Aurora Mortenson's Story

The moon, for which the great expanse of forest surrounding Rose city had been given its name, shined brightly in the sky, bathing the world with a bright silver glow. The night was a cool one. Not a cloud drifted across the velvety black sky, and the air was cool and crisp. Perfect for a dash through the woods. A quick run was what Aurora Mortenson needed to clear her head. A moment away. Then she could get back to the stressful duties of being a leader.

She sprinted at a speed impossible for any human, dodging in and out of trees with grace, leaping easily over brush, and fallen trees. Nothing was an obstacle for her.

Yet she stopped, something other than the cool night air brought goosebumps to her skin, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. The smell of blood. Aurora closed her eyes and took in the scent, trying to prove herself wrong. No. This can't be her. It just can't. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and moved towards the source of the sharp, coppery smell, rounding a tree to find a body laying there on the ground, motionless.

It was a gruesome sight. The woman before her had been a beautiful one, with flowing auburn hair splashed across the ground, mingling with the blood that was still pouring from a deep wound just under her ribs. On the ground next to the woman, lay a knife. Immediatly, Aurora grabbed for it, but the woman's hand shot out and caught her wrist. "Aurora." She whispered in a hoarse voice, clogged with blood, and she couldn't take it anymore. The indifferent look dropped from her face and she fell to her knees beside the woman, grasping her hand tightly.

"Charlise!" She choked, using her free hand to smooth the woman's hair. "Charlise, please. Where... Where were you? What happened?" She looked at her friend in a panic. This dying woman was the last remaining tie she had to her human life. She'd known her for over two-hundred years. Had taken her in when her coven was destroyed, only for her to go missing a few months ago. The loss had nearly killed Aurora, but she'd had to work through it. For her coven.

"Aurora. I don't-" She heaved a shaky breath and Aurora saw that the gash under the woman's ribs had punctured her lungs. "I don't have much... Much time." Shakily, Charlise lifted her free hand to Aurora's cheek and Aurora used her own to clasp it there and close her eyes tightly. "The werewolves. Make peace with them."

That startled her into opening her eyes. "What?" She asked breathlessly, but it was too late. Her friend was gone. Aurora let out a groan of agony and leaned over Charlise's cold body, clutching her lifeless hand to her chest. It was all she could do not to cry. "I'm sorry I couldn't be here." She choked and dropped her friends hand after quite a while of sitting there like that, refusing to believe that she was really gone.

Gently, she placed Charlise's hands in a cross against her chest and closed the woman's eyes before reaching across her and grabbing the blade that had killed her. It was still coated with her blood, but the sheen of silver was unmistakable. No werewolf could have killed her. So who did? Aurora looked at her friend in confusion. Why were her dying words about the werewolves?

Knees shaking for the first time in almost two centuries, Aurora stood unsteadily and took a step backwards. Something crunched under her foot and she reached down to grab the small item. It was a figurine. Wooden and tiny. Aurora's eyebrows knit tightly in confusion as she inspected it. As she did so, something caught her eye. A glimmer in the trees. Aurora tucked the figurine away and gripped the knife handle tightly, smelling the air. Of course. The smell of Charlise's blood had masked another scent in the air.

They had a watcher. Her killer had stayed to gawk. Aurora's icy eyes filled with hatred and vengeance as she threw herself at the bushes, knife raised high.

Aurora Mortenson emerged from her bathroom in a cloud of steam. With a sigh, she ran a thick black brush through golden blond hair and sat on her bed, checking the clock. Two in the morning. Not a bad time for a vampire to be just getting ready for bed. Not bad at all, in fact, most of her coven was probably still wide awake. She'd just gotten back from a midnight investigation into the murders and disappearences that had been happening lately . Her findings had shocked her and she'd needed a good bath to think. Now, sitting on her bed, she placed the brush down and picked up the small figurine sitting on her bedside table.

The figure was one of a woman, pulling a bow back, ready to shoot. She closed her fingers around it, squeezing harder and harder until there was a brief second of pain and then the thing snapped in two. Just like that. A month ago, her closest friend had gone missing, vanishing out of no where.

Tonight, Aurora had found the huntress figurine laying beside her mangled body. She had had to use all her willpower to force herself to inspect the wounds and after careful examination, found exactly what she'd feared. None of the marks were werewolf claw marks or bites.

Meaning someone else had done this. Someone who'd left the figurine. Aurora glared at the broken thing in her hand, demanding it to provide her tired mind with a logical answer. Sadly, it did not answer her and she sighed, setting it aside and standing to change into her white nightgown.

As soon as she stood, Aurora was forced to sit again. A blinding white light seared through her eyes, burning her, and making her scream. As a vampire , one of her greatest fears was blindness, but just as she'd thought she'd never see again, the light dimmed and the pain subsided.

Aurora found herself panting hard and she slapped a hand down on her bed to reassure herself that she was okay. Her hand struck paper. She looked down to see that she'd smacked a yellowed letter that had certainly not been there a moment ago. What the hell had just happened? Confused, Aurora lifted the letter delicately and read through it.

She dropped it, letting it float gently to the floor at her feet. For the first time in a hundred years, her hands shook with shock as she quickly threw on her lace nightgown and grabbed the letter. Without even stopping for slippers or a robe, Aurora marched straight down the hall, white lace billowing behind her as she moved purposefully.

She knew what she had to do. She wasn't going to like it, and neither was her coven, but it had to be done. According to the letter, it was the only logical solution. After what she'd seen in the woods earlier, she knew she was making the right choice. Reaching Julien's room, she gave the door a rough knock. "Julien! Get your lazy ass out here! There's something we need to talk about." She paused. "Bring Fox too, I'm sure she's in there."

Aurora would call a coven meeting, but she knew doing it in this state would do more harm than good. Her coven had never so much as seen a flicker of distress on her face. If they saw her now, eyes wild and desperate, expression grim, tear stains streaking her cheeks, they would surely panic. Besides, this was a matter for the leader and the second alone. She'd made her decision. The others would either live with it or have to find a new coven. That's how things usually worked around the mansion anyway. The only reason she wanted Fox there, was to deliver a message. The faerie had the ability to teleport, and since she wasn't technically bound to her coven, Aurora couldn't exactly order her around, so she let the girl stay with the small condition of a few minor favors here and there.

