croaked, his eyes wide and blinking fast. She still had her back to him as he approached her. Reaching out, he traced along her back, not following the angles of her muscles, but instead the dark inked lines that swirled across them. Luke hadn't noticed Rowan's fourth tattoo until she had walked past him just moments before. Whereas the rose was sinfully seductive and the two Chinese symbols he had noticed on each wrist were small and simple, this final one was the complete opposite. Almost spanning the entire of her toned back, it was one of the most beautiful pieces of art he had ever seen. Luke knew that not everyone liked tattoos, some seeming to think that they were vulgar and unnecessary. Indeed, he had previously not thought much of them: most of the ones he had seen on women seemed frivolous and he remembered thinking, in some cases, that they would seriously regret their decision to get ink come their forties or fifties. But this one was different. He saw for the first time that body ink could be a form of art and that if it was; this was certainly the Mona Lisa of the tattoo world. He saw clearly that it obvious meant something to Rowan, that blood, sweat and tears had gone into this piece to make it magnificent. The tattoo was a phoenix. Erupting from roaring flames that billowed from around her waist to the nape of her neck, its wing tips brushed the top corners of her shoulder blades so that if she were to look over one shoulder, she would be able to see the soft, curving feathers. Predominantly black and red, Luke noticed other subtle colours. The flames extended all the way from a dark crimson, through a piercing yellow, to an electric blue. The mystical bird itself redefined the term 'all the colours of the rainbow'. To Luke it seemed that each individual feather was of a different colour, but that each one slotted together perfectly to make a collage of pigments. It shouldn't have worked, but it really did. Rowan had stood silently whilst the vampire had stared in wonderment at the work on her back. She knew that there would be time to tell him the story behind it and all of the other ink spanning her body, but for now, she wanted to have a bit of fun with him. Spinning around quickly, she almost stumbled against his hard chest when she realised how close he was. She could feel her breath against his warm, golden skin when she breathed out; she could feel the bristles of the light spattering of hair that was flecked across the upper part of his chest tickling her cheeks and she could feel his engorged member prodding insistently against her stomach. Recovering from her initial surprise, Rowan winked cheekily at a stunned Luke before she dropped silently to her knees. Facing his groin she wondered not for the first time how in hell it had fitted inside of her. It wasn't huge, but it was certainly much bigger than all of her past conquests, and she had thought some of them had been on the large side. Maybe it's a vampire thing, she thought absent-mindedly, before running her fingertips lightly across the taut, bunched muscles of his thighs. He's pretty tense, she thought wickedly with slight smile. The second Rowan had dropped to the floor Luke had bit his lip so hard that it had begun to ooze blood. Once there, she had seemed to pause, as if unsure, and Luke had considered telling her it was okay. But then she had begun to trail her slender fingers across the fevered skin of his upper thighs and all rational thought fled Luke's mind. He didn't know how simple things that she did got to him so badly but right now, her innocent administrations were enough to make his eyes roll back in his head. Rowan enjoyed teasing Luke. Every little grunt or gasp, every roll of his eyes, were like fuel to her fire. However, she took pity on him when his legs started to shake and his stifled grunts became a little more urgent. Swiftly, she bobbed her head and sucked the entire mushroomed head of his hard-on into her warm, moist mouth. She looked up through her eyes to see Luke's reaction as she continued to lick lightly against the ridge at the base of the head whilst it was still in her mouth. His eyes were shut but his jaw was rigid and clenched. His nostrils were flaring widely and his fists were tightly balled. She let his head go with a satisfying pop and heard a sharp exhalation of breath. Once again she looked up at Luke to see him gazing down at her with smouldering eyes. The emerald of his pupils had darkened to a deep moss green, almost black. She shivered at their intensity. Maintaining eye-contact, she slowly enveloped his member again, drawing it as far as she could into her mouth. His dark orbs narrowed to slits and the tension in his jaw returned. She kept staring at him as another inch slipped past her lips. She felt the tip of his cock pushing against the back of her throat and the formation of a small tear as it fought against her gag reflex. Rowan persisted. Swallowing, she fought to get yet another inch. It was her eyes that rolled back this time as she felt his large head slip down into her throat. Both of them groaned simultaneously. Luke could have roared when his felt his erection slide down Rowan's scorching throat. As both of them had moaned, the vibrations in her throat made him almost lose balance and all the muscles in his body clenched tightly. Girls had managed to deep-throat him before, but none of them had done it like Rowan. As he met her cerulean eyes once again, he could see that she really wanted to please him; and that it was arousing her at the same time. Breathing in harshly, the cloying scent of her arousal hit his nostrils. Rowan rumbled gently in her throat, knowing that the vibrations caused would be immensely arousing for Luke. Her eyes widened slightly as she felt his cock harden just that little bit more. How could he possibly get any harder, she thought wildly. Slowly she began to rock her head back and forth so that his throbbing pole was moving gently back and forth between her stretched lips. She began to stroke his length with her tongue as it passed over it again and again. Every time she felt his bulbous end pass into her mouth she would suck lightly, varying the pressure and intensity with every pass. Luke could not think straight. Rowan pleasured him like a skilled courtesan and yet he could tell that she was simply following instincts. He reached down to stroke the delicate line of her jaw again, lifting her chin slightly so that their eyes met. "If you keep that up sweetheart," he whispered tightly, "I'm not going to last long." She released his cock with another loud pop that elicited another animalistic moan. She cocked her head with a slight smile before rising up to his level. "That was the point," she purred seductively in his ear before backing away slightly as if to peruse his reaction. He did not disappoint. With a quiet roar that was purely masculine, he grabbed Rowan roughly and threw her back onto the bed before following quickly. Luke's eyes were glinting softly in the low light, his short hair slick with the sweat that had beaded his brow. "What had come over you la mia rosa?" he asked softly, swiping his rough tongue along her collar bone. With a seductive gasp, she replied, "This is me accepting that I am your mate. This is me not wanting to hold back anymore." Luke stilled, frozen by the power of her words. He knew that she was placing an enormous amount of faith in him with her acceptance and he suddenly felt a shiver of fear that he might not be able to live up to all her expectations. These tiny fears were pushed to the back of his mind however, when she pulled him close to her. Their heavy breathing the only sound in the room, Luke placed a sweet and tender kiss on her swollen, pink lips. "Finally," he murmured with a grin which she reciprocated whole-heartedly. He thought that in that moment she was the most beautiful he had ever seen her; hair in disarray, lips dark pink was abuse and a light sheen covering her smooth skin. Briefly reminding himself to ring Philippe, Luke smiled again. It may have happened quickly, but by god did it feel right. *** "This had better be good," Philippe grumbles good-naturedly down the phone. He had been working hard in the gym when his private mobile had rung insistently. At first he had ignored it, instead choosing to increase the weights he was now bench-pressing in the ultra-modern, well-equipped gym in the basement of the vampire lord's mansion. However, three phone calls later, he had decided that it was probably important. "Leave it Philippe," the voice was equally grumpy. Philippe smiled down into the device; Luke was obviously having trouble with his lover again. It amused him greatly that the two clashed as much as they did, even though it was painfully obvious that they were meant for each other. Philippe snapped back to attention at the melancholy sigh he heard emitted through the phone. "I know that sigh," he said, "Something is really wrong." For once, Philippe was sombre. He had heard no hope in that exhalation; Luke seemed completely at loss. "We seem to have a problem in determining what Rowan is," Luke started slowly. "Well, I say we, but I have only recently discovered that she may not be as human as we all seem to think she is. Unfortunately for us, Rowan is none the wiser." There was a pause. Philippe waited for his friend to continue with bated breath, the cogs of his mind already beginning to whirl. Luke took up his story again uncertainly. "We had just finished- well you know- and then all of a sudden just out of the blue, she screams this... inhuman shriek, almost like the banshees of old." His voice shook a little. "It was one of the single most haunting experiences of my long life. Never have a heard a sound so devoid of all human emotion and yet so anguished at the same time. Then she just collapsed on the bed; she fainted clean away." Philippe mused, completely baffled. "Did she remember this when she woke up?" He heard a harsh bark of laughter, the phone line crackling with its intensity. "Yeah, I wish," Luke said resignedly. "She doesn't remember a thing. This made her particularly aggressive when I started saying that I didn't think she was human." Philippe snorted. He could just imagine what Rowan had been like. He got the feeling that the raven-haired beauty lived by the philosophy 'shoot first, ask questions later'. He almost felt sorry for Luke having to be on the receiving end of her rage but then remembered that Luke could give as good as he got. "Luke, I'll be in your office in just a second," Philippe affirmed before disconnecting the call. He felt that this would be a conversation better had face to face. Slinging on a vest, he sped to the wood-panelled room on the second floor of the house where Luke was waiting for him. Upon seeing his friend's state, Luke smirked. "Jesus, Philippe, you couldn't have had a shower or something? The sweat is still dripping off of you for fuck's sake!" Philippe shrugged. Despite being immortal, he still adopted the mentality that life was too short to do tomorrow what you could do today. A Midnight Rose Ch. 05 Philippe knew that under the false bravado that his friend seemed to be displaying that Luke was a wreck. His tumultuous relationship with Rowan had definitely put some strain on the vampire. His shoulders were tight and his features were taught. This man was a far cry from the happy-go-lucky soldier who had saved his life all those years ago. Philippe sat silently without invitation. "Show me," he said simply. Luke looked up quickly, almost as if he was surprised to see his friend sat before him. He nodded swiftly and closed his eyes. Philippe felt Luke's presence push against his mind almost instantaneously. The benefit of the two vampires sharing a link as strong as theirs was that they were able to recount memories, stories, in fact any scenario that they have witnessed and remembered with each other Philippe too, shut his eyes. Instantly his mind was flooded with the image of Rowan screaming silently, writhing amongst the liquid sheets. He noted with interest that her eyes took on an almost crimson sheen before they slammed shut and her entire body slumped and was still. Blinking quickly, Philippe felt Luke retreat from his mind and met his friend's troubled gaze. "Where is she now?" Philippe asked. Luke blinked. Philippe never asked the questions that he expected him to. "She's with Tanji. Oh, I had her best friend brought over too. Rowan insisted." Luke smiled grimly. The tight smile turned into a grin though when he noticed an interested glint suddenly glow brightly in Philippe's bright blue eyes. "Yes, there