"Then, can I ask you something and you promise not to go getting all irritated or something over my question?" Asked Mikaila, and from the way she said that it was something she had been thinking over for a while now. Actually it was something that came to light when she first realized she loved Kade.

Like it or not she was still a human meaning she wasn't immortal like he was. He would live forever but she wouldn't, and knowing that it meant their relationship could only last for so long. So she had seriously considered asking him to change her into a vampire himself. She knew what it meant if that happened, and there would be no going back once she was changed. However, she had already accepted that and knew that she loved him enough to give up being human. If it meant she could stay with him this was a choice she had willingly made, but she wanted to know how he felt about it first before asking into it more.

Kade watched her with a small smile, nodding his head to her question. "I don't get irritated easily," he replied with with a quiet laugh. "What is it?" From the look on her face he had already gathered that it wasn't something that she herself was taking lightly at all and for a moment wondered if she wasn't about to ask him the same question that he had posed to her the previous night. Whether or not he felt that their relationship could last with her being human. The thought made him sigh inwardly to himself before he shook it off.

Yes, he had been down that road and yes, he had been heartbroken when she had finally reached the end of her life. But at the same time he had no regrets over it and nor did he feel as if he would have regrets over what he had now with Mikaila. He simply hoped that they wouldn't be torn apart by others who sought to destroy him.

"Well, what if I asked you about me becoming a vampire?"

That was all Mikaila asked for the moment, and apparently that's all she wanted to say about it. She had been thinking long and hard about it before ever saying anything, in fact she had often thought about whether she would wish to be a vampire or not before she even met Kade. After all she seemed to relate more to vampires then humans, and she preferred their company most of the time so what made the difference? She was still a human. That was really the only difference, but now there could be a way for her to go through with her idea. She just had to get Kade to agree, but that might not be such an easy task. Not only that but she wouldn't push the subject if he refused because she did ask for his opinion on the idea in the first place.

Kade's eyebrows lifted slightly before lowering and knitting together. A vampire. He could already guess that she was having thoughts of making him turn her into one if she was going to become one herself. The idea didn't sit too well with him. It hadn't sat well with him all those years ago when the last human woman he had been with asked him of it and it didn't sit well with him now. Letting out a heavy sigh he removed his hand from around her shoulders and turned to look at her a little more.

"Mikaila..." he started before looking down. "That is not an easy decision to make and certainly not one to be taken lightly." He paused in thought before lifting his gaze to look up into her eyes as if trying to silently make her understand just how heavy a burden a vampire's lifestyle could be. "I was asked of this once and I will say the same thing to you as I did before. A vampire's life is a dark one to be sure, you know of this by now. It is not something that I would wish to inflict on anyone. Especially not on you." The words were hard to say just like they had been all those years ago. He understood where the reasoning behind her wanting to be a vampire came from. It would allow them the chance to be together for a much longer time. It could even put Mikaila by his side as his queen to rule over the vampires. But he still could not bring himself to turn her and pull her further down the hole into the world of the night than she already was.

"I know, that's not a decision I can make without really thinking about it and I know what it would mean if I was changed but that's something I'd be willing to accept. Although I just wanted to know how you felt about it first, because that was more important."

Well at least he didn't seem to be totally against it, which could be a good thing generally speaking. However Kade didn't seem to fond of the idea either, and Mikaila had already promised herself she wouldn't push the issue if that was the case. Still she hoped that maybe she could convince him somehow, because she had come to realize this was what she really wanted. She wanted to be with him, not just now but for forever. However she couldn't do anything if he was against it, and that was the biggest drawback at this point.

Kade sighed and shook his head at her words. His mind was drifting back to the past. How he had refused back then and then convinced himself that it was all for the best. And, now that he looked back on it, he could say that at least some of it had truly been for the best. Even if it still hurt him to know that she had grown old and died as any regular human does with time. "I don't think it would be a good idea," he finally replied to her as he pulled his mind back into the present. He knew it wouldn't be for long but he wanted to concentrate on the matter at hand.

Turning his head, Kade peered at Mikaila. "Why do you want to become a vampire?" he asked her, his tone of voice quite serious now though it still carried a touch of softness within it. He knew there could be multiple reasons. For one, she loved him. And if he wasn't mistaken in his own feelings, he was sure that he felt the same way for her. Then there was the fact that she helped vampires already. Perhaps it would make it easier for her to gain vampiric powers to fend off the hunters better.

But at the same time he knew that such an existence also brought with it a curse. Decades upon decades of watching as the humans around die of disease, murder, and old age. It is enough to change someone into a monster or else drive them to their own ultimate demise. He hadn't seen sunlight for so many years now. Even the most beautiful things in life seemed withered and rotten often. How could he bring such an existence upon someone who he cared for?