Growing impatient, she knocked again. "Julien." She hissed into the door, wincing at the way her voice cracked. "It's urgent."

Caprice Mornelli sat in her office, a stack of files in her lap. Her clock read two in the morning, and as she worked, she held a cup of coffee in one hand, heels propped up on her desk almost carelessly. Large brown eyes scanned line after line of tiny 8 pt font, not even tired despite the late hour. She was used to late nights. Not only was Caprice a workaholic, but there was also no better time to catch a vampire or slay a werewolf than two or three in the morning.

Or apparently read files.

A disturbance at her door made Caprice look up, one eyebrow hooked upwards as if to say: "Can't you see I'm busy?" At her door stood her messenger. He wasn't good for much, but he knew how to protect himself at least. Sad really, what became of her fellow Cacciatori members who really had no skill. "What is it Albert?" She asked rather impatiently.

"Its Jace, Miss Mornelli." The man said sheepishly.

"And? What about him? Because short if him being dead, there is absolutely no reason for you to bother me while I'm working." She said annoyed. As if to prove a point, Caprice stood, towering over the man.

"Uhm.. Actually.. He is dead. Killed by a vampire just now."


And with that, Albert scampered out of the room barely missing the vase that was pitched at his head when she'd registered what he'd said . "WHAT?!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs, the photo on her desk rattling violently. Jace was dead? How? He was one of her top men. She shook her head. Damn vampires, if you wanted something done right you had to do it yourself.

Sitting, Caprice managed to calm herself again and think logically. Papers forgotten, she grabbed for the phone. The secretary's voice came, asking her who she wanted. "Archer please." she said an waited a minute. Since most agents were at the office either for last minute paperwork or a late night hunt, it only too Jace's brother a second to answer. "Archer, yes, its Caprice. I'm so sorry to be the one to tell you, but Jace has been killed by a vampire. I would like you in my office right now please." Her voice was pleasant and sympathetic as she spoke, a completely misleading. She set down the phone and dropped her head into her hands with a groan. Her men were the equivalent of assassins. Silent, and dangerous, able to kill and cover up their tracks. She rarely lost anyone on the job. Jace's death was shocking.

"Uhm... Is- Uh, is this a bad time?" Albert's voice came again from her doorway.

"Was the vase not a good enough indication that I would like you to stop bothering me Albert or would you like a stapler too? I won't miss this time." She hissed into her hands and dropped one to pick up the stapler. Looking up, she popped it open and raised one eyebrow. "This better be good."

Albert shifted nervously and contemplated telling her. Caprice rolled her eyes and raised the stapler. It had the desired effect and got him to get on with it. "Jace's partner just returned. We know who killed him."

"Good boy. Bring him here." She said with a smile, waiting as Albert brought in Jace's partner, who shifted. "Well... Get on with it." She hissed clicking the stapler.

"It was a bloodsucker for sure. We were out hunting and found this one... She was familiar. You remember that old coven we'd burned a while back, a few cities off? She had been their leader. Apparently she got away." He paused, whether for dramatic affect or to irritate her, she didn't know. "So that's who killed him?" She rolled her eyes, hating when people danced around the point. "No ma'am. He killed that bitch, but as he was retreating another one showed up. I was well gone by then, but I turned back to see what was taking so long. When I'd arrived she was crouched over his body, holding his Artemis lucky figurine. Then she just took off. I'm lucky to be alive."

Caprice groaned. "That's great, but you do realize if it had been you and not Jace I would have a much better fighter left? From the way it sounds, all you did was run off." She rolled his eyes. "Your mistake of not killing that other vampire a while back got you into this mess to begin with. Now who killed him? I might forgive you if you give me a name."

He looked shocked, but stepped forward to the files on her desk. He shifted through the vampire ones before he came to two blond girls. Here he hesitated and Caprice leaned on the edge of her seat. One was the vampire coven leader herself and the other was one of the normal coven members. After close consideration, he selected the picture of Aurora. "This one." He stated plainly before turning and leaving. Caprice smiled and lifted the picture. If little miss Aurora had killed one of her men, then she knew about the Cacciatori. It was about time she was brought in for a little good torture and questioning.

With a grin, she leaned back in her chair and awaited Archer's arrival.



Thunder rolled outside and Emmanuel slept peacefully, dreaming of things like fields and rabbits. Huge rabbits. The wolf side of him couldn't help but dream of the soft little snacks every time he closed his eyes. They were delicious, succulent little appetizers. This time though, his dreams were interrupted by a soft noise in his head.

Are you asleep?

A voice that wasn't his intruded on his dream and Emmanuel blinked his eyes open slowly, groaning. The room was dark and he blinked twice to let his eyes adjust. Before him, was the window and his nightstand, since he was a side sleeper. With one glance at the window, he knew who was behind him. There was a wild storm raging outside. Quickly, he glanced at the clock on his nightstand. 2:05 a.m.

With a tired sigh, Emmanuel rolled over and propped himself up on his elbow to see his visitor. Just as he'd suspected. The connection in his head could have been any one of the pack members. They could communicate telepathically. But with the storm outside, it could only be one person. Standing in the doorway, illuminated by yellow hall light stood the small form of his closest friend. Lyric.

She was half faerie and half werewolf, her fey half making her immortal like himself, he'd met her ages ago and they'd been together ever since. Not romantically, but in a close friendship. He smiled at her softly and held out his hand to grab hers and pull her to the bed. "Well I was asleep." He said, answering her question. "But that's okay. Come on Mutt." He teased and patted the spot next to him with a smile.

He knew she was afraid of storms and every time there was one, he let her sleep with him. Not sexually, just for comfort. Once she was laying down next to him, he wrapped his arms around her and sighed. She was naturally cold, being more fey than werewolf, and he was naturally warm, being completely werewolf.

