Anders laid on his back, swallowed up by my king-sized bed. His chest rose and fell silently; shallow. His eyes remained closed.

  The sliding glass doors were boarded up, the edges sealed to keep out the cold. The wood was stained with ancient symbols, drawn in my own blood. The walls around the room and adjacent office had similar markings. Nothing would touch him again, so long as I lived.

  His body was healed, but he still slept, as if in a coma. His soul was weak. I could feel his spirit fighting deep inside, but there’s nothing more I can do, but wait. I'd never felt so helpless, in all my centuries. Why would he push himself like that? We were right there. I should have stopped him…

  A knock on the heavy wooden doors behind me snapped my mind back to reality. I cleared my throat, closed the dividing doors that hid my beloved, and turned my back on the bedroom.

  “Come in.” I called. The door creaked as it pulled inward. The succubus, Raven, hesitantly leans through the door. I recognized her as Lilith's Old World informant from Greece. The sight of her did little to improve my mood.

  “Uh, hey… There’s a, uh, guy here to see you. Says he wants to help, or something.” She says nervously. Now, outside of her domain, and weakened from giving her powers to Lilith during the battle, she wasn't as suave as when we first met.

  "A guy? What kind of ""? Are we letting more enemies in the house?" I snapped. Raven bit her bottom lip and just stared at me.

  "I'm sorry, I'm not myself." I sighed. "Please, send whoever it is in."

  Raven smiled sadly, nodded and turned away from the door to gather our guest. Lilith had also been out of commission since the battle, but not so much as Anders. I had agreed to deal with her portion of Old World affairs until she was rested. A man stepped through the doorway in Raven's place. He was tall, with long black hair neatly slicked back out of his face. It almost looked like a wig. He was dressed in a pristine black suit, perfectly fitted to his lithe form. His skin was ghastly pale, and eyes glowed a deep red. There was no trace of life in his aura.

  “Good evening, my lady.” He folded a long arm over his chest and bowed deeply.

  “You have quite some nerve to stand before me, vampire.” I sneered. I should have cut him down where he stood, but we couldn’t withstand another attack if his clan were to retaliate. They must know that. Like blood in the water.

  “My, my… I had hoped we could put our differences aside. What, with the recent… events.” His eyes scanned the room. They missed nothing. He inhaled deeply.

  “You have a human here? How unusual.” His grin seemed to cut too wide into his face. My sword appeared in my outstretched arm, flames licking the air between us.

  “State your business, or get out of my sight.” I growled. The suave vampire pouted and held his hands up, palms out.

  “My apologies. I did not mean to upset you. I am here to offer an alliance.”

  Okay, I wasn’t expecting that.

  “Alliance?” I whispered, the word bitter on my tongue.

  “Yes. Please, may we sit?” He gestured to the desk across the room. I took a deep breath to compose myself. The sword faded. The vampire’s shoulders relaxed. He moved to one of the chairs in front of the desk and waited patiently, so I sat in the big chair across from him.

  “My name is Dimitri. I am one of the Elders of the Mikhailov Clan. As you may know, there are several other vampire factions on this continent. We pride ourselves on our refinement, our class, and our... progressive disposition.” He flashed a charming smile. I couldn’t help but focus on his elongated fangs. I humored him.

  “And what disposition is that?”

  “Why, we do not feed on humans, of course. With our considerable wealth, we have invested in synthetic alternatives to satiate our... more base needs. We believe in co-existing peacefully with the day-walkers.”

  “You don’t feed on human blood.” I repeated, skeptical.

  “Correct.” He nodded, smiling again.

  “If you’re such an important member, why take the risk of coming here? As an Elder vampire, I’m sure you knew what I was before you arrived.” My own grin spreading.

  Dimitri pursed his pale lips, “Indeed, I am familiar with you. We’ve met in the past, though I doubt you’d remember.”

  I don’t.

  “It was nearly a thousand years ago now. You single-handedly cut a swath through my army, if I recall.”

  I couldn’t resist the smirk that cracked through my serious mask.

  “If that is so, you must have a good reason to seek an alliance with me now.” I did remember him. He had been a warlord in East Europe, leading considerable forces. I had heard that Vlad Tepes had sired him, himself.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  He chuckled and nodded, “Indeed, we do. It has come to my attention that your humble abode here has been ransacked. I happen to know by who, and better yet; I know who he is working for.”

  “We already know that Eris is behind this.” I said, shaking my head.

  “It is na?ve to think she works alone.” Dimitri smiled, looking out from under his brow, his eyes glinting. I hesitated. Who would she be working ?

  “What is it you want in return?” I sighed, crossing my arms on the desk.

  Dimitri spread his arms in a dramatic gesture, “A new home. It has gotten too… crowded in the city, with the young vampires of the other clans tarnishing our good name, and the like. It will be mutually beneficial, you see. The grounds will be protected through the night, and more. I can promise that they will not find this place a second time.”

