9 comments/ 24334 views/ 20 favorites Dark Fate Ch. 01 By: EnclosedOne *Reuploading all my previous chapters with new versions and a new chapter as well!!* * Sweat slicked skin slapped together as he pounded into her from behind on the huge bed in the center of the room. The cool breeze coming in through the open window sent goosebumps cascading across her skin, adding to the pleasure he was creating each time he buried himself deep inside her. His pace was fast but steady and he held her tightly around her waist to keep her in rhythm with him. "...not enough..." Aislinn whispered, begging him to go faster and harder as she neared the peak of just one of the many orgasms he'd brought to her in the course of their love making. He complied and picked up his pace even more until his release pushed her over the edge into the abyss of the most painful and pleasurable orgasm she'd ever experienced. She slumped forward, gasping for breath as wave after wave of lightning zigzagged through her body and a delightful tingle spread across her burning skin. She moaned unhappily when he withdrew from her, leaving her feeling bereft. The moment she turned to gaze into his face a sudden loud pounding on the bedroom door became her alarm clock ringing loudly in her ear. It took her a very long moment to recover from the aftershocks of the exquisitely vivid dream before she was able to slam on the snooze button of her clock. She shook her head. Of course something that amazing could only ever be found in my dreams... Wanting to keep the dream alive just a little bit longer she bounded off to the bathroom for her morning shower, her waterproof vibrator hidden away in the folds of her large towel. The vibrator accomplished the task it was meant for but it was nowhere near as good as the orgasm she had experienced in her dream. By the time she got out of the shower and actually bothered to take note of the time it was nearly eight a.m. Crap! If she didn't get a move on then she'd be late for the first day of the new semester and she loathed being late for anything. Thankfully she'd been smart enough to set her uniform out the previous night so it didn't take long to get dressed. It took even less time for her to brush her wet hair and throw on her favorite black cat eared beanie. She bounded down the stairs, grabbing her backpack from its place beside the front door, before heading out into the nearly blinding morning light. She rounded the corner of her apartment complex just in time to see the bus driving off down the road. Damn, there was no chance she'd be able catch it. Now her only option was to try running if she really didn't want to be late. "Damn, I'm not going to make it!" She complained checking her watch as she weaved her way through the bustling morning crowd of the Rose Plaza. Normally this would have been a shortcut but today it seemed that everyone was out to shop and get in her way. She cursed under her breath as she checked her watch again. This was just great, she was definitely going to be late for the first day of her Junior year of college and all because of some stupid dream! Sure she'd had erotic dreams before but this last one had been entirely different from all the rest. She could still recall everything in exceptional detail. From the soft burgundy carpet to the heavy black drapes to the tiny white lace pattern that covered the sheets they had lain between. The thing that really embarrassed her however was that she could also perfectly recall what the gorgeous man in the dream had looked like. Short messy black hair, eyes the color of sparkling winter frost and a body so well defined it made every model she'd ever seen seem quite plain in comparison. Surely even Adonis would be jealous of him! Thinking about all the sinful things she'd done with her mystery man and all the noises he'd managed to illicit from her as he vigorously fucked her into submission sent her body into lustful overdrive but there was no way and no where she could go to get relief from the desire threatening to overwhelm her. More intent on quelling the needs welling up inside her she failed to pay attention to where she was going. By the time she noticed the large group of people gathering at the crosswalk it was too late for her to slow down. She ended up plowing through them and right out into the street into the early morning traffic. She didn't have time to feel fear as a gold Sedan came racing towards her, its driver talking on a cell phone instead of paying attention to his surroundings properly. No, I'm dead!! A moment later she felt a strong jerk on her arm as she was hauled back onto the sidewalk to safety. The Sedan sped past without ever being conscious of the tragedy that had just narrowly been avoided. A long moment passed before the realization that she was safe sank in and she looked up into the face of her savior. The eyes that met hers too her breath away. Impossible! How could this be? The man standing before her now looked identical to her exquisite dream lover! Her adrenaline fueled strength faltered and her legs buckled beneath her. She collapsed to the ground along with her savior whose hand had remained on her upper arm from when he'd pulled her out of the street. He toppled over with her and somehow managed to get his hand between the pavement and her head to keep her from possibly suffering a concussion. "That must have been a harrowing experience, are you alright miss?" God his voice! So soft and smooth she was instantly in love with it. And his slight accent, British possibly? Damn sexy! If angels truly existed then she had just found the most beautiful one heaven could ever hope to create! As he tried to help her up the reality of nearly being killed finally hit her. Though she was still surprisingly calm, tears began to slip down her cheeks. Thankfully she hadn't had the time to put on any make-up so at least she didn't have to worry about it getting ruined. In order not to draw any unwelcome attention to themselves, her gorgeous savior forced her to stand on shaking legs and led her to the nearest cafe. He ordered a chocolate milk for her before she could stop him and then led her to a seat by the window. They sat in silence. She tried her hardest not to stare of the man sitting across from her but found it quite the impossible feat to accomplish. He couldn't have been much older then her, twenty-five at most, she thought. He smiled politely whenever she glanced at him and she soon found herself quite captivated by him. "Are you feeling any better miss?" She choked a little on her milk when he spoke. His soft gentle voice came as a surprise because his current outward appearance made him seem like he'd be kind of a snobby prick. She couldn't get over just how closely he resembled the man from her dream. Glittering frost colored eyes hinted at the mischievous nature hiding just under the surface of his calm demeanor and his ebony hair, skillfully styled to look wild and messy, added to the mysteriously roguish feeling she got from him. It was easy to feel the air of confidence that surrounded him and to be honest, she was a little intimidated by him. A light layering of dust on the sleeve of his expensive looking suit caught her attention and she blushed when she recalled how he'd protected her without a second thought. "I, uh, I'm really sorry about earlier, I was in a hurry because I was late for my classes." She apologized weakly, trying to ignore the slow pulsing heat of desire sweeping through her body. "May I ask what school you attend?" She probably shouldn't have answered him but she was unable to deny this beautiful stranger anything. Truthfully though, she was willing and more then happy to let herself be beguiled by his voice. "Mercer Academy College, it's actually not too far from here." "Well it just so happens that I was on my way there as well so it looks like we're both late for the first day of classes!" He replied with a grin. Aislinn was shocked! He was a student at her college?! "I've never seen you before are you new?" She blurted out the question before she could stop herself but she simply HAD to know. He stood up and made a polite bow before taking her hand in his and kissing it gently. "Levander Mercer at your service!" "Wait, Mercer? Did you just say Mercer?! As in the great, great grandson of Donovan Mercer, the founder of the Mercer Estates?!" "You know, you are really cute when you blush!" Levander teased, avoiding her question. Aislinn's hands flew to cover her burning cheeks. Levander took the opportunity to lean over and kiss her gently on her forehead. "That's my payment for saving you but now it's probably best to be on our way to classes don't you think?" She had no chance to argue with him as he left a fifty dollar bill on the table and made ready to leave. He waited patiently at the door to open it for her as a true gentlemen would before they set off. Aislinn was totally lost in her own thoughts as they walked silently in the direction of the campus. The more she thought about the events that had so far transpired on her first day as a junior the more overwhelmed she became. She wanted nothing more then to run and hide somewhere and cry until she felt better but by the time she looked up they were already walking through the front gate. "Say, I haven't gotten your name yet?" "O, um, it's Aislinn, Aislinn Koralee." "Beautiful name for a beautiful woman!" Levander's compliment caught her completely off guard and she blushed furiously. Levander snickered and as much as she wanted to admonish him for teasing her she held her tongue, afraid to say anything that might make him want to part with her. Ignoring all the curious looks from other students who apparently recognized him, Levy walked Aislinn to her next class. "Everyone tends to mispronounce my name so just call me Levy from now on alright?" "Um, sure..." "Good, then I'll see you around sometime!" With a sexy grin and a playful tug on the front of her beanie Levy parted ways with her. She watched him walk confidently across the court and vanish around one of the many buildings that dotted the huge campus. Surely every female on campus would be be after Levy after today. Aislinn was certain hell would rain down upon her head for being the first person to meet and talk him but at that moment she didn't really care. In those precious last moments they had alone together she felt more content in his presence then she ever had before. After a stern reprimand for being so late to class she was allowed to take a seat. She barely even registered the time fly by as she attended her classes in a giddy daze. To her secret happiness Levy ended up attending several of her basic required classes. She knew she'd never be the one to sit beside him but as long as she retained a clear view of him then she would be happy. By the time classes let out for lunch the rumors were spreading like wildfire. Everyone was dying to know what possible reason the great, great grandson of the founder could possibly have for spending time with someone as low class as Aislinn. All she could do was try her best to ignore their curious looks as she walked across campus towards the cafeteria. Unfortunately she ended up running into the Council President Verona Castella outside the cafeteria doors. Verona had been her arch enemy since Jr. High. A nobody like Aislinn winning first place in anything had never sat well with Verona. She lived to torment Aislinn in any way she could and now Levy would become her prime weapon. After a short stare down Aislinn walked around Verona. It was no secret that they hated each other and Aislinn feared the day when they would really pull out all the stops and just go at it. Just two more semesters to go before she graduated, if she could keep the fragile status quo between them until that time came then she would be free of Verona forever. She thought it would be a nightmare to ignore everyone until the end of the day but Levy made it easy for her. He kept his distance from her and focused everyone's attention upon himself so she could go about her day peacefully. To her embarrassment however, he did still smile at her every time they made eye contact. She was so exhausted by the time she made it home she didn't have the strength to climb the stairs to her room and ended up passing out on the couch fully dressed, the ghost of a smile upon her lips. Despite how crazy it had started out, the day had turned out to be quite an awesome one! Dark Fate Ch. 02 In the weeks that followed the beginning of the semester Aislinn hardly ever got the chance to even greet Levy before he was dragged away by the popular students. They shared many classes together but Verona always made sure that her little group of followers were there to keep them separated. Levy didn't seem to hold Verona in high regard though which made Aislinn happy. It was obvious by his annoyed expression every time they showed up that they were really starting to bother him. Aislinn hoped she would be around when he finally snapped and told them all to get lost. Though she felt certain that Levy had only been kind because of the circumstances of their first meeting he didn't seem to dislike her. In fact, to everyone's curiosity, including hers, he seemed to have taken a liking to her much to Verona's disdain. Verona worked double time to keep them separated, a feeble attempt on her part to hinder what little social standing Aislinn even had. Annoyed by Verona but also all the talk about the upcoming school Soiree, Aislinn made a b-line to her secret garden retreat as soon as lunch rolled around. Though she would have some of her artwork displayed at the pre-soiree festival she wouldn't be going to the Soiree itself. It wasn't because she didn't want to go, it was because she knew that no one would ask her to go and it was an unwritten rule that attending without a partner was a big no-no. She made her way through mazes of crumbling walls, tall grasses, and overgrown bushes to the very back of the gardens where the giant angel fountain stood. It seemed to be broken now but it was still incredibly beautiful. A large immaculately carved granite angel stood in the middle of the fountain, its hands and wings outstretched towards heaven while several cherubs danced around her. Aislinn could sit for hours trying to draw it but she so far she had never been able to adequately capture its true beauty on paper. She dropped her backpack beside the fountain and whipped out her drawing pad and pencil and had just sat down when something hit the back of her head. She looked up to find the source was none other then Levy himself. He sat in a nearby tree with a handful of wild berries. "I didn't think anyone else knew about this place." He said tossing the uneaten berries away before climbing down. "Should I ask how you know about this place?" "I studied maps of the campus before coming here so I wouldn't have to worry about getting lost. I was tired of being hounded so I thought I'd check this place out." He explained straightening his clothes a little. "The depths of their vanity and pettiness knows no bounds." Aislinn said, shaking her head. Levy ran his hand through his hair before joining her beside the fountain. He sat silently, watching her attempt to draw despite knowing that his very presence made concentration near impossible for her. "I can't concentrate with you looking over my shoulder like that Levy." She finally huffed. "Is that so? Tell me Csitri, why is it you always become so flustered around me?" Levy asked scooting closer to her, a wicked smile on his face. "Stop teasing me!" She growled, pushing him away. Levy giggled like a mischievous child. He enjoyed teasing her, seeing her reactions, watching the blush as it crept up her neck to color her cheeks. He simply ignored the curious and even condemning looks he received from those around them when he payed attention to Aislinn. "So what were you going to draw?" Levy asked when Aislinn turned her attention back to her drawing pad. "Dunno, whatever decided it wanted to be drawn." "Can I make a request then?" "Sure, I guess." "Will you draw me if I model for you?" And there is was, that rose colored blush, so beautiful! Levy scooted close to her again and began to casually play with the stray hair that had fallen out of Aislinn's hair clip. Before Aislinn realized what was happening Levy was sitting snugly behind her running his hands through her loosed flame red hair. It felt so, so good. The only person who had every played with her hair was her mother and that hadn't happened in a long time. It took every ounce of control Levy possessed to keep from pouncing on Aislinn. Her pleasure was his pleasure and he loved the cute little moans she tried to stifle each time he gently ran his hands through her long hair. How he'd longed for a moment such as this, even dreamt of it. "You have no idea how incredibly sexy your little sounds are!" Levy whispered into her ear, his cool breath on her neck sending a cascade of gooseflesh across her skin. His voice somehow broke the trance he'd placed upon her and somehow she found the strength to pull away from him. He frowned up at her but didn't move. She couldn't explain why but somehow she felt as though Levy was like a coiled serpent getting ready to strike as he stared at her with his unblinking gaze. Honestly she was terrified of him. He seemed to have a strange power over her. With just a glance he could send her mind and body into chaos and he knew it, how could he not. Every time she thought about him or was anywhere near him her emotions spiraled out of control and logic vanished from her mind. It was scary just how easy it was for her to abandon reason for lust while in his presence. "You should go the Soiree with me!!" For a moment her heart stopped as she looked down at him. Impossible! Had she really heard him right? Had he really just asked her to attend the Soiree with him? It couldn't be. What kind of horrible joke was he trying to play on her?! "Are you insane?" She asked dumbfounded. Levy sighed before getting to his feet and walking over to her. At nearly 6' 2" he towered over most everyone. With anyone else she would have felt overwhelmed but with Levy she'd always felt protected being near him. "Do you have any idea how you appear to others Aislinn?" "What kind of question is that?" Levy reached out to gently take hold of a lock of her hair, letting it slip easily through his fingers as he drew his hand back. "You're gorgeous, you should wear your hair down more often." Levy whispered, brushing her bangs away from her emerald green eyes. "Stop..." She wanted desperately to pull away from him but the more he touched her, played with her hair, the more her thoughts turned to her other desires. How often had she dreamed about him now? How often had she fantasized about him taking her? She didn't know anymore. She hadn't realized her eyes were closed until she felt his incredibly soft lips brush gently against her forehead. A moment later she felt them brush against her partially open lips. He stole her breath away, leaving her instantly dizzy. Lightning zigzagged its way from her lips downward causing all the hair on her body to stand on end. Even her nipples perked up as the wave sent butterflies flitting through her stomach. Need replaced every other thought and she found herself clinging to his shirt like her life depended on what he decided to do next. She had known from the very first moment their eyes met that she would never able to deny