Emmanuel looked down at her with a smile. "Better?" He asked into the darkness, feeling completely at ease as he silently wondered if everyone else was awake yet. Werewolves rarely slept through storms.

Little did he know life for him and his pack was about to be flipped on it's ass in the manor of an hour.

Belle leant back on the bed and giggled coquettishly, batting her blue eyes at the human man sat before her. Of course, it had the instant desired effect and the man's eyes filled with lust and want. Then again, which human man would be able to resist a vampire's laugh? Their voices were beautiful; all velvet and smooth. And their giggle was even more beautiful. Almost… Irresistible.

The man smiled back, reaching a hand out to touch her bare thigh. Of course, Belle was still all dressed up. Tonight's outfit choice had been a fashionable white dress with her signature black, leather jacket to dress it down and a pair of black heels. Her hair was pulled back into a loose but carefully styled ponytail, held back with a black clasp. Her makeup was all still perfectly in place. There wasn't a single mistake. She flicked her gaze to his hand on her leg. The man's skin was a couple of shades more tanned than her own pale, creamy flesh but they looked as smooth as her own. Obviously, he did a job that didn't involve a lot of manual labour, she concluded. But why was she worrying about that? It didn't matter about him. She didn't even remember his name. All that mattered was he wanted her. He was showering her with compliments and paying her the attention she desperately craved.

It didn't matter who he was really. He was just some man she'd called because she was lonely. And she couldn't be alone. She just couldn't. Really, she had no intention of either feeding on or sleeping with him; which was unusual for a vampire. Myths told of evil creatures, obsessed with blood and sex. Of course, both of those things interested her a great deal. But, she preferred what came before. When the person, whoever they might be, paid her attention. Complimented her. Made her the center of attention. That was what mattered.

In a way, Belle wasn’t like normal vampires. Most were very self-assured and independent. Their strength and power gave them a confidence that no human could ever achieve and with that they also lost the human need for companionship and attention. Of course, there were few vampires who didn’t like it, but they didn’t need it. But not Belle. Belle did need it. Without the attention and constant company, Belle felt empty. Maybe, that made her a bad vampire. Maybe she should’ve been human rather than vampire. But, the thought of others knowing that terrified her. She hid her neediness well, though. Mostly, she just came across as manipulative, vain and exceptionally self-obsessed. Few saw past that, and she preferred it that way. It was only really her brother who knew her for who she really was, and even his knowledge made her uncomfortable. She was sure her cousin, Alphonse, had an inkling too. But Belle was sure he was far too upbeat for it to bother him.

She could've found one of the coven members to talk to. But, as far as she knew, all of the others were still locked away in their room, doing whatever it was that they did; it didn't matter to Belle. Usually, she would have gone into her brother’s room and demanded his attention. She loved him and, although the attention she got from him wasn't worth as much as other peoples as they were family and he'd always have time for her, she still enjoyed being with him. But tonight, Belle had decided to call someone else. Tonight, something seemed to be wrong in the coven. She wasn't sure what, but it was definitely wrong.

Belle raised her gaze from her thigh to meet the man's eyes. He was attractive, of course. Blue eyes, dark hair, tanned skin. Although, she was a vampire. If she couldn't persuade someone attractive to spend time with her then who could? Also, she never spoke to unattractive people, as a strict rule.

"So..." the man begun suggestively, but Belle heard no more than that. She pressed a finger against his lips to silence him.
Outside her bedroom door, she was sure she could hear something. She counted the footsteps as they marched past her door, carrying on down the landing. The sound of the footsteps told her it was a female vampire, which narrowed it down to Aurora or Cassie. She counted 25 steps. That meant it was Julien’s door she had stopped outside of.

Then came a rough knock on the door and the voice identified her as Aurora to Belle. "Julien! Get your lazy ass out here! There's something we need to talk about. Bring Fox too, I'm sure she's in there."

Belle’s company stayed silent as ordered, his hand dancing across her bare thigh in an attempt to regain her attention. But her attention was firmly diverted elsewhere as she listened intently for more information.

Another knock. Aurora’s voice dropped and Belle could only just pick up what had been said. “Julien, it’s urgent.”

Any other night, this short sentence could’ve easily come off as Aurora just being impatient and saying anything to get him to open the door. But something about her tone, even though it was barely audible, told Belle otherwise. Something was wrong. And Belle was going to make sure she was in possession of this information too.

Belle heard unintelligible muttering from Julien, most likely towards Fox, before the door opened.

”What’s up?” he asked.

“Belle…” the man opposite said teasingly, trying again to gain her attention. Immediately, Belle’s eyes flicked back towards him, fixing him with the coldest, iciest glare he had ever received. It silenced him instantly and his hand froze on her thigh.

With a very soft sigh, Belle continued to listen.

"What's up?" Julien said, coming out into the hall with Fox. Immediatly, she looked away and tried to come up with words to say. But she didn't have to. In the next second, there was another noise in the hallway. Brisk, angry footsteps.

Aurora turned her head to see Trix, the Faerie that ran Paranormal in town, an Immortal-friendly club. Her and the woman weren't enemies, but they weren't allies. Faeries rarely allied with anyone. Not completely anyway. They may choose favorites, but their true intentions were rarely known. “Hello Aurora. Julien. Fox. I hope you don't mind me interrupting, but this-” She said, pointing to the young vampire she had by the ear “-little monster tried to feed in my club. And you know how I don't like that.”

Aurora groaned and ran her fingers through her hair. After everything that had happened that night, this was not what she needed. "And you couldn't deal with it yourself because?" She hissed, slightly hostile. "You know I give you permission to punish any of my vampires who cause problems for you and your club." Aurora clenched her hand around the broken Artemis statue, twisting her lips. Suddenly, she had an idea. Trix was always good for information so... "Alright. I'll make sure he never messes with you and your club again... If you investigate this for me." She said, placing the statue in the faerie's hand. "That should be an amusing little project for you."

