Quietly slipping into the den, trying not to draw attention to himself, Mason avoided the main cave and continued down the tunnel into a smaller cave. He sat down on a particularly large rock and sighed heavily. As a vampire he could have fallen in love with anyone; another vampire or even someone else from the Dark World, but instead he had fallen in love with a mortal. Not just any mortal either, but a hunter. It was the worst thing he could have done, and he would be lying to himself if he ever thought that there was a way to be with Harley and not put her in constant danger. Walking away from her had been painful. He felt hollow, empty inside and there wasn't a vampire in the entire coven that could change that. He thought about giving up; no longer drinking blood and just letting himself dessicate, but it would not be a smart move. Demitri would never allow him to slip away… Though perhaps if he knew that he'd been deceived then he wouldn't care. Shaking the thought away, he lif
Julian swallowed hard, the guilt already sinking into his heart as he took the last three steps into Demitri's office. He glanced behind him briefly, almost expecting Mason to appear, and shook off the silly notion before turning his attention to his leader. There was no going back once he spoke up, and all he could do afterwards was try and make it up to his best friend; if that was even possible.."Sire, I beg your pardon for my intrusion but I come bearing news." Demitri's head snapped up almost instantly and he could almost smell Julian's hesitation. His eyes became cold and he gave his soldier a hard stare, warning him to be completely honest. "Well, don't be shy. Do spit it out.""Of course. It's about Mason, Sire.""I was afraid of that." Demitri sighed. "Please, proceed." "Earlier tonight, I heard that he fell in love with a mortal and then killed her, is that correct?""Yes. That is correct. I couldn't very well have my best soldier frolicking around with the enemy now, co
Quietly slipping inside the apartment, trying not to alert anyone that she hadn't come home at all last night, Harley tiptoed through the kitchen and down the hall until she reached her bedroom. Opening the door, she crept inside and closed it again, placing her hand against the catch to muffle the clicking sound. She took off her jacket and hung it up on one of the hooks attached to the top of the door, and turned around; jumping back as soon as she saw her father sitting on her bed."Gosh! You scared me.""Yes, well never mind that. Where have you been?""Out. On my shift.""Really? You actually stayed out until sunrise like I have asked you to?""Mm-hmm." "I'm impressed. I have to say, I never thought that you had it in you; so what's the report?""Still no vampires roaming. I checked and double checked all of the hot spots." "That's my girl.""Yeah…" She said with a half smile. "Dad… I was thinking about something last night.""I see… don't leave me hanging, what were these thou
Harley remained silent for a moment as she tried to process the stranger approaching her. She opened her mouth to speak, and being unsure of what to say, she closed it again with a frown. Those words sounded familiar, yet the woman was no one that she recognised. Finally finding her voice, she cleared her throat."I'm sorry, do I know you?""Me? Oh, no dear. We do not know each other. I am but a mere stranger passing by.""Right. Well… are you lost or something? Is there anything I can help with?" "No, not at all." The woman answered. "I suppose I'm not really making myself clear at the moment, it's just I was walking through the cemetery and I couldn't help but overhear you talking to your mother…""I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb your peace." "You didn't… See that headstone opposite your mother's, to the left a little?" "Yeah…""That's where my daughter rests.""Oh. Wow… that must be painful.""It is. She was just a little girl and I can't help but wonder how she would hav
Mason cupped Harley's face in his hands as they stood with little distance between them and leaned in, kissing her softly. She rested her arms around his shoulders and held onto him tightly, not willing to let him go. His own hands dropped to her waist and he wrapped them around her tightly. They weren't doing anything; this wasn't a goodbye, and the night wasn't over yet. It wasn't an act made in lust for one another. It was a simple act of affection. Harley sighed."What's wrong?""I don't know… I just have this feeling like something will happen and it's gonna tear us apart.""It's hard. Constantly having to look over our shoulders and sneak around, away from your father and Demitri, it's frustrating." He agreed. "It's also worth it, and I don't know about you, but I'm not going to stop fighting for us, and you. There's nothing that anyone could ever do to change that, no matter what happens."Harley smiled and sucked in a breath of his scent; a mix of musk, forest, and pine wood,
Harley's phone rang, cutting right through the silence in the air. She looked at the name that had illuminated the screen and instantly swiped to reject the call. It wasn't the first time that Kiara had tried to call her within the last week, and she doubted that it would be the last. Though no matter how many times she might try, Harley would not pick up.The date of the planned attack on the city was vastly approaching, but she had not been home since that morning. Instead she'd spent the time with Mason. After their conversation at Hillside Manor, he had brought her back home with him despite her protests that it was risky. All of it was risky, and either of them could be killed by Zander or Demitri at any moment. Though during their time together, they hadn't wasted a split second. If that day of reckoning came to pass, they had a plan. They would be ready for it. "She's going to keep calling if you don't pick up.""She can call all she wants, I've got no sympathy for her. Zande
Placing a silver dagger down on the table, Mason walked over and stood behind Harley, threading his arms around her waist and resting his head upon her shoulder. She closed her eyes and sighed, feeling the intense pressure lighten just slightly. He hated seeing the amount of stress and anxiety that had been building up since the night Zander had burst in and carried out an attack. The week had flown by, and she had done nothing except map out different routes of the city, stock up on and sharpen weapons, and plan their entrance to the fight. As soon as the daylight faded into night, Demitri and his clan would wreak havoc upon the city. Harley wasn't the only one dreading this; Mason was just better at hiding it since she could not see his aura. It had been a great shock to him when she had taken a hit for him, and even more that Zander continued to attack her. His mind had been plagued with worrisome thoughts ever since."Everything's going to be okay, right?" She asked, turning arou
Mason got to his feet, helping Harley up with him. She frowned as the wound on her head began to throb, but forced herself to ignore it as she gathered up her best weapons and changed into attire suitable for battle; a black vest top with a belt that could hold many weapons, and black leggings that had hidden compartments for smaller weapons, and boots on her feet that hid slender knives at the side of the treads. He gave a wry smile as she reappeared from her bedroom, trying his best to believe that the night wouldn't end in a bloodbath. She didn't return the smile, and reached for the door handle, surprised when he reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her away from the door.Harley gave him a questioning look, but before she could verbally ask him, the door was kicked open with a force that almost knocked it off its hinges. Mason stared past her, glaring at the person standing in the doorway; Julian. Though he was barely recognisable as the vampire he'd always known. His face ha