is a best friend!" he smirked, knowing instantly what had peaked Philippe's attention. "Be warned though. She's a difficult one to figure out. She's a were I think, but not one I have come across before. White Tiger, I believe." If Philippe was impressed or interested, he tried his best not to show it. The large Frenchman instead leaned forward in his chair and looked Luke directly in the eye. "What are we going to do about Rowan?" The vampire lord frowned. "I thought you would have an idea about that," Luke admitted. Philippe flopped back again, shifting his position. "I think that what ever it is has been dormant in her human state, maybe even since birth. If she were to be Sired, I think that the inhuman side of her will definitely be more prominent." He stroked his stubble as he mused. "Keep her safe; that's all we can do for now." Philippe wanted desperately to help his friend more and he felt incredibly inadequate not knowing what to do. He knew that Luke would now be completely torn. Rowan was his mate; the one woman he was destined to spend the rest of his life with. And generally eternity together works better when one's partner is immortal. To be told that it may have to stay that way would be a huge blow to the man. "You think she will have to stay human," Luke whispered. It wasn't a question, but Philippe replied anyway: "Yes," he said sadly. Whatever was inside her waiting was a mystery that he didn't think the world was ready for. "Luke," Philippe started, "I think this thing inside her is attached to strong feelings, for example, like passion or anger. Those feelings are most commonly related to the otherworlders and maybe that is what is giving the thing an outlet to get through." For once, Philippe felt completely at loss of what to say next. Luke just sat there, staring pensively across the room. His gaze was blank but Philippe could almost hear his brain mulling over the many tons of ideas that were flooding through it. Knowing that his friend could be sat like this for hours, Philippe felt it was time for a tactful retreat. He flashed out of the room, making sure to shut the heavy oak door behind him as quietly as he could. Reverting back to human speed as soon as he left the room, Philippe used the time spent just wandering to think hard about what he had seen in Luke's mind. He was sure that Rowan was human; her scent left no doubt of that. But Philippe had seen Luke's memory; there was definitely some other side to Rowan. He couldn't for the life of him think of how it could possibly live in her unnoticed. Surely it had a scent that was perceptible. After all, everything had a scent. He didn't notice or recognise the faces that he passed; he was so caught up in his thoughts. It briefly registered to him that he was headed towards Tanji's office in the basement but other than that, he just let himself wander. Still wrapped in his thoughts he jolted slightly when he walked into the heavy metal door that signified the start of the medical centre. Looking around guiltily, Philippe was relieved to see that no one had seen his little blunder. He would never hear the end of it if someone had noticed him walk into the door. After all, it was very big and made of reinforced steel; how could anyone miss it? Letting himself in, he strode purposefully along the harshly lit, bare corridors of the subterranean make-shift hospital. Twisting and turning through the network modernised tunnels he began to notice wisps of scents that drifted past him as he walked. Vanilla and rose: that was undeniably Rowan. Then there was the spicy, earthly tang that was so obviously Tanji. He smiled slightly when he caught a whiff of something that smelled strongly of antiseptic. Of course, he thought, it was inevitable that Tanji would end up smelling something like the medical equipment she worked with day in day out. There were other scents of course: people that had wandered the corridors before him in the day, people that were injured and lying behind nondescript doors on clinical beds and then there was the omnipresent cloying scent of blood; so faint that even he could barely smell it, but still there. Philippe ignored all these smells, using his abilities to push them from his mind so that he could focus on those belonging to Rowan and Tanji. As he followed them, he became aware of a third scent. It interested him greatly because he could not quite place the smells that assaulted him. It plagued Philippe until he realised that he had reached Tanji's office. Reaching for the cold, metal handle, it suddenly hit him. He breathed in deeply, singling out and revelling in this new smell. His eyes snapped open and he let go of the handle as if it had scorched him. What the...? Unless he was sorely mistaken, the scent to him smelled of... Jack Daniels and coffee? He shook his head. That couldn't be right. There was no way that his two favourite things in the entire world could comprise this person's scent. It wasn't possible. Curiosity overcame him. Grasping the handle, he swung the door open so that it hit the wall behind it was a resounding crash. This caused three startled faces to whip around and stare at him, surprise clear on all their faces. Tanji was sat behind her cluttered desk, clutching a cup of what he knew to be tea with honey and lemon. She looked more angry than surprised. Rowan was sat in front of the desk, her legs tucked underneath her in a plush chair that was covered with an intricate tribal rug. She just looked amused. But it was the woman sat in the corresponding armchair in front of the desk that really brought Philippe to a halt. She was tiny! The chair she was sat in comfortably seemed to almost envelope her completely. If Philippe had not been so struck-dumb, he would have laughed; the sight was almost comical. But it was not just her height or stature that really was affecting Philippe. It was everything about her. The way her platinum blonde pixie cut framed her delicate face. The way her deep blue eyes were wide with surprise and framed by long lashes. It was the way her small mouth and full, pale pink lips pouted slightly as they opened and closed. It was just everything. "Is that a Tennessee Coffee?" he croaked, still stood in the doorway. The woman looked affronted. "I'm sorry; do I know you?" she asked icily. Philippe cringed inwardly and mentally slapped himself. Nice one imbécile, he thought, that's a great way to make a first impression. Shaking himself, he strode into the room, once again adopting his macho, confident persona. "Desolé mademoiselle," he said with a sweeping, comical bow, "But Mr Daniels and coffee is quite simply a superb drink and I was simply wondering whether it was your fine self that was the one with the excellent taste." The blonde snorted but didn't smile. Damn, Philippe thought, she's gunna be a tough one to crack. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Rowan and Tanji give each other a knowing look and break into enormous smiles. He straightened and went to the low sofa that was positioned against the wall by the door. Lifting it easily, he moved it so that it was placed just between the two chairs which were occupied by Rowan and her friend before he slumped lazily onto it's plush surface. "I would appreciate it if you didn't rearrange the room," Tanji said dryly. Philippe raised his hands in apology. He was glad to see that Rowan and Tanji were still smiling and rolling their eyes good-naturedly but the other woman looked unimpressed. She had crossed her knees and arms in a stance that was decidedly closed-off as she narrowed her eyes slightly at Philippe. The Frenchman, to his credit, simply beamed back, unperturbed. "My name is Philippe mademoiselle," he said in his deep, accented voice, "Might I know your name? It appears that we are the only people in the room that are not acquainted." For a split second, he thought that she would refuse and shoot him down but after a long pause he heard her say tersely, "Mina." "Fantastique!" he exclaimed loudly, "I'm so glad that we all know each other now. It means that we can get down to the matter at hand." At that, he noticed that Rowan's pretty features darkened slightly and even Tanji began to look a bit worried. "What?" he asked innocently, "I was simply going to inquire about whether I can get one of those." He nodded towards Mina's cup and grinned broadly as the doctor and Rowan both burst out laughing. Even Mina looked like she was struggling to hold back a smile. Philippe was surprised that he felt almost relieved that the ice had broken in the room. He was a little taken aback by the feeling of wanting to make the pixie blonde laugh. He mentally slapped himself again. Get a grip Philippe, he thought, get a grip. *** Mina was really struggling. The minute the door of the doctor's office had slammed open, her cat had begun purring like crazy. What? She had asked it. What it had growled next shook her to the core. Mine, it purred, swiping its snow white paws and rolling around playfully, bowing it's head in a sign of submission. Mina had wanted to scream. The human side of her felt a little overwhelmed by this openly brazen and insanely confident Frenchman, but this contradicted everything that her cat felt. He can't be our mate! She had screamed at the cat, but it simply shook its large, regal head and had continued to bound around playfully in the recesses of her mind in a manner that seemed almost comical for a huge white tiger. She found the vampire attractive, there was no doubt about that, but she could also see that this was a man who definitely was no stranger to women; and she didn't like that about him at all. He oozed sexuality and charm, but it was unfortunate that his charmed had probably worked on thousands of women before her. Mina ground her teeth. This was going to be a dilemma. *** Once Tanji had sorted him out with his drink, Philippe began to feel more relaxed. Unfortunately, he still had to broach the subject of Rowan's unusual, otherworlder behaviour with her and he could just tell that the three women around him were going to group together against him on whatever he said. He knew he had to tread lightly. "So," he began carefully, leaning back against the soft cushions nonchalantly, "Luke called me a few moments ago. He seemed concerned." He sneaked a peak at Rowan's expression as he lifted the mug to his lips to take a sip. Her features seemed surprisingly calm. "Yes, he did mention that he would get his 'best people on the case'," she said, reiterating her words by making quote marks in the air with her hands. Philippe smiled easily. "Best people eh?" He mused, "I'll make sure to mention that to him." The Frenchman turned to look at Mina who had just snorted derisively. "Something wrong?" he asked innocently. The blonde looked at him condescendingly. "Could you be anymore egoistical?" she snapped. Philippe blinked at her coldness. Tanji bit her lip and Rowan too, looked a little shocked. "Mina! Could you be nice?" the raved-haired woman hissed. Her friend looked contrite: "Apologies. I should not have said that." Philippe brushed off her apologies with a wave of his hand. "Pas de problème mademoiselle," he responded smoothly, not showing that he was more than a little bit hurt by her first impressions of him. "You will have to forgive Philippe," Tanji said from her desk chair. The darker woman smiled matronly at the younger were in front of her. "He does take a bit of getting used to." Philippe looked affronted. "Excusez-moi, but I am sat right here! I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about me like I was part of the furniture." Tanji simply raised an eyebrow and smiled quietly to herself. The older doctor meant no offence of course but it amused her greatly to see her old friend so affected by the new woman that Rowan had brought into their lives. "Anyway, back to business," Philippe continued, but not before he had shot Tanji a mock-angry look, "Rowan, I need to know what you remember of just before the black out." He was aware of Mina clenching her fists and Tanji looking serious again, but Philippe was solely focused on Rowan's face. The human woman sighed, hanging her head so that her midnight ringlets obscured her features. "I wish I could help you Philippe, I really do," she sighed, "But I don't really remember anything as such." The vampire next to her nodded encouragingly. "Well, the last thing I do remember is feeling... well amazing," she admitted, a slight flush rising in her cheeks, "The feeling consumed me, but growing and growing in intensity until I no longer felt anything but that one feeling. It completely took over." She stopped