Chapter 38 - Beast of New Orleans

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'Camilla and her sister, Lillian Lewis, had a certain royal air about them. Very well mannered and kind even if her sister didn't look it. I had an encounter or two with Camilla in the local coffeehouse two blocks off the institute and there was some mutual attraction. Later it turned out it wasn't only between Camilla and I, but between my older brother Iden and Lillian as well. Because of our upbringing and etiquette, we asked the ladies to court them and they accepted.

Iden and Lillian were engaged to wed a month after I took Camilla as my wife. In a strange turn of events Camilla learned of my secret and like you, wasn't afraid. Instead she traded my secret for one of her own: immortality. I was right in describing the royal air as it turned out they were originally from Egypt; daughters of the last Pharaoh before the dynasty fell. Isis and Nefertiri were their names. When they left Egypt, they changed their names to protect themselves. Isis became Lillian and Nefertiri changed to Camilla. Since Iden was in the same situation as me, Camilla did not mind me telling this to him. Lillian, however, threw a fit at her. Camilla was all about trust and loyalty, which she now had to both Lillian and me. She would never be true to herself if she had kept something this important from me and she told Lillian this. Lillian left in a rage and cut all contact for almost a month, but seeing as they only had each other, she cooled off eventually and returned to the arms of my brother.

Another three months after that, Iden and I were to leave for business to a neighboring town. Camilla, as kindhearted and loving as she was, had offered herself to me to feed, so that I would not have to leave her alone that night to go hunt or get the urge and lose myself on the trip. We never told anyone of our arrangement, but I suspect Lillian knew. She treated her differently and always voiced her disappointment. Camilla and I developed a stronger connection because of the feeding. We grew closer… both physically and emotionally. Even my feeding had developed a new routine; I would feed from her one day and let her rest for a week to replenish what I took. I never took much from her; always stopped before she got dizzy.

She was happy; we were happy… but Lillian's disappointment got to her slowly. Camilla started getting depressed whenever she was alone. I asked her about it, but she denied it. For a moment I thought that maybe I was imagining it, because whenever I was there, the depression disappeared like snow in front of the sun… The day Iden and I left she waved us off with a smile on her face', Raven smiled and then sighed, '… that morning was the last time I saw that smile… We returned home late that night and I found her lying on our living-room floor- Immortality means you'll live forever; you can't die… yet there she was; the life gone from her body. My marks, in healing process, still on the small of her neck… The one that I had promised to spend all eternity with… gone! I lost it!

My mind was lost to reason and every bit of restraint was thrown out the window. Like a caged lion set loose on his tormenters; that's close to what I felt and my actions that night earned me the title of the Beast of New Orleans'

'The massacre', Julie whispered, 'But I found an article that said your family was killed… did you?'

'Never, I would not hurt the one group that knew how I felt; that knew me… the real me! That article was a month after Camilla's death. Like me Lillian lost it completely. My half-healed marks on her sisters neck drove her into thinking I had killed her; a vampire. The idea seems absurd now considering she's still alive. She would never admit it, but I knew she let Iden bite her once in a while. It's kind of like a drug. If you've felt it once, you'll want to again…

Well, she started gathering a few seasoned hunters and took revenge on my family- the mortal one. My mother's family had moved to the new world and we were still getting acquainted with them. Lillian knew of our last surviving bloodline and she killed all of them. For her sister, one person, she took out my entire family. The people of New Orleans thought it was the Beast that killed the O'Connor family because it happened shortly after what I did. We joined a immigrating group and put yet another home behind us. They never knew who the killer was nor the Beast…

The people she gathered were the first vampire-hunters and it's quite ironic that they keep us from killing humans, when their first kill were exactly that; humans. My family was an easy target, but we brothers, shared in the ritual, were different; we had a lifespan close to Lillian's.

She regrouped to almost a dozen to take us on and kept following us. They dropped one by one, yet we were still standing. Lillian fought Iden, her once fiancé, for almost 30 consistent days… to no prevail. Lillian, the immortal, couldn't be killed and Iden, leader of the clan, could not be killed by any weapon ever made. They hit a wall during that fight. Lillian refused to believe it; she had taken her eye-for-an-eye more than three times over and yet now when she could take real revenge for her sister, she couldn't kill him… couldn't kill me…

Lillian may have agreed to the terms of the treaty, but she would never stop searching for a way to kill us. I could see it in her eyes that day on the field; a silent promise… All these years she's been practically waiting for us to step out of line… but that is all that I can tell you for now'

The girls all had mixed feelings over what they just heard. Raven wasn't just a vampire, he was one of the big boys and there was a huntress out there gunning for his head. HE was the Beast of New Orleans Julie read about, but it was an act of grievance for his dead wife? It's understandable for someone to shut themselves off after losing a loved one, but did that make it right? What he did to all those innocent people?