And with that, she turned back to Julien, not caring that Trix was still standing there. "We're moving in with the vampires." She announced bluntly, looking straight into his eyes. She tried to keep her expression hard. One that said it wasn't up for debate, but she couldn't do anything about her tear stained cheeks or shaking hands.

"Fox." She said, turning to the dark haired woman, handing her the letter. "Please bring this to Emmanuel. Tell him it's made of some old magic and just showed up in my room. Tell him we're moving in with him for the protection of both of us." Aurora, who was used to 200 years of giving orders and not accepting no's, knitted her brows. "Please?" She asked, running her hands through her damp, blonde hair to hide the shaking.



Not a moment later, Caprice's phone began ringing, and she looked down at it with a sigh. Lifting it, she cradled it gently between her shoulder and ear while she dangled a pencil in her hand. "I have Priestly for you ma'am." Caprice glanced at the file on her desk with a smile.

"Alright, this better be good. Put him on." A second later, Priestly's voice was coming through the receiver at her. "Lady Eagle, this is Renaissance Man. The Men's blood bank is closed for business, repeat, the Men's blood bank is closed for business. Got the trash in the bag and the house is shiny." He was speaking in a ridiculous code. "Awaiting orders, Ma'am."

"Priestly, please, the code's completely see through." She said with a sigh, sifting through the files on her desk. This Aurora woman knew about them, and she was the leader of a coven. She was an immideate threat that needed to be taken out.

Orders? He wanted more orders? Hmmm... "Alright." She said with a sigh, flipping the phone to the other ear. "Meet me in my office in ten." She said, hanging up and dropping her head in her hands to rub her temples.

A short conversation between Aurora and, a voice and scent she recognised after a few seconds as Trix, a faerie who ran a bar in town – the name of which escaped Belle for the moment. She’d been there a few times with Julian when they’d been hunting in the city. She’d even picked up a few of her late night snacks there. Although, Belle had never been quite stupid enough to feed on them in the actual club, unlike whoever it was Trix had dragged back tonight. She resisted the urge to giggle as he was ordered away by Julian. As for Trix, Belle had had few dealings with her but she seemed nice enough, if a little precious about the club.

She heard Aurora give Trix a project but Belle had no time to consider that with the next line Aurora delivered. ”We’re moving in with the werewolves.”

Belle’s instant reaction was to shudder violently. The dogs? They were moving in with the dogs? In her mind, endless images of big, salivating wolves, fur dripping with mud and water, flashed through. How disgusting.
"Fox. Please bring this to Emmanuel. Tell him it's made of some old magic and just showed up in my room. Tell him we're moving in with him for the protection of both of us."

Now Belle was confused; a feeling she hated. She hated not knowing what was going on. A feeling of being left on the outside: unwanted, uncared for, ignored. And that was scarier than any thought concerning the flea-ridden mutts. She’d rather spend an eternity with a werewolf, dribbling all over her perfect blonde hair, than be alone…

”Please.”

That didn’t sound good. Since when did Aurora Mortenson ever say please to Fox? But Fox agreeing to do as Aurora had asked without any argument worried Belle more. This must be serious. Fox seemed to do things on her own terms, for her own amusement. Normally, even if she had every intention of doing exactly as Aurora wanted, she’d at least have a bit of fun first. But not tonight.

Belle felt the strange sparkling in the air that tingled a little when it touched your skin, signifying Fox’s departure from this particular existence to somewhere else in the world. Julian’s mutters about Fox’s irritating habits made Belle smile momentarily, but the smile froze on her lips and dropped as Julian stopped.

"We need to talk," Julian said, and dragged Aurora into the room and closed the door, dismissing Trix with something about the fridge.

Belle growled slightly under her breath in irritation. Now the door was closed she could no longer quite understand what they were saying. Despite her enhanced hearing, she could only catch a word or two, and usually not the useful ones. If Belle wanted to hear any more of the conversation, she would have to go out onto the landing. She slipped towards the door, checking herself in the mirror first. It was only her coven, but she always had to look perfect. She caught a flash of movement in the mirror behind her and only then did she remember she had company. She’d been so caught up in what was going on that she’d forgotten all about the man she’d picked up for her own entertainment and a little midnight snack later on, if she felt like it.

Belle marched back over to the bed, not wanting to waste valuable time when she could be listening to Aurora and Julian’s conversation.

“Stay right here, don’t move,” she ordered the nameless man. “I’ll be back.”

“But Belle…” he began to whine, clearly put out about being left.

“Stay,” she instructed.

He needed no more persuasion than that. In fact, that was a particular talent of hers; some even called it her 'gift'. She was incredibly persuasive, almost always getting her own way. It was least effective on vampires, followed by other supernaturals and she had to work a little harder with them. But to humans, she could simply say the word to most and they wouldn't even question it.

He nodded blankly.

“And don’t touch anything,” she said softly as she closed the door behind her gently.

She turned round, spotting Trix just a few feet from her door. In her hand was a small, wooden figurine. Belle cast her eyes over it quickly. It was a little woman, drawing a bow back as if she were about to shoot something. This must’ve been what Aurora had given Trix as her little ‘project’ Belle realised as her mind quickly connected the dots.

“What you got there?” she asked Trix curiously, lowering her voice. She thought it better Aurora and Julian didn’t know she was out there, listening to their conversation.

Aurora let out a small sigh of relief when Julien stepped up to handle the vampire for her. She was in no mood to deal out trivial punishments for minor things. When she told him they were moving in with the werewolves, he played it off like he didn't care with a simple "Yea? Just a vacation or an extended stay?" but in reality, she could see the signs. He was outraged.

Then Fox took the letter and disappeared, and Aurora felt a small weight, no matter how tiny, lift from her shoulders. Getting Fox to relay the message to Emmanuel wasn't actually that hard, thankfully. Arguing with, and threatening the faerie was something that hadn't been on her top ten things to do that night.