abruptly as if deep in thought, not quite looking anyone in the eye. "Then I just remember everything going dark: no scream, no nothing. Just darkness." She laughed harshly. "That is until I open my eyes and Luke is staring at me like I have just turned into a troll." The others smiled slightly at her attempt to make light of the situation, but Rowan could see the concern in all their eyes. "What's happening to me Philippe?" she whispered. For the first time in her life, Rowan felt truly terrified. Of course, there were times she had been scared, and other times when she had been really scared, but this topped all of those. Just knowing there was something inside her that was inhuman was terrifying for her. What was even worse is that no one knew what it was. Philippe felt his heart aching for the woman before him. Despite only knowing for short while, he already felt a strong connection to her. He liked her confidence, her intensity, her strength. But most of all, he had respected her for her lack of fear in the face of everything. But the woman before him resembled nothing like the Rowan he had come to know. She seemed vulnerable and genuinely scared. He wanted to tell her that it scared him a little too, but he didn't feel that she would take kindly to him calling on her fear. He got the feeling that Rowan didn't like showing weakness. "I don't know," he responded quietly. It was true: Philippe had no idea. Hearing a quiet cough he noticed that Mina had vacated her chair and was now kneeling beside her friend's chair. "Ro, what ever happens, you know that everyone here is here for you. You have Luke as well; you know as well as I that he will do anything to protect you!" Mina smirked, "I have known him all of five minutes and I can tell that he has fallen hard for you. You have nothing to worry about." Rowan smiled gratefully at the tiny woman kneeling next to her before flashing a brilliant smile at Tanji and Philippe too. "I'm being stupid, aren't I?" she said jokingly. Philippe laughed long and loud, making Mina jump slightly. Not long after, Tanji too started chuckling. "Not at all my dear," the doctor said, "You are perfectly within your rights to act a little stupid some of the time." Tanji smiled wickedly, "Hell, Philippe acts like an idiot most of the time and he gets along just fine." Rowan burst out laughing. The look on Philippe's face was priceless; she so wished she had a camera with her. Mina too had started to grin broadly at the indignant look on the vampire's face and soon the room rang with peals of feminine laughter. "Women," Philippe grumbled. *** Luke was in the sparring room when she found him. The room was large and cavernous, filled with boxing rings, weapons cabinets, crash mats and all sorts of other fighting paraphernalia. Rowan was pretty impressed. The room certainly catered for the majority of fighting styles. Following her talk with Philippe, Rowan had gone in search of Luke, hoping to placate him. She could tell he was worried but she knew that sex would only distract that anxiety; not quench it. It was time she proved to him that she was no frail rose and that she was tougher than he gave her credit for. She had tried his room, his office and the kitchen to no avail. Thankfully a cluster of young looking vampires had noticed her wandering listlessly and pointed her in the right direction. She would have asked Philippe, but his head was currently stuck in a pile of books. Mina was also being completely useless. Her meeting with Philippe had put her in a foul mood and she had ditched the Tennessee coffee for drinking straight spirits with a sympathetic Tanji. The tiny were seemed very unconcerned that it was still only mid-afternoon. Rowan had managed to find the gymnasium-esque room surprisingly easily. It was impressive to say the least, but for once, the room was not the thing catching her eye. She had spotted Luke instantly; after all, the place was completely empty save for him. She guessed that being the lord of the house had its perks. The only thing that the vampire was wearing was a pair of loose baggy shorts. And despite this, it was one of the sexiest sights Rowan had every seen. The sweat was literally pouring off of him, making his skin glisten and her entire chest and abdomen heaved with exertion. The overall effect should have repulsed her and made her order him off for a shower but strangely enough, Rowan felt that she liked this sweaty, dirty Luke. The planes of his stomach were clearly defined and the muscles of his biceps bulged with effort. She saw him in a new light in that moment; free of all burdens, just hammering his frustrations away. "You know, that punch bag is gunna need a break at the rate that you are going at it," she called from across the room. Luke looked up in surprised and stilled the swinging bag. "Rowan," he panted, his dark, short curls swaying as he ruffled his tresses in an attempt to smarten up a little. Suffice to say it didn't work. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his breathing still heavy from the exercise, "Did Philippe find you?" "Of course he did, it seemed like he was more interested in Mina though," Rowan said drying as she advanced towards him across the mats. Luke chuckled breathlessly, shaking his head as his chest started to heave less violently. "I should have known," he muttered under his breath with a wan smile. "Where is he now?" Rowan had reached him by now and was currently standing just on the edge of the mat above which the heaving boxing bag hung. A Midnight Rose Ch. 05 "Our favourite Frenchman currently has his head stuck in a book so we won't have to worry about him for a while," she said lightly, "Oh and Mina decided to sample some of Tanji's less conventional medicine." She rolled her eyes as Luke mimed looking at a fake watch on his wrist. "Yes I know. Mina never was one for following the rules of society. She does what she wants, when she wants." Rowan sighed exasperatedly with a slight grin. "Suffice to say, Mina won't bother anyone for a while either. Except of course for Tanji, but I reckon she can handle our little pint-sized menace." Luke raised an eyebrow. "It seems like everyone has a busy schedule then," he rasped, "I feel almost bad just beating up this sack over here." Rowan could sense that behind his flippant words, Luke was not as calm and collected as he seemed. She stepped forward to draw him into a tender embrace. She felt him stiffen in surprise at her meek act, but soon the tense muscles in his shoulders and arms relaxed into her embrace. "You are lucky that hot and sweaty Luke just happens to turn me on a bit," she grumbled with a smile into the join of his collar bone and neck. She felt his chuckle reverberate in return, the exhalation of air spinning the odd curl out of place. "I guess that I will just have to refrain from getting in the shower for a bit then," he murmured into her long tresses before retreating slightly. "So what do you think?" he asked, gesturing around the room. "You look like you appreciate a good workout area." With that, he ran a brazen, appreciative eye over her curves. Despite only being dressed in a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a tank top, Rowan felt like his gaze made her feel like she was wearing an elegant ball gown, or a set of particularly raunchy lingerie. "As a matter of fact," she replied, "I do appreciate a good workout space. Unfortunately, mine and Mina's apartment is probably only a quarter of the size of this place but we manage." She began to walk away from him, intent on looking around. Aware that Luke was following her, still with his shirt off, Rowan tried not to be distracted by his gorgeously defined abs as she came to the first cabinet. Opening it, she found herself staring at rows of boxing gloves and hand wrappings. She quickly closed the cupboard again: that was not what she was looking for. Luke followed his mate curiously as she began to check the cabinets around the room that contained all the equipment for any style of combat that one could think of. She appeared to be looking for something. Suddenly, she approached a cabinet that was set a little bit apart from the others. Luke knew then what she would find. As Rowan opened the door, she smiled. Bingo, she thought. In front of her was a row of samurai swords. Judging by the handles, she would say that each one was unique to an owner. Knowing that Luke was standing almost directly behind her she asked, "Which one would suit me best?" The vampire came around to stand next to her and looked at her with a curious gaze. "You can use a sword?" Rowan smirked: "Yes, I am reasonably proficient with this particular sort of blade." Luke whistled through his teeth. Well fuck me, he thought, the shocks just keep coming today. He almost didn't feel surprised though. Remembering the first night they had met, he recalled the silver knuckledusters that she had used to dent Remy's face. He should have known that she would be proficient in arm to arm combat. He plucked a blade from the cabinet before handing it to her. "This one should be fine," he said, not taking his eyes off of her as she slid the sword out of its sheath with bright eyes. She moved away slightly so that she could swing it in wide arcs and test its weight. She nodded to herself before turning to Luke: "It will do." The vampire looked confused. "It will do for what?" he asked. All of a sudden, the tip of the blade was grazing his throat. Rowan had moved insanely fast. "Arm yourself," she said quietly, her voice serious whilst her eyes were full of playful fire. Luke reached slowly into the cabinet to grasp the hilt of his own sword which he withdrew slowly so as not to let the tip of Rowan's blade dig in any deeper. He knew that the blades were edged in silver, the only substance that could cause any real damage to a vampire's otherwise impenetrable skin and he really did not want to start losing blood when he had only just fed. The light in his mate's eyes brightened even more and with a broad grin she withdrew the point from his throat. "Come on then," she said laughingly flinging her arms wide so that she was completely vulnerable. "You know, it does go against nature for me to be attacking my mate," Luke mused, scratching his chin as if in deep thought. The woman before him simply smiled before out of nowhere her blade came arching towards his neck. Luke had to use all his vampire reflexes to parry her attack. "What the hell was that?" he spluttered, retreating so as to put distance between himself and his mate, who suddenly seemed a lot more dangerous with a weapon. Rowan laughed. "This is me showing you that I am no wallflower. This is me proving that whatever this is inside me, I am strong enough to overcome it." For a moment she looked unsure but was soon smiling again. "Don't worry," she teased, "I won't throw any shots that you won't be able to block. With that she was off again, twirling and thrusting like she had been born with the blade surgically attached to her hand. Even Luke was struggling to follow her movements as she whirled and ducked, dipped and spun, all the while wielding the deadly blade with unnerving skill. "How are you doing this?" Luke managed to gasp as he only just knocked her sword away for the hundredth time. He couldn't believe her speed and deadly accuracy. He had been so sure that it would be a mismatched fight, given that he was a 1,500 year old vampire and she was merely human, but he had to work hard than ever before just to stay in the game. Retreating briefly, Rowan said simply: "A lot of training." With a shrug of her slender shoulders she was off again with relentless energy. Their swords sang through the air as the fight progressed. Whenever Luke thought that he had her, she would fly away again and Luke would find himself slicing at empty air. Rowan knew that despite all of her bravado, she would not be able to last much longer against Luke. She knew that she had more skill, but Luke was a vampire. He was skilled in ways she could not possibly imagine. It was a mismatched fight, but she was determined to prove her point. She decided to take a risk. With a sharp thrust, she pulled back slightly, leaving her arms open just that little bit more than normal. Luke did not fail to notice the opening and foolishly, he fell for her ploy. As he went in for what he thought was the finishing blow, Rowan suddenly dropped like a stone, using her flexibility to sweep under his blade and towards his widespread legs. Simultaneously, she knocked the blade from his hands and used her momentum to force his ankle out from underneath him. Luke had instantly realised