Actually Mikaila had been expecting that question to some degree. Why did she want to become a vampire? There were plenty of reasons she could think of but how to describe all of it in the best way possible was the challenge. Maybe it was because, she already felt more like a vampire then human to begin with. After all she had never been what most would consider 'normal', heck her life was never normal ever since she was born. It sounded crazy but that was all to true, and it was something she had been aware of for as long as she could remember.

"I guess, it's because I feel like the only difference between me and you is that I'm still human. It's strange I know, but it's really the only way I can think of to describe my reasons." She said while hoping she had managed to explain herself without sounding crazy or some such thing like that.

Kade nodded to her as he pulled himself out of his own thoughts, instead focusing on her words. "It's not strange," he replied to her quietly. For some reason he understood completely what she meant even without needing a detailed explanation. She helped vampires, after all, and because of it had to evade hunters who were after them. He found himself wondering if she even had any human contacts. He had never seen her talking to a human in all of that time that he watched her from a distance. It would only make sense for her to think herself as one of them before even joining their race.

Still... that didn't change his own reasoning on the matter and he decided to drop the subject. He had been forced to endure something like this once and he didn't want to go through the same conversations again if he could help it. Though he knew that if she wanted to bring up the subject again at a later date he couldn't very well stop her.

"I believe things are quieting down," he said as he looked over towards the window. Everything outside was, indeed, rather still and quiet. Perhaps a little too quiet for his taste but he trusted that the guards knew their duty and would continue doing it like they had been. Even so, he kept on his guard in case something should attack. He wasn't going to let Mikaila get hurt again after what happened the last two times.

"Yeah but don't ever count on things to stay that way for long." Said Mikaila, but there was a faint trace of humor to her voice when she said that. As if she wasn't being pessimistic, just stating something that she found kind of amusing in a way. Which to her, that was kind of funny because most of the time when things quieted down, something else hit soon after. Either way she at least tried to find some humor in that to keep herself from getting as down about things then some people she had met in her life.

Although she couldn't have known just how prophetic her words would have been, because even then the small house was being watched from a distance. However, the distance was far enough that nothing could have been detected or rather so nothing threatening could be felt. It would just seem as if someone had passed by towards some other destination, but as for what this watcher wanted here or why they even took such lengths to remain hidden was unknown.

Kade chuckled quietly. He had detected that trace of humor, he was growing quite used to it by now coming from her and it was becoming one of those things that he liked about her. "I never do," he replied to her. He knew all too well what sort of trouble both of them were capable of attracting. Between vampire hunters and vampires who chose to disobey his orders there were plenty of fights to go around. He never even for a moment thought that this would be easy for either of them. He simply hoped that things wouldn't spiral out of control. Right now his main concern was Mikaila's safety and he wasn't about to jeopardize it.

"No peace ever lasts. But we can try to enjoy it while we have it," he spoke after a moment as he watched Mikaila. "Otherwise we won't be able to enjoy any part of life fully." He well aware of the fact that he probably sounded like he sounded like a wise old man. The idea made his smirk lightly and he shook the image away. Old, perhaps, wise, maybe to some, but he knew that he wouldn't look the part for many more years to come. Perhaps even if he lived to see such an ancient age.

"Well considering all the hunters that are stalking around, I'm happy with just about any kind of peace I can find." Said Mikaila despite the fact that her tone of voice gave away a little of her suspiciouns on why so many hunters were showing up here. Normally that meant either they were gathering for something that had been planned, or a large mass hunt was about to take place and she was hoping that it wasn't the latter. She knew what those kind of hunts normally entailed and just the thought of all that bloodshed sent a chill racing down her spine.

Not only that but just the thought of Kade or Kacy getting caught in all that chaos...well she didn't really want to even think about that. Mainly because there were way to many outcomes that could result for that, and a few of them she didn't even want to touch. So she settled for shoving those thoughts aside for now and keeping them locked away where they wouldn't bother her by any chance. At least that's what she hoped anyway.

Kade shook his head slightly as he looked around to one of the windows, almost as if expecting the little moment of peace that they had to end right then. But it didn’t. His eyes lingering on the street outside he thought for a long moment. Mikaila’s safety was still one of his top priorities and he could tell that she was uneasy with the amount of hunters that were prowling the streets even as they spoke. What their intention could be even Kade could not pinpoint. There were several possible explanations.