One she was gone, Julien mumbled something under his breath. "God, the sooner she picks a new favorite..." But he was stopped up short as he looked at her suddenly. She gave him a confused look as he stepped close to her and lifted her hair to his nose. "We need to talk," he grabbed her wrist, then muttered something to Trix before dragging her into his room and closing the door behind them.

"God Julien, yes, I showered, I know I smell good." She said, yanking her wrist out of his. "But now's really not the time to-"

But he cut her off. "Charlise... Charlise," he said. Obviously having trouble grasping what he was thinking. "God, Aurora, why do you smell like that? Like blood?" So that had been why he'd smelled her hair. Under her shampoo, he'd caught Charlise's scent.

She groaned and leaned back against the door, giving up the fight against trying to hide it. "She's dead Julien." She shook her head and looked at the floor, the ceiling, the bed behind him, anything but his face. "I.. I found her tonight. Dying. In the woods." She shook her head, unable to make complete sentences as she raised her grief-stricken blue eyes to meet his. "I could have been there- If I'd run a little bit faster... I could have stopped it."

"Please don't argue with me on this werewolves thing." She sighed. There it was again. That word. Please. She'd used it twice in one night already. Anyone who knew her, knew she didn't ask for things, she ordered them. "I know what I'm doing, it's for our safety."



she said loudly. The statement was less heartbroken and more accusatory. She took a deep breath, blew it out of her nose, and then sat up straight in the bed. "Oh," she said, registering the scents in the room. She yanked back the covers to reveal the little brown-haired half-fey. "Is that you, madra?" Madra was the Gaelic word for dog. Fox could never help but call Lyric that. Fox squealed and gave the girl a hug. She then climbed bodily over her to get to Emmanuel. "Wake up, Lover. she said very quickly and all at once, bouncing energetically on the bed.

Something flopped onto Emmanuel's bed, making it bounce. "Twice now, I find my lover's bed full. Is there no one in this world who cares about me?"

Emmanuel groaned loudly and rolled over. He was just about to fall back asleep. "Fox." He hissed into the dark at her. "Don't be so dramatic, you know there's nothing romantic between me and Lyric." Rolling his eyes, he carefully turned on his side, away from Lyric and towards Fox, moving silently as not to wake her.

"I have a message from Aurora Mortensen. Do you love the half breed more than me?"

Emmanuel glanced at Lyric. "At the moment? Yes." He said with a roll of his eyes. "She'd sleeping and most of all... quiet." He whispered and sighed, sitting up, rubbing his eyes. "Alright, what's Aurora's message for me?" He asked, watching her intently.

Aurora watched him pace, eyes following him back and forth. She knew how much the coven had been hoping that maybe Charlise could come back alive, and she'd just destroyed that. With a sigh, she looked away, watching the wall as if it held the answers to all her problems.

Suddenly his hands were on her shoulders and she looked up at him feeling vulnerable for the first time since she'd been a vampire. "Don't say that, okay? Don't think that." He said and she let out a long sigh, trying to compose herself again. This wasn't her. She never acted like this.

In the next moment her stepped away from her and she was thankful for a second to pull herself together. He reached for his cigarettes on his dresser and she allowed herself to slide back into her leader role, expression passive, eyes holding nothing but what she wanted others to see. It was something she'd had a lot of practice doing over the course of 200 years. Learning to hide her emotions.

Julien lifted himself up to sit on his window sill and she watched the smoke from his cigarette spiral out the window. He knew how she felt about smoking in the house. "Aurora... ugh," He groaned, taking a drag. "Let's pretend, just for argument's sake, that werewolves aren't the most disgusting creatures on the planet. Do you really think they're just going to welcome us with open arms? Just a few weeks ago their delta took a snap at that idiot who tried to feed in Trix's club..." She watched him shudder. "That letter had better have something huge in it if you expect it to win over that bastard," he said, referring to Emmanuel. "At the very least, let's wait for Fox to give us the all clear before we just go barging onto their land, all right? I'm too sexy to be at the bottom of a dog pile."

Aurora raised a single eyebrow. "Sexy?" She said, giving him an appraising look. "All I see is stubborn and lazy." She sighed and pulled herself off the door, crossing to his bed to sit on it, legs hanging off, facing him. "Honestly Julien, do you not trust me?" She asked with a smirk. "There's a reason this coven has kept me around for two hundred years you know. I know whats good for us. Believe me. You know I can't stand Emmanuel and his pups. If I didn't think this was one-hundred percent needed, I wouldn't do it." She sighed and flopped back onto his bed, throwing her arm over her eyes dramatically. "It's been a long night. The last thing I need is my motives questioned. Once Fox gets back, we'll peel out. When we get there, Emmanuel, you, his beta, and I will do some talking. I'll explain everything then."



Emmanuel watched Fox shake off her glamour and sighed. "What a bore. You should like me better. I knew that the beds of beautiful males are not for sleeping." She then pulled out a letter and read it over with a quick glance. "Aurora Mortenson is moving in with you. She and her vampires will be here tomorrow because of this." She gave him letter. "What's that human saying? The enemy of my enemy is my friend?"

He took the letter from her and read it over. His eyes widened for a split second before looking up at her. "This can't be real." He shook his head. "If there's one thing Aurora's good at, it's deciet. She's a lying, heartless bitch." He shook his head slightly, bringing the letter to his nose. But it smelled like old magic. The kind of magic you can't fake. If this was a hoax, it was an elaborate one.

He looked up at Fox. Emmanuel knew she played both sides often, but he'd given up trying to get rid of her a long time ago. She was all he had to go on right now. He ran his fingers through his hair, thinking about the consequences. If he refused Aurora and she was right about these Cacciatori, they were all fucked, but if he agreed and she turned out to be lying?

Who knew? There would be murder. Definitely. Then war. But that didn't necessarily mean they would lose. Aurora moving in with them to "get closer" with them would give them the chance to get to know the weaknesses of the vampires and be on their toes for if something happened. But it was still a huge risk.

He looked at Fox. "Should I trust her?" He asked, not liking the idea of laying his trust in the hands of a faerie. They were notoriously manipulative.