him anything. Now that she was finally getting the attention she so desperately craved she silenced the tiny voice of warning screaming in the back of her mind. Levy kissed her forehead again before trailing a series of feather light kisses down her cheek back to her lips where he nibbled until she granted him entrance. Aislinn had never kissed anyone before so she had no idea what to do but Levy was confident as he slid his tongue over and then under hers. It didn't take him long to coax her into doing the same to him and she was rewarded with a low possessive groan that reverberated through to the very core of her soul making her shiver. Reluctantly Levy withdrew from the haven of her mouth to trail heavy kisses down her neck to her collar bone. His hands worked quickly to make short work of her blazer and then her shirt. He'd waited so long for this moment that it was hard to go slow but he knew that she was still a virgin and he didn't want to scare her away by being wild. Aislinn was so lost in a lust induced haze she didn't have the ability to stop Levy from getting her down to her underwear and bra. He took a step back to drink in the sight of her nearly naked body before him. He licked his lips, causing Aislinn to shiver in response. Levy despised whenever he caught other men looking at her. Unbeknownst to her he had chased them all away with a stern look of swift retribution should they even attempt to get close to her. She didn't know it yet but she belonged to him. In all honesty he hadn't planned on seducing her yet but how could he resist the burning need he saw in her dreamy emerald eyes. No, he wouldn't be so cruel as to leave her unsatisfied. Levy reached out for her hands which she gladly offered to him. He pulled her close and directed her tiny fingers to the buttons of his shirt. She trembled in her heated state so it took awhile but eventually she managed to get all the buttons undone. He very much liked how she took the initiative to touch him so he let her explore his chest and abdomen for as long as she pleased. Aislinn hardly noticed when he unhooked her bra and let it slip down her arms to fall to the ground between them. Levy caught her by her waist to keep her close as he blazed another trail of kisses across her skin. He started at her ear and slowly moved down until he found her exposed nipple. He lavished the dusky colored bud with his tongue and scraped at it with his teeth until she was digging deeply into his skin with her fingernails. He took his time repeating the same process on her other breast not wanting either to feel neglected. He loved how she buried her fingers in his hair and pulled at it uncontrollably. Levy had waited so patiently for so long and now his patience was about to pay off. In a matter of moments he would finally lay claim to the shy woman held tightly in his arms. Aislinn had no idea just how long he'd watched her, protected her, wanted her. He doubted that she would ever truly to be able to understand how she'd unknowingly saved him in his darkest moment. His belt was easy to undo and he quickly rid himself of his pants and boxers, kicking them aside out of his way. "This is what only you do to me Aislinn!" Levy whispered against her ear, directing her small hand down to his fully erect penis. She squeaked in surprise but he didn't let her pull away immediately. He wanted her to be fully aware of what she was doing to him. Though he wanted this experience to more about her pleasure then his he guided her hand slowly up and down his shaft. His skin was soft and smooth in her hand. At first she wanted to pull away but when she realized just how much pleasure she was giving him with just that slight contact she didn't mind touching him there anymore. "God Aislinn, I can't wait any longer, I need you now!" Levy confessed, his voice strained with the effort it took him to stay in control. Despite knowing that she was walking on a path straight to hell she nodded against him giving him permission to do whatever he wanted to her. Levy picked her up and carried her to a shaded spot beneath the trees where the grass was soft. She couldn't guess at just what he was going to do to her but she didn't care as long as he able to satisfy the raging need building deep inside her core. Levy wished he had a camera to catch the look of heated desire on her face when he lay her down. She had never looked more beautiful to him then she did in that moment. He'd really barely done anything to her but her pale peach skin was already beginning to shimmer with sweat in anticipation of their joining. He made short work of her underwear before pressing himself against her hot moist entrance. "This will hurt a little." "I don't care, please, I need you!!" Aislinn pleaded, moving her hips and bottom against him. "As you wish!" Levy locked his hands around her waist and surged forward causing her to choke on her breath at the pain of his first invasion. He waited a long time to let her get accustomed to his size before he slowly continued. He followed the unspoken demands of her body to go faster, harder, or slower when she needed it. It was insanely hard to maintain his control in the sea of pleasure he was creating for her but he needed her first time to be unforgettable. It didn't take long before Aislinn was moaning so loud he was certain someone would hear them but he didn't care, he wanted her moaning and pleading and screaming out his name as loud as she could. When he noticed she was starting to tire he switched positions from missionary to dog style. This allowed him to push himself in even deeper and be even rougher with her then before as he pushed them both to their limits. The line between her fantasies and reality blurred and mixed. It was hard to believe what was happening between them was indeed real. She no longer knew if it was she who had given in to his desire or he who had given in to hers, but his greedy hands all over her body attested to his overwhelming need to feel her. She reveled in these precious moments knowing that, at least for this short time, she was the only woman in his eyes. Soon Levy's groans matched hers as he brought them to the peak. He used his incredible strength to lock them together as he surged forward one last time and erupted inside her. Her mind fragmented and shattered beneath the waves of color and light and indescribable pleasure that bordered on pain. Levy, exhausted and shaking from their combined orgasm slumped forward. Unable to support his weight Aislinn had no choice but to lay flat beneath him as aftershocks of pleasure rippled through her body. As long as Aislinn was comfortable then Levy was in no mood to hurry their inevitable separation. He quite enjoyed feeling her womb spasming around him, greedily milking him of his essence. The thought that she could get pregnant from this was fleeting at best because in his mind she now belonged solely to him and he would care for and protect her forever. Aislinn on the other hand wasn't as sure of the future as he was. She knew she would probably regret giving herself to him later but for now she was content to just lie beneath him. Levy whispered something in her ear as she was drifting to sleep and she shook her head yes in response but by the time her eyes closed she had already forgotten what he'd asked. Dark Fate Ch. 03 *For now I'm removing the bonus chapter but I intend to upload by itself shortly* Aislinn was drawn from her slumber by Levy's soft voice and the feel of his cool touch on her shoulder. When she batted his hand away and pulled the blanket back up to continue sleeping Levy rolled off the bed and yanked the heavy black comforter away. Aislinn moaned and curled up to protect herself from the chill in the air. It took her a long minute to realize that she was not only still naked but she was also not in the garden where she and Levy had fallen asleep. "Where are we?" Aislinn asked, glancing around the unfamiliar room. "My place, don't worry we're still on the campus." "You carried me naked across the campus?! What time is it?" "It's five p.m. and I made certain that no one saw us." Aislinn glared at him before shaking her head, how could he be so certain that no one had seen anything? There had to be well over six thousand students on the campus during the peak hours of the day ranging from kindergarten to college. "Did you sleep well? How do you feel?" Aislinn was slightly perplexed by his questions. Why did he care? Compared to him she was nobody. She'd given him her most precious gift and while he'd been gentle enough at the time she'd expected him to be done with her afterward. "What's wrong? Are you upset that I moved you? I tried to wake you but you were just completely passed out!" "Um, no, I'm not upset about that, I'm just a little surprised that you didn't just leave me there." "You really think I'd leave you alone naked and vulnerable for a random stranger to find? Do you think so little of me?" "NO!, No, I, that's not exactly what I meant..." "I think I get it. I'm the rich guy and you're the poor scholarship girl right? You think you're not good enough to even be seen with me and now that we've had sex I'm going to drop you like a rock. Does that about sum up what you're thinking?" Aislinn nodded. She was embarrassed that she'd really thought that about him when he'd been nothing but nice to her from their first meeting. He was the most outstanding man she'd ever met yet she was letting her own insecurities mar their fragile relationship. Levy knelt beside her and took her hands in his. "Listen to me very carefully Aislinn, I will NEVER abandon you or turn my back on you for any reason, no matter what happens you can always come to me, do you understand?" Aislinn nodded, blinking rapidly to keep the tears stinging her eyes at bay. "How about you take a shower while I prepare dinner for you, I'll set another uniform out on the bed for you to wear. If you wish to then we can talk more after you've eaten okay?" "Sure." Levy helped Aislinn stand up but before she could wrap the sheet around her the door swung open and a man she didn't know took a step inside. Levy stepped around her, placing himself between her and the man to hide her from his gaze. "Oh, uh, right, sorry..." The man stuttered before quickly leaving. "Who the hell was that?!" Aislinn asked, pulling the sheet quickly around her before anyone else decided to barge in on them. "Yeah, that would be Kayan, a friend of mine, sorry about that Love." Levy informed her, running his hand through his hair to mess it up. She wondered if he realized just how often he did that. "He has a terrible knack for showing up uninvited and ruining peoples private moments." "Well I guess since he's here you might as well introduce us properly." "He'd like that, he's been looking forward to meeting you for a long time!" What did that mean? Just what had Levy told his friends about her? What could he possibly tell anyone about her that would make them eager to meet her? That was a little worrisome but there was nothing she could do about it now except set them straight on whatever misconceptions they may have of her. Levy reached out to move a stray lock of hair of Aislinn face. The way he was looking at her, like she was the most precious thing in the world, made her heart race as butterflies flitted through her stomach. When she stuck out her tongue to wet her dry lips Levy accepted her unsaid invitation and drew her into a deep kiss. Levy guided her hands to wrap around his neck then tugged the sheet down and let it pool around her feet in a heap of black satin. Aislinn moaned in satisfaction when he began to explore her bare skin with the tips of his fingers, leaving tingling trails behind. The soreness of her body vanished under his tender kisses and caresses, the ember of lust reigniting with a fury that easily surpassed what she had felt for him earlier. Had it not been for the sudden sharp pain on her stomach that made her flinch she might have let him fuck her into submission again. She felt him suck hard for a moment before his tongue swirled over her skin and the pain was reduced to a tingling sensation. The next moment he was pulling her into a crushing french kiss. She tasted copper on his tongue. Had he bit her? Well that would account for the pain she'd felt. She pulled away so she could look into his eyes. His eyes, brilliant piercing frost only moments earlier, had changed to a bright crimson red color. Aislinn knew she should have been terrified by this sudden drastic change in color but she found herself mesmerized instead. For a moment Levy looked like he wanted to devour her. He closed his eyes and took a deep steadying breath to get himself back under control. When he opened his eyes again they had returned to their normal frost color. Levy kissed her once more on her forehead before excusing himself without a word. Aislinn stared after him long after he'd gone. What had just happened?! Shit, like she didn't have enough problems of her own already she was letting herself get completely seduced by the richest and most popular guy on the entire east coast. Aislinn finally sighed and walked to the bathroom. She'd seen plenty of the on campus apartments, which were actually more like miniature mansions in themselves, but Levy's took the cake. She'd woken up in a huge well furnished but darkly colored bedroom and now she'd walked into a huge bathroom. On the right side was a white marble and mahogany vanity. On the left side was a huge floor to ceiling mirror. Towards the back of the room sat a large deep sunk hot top type bathtub. What she wouldn't give to have such a nice bathroom all her own. She started the bathwater before going to inspect herself in the mirror. She looked somehow different then before, more mature. Perhaps that was because she'd finally lost her virginity and could consider herself a true woman now. She ran her hand down her stomach and found two marks, still bleeding slightly, to the right of her belly button. Levy had bitten her! Honestly she hadn't been all that surprised by the change in his eye color because it wasn't the first time she'd notice them change. Until now however they'd only changed for fleeting moments at a time. The first time she'd clearly witnessed them change was when she'd caught him staring at her one day in English class. Since then the color shift had become more and more noticeable to her. With the change is his eye color also came a change in his personality. His expressions would always become much more intense and sensual. His movements would become so fluid and silent that he would be able to appear anywhere in the blink of an eye. It was in those moments that she got the distinct impression he was stalking her. Aislinn groaned. Despite how loving Levy seemed to be towards her she cursed herself for giving in to him so easily. He'd said that he'd never abandon her but could she really trust him or was he the kind of guy who would go broadcasting his victory to all his friends when she wasn't around? Tears burned in her eyes. She'd been so stupid! They'd never really been more then classmates before now and having sex didn't make them friends. Whether being with Levy turned out to be a mistake or not she wouldn't let anyone see her cry over it. There were countless people, especially Verona, who would jump at the chance to use their moment of passion to completely ruin her life. "I'll never give them such satisfaction!" She whispered, wiping the tears off her face as she headed to the bathtub. She took her time soaking but the burning hot water could not erase Levy's expression of raw need from her mind. Never before had any guy looked at her like that. Just what was his deal? She couldn't understand why he had look at her so desperately. After her shower she found a clean towel and uniform waiting for her on the bed. Attending an academy as prestigious as Mercer meant that a uniform was required, from kindergarten up to collage. A lot of people thought having a uniform was outdated and unnecessary but most of the students, all being the elite of society, wore it like a golden crown. It was just another tool in their arsenal to separate themselves from the less fortunate common folk. Then there was Aislinn. The fact that she came from the middle class was more then enough reason for most of the elite students to ostracize her despite her good looks and supreme artistic talent. She smiled. Knowing just how much it pissed them off that she wearing the same uniform as them was a small measure of revenge for the way she'd always treated her. After she dried off she slipped into the uniform. A deep purple pleated skirt that reached to her knees, a button up shirt of the same color and a dark gray blazer that fit her like a glove. She completed the outfit by tying the slim yellow ribbon around her neck before slipping on a new pair of black dress shoes Levy had supplied. When she was finally ready she steadied herself with a deep breath before she exited the bedroom and headed down the long hallway. There were a million questions she wanted to ask Levy but she knew they would all vanish the moment she set eyes on him. It was a bit unnerving when the conversation Levy and his friends had been having come to an abrupt halt as soon as she walked around the corner. At her appearance, Levy, Kayan, and a third unknown male stood up in unison as though they'd spent considerable time practicing the feat. Levy was beside her before she could blink. Caught off guard, she took a small step backwards in alarm but his hand was on the small of her back gently pushing her forward. "You startled the poor girl Levander!" Kayan said crossing the short distance between them, his hand outstretched in greeting. "Kayan Enrico and that's my twin Ian, its a pleasure to finally meet you Miss. Koralee!" "Please call me Aislinn, and the pleasure is mine." She replied shaking his hand, noting that, like Levy, his skin was cooler to the the touch then everyone else she knew. Ian stayed where he was and nodded at her. She immediately noticed that while Kayan and Ian were twins, standing at about five foot eleven with short dark brown hair and honey colored eyes, their personalities and body types were completely different from each other. Kayan was obviously the outgoing, personable type while Ian was the shy quite type. Kayan was stockier with broader shoulders whereas Ian was on the slimmer side. She could easily imagine Kayan as a football player and Ian as a soccer or tennis player. Aislinn sighed inwardly. Just what had she gotten herself into? She was in the presence of the three more gorgeous guys she'd ever seen. It was bad enough people hated her for occasionally talking to Levy but now she wouldn't be surprised if people finally decided to gang up on her for spending time with Kayan and Ian. "Ian and I were going to meet up with Kaia and Kayle at the Farmer's Marker, would you two care to join us? Kayan asked, a smile spreading across his face that no one could hope to deny. This whole day hadn't turned out at all as she'd expected so far but why waste a night out. She glanced up at Levy and he nodded in approval of the idea. "If you take me by my house first so I can change my clothes then sure, we'll go." "Great, I'll call Kayle and Let her know that we'll be on our way then." Levy retrieved her backpack from the opposite side of the couch and handed it to her before leading her to the front door. "You're welcome to stay here anytime you want Csitri." Levy