his mistake. His attack had left him off balance and when he felt Rowan smash against his ankle, his whole body just crumpled. The sword hit the floor with a loud crash and his body followed soon after. He had no time to recover however, as Rowan was instantly sat astride him, her lips close to his ear. "Do you believe me now?" she whispered. Luke's chest was heaving and he had begun to sweat in earnest again but he still managed a bellowing laugh. "Yes my dear," he chuckled weakly, "You have more than proved your point." He then used his weight to roll over so that Rowan was on the bottom. "I would just appreciate that next time you do not use a deadly weapon to make your argument." He then proceeded to kiss her deeply, silencing her delighted shrieks that echoed out into the room and beyond. The worry was still there, but for now he was satisfied; Rowan was a force to be reckoned with. *** Michael's eyes flew open the minute the wheels hit tarmac. He felt utterly refreshed, despite the length of the flight. First Class luxurious leather seats had seen that his journey was as comfortable as possible. Stretching like a cat, the vampire looked around the cabin to see his fellow passengers making to leave the aircraft. "... and we would like to welcome you all to the United States of America. Have a pleasant stay." The tinny voice resounded over the tannoy with a heavy Bronx accent that irritated Michael slightly. He gathered his hand luggage quickly and managed to get off the plane as quickly as possible. So this is 21st Century America, he thought as he strode through JFK a while later, luggage in tow. It had been a while since he had visited, given that the Twins preferred to base their operations in Europe but he had always had a special spot for the country. It was vast and great, and had such a huge variety of people. But most of all, it was also full of people that would help him on his quest to find Allaine. "Sir!" he heard a voice call out to him from near the exit. He turned regally to see a small, ferret of a man scurry towards him. "You are the contact?" Michael asked coldly. Whilst in the air he had managed to track down someone with information. Said person was standing before him now. "Yessir," the vampire mumbled, as if in awe of Michael's presence. The latter rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Well?" he snapped, "What have you got for me?" The other vampire jumped considerably and snapped to attention. Leading Michael out of the airport terminal and across to a car park, he reached an old, beat-up Chevy that had definitely seen better days. Opening the door with a sharp tug, he plucked some photographs from the front seat. "This is her," he rasped, "I first took notice when she beat up my friend. Poor Remy, 'e 'ad no chance, the girl moves fucking fast. Wears silver knuckledusters too," the man bobbed his head eagerly but Michael looked unimpressed. "And?" Michael asked icily, "Anyone can move fast." The shorter vampire shook his head desperately. "No this is different," he said helplessly, "I have been watching her at her apartment. She's human, I'm sure of that, but she moves faster than any vamp I ever seen. It ain't natural. That's why I brought her pictures to you." Michael simply raised an eyebrow as the vampire continued. "That, and I wanna see her fucking destroyed for what she did t'Remy. It ain't right." Michael had had enough. He took the pictures silently and nodded gravely to the man before him. "Where is she," he asked in a voice that was low and deadly. The other vampire trembled slightly. "She's- ur- she's in Philadelphia," he stammered, "Address is on the back of one of them photos." Smiling his thanks, Michael reached into his bag and pulled a stack of cash out which he placed in the vamp's grubby hands. "Thank you for your time," he said coolly before striding away. Off to Philadelphia we go, he thought, staring at the photos he had been given. Stroking the raven ringlets that cascaded down the back of the woman in the picture he smirked. I hope you are prepared beautiful, he thought with a maniacal laugh, because Uncle Michael is coming to visit. To be continued... Another chapter down! Hopefully I will be able to post more than one chapter this week to make up for my little hiatus this past week. I hope you enjoy this one and until next time... mochadesire A Midnight Rose Ch. 06 I'm not going to waste time with excuses as to why this chapter has been so long coming but I will say that I am incredibly sorry that it has been so long. Thankfully I have now recovered my inspiration for this story and it's fair to say that it only heats up from now on in. There are those of you that are going to hate me for this chapter but that is all I am going to say... Caution- this chapter does contain violence. If you don't want to read it then you have been warned, just don't complain to me at the end. Enjoy... mochadesire Chapter 6 Faces. There were so many faces. They kept swirling, changing, shifting, and dissolving in and out of the midnight backdrop. Some, she recognised, but there were others that were unfamiliar to her. And yet, it seemed like she knew them all the same. One was a woman, cold yet fiery, with a calculating glint of intelligence burning bright in her dark, crimson eyes. The other was a man, beautiful and rugged with a startling resemblance to the woman before him. He too had a look that screamed danger. As they swam in and out of view, she had the overwhelming feeling of sadness. It swept up suddenly and consumed her so that tears stung her cheeks, hot and wet. What was it about these two mysterious faces that caused her so much grief? And then there was just darkness. No more images. Just sheer emptiness. And from the emptiness came the voice. In that moment she heard something, a whisper like the rattling of bones. It came on the edge of the dream, an afterthought if you will, as the remnants of the dream world faded out to the corners of reality: Allaine... *** Rowan woke with a start. Sweat was dripping off of her, staining the delicate satin sheets and her hair was wild. Raising a shaking hand to wipe away the perspiration from her face, her fingertips brushed her cheeks. Pulling her hand away in shock, she was stunned to see tears glistening on the pads of her fingers. She had been crying? Struggling to extract herself from the restricting bindings of the bed sheets, Rowan tried to remember her dream. It felt so imperative that she remember but why couldn't she? At last free, she stumbled towards the gleaming marble bathroom where, gasping deeply, she stopped in front of the huge gilded mirror that spanned the wall above the sinks. Sinks that she had once joked could double as bathtubs. There was no joking now. With her chest still heaving, it took Rowan a while to take in her haggard appearance. Her hair was not so much artful curls but more a mess of knots and tangles. Her face was damp, angry red blotches appearing; a result of her subconscious tears. Her eyes were... For a moment she could only stare. How was that possible, she thought? She blinked, hoping that her eyes would go back to normal; but they didn't. And then she snapped. With a scream to wake the dead, Rowan flung herself away from the mirror, scrabbling to get as far away as she could from her reflection. But no matter how far she got, she could not escape the image of her bright green eyes... and the ring of blood red that now surrounded them. *** Luke woke to screaming. At first, he believed it to be a dream, but as the fuzzy boundaries of sleep slipped into clear-cut reality, he realised his mistake. Coming to full consciousness with a hard jolt, Luke wildly did a full scan of the room. His vampire eyes took in the rumpled sheets and the tears that covered them. They took in the half open bathroom door and the slight cracks in the painted wood where the door had been crashed open just a little too forcefully. His ears picked up the irregular breathing of the now quiet person next door. And his brain screamed stop acting like a calculating vampire you idiot, Rowan is in trouble! Finally able to shake away the remaining cobwebs of the dream world, Luke blurred into the bathroom in less than a second. Automatically searching for threats and finding none, he rushed to Rowan's side. She was lying in a ball on the cold, marble floor just in front of his overly large tub. Luke could see from a mile away that she was shaking. Luke felt an icy feeling settle in the pit of his stomach as he reached out to his mate. It persisted as he gently rolled her over to see her hands covering her face, quiet sobs echoing from behind her makeshift mask. His heart broke to see her face stained with tears through her fingers. He fought back the urge to growl; it went against everything he held true to see her like this. He had never felt more on edge or scared as he carefully and silently picked Rowan off of the floor, moving slowly and steadily to ensure he didn't jolt her. He set her on the smooth sheets of the four poster bed, before he stood back, utterly at loss, his heart feeling like it was being ripped to shreds in front of him. What could he do? For once in his long life he cursed that he had been given these supernatural powers; what good were they if he could not help her? She still had her hands covering her face. "Rowan..." he started, but then stopped. Somehow words didn't seem adequate enough. But his mangled attempt seemed to get through. She was silent now and her hands slowly left her face, not without a few tremors he noticed. But still she kept her face turned away. "Don't look at me Luke," Rowan whispered. There was no hint of fear in her voice. Luke struggled to place it, but it almost was as if she was ashamed. The icy feeling still hadn't gone away. Carefully, the vampire circled the bed until he came to stand in front of the raven haired woman before him. Kneeling on the plush carpet, he took one delicate hand in his own large, coarse ones and looked straight into her face. "Show me your eyes Rowan," he murmured. His mate kept them steadfastly shut and mutely shook her head. Ice fire spread from his stomach, taking over every nerve as she continued to squirm away from his scrutiny. Luke sighed and bent his head forward so that his forehead was touching Rowan's. He too shut his eyes and exhaled again, slowly. They sat like this for what seemed to Luke like a lifetime before he felt the moistness of lips brush sweetly against his brow. His eyes shot open and his head flew up to see Rowan gazing apprehensively back at him. His first thought was that of relief. It flooded through him, growing in momentum until it poured out to his extremities. He still had no idea what had caused her such distress over the past, tense few minutes but he felt relief nonetheless. And then he looked closer. He looked deep into those expressive, emerald eyes that he had grown to adore and suddenly understood. Ringing her irises was an unmistakable circle of crimson that screamed vampire. It seemed to pulsate and almost swirl with a life of its own, fading out through browns and khakis until the tendrils became green again. He could not help but let his mouth hang open; this was way beyond what he knew. Rowan maintained a tense silence as she let Luke stare deep into her new eyes. She knew however with certainty that there was no reproach in his eyes as they took in the ring of blood; all she saw was surprise. But she could see that there was also a hint of fear and that scared her more than any supernatural physical alterations. "Please don't fear me Luke," she whispered, snapping her eyes shut again, "I can live with your anxiety and concern, even your anger, but your fear? I cannot survive that." Luke felt a tugging in his chest as he watched Rowan retreat again back into herself. He was terrified of this new, unsure woman before him. So used was he to her exuberant confidence and tough nature that he couldn't fathom even beginning knowing how to deal with the insecurities that seemed to rise up around her now with increasing regularity. "I could never fear you Rowan," he murmured back, trailing a line of feather kisses across one slender cheek bone. "I fear the thing inside you, yes, but only because I am terrified that it will destroy you, that it will destroy the beautiful, radiant, fearless woman that I have grown to know and adore." He stroked the pad of his thumb over her moist lower lip, battling with his temptation to throw her back on the bed and kiss all her anxieties away. He placed one kiss on each eyelid before sitting back again. Rowan hesitantly opened her eyes again to