'Do I feel remorse for what I have done? No, I do not', Raven said as if able to read their minds, 'Could I do it again? Yes, without even blinking. The person I was before I met Camilla, died with her'

Marina smiled at those words. 'No he didn't… I've seen him…' Raven turned and looked at her, 'Then you're one of the lucky few'

'So there's more then; that you're not telling us?'

'Yes, quite a lot more. Do you tell everything about yourself? No, I did not think so!'

'You said you knew our grandmother…'

'Ah, that. It was six months after we had left New Orleans that I met her on the Titanic. I instantly liked her feistiness, which I noticed she still has. There was something about her that stayed with me even after I had rescued her and her sister Anne-Marie from the sinking'

'Rescued? Sure, now I believe you. You are just saying that to get back on our good side'

'I just told you that I wouldn't even think twice in killing that many people again and I would lie, because I'm worried about staying on your good side?'

'No, not ours… Marina's!'

Raven lifted his eyebrows and slowly nodded, 'Touché! However, I hardly ever lie Julie. You can ask Rosalie'

'We will, be sure of that!'

'This war between you and the hunters', Marina cut in, ignoring the small war in her room, 'How active is it?'

'It was simmering until last night. Right now, if what I felt was correct, I'd say it's about to become a lot worse'. 'What do you mean?'

'Vampires are as you know, or don't know, only male. A female is forbidden. Because of her rarity she is automatically promoted to queen. A queen is very high maintenance because she feeds on humans and vampires. She prefers the latter, so when a fledgling nearly made us extinct with her uncontrolled feeding my brother Iden forbade it altogether… what I felt last night, was a new one in transition'

'There's a vampire-queen walking around?!', Jane's eyes grew wide.

'No, the transition wasn't completed; I can't sense her anymore. However it was serious enough to have woken up Iden'

'…the man from the tomb…', Jane whispered thinking back on her premonition this morning.

'I didn't mention him being in a tomb-- You saw it?', Raven asked and then smiled figuring out the twins' magic. 'The gift of foresight, I take it. Since you figured out my past, Julie, you must be a past-dweller. Time magic; quite rare in itself'

When Julie squinted her eyes at him, he knew he had hit it right on. 'What did you see Jane?'

'There was a redheaded woman lying on a bed. She seemed…'

'Dead. That would explain why I can't sense her anymore. Go on!'

'Just open ocean, a tomb and someone getting out of it. I woke up after that'

'I didn't know you had that premonition Jane', Julie frowned, 'When?'

'This morning before I read your messages'

'You need to embrace your gift Jane. Iden has been awake since last night, so your premonition is late. Has that ever happened before?', Raven asked.

'No, it hasn't… our magic is slow, but never late,' Julie answered and then it hit her. 'Could it be because of the b-.'

'Wait, it has!', Jane quickly lied and stared Julie in the eyes to keep quiet, 'I remember it happening once, a long time ago when we were children, remember Jules, in our old home?'

'Oh, right, sorry, I had forgotten about that. Yeah, it happens sometimes…'

Raven pretended not to notice that Julie almost gave something away. 'If it has happened before, I'd suggest you get it enhanced instead. It would do a lot of good if it doesn't miss anymore'

'Why are you telling us this?'

'It will only increase your birth-powers meaning you still won't be able to hurt me, so I have no reason not to tell you'. 'Can our grandmother hurt you?', the twins said almost simultaneously.

Raven smiled at that being the first thing they thought about. 'No…'

'So you're saying that right now we're basically powerless against you?'

'Weak, but not powerless'

'Can we immobilize you?'