Instantly, the dark haired twin glared at Belle, narrowing her eyes and growling. She took a few hostile steps forward, challenging her.

"We just came to drop that pitiful creature off," the warlock said nastily, pointing towards the soaked girl wrapped in a blanket.

Belle's eyes flickered down, sensing movement. Her eyes fell upon a small, black cat, rubbing against the leg of the dark haired, fair skinned 'white' witch. A small smile danced at the corner of Belle's lips at the sight, she'd always particularly liked cats. The smooth, elegant way they moved and their soft, perfect fur reminded her of everything she liked best.

"Blessed be," the white witch said, bowing her head. The gesture was very formal and made Belle feel a little uncomfortable about her own cold, standoffish attitude.

" I am Jezebel Rowan Endira, the last white witch of Rose City, Moon Forest and the surrounding area. I require assistance or, to be more precise," she paused, " I need somewhere to stay safe."

Belle nodded slowly, taking in the information. Her instant reaction was to question internally what she'd been told. She could smell the white magic on her but how was she know if this Jezebel, as she called herself, was telling the truth? But something about this girl's pretty, polite manner of speech, frightened expression and need for protection made Belle slightly more trusting of the words she said.

She turned to the dark haired twins. " These two found me and brought me here or I'd still be in a cave I don't even know where."

Belle's eyes swept over the twins that Jezebel was indicating. The male didn't look particularly threatening, there was something very reassuring about the way he was looking at poor, shivering Jezebel. Like he genuinely cared for a girl he'd only just met and wanted to help her. It was endearing and even made Belle soften a little. However, the same couldn't be said for his sister. In the simplest terms, she seemed like a bitch. Belle had no reason, nor the inclination, to trust her. She seemed hostile and bitter. And besides, she was a warlock. That alone gave Belle reason not to trust her.

"Well, now that we've dropped off this little girl, I think we'll leave," the cold, bitter warlock said. She sounded angry. Belle really hoped that Zane had done as he was told and fetched Aurora...

"Why are you being such a bitch?" the dark haired male asked his sister. Her smile instantly dropped and Belle resisted the urge to smirk.

He then turned his attention back to Belle, offering her a smile. "I'm sorry for her. My name's Erik and that's Morgan. Like Jezebel said, we found her in the woods and this was the closest place we could bring her."

Belle nodded, still toying with the idea of trusting Jezebel. She did recognise the names vaguely. Carefully, she ran them through her mind, combing it for any information. Of course, the Mystara twins. Erik and Morgan. Part of the Salem Witch Trials.

The girl, who she now knew was called Morgan sighed loudly. "If you don't know us by Erik and Morgan, you most likely know us as Jinx and Hex. Some of your nice vampire friends named us that." Belle had a feeling that was some kind of veiled dig at vampires.

"I'm sure she knows us by Erik and Morgan," Erik said. He glanced back at Belle, "Sorry. We'll get out of your hair now." He then looked at Jezabel and smiled, "Be safe, Sweetheart. You can keep the jacket to remember me."

He really did seem strangely sweet, for a warlock.

"Let's go," he said to his sister, turning to leave.

Morgan quickly threw a snarky remark towards Erik. "I doubt that couple you left in your bed are still there. Ugh. It's disgusting how you continue to have intercourse with anything that comes your wa-"

There was a bang as she hit the wall, landing on the floor. "Just shut up!" Erik shouted, loosing his temper.

Frankly, Belle didn't blame him. If she'd been her sister Belle would've ripped her to shreds long ago.

Morgan pulled herself to her feet, a smile creeping into the corner of her lip as she waved her hand. "We haven't had a good sibling fight since last month."

Erik hit the wall, growling as he stood up. "Why do you always have to be such a bitch!"

Belle growled under her breath. A pair of fighting warlocks in their front room was the last thing this coven needed tonight. In seconds she was just inches from Morgan, glaring at her.

"I think it was time you were both leaving," Belle said coldly. She threw her glance towards Erik. "I'll see Jezebel receives the appropriate treatment from Aurora..."

Belle walked calmly away from Morgan to stand beside Jezebel. She heard Zane, who she'd sent to fetch Aurora, knocking on her door. It opened and Zane delivered Belle's message.

A flicker of recognition flashed across Aurora's face. "Aurora! I haven't seen you since you tried to kill me! Remember? I just showed up in your bed, in your room. I was mostly naked! When was that? I think it was 1990. Or maybe it was 1995. But remember?! We used to show up all the time." She watched the male warlock stand. "It's Erik! Or Hex. I can't remember what you called me."

Aurora nodded slightly, a smirk coming to her lips. "I hardly recognized you with clothes on Erik." She then watched as his sister- What was her name again? Mary.. Morgan.. Morgan! -Took a step towards them.

Down by her sides, her hands closed into fists. The twins were nothing but trouble. They were somewhat like Fox, though more destructive as they bounced back and forth between both sides, playing them. The one thing Aurora and Emmanuel had in common was that they'd stopped trusting the Mystara twins a long time ago. "Hello Aurora. Is this your new second in command?" Aurora reflexively placed a hand on Julien's shoulder, squeezing ever so slightly. "Erik, isn't this the baby we almost stole?" Aurora hissed under her breath. If there was one thing the twins knew how to do it was push her buttons, though on the outside, she appeared not to give a care, on the inside her short temper was about to explode. "It is! You were so cute! Nothing's changed really. You just have more muscle now. A lot more. We would have given you back after a week. I swear. What's your name again? Jacob? No, that's not it. Oh Julien! That's it."

"Yes." Aurora said simply. "His name's Julien and he's my new second in command." She glanced between the twins. "And I think you've caused enough damage. I'll give you ten seconds to give me a really good reason why I should let you stand another minute on my property before I kick your asses."

Her blue eyes were ice cold as she glared down at the two. It was a look she reserved mainly for werewolves and other troublemakers. A look that could make even the strongest of men run away sobbing.

Belle growled angrily as the irritating warlock girl completely ignored Belle and sauntered across the room to Jezebel. She then glared at Erik.