  I knew I was going to regret this. But Lilith would be sour for months if I turned aside such a powerful ally, especially after the attack on the Manor. Dimitri of Clan whatever was smart to come to us now.

  "If I see so much as a mark on the necks of anyone here, especially the children." I growled out. Dimitri feinted hurt and then smiled.

  "So we have an agreement then?" He asked. I nodded reluctantly.

  His pale face lit up, “Splendid! I shall make the arrangements right away.”

  I was definitely going to regret this.

  The moment the vampire Elder had left, another looming figure filled my doorway. To my relief, it was the one I hoped to see.

  “Aelric, please, come in.” The scruffy giant of a man moved to the center of the room, and bowed his head.

  “My lady, you called for me?”

  “Please, there’s no need to be formal.” I smiled. “I have a favor to ask of you. I need to go back to the Cathedral. Would you stay here and watch over Anders for me?”

  “I would be honored.” The giant nodded, his stoic expression never changing.

  “Great. I’ll be back soon.” I summoned my harp.

  ~*~

  The Cathedral was too quiet when I arrived. I sensed seven people nearby. That couldn’t be right. There should be several more. I followed the distinct presence of Auria and found her in the Library. Hector was sitting at one of the large tables. Astra and Auria played with dolls on the floor, while Tadashi stood nearby, his almond eyes fixed on the children. I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Hello.” I called from the door.

  “Mommy!” Auria leapt up and ran right into my legs. Tadashi looked up and his eyebrows raised. He bowed deeply and I did the same.

  “Tadashi, thank you for keeping an eye on them.” I glanced over at Hector. He hadn’t moved or even acknowledged that I had arrived. “Have the others gone on a mission?”

  "No. Many of the Chosen are missing and the others have gone looking." He said quietly. He seemed uncomfortable, like something was missing.

  “I see…” I sighed, taking Auria by the hand. “Come on, honey. Mommy’s gotta have a word with Andrea.”

  She was in the Rec Room, with Amelia and Orion when I found her. There was a heavy silence in the air when we walked in. No one spoke. Auria slipped out of my grasp and ran over to Orion, seated on the couch next to Amelia. He was bent over, elbows propped up on his knees, hands covering his face. Amelia was curled into a ball, staring at nothing. Andrea leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and brow furrowed. They all looked like they had received bad news.

  “What’s wrong, Ori?” Auria asked, her little hand gently resting on his arm. The boy raised his head to look at her, his voice cracked. “Everyone is gone… Erik took off, Anders isn't back. Ethan left to find Erik. Kalysta and Dyson are missing…” He buried his face again and mumbled, “This is all my fault.”

  “The choices of your teammates are not your responsibility, Orion.” I tried to sound reassuring. Anders was going to be furious when he woke up. he woke up “We will find them. Where is Chase?”

  Andrea shook her head, “Gone. Left before you woke up last time. Didn’t say where he was going, and I didn’t ask.” She scoffed. I supposed two decades has not cooled her temper.

  “Gone?” I gulped. The young ones running off doesn’t worry me nearly as much as the sound of Chase being missing. Anders had been keeping him here, where he could watch him, making sure that the Progenitors eyes weren't on him.

  “What are we gonna do?” Orion’s hazel eyes begged for answers.

  “I will take care of it.” I promised, even though I couldn't be sure. It was painful to see Orion like this. Of all the Chosen Anders had looked after, Orion had always been optimistic. Plucky even.

  “We cannot alert the rest of the Order. If they find out we lost even one Chosen…” Andrea’s face drained of color as she spoke.

  I nod, “You’re right, but I don’t answer to them. You will remain here, and resume business as normal. I will send our best to track them down.”

  “We should go too! It’s our fault they’re gone!” Orion gestured from the couch. Amelia blinked at him. She looked… lost?

  “No. Absolutely not. The three of you are not to leave this building.” I snapped, very motherly. “I don’t want to have to search for you too.”

  I’m a little relieved Anders is still asleep. “Auria, come. We have to go home now.”

  Auria frowned, “But Mommy, I wanna stay here.”

  “We’re going to see daddy. Don’t you want to see daddy?” I bribed.

  Auria bit the inside of her cheek, and nodded slowly.

  "Speaking of, where is Anders? Is he coming back soon?" Orion asked, suddenly lighting up. I watched that light extinguish as I told them what had happened at the Manor.

  "Is he going to get better?" Amelia asked, hanging over the edge of the couch, tears in her eyes.

  "I can't be sure yet. He's healthy enough. But I don't know when he'll wake up." I told her honestly. "If he even does at all. In all my years of life, I have not seen such a feat of magic from a mere human."

  Calling Anders a mere human hurt, but that was what he was. Just a man.

  A man that I loved dearly, and wanted back more than anything in the world.