offered. She really didn't like that about him, about how he seemed to be able to read her thoughts. She hoped that he couldn't because she didn't want him being able to hear all the crazy things she was ALWAYS thinking about him Thankfully the campus was mostly empty now and the few people who saw them didn't care who they were or what they were doing, despite that she was relieved when they finally made it to Kayan's car. She was a bit surprised to find that he opted to drive a mud covered jacked up blue jeep rather than some high end sports car. Levy opened the back door and helped her climb up into the backseat. She barely had the time to buckle up before Kayan revved the engine and took off causing the tires to squeal loudly on the pavement. "You alright baby?" Levy asked, cradling her against him as they rounded a corner going nearly fifty. She felt the heat of a blush crawl up her neck. He'd called her baby like it was the most natural thing in the world! "Yeah, I'm fine but how about next time we go out you drive, Kayan's crazy!" She exclaimed as they rounded another corner still going full speed. She was clinging to Levy until they arrived at her apartment. Thankfully Aislinn had never been one to get car sick but she was still quite relieved to place her feet back on solid ground. She crouched to let a bout of dizziness pass before she made her way up the walkway to her front door. "May I come in with you?" Levy asked, waiting patiently behind her as she unlocked the door. With her mother away at a nurses medical conference the house would be dark and cold and she hated coming home to an empty house. She nodded and he smiled. She stopped just inside the door to look around. Compared to Levy's apartment hers was small and plain. For a brief moment she forgot Levy was behind her until he closed the door. The heavy oak creaking startled her and she spun around to stare at him wild eyed. Levy held up his hands in a submissive manner and she settled back down after a moment. "Sorry." He shrugged as she dropped her backpack next to the door and kicked off her dress shoes in favor of her house slippers. She flipped on several lights as she walked through the apartment to the small kitchen. "Would you like something to drink while you wait?" She asked opening the fridge. They had milk and they had well, milk. She cringed. Levy was undoubtedly accustomed to having the best of the best and here she had nothing to but milk to offer him. What a horrid host she was turning out to be. "I'm fine but thank you." Levy answered seating himself on the couch. "Okay I'll go change then, don't want to get left behind." "Wear your hair down won't you?" It was a command and a question rolled into one. Aislinn couldn't help but blush recalling how wonderful his hands had felt running through her hair earlier. "Sure." In her sudden excitement she bounded up the stairs and ran to her room. She stood in the darkness momentarily before letting out a tiny squeal of delight. Thankfully it didn't take her long to find something to wear. A dark red lacey halter top with simple black Capri pants. Since they would probably be walking around for awhile she decided to wear her flat black sandals that had ribbon she could lace up her legs. Lastly she added her new red belt she'd bought specifically to match the shirt. After examining herself one last time in her full length mirror she quickly brushed her hair and styled it up with a hair claw out of habit. She clipped her bangs to the side with a small red butterfly clip before grabbing her coat and leaving her room. She stopped by the bathroom and exchanged her simple gold studs for a pair of medium sized black hoop earrings before finally heading downstairs. For better or worse she was as ready as she could be in the amount of time she'd been given to change. She slipped down the stairs as quietly as she could, fighting the urge to go back and check herself in the mirror one last time. She let out one last quiet breath to calm her nerves before stepping around the corner. Levy was leaning against the kitchen island talking on his phone. "She's ready, we'll be right out." Levy said upon noticing Aislinn. He turned his phone off before shoving it into his back pocket. He eyed Aislinn up and down once before walking over to her. "You won't be needing this!" He said stealing her hair claw before she could stop him. "Sorry, habit." She shrugged. "Well its a habit I intend to break you from!" Levy informed her. He turned her around to run his fingers through her hair then turned her back around to face him. "You look so much better when you wear your hair down Csitri." Aislinn blushed deeply. Levy grinned which made her embarrassment worse. He was barely an inch away from her when his eyes did their curious little color shift again. Blue to crimson and just like earlier they didn't immediately revert back. She blinked but they remained that vibrant crimson color. Fear tinged her desire for him and she shifted her weight backwards hoping it would break the trance. Levy blinked and shook his head as though he were trying to clear his mind. Before Aislinn could say anything he took her by the hand and proceeded to lead her to the front door. Being able to change the color of ones eyes at will was a talent she'd never heard a human possessing before. Unable, or maybe unwilling, to point out the strange change in him she filed the experience away for the time being. It was just one more thing she'd noticed about Levy lately that made her think that maybe he wasn't a normal human. Until today she hadn't really cared what he could be, she hadn't care how different he was but now she wasn't so sure. In his crimson colored eyes she'd seen something beyond lust, a desire she couldn't name but it sent a shiver of dread through her. What if he's not human? Aislinn stopped dead in her tracks. Not human? Not possible. Aislinn was an avid reader of fantasy books that dealt with creatures such as mermaids, vampires, werewolves, and the like but no matter how often she had wished for such beings to be real they simply weren't. "Csitri?" "Sorry, I can't remember if I locked the door, one sec." It was a lie of course but she needed to distance herself from Levy if only for a moment. She walked back up the path to the door to check the door. It was locked. She took her time walking to the monster jeep where Levy waited patiently. After helping her get in they were off again, this time before she could even get seated properly. "Now who is the one scaring her Kayan?! Slow down a bit would you." Levy reprimanded him. Reluctantly Kayan slowed down but it wasn't his speed that had her on edge now, it was Levy's strange change in her house. She kept trying to tell herself that being inhuman was impossible but the more she thought about it the more Levy's traits matched up to that of a vampire. How could that be true? Well something was definitely off about him. She was desperate to understand his intentions towards her but for right now all she could to do wait and pray that things would turn out in her favor. Though the trip across town calmed her down a bit she decided to get out on her side rather then follow Levy. He frowned but said nothing, unsure if he'd done something to aggravate her. Up until today Levy had always been sure of himself and confident in what he wanted but now he felt a tinge of fear go through him. Dark Fate Ch. 03 He didn't have to read Aislinn's mind to know how she saw him, how everyone saw him. He was everyone's infallible idol and because of that preconception he knew Aislinn didn't trust him. The longer he was around her the harder it was to control his desire and she seemed to have seen something in him that frightened her. He would have to work extra hard to convince her that he was the kind of man she thought he was. Ian's phone rang, breaking the slightly awkward silence that had descended upon the group. "Yeah we're here, where are you? Okay, we'll be there in a bit." Aislinn was a little taken back by Ian's soft sing song voice. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Levy scowl a little. "What?!" Aislinn asked, plainly surprised by his reaction. "Are you jealous?" "No." "Really, I'm having a hard time believing you." "I'm not jealous." Aislinn burst into a fit of giggles. She was happy. A touch of jealousy was a good sign, it meant that he was, at least for the moment, serious enough about her to want to keep other guys at bay. "Are you alright Aislinn?" Levy asked, slightly perplexed by her sudden change. "Sorry, sorry, I'm great! Couldn't be better actually!" Aislinn replied, a huge smile on her face. She closed the distance between them confidently to take his hand in hers. For the rest of the day he was all hers and she wasn't going to waste this opportunity to get to know him better. Happy that the fragile trust between them had somehow been repaired Levy led her through the maze of parked cars to catch up to Kayan and Ian who'd started off with them. Levy kept a tight grip on her hand as they weaved their way through the mass of people who'd gathered for the market. Aislinn was on cloud nine following behind him. She barely even noticed all the people who stopped to stare at them as they passed. Levy was a celebrity so for him it was normal to garner people's attention. Aislinn would just have to get accustomed to such attention if she had any hope of staying at his side. Kayan led them through row after row of venues until they came to a small permanent cafe at the southern end of the market. Aislinn was caught off guard by the two gorgeous women who threw themselves at the twins. Levy didn't even have the time to introduce Aislinn to the women before they pushed him aside and smothered her in a combined hug. "Oh she's sooooo cute!!" They exclaimed in unison. It was awkward to say the least, made moreso by everyone staring. Before Aislinn could say anything they started to circle her, inspecting her as much as she allowed them to. After a few minutes they stepped back and exchanged a glance between each other before grins spread across their beautiful faces. Aislinn looked at Levy hoping he'd be able to give her some insight as to what exactly was going on but all he could do was smile and shrug. "Introduce yourselves properly for Christ's sake!" Kayan finally commanded as he sat down at the nearest table. "Heh, sorry about that but you're just so much more adorable then Levy led us to believe!" The one standing to Aislinn's right exclaimed. It wasn't until now that Aislinn noticed that they were also twins. Good grief! She'd always had a horrible time telling twins apart and now she was faced with two sets of them! They both had long straight black hair and sparkling green eyes. They were taller then she was, probably around five foot six she guessed but most of their height came from then long well toned legs. It came as no surprise that they looked like super models, or was the word goddess a more appropriate term to use for just how stunningly beautiful they were? "I'm Kaia, Kayan's mate, and this is my dear sister Kayle, she's Ian's mate. We're sooooooooo happy to finally get to meet you!? Kaia, the one to Aislinn's left exclaiming happily, her sister nodding in agreement. "Finally meet me? Just what has Levy been saying about me?!" Aislinn raised an eyebrow in his direction. Levy smiled and ran a hand through his hair, a clear indication that he was not the innocent guy he appeared to be. The twins giggled before Kayle took Aislinn by the hand and led her to the table Ian and Kayan were sitting at. "Levy's so mean, keeping you all to himself!" Kaia pouted as she sat next to Aislinn to leave no room for Levy at the table. "Come on ladies, its not like I meant to hide her away and you two weren't even in town until a few days ago anyway!" Levy said in his defense. "You don't mind if we steal her away right?" Kayle inquired, a mischievous grin on her face. Aislinn could do nothing as they started to bicker over her. She had spent so much time pursuing her studies that she never given herself much time to make friends so it was a little overwhelming to be surrounded by so many gorgeous people all vying for her attention. "Me and Kayle own our own clothing line, amongst other things, and we're wondering if you'd model for us?!" "Model for you? I don't think so, I'm really not model material..." Aislinn replied trying to deflect some of the attention. "What? Nonsense! What rock have you been hiding under? Levy was right, you are gorgeous and its such a waste to hide yourself! Pleeeeeeeease, just model for us a little, we promise we won't make you wear anything weird!" And queue the double puppy eyes. Aislinn sighed. Guess she didn't have a choice. Perhaps a few outfits would quench their thirst and then they'd let her get back to hiding under her rock. She looked to the guys for help but they all just shrugged as if they had known something like would happen. Ugh. She was totally outnumbered! "I guess a few wouldn't hurt." Aislinn said giving in. "Yay! We've got so many awesome outfits that would look amazing on you!" Kayle said, beaming with triumph. Oi vey what a day this is turning out to be! Aislinn had expected to sit down and have a meal first but Kaia and Kayle had decided to go full steam ahead with the shopping instead and they weren't about to leave her out. They left the guys at the cafe and ventured out to see the wonders of the Farmer's Market. It was nightfall before Aislinn noticed the passage of time. The twins loaded her up with clothes, jewelry, and anything else they they found that piqued their interest. Of course she tried to decline having all that stuff bought for her but they made it abundantly clear that they would not take no for an answer. Eventually she'd just given up and followed them around in their search for cute things. When they could carry no more they finally decided to return to the guys. As they made their way through the crowd a tingle of pain spread its way through Aislinn's abdomen. Dammit, not now! It should have been too early for her period but Mother Nature had just kick in the door and wasn't waiting for an polite invitation in. What a way for her night to be completely ruined! "I need to use the restroom is there one nearby?" She asked Kayle, shifting the weight of the bags on her forearms as the tingle got minutely stronger. Sometimes it was hard to be a woman. She doubted she would be able to make it to the meeting place before she would be doubled over in pain. She hadn't even thought to bring any pain killers with her. By the time they reached the nearest bathroom the pain was more intense but still not even close to how painful her cramps usually got. Horrible wasn't an accurate word to describe the pain she went through for at least one day out of every month. She exited the bathroom stall but ended up kneeling as a wave of pain radiated throughout her entire body. "Damn, this sucks..." Unfortunately there was nothing she could do about this problem other then go home and get drugged up until she was feeling no pain. It took a long time before she was able to stand and wash her hands, the hot water temporarily distracting her from the pain. When she glanced at herself in the mirror she was shocked to find her gaze reflected in the eyes of an unknown man behind her. He quickly had one had over her mouth to keep her silent and his other arm locked around her waist to keep her from escaping. The adrenaline brought on by her fear of the stranger dampened her cramps. Who was he and what did he want from her? She hadn't heard him creep up on her and when she'd first walked into the bathroom she'd been the only one there. "I'm not going to hurt you, I came to warn you..." He removed his hand from her mouth but kept his hold around her waist firm. "Warn me?" She asked, trying to keep her voice from quivering. "Those people you're surrounding yourself with aren't human and they will hurt you if you stay with them. Heed my warning if you value your life at all!" "Not human? What do you mean by that?" She never got an answer to her question because Kayle interrupted them, coming in to see how she was doing. In the blink of an eye the man released her and vanished as quickly and as silently as he'd appeared. Aislinn collapsed to the floor shaking. What the hell had just happened? She was dumbfounded. It didn't seem real but she could still feel his cold breath on her neck and his voice in her mind. She shivered as gooseflesh crawled across her skin. Kayle was by her side a moment later, a concerned expression on her face. "Are you alright?" "I don't feel so good, I've got to go home now!" Aislinn whispered. As quickly as the adrenaline had hit her and dampened her cramps it was dwindling and they were returning with a vengeance. It was all she could do to keep from crying out when Kayle helped her stand up to exit the bathroom. Aislinn crouched against the back wall of the bathroom, away from the prying eyes of people passing by until the guys finally made it to their location. Levy had her up in his arms in a the span of a heartbeat and rushed quickly through the crowd to the parking lot. "Take our car Levy." Kayle said tossing him her keys. Levy caught the keys and gave Kayle an appreciative nod. He was now glad that they'd come in two separate cars, they wouldn't have to watch Aislinn suffer while they were unable to do anything to help her. He drove as fast as the traffic allowed, constantly glancing in Aislinn's direction to assess her condition. The steady vibrations of the car actually helped with her cramps but only slightly and every time they were forced to stop they flared up again. By the time they finally made it back to her apartment she was rocking back and forth in the passenger seat in an effort to ease the pain. Levy carried her up the path, using her keys to unlock the front door. He carried her straight to her room. It was a mess from earlier but at that moment neither of them cared. "Can you make me something to eat, anything, it doesn't matter what it is, just something quick so I can my Norco." Aislinn begged as she searched for her heating pad. Levy nodded then vanished. A long minute passed before he returned with a sandwich. She ate as much as she could before taking two Norco, something she'd never done before but her cramps were becoming more severe then she'd ever felt before. She cranked her heating pad up to high before wedging it between herself, a pillow, and the edge of her bed. She prayed the intense heat would be enough to distract her from the worst of the pain until the pain killers kicked in. Aislinn had almost forgotten Levy was there until he untied her shirt and made her sit up long enough so he could pull it off over her head. Without a word he began to massage her lower back in an effort to help her deal with the pain. Normally she couldn't stand to be touched when she was in so much pain but his cool fingers on her skin made for a wonderful distraction and in no time at all she was barely conscious. Once he'd helped her to bed, making sure to help her keep the heating pad where she wanted it, he kissed her ear and lay beside her. He continued to stroke her bare skin until she fell into a deep sleep. Aislinn unconsciously snuggled against him. By reading her thoughts he was aware of just how thankful she was for his support and he was happy to have been able to help in her time of need. "I love you Aislinn." Levy whispered against her ear before kissing gently