Still, he knew that he had to keep a level head, especially in times like these. He didn’t want to lose more than was necessary. “Mikaila,” he spoke after a while, finally breaking the silence and turning his head to look at her once more. “If something happens, I want you to put your trust in your guard.” He didn’t want to voice his exact concerns to her, simply needed to know that she wouldn’t break away from her guards should he disappear.

“They will be able to keep you from harm. I have to find out why the hunters are coming together now, otherwise many of my own could be lost,” he continued as he moved to stand. First on the list was questioning the hunters that they had caught not too long ago. The rest would follow. Kade reached out a hand to take Mikaila’s, looking down at her with a faint but reassuring smile.

In all honesty, Mikaila wasn't sure how much she could trust these vampires that Kade had as her guards but coming from him it didn't seem like to high of a request. Then again she couldn't say she didn't trust his judgement on things, it was just everything else she didn't trust. This whole situation had her on edge, especially this feeling that more trouble was soon to come. Maybe she was getting worried for nothing but in a case like this, she would much rather stay on guard and hope she ended up being wrong.

"Well, I trust you it's just everything else I don't trust. I know for a fact all these hunters gathering together never means anything good, for anyone involved." Said Mikaila as she took his offered hand and stood next to him. She couldn't deny that she was more worried for Kade and his sister then over anything else, and she certainly didn't want anything to happen to them. However, she was just going to have to trust that nothing would happen even if things did look as if they were going downhill rather quickly.

Kade offered Mikaila a nod of his head. He knew she would be worried about her guards but at the moment there was nothing else that could be done without drawing suspicion from the others. "We've dealt with worse before," he replied to her. He, himself, simply had to trust in both his strength and that of his coven that they would be able to eliminate the threat that was evidently drawing closer. Something that he found fairly easy to do now after all of these years. "Stay here, Mikaila. I'll be back to check on you."

Kade watched her for a moment before stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her shoulders, drawing her into an embrace. He did not like the idea of leaving her alone but he knew that she had her guard and, if need be, could take care of herself. He needed to question the captured hunters to find out what it was that they were after, only then could anything be done in defense. He simply hoped that Mikaila would not end up in the very middle of whatever was drawing near. After a moment he took a step back and with a last look to her he was gone once more.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get use to him doing that." Mikaila thought to herself in reference to the way Kade could just vanish like that without even a word of warning. Then again he probably had plenty of other skills she didn't even know about, but for the most part that didn't surprise her that much. Being around vampires as long as she had, most of what they could do didn't come as a shock. However, that's not what she was really thinking about at the current moment. Instead her thoughts were lingering more on what could be drawing all these hunters into this area. She could only remember a few times when that had happened, and both times she had been to young to really understand what was going on. Up until now she had seen no reason to figure that out, but now it looked like she was going to need to investigate.
"Well guess I'll make myself useful for the time being." She said to herself as she went back into her small bedroom and started digging through some old books and papers she had stashed away in her closet. This was all the information she had on the clan of hunters she had at one time belonged to, but most of it was general stuff that applied to any of the clans. So if she could find some clue here, then that could give them the advantage when whatever was coming decided to hit.

The silence of the streets was now only broken temporarily by one pair of hunters or another heading off in their own direction. It certainly seemed that something big was being planned. Even some of the vampires in the near-by area were becoming restless. Kade could sense it as he ducked into an alley to avoid being seen by a group of three hunters who had just rounded a corner onto that street that he was on. What were they up to? Silently, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, getting a sense for where Mikaila's guard was. In their spots, all save for one, but this didn't bother him much. He knew that the one who had broken away from his spot was making sure that their captives were not going to escape.

Kade waited as the hunters made their way by, stepping by into the shadows to avoid being seen by any of them. He did not want to risk having to kill them. It would simply draw their comrades into the area and he was still much too close to Mikaila's house for comfort. Fading footsteps and then... silence... Kade moved out onto the street again and let his feet guide him to the underground hide out that was not too far away. After checking that he hadn't been followed, he disappeared behind the door, heading down into the small room that they sometimes used just for this purpose. Questioning.

Kacy was already there and it seemed that she had taken it upon herself to awaken the two hunters and begin the interrogation process. One that would probably be a long one. Hunters never liked betraying their own much like many vampires would never betray those of their covens. Screams filled the room as Kade entered to find the captives bound and Kacy and one of Mikaila's guards near-by. Kacy had just plunged a knife into a hunter's hand and the scent of blood filled the room causing Kade to shake his head a little.

"Are you testing our limits as well?" he commented quietly to his sister and she sighed, not looking overly pleased. "They're not talking," she replied.