'No one has ever tried and a willing test-subject I am not'

Jane thought it wise to stop provoking him and she pinched Julie to lay off. If what he said was true and they really were weak against him, it would only be a matter of time before one of them said something that could set him off and then they'd really be in trouble. Best to not let it get that far since no one really knew how much of a hold Marina had on him and they couldn't keep using her as the trump card. What Jane did know was everything Raven had given her about her premonition and she needed to tell Damian the hunt was off. They were too late and, quite frankly, have bigger things to worry about with the even closer clash of vamps and hunters. She reached for her phone and dialed his number; it went straight to voicemail. Three times, same result. 'That's strange… Damian's not answering his phone. He always answers his phone'. 'Try the auction house, maybe he's left it in the car or something…'

Raven suddenly got up with his attention fixed on the door. He motioned for the girls to keep talking like nothing has happened and slowly opened the bedroom door to a darkened hallway. Caught up in his past story, they hadn't realized it had gotten late and no lights were lit inside the house; which also meant Binny hadn't returned yet. They kept talking about nothing, like Raven suggested, but he wasn't out of the door for a second, when they heard a loud noise and someone curse. Raven quickly moved to the sound of the voice; the girls slower behind him. The noise came from the kitchen…

Moving around in the dark hallway, Jane bumped into Raven who stood still in the archway. He flipped the switch, turning on the light in the kitchen, just as Lubinnia's suitcase swung into Chase's back knocking him over. Chase snarled and lunged for Binny's legs. She grabbed a knife off of the kitchen counter, but Raven intervened and yelled, 'ENOUGH!'

Chase stopped mid-lunge and threw her a fiery look. If looks could kill, Binny would be a pile of ash. 'I caught him sneaking in the backdoor, just as I came home', Binny explained, 'WOAH!' Binny jumped to the other side of the dining-table at the sight of Chase's fangs. 'He's a vampire!!!'

'Thanks for the obvious, Buffy! You have one under your roof and you're startled by me', Chase sneered.

Binny's eyes immediately turned to Raven. 'I knew it! I had a feeling something was off with you, but I didn't know what…'. 'Now you do-'. She looked from him to Marina to the twins still standing away from Raven. They all knew and were okay with it?

Raven walked over to where Chase was and he got up from the floor. 'Iden's awake…' Chase looked away slightly, realizing what it was he felt that night. 'Why is Iden awake?'

When Chase didn't answer, Raven grabbed him by the throat and squeezed until he looked at him. They had a staring contest for what seemed like forever and then Raven growled. 'A hunter, Chase! Of all women –a hunter-!! What were you thinking?!'
'I don't know, master Raven! At first I needed information for Calum… after that it just happened. It wasn't exactly like yours, with the suspense and danger of making a wrong move, but I don't know-there was something'

'Something?! Enough of something to make you LOSE ALL SENSES AND TURN HER!!!!', Raven bellowed in his face, 'Now she's dead, BECAUSE OF YOU; The treaty is void, BECAUSE OF YOU; A lot of people are going to die in the next standing, BECAUSE OF YOU!!! So tell me WHY you deserve life?!'

'I… don't…', Chase strained at the pressure Raven was putting on his neck, 'B-but… I didn't turn her- she bit me. There wasn't enough blood to complete the transition… and I know it would've passed out of her system if master Calum hadn't twisted her neck'

'Yes, because it happens all the time'. Raven spat out sarcastically. He sighed and released his hold on Chase. 'I knew something would break the treaty someday… never really put you in the mix'

'You're just gonna let him go?', Binny let out astonished.

'Killing him won't turn back the clock and now he gets to see the repeat of history his little mistake brought upon us. Not that it was all him… As with all things foretold, they never tell you exactly what sets them into motion'

Things foretold. 'You know about the prophecy?', Jane, Julie AND Binny said simultaneously.

Raven immediately turned around at that. 'There are more than a billion prophecies in the world, but do tell which one you are talking about?!' Afraid of looking at each other  and give anything away, all of them looked at him without saying a word. 'No? No one? Then let me… You presumed I knew about a certain prophecy meaning it has a direct, or indirect, link to vampires. There aren't that many about our existence. You, learned about my past and drove all the way over here to tell Marina, when a simple phone call to get out of the house – we’ll explain later—would have sufficed. You're family, so labeling that action with concern is only natural, however… you are also witches! So a prophecy containing vampires and witches. Your grandmother is Rosalie, one who used to predict in earlier years, so I shall take a gamble here and say it is one of hers...', Raven kept a close watch on their faces to see any hint of being on the right course, when he stopped on Marina's and the frown of thought left his face.

'In the line of noble men…', he whispered, 'That must be the Astor line. But you are not a witch… unless, your powers are dormant. It runs in the women folk of your family so it must be... Surprising twist of fate. I was hoping I would be the one to find you.  Sure, I meant to kill you the moment I did, but now here I am- smitten with the one that could potentially destroy our entire existence! Surprising indeed'

'Kill her?!'