kissing her shoulder and wrapping his arm around her to protect her as she slept. Dark Fate Ch. 04 Levy wondered what Aislinn would think of him if she ever found out about all the things he'd done to keep her safe. Not that the intruder hadn't deserved what he got but it didn't change the fact that Levy was a murderer. He had learned long ago that peace without sacrifice was an impossible dream. He could no longer remember now just how many people had lost their lives by his hand or by a command he had given. People these days could never hope to understand that the peace they so freely enjoyed now was based on fear, murder, and, often times, deception. The Mercer clan was feared by everyone. Humans and vampires alike knew without a doubt they would be taken out if they dared to cause chaos or ever try to usurp the Mercers absolute rule. Levy straightened his wind-ravaged clothes before returning to Aislinn. She was sleeping peacefully so he headed downstairs to relax on the couch for awhile. It had been decades since he'd witnessed a woman going through so much pain in front of him. He was thankful that these days there was a multitude of drugs available for the pain associated with a woman's monthly cycle. He drifted off to sleep, recalling his younger days when such seemingly simple medical advances weren't even contemplated. All the things the world took for granted today would have been considered something close to magic back then. Levy opened his eyes to find himself standing on the balcony of his house. The sun dipping low on the horizon coloring the sky in brilliant shades of red, yellow, and crystal pink. "Levy, there you are!" A familiar voice called out to him. He turned around to see the radiant smile of Sadie, the woman who had once been his wife. "So this is were you've been hiding? It's almost time for you to go." This wasn't so much a dream as it was reliving a memory he had thought long buried. "Come now, the carriage is waiting for you," Sadie said, grabbing his hand and leading him back into the house. "Sadie, you should come with me, as well as the children," Levy begged, despite already knowing the answer she would give him. "You know how I hate those types of events. I'll wait here for you as usual." "No, Sadie, you don't understand. Something bad is going to happen if you don't come..." He urged, grabbing her firmly by the shoulders. "I already told you, if that man is going to be there, then I will not go. I can't explain it, but I just don't like him," she replied, pulling away from him. The man in question was a young Italian vampire by the name of Claudio Frediano, who had just recently arrived in the Boston area. He was a prideful young upstart, seeking to lay claim to Donovan's territory, and although he hadn't done anything yet, it was obvious what his intentions were. Of course Sadie didn't know he was a vampire but she'd always been a good judge of character and she was terrified of him. Unfortunately for Levy he had no choice but to attend the ball and mingle with the rest of the merchants and high society people with whom Donovan had business relationships with. "You know I'd never let him hurt you, so please come with me, I'm begging you." "Why don't you stay here with us instead of running off to some ball you're not even interested in?" "You know I can't do that," Levy replied. "Then my answer remains the same, I will not set foot in any building that he occupies." "Sadie..." "I've done everything you've ever asked of me, but this I will not do. Now hurry or you'll be late," she stated, handing him his hat and coat. Levy sighed. "I love you, Sadie," Levy whispered, pulling her close to him. "I love you too, Levy," she responded, wrapping her arms around his neck to kiss him. They remained entwined until the butler motioned Levy towards the door. He knew the moment he walked out the door the dreamlike memory would turn into a nightmare, one in which he was forced to watch everyone and everything he loved burn and turn to ash. "Sadie..." Levy opened his eyes to find Aislinn standing over her, looking concerned and hurt. He sat up as she excused herself to the kitchen. "Sadie was a good friend of mine. She died in a fire many year ago." Levy explained, answering the question that burned in the forefront of her mind. It was impossible to tell Aislinn the truth of who Sadie really was without having to reveal the truth about himself. Yes, Levy had loved Sadie dearly but he had known then that she was not his true mate, and the close to two hundred years since her death had almost completely snuffed out the remnants of his feelings for her. How long had Aislinn been awake? Her damp hair was held up in yet another black hair claw so she'd obviously taken a shower. Perhaps that habit of hers would be harder to break than he'd first thought. At any rate, he would enjoy breaking her of it. "Are you upset?" Levy asked, making his way into the kitchen. "I don't know. I really don't have a reason to be," she replied after a moment. Levy caught her hands in his before she could go after the eggs and bacon that she'd set out on the counter. "The only person I see is you, Aislinn. No matter what you're worried about or upset over, I will be here for you," Levy found it damn near impossible not to get lost in Aislinn's gorgeous emerald eyes, made more brilliant by her fiery red hair. He set to memorizing every curve and freckle of her heart-shaped face with his hands. The sudden attention made her blush deeply. "You're so adorable when you blush," Levy teased, kissing her on the forehead. That kiss quickly led to another one on the tip of her nose and then on her lips. She became pliant in his embrace, her body reacting to his touch long before her mind could catch up to say no. Levy wanted to curse out loud. Her monthly cycle was quickly becoming quite a nuisance for him. Just as he lifted her up to sit on the counter he heard the click of the door lock. Aislinn's mother walked in before he could set Aislinn back down. In her shock she dropped the bags she'd been carrying. "Well, if you'd like me to come back later..." Mrs. Koralee spoke while giving Levy the infamous female death glare. Aislinn turned a bright red and was too embarrassed to say anything. "Mrs. Koralee, it's nice to finally be able to meet you, I'm..." "I know exactly who you are. That doesn't mean I'm going to let you run off with my daughter. Now scram before I decide to tie you to the underside of my car!" "Mother!!" Aislinn cried out in shock. "OUT!" Mrs. Koralee commanded again. Levy grabbed his coat and keys and gave Aislinn a little wave before excusing himself out the front door. He had no doubts that he would be able to win over her mother but for now it was best to keep himself from going up any higher on her black list. Levy spent the next few hours driving around aimlessly. He desperately wanted to return to Aislinn but he decided their separation right was a good thing. Not a moment had gone by since their first meeting that he hadn't wanted to devour her whole so it was for the best that her mother had interrupted them when she had. Aislinn was his true mate, a fact set in stone in his mind, so why had the memory of Sadie decided to visit him now, after so long? He couldn't deny that her death still haunted him but things were different these days. Donovan had long since united all the clans under his control, no vampire or human entered the city without his knowledge. Sadie's death had sparked a massive war and Donovan was in no hurry to repeat it. He would not be pleased when he learned that Aislinn was still human. Things were becoming significantly more complicated but he wanted Aislinn to remain as blissfully ignorant of the darker side of his life for as long as was possible. As he drove through the neighborhood commonly referred to as Sound end more memories floated through his mind. Long ago he himself had failed to dethrone Donovan but his defeat had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Donovan had recognized his many talents and took him under his wing. With Levy's help Donovan had branched out into countless routes of commerce, yet to this day, Levy still couldn't beat him in a game of chess. Donovan's nickname, King of the East, was certainly a well-earned one, one he had carefully raised Levy to take from him when the time came. It was also here, in this part of the city, that Levy had met Sadie. She was the only daughter of a prominent baker's family. She was a radiant, happy woman who went out of her way to help others, no matter the cost to herself, and it often landed in her trouble with her strict father. Levy had loved her and their two children dearly and their deaths at the hands of Claudio Frediano had nearly destroyed him. In the years that followed their deaths Levy's life had become a blur of more death and destruction as their clans waged a terrible war against each other. The Mercer clan won but not without heavy losses. It had taken a great deal of effort to rebuild but no others had dared to go against them since that time. As Levy recalled the darker moments of his past he remembered that he still wore their wedding rings on silver chain around his neck. He parked the car and took the chain off. The two simple gold bands glittered brightly in the light. He sat there for a few minutes letting the light breeze caress the rings, making them swing back and forth. He was about to put them in his pocket when he glimpsed a familiar face in the corner of his vision. Sadie?! Of course when he took a second look no one was there. He cursed himself for even thinking such an absurd thought. She was long dead and with Aislinn by his side now it was time to completely let her go. Asteia is at the house. She's quite pissed that she can't reach you. A telepathic communication from Kayan pulled him from his musings. He sighed. He had totally forgotten she was coming back for a visit. Asteia was one of the few vampires he knew of that could receive but not send telepathic communications. However, she made up for that deficit by being able to to walk through people's dreams. She could even take control of someone while they slept, no matter the distance. Levy looked around for his cell only to realize that he'd left it at Aislinn's house. Sorry left my cell at Aislinn's house. She's not with you? Her mother returned this morning and kinda kicked me out of the house... Levy could feel Kayan's physical laughter reverberate through their mind link. Kayan was thoroughly amused by the fact that a human woman had the nerve to go toe-to-toe with Levy and successfully force him to leave his mate. Yeah, yeah, you can stop laughing now. Sorry, couldn't help myself! Anyway, you might want to return asap before your dear little sister decides to go on a rampage looking for you. Tell her I'm on my way. With that, Levy severed their link and started the car. Asteia's return couldn't have come at a worse time. He knew she would immediately start in on some huge lecture when they met. She would go and on about all the reasons why keeping the truth from Aislinn and keeping her human was a huge mistake. She would undoubtedly remind him about Sadie and tell him that he was going down the same road with Aislinn. Levy had only made his move to win over Aislinn two days ago; telling her what he was this early on was the most surefire way to make her turn away from him. He took his time driving home, readying himself for their inevitable conflict. Levy found her waiting in the study upon his return. "Brother," Asteia greeted him. "Sister." "Where have you been all day?" she asked, crossing her arms in an effort to show her disapproval of whatever it was she thought he'd had been doing. "Out." "With her, I imagine?" "Only part of the day." "Have you told her yet?" "And here I thought you'd at least give me a hug before starting in on your lecture," He sighed, taking a seat at his desk. "The Council is aware that you are interested in a human. They sent me here to check up on you, amongst other things." "They should mind their damned own business," Levy said coldly. "Yeah, well, I hate to be the one to remind you about what happened the last time you got yourself involved with a human. You don't think they have a right to be concerned?" "Not really, no." "Levy, you obviously already know what I'm going to say, so why are you beating around the bush with her? Just turn her and everything will be fine." "We've been together for two days and you're telling me to end her life like it's nothing?" "Two days? Are you serious? You've been ogling her for years and you're just now making a move?" "So you expected me to turn her when she was a child?" "No, but," "But?" "Humans are exceedingly fragile. She could die at any moment, you know this, and yet you still hesitate. If she is your true mate as you suspect, then everything will work out." "Her being my true mate does not give me the right to destroy her world and bring ours crashing down on her head. I will not make the same mistakes I did in the past. I'm warning you Asteia, Aislinn is not your concern. If you even think about going behind my back, you will regret it." Levy hadn't raised his voice but Asteia took a step back and brought her hands up as if to defend herself from him. "I won't say anything, but you better get around to it soon, before father decides its time to intervene," she replied shakily, before spinning on her heel and leaving. He hadn't wanted to resort to a threat but Asteia was an incredibly stubborn person. He knew she only wanted to help but she really had no sense of tact when it came to things like this. She tended to do what she thought was right and ask the necessary questions afterwards. He sat back in his chair, running his hand through his hair. Yes, things were definitely becoming more complicated. Levy kept his distance from Aislinn for the rest of the weekend trying to figure out exactly what he should do. Asteia was right, Aislinn could die at any moment and everyone knew that if he lost her then he would not survive. Nonetheless, it was still none of their business how he handled matters. Aislinn was still confused by him. It was obvious by the way she gravitated towards him without realizing it that her heart and soul recognized him as her other half. Aislinn was the light to his darkness, the one person who was capable of loving him unconditionally for the rest of eternity. The problem was her logical side, that tiny voice in the back of her mind that dictated to her what she should accept as being possible. And Levy, well, he was on its blacklist right from the get go. He wanted to believe Asteia's words, that no matter what happened between them everything would turn out right in the end because they were destined to be together, but his fear of losing her to the truth was still to strong for him to overcome. Levy showed up unannounced at Aislinn's door early Monday morning before classes to treat her to breakfast. Despite the disapproving look he got from her mother, she still allowed him inside to wait. Aislinn's thoughts were jumbled. She was still trying to analyze their relationship from every possible angle and figure out where he intended to lead her. She was exited by him yet, fearful at the same time. She was too lost in her own world to notice Levy standing by the door when she came down the stairs to join her mother in the kitchen. Her mother had to nudge her and look in Levy's direction several times before she got the hint. "Good morning, Csitri." "Levy?!" Levy smiled. She was so cute when she was surprised, a feat easily accomplished. Had her mother not been standing right beside her, she probably would have pounced on him, hugging him in delight. "Ah, right, you left your cell phone here..." And there was that little voice kicking in right on schedule again. "I actually came to see if you would allow me to treat you to breakfast before classes start," Levy interrupted. "O, um, sure, I guess. Let me go grab my backpack," she replied, blush creeping up her neck. Levy had to keep his jaw tightly clenched to keep his fangs from extending. The sight and smell of her were driving him to his limit and they hadn't even been in the same room for ten minutes. He was able to breathe a little easier once they got outside and her heady scent mixed with the early morning air, becoming slightly less provocative. "Was your mother angry?" Levy asked, opening the passenger door for her. He took his time pulling out into the early morning traffic. "A little. More surprised than angry really. It's always just been the two of us, so she's concerned. She doesn't want to see me get hurt." "Let me guess, you're both thinking that I have some kind of bet going on with my friends about how long it'll take to seduce you or something along those lines?" "You're really good at reading people's minds." "I don't have to read your mind, I would be thinking the same thing if our positions were reversed." "Sometimes I hate you," Aislinn replied after a moment of silence. "Why?" "Because I feel like you can see right through me. You know exactly what to say and do to make me fall head over heels for you, despite the harm that I know is waiting for me on the horizon." "You think I'm so shallow that I'd hurt you just for the fun of it? "Are you?" "I intend to prove to you that I'm quite serious in my affections towards you Aislinn." The serious tone in his voice caught her off guard and she blushed. Not knowing what else to say she simply ended the conversation by staring out the window. "Have you ever seen something that you felt you just had to have, that you'd forever be incomplete without it?" Levy asked, after awhile. "Yeah." "Well, Aislinn, that's how I feel about you." "You're crazy. We barely know each other." "Easily remedied, if you're not afraid to find out." Levy teased. "I hate you," Aislinn murmured, blushing deeply. Of course she wasn't ready to admit that she was more then willing to take his challenge head-on. "You won't for long," He stated matter-of-factly, reaching over to gently push her bangs out of her face. Levy grinned watching the gooseflesh spread across her skin. She glared at him before returning her gaze to the world passing by outside. He drove to the same little cafe they'd shared chocolate milk at the first day they'd met. Aislinn recognized it immediately. "I'm glad you recognize the place." "Of course I would," she countered. Levy even made sure to sit at the same table as before. It took a little coaxing, but soon he had her talking about a multitude of things that interested her, her anger towards him completely forgotten. "We're late for classes you know," she pointed out, finally realizing what time it was. "So we are." "You don't care?" "Not really, no. I much prefer spending my time with you here then getting dragged around by you-know-who all day!" Levy scowled, earning him a cute giggle from Aislinn. "You're just going full speed ahead with your whole 'seduce Aislinn' plan, aren't you?" she asked as they left the cafe and started to walk down the sidewalk. "Is it working?" "Isn't what you're trying to do generally called a whirlwind romance?" "I suppose you could call it that, but that doesn't mean things won't work out," Levy boasted. "Confidence is one of your strong points, isn't it?" "I never leave home without it!" He grinned, taking her hand in his as they waited at a crosswalk. As they walked down the street in silence, enjoying the sun and each others presence, something caught