see a beaming Luke kneeling before her. "You know personally, I think that the red suits you," he chuckled before gathering her in his arms and peppering her neck and face with kisses. She too snorted at his vain attempt to make light on the situation and thumped him playfully on the chest as she tried to escape his overzealous administrations. "Aha! There she is," Luke cried as she freed herself from his grasp and leapt gracefully to the over side of the huge bed where she stood with an eyebrow cocked cheekily. "Finally, Rowan is back," he said with a huge smile before blurring to catch his raven beauty again. To his surprise she seemed to sense his coming and had vaulted away from him with a wild shriek of mirth. Peals of laughter echoed around the room as she bounded to the great, oak door and grasped the gilded handle. She blew an arrogant kiss before disappearing without a backwards glance. Luke threw back his head and laughed, shaking his chocolate curls as his mate slipped from the room. So that's how is going to be is it, he thought, moving slowly towards the ajar door. I do love cat and mouse, Luke smiled as he too swept from the room, leaving only rumpled sheets and only the memory of a scream. *** Philippe was struggling to concentrate. The sentence before him had begun swimming before his eyes not five minutes before and he was pretty certain he had read it ten times. And still, it had not gone in. All he could see in his mind was that pixie blonde hair cut, smooth planes and high cheek bones, and that tiny body curled up delicately in an oversized chair. With a loud bang he snapped the book shut. Dear god, what was wrong with him? "I just love that I can now make fun of you for being a soppy idiot as much as you have made fun of me over and over again in my head over the past week," the amusement laden drawl came from over Philippe's shoulder and he needed less than a nanosecond to figure out who it was. "Bonjour to you too Lukey-boy," the Frenchman said dryly, returning to his discarded book before him on the art-deco table. He opened its dusty covers to his marked page and pretended to study its contents with deep concentration. "You can give that up now, you and I both know that you aren't really reading that book. Tell me, how many times have you read that sentence now?" Luke had crossed the room and was now lounging lazily on the mahogany leather sofa opposite him. Philippe was surprised but pleased to see that the vampire seemed relaxed and happy. The uncharacteristic dark circles under his eyes had also magically disappeared. Philippe closed the book again, this time setting its aged binding down on the table with more respect. Luke simply carried on smiling. "Speaking of being a soppy idiot, where is your delightful, ravishing beauty? I am surprised she's not already here; after all, you two are virtually joined at the hip," Philippe quipped in return. He did so love to wind Luke up and the older vampire just made it so easy. True to form, Luke's features darkened slightly before he let loose a roaring laugh that boomed throughout the semi-lit library, shaking the centuries-old oak shelves as if they were made of paper. Wiping away mock tears from his eyes, Luke eventually calmed himself enough to speak, "I should have known better than to tease the already rattled. Dear lord, you have it so bad and you don't even know it yet." Philippe growled inwardly. "Have you ever heard the phrase 'not in the mood'?" he said bitingly, wringing his hands in complete exasperation. Luke instantly sobered. He sat up smoothly and gave Philippe his full, undivided attention. The wretched look on the handsome, blonde man's face was enough to shut him up. If there was one thing that was a constant in Luke's life, it was Philippe's unfailing ability to find something optimistic in every situation. His smile, although fantastically infuriating and vastly inappropriate at times, was something he had grown accustomed to seeing almost 24/7 so he knew that this time, something was really badly wrong. "How bad Philippe?" he asked quietly. The Frenchman snorted loudly before rubbing his face tiredly. "Do you remember Italy? The opera singer?" Luke's eyes widened. "Yeah, I remember Italy. Boy did you mope over that girl. It took me forever to get you to see that she wasn't the real deal and there were better things out there for you." Luke paused for a second, "What are you trying to say Phil?" Philippe was silent for a minute, his piercing blue eyes staring out into space as if deep in thought. Luke frowned and leaned forward to try and prompt an answer from him when his friend suddenly came to life again. "This time, it is the real deal Luke," he sighed, "I can feel it. Don't even bother trying to convince me otherwise unless you plan on bugging me for the rest of eternity." He threw a wan smile in Luke's direction. Exhaling loudly, his friend flopped back against the upholstery with a resounding creak. "Fuck," was all he could say. But whilst some parts of him mind struggled to comprehend how the self-confessed eternal bachelor had suddenly been brought to his knees (by a were no less) in his heart, Luke knew it to be true and a long time coming too. "So it looks like our days of chasing women are over my friend," Philippe smiled ruefully, but Luke could see the mischievous glint in his eye. "Ha! You have never chased a woman in all of your life! More like 'the age of serial womanizer, Philippe Raoul Môntreve, has come to an end under the watchful eye of one Mina Sunshine." Luke was grinning like a five year old with an ice lolly. "You are thoroughly enjoying this aren't you?" Philippe had to admit that despite his friend's new found teasing nature, he was enjoying seeing the older vampire at ease. For too long his head had been wrapped up in matters of work. "Speaking of women, where is yours? Seriously this time," the Frenchman said with a wide grin. His smile widened further at the look on Luke's face: it was positively predatorial. "She seems to believe that she can win a game of hide and seek with me," Luke said lazily, his tone belying the heated look that Philippe saw in his eyes. "Unfortunately, she doesn't seem to quite grasp that I can recognise her scent even in a sewer. As such, I'm giving her a head start," Luke's eyes darkened slightly, imagining what he would do when he finally caught his errant mate. She was in for a world of trouble. "Earth to Lukey-boy?" Philippe waved his large, calloused hands in front of the vampire's face which had become somewhat distant. "Mon dieu, anyone would believe that you think about fucking more than I do! And that's saying something..." Luke snorted at the innocent look his friend was trying to pull. As the most renowned lothario in the entire region, Philippe probably had sex on the mind more than any other creature; human or otherwise. "Back to work s'il vous plait," Philippe said briskly, his tone entirely business-like. Luke smirked at the display of maturity and organisation that was entirely out of character for the Frenchman. He made a great show of rustling papers and flicking pages before fixing Luke with an intent gaze. "I found something," he said simply. Luke instantly was alert. "Well I say I found something," Philippe continued, "It was more like an epiphany. A vision, if you like a complete comprehension-" "Philippe," Luke barked, "Get on with it." The other vampire grinned, showing his glistening white teeth. "You will remember, of course, that I told you the story of Allaine, the Mother of the Vampire, Were and Shapeshifter race," Luke nodded quickly; he recalled how the story had enabled him to understand his attraction to Rowan. "Well I mentioned briefly that her spirit was lost on the winds, to be reincarnated in another like-minded, worthy vessel. But, obviously you were too busy trying to wrap your mind around gaining a mate to remember that." Luke shot Philippe a withering glare which the other vampire promptly ignored before continuing with his explanation. "The historians amongst our race, those of us who actually recall the long lost tales of Allaine, always believed that the ancient queen would be reincarnated in one of our own, but I got to thinking: why not one of the other races?" Philippe paused pensively, waiting for Luke's mind to take in what he had said. "I found something in one of these books; a passage about old queenie." Luke's mouth quirked. Only Philippe could get away with referring to the strongest, greatest vampire in all of history by 'old queenie'. "She of raven beauty and honey complexion was of complete contradiction," Philippe read aloud from the dusty book before him, each exhalation causing little particles to swirl up from the aged pages. "Strong as the mountains of the north yet as vulnerable as a lily; passionate as a raging fire but tranquil like the crystal waters of the Nile; wise beyond all years and yet as naïve as a newborn, she was life, she was death and she was magnificent." Reverently, he closed the book from which he had read and set it quietly back on the table before meeting Luke's dark eyes. He read confusion on the other man's features and thought, not for the first time in his life, that Luke was painfully slow on the uptake for someone so intelligent. "Remind you of anyone?" Philippe quipped cheerfully. He was enjoying making his friend guess, knowing that ignorance was the one thing Luke despised. Luke's features were blank for a second. Then it was as if a cartoon light-bulb had flickered on above his short wavy tresses. Voila, Philippe thought. "You cannot be serious!" Luke blustered. It had been twice now in a very short period of time that Philippe had dropped a bombshell like this on him and he was getting thoroughly fed up of it. "There is no way on this Earth that Rowan, a human I might add, can be --" "No way I can be what?" Philippe felt like it was Christmas come early. He knew that Luke loathed awkward situations and avoided them like the plague and so to see him caught smack bang in the middle of one with his new missus was almost more than he could bear. "I thought you could recognise her scent in a sewer," he murmured mockingly with a bright smile. The look he received was positively murderous. I swear if you so much as utter another word... Luke's words rang out clear and ominous in his mind. But Philippe simply smiled away, choosing to relax into the plus upholstery of the sofa to watch the scene unfold. "No way can I be what Luke?" the new-arrival repeated. Rowan had entered so silently that even Philippe hadn't noticed her presence until she had spoken. Both the men had been so engrossed that they had let their guards down. She moved with cat-grace towards the collection of sofas that surrounded the low, book-strewn glass table between the two vampires. Philippe greeted her with a wide grin and quickly scooted over to allow her some room to sit; however his amicability was ignored by the woman before him. She was too busy boring holes in the side of her mate's head with her intense stare. Luke hadn't dared to look up. Internally, his mind raged at him for being as stupid as not knowing when she had entered the room; it was a rookie error. But then he was finding that everything about his passionate mate was making him revert back to the actions of his younger days. A Midnight Rose Ch. 06 Slowly he turned his upper torso so that he met her eyes; and fought the urge to flinch. The crimson rings were still very much present. In fact, in the light of the library he was able to notice a faint ethereal glow emanating from them. A quick glance in Philippe's direction affirmed to Luke that his friend too had noticed the less than subtle additions to Rowan's irises. His friend was looking distinctly bemused and Luke was sure that he detected a hint of concern on the man's face. Fortunately for him, Rowan seemed to have detected it too and she instantly looked contrite. Pursing her lips gently she took Philippe's blatant confusion bravely and simply waited for him to speak. "Well that's... new," the vampire said with a faint grin which broadened as he took in the raised eyebrows and rolling eyes of his companions. "Admittedly, I have never seen the likes of it before and you will probably need to wear sunglasses for the rest of your life," he continued with a pondering look on his face, "but nonetheless, it's very... you." The corners of Rowan's mouth twitched again. Philippe's unfailing ability to take something completely out of his comfort zone and make it appear mundane was truly a skill that he uniquely had acquired. It was refreshing however, to not feel like a bit of a freak