"I don't think this is the right place to do this Morgan,” Erik told his sister.

“Since when did you start thinking?" she shot back. The warlock girl waved her hands a couple of times, throwing him wall to wall. Belle cringed every time he hit one, leaving little marks in their beautiful wallpaper. He then hit the glass coffee table. It shattered instantly. Belle resisted the urge to rip the both of them apart. She loved that coffee table. And Cassie was going to go mad when she saw the door.

Morgan then grabbed her brother by the back of his neck, glaring at him. "This is why I'm older."

You're older by three minutes!" he shouted, a scowl forming on his face and a fireball forming in his hand. He threw it at Morgan, throwing her back. She patted her chest frantically, eyes wide with fear and anger.

She screamed. "You asshole! You know how I feel about fire!" With a flick of her hand, Erik flew back, hitting the bottom step.

"What. The. Hell? Who the hell broke the door??" Julien’s snarling voice indicated his arrival. Belle glanced round behind her, spotting him at the very edge of the scene, flanked closely by Aurora. Julian looked angry, really angry.

“It was her,” Erik immediately pointed at Morgan.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Aurora said. "Somebody better start talking. Now." She then glanced at Belle, gesturing with a flick of her wrist. "Belle. Thank you, I've got things covered in here. Go check on Sadie for me?"

Belle wrinkled her nose in disgust before nodding begrudgingly. It was a well-known fact that Belle hated werewolves. They were foul creatures. But she particularly hated the whining little half-breed Aurora insisted they keep, saying she’d be ‘useful’. Frankly, Belle saw nothing useful about the little freak of nature, she was just another irritation Belle didn’t need. She hated having to go near her, and treated her particularly badly whenever she was forced to. Besides, she would’ve liked to stay and watch these two get their asses kicked by Aurora. But Belle didn’t think tonight was a good night to challenge Aurora.

Belle turned to walk away but stopped at the very edge of the room as Erik began to speak. Maybe she’d listen for just one more minute, this sounded interesting.

Upon spotting Aurora, Erik smiled. "Aurora! I haven't seen you since you tried to kill me! Remember? I just showed up in your bed, in your room. I was mostly naked! When was that? I think it was 1990. Or maybe it was 1995. But, remember?! We used to show up all the time. It's Erik! Or Hex. I can't remember what you called me,” he said, standing up.

“Maybe it was asshole…” Belle muttered under her breath, glancing at the coffee table. Although initially appearing sweet, Belle was starting to loose respect and patience fast with the male warlock.
Aurora smirked, nodding slightly in response to Erik. "I hardly recognized you with clothes on Erik."

Morgan took a few steps forward. "Hello Aurora. Is this your new second in command Erik, isn't this the baby we almost stole?" she said, pointing at Julian. “It is! You were so cute! Nothing's changed really. You just have more muscle now. A lot more." She lifted an eyebrow. "We would have given you back after a week. I swear. What's your name again? Jacob? No, that's not it. Oh Julien! That's it."

"Yes. His name's Julien and he's my new second in command. And I think you've caused enough damage. I'll give you ten seconds to give me a really good reason why I should let you stand another minute on my property before I kick your asses,” Aurora threatened, giving them both an icy stare.

"Yea," Julien said after her flatly. "Julien. Nice to see you again. Any chance you could, I don't know, lay off our house? You know, for old time's sake."

Julien crossed the room to Belle’s side. He scrutinised her carefully, up and down.

“I’m fine,” Belle said quietly to Julien. “Just make sure you get the number of their insurance company before you throw them back into whichever hole they crawled out of… I liked that coffee table.”

With that she turned and sauntered off. The sooner she dealt with the stupid half-breed, the sooner she could return to the better smelling part of the manor. Behind her, she heard Julien making some comment about the blonde human’s Belle had put in the corner to deal with later.

Belle froze, halfway down the corridor as she caught the tingly scent of a faerie appearing.

"Emmanuel Cross expects you in the morning," Belle heard Fox chirp gleefully. "Don't let Julien walk in front. I will be displeased if his face is injured."

There was a pop and Fox was gone again. Belle stalked down the corridor and stamped down the steps to the basement, slamming the door behind her. Great. That filthy, useless man they called their pack leader, Emmanuel, had agreed to this stupid plan. Of course he had. He saw his opportunity and took it. Her coven would be in their house, on their land, in their territory. They easily had the upper hand. And if they chose to attack, the vampires would definitely sustain the highest losses.

As Belle approached the third door in the basement she heard banging and shouting from behind it. The voice of the complaining hybrid was moaning about food. Belle peered through the barred window at the creature sitting dejectedly on her bed. Her long, blonde hair fell round her face and an arm was folded round her stomach, clearly she was hungry.

But the clearest indication of her presence was the smell. Belle shuddered. She pulled a bottle of her favourite perfume, Belle d’Opium from Yves Saint Laurent, from her jacket pocket. It was her signature perfume and she always made sure she, as with most of the things she owned, existed in a cloud of it. She loved everything smelling pretty, just like her. She spritzed herself with it, enjoying the sensation of the tiny little droplets coming to rest on her skin. Maybe that would help to repel the smell for a while…

With that, Belle pushed open the door to the hybrid’s cell and quickly locked it behind herself to make sure the animal didn’t escape. That was the last thing they wanted tonight.

Belle glared down at her, sat on the bed. “What do you want, mongrel?” she said viciously.

Belle was nasty to the half-breed at the best of times but after the evening she’d just had, she was feeling particularly cruel.

A hundred things happened, on right after the other. "Are those yours or something," Julien said nodding to the humans. "And what's this one?" Aurora sighed.

"The humans are mine, none of the coven is to harm them. And the girl is a witch in need of our protection. I can smell white magic on her." Before she'd even finished talking, Fox had reappeared before her.

"Emmanuel Cross expects you in the morning. Don't let Julien walk in front. I will be displeased if his face is injured." She chirped before teleporting out of the room again. Aurora rolled her eyes. Typical Fox. What was she going to do when both her favorites were under the same roof? Or would it be better for her? Easier access?