Aislinn's eye. It was a ring in a window display case. A heart-shaped emerald set on a simple sterling silver band, accompanied by two small pear-shaped sapphires. After a moment of staring at it, Aislinn sighed and continued walking. Dark Fate Ch. 04 Why not? Levy thought. He slipped away from Aislinn and headed inside the jewelry shop, making small talk with the clerk until Aislinn realized where he'd gotten of to and followed him in. "What size do you wear, love?" Levy asked when she hesitated just inside the door. "Levy, no. I don't want you buying me anything." "It's your birthday tomorrow, isn't it?" "How?" "Really? You really need to ask?" Levy interrupted. Of course, he wasn't about to go into all the tiny details he knew about her that no one else did. "Are you some kind of stalker?" Levy laughed. He was. Aislinn would be shocked when she found out just how long he'd been watching her and taking care of her from behind the scenes. He sauntered over to her and rested his head in the crook of her neck so he could whisper in her ear. "Isn't it obvious yet? I've been interested in you long before Friday!" He could feel the heat of the blush that crept up Aislinn's neck. She made like she was going to hit him but he caught her wrist easily. Aislinn didn't bother trying to pull away, she knew already that it was an impossible task. "Please?" "You're being real sneaky, you know..." Aislinn complained. "To be honest Love, I've had something like this planned for awhile now. I wanted your nineteenth birthday to be one you'd never forget!" After a few minutes of internal debate, Aislinn unclenched her fist and allowed him to slip off the ring that laid claim to her ring finger. Levy had the clerk put it on a silver chain so she could still wear it around her neck before he slipped the emerald snugly into place. Despite her best efforts, tears were slipping down her cheeks a few moments later. Levy held her close until she managed to reign in her emotions. With a fond farewell to the clerk they exited the shop. Aislinn was trying her best to wipe away the remaining tears slipping down her cheeks. "Sorry." she sniffled, noticing the wet spots on Levy's shirt. "You apologize too much, you know. Besides, its just a shirt," Levy replied, pulling the shirt off over his head. Aislinn's mind went instantly blank as she stood there, staring at him in his tight white tank top. "You're staring so you must like what you see!" Huh? What? No I'm not!" "You're a terrible liar..." "I wasn't staring! You were imagining it!" "Oh, I was, was I? Okay then, how about if I do this?" Levy quite enjoyed how Aislinn's mouth dropped open as he took off his tank top. He couldn't help but laugh. "Jackass!" she growled, mock punching him in the stomach. After a moment, however, she pulled away from him almost like she'd been burned by their skin-to-skin contact. He's not human Levy had clearly heard that thought slip though her mind. He was shocked, of course, but he pretended nothing had happened. It was suddenly obvious to him that she was closer to the truth the he'd thought possible. Perhaps he hadn't given her observational skill enough credit. "Are you afraid to touch me out in public?" Levy asked, feigning ignorance. "Everyone is staring at us, put your shirt back on," Aislinn lied, her face bright red. Sure some people were staring, but not nearly as many as she implied. "Sorry, it's just too damn hot," Levy stated, wadding his shirts up and tossing them into the nearby dumpster. Aislinn actually brought her hand up to her face in a vain attempt to hide her embarrassment. "I'm really shocked. Here I was thinking you were some angel sent from heaven, but now I realize that you might just be the devil himself!" she chided. Levy laughed long and hard over that comment. "When did I ever say that I was an angel? You're delusional. It's pretty clear that I've got the whole horns and tail thing going on, if you look close enough!" "Yeah, well, I guess I need glasses then. Maybe I didn't notice because your horns were holding up your halo..." This time she couldn't help but laugh as well and the tension between them vanished. "You'll never be able to stay angry at me, you know." "We'll see about that," she challenged. Fuck, Aislinn sure was sexy when she got feisty! Levy found it exceedingly difficult to keep himself from pouncing on her right then and whisking her away to somewhere more private. They were just about to head back to the car when levy's cell rang. If someone had needed Levy before he'd met Aislinn they'd just form a mind link. Now however, he made everyone do their best to physically call him just in case he was with her. Really, it was just because he was lazy and didn't want to have to balance talking to her while having a conversation with multiple people in his head if he didn't really need to. "Give me a sec, Love. Hey Ian, what's up?" "Where have you been all day?" Ian asked, the tone of his voice expressing his worry. "You're the second person to ask me that question in less then a week. Where do you think I've been?" "Is she doing better?" "Yeah, she's fine now. What's up?" "Sorry to cut your fun short, but there is something you really need to come see. We might have a problem on our hands." "A problem? What kind of problem?" "Can she hear me?" Levy glanced back at Aislinn, who was watching something on a massive TV in another window display. "No, but keep your voice down anyway." "There's been an attack." "What?! An attack? Did anyone get hurt?" "None of our people, but a few humans were caught up in it. Arthur is on his way now, but you should really get over here too." "Alright, I'll be on my way shortly. Make sure no one touches anything." DAMMIT! Levy cursed under his breath. It was starting to seem like the world was really set against him trying to have a nice time out with Aislinn. Every time, every fucking time, something always has to interrupt us... "Levy? Who was that? Are you okay?" Aislinn asked, concern replacing the smile on her face. "It's nothing serious. I just have to go deal with someone's complete incompetence. Looks like I'll have to take you home for now, but I promise that when I get back, I'll take you anywhere on earth that you want to go, ok?" "Yeah, I don't want to be a bother to..." "Don't ever think that you are a bother to me. I never want to hear that sentence escape your pretty little lips again, do you understand?" Levy demanded, pressing one finger against her lips to silence her. "Any time, day or night, it doesn't matter what I'm doing, if you need me, you call for me." The drive back to Aislinn's house was filled with silence. She didn't want to pry, so she didn't say anything which left Levy time to think of what he needed to do. There was no way he would leave her unprotected, but also no way in hell he could bring her with him. "I'll probably be gone for a few days, but I don't want to leave you alone. Do you mind if I call Kaia and Kayle to come spend some time with you?" "I would like that actually, but aren't they really busy?" "You've become their newest obsession, just so you know. You'll probably end up being more bothered by them than they'll be of you." "Sounds like a plan then." "Alright, I'll call them after I drop you off." They fell back into silence until they got to her door. Aislinn turned towards Levy, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "Um, thanks a lot for today, I really enjoyed myself." "Anytime you want to do something, all you have to do is ask," Levy replied, caressing her cheek. "Levy, please be careful," she pleaded, holding his hand against her cheek. Her burning skin sent a shiver through him, threatening to wake the beast inside. "Nothing can keep me from returning to you, Csitri. Nothing." Levy kissed her on the forehead, but that one kiss quickly led to another and another, each one more urgent then the last. He threatened to suffocate Aislinn with how tightly he held her against him. She knew he was struggling for control so she slowly pulled away from him. Levi, Arthur is here. Where are you? Dammit. Levy finally backed away from Aislinn, his breath ragged at he stared at her. "Aislinn, I love you!" Levy's whispered confession left her in shock. She didn't have the chance to reply before he turned around and walked down the path back to his car. Yes, things were definitely becoming more complicated. Dark Fate Ch. 05 Levy left Aislinn standing on her steps, a shocked expression on her blushing face. He loved her dearly but he still chided himself for getting so carried away. He had waited years to make himself known to her and though he wanted he wanted to court her properly, he found himself struggling more and more to keep his desires under control. Aislinn was still so unsure of his intentions. He feared that his sudden admission would make her completely withdraw from him. The tiny spark of fear that he was not an honest person still burned in the depths of her emerald eyes. The logical part of her was still trying desperately to believe he was up to no good. Levy couldn't fault her for thinking like that though, not after she'd been surrounded by people like Verona for years now. He grimaced. Just the thought of that woman left a bitter taste in his mouth. He'd lost count of just how many times he really wanted to strangle her and put her out of everyone's misery. Once he was well out of Aislinn's range of vision he pulled the car over. He sat for a long moment with his eyes closed trying to calm his mind. He'd thought his emotions would level out once he finally had Aislinn by his side but the reality was quite the opposite. They only thing he wanted to do anymore was to cuddle with her and forget the rest of the world. The world, however, was proving to be quite the attention whore. Levy sighed. For now the world was on the winning end of things so he reached out to the only people he could trust with Aislinn's safety. Kaia, Kayle, please protect Aislinn, under no circumstances are you to leave her side do you understand? You know you don't have to leave her, Levy. We can handle things here, Kayan interrupted. No, I can't Kayan. I can't think straight around her and besides, I'm not too keen on thinking about what my father might do if he found out I'd shirked my responsibilities to be with a human even if she is my mate. There was a collective sigh between them because they all knew what he'd do. He'd be absolutely furious and demand he turn her. Levy was certain that if he refused to turn her then Donovan would do it himself, something Levy simply wouldn't tolerate. It was his right as her mate to be the one to change her and he would do so without hesitation should the need arise, for now however, he was determined to let her remain human. Ian, what do you know so far? From what I can tell, it's only one vampire and by the looks of it, he's certainly not a newborn. He took out one of our two-man patrol groups and several humans who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. All clean kills with no attempts made to feed on any of the victims. Wait, I thought you said none of our people had been caught up in it? With so much blood in the air, we weren't entirely sure how many victims there were. Christian found them half hidden in one of the nearby alleys a few minutes ago. Levy sighed, pounding the steering wheel lightly with his fist. This night was just getting better and better. Only one vampire huh? That didn't make any sense. It was insane for any lone vampire to stir up trouble in Mercer territory and Levy knew of no rival clans in the world that would dare challenge them. No one wanted a repeat of the war two hundred years ago, least of all Levy, but there was also no way he would back down from any threat no matter how small it turned out to be. Tell me if you learn anything new. I'm going to meet up with Kayan. Yes sir, the preliminary report will be on your desk by this evening. This was a very dangerous situation. To be able to take out one of the patrols employed by the Mercer clan was quite an astonishing feat. It was all the proof anyone needed to take this lone vampire seriously. The thought of facing one so skilled in combat filled him with both fear and excitement. Levy sparred regularly but it had been decades since he'd been faced with a true kill-or-be-killed situation. He couldn't say with any certainty that his skills were still as good as they'd once been. Hopefully he wouldn't have to find out. He would only be required to step in should Kayan fail and no one could imagine that ever happening. The city was in full lock down by the time Levy caught up to Kayan. Every vampire who served under the Mercer clan had been called into active duty to search the city for the rogue and take him down before he could claim any more victims. The search continued for a week, but in the end, no one had been able to find any leads. Levy stood alone in his study sifting through the files that were splayed out all over his large mahogany desk. Not a damn thing that could solve their problem was in any of those files. The man was a ghost. He had simply appeared, killed people for seemingly no reason and vanished into thin air like he'd never existed. The worst thing about him was that no one could say with any certainty what he actually looked like. Not a single new piece of evidence had been found even after searching through the city with a fine-toothed comb. Damn it. The longer they had nothing new, the longer he'd be forced to stay away from Aislinn. "Ködalte!" Levy cursed loudly, swiping a majority of the files off his desk in a rage. The pages fluttered to the ground like falling leaves as silence descended upon the room again. He sighed. The situation fucking sucked and for a moment he cursed Aislinn's mortality. If she was a vampire then she could have been there with him instead of being forced to stay at arms length. He was beginning to desperately want to tell her truth but he had no idea how she would react even though she was already on the brink of figuring out everything for herself. He stalked to window to gaze out at the darkening sky. He had learned long ago that he simply couldn't make good decisions when he was so wound up. He HAD to take a break and clear his head. A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. "Come." It was Arthur with the autopsy reports and he had Ian in two. Like a light bulb being switched on Levy realized exactly what they'd have to do to push the investigation forward. Ian wouldn't like it, but they didn't have a choice. Levy had to rely on Ian's ability. "So far there is nothing but bad news. At this point in time, our search is in vain because we don't even know who we're looking for. I hate to ask this of you, Ian, but I need your particular skills to track this bastard down," Levy informed, walking back to take his seat. "I knew you'd ask, so I took the liberty of compiling these for you," Ian replied, handing Levy a manila folder. Levy hesitated. He didn't want to open the folder for fear that it would reveal the culprit as someone under his command, possibly even someone he knew firsthand. Ian's ability was that of Psychometry, the ability to see the past, present, and possible future of an object or person through touch. For situations like this one, it was an invaluable asset, but to Ian, it had been a curse for a majority of his life. Had he not found Kayle when he did, he might have been driven completely insane by it. Kayle acted like a shield for him, blocking the psychic waves of objects and people from reaching him, which allowed him to finally be able to live the mostly normal life he'd always wanted. Still though, he hadn't yet been able to overcome his aversion to touching things. After a moment he sighed and finally opened the folder. He spread the pictures contained within out on top of the other files that had managed to remain on his desk. He sat there in shock. "Is this some kind of sick joke?" He asked, studying the pictures Ian had drawn very closely. "I wish it were. The man responsible for these murders looks nearly identical to you except for the fact that he has blonde hair and silver eyes. He could be your twin," Ian replied grimly. "A twin? That's impossible. I'm an only child and my mother died when I was very young." "The one thing I've learned about my visions is that they never lie, so there must be some explanation or some ability this guy has that can trick me into seeing what he wants me to see." What the hell was He supposed to do now? How could he show those pictures to his men and not have every single one of them questioning him? The ability to project an image into the mind of another was a common ability among vampires but to have an ability that could possibly trick Ian's was unheard of. "Should I give these to the men?" Ian asked, breaking Levy out of his thoughts. "It's the only lead we have so far so we don't really have a choice. Make sure they're all fully aware that he may have some psychic abilities that allows him to blend into plain sight. Make sure that if anyone runs into him that they take him alive. I need to know just what the fuck is going on here," Levy commanded gathering the pictures up and handing them back to him. "Yes, sir," Ian said, bowing slightly before leaving the room. "You know it's always a possibility that he could be related to you. There was a lot more vampire activity going on back then as well," Arthur pointed out after Ian was gone. "The chances of that are so slim, it's damn near impossible. Anyway, what have you learned from the autopsies?" "Elemental abilities such as yours are extremely rare which is why I suggested that he may be related to you because this fellow has some means of using biological electricity to burn his victims from the inside out," Arthur explained, handing Levy the folder with his findings in it. He was no stranger to violence but the pictures contained within the folder made him stomach turn a little. "That is a rare and dangerous gift indeed. Now I can see how he took out that patrol so easily. All he needed was the element of surprise and a lucky placement of his hands," Levy murmured, studying the pictures. All the victims had one hole in the center of their chests; he'd gone straight after their hearts, burning them to cinders to make sure they were all definitely dead. So now they knew the who, and the how, but the biggest question, the why, still remained a complete mystery. What could one lone vampire hope to gain by pissing of the second largest coven in the United States? Levy ran a tight coven. Those who worked hard were always rewarded and those who fucked up were taken care of swiftly. This had earned him the reputation of being a hard-ass but it had also made the Mercer clan the second largest and strongest coven in North America. It came as no surprise that they'd have enemies, but it struck him as odd and out of place that a lone vampire would act out on his own, knowing this particular city was basically their house. Levy hadn't realized he was nodding off in his chair until Arthur rested his hand on his shoulder, making him jump. "Now you're nodding off in the middle of conversations. You need to get some rest." "I haven't been able to sleep much this week. The need to be with Aislinn is far stronger now than I ever thought it would be," Levy confided. "It's not too late to pay her a visit. Besides, I don't think she'd turn you away, no matter what time it was," Arthur replied with a mischievous grin. Levy couldn't help