'Where is your sister Marina?', Raven continued, ignoring Binny.

'I don't have a sister! Just me and my brother Michael'

'I believe you do… Did you ever finish reading your father's journal?'

'Yes, and there was nothing in it about a sister. You think my father was unfaithful?'

'The other witch of the prophecy is a woman of the DiGorgio family', Chase chipped in, 'Calum had me looking into her'

'DiGorgio? As in Rinka DiGorgio?', Jane asked.

'Yes, you know her?'

Jane grabbed her phone and tried Damian's number again. 'That's where I saw them before… her eyes. She has the exact same eyes as you and uncle Jacob. Rinka must be your half-sister', Julie whispered. She looked back at where Jane stood and the latter shook her head. Damian still wasn't picking up. Julie tried Rinka's number.

'And Calum knows about her. Won't be too long before he finds the link to Marina. He's getting desperate; especially with Iden awake. He's going to do whatever it takes to get her on his side and if she doesn't comply…'

Julie gasped finishing that sentence in her mind and Jane squeezed her shoulder. 'It won't work. Now that I know she's family, her magic makes more sense. She has Gram's gift – she'll see him coming'

'Let's hope she does – for her sake!'

Chapter 37 - Raven O' Connor

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The shock was short lived and Raven's smile slowly dissolved as the twins gathered before the bed shielding Marina. He was offended by the notion. Surely if he meant her harm he would've done so already. He watched Jane touch the pillars of the bed no doubt drawing a protection ward over it before linking hands with Julie and joining in the chant. It was the same one they used on the vampire that night in Rosalie's room:

'To be protected from you,
This magic charm we do,
With these words we banish thee,
For you to let us be,
To be protected from your harm,
With light we now seal this charm’

'Marina, look away!'

A warm light spread into the very corners of the room and the last thing the twins saw was Raven shaking his head as if he expected it and then everything went white…

Julie let go of Jane's hand to shield her eyes, but this time it lasted a lot shorter than that night. With her hand still in the air, she blinked to see Raven's hand also in the air; waving. Did he just wave their spell away? Jane's mouth fell open when she saw that the spell that delivered much damage the last time they used it, didn't even scratch him. 'Are we done with this?', Raven said lowering his hand.

Both twins took a step back, behind the bedposts. Did it fail because Rosalie wasn't there? All sorts of questions went through them as they moved closer to Marina. It wasn't until they heard her gasp, that they noticed Raven's eyes were red. The spell obviously didn't have the desired effect, but it didn't do nothing.

'What are you?', Julie shrieked.

'A vampire, like you said', Raven answered, crossing his arms once more; his blood-red eyes fixed on her.

'That spell would've damaged a vampire. I saw it myself…', she shrieked again.

'Please. You think that spell would work on me. Me? The one that taught it to your grandmother in the first place? Yes,-', he continued seeing the surprised look on their faces, '-she knows who and what I am. Maybe you should take a chapter from her book on handling things that have nothing to do with you'

'You lie!'

'Of course! I just happened to have spent 2 days under the roof of one of the greatest witches I know and she had no clue of who I am. You are right, that sounds more believable'

'What do you want Raven, if that's even your real name'

'It is, and I want nothing'

'You lie!'

'You really need to start telling me when it is that I am not lying, Julie', his red eyes all but cutting through her.

'Why should we believe you? You've lied about everything. What you are, the amnesia…'

'Perhaps someone-', Raven's eyes shifted to where Marina was looking at him from behind the twins, 'will recall that I never said anything about amnesia. It was the way in which I answered that you concluded that. My only fault lies in that I never corrected you and for that I apologize'

Marina said nothing and just looked at him. This was all so much to take in. The fact that vampires exist; the fact that her boyfriend was one and that she just witnessed magic for the second time in her life. Anxiety and confusion were the main emotions running through her where the most natural one in a situation like this, namely fear, was absent.

'I'll ask again. What do you want Raven?', Julie held on.

'World peace', he answered flashing a full set of teeth; fangs included. Julie had enough of him and was getting ready to strike once more. Whether it would hit or not was a chance she was willing to take. Her hand was already halfway up when a chuckle from behind halted her. Even Raven's teasing abruptly left him and he frowned at Marina who hastily lifted her hand to her mouth. Did that really come out? She looked at Julie with a face asking if it really wasn't as funny as it sounded.

'Seriously Marina? Can you really not grasp the danger of this situation? The danger you're in?'