She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. She still hadn't slept yet and exhaustion was getting to her. The next thing that happened, Aurora wasn't expecting. She never would. Not in a million years. Through the open doorway, stalked a beautiful blonde woman, maybe a little younger looking than herself, but the similarities between the two were striking. The sister she'd thought was dead. She'd died as a normal human two hundred years ago. So why was she standing here before her? And why did she smell like vampire?

Aurora suddenly felt sick. No! Not her baby sister... It was bad enough she'd been turned into a monster, but given immortality too? Her face whitened and she stumbled backwards, having to lean on a wall for support. Her breathing got shallow. "Angeline. If you could please." She muttered, trying to regain her balance and compose herself.

She stood, expression once more passive as she looked down at her sister with pitying blue eyes. "I'm dealing with a crisis right now. We'll talk in a moment." With that, she placed a hand on her sister's shoulder and nudged her gently to the side. Next, Cassandra came barging down the stairs, shrieking about the furniture before huffing and throwing herself on the couch, mumbling something about house insurance.

She was right. Though they were vampires and didn't really need money to obtain things, merely their persuasion and beauty, Aurora still hated to see anything in her home ruined. All of it, right down to the doorknobs, was imported. Every room was decorated with the flawless perfection only a vampire could obtain. The house was one of the things Aurora would miss when the moved. Though they were both of equal strength, the Werewolves preferred a much smaller house because they didn't always have to use it as they had a pack camp as well. It was still huge, but they'd probably have to share rooms and it wouldn't be as nicely decorated. She'd been there before and everything was decorated in a hunting lodge kind of feel with dead animals and tribe voodoo hanging on almost every wall.

"I don't think we have one. We just came to leave the lovely Jezebel," Aurora was snapped from her thoughts by Erik as he gestured to the white witch. "Into your protection. I feel like we should go, Morgan."

Aurora nodded her agreement and ignored Morgan's goodbye. Quite frankly, the girl was a brat and she was happy they were leaving. She already had the pair of humans, and Fox, to deal with, she didn't have time to babysit everyone. Then Trix barged through the door. Her gust of wind knocked some curtains to the floor and she rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed huff. "Think maybe someone can make an entrance without destroying my home?!" She hissed before listening to what Trix had to say.

She nodded somberly. It was just as she'd thought. The figurine had belonged to the man she'd killed. The one that killed Charlise. She was about to reach for it, when Morgan beat her to it, rage suddenly in her eyes. Was there ever another emotion there? Aparently so, for as Aurora watched, she started sobbing, hysterically. Erick caught her and tucked her into his arms. No matter how much she detested the twins, Aurora's heart couldn't help but flutter a little for she too, knew what it was like to lose someone to these human monsters. "I think we have a reason to stay now." Erik said, eyes on hers, suddenly very serious. It was surprising to see him serious and she nodded with a sigh, running her fingers through her hair.

"Alright." She announced. "Everyone head back to their rooms and get packed. We're moving in with the werewolves as soon as everyone's ready. No arguing with me tonight unless you want to lose a limb." She gave Cassie a pointed look before glancing at the others being the human twins, the warlock twins, the white witch, Angeline, and Trix. "You're all welcome to join us if you'd like. You'll be under our protection from the werewolves should you choose to come." She smiled, thinking of Sadie. "We have something of theirs. They wont hurt you. You're welcome to wait here in the sitting room until we are ready."

And with that, she disappeared for a moment before reappearing again, bags in hand. She'd already been packed since the moment she left her room to go talk to Julien. She sat on the small sofa, looking at the others. "Alright, so I know why the warlock twins are here, and Trix." She looked at the human twins. "Why don't you tell me why you're here. Our agreement was based on secrecy." She looked at her sister. "And why don't you tell me why the hell you're alive, and why you decide to show up now? I know every coven within a twenty city/town radius. You have never been apart of any of them."



"What are you talking about Emmanuel? Are you serious about this?" She could see the hurt in her eyes, that he hadn't consulted with the beta on this. "I'm sorry, but that sounds like a flawed plan." He'd expected that.

"Bullshit, Emmanuel!" Johnathon snapped, actually making him jump. He turned his eyes off Viper to look at him. "The territory has never been safer! Who told you about this threat?" Emmanuel gestured to Fox behind him, just as she admitted that it was her.

"They're right,Are you insane?! I mean,Emmanuel I love and trust with my life but,come on. Humans tiny little humans can not know how to kill us. How do you know that this isn't a trap,you wouldn't just be putting my life in danger but more importantly everyone's lives in danger and for why because Fox told you?! Come on now,she could be behind this plan with the demons so that they can get in our home and kill us all just because of this stupid letter." Nat's came next, then her brother Nick. "And just how are we supposed to know that it is a trap, guys I don't feel like sharing my personal space with the cold hearted bloodsuckers either, but when did Emmanuel ever do something to put us in danger?"

Emmanuel smiled at Nick thankfully. "Look." He said, speaking as alpha. "This is not up for debate. It's going to happen. I just wanted to warn you. I would never do anything to but you guys in danger, you know that. You're my family. And this-" he gestured to the letter "-is made with a magic older than both me and Aurora Mortenson. There's no way she faked this, and if it's real, then there are humans after us. highly trained humans who now our every weakness while we have yet to know theirs. And not to mention that they outnumber us tenfold. We've been wrongly blaming the vampires for the recent disappearances." He shook his head. "Not that they're not disgusting creatures, but we need their help if we're to take down this threat." He let a small smile come to his lips and glanced at Fox. "Plus... They're going to be on our land, in our home, coming to us for protection. We easily have the upper hand should things go wrong, and Aurora would see that. She would never place her coven in a vunerable postition. I've been opposing her for two hundred years. Trust me, I know I'm right when I say that, even if it meant wiping us out, Aurora would never ever make her coven seem weak or incapable. She's too prideful."

(Sorry these are so short.. )