and to be able to smile a bit at the situation. "Why thank you Philippe, that is very kind of you to say," she replied graciously, a ghost of a smile playing at her lips, belying her underlying mirth. "You have managed to successfully divert my attention from Luke here, much to his relief I'm sure." She swung to fix her stare on her mate again who had gone shock still. Fuck. Philippe stifled a smile at the faint curse that clearly summed up all the feelings running across Luke's face. Rowan raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, struggling not to burst into a fit of laughter at Luke's reaction. He seemed almost scared of her! For a human woman, it seemed just preposterous that a centuries old male vampire could fear her. She knew that there was no way Luke was going to let on what he was really thinking whilst she was here but there was no harm in making him sweat. "Urm, I was just saying to Philippe here," he began haltingly, "That it wasn't possible for... um... you to be a vampire... yet," Luke seemed incredibly uncomfortable; if the fidgeting wasn't enough to go by then the shifty eyes definitely were. Rowan couldn't keep it up any longer. Biting her lip and ignoring the millions of questions she had at the forefront of her mind, she clambered into Luke's lap and wrapped her arms his defined shoulders. "Chill out a bit," she said softly, "You look as though I'm about to bite your head off." Luke grumbled slightly. "You could have had me fooled," he said with a glare at the Frenchman opposite him who was currently quivering with contained mirth. "Please," the latter gasped, "I can't stay composed for much longer." A flashing smile from Rowan seemed all the permission that was needed and he promptly erupted into peals of raucous laughter that echoed around the grandiose mansion for hours. *** Mina was still in a foul mood. Despite being put up in a gorgeous set of chambers that looked like they belonged in Buckingham Palace, gilded bedposts and all, she somehow found herself wanting the tiny, cramped bedroom in her apartment. And try as she could she couldn't find it in herself to blame Rowan for this either. She was secretly ecstatic that her friend had finally found someone which whom she could spend the rest of her life and that her wanting to spend time with him was no crime. But at the same time she seriously needed an outlet for her anger. It was irrational she knew, but everywhere she looked she was seeing blue eyes and blonde hair, everything she heard sounded like it had a French accent and every she tasted seemed to have a faint taste of Jack Daniels. It was enough to make a girl go mad. Picking up one of the silken pillows from the enormous bed that completely dwarfed her, she screamed into its depths, the plush fabric muffling the noise to a murmur. She felt her teeth elongate, her incisors growing razor sharp and long, slicing through the fabric like butter. And then she lost it. With a roar and a sharp crack of moving bones, she shifted seamlessly into her were-form. In the place of the tiny blonde woman screaming into the pillows in a huge bed, there was a majestic white tiger, at least 8 feet long and the height of a full grown man. With an almost playful rage, the tiger ripped through the fragile bed sheets, swiping at anything and everything that met her lethal claws. *** "You can't tell her you know," Philippe had managed to recover from his earlier relapse in composure and now he and Luke were sat alone in the library, Rowan having left to find and recover Mina from Tanji's liquor cupboard. It had taken Rowan a while in fact to convince the Frenchman that his services were not required, so adamant was he that he was just the sort of person Mina needed to help her out of the funk that she seemed to have slipped into. Convinced that his services were better put to use continuing his research with Luke, Philippe had remained; but now he was clasping a crystal glass of dark, clear liquid as a form of consolation. "You know it's the morning right?" Luke asked, clearly avoiding Philippe's first question. The Frenchman nodded cheerfully before taking a healthy swig from the glass. Not for the first time, Luke was glad that vampires had unnaturally strong constitutions. "Besides, there is nothing to tell her," he continued, suddenly paying attention to the matter at hand. "She knows something unnatural is in her, it's not like I have to go around telling her she is possessed by a millennia-year-old vampire queen." Now that he had said it out loud, Luke thought the idea sounded even more far fetched than it had first done. He suddenly felt the urge to laugh, but the sound was more barking and harsh than it was joyous. Standing restlessly, he began to pace the carpet in front of the empty, cold fireplace. "The idea is ridiculous- you realise that don't you?" he asked absent-mindedly. Philippe just looked sad. The vampire's face was neutral, betraying nothing else, but Luke didn't need a verbal answer to know what he was thinking. Standing to his full height, Philippe came to join Luke in front of the huge, stone grate. "The sooner you start considering the ridiculous as possible, the sooner you will realise how sensible it is," he said cryptically, clapping a huge hand on the other man's shoulder before vanishing from sight. He managed not to spill a single drop of Tennessee whisky in the process. Luke gazed at the spot where his friend had been not a moment before. A thousand trains of thought flooded his mind, clouding all his senses in one conglomeration of ideas. And for the second time that day, he didn't sense the shadow behind the door. *** Rowan remained rooted to the spot just behind the door. All her muscles had frozen up, tense as stretched elastic. She had hidden the instant that she had left the room, knowing that the two men would only speak frankly once she was gone. What she had heard was not what she had expected. She knew that there was something wrong with her; that much had been made very clear. Unbeknown to Luke, she had been suffering an internal battle ever since that first piercing scream. She felt like she was constantly being split in two; like two sides of her mind were fighting, with no clear sight of a winner. It was excruciating at times. But for all that Luke was a powerful vampire; there was nothing that he could do to get into her head before they were fully mated. Rowan had learnt this from a little private reading she had done whenever he disappeared off to his study or to the gym. She had done some background reading on vampires and had even read the story of their creation. She had not realised vampires and weres were so closely related; it was something worth mentioning to Mina, she had thought with a chuckle. Grasping her forehead, Rowan felt a wave of darkness roll over her. It felt like it tried to grasp her mind and shove it into the recesses of her skull so that it could take over, but Rowan was by no means a push over. She reacted instantly, having recognised the feeling now threatening to overcome her. Throwing up mental barriers she focused on forcing the wave back, using all her strength and concentration on staying in her own mind. Slowly but surely it receded leaving only a splitting headache and a foul mood in its wake. Rowan sank to the floor, almost panting in exertion. Her muscles had begun to tremble and spasm with the effort and she found herself with overwhelming sense of wanting to cry. "No, no, no," she chanted angrily to herself, "Did you survive all these years just to cry over a silly headache and the fact you might be possessed by some dead vampire woman? Get a grip," It too more effort than she thought it should to force herself upright again. Her hands grasped frantically at the wooden panelling behind her, as if trying to find stability, until at last she stood tall again. Rowan gave herself a mental shake and glanced at the two Chinese symbols she had tattooed on her inner wrists. Strength and determination, she thought. Just remember that. *** It had taken Mina a long time and the destruction of all the bed linen to calm down. She lay curled, quivering, in her nude human form on the remains of the mattress, breathing slowly and erratically. Her pale eyes, no longer the vivid gold of her beast's, took in the tatters that had once been pillows of the finest quality. It was a shame. Mina felt a little contrite that she had managed to destroy her room given that it was only hers on loan and would probably cost a good amount to refurbish but her now simmering feelings of anger strongly overcame any regret that she had. Serves Philippe right for making me so riled up, she thought spitefully. Rolling off the bed with the grace of the gymnast she stalked towards the large, imposing wardrobe that Luke had so kindly thought to stock with a range of clothing in her size. She had been here four days now and was deeply beginning to suspect that the new living arrangements were going to be permanent. Rowan certainly hadn't mentioned anything about leaving and the two women now only ever left the mansion to go to work; which in itself had taken a great deal of persuasion. It seemed to Mina that Luke worried unnecessarily for Rowan, wanting to keep her within sight at all times. Mina thought it completely superfluous but apparently there were dangers to her friend's safety that she had not anticipated. And so, the woman only ever left for work and even then they were accompanied by heavily armed bodyguards. Needless to say the women had not been impressed. Standing before the rails of expensive clothing, Mina remembered the fuss that they had kicked up. Rowan had been explosive and magnificent in her rage but Luke's stubbornness and Philippe's maddening reason had eventually worn them down. Mina strongly suspected that her best friend still didn't truly understand the logic behind the men's protectiveness but clearly what happened behind closed doors in her shared suite was enough to make Rowan forget her worries. A harsh knock at the door startled the little woman out of her reverie. For a moment she simply stared at the imposing oak door in the corner of the ornate room, almost wishing that her visitor would go away but the knocking persisted. As a were, Mina was comfortable and more at ease in her naked form and so didn't think twice about going to the door without clothes. She knew that all the people in the mansion spent a lot of time around weres, given their proximity to the Renshaw pack, and so were used to the weres brazen attitude towards nudity. However, upon opening the door, she soon regretted her decision to forgo dressing. *** It took a lot to surprise Philippe, or a vampire for that matter, but being greeted at the door by a naked woman ranked quite highly on his list of extraordinary encounters. Having argued with himself for a good ten minutes and scaring Seth, Ryan Renshaw's visiting second in command, with his violent muttering, Philippe had made the fateful decision to visit Mina. Try as he might, he had not been able to escape her image all day, or any day since he met her for that matter. The Frenchman had decided it was better to confront the problem head on rather than letting it fester. But when he had knocked on the door, a very naked Mina was the last thing he had expected to see. Yet there she was, in all her small but radiant glory, naked as the day she was born, sporting a similarly stunned expression. For a moment the two just stared at each other; eyes locked, muscles frozen. Then all hell broke loose. Several things happened at once: Mina started yelling profanities in colourful language that belonged in a men's rugby changing room, trying to shut the door whilst simultaneously trying to recover a shred of dignity. At the same time, Philippe tried to explain himself, not knowing where to look, trying to force the door open and also trying to cover the fact that he had become painfully hard in his dark jeans. The result would have been incredibly comical had there have been any bystanders. As it was, Philippe and Mina were alone, given the isolation of her suite in relation to the house as a whole. And so it became a battle of strength, all focused at one, thankfully stout, oak door. But nothing lasts forever. With one last groan of protest, the aged wood split and crumpled under Philippe's iron fists, spraying splinters everywhere. Unfortunately for Philippe however, Mina had discovered another defence mechanism. Instead of being faced by a naked, angry woman, something he could easily (and happily) deal with, he was now nose to nose with a severely pissed-off white Bengal tiger. "Ah, teeth," Philippe