but smile. Arthur always had a way to cheer him up, even in the worst of situations. "If anything happens, notify me immediately." "I'm sure nothing will happen that Kayan and Ian can't handle. You really need to stop worrying so much about everyone else and go attend to your own needs for once." There really was no point in arguing with him. Torn between his duties to his clan and his overwhelming need to be with Aislinn, he was a wreck and it was starting to show. Levy grabbed his coat and headed out, deciding to walk rather than drive in his condition. The last thing he needed was to be responsible for running some poor soul over. He had no idea what time it was by the time he finally arrived at Aislinn's house, but the crescent moon was high in the sky. Levy was way beyond tired but the need to see Aislinn, to hear her voice, to feel her burning skin against his was all consuming. Really, he should have been complimented on how long he'd managed to stay away from her, on how long he'd managed to go without claiming her fully. He was vaguely aware of the twins' presence downstairs and it put him at ease. He could have told them to go home and spend some time with Ian and Kayan, but he knew they'd never leave him unguarded in his current state. Like it was the most natural thing to do, he sneaked around the back of the complex and jumped the twenty feet up to Aislinn's balcony to let himself in, something he'd done many, many times in the past few months. He found her curled up beneath her blanket, snuggling her pillow to her chest like a teddy bear. She wore her baby blue cotton pajama top only half buttoned and a pair of white underwear that didn't seem to want to stay up, revealing the top half of her cute little rear. His fatigue diminished substantially the moment he caressed her lower back, the chill of his fingers causing her to shiver and moan in protest as gooseflesh cascaded across her skin. It seemed near impossible for her to ever get any more sexy than she was in that moment; totally innocent and blissfully unaware of the world around her. Levy pulled the blanket back up and kissed her forehead before deciding to take a quick shower. He didn't want to give Aislinn a rude awakening by trying to cuddle with her when his skin was ice cold. A few minutes into his shower he heard the door creak open. He opened the curtain to ascertain who it was that would so boldly intrude on him and to his surprise and delight it was Aislinn. She looked straight at him, her eyes barely open, her mind clouded by a think layer of sleep. She didn't register at all what was going on. Despite Levy's desperate need for sleep a flood of adrenaline rushed through his system as he watched her lift her shirt up and pull her underwear down so she could relieve herself. After not being able to be with her at all for the past week it took every ounce of his control to keep himself from stepping out of the shower and taking her right there in the bathroom before she could even contemplate the idea of refusing him. Instead he reached out to caress her lower back, totally failing to contemplate the effect his wet hand would have her. She let out a loud yip as the first of several water droplets hit her skin and proceeded to slip down her backside. In an effort to escape the sudden onslaught she ended up falling completely off the toilet. The shock of seeing Levy with the curtain partially open was more then enough to keep her from being able to control her bladder. The white floor mat fell victim to her need to finish relieving herself. She growled like a furious little wild cat, her face as red as a tomato as she desperately tried to pull her underwear up. Levy couldn't help but laugh as just how incredibly cute she was. Teasing her was one of his greatest pleasures. He loved the myriad of expressions she made, especially when she was embarrassed or angry. The distinct killing aura that radiated from her engulfed him in a firestorm of need, turning his blood to liquid fire. Fuck she was so damned sexy! "Don't laugh at me you stupid jackass!" Aislinn hissed. "Well now that you've gone and made a mess all over yourself how about you come take a shower with me?" Levy snickered, reaching his hand out to help her up. He couldn't help but grin when she fell silent, her eyes growing big with embarrassed awe. It wasn't Levy's hand Aislinn was staring at but his fully erect member just a few feet from her face. "You're staring again Love!" He teased, causing her to blush deeply and turn her head to the side, her eyes downcast. "What the hell are you doing in my house..." Aislinn demanded in an angry hushed tone. "Finally got a break from the work I was doing and I absolutely had to come see you." Levy replied, stepping out of the tub. "And you thought sneaking into my house was the best way to see me?!" "I couldn't wait any longer," He admitted, gently helping her to her feet. Levy wrapped his arms around her waist when she attempted to leave the bathroom to get something to clean up the mess she'd made on the floor. "Clean it up later, I want to take a shower with you NOW." "What are you, a spoiled little child?" "Mmmm, as spoiled as you'll let me be Csitri!" "You're very irritating sometimes..." Aislinn sighed in defeat. Levy slid her pajama top over her head and took great pleasure in slowly teasing her underwear the rest of the way down her legs before leading her to the bathtub. "I don't even have to turn around to see the smile plastered on your face right now..." Aislinn complained. "Damn right I'm happy, after all, it's our first shower together." "And if you pull this kind of stunt again it's going to be our last one together." She threatened. "Has anyone ever told you just how sexy you are when you're angry, its quite a thrilling experience to be on the receiving end of you wrath!" Levy mused, trying to kiss her shoulder. "Are you a masochist? You'll be singing quite a different tune when I decide to kick you between your legs!!" She retorted. She was trying so hard to act angry but Levy knew that she was just as relieved at their reunion as he was. The past week had been total hell for him, and though Aislinn's need for him wasn't yet quite as strong for him as his was for her, he could tell she hadn't been doing too well herself. The shadows under her eyes and the tenseness of her muscles spoke of the many sleepless nights she'd contended with. "You are too tense, my love," Levy cooed, gently kneading her shoulder with is fingers. He took his time slowly working his way down her back, caressing every inch of her bare skin. Aislinn became pliant under his touch, leaning into him as he brought his hands down to gently squeeze and massage her ass. As usual her body betrayed what she really wanted. If she hadn't woken up when she did she might have been able to escape the need welling up almost violently deep inside her but she knew it was too late to escape when Levy brushed his hands against the insides of her thighs. It didn't take much effort at all before her breaths became shallow and raspy, barely audible whimpers escaping from between her bright red lips. Levy slowly trailed his hands up her abdomen, tickling and scraping her skin with his fingers until he arrived at her soft, perky breasts. He squeezed firmly then flicked one of her nipples with his thumb, illiciting a very loud erotic moan from her. The sweet sound of her voice made him physically tremble with need. "You really have no idea just how damn sexy you are." Levy whispered, rolling her nipples between his fingers as he nibbled his way down her neck to her shoulder. He loved how she blushed deeply at the sounds of her own lustful whimpers. Feeling her pulse just under the surface of her burning skin made Levy tremble again in anticipation, his erection becoming so full and painful he could barely stand it. He pressed his hips against her rear, nestling himself between her legs. The minor contact with her most sensitive place caused Aislinn's next breath to catch in her throat. "Tell me what you want," Levy commanded, pressing himself harder against her. "You," Aislinn answered, her voice barely above a whisper. "Hmmm? I can't hear you, baby. What do you want?" Levy teased, biting on her shoulder. "You, please. I want you!" she pleaded, forcing his hands down her stomach to rest just above her womanhood. Dark Fate Ch. 05 Levy slid his middle finger between her wet silky folds and took his time rubbing her until she was trembling, her legs on the verge of giving out from beneath her. He easily supported nearly her entire weight with his arm around her just below her breasts. "Tell me, Csitri, who do you belong to?" Levy asked softly, very slowly pushing his finger deeper inside her. "Y-you, I belong to you..." she whimpered. "That's right, you are mine. You cannot escape from me." Aislinn cursed herself. She made it so easy for Levy to dominate her but she was finding it impossible to escape the fire that coursed through her because of his need. "Before we go any further turn off the water," Levy commanded, relaxing his hold on her just enough so that she could bend over to reach the knobs. He seized the opportunity as she bent over to press himself inside her. Aislinn winced at the sudden pain but did her best to relax knowing that it would only be momentary. "You're a sly devil aren't you!" She chided, positioning herself better so she could use the shower knobs to support her upper body. "I can be whatever you need me to be Csitri." Levy whispered pushing farther in her, her tightness sending waves of lightning zigzagging through his body. "Ow..." It was insanely hard for Levy to stop himself to keep from hurting her. The water had rinsed away a majority of her natural lubrication causing there to be a bit more friction then she was prepared for. To distract her from the pain he began to massage her lower back and bottom as he tried again. He had to go achingly slow, a pace that sent him to the absolute brink of his control, his need boiling just beneath the surface like a volcano about to erupt. Soon her wincing was replaced by soft needy moans as she tried to match the furious pace he set. Stopping was no longer an option for Levy even if he hurt her. He wished she could see just how beautiful she was right then. The way every one of her muscles contracted each time he buried himself deep inside her. The sweet sound of her panting as she tried desperately to breathe through each invasion. Levy dug his fingers into her sides, an action that earned him one of her more erotic moans. Aislinn really was too sexy for her own good! Fuck, she smelled so damn good too! Her sweet, sweat laden scent finally pushed Levy past his control and he leaned over to nibble on her side. A little taste, that was all he wanted, just enough to satisfy the raging beast inside him fighting for dominance. When he could no longer tolerate anymore of her breathless giggles and squirming he bit down on her side. Aislinn moaned loudly in shock as the sharp pain of Levy's fangs piercing her skin pushed her over the brink into pure unadulterated pleasure. Her body shook as she felt her muscles clamp down violently around him. "Fuck..." Her legs buckled beneath her forcing Levy to support her full weight as he continued to feed. "Le-Levy!!" Aislinn's soft quivering voice pulled Levy out of the red haze that had nearly taken complete control of his mind. He rammed into her hard one last time, burying himself as deeply as he could get and locking her to him as let himself fall over the edge. Aislinn cried out again as another smaller orgasm rippled through her body. Levy groaned as waves of pleasure washed over and through him, made nearly unbearable by Aislinn's muscles clamping down again and again around him to milk him of every last drop of his essence. Such a greedy woman! Aislinn sank to her knees and began to quietly sob when Levy finally released her. Levy sat down behind her and pulled her as much into his lap as the limited space of the bathtub allowed and let her cry herself out against his chest. They sat in silence for quite some time, Aislinn's muffled sobs the only sound other then Levy's heavy breathing. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall, feeling her blood drip down his chin and neck. He knew how he must look to her but he didn't care, he was satisfied. Once Aislinn had sufficiently calmed down she stared up at Levy. To see the blood, her blood, dripping down his neck frightened her but strangely excited her as well. To know that loving her put him at such peace, that he would willingly let her see such a sight and inadvertently reveal the darkest truth about himself filled her with a happiness she hadn't know before. Levy opened his eyes when Aislinn shifted into a kneeling position in front of him, locking her eyes with his. He found no fear in her wide eyed stare, only a boundless love that made him feel overwhelmingly humble before her. Never had he actually believed that he would find her, Aislinn, his soul mate, the light to his darkness, the very reason for his existence, yet, here she was. Sensing his moment of weakness Aislinn leaned forward, rubbing her breasts against his chest as she mewed softly and began to lick and nibble at his neck. Levy froze. He knew how he looked, her blood on him, his eyes, no doubt crimson, should have made her turn away but she hadn't. "Aislinn..." Levy tried to push her away but she refused to move. It was becoming obvious what she wanted but he wasn't quite sure if she was in full control of herself. He'd seen it happen before to other couples when one was human. Eventually the human would be driven by pure instinct to become a vampire, perhaps it was this innate need to become completely his that was now driving Aislinn's behavior. Honestly, He was shocked. He'd always thought he'd be the one to try and initiate the ritual but here she was, waiting and willing. He didn't know how to proceed. If he let her do as she pleased then her mortal life would come to an end and he doubted in her current state that she was aware of everything that entailed. Aislinn made her way up Levy's neck to his chin, licking and nibbling until she came to his lips. He tried to keep his mouth shut but she was too insistent, digging her nails into his chest until he finally relented. She wasted no time in trying to bite down on his tongue to make him bleed but she was too clumsy in her heated state and to do it properly. Finally Levy gave in and bite his own tongue and let her suck on it. He allowed her to only take enough blood to form a mental bond between them before he pushed her away. Aislinn scowled, new tears burning the corners of her eyes. "Not yet, me Love," Levy whispered, wiping away the blood that dripped from the corner of her mouth with his thumb. God she was so beautiful! Levy almost changed his mind when she pouted at him. He could only shake his head no until she finally gave up with a very unhappy sigh. "Perhaps it's time we finished our shower," Levy stated softly, pushing aside her wet bangs. She sighed again and turned around to turn the water back on. Levy took his time cleaning their bodies before leading a very tired and mostly satisfied Aislinn back to her bed. She fell asleep almost instantly, a weeks worth of worry vanquished by their impromptu love making and blood sharing. Levy stayed awake just long enough to clean up the bathroom before rejoining her. If only for a short time, it was nice to be able to forget about the rest of the world and sleep with his beloved, the one woman he had waited over five hundred years to find. Dark Fate Ch. 06 Aislinn opened her eyes to find herself standing in the middle of a long dark alley. The heavy black sweatshirt she wore did nothing to protect her from the bone chilling wind that whipped through the alley. She shivered and shoved her hands into the front pocket. The dark cloudy sky was tinted a sickly red color and the rain that fell from the heavens was black and vanished just before it reached the ground. Aislinn quickly pulled her hood up to keep the disgusting substance out of her hair. As she walked out of the alley she found herself caught up in a pack of people going about their daily business. To her horror all the people bumping into her were like ghosts, semi-transparent and without faces. What the hell was this? A dream? No, a nightmare. After a few minutes of struggling she was finally able to free herself from the throng of ghost people who seemed completely unaware of her presence. A tiny bit of the fear growing in the pit of her stomach vanished when she recognized where she was, it was the same street she and Levy and taken a stroll down on their day out together. With no set destination in mind she ended up following the crowd of ghost people down the street with the hope that she'd be able to figure out why her mind had conjured up such a world, or at least find a way to jolt herself awake. Any moment now I'll wake up Aislinn kept repeating that phrase as she continued to walk down the unending road, the fear steadily growing stronger with each step she took until she was trembling. No one she'd passed so far had looked in her direction, let alone tried to harm her in any way, yet she found herself growing more and more terrified of the red tinted world filled with ghostly denizens and black rain. Her steady walk slowly turned into a jog and eventually into a full blown sprint. She glanced in every direction to find the way out but no matter what street or alley she chose to follow, she always found herself coming back to her original starting point. She finally gave up when her fear induced adrenaline rush faltered. She sank to her knees in the middle of the street, tears threatening to break free as she tried desperately to catch her breath. As she sat there, silently begging herself to wake up, she caught a glimpse of something white in the corner of her vision. Her heart skipped a beat. Who or what could that be in this world of sickly red and inky blackness? She forced herself up, her shaking legs aching in protest as she took her first tentative step in the direction of the brilliant white color. She turned the corner to see a figure dressed in white, obviously a man, walking away from her. "Levy?" Relief swept through her. She called out to him several times but he didn't acknowledge her or even look back so she had no choice but to follow him. It seemed the faster she walked after him the farther away he became until she found herself stumbling just to keep up with him. It wasn't until her legs gave out and she tripped that he turned around to face her. "Levy?" she whispered, squinting in the dim light to see his face. A shiver of dread ran through her when the figure removed his white hat and let his eyes meet hers. It wasn't Levy, no, to her surprise and utter horror, it was the man from the bathroom. He and Levy looked so much alike she actually entertained the thought that they could be twins. "Not the person you were expecting to find?" "No, why are you here?!" "Why indeed." He replied. He took a step forward and was right in front of her. He ran his hand through his blonde hair in a similar fashion to Levy. He blinked and the silver color of his eyes changed to glowing crimson, just Like Levy's had done. He smiled, his canines lengthening to long fangs, reflecting the dim light from the nearby street lamp. Aislinn bit her lip silently to protest the wave of fear that washed over her. "What? No cute little moan for me?" He