'I'm not in danger-'

Raven snarled at those words, making them all look up. 'What makes you so positive?'

Marina sighed and took a deep breath. What she was about to do was plain crazy and quite stupid taking in the situation, but she felt like she needed to prove a point. She moved from behind Jane, despite the latter trying to hold her back, and slowly walked towards Raven. He snarled at every step she took in his direction. 'You didn't turn into a vampire today Raven. You were already one when you were brought to me. And despite the evidence before me, I still find it a bit hard to believe. In the last few weeks there were plenty of opportunities for you to hurt me… but you didn't… Instead you let me get close to you'

To her the person that she came to know in the last few weeks was Raven, not the being her cousins were describing. She still didn't know all that much about him, but those few weeks they spent together at least gave him the right to explain himself. Marina halted in front of him. For some reason he seemed larger than she remembered. 'I'm not afraid of you Raven! It makes no sense, but I'm not', Marina said lifting her hand to touch his face even though everything screamed at her not to.

'I'm not afraid of you Patrick. It makes no sense and I know I should be, but I'm not'

A flashback hit him about the very exact scene before him; a different raven-haired beauty caressing his face. But as warm as that flashback was, it quickly changed into a not so pleasant one where that same raven-haired beauty lay still on a carpeted floor. Her skin whiter than before…

It was that particular image that made Raven pull back before Marina's hand could touch him. He moved away from her and sat down on the small stairs next to the wardrobe. 'You should… She made the same mistake and look what happened!'

She? Who's she? Marina had been so caught up in caring for him, helping with the, now proven fake, amnesia to even stop and consider there being someone in his life. A girlfriend? A wife? She felt a twinge of jealously at the mention of another woman, but decided not to jump to conclusions. His words did let her to believe that that person was either dead or missing.

'She?', Marina said kneeling in front of him, 'your girlfriend?'

Raven looked at her, but said nothing. 'Your wife?', she felt a bit more. This time he didn't need to answer, because the vacant look his eyes said it all. A wife. The jealousy reared its ugly head back in all Marina could do was sigh. It was either that or break something and she was fond of everything in her room.

'Will you tell me about it?'

Her question brought his eyes back into focus and he frowned at her, 'To what end?'

'I want to know about you. About your life before you were brought to me and… about the vision Julie saw'. Raven squinted his eyes at her wondering why she would want to know about all of that. No one knew about his life apart from his family. It's not something he freely shared… with anyone!

'Marina, perhaps you should keep some distance… the red in his eyes is starting to worry me!

'Despite the fact that you only just attacked me, I still like you Julie! Do not make me change my mind', Raven answered in a voice so low it was downright scary, but that emotion was still absent in Marina. She straightened up a bit, blocking his view of Julie. She was not about to let anyone change the subject; not when she managed to get this far already. Marina said nothing; just looked at him attentively awaiting his decision.

It dawned on him that she was right in the middle. On one side her cousins, on the other him still needing to clarify on his part. He was this close to losing her and that was one thing he couldn't take. …not again! Raven nodded and gave in. He would tell her his story even if that could push her out the door all the same.

'Very well then'

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'My name is Patrick Raven O' Connor. I am the youngest son of my father, born and raised on the plains of old Ireland. My family was the only distributor of wheat and bamboo at the time and you could say we were pretty well off. But after a while my father started getting weak from unknown causes and we sought help from the medicine man. A local witch-doctor, but now that I think of it, he was more witch than doctor. His ritual included my father and all the sons born from my mother, thus blessing us with this curse'

'Blessed with a curse?', Marina frowned.

'Blessed- for it gave us strength, speed and stamina to work in the fields and continue our business. Cursed- because of the bloodlust. The ritual he did required for us to drink the blood of a hunted animal, mixed with the blood of the witch we later learned, creating a need for it should the weakness return. Vampires he called us; after the blood-drinking bats he had encountered during his many dream-walks. Naturally we called him insane when he warned about controlling the bloodlust. Why on earth would we want to partake in that nasty ritual again?