mused, trying to keep the note of nervousness from his voice, "Those are pretty big incisors you've got there!" This earned him a deep, menacing growl from the snarling creature before him. Not a good sign I feel, he thought to himself. Mina though, was struggling. Shifting had saved her from the all-seeing eyes of the vampire before her but it had also brought the animal side of her nature forward: the side that loved Philippe and wanted to jump his bones at any moment. Even as she growled at him and bared her teeth she knew that she would never be able to attack him. The tiger in her mind berated her over and over, more than once trying to force her to shift back to human form; but she clung on desperately. Philippe looked deep into the beast's eyes and he saw the confusion there. He saw that Mina didn't mean him any harm and that gave him a ridiculous flutter of hope. "Please, belle, I mean you no harm. How about I turn around and close my eyes whilst you get things in order hmm?" He could see that his words were working to a certain extent. The tigress still growled at him but the look in its eye was more playful than it was murderous. Dutifully turning around, Philippe heard the pop of bones and ligaments as Mina shifted back to human form. He resisted the overwhelming urge to face her immediately, instead focusing on his breathing... and trying to rid himself of a potentially embarrassing bulge in the front of his jeans. Mina stood for a moment, torn half way between fleeing to the safety of her decadent bathroom and wanting to trace the defined lines of muscles that rippled under Philippe's shirt with her fingertips. It wasn't until she noticed her hand had risen almost to his shoulder that she was about to do something she would really regret. Her hand stilled (with some effort) and she slowly dropped it to her side again. In her mind, her tigress roamed restlessly from side to side, pausing occasionally to growl with discontent. Philippe remained with his back to Mina despite sensing that she had not moved from behind him. He coughed awkwardly, wanting so desperately to turn around but also wanting to keep his face intact. Her were claws might not be able to pierce his skin, only silver could do that, but they would certainly leave some painful bruises. At last, Mina seemed to have shaken herself from her stupor. Hesitating for just a moment more, a wicked idea started to form. She smiled sinfully. She might be unwilling to accept Philippe as a mate but at least she could have some fun with the notion. Reaching her immaculately organised, Mina completely ignored the rails of sumptuous clothing and stacks of enviable heels, and she instead started rifling through the inner drawers of her fashionista's paradise. She gave a firm nod of approval when she at last had found what she needed. Yes, she thought, staring at her reflection in the built-in, floor-length mirror: that would do perfectly. Philippe had coughed uncomfortably again. He had been standing in the doorway for at least 5 minutes now. His palms had started to sweat a little and he was shifting his weight way more than he really needed to. This woman was certainly going to be a trial and a half for the vampire. "Oh you can turn around now, I'm decent," he heard at last. Releasing a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding, Philippe faced Mina again. He got his second ball-busting surprise of the hour. Decent was completely the wrong word to use. In fact, completely indecent would have been far closer to the truth. You see, Mina Sunshine had taken it upon herself to dress up; or rather, down. Dressed in nothing but matching red satin underwear set, a suspender belt and sheer stockings and a shimmering short black robe to top it off, she was a sight to behold. Philippe forgot to breathe. His gaze swept her body, taking in the lace and the suspenders, the soft swell of her breasts as they threatened to escape from their satin encasing. They took in the smooth lines of her legs underneath the sheer stockings and the glimmer in her cerulean eyes. His mind was completely blank; for once devoid of things to say. He hadn't realised he had been growling until the newly brazen woman before him coughed delicately, in a manner so feminine, he almost lost it right then and there. "You need to be very careful who you push, little tiger," his words coming out as an ominous hiss with a huskiness that was the only indication of the internal struggle he was now suffering. Advancing slowly, he noticed her start to take hesitant steps back, as if to distance herself. Philippe saw uncertainty there in her clear eyes, he saw a glimmer of fear but also the faintest spark of something he couldn't quite recognise. It was almost like... need. Mina had detected the shift in the room the instant that Philippe's eyes had lit upon her and she instantly regretted ever believing that she could take this man head on and win. It had been sheer naivety to think that her little game of tease would be able to withstand the raw masculinity and passion that the fiery-blooded Frenchman was now radiating. This was almost certainly a situation from which she would not escape unscathed. Her own body started to betray her. Mina only became aware that she was retreating when the edge of the four-poster bed brushed her hip. She jumped violently, almost as if the inanimate, ancient wood had given her an electric shock. All it took was that one lapse of concentration for the vampire to pounce. With what could only be described as a feral snarl, he surged forwarded, muscles straining and flexing beneath his shirt. His huge palms encircled her minute waist roughly and Mina felt the air whoosh out of her lungs as the vampire used their combined momentum to slam her against the nearest wall. A Midnight Rose Ch. 06 Her breath came out in one husky gasp that was cut short by the burning in her vampire's glittering eyes. She saw no jovial blue in their depths. It was as if Philippe's pupils had completely dominated the iris, overpowering the boyish azure with dominating, impenetrable black. In these onyx mirrors Mina saw reflected her own need, her own passion, and her own desire. And in that moment of confusion, her animal took over. She felt the surge of power course through her veins, not quite enough for her to shift but enough to suppress any misgivings she had for her intolerable mate. Her thighs slid up to lock around his trim waist, releasing the strain he must have felt holding her full weight up against the wall. His fiery anger faltered slightly, a flash of sky bursting through the darkness. Her tigress growled. She did not want his uncertainty! She wanted his pure, unbridled masculinity, his rampant rage and his dominance. She wanted him to show her that he was a suitable mate for one of the last remaining white tigers to walk this earth. There was not one logical thought that flew through Philippe's mind. For the first time away from the battlefield or the sparring arena, he had allowed his feral side to take dominance and that egoistical side of him preened knowing that his woman was reacting well to him. He bit back another snarl as he felt her silken thighs glide up his own tense ones and clasp strongly at his hips. He could feel the heat radiating from her core through the scarcely-there fabric of her underwear as it pressed up against him. For a moment, they could only stare at each other. But it was only a split second. With unrivalled vampire speed Philippe captured Mina's softly parted lips with ruthless enthusiasm. Parting them with his tongue, he sought entrance to her hot recesses, teasing along the slit of her lips with surprisingly playful licks. Mina's breath was coming in short, sharp pants as he continued to ravage her mouth with his, taking absolutely no prisoners. Her hips began to move with a mind of their own, slowly but surely grinding up against his rock-hard bulge that strained against his jeans. Philippe groaned deep in his throat as he felt her press repeatedly against his cock, only further fuelling his erection which was coming increasingly more painful. His hips too began to rock to meet hers, their movements only restricted by the clothes that both of them wore. Relinquishing her swollen, pink lips Philippe left a trail of fiery kisses along the side of her lily-white neck, pausing to suck gently and lick between each peck. She had to bite her lip to keep from crying out in pleasure. Her skin felt like it was burning wherever his lips touched. Her thighs clenched even tighter with each suckle at the delicate skin that concealed the thick veins of her neck, each nip eliciting an even more strained gasp. Her mind was completely clouded and overpowered by the sheer power of this man. His filled her senses, sending the beast in her into frenzy. Hearing the joints of her knuckles pop as her claws extended, digging into the fabric covering the vampire's back however, jolted something deep in Mina's brain. Her human side surged forward; all at once aware of what was happening. And boy was she pissed. Philippe dimly noted that Mina had stiffened. Lifting his head, with some difficultly, from her gorgeous neck, he began to open his mouth when all of a sudden something collided with a sharp crack against his cheek. Mina had put all of her power into that one slap and noted with fierce pride that a bruise started to spring up almost instantly. Philippe, to his credit, said nothing; he just stared back at her. They were both breathing hard. Mina still had her legs entwined around him and Philippe's hands were in very compromising positions on the globes of her ass. She instantly loosened her legs so that they dropped from his waist, hoping to stand on her own two feet. Unfortunately, given the vampire's height, Mina was still unable to touch the floor; Philippe was holding all of her weight on his arms. "Put me down. Now," she seethed quietly. Philippe knew when to make a tactful retreat and set her down without much hesitation. He had seen first hand Mina's tiger incisors and didn't particularly want to feel their wrath. "Leave please," she whispered threateningly. She expected the vampire to make a fuss instantly but was surprised again when he started to retreat silently. He passed a hand over his face, sighing quietly in a sound so dejected that Mina's resolve almost crumpled. When Philippe met her eyes again it tore her apart to see the sadness there. She almost opened her mouth to apologise, to kiss away the tears that looked like they would fall. Instead she just watched him leave, her eyes boring holes into his shoulder blades as he vanished from sight. Only when he had left did Mina sag slowly to the floor feeling so utterly drained that it even hurt just to lift her head. Her beast, for all that it wanted to preen, had retreated far, far into the recesses of her mind. She felt trapped. The ornate walls and plush carpets, that once had impressed her with all their finery now just appeared to be a glorified prison; claustrophobia does not discriminate between the rich and the poor. For the first time since her childhood, Mina Sunshine felt the hot, wet sting of tears on her cheeks and vowed, to the backdrop of mournful roars from a distraught animal, never to let her guard down again. *** It took Rowan far too long to find her friend's room. Getting lost in a mansion can of course be fun for those with carefree spirits but for Rowan, it had simply fuelled her anger. She had snarled quite viciously at a group of teenagers who had been 'chilling' in the kitchen in a way that only the youth can, for directions after a good twenty minutes of mindless ambling. It had crossed her mind that it was a miracle she had not run into Luke yet before she remembered that her illustrious lord had more pressing work matters to attend to; like running his domain. At last, a seething Rowan came across the right chambers and tersely thanking the terrified were-cat that had lead her there, she marched straight into the chambers Had she been in a calmer mood, she would have noticed that the door was not in fact attached to the hinges as hung rather limply from the frame in two jagged pieces. As it was, Rowan was so consumed in her own thoughts that she had simply walked straight past it. She was greeted by a similarly disgruntled looking Mina. "Time to leave?" they said simultaneously. The hilarity of their unified train of thought broke the ice somewhat and both the woman found themselves able to relax into smiles- if a little begrudgingly. "Do you think that when some divine power created men," Rowan grumbled, flouncing into the room to flop