asked, keeling down and reaching his hand out to touch her cheek. "Don't touch me!!" Aislinn yelled, slapping his hand away as she crawled backwards. "You're afraid of me and rightfully so, I am a monster and you see me as such but Levander, he's the same as me yet you don't see him the same light, why is that?" "Because I know Levy would never try to hurt me but you will." He laughed. Aislinn had to cover he ears to try and block out the terrifyingly sweet sound of his voice. "I am a vampire and so is Levander, it is in our nature to kill. Somewhere deep inside you, you know what he really wants, you've seen it in his eyes, eventually his blood lust will override everything else and he'll devour you to satisfy the hunger that rages inside him." "No, I don't believe you." She replied, her voice quivering slightly. "Yes, you do, you just don't want to admit that I'm right, you don't want to admit that the man you're falling in love with isn't human and it's just a matter of time before he snaps!" "Levy would NEVER hurt me, he would leave me before it ever got to that point!" Aislinn countered, though, in all honesty, she couldn't quite bring herself to believe in her own words. "Would he really? Oh I doubt that. He wants you more then anything, he craves you more then anyone he's ever known. His lust drives him to dominate you and you make it so easy for him." In the blink of an eye he forced Aislinn down on her back, using his body to pin her to the ground. She tried to struggle but he had the same unbreakable strength Levy possessed. She cried out for help but no one came, none of the shadow people passing by them even acknowledged their existence. He let her struggle until she wore herself out then he forced her hands up over her head and held them there with one hand. "I just had a splendid idea! How about I take you for myself? You are very beautiful and you smell absolutely mouth watering..." His voice no longer sounded sweet to her ears but it was still incredibly hard to resist the compulsion she heard in it. He pushed her hair out of his way and took a long deep breath in. "Stop it! Stop it! Let me go!" Aislinn commanded, trying to knee him in the groin. He easily deflected the blow then used his knee to keep her legs open. "Your feeble attempts make me want to laugh," He whispered coldly, grabbing her chin with his free hand. "S-stop...please..." She begged, tears welling up to blur her vision. He ignored her pleas as he forced her head to the side before licking down her neck. He bit down hard. The incredible pain that radiated through her body brought her screaming out of the nightmare. She sat up, bringing her hands up protectively around her throat as she struggled for breath and tears began to stream down her cheeks. Of course there was no wound and no blood but the intensity of the pain in the dream left her shaking violently. "Csitri, baby, calm down, calm down, I'm right here!" Levy's voice pierced through the veil of the nightmare still holding Aislinn in its thrall like a sword. Like a weight had been lifted off her body she felt her desperate will to fight back return along with a strength only a cornered person on the brink could possess. Her eyes snapped open and although she knew it was Levy's blue eyes that met hers, her mind, still partially trapped in the nightmare, could only see the eyes of the man who'd attacked her. She screamed blood murder as she began to punch, kick, and claw at any part of his body she could reach. After Levy's initial surprise at her erratic behavior he didn't have much of a problem holding her down until she kneed him in the groin then smacked him as hard as she could across the face. He rolled off her and right off the side the bed, landing on the floor with a loud thud. Aislinn spun off the other side of her bed to put as much distance between them as she could possibly get in the small confines of her bedroom. It took Levy a long moment before he was able to get to his knees. He tried to slip into her mind in order to calm and reassure her but she rebelled against the contact, forcing him out of her mind and slamming the door on their mental pathway like a heavy steel door. He cursed aloud in pain, placing his hands on either side of his head in an effort to diminish the pain of the mental recoil he was experiencing. A moment later the bedroom door swung open hard. The sound of the knob hitting the wall reverberated through the entire house. Kayle stood at the threshold. "Jesus Levy what is going on in here?!" "I have no idea, she was having a nightmare then she woke up and attacked me!" Levy explained nursing his busted lip with his tongue and the back of his hand. After a moment he stood up and tried slowly to close the distance between him and Aislinn but she was simply having nothing to do with him. "NO! Stay away, stay away from me!" She warned, throwing the first thing she could get her hands on at him. He easily ducked out of the way of the pillow but he stopped where he was. He held his hands up in front of him, a gesture meant to show her that he meant no harm. "Stop Levy I think its best if you go downstairs and let me handle this." Kayle said putting a hand on his shoulder. "No, Kayle," His protest was cut short when she physically forced him out into the hallway, despite the fact that he was stark naked. She shut and locked the door behind him, ignoring his continued protests. "Shhh, shhh Aislinn, its okay, it's me, it's Kayle," She soothed drawing Aislinn into her embrace like a mother would do for her child. "It's alright, it's alright now." Aislinn desperately wanted to believe Kayle's words of reassurance but her dream hadn't been just a normal nightmare. To have someone who so resembled Levy attack her like that scared the hell out of her. The worst part of it all was that she couldn't bring herself to completely deny the words he'd spoken so confidently. She felt it though, she was changed, different somehow then she had been when she'd gone to sleep the previous night. Even in her semi hysterical state she saw the world differently, slightly more vivid then she could remember it ever being before. Something important had taken place between her and Levy but at that moment she couldn't clearly recall what it was. That dream, it had felt so real, too real. It was hard for her to believe that such a dream could really be the sole creation of her subconscious trying to warn her of some imminent danger, there simply had to be more to it then that. After Kayle left it took her a very long time before she was able to pick herself up off the floor and make her way to the bathroom. She looked as bad as she felt. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and her hair was a complete mess. Her clothes...she was naked! A deep blush creeped its way up her neck as she finally recalled the events of the previous night. She wasn't sure whether to be happy or angry at Levy for sneaking into her house in the middle of the night and seducing her while she was too tired to fight back. It wasn't until she reached for her brush that she noticed the dark purple-blue bruise on her right side just below her shoulder blade. Upon closer inspection she found two puncture marks at the center of the bruise. Was that a bite mark? Aislinn's heart pounded furiously in her chest as she sank slowly to the floor, more tears burning at the corners of her eyes. That's right, she remembered now. Levy had been unable to stop himself from feeding upon her at the height of their passion. A wave of nausea washed over her. What would have happened if he hadn't been able to regain control of himself? Would he have turned her, or worse, would he have killed her? She hadn't cared then but she certainly did now. She cursed. Just when she was beginning to think she was ready to accept Levy as part of her life the world was throwing her a curve ball she had little hope of catching. She took a very long, very hot shower. Normally a shower was her ritual to relieve stress but she could find no comfort in the feel of the water on her skin, nor the warmth that it provided to her. This time the water just couldn't wash away all the doubts left behind by the nightmare. She felt it. Levy had done something to make a connection with her, one she knew she would never be able to break. She could still feel him in her mind, a whisper floating around the edges of her consciousness seeking entrance but she kept the door to her mind firmly closed. She dressed in her uniform out of habit. A pointless endeavor considering how late she probably was. She sighed. Playing hooky was quickly becoming a bad habit thanks to Levy. She walked down the stairs slowly for fear that he would be waiting for her downstairs but she couldn't feel his presence. The tiny voice in the back of her mind that assured her he was gone was right, only Kayle had remained behind. Aislinn found her in the kitchen making breakfast. "I don't usually cook so I hope its edible." Kayle said, setting a plate of food down on the table for her. Unable to speak she just sat down quietly and began to eat, finding herself surprised at just how good the food tasted. "Wow! This is really good, thank you." Kayle smiled then turned away from her to start cleaning the kitchen up a little. "Um, do you think maybe Levy is angry with me?" After a moment Kayle folded the washcloth in her hand and set it aside before turning to face Aislinn. "Levy sure is a handful isn't he?" "Heh, that's a complete understatement!" They both giggled for a moment before the conversation continued on in a much more serious note. "Levy is, a complicated person. We've known each other for years and I've seen many sides of his personality that he doesn't often show other people. His perfect life is a facade few can see through and to be quite honest with you Aislinn, he was never a very happy person, well, until he met you that is." "Me?" Kayle nodded before joining her at the table. "Money doesn't buy happiness as I'm sure you're well aware of. Levy has spent a considerable amount of time traveling the world trying to figure out what he wants from life. We were starting to worry about him until he came back for a visit and ran into you." "Me?" Aislinn repeated. "Mhm." Kayle nodded again. "I don't understand what's going on at all, I mean, one moment it felt like we were separated by this invisible wall. Now that wall has been shattered and I feel like I'm being swept up into a hurricane." Kayle smiled and took one of Aislinn's hands in hers. "You enjoy the simple things in life, and it was that quiet passion for life and doing what you love that caught his attention. I know it must be intimidating right now because Levy is coming on so strong but the truth is, he's just as unsure about everything as you are!" "Really? That doesn't seem possible." "Yeah, really. He tries to act cool and calm but in reality he's quite terrified of doing or saying something that might make you shy away from him." "I never would have thought someone like Levy could be afraid." "You should make him sit down and talk with you about your relationship, I'm sure there are things he wants to tell you but he just doesn't know how. You have the right to ask him what he truly wants Aislinn." "So, you don't think he's angry?" "No, if it's one thing I know about him it's that he could never be angry with you." Kayle smiled and squeezed her hand in reassurance before returning to her cleaning. Aislinn certainly felt relieved after their talk but the nightmare still lingered in her thoughts. She was worried that Levy had been able to catch a glimpse of her nightmare and she didn't know what he might do if he knew someone had attacked her in her dreams. She instinctively reached out for him only to draw back at the last second. She sighed. She had no choice, she had to talk to him and get everything out in the open before it was too late. "Where did Levy go anyway?" She asked, washing her plate when she was done eating. "He got called to help out at the academy just before you came downstairs." "Ah, ok, well, I need to go turn in some work so I'll meet him there and have a talk with him." "Good luck!" Kayle called out as Aislinn grabbed her backpack from beside the door and headed outside. Feeling the warmth of the late morning sun helped to further calm the chaos of her mind. She decided that even if she couldn't bring herself to tell him the details of her nightmare, she still wanted to apologize for so violently attacking him. She took her time walking to the campus, trying to think of what exactly she needed to talk to him about. What would Levy do when he learned about her doubts and suspicions? She wasn't sure if she was more afraid that he would lie to her or more afraid that he would tell her the truth. She sighed again. In the span of a two and a half weeks she'd herself caught up in a whirlwind romance with the most beautiful man she'd ever met. He was flipping her world upside down and sideways and she wasn't entirely certain he was even human. Vampire huh? Was it really possible? Aislinn brought her hand up to the place on her neck that had been pierced in the dream. It ached. The vivid memory of that terrible burning pain caused her stomach to lurch and a little bit of the courage she'd regained faltered. As she walked across the main courtyard a familiar figure caught her eye. It was Levy. He was talking to some people she didn't know. That was so like him, to make friends with any and everyone he came in contact with. Tears suddenly burned in the corners of her eyes. She didn't want to, but she feared him now, she couldn't help it. He isn't human He'll devour you It's just a matter of time before he snaps! She turned her back to him, covering her ears and closing her eyes against the incessant whispers threatening to destroy the fragile relationship that was building between them. "Aislinn!" She froze. It took a long moment for her to gather the courage she needed to turn and face him. His expression was as calm as usual but his eyes revealed what was really hiding just below the surface. Relief and concern swirled deep in the depths of his pale blue eyes along with another emotion she hadn't expected to see: pain. Had she really hurt him that much by refusing his comfort earlier? She averted her eyes, suddenly feeling very ashamed of what she'd done. Aislinn, my love, there is nothing for you to be ashamed or afraid of. Levy's soft voice echoed through her mind, caressing her gently. He sent waves of love and reassurance to her, vanquishing the nearly overwhelming fear he found there. "Aislinn look at me." "I can't, Levy, I, I'm scared, there are so many things about you I don't understand..." She whispered, ignoring the tears that broke free to slip uninhabited down her cheeks. "Aislinn," With infinite gentleness Levy took her chin in his hand and forced her to look up at him. She found it painful to stare at his beautiful face. She felt so ordinary beside him, so utterly plain and yet somehow, beyond all reasoning, she'd managed to capture his heart in the palm of her hand. "Levy, I," "Shh, you don't need to apologize Csitri, the fault lies with me for sneaking in and taking advantage of you while you were tired." "No, Levy, that's not it at all, I..." Aislinn's attempt at some kind of explanation for her earlier behavior was cut short by Verona's timely arrival. "So what, is 'this' your new little pet project?" Verona sneered totally ignoring Aislinn. "What the fuck did you just say?" Levy's gentle demeanor did a one-eighty in the blink of an eye. He was now pissed, really, really, pissed. Aislinn had never seen him angry before and this shift in his personality sent a tingle of dread along with a jolt of desire through her. Dark Fate Ch. 06 He hadn't raised his voice but Verona visibly paled. All conversation around them ground to a halt, everyone eagerly waiting to witness what might happen next. Levy, believing that Verona might snap and attack Aislinn, placed himself between them, nothing would be getting through him. While Aislinn was embarrassed to be the center of attention it also felt great to have Levy defending her so vehemently. Levy was ready and willing to kill the pedestal right out from under Verona and put her in her place and by doing so he would end her nightmarish reign of torment. For the first time since approaching them Verona looked directly at Aislinn, the fear in her eyes quickly replaced by an overwhelming and all consuming hatred. "You little slut, what did you do to trick Levy into paying attention to you?" Knowing that Levy was on the verge of strangling Verona, Aislinn stepped around him to stand eye to eye with Verona. With Levy at her back the fear she'd once had for the repercussions against Verona vanished. Without warning Aislinn drew her fist back and punched Verona squarely in the face, putting as much of her pent up rage into her swing as she could. Her hand would hurt like hell later but in the end it would be worth it. Verona fell backwards, her nose starting to bleed profusely. "Your jealousy is really unflattering Verona, it makes you look so ugly. I'm not like you Verona, I don't have to lower myself to the level of a whore to get what I want!" "WHY YOU LITTLE BITCH!!!" Levy tried to step in front of Aislinn to protect her but she pushed him away. This was her fight and she was determined to win it using her own strength. It was sad just how easy it was to dodge Verona's enraged head on assault. As Aislinn side stepped her, she stuck out her food just enough to trip her. Verona went flying forward into the nearby trash bin, toppling over it and spilling garbage all over on the ground around her. In a sudden show of support, those who had gathered around them started clapping for Aislinn while jeering and laughing at Verona. Though the tables were now turned and Aislinn was the victor she couldn't help feeling a twinge of sadness for Verona. Thanks to Verona, Aislinn knew well the pain of being mocked and laughed at and now Verona would experience that same devastating isolation. "Abandon this unfounded hatred you have Verona. Leave Aislinn alone or you will regret it!" Levy threatened before taking Aislinn's hand and leading her through the crowd that parted to let them through. Aislinn had long dreamed of this moment but her victory felt empty and hollow. It all seemed like such a waste and knowing that no one would stick around to help Verona made her feel a little bit guilty. After a few minutes the adrenaline pumping through her body began to taper off and pain reared its ugly head. It didn't take long before it became near unbearable. She tried her best to ignore it and keep up the facade of invulnerability in front of everyone but as soon as they were inside the nearest building she dropped to her knees, nursing her hand against her chest, tears blurring her vision. Levy had her up in his arms in an instant, merging his mind with hers so he could block out the pain as he took her to the infirmary. He was a man of many talents but unfortunately healing wasn't one of them. Aislinn snuggled her head against Levy's chest expecting to be comforted by the sound of his heartbeat but after a long moment it dawned on her that he had none. Until today, until that nightmare, she'd been able to ignore all the weird or unsettling things she'd noticed about him but now she just couldn't lie to herself anymore, she finally believed that he truly was a vampire. She asked herself the same question she'd been asking herself a lot