It was a rude awakening that came in the form of great sorrow and pain. As warned, my father lost control and attacked my mother and we knew what the man said was true. We searched for him to undo the evil he had bestowed upon us, but he was nowhere to be found. My mother died shortly after that… Shame and guilt washed over my father and it drove him insane. Every day he spend in the house they built together it got worse. He began feeding on everything that moved; chickens, cows… and the villagers! We were able to cover the tracks, but not for long. The villagers started panicking because of a beast in the woods and no matter what was said, they were afraid. There were many hunting sessions that came up empty and they switch over to accusations of witchcraft, resulting in innocents being burned at the stake. We made the decision to leave. Father's insanity reached a point where he no longer recognized us as his sons and tried to attack us as well. We restrained him with shackles and starved him out. Killing him wasn't an option, not just because he was our father, but because he had already tried it himself after our mother died and it didn't work.

The attacks would stop if we left, of course, so we refrained from feeding for two weeks to let all calm down and not make it obvious that we were the ones. After that we spread the news that our father had died as well and that we would leave that place after the burial'

'You pretended to bury him to convince the villagers?', Marina asked.

'It was not pretend. We did bury our father; next to our mother. The starvation made him weak and a vampire that weak goes into a comatose state'

'Is he still there?'

'I believe so, yes! We have not returned since. My brothers and I vowed to keep our bloodlust in check even if it killed us; and by the time we reached a new world, the place of new beginnings, we had grown quite adept in it. That new world, you know now as New Orleans, was a big stretch of land with only a few houses. We blended in fairly quick and with our gift of strength we helped make the town  flourish. We gained a new name… the builders. A new profession with a new life. However, when my brothers and I stopped aging in the first few years of adulthood, we had to come up with a plan yet again, to keep the people from noticing; so we left. Waiting for years and years to pass, basically for generations to die off, so that we could return pretending to be look-a-like cousins or whatever was needed as long as they believed; and believed they did. The O' Connor name was included in some books as founders, but nothing official'

'I thought the French founded New Orleans', Julie said, thinking back to her history lessons.

'More funded than founded! The resources to build came from them, but the man-power, or vampire-power in this case, came from us. After that, it did make it harder to pass of as distant family members with everyone knowing who we were, but somehow we managed.

One year, we returned to find a new establishment they called a high institute for learning. Something equal to a college in these days. Due to our appearances, we were able to pass as students and were accepted into the institute. It was quite a memorable experience; even more thanks to our family's name, although my younger brother Calum would most likely disagree. He wasn't very popular with the girls next door. They had separate institutes for the boys and girls of course, but they were next to each other so we could still communicate with them over the concrete wall. It was so high, we could only see each other from the chin up…

That was when I saw her- a beauty with sun-kissed skin and hair as black as coal. She walked by the wall with the cutest nose to have ever been stuck in a book. Word around was that she and her sister were new in town; arrived only a week ago.

Her name was Camilla Lewis'

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*A/N:
~Congrats Deej – for being the first to squint at Camilla's disappearing mirror trick in Ch. 17~

~Congrats Aeon – for suspecting Raven to be the 3^rd Elite~

You were right!

Chapter 35 - Driven

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Nudity

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...Miles and miles of vast, open ocean stretched out like a blanket... An undiscovered island in the middle of nowhere, leading the water deep into its dark center... a smaller stream, maneuvering through boulders the size of cars. It all pooled inside a cave-like area with moss covered banks and a hanging plant growing against the wall. It was covering something...

A tunnel... A tunnel ending in a large descending stone staircase covered by moss and algae; no doubt slippery. Soft light from a candle swinging in its holder on the wall illuminated the otherwise pitch black cave. No, not a cave... a tomb... A dark secluded tomb, for in the middle of the area stood a large stone sarcophagus with markings suggesting Irish heritage. Very old, but intact. No moss or algae had gathered here despite being so close to the stairs. A brown climbing plant adorning the neighboring wall, brown for the obvious lack of sunlight, gave the tomb an even more eerie appearance.

Some more lit candles were placed in small groups around the sarcophagus. Who had lit them? Did they light themselves? A faint scratching sound could be heard inside the sarcophagus, once again centering attention on it! Was something alive in there? Rats? Snakes? Any animal large enough to move the massive stone lid-- because move it did... Slowly, making that scraping stone on stone sound before falling to the side with a loud crack. Boney fingers slowly turned into fleshy ones as they gripped the sides of the sarcophagus followed by a leg swung over the side as the living corpse made its way down the stone steps. With each step it took, it rejuvenated some more into the body of a full grown naked man.

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-Riverblossom Hills-

It wasn't his nakedness, nor his unseen face, but the snarl that escaped his lips that made Jane jump up. Damian felt her stir and sat up, rubbing a hand up and down her shoulder. 'Baby? What is it?''I don't know! It think I just had a premonition... There was this man, he wasn't wearing any clothes...''Sorry, babe, that was just me! I went to the bathroom a little while ago', Damian smiled.