ungracefully onto the bed, "That they programmed them to be complete assholes?" Mina rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it," she sighed, curling up on the crumpled sheets next to her fuming friend. Rowan was not finished with her rant. Irritation rolled off of her in palpable waves as she launched into a tirade that almost set Mina's head spinning. "What is it about a man that gives them this overbearing, masculine need to constantly 'protect' women like they are fragile china dolls? I mean why in hell can he not just be straight with me?" Mina noticed the shift in pronoun instantly. "What has Luke done?" she asked gently, trying not to jump to too many conclusions about the man that she had grown to like. Rowan exploded. "He fucking knows something about what is inside me and yet he won't even fucking tell me! Fuck me, if I want to get a single sliver of information out of that goddamn man I have to eavesdrop on his conversations! Me, I have to eavesdrop on my own fucking mate! That just isn't how a relationship with someone works," she managed to gasp out. Her hands, which had been flailing around in the air illustrating all her points, snapped out and grabbed a velvet pillow which she proceeded to scream into with surprising ferocity. Mina wordlessly drew her friend into an embrace and for a while the two women just lay there on the enormous bed in silence. Before long, the blonde could feel minute tremors racing down the spine of the bigger woman and she could hear the quiet sniffles that accompanied tears. "Shh," she soothed, feeling a little guilty that her friend's relationship she anguish made her feel a little better about hers, "It's okay. I think we just need to get away for a bit. All this close proximity and how fast everything is moving has just put you on edge I think." Rowan raised her head to give Mina a wan smile through her tears. Given the redness of her skin, the were almost failed to notice her eyes but even then it did not take her long to spot the change. "What the fuck are they?" she asked breathlessly, sitting up so that she could grasp the sides of Rowan's face to get a better look. The other woman still had to stay lying down given Mina's insubstantial height. "Oh," Rowan sniffed, "Those are new. They link to as to why I'm so angry. Luke got Philippe to find out some information on what could be happening to me, which is great, I think we all would like to know," she sighed for a moment, pausing to dry her eyes with the pads of her thumbs, "Unfortunately, Luke didn't see fit to impart me with his newly gained knowledge. Perhaps he thought it would unnecessarily worry me." By now they were both sat crossed legged amongst the sheets like two teenaged girls: Mina listened whilst Rowan told the story. "What did they find?" the blonde whispered, almost afraid to interrupt Rowan's tale. The latter snorted angrily. "Philippe believes that I am the reincarnation of some ancient vampire queen; Elaine or something." "You say that like it's an everyday occurrence!" Mina spluttered indignantly. "I know it's not, I know," Rowan said hastily, "and in truth, it terrifies me that I might be a vessel to some great, untapped power. But what is even more terrifying that even early on, Luke doesn't care to explain this new found knowledge to me." Mina pondered for a moment. "Perhaps he didn't want to scare you; you said yourself that this whole experience is terrifying." Rowan nodded slowly, "I know, I understand why he would want to but at the same time, I feel ashamed that he doesn't think me strong enough to overcome that fear; or at least to face it. I would rather know and overcome a fear than not know and be constantly worrying about what it could be, you know?" Mina smiled sadly. If only things were simple, she thought. For a second, silence reigned, where the only sound was the occasional creak of the furniture as one or the other shifted their weight on the dense and comfortable mattress. "What happened to you Cub?" Rowan asked softly using a term of endearment that stemmed right back to the first time Mina shifted. The latter had to bite the inside of her cheek as she recalled her previous visitor. She shook her head dejectedly to clear the image that threatened to break down the shaky barriers she had managed to erect. "Philippe," she said simply, "The man is going to be the death of me." This time it was Rowan to envelop the blonde in her arms, sensing in a way that only best friends can, the internal struggle that plagued Mina. "He kissed you didn't he?" she asked the were softly. Mina frowned delicately. "How did you know?" Rowan laughed, the sound breaking some of the anger that had permeated the atmosphere in the room. "Cub, it is written all over your face. I know you far too well. Let me guess: he kissed you, you lost control and kissed him back, now you hate yourself because you have told yourself that Philippe cannot possibly be your mate and that you would never let your guard down and right now, at this very moment, you are probably beating yourself up that you let your beast win." For a moment Mina hated the fact that Rowan knew pretty much everything there was to know about her. She was impressed but nonetheless disgruntled by how easy it had been for Rowan to read her, but then again, what were best friends for? The pint sized woman smiled wryly. "Sometimes I wonder whether you can read my mind." Rowan simply laughed and gathered her friend into a fierce hug. She knew that Mina would not elaborate on what had happened unless she really wanted to and Rowan felt that for now, the were simply wanted to be consoled. Stroking Mina's soft, blonde waves absent-mindedly, Rowan murmured, "We need to get out of here don't we." Mina drew back slightly. She looked into her friend's strange, ringed eyes and saw the need to escape engrained into them. Both of the women wanted out of this strange world that they had found themselves inexorably drawn into; a world of overbearing mates and overactive long-dead vampire spirits. It did not take long for the women to gather up what little personal belongings they had brought with them; after all Luke had pretty much decided to buy them a completely new set of personal belongings anyway. It seemed that the vampire lord was sure that his new mate was now at his mansion to stay and that she would never wish to return to the little apartment she shared with Mina across town. He had clearly misjudged his fiery woman. As Mina stuffed a few items of clothing into a bag, she sneaked a peak at her friend through the strands of hair that had fallen over her face. The dark-haired woman's face looked as if it was made of stone; hard and clinical as she moved about the room in a monotonous manner, helping Mina to collect her meagre items. Rowan herself felt far from calm however. She knew that she had to leave; she missed her tiny little flat more than she let on. It might not be able to hold a candle to the grandeur of Luke's castle (as she liked to think of it) but it was hers and it was home. The mansion was just saturated with Luke's presence. Even in Mina's suite, she could feel his waves of masculinity and power seeping through the walls; it was enough to make her skin crawl. But, there was a part of her that almost felt bereft. Rowan had grown used to Luke. She felt that, besides having only known him a short length of time, she had really begun to love him. In a way, that scared her even more. "I have issues don't I?" she asked out of the blue, seemingly to no one. Mina however, took it in her stride: "Yes my love, but you have the same issues that pretty much every other woman in the world has had at least at one point in their lives." And with that they were gone, vanishing from the madness that had filled their lives from the moment that they had entered this place, leaving only their cloying scent of perfume and a whole load of male confusion. *** "Well? Did they agree to our demands?" Michael asked the dim room quietly. The shuffling in one corner increased in intensity as his contact moved into the light. He was a loathsome creature, permanently seeking praise from his superiors, quite happy and ready to live his life with his head stuck up another's ass. To top it off, he smelt worse than public toilet. But to Michael, he had so far proved his worth. He had had the younger vampire watch the address of the human girl; he had had him follow all possible leads. Most importantly of all; the insipid man had found him a betrayer, right at the heart of all the action. It had not taken Michael long to find someone who had the means with which to be blackmailed. After all, everybody has something that they would sacrifice everything for: money, power, family, you name it. It was just a matter of finding the right one. Thankfully for his plans, he had. Michael found himself in a truly delicious position. He had someone feeding him information, trusted information, right from the heart of Luke Phillips's mansion; no mean feat, even if he did say so himself. He had learned that the human girl was staying with the vampire lord for the time being and that she had a friend with her. He had learned that the human was experiencing several supernatural side effects of being a vessel for such a powerful spirit; it was just too gorgeous to bear. The shadow in the corner scuffled about again. "Well?" he asked again chillingly. The shadow moved forward into the watery light. The other vampire had a smile on his face, showing off his impressive collection of toothy gaps. "Yessir," he rasped," They'll continue t'feed us info, but they beg of ya not t'hurt nobody." Michael chuckled evilly; didn't they all? "Anything else?" he commanded confidently. "Yessir, they said tha' them girls ain't been happy recently and that they just ran off 'ome. Them left the fancy 'ouse last night." Michael had to resist the urge to start laughing. It was just too perfect! He had been beginning to become concerned that his target seemed to have holed herself up in one of the single most impenetrable houses on the East coast but now... he laughed. Mansions were difficult, but tiny two bedroom apartment were a walk in the park. Without breathing a word, he strode from the meeting room, already shifting through the items he needed in his mind, making a mental list. "Allaine my darling," he whispered to himself, "It's time I made a little visit..." *** Rowan breathed an almost tangible sigh of relief as soon as her key slotted into the lock and the creaking door to her apartment swung open. She was home. Mina and she had fled the sprawling mansion of Luke Phillips as silently as they could in order to escape the sheer tension that had been building up in the house for days. Now that she was home and a bit calmer, Rowan was able to feel ever so slightly guilty at leaving without even a word of goodbye to her mate; her heart gave a tiny tug in protest. From the look on Mina's face, she too looked as if she was feeling a bit guilty. "Perhaps we should have left a note or something," Rowan voiced their concerns. The tiny blonde looked pensive for a moment and then shook her head as if to clear the cobwebs. "Look, don't get soft on me now; they have to know that what they did was wrong." Her friend was silent for a moment; she appeared to be thinking. And then she nodded decisively; it might go against everything her heart was telling her but she knew deep down that this was necessary for the survival of her relationship. How was it meant to last eternity if they couldn't even make it a week or so without a hitch? Rowan breathed in deeply, absorbing the homely, rich smell that permeated the apartment. It was so familiar to her, so recognisable; it was that smell of home. Most people thought it was a mixture between the smell of burnt toast (very likely given Mina's propensity to massacre all food products with kitchen utensils) and a hint of some flower. Rowan knew that flowery smell to be that of roses; rarely was the place without a bunch of those beautiful, regal plants on the table. No matter how bad she felt, returning home was like a cool balm on a fevered brow. It was instant relief, like she could face up to all her demons here in this safe, secure environment. Looking across at Mina, who had colonised the sofa in her usual feline manner, Rowan could see that the petite woman had her eyes closed peacefully and was also breathing deeply. She knew that Mina felt the same; in this place, it was possible to conquer everything. Suddenly an odd sound, a cross between a snuffle, a purr and a snore, filled the silence that had fallen in the living room. Mina had fallen asleep.