lately, what the hell had she gotten herself into?! Dark Fate Ch. 07 "You're really a vampire?!" Levy came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the hallway. He was shocked to say the least, he'd certainly never expected a turn of events such as this. He closed his eyes and stood motionless for a long moment as he deliberated on what he should do. This was it then, the moment he'd feared yet longed for had finally arrived. He set Aislinn back down on her own feet and led her to the nearest unoccupied classroom. He glanced down the hall in both directions before he closed and locked the door behind them. Aislinn's heart began to beat furiously when she heard the click of the lock. Silence reigned as Levy stood with his back turned to her. She really hoped she hadn't upset him with her thoughtless question. She'd barely caught a glimpse of his anger during her fight with Verona and she never wanted to be on the receiving end of it herself. She let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding in when he finally turned to look at her, his expression one of relief not anger. He ran both his hands through his hair before shoving them into his pockets, he was nervous and it set her more at ease to know that she wasn't the only one unsure of what might happen in the next couple of minutes. Deafening silence continued between them. Levy wasn't sure how to answer Aislinn and he knew she wouldn't be able to ask the question again. Time seemed to cease as they stood there staring at each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Levy was the first to give in, answering her question the only way he could, straight and to the point. "Yes Aislinn I'm a vampire!" Though she wasn't particularly shocked by this news her hand instinctively found its way up to unconsciously guard her throat. She swallowed and dropped her hand when Levy narrowed his eyes at her but then shook his head. "It's natural for you to fear me, I'm a predator but I won't hurt you Aislinn." "Vampire huh? It doesn't seem real!" Levy shrugged. "I am what I am and I can't change that no matter how much I wish to. You know, I look exactly the same as I did five hundred years ago, I haven't changed in the slightest, you'd think I'd be used to it by now but I'm not." "Do you hate what you are?" "Of course I do, my existence is unnatural and no matter how long I live it never gets any easier watching the people I care about age and die." Levy replied, his expression turning forlorn as his mind trailed to the past for a brief moment. Levy suddenly looked incredibly fragile, he wasn't as tall and somehow not nearly as strong as he'd appeared only a few minutes ago. His pitch black hair contrasting his super pale skin made him stick out like a sore thumb and the dark circles under his eyes that Aislinn had somehow never noticed before made him look very tired. It was as though his carefully maintained glamour spell had shattered and she was seeing him as he truly was for the first time. Kayle's words about him traveling the world took on a whole new meaning. Five hundred years was a very long time to be wondering around, alone and tortured over what he was. His suffering tore at her heart and brought tears to her eyes, she yearned to help him find some measure of peace but what could someone as inexperienced in life as she was do to help him? "Levy, what am I to you? What do you want from me?" "Isn't it obvious what I want? I want you!" Aislinn blushed, she'd dreamed of this moment for so long but it felt so surreal she thought she might still be dreaming if not for the dull pain in her hand. She took a deep breath to help calm herself. What kind of life could an immortal hope to have with a mortal? Levy existed outside of death but her life would pass by in the blink of an eye so what would happen to him after she died? "I want to be with you Levy but I'm mortal, what will happen to you after I die?" "Die? No Aislinn, you won't die, I won't let you!" Levy said, matter-of-factly. "Won't let me die? Do you intend to turn me into a vampire? "When the time is right, yes, but only if that is what you wish for. If you wish to live and die as a human then I will stay by your side and when you die then I will follow you into death." "Follow me into death? Why on earth would you do that?" "Don't you get it yet Aislinn? You are very special to me, you're my Lifemate!" Aislinn froze. Lifemate? Did Levy really just use that word?! It was a word she'd only ever come across in her paranormal romance novels and while it had a similar meaning as Soul mate it was different. It was a term used only by immortals and it referred to the one person they were fated to love and be with for all eternity. Levy was claiming her as his eternal bride! Wide-eyed, she could only stare at him in disbelief. Impossible, this couldn't be happening, this kind of thing just didn't happen in the real world! "This is some kind of joke right?" "This is no joke Aislinn, I would never lie about something so important, you alone are my Lifemate and whether you like it or not, from this moment on, I refuse to continue living without you!" Shock left her feeling weak and dizzy. What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to say? He would expect an answer, maybe not now but soon, but how was she supposed to answer an immortal vampire claiming her as his Lifemate? Aislinn sank to the ground, hot tears slipping uninhabited down her cheeks. A knock on the door interrupted them. It was Ian. No surprise there. Kayan must have seen this event in one of his visions and prepared for it beforehand. Levy opened his mouth to complain but stopped short. He couldn't find fault with Kayan for not telling him anything, especially when he'd proven time and time again to always have Levy's best interests in mind. "Daven is on his way here." Ian informed them upon entering the room. "Words spreads fast, how much time?" "Half hour max." Ian replied. Levy ran his hand through his hair as he glanced back towards Aislinn. He wasn't about to bring her with him and subject her fragile psyche to Daven's abuse and threats but he also couldn't let her remain on the campus. No doubt Daven's men were already scouring every nook and cranny for her and the moment they realized that she wasn't on the campus they'd immediately go to her house. He quickly decided that their only option was to take her to his estate. Aislinn was unresponsive when Levy knelt in front of her. When she didn't respond to his voice he snapped his fingers in front of her face to get her attention. "Huh?" "Can you stand?" Levy asked, holding his hand out to her. She nodded and he helped her up, supporting her with his arm around her waist. "What's going on?" Aislinn asked, trying to wipe tears away. "Aislinn, Love, I need you to go with Ian, he's going to take you to my estate where you'll be safe." "What? Why?" "Verona's father, Daven, is on his way here now, I'll deal with him while you get the medical attention you need." Levy hushed her with his finger over her mouth before she could even think to protest. "Just this once do as I ask and everything will be fine, I promise." They stared at each other for a long moment before Aislinn sighed in defeat. Once Levy was set on a course of action nothing anyone said would dissuade him from his chosen path, all she could do was trust that he knew what he was doing. "Fine." "Good girl, don't worry, this won't take long." Levy assured her, kissing her on her forehead before guiding her towards Ian. "Please be careful Levy." "Always." Halfway down the hallway Aislinn glanced back to the classroom but Levy was gone. She instinctively reached out for him and while he accepted her touch on the surface he didn't let her into his mind, he didn't want her to experience whatever he was about to go through. His attempt to protect her only made her worry even more. What kind of man was Daven Castella? How far would Levy be forced to go to protect her from him? Levy had claimed her as his lifemate which meant that he was willing to die for her and while she didn't believe things with the Castella's would ever turn out that bad, the idea that he would sacrifice himself for her didn't sit well with her at all. She found it strange that despite how little time they'd actually spent together up to this point she felt more connected to him then any other person she'd ever known. Arthur Escott, head physician of the academy, met them in the private garage and helped Aislinn into the backseat of Ian's black Cadillac Escalade. It made sense that just about everyone Levy associated with would be vampires but it came as quick a surprise to learn that Arthur, a gentle endearing old man, was also one and on top of that he also had a supernatural healing ability to boot. He healed her hand, which she had ended up fracturing, but still suggested that she wear a brace for a week or two just to be on the safe side. Somehow he managed to entice her into a conversation about vampires and she ended up with a crash course on Vampire fact vs. fiction. Vampires were indeed undead creatures but they weren't soulless monsters that burned up in the sunlight. Silver, holy water, and crosses had no effect on them and they had reflections just like everything else. The one thing the myths did get right however was their need to consume the blood of the living, whether it be human or animal, for sustenance. The conversation waned just as they were driving through the tall wrought iron gates of Levy's estate. She looked out the window in awe at the vast lawn dotted with ancient looking willow trees, manicured hedges, and gorgeous marble statues and fountains. As expected, Levy's house was beautiful, a three story blue stone mansion with blue marble steps leading up to two large mahogany doors. Just how many rooms were there? She counted fourteen large windows just on the front side. Levy's obvious wealth irked her a little, it was just so unfair for one person to have so much while so many had so little. She hesitantly followed Ian and Arthur inside. She'd never been in a mansion before but now she would staying here, at least until the matter with the Castella's was resolved. Arthur took it upon himself to give her a brief tour and history of the estate before leading her to a small comfortable living area where she could relax and wait for Levy. Fatigued from the days events she ends up dozing off on the couch. Once he was certain that Aislinn was off the campus Levy leisurely made his way to the Headmaster's office. He secretly enjoyed pissing people off he didn't like and he didn't actually like that many people. He had enough patience to get along with most anyone but right now the Castella's were his number one enemy. Daven Castella stood at the window, an unlit pipe sticking out of his mouth. He was a short bald rotund man with a huge mustache that curled at the ends. Levy wondered if he was trying to emulate the businessmen of the wild west, if he was then he was doing a piss poor job of it. "To what do I owe this fine visit Mr. Castella?" Levy asked. He didn't bother taking a seat, using his height to quietly intimidate the much shorter man. "Don't play dumb with me Mercer, you know exactly why I'm here, I demand that you bring the person responsible for attacking my daughter here this instant, I fully intend to file criminal charges against her!" Levy studied Daven for a long moment. Such an arrogant fool, posturing pridefully like he was the most important man in the world. For a moment Levy thought about breaking his neck. They could easily make his death look like a car accident or something and no one would ever know and if they did, they wouldn't for long. "And if I refuse?" "Refuse? You would condone such uncouth behavior? She is a stain on this institution and I demand that she be expelled immediately!" It was then that Levy walked past him. He wanted to smile when he noticed Daven take a step back in unconscious fear but he kept his face a serene mask. After taking a seat at the large black oak desk he opened one of the locked drawers and withdrew a large manilla folder which he unceremoniously dropped on the desktop. The loud thwack of the folder echoing through the quiet room made Daven take another small step backwards. Levy motioned Daven to step forward and inspect the contents of the folder. Inside was every incident report Levy had been able to find and in every report Verona was listed as the aggressor. Not once had she ever been the victim, well, not until today. "You have some nerve coming here and expecting me to hand over an innocent woman. Your daughter has tormented and abused her classmates and teachers for years while you and the former Headmaster turned a blind eye but all that ends right here and now." Daven looked up from the folder, his dark brown eyes locking with Levy's icy gray ones. "Are you trying to threaten me with something?" "It's no threat Daven, you and your family are no longer welcome on this campus!" "Ha! Do you have any idea who you're dealing with? You have no power here even if you are Donovan's son, run along little pup and let me speak to someone who can actually handle this matter in a suitable manner!" Daven snickered, shooing Levy away with his hand. Levy smiled but his eyes remained the same merciless gray. "My father, who is currently in Europe, has left me in charge of all our dealings here in the states so yes actually, I do have the power to do whatever I want but if you don't believe me then why not give Donovan a call and find out for yourself!" Levy informed him, pulling out his cell to quickly dialing a number. Fear edged into Daven's dismissive expression. While he was, in truth, wary of Levy, he was downright terrified of Donovan. No one went up against Donovan and made it out unscathed, or even alive for that matter. He'd never met a more ruthless man. "Go ahead, it's ringing now and my father doesn't like to be kept waiting, especially since it must be very late where he is right now." Daven hesitated before taking the phone from Levy's outstretched hand. It was indeed ringing and after a long moment it connected. "H-hello?" "Super Mario's Pizzeria, this is Shaun, what would you like to order?" Daven's expression twisted into one of pure rage. His face turned bright red, he really looked like he was about to explode. He cursed, slamming the phone so hard against the floor that it audibly cracked. Not satisfied with just that he proceeded to stomp on it until there was no chance Levy would ever be able to repair it. "You little asshole, do you think this is a joke?! You may be Donovan's son but I am Daven Castella. I will not be toyed with nor will I be threatened, I will make you regret treating me in such a lowly manner!!" Daven erupted, frothing at the mouth. Before Levy could say anything else Daven spun on his heel and marched out of the office, slamming the door hard on his way out. "Well, that went well!" Levy joked sarcastically to himself as he leaned back in his chair. It was obvious now just how far the Castella's had fallen. Their wealth had corrupted them, making them arrogant and foolish and giving them a false sense of security. They had long forgotten their duty to the people but more importantly, they had forgotten just who they owed all their wealth and power to in the first place. Had it not been for the Mercer's help the Castella's would never have been able to succeed and flourish as they had. Now it was time to take back what they had invested and rid Aislinn of a serious threat at the same time. Levy stretched before standing up and walking to the window. The fresh warm air that greeted him when he opened the window reminded him of the day his life had changed forever. He had traveled all over the world after the war trying to find his way back into the light but it didn't matter who he was with, or what he was doing, the world had no color and all the food, even blood, had lost its taste. Back then he'd existed as hardly more then a shadow of his former self. The hope that he would still be able to find the one person destined to be with him had slowly faded over those long years. When he could bear the loneliness no longer he had returned to Boston to ask for the unthinkable: his death. He had tried many, many times to kill himself but he had always stopped at the last second. He still wondered sometimes if that made him a coward or not? Of course Donovan knew Levy's reason for returning. Not wanting to lose his son and heir he tried every trick in the book to keep Levy so busy that he didn't have time to think about ending his life. Of course Levy eventually caught on to his father's scheme so Donovan had asked for one last thing, one final family outing to the Boston Aquarium. Levy had no interest in fish but he went and followed his family around until he was absolutely bored out of his mind. Of course his family and close friends were very dear to him but even his love towards them had become muted over the years, the memories of happier times with them no longer enough to sustain him. He was utterly hopeless. With so many people around it had been easy for him to slip away and roam around on his own until he found himself outside on the docks. It was the first real warm day of spring but most of the people that passed him were still wearing light jackets or sweatshirts. The sweet sound of her laughter echoing through the air hit him like a physical blow. The world around him pitched and spun like he was on the biggest drug trip of his life. His dull gray world was suddenly brilliant again, blinding in its intensity. In his fumbling around to steady himself he'd ended up tripping over his own feet and tumbling off the dock into the water. His next memory was that of looking up into his savior's eyes, the most brilliant green eyes he'd ever seen. Before he could get the girls name or even thank her for pulling him from the water Donovan was there pulling him away. No doubt the authorities had been contacted but they couldn't let human paramedics examine him and discover their secret. The next couple of days had been spent in a bewildered daze. He was overjoyed that he'd finally found her, his Lifemate! Thanks to their extensive information and surveillance network it had taken him less then a day to learn the identity of the girl who'd rescued him: Aislinn Koralee. Seven years had passed since then. Seven years of watching and waiting. Unbeknownst to Aislinn it was because of Levy that she'd gained entrance to Mercer Academy. As his mate she both deserved and needed the best education. It was also to keep her safe since he couldn't personally watch over her everyday. He stretched again. Things weren't going quite according to plan but at least Aislinn now knew the truth even if she couldn't fully comprehend or believe it. He would have to properly explain everything to her later when she was calm and there was no chance they'd be interrupted. In some ways this upheaval of the status quo was fortuitous. Not only had it allowed him to finally tell Aislinn the truth but it also gave him a perfectly logical reason to move her to his estate where they would be protected night and day by an unseen army of vampires. Kayan joined him on his way to the parking garage. Levy didn't bother to ask him why he hadn't said anything beforehand. Kayan usually only interfered when doing so would likely change the outcome for the better and as far as either of them were concerned this was the best outcome Levy could have hoped for.