'Did you come out of a crypt to do so?', Jane said not amused. 'No, Jane, I didn't mean to mean to upset you! What did you see?', he turned the dimmer behind her, lightening the room.

She shook her head at his apology and smiled letting him know she wasn't angry at him for trying to make light of the situation. 'There was a red-haired woman. I don't know for sure, but I think she was dead... There was a sudden pressure drop and the wind changed direction. The raven haired guy that was there noticed it too. Next thing I know I'm being dragged over miles of open ocean to a hidden cave. Turns out it was a tomb, not a cave and the last thing I saw was the naked guy getting out of the crypt''Did you see his face?', Damian inquired. Jane shook her head no, 'but I think he has black hair...'

'How so?'

'He was naked, Damian' Jane said, but still lifted her eyebrows in a 'how do you think I know' way. Damian closed his eyes and sighed, not sure he liked his girlfriend seeing the naked parts of other men. 'What do you think? Vampires?''I don't know any other being that comes out of crypts... maybe! I'll talk to my mother about it!', Damian shrugged. 'Did you know the red-head in that vision?'

'Never seen her before… And if that really was a vision and not a dream, we never will again'

'How accurate are your visions Jane?'

'Close to 97%, but I get most of them only a few minutes before it actually happens. The longest had been 2 hours'

So the girl was pretty much a goner if they didn't know her, Damian thought. He would need to consult his mother on the crypt and the naked guy as soon as possible. Maybe she even knew a spell to help Jane get her premonitions sooner. That way they could help rather than sit by and watch them happen.

Jane getting up distracted him from his thoughts. 'And where are you going?'

'Home... Maybe grams knows something too. You should talk to Jean. I don't know how long before that premonition becomes a reality', she answered and started picking up her scattered clothes from the floor. Damian got up and in a swift motion pulled her into his arms. Jane took a deep breath as the dizziness hit her. 'I don't want you to go!', he whispered into her neck. 'I know you don't', she whispered back, her voice a bit seductive. 'But I have to…'. 'This is important, I know, but I still don't want you to go…' Jane pinched him in his side and pulled out of his embrace. 'We'll be together again sooner than you think', she said laughing, turning her phone back on and instantly frowned at the train of messages that flooded in; they were all Julie's.

–Where are you?- -Call me when you get this- -Jane, why is your phone off?- -This is important. Marina is in danger! – Jane went into panic mode and hastily put on the rest of her clothes. Damian frowned at her sudden haste. 'Where's the fire?'

'I have to go! It's Julie, she's sending me some weird messages about our cousin', Jane answered, picking up her bag from the armchair, 'Call me when you get home, yeah!' She stood on tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on his nose, making him frown once more. No one had ever done that to him, but before he could even blink, she was out the door.

------------------------

Jane called a cab instead of taking the bus and was home in no time. It's as if Julie was on guard by one of the windows. She came down the stairs as soon as Jane walked through the door. 'Where were you? I left you like a dozen messages'. Jane opened her mouth to say something when a wave of nausea hit her and she bolted for the bathroom. Everything she ate the night before that hadn't digested yet came back out. Julie waited outside until she heard the toilet flush. 'Are you alright?'

'Yeah, I think it's the lasagna from yesterday', Jane muttered rinsing out her mouth, 'and the added cab ride… I got your messages a few minutes ago - what's the deal with Marina?'

'We could sit down and talk about it, or I can fill you in on the way over there. I called her too, but there is something with phones these days. Neither of you picked up. Long story short, it's Raven… he's a vampire!'

'What? Jules, that's not possib… crap!' That was all Jane said before disappearing into the bathroom again. 'Come on Jane, this is no time for you to be sick'

Rosalie had heard the chatter of the girls and the not so pleasant sounds in between and wheeled herself to the living room where she watched them. 'Here, let me…', Julie took Jane's hand and put her left on her stomach. 'Whatever illness here resides, let it be…'

'I wouldn't do that if I were you!', Rosalie said, coming into view. The twins watched her search for something in the fridge before she wheeled herself to where Jane stood. 'Here, eat this… Feel better?'