"Of course they're not." Kade chuckled while he looked the hunters over but didn't make any moves to join in with Kacy's efforts. She always liked the first stab at these, he would let her question them first. And she did, turning away from Kade and pulling out the knife from the hunter's hand to hold it up to his neck, emitting a fresh cry of pain. Kade was thankful that the little room was, at the very least, soundproof.

"You better start talking now. What is this gathering about?" she picked up where she had left off when Kade had walked in.

"Lets see.......oh here's what I'm looking for!" Mikaila exclaimed in triumph as she pulled out the few pieces of paper from the bottom of the stack. She had been reading and rereading through everything since she started and so far she had only found a few leads, but from the way things had played out she hoped she would find her answer in these papers. Apparently hunter gatherings like this were not common, that much she knew so this had to mean they were planning something big.

As she started to read Mikaila began to slowly piece a few things together. Hunter clans only gathered together when a mass hunt was being instigated, and that only happened when a coven of vampires was suspected to be in the area. Each clan would send several of their hunters to take down the coven in a mass group, it lowered the risks for everyone and made a much bigger force against the vampires themselves. They would also gathered together for what were called 'traitor hunts', and Mikaila didn't need more of an explanation to know what that meant. Leaving a clan was considered an act next to betrayal, and clans would group together to get rid of the traitor for the mutual benefit of all hunter clans. So needless to say if it was one reason or both, then either way everyone was in some serious trouble.

"I'd better get this info to Kade, whenever he gets here." Mikaila told herself as she placed everything back in her closet except for the few papers she had been reading. She'd let him take those if he wished since she had made copies when she first moved out to this town, so that way they would both have the information to do more investigating. True that would be the more difficult part, but at least now they had more to go on then before.

Just as Kade had suspected, the questioning was taking a while. Just two hours later and Kacy was beginning to get annoyed with the Hunters. Neither of them had said anything although one did try to make an escape only to have his foot broken from right under him. And still Kacy has not given up her turn in questioning. Kade eventually moved to one of the corners to sit in the last remaining chair while he watched the proceedings, knowing that if he tried to interrupt, his sister would turn her anger on him instead. As long as she didn't kill the men herself, he wouldn't bother her. They could keep them down here until they either got their answers or the hunters slowly starved to death.

Though even throughout all of this, Kade kept an eye out on the time. If they stayed here past dawn they would not be able to leave until the following night and at a time like this Kade didn't want to spend the day away from the mansion and he wanted to ensure Mikaila's safety as well. An hour until sunrise and finally one of the hunters, in a daze from having just been hit, muttered something about a clan. Kade turned his head to look at this man as he instantly shut his mouth. He exchanged glances with Kacy before shaking his head a little. "We have to go" he spoke directly into her mind. She looked about ready to argue but nodded to him.

Only a short few minutes later after some instructions given to the guard, Kade let his sister leave the hide out first and head back before he set off for Mikaila's house, dodging a couple of hunters on the way.

"Almost sunrise, I hope nothing's happened to Kade or Kacy for that matter." Mikaila thought to herself as she glanced at the nearby clock before turning her gaze back outside. She had to guess that wherever Kade had gone then Kacy was there as well since he mentioned something about interrogating those hunters they caught, but they'd be lucky to get any information out of them. Still at least she had some info of her own to give him that he might could use against them to manipulate those hunters into talking.

"It might even pay for him to mention my name, at least just to those two." She said to herself but she knew that would never happen. If Kade even suspected that would put her in danger he would never do it, but she may suggest it just as a backup plan. Usually she never would even bring it up, but in a case like this it might end up helping them more then she realized. Then again hunters were a stubborn lot, and sometimes not even the best manipulation could get them to talk. Either way she had to wait for Kade to show up to tell him anything, and so far she hadn't seen him.

The first thing to become evident this time would be a sudden gust of wind as one of the windows in the room was opened. Kade, himself, appeared a moment later behind Mikaila, still partially in thought about the small mutter that the hunter let slip. He wasn't too sure about it for the fact that hunters usually were not that easy to break. Perhaps a false trail? He would have to keep an eye out. If his clan was to get attacked it could be disastrous for many. His mansion housed some of the strongest vampires in existence and if the hunters were to find out about this and pass the knowledge onto the others there was no telling what could happen.

"They're not talking," Kade spoke quietly so as to not alarm Mikaila for his sudden presence. "One of them mentioned a clan but it could just be a false trail to throw us off of their true intentions. You would think they would be laying low so as to not alert us to their presence. " Walking over to the couch, he took a seat in though before looking over to her. They had a few more nights before the hunters would die from lack of food and water but were they running out of time before the attack? He couldn't be sure about this.