Jane nodded throwing away the lemon peel. It wasn't as sour as people let believe. Rosalie smiled at her, 'I always thought Julie would be the one to bless me first'

Julie frowned at her grandmother's words; not getting what she was saying. Jane was a bit quicker and stood there with a unsure face. 'I'm-I'm not…'

'Pregnant?!', Julie finally caught up, 'You're pregnant? Oh my, Jane that's that's… wait, what's that supposed to mean?' She eyed her grandmother for that 'first' comment. Rosalie ignored her and focused on Jane. 'I dreamt about a little girl last night with dark wavy hair, so I had a feeling', she explained and Jane subconsciously rubbed a hand over her stomach. 'It is a little too early for morning sickness considering the time you've been together but… I guess it happens'. Jane was quiet, listening to her grandmother. She didn't know what she was feeling. Was she happy? Yeah…; Afraid? Most definitely! And how would Damian feel about this? A child was nowhere near planning right now and with Marina…

'Marina…', she whispered, bringing Julie back to a more important situation. Julie had been smiling and staring at her stomach, but the smile disappeared as fast as it came. 'You can stay if you want!'

'What? No, don't start treating me like something breakable because I may or may not be pregnant. Let's go… and stop looking at my stomach!'

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Lewis Clan

8.00 A.M.

This is SBN-News, I'm Rachel Adams.

Rather unsettling news for this early in the morning. The police uncovered a body in an abandoned warehouse close to Westport. Resources tell us that they received an anonymous call around 6 A.M. with only a location to go on. Police inspector Jackson along with several other officers went to the ominous location where the victim, a young woman, was found hanging from the ceiling. The scene clearly suggested a suicide, but upon further investigation showed signs of foul play.

According to local coroner, Jack Brimsby, the victim had already been dead before the hanging. Seems like the murderer tried to cover up his tracks by making it look like a suicide. With no ID or wallet on her, it has proven difficult to identify the victim and the police has resorted to searching the missing persons list to see if someone has reported her missing. All that has been let loose for recognition are the facts that the victim has red hair and was dressed in a green sweater and Jeans wearing calf-length boots. If anyone knows anything at all about the victim, anything that can lead to her identity and possibly that of her killer; please call your local police station.

This is the 7^th murder within the area and although the method was different is believed to have been the work of the same serial-killer. The residents of the neighboring community Westport are…

Lillian muted the television and threw the remote on the desk. This was the second time they came in contact with the authorities, risking exposure. If the police uncovered Alex identity, it would lead them straight to her and she knew all too well how nosy the police could be. She pressed the intercom button to her assistant. 'Yes, Ms. Lewis?'

'Send Charlotte in…'.

'Yes, Ms. Lewis'

Lillian sighed for a moment and thought about what action to take in this matter, before pressing the button again. '…Kat as well. I won't be taking any calls and cancel my next appointment'

'…yes m'am…'

'Well, that looks messy!'

Lillian rubbed her forehead and leaned back in her chair. 'It is! A mess that I now have to clean up', she waved her hand towards the television.

'I still can't believe it was her… That she let a vampire manipulate her like that, and now she's dead'

'Alex was always weak. Insecure people usually are…', Lillian answered, 'Plus she had no cause to do this work. Every hunter in here is here because of something that happened to them directly or indirectly involving vampires, except for her… The fact that she had any kind of relationship with a vampire proved this wasn't for her'

'So, there was no hostility from her to him?'

'Like I said Cam, she wasn't fit for the job. According to Jordan, they seemed a normal couple. A hunter and a vampire? Normal', Lillian scoffed, 'seems absurd, yet nothing explains why he'd kill her…'

Camille walked around Lillian's chair and sat on the desk next to her. 'No, but what does it matter? Don't you see?! They used her to get info and then got rid of her. You said that she was weak, probably thought the vampire loved her, so she didn't hurt him, blah blah blah… He sees opportunity, he strikes. If she wasn't hostile towards him, he killed an innocent. And her being a hunter makes it a indirect… or direct attack on you', Cam whispered that last part and watched Lillian's reaction, 'This is what you've been waiting for sis 'cause'

Lillian perked up at those words. She had been thinking it too, but hearing it from a different mouth made the foundation seem far stronger. 'They crossed a line with Alex, Lilly… the time has come. We should press harder for those witches, before the vampires get to them'

The words echoed in Lillian's ears and she pressed the button again until she heard her assistant's voice.

'Vanessa, get me Angelica on the line'

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A/N: Yes, Jane's powers are way off in this chapter. Intentionally of course.
I found this chapter a bit all over the place, so if you thought so too, sorry. You'd think with school vacations I'd have all the time and inspiration to write, not the case!