I gasped, pulling away from Samuel. Edwina never showed me how involved she was with the vampires, but something drastic happened for her to hate them all.

Or is Samuel the catalyst for her hatred towards them?

He stared at me with curious eyes, squinting. If he had noticed my abruptness, he didn't show it. A flirtatious smirk crossed his lips. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Erika."

I wish I could say the same about you.

Soft murmurs came from the kitchen, but the door was closed. "If you'd excuse me, I need to talk to Amelia."

"Not so fast." Samuel blocked my path. "What do you know?"

My eyes flickered towards the door. One scream and Amelia would come rushing from the kitchen.

Samuel caught on, loosening his tie. "Don't think about calling for help. I can tell you know something, so if you don't comply, I'll rip the tongue from your throat."

From the determination etched on his face and from his penetrating stare, Samuel would kill me whether I said anything or not. "I know you loved her."

My words struck a chord as he shoved me up against the wall. The border of the painting vibrated against the surface.

His hand wrapped around my throat, crushing my windpipe and coiled a strand of my hair around his index finger. "You know nothing, dainty human." The tobacco clung to his breath as I grimaced from the rank smell.

Powerless within his grasp, I gasped for air, kicking him with the sole of my shoe.

"The more you struggle, the more painful this will be," he whispered, relishing in his authority.

Samuel wanted to see me suffer a painful and slow death because I had hit a nerve.

Guilt, maybe?

My breathing slowed as I clawed at his wrists, fighting for survival. I dug my nails into his flesh, holding on for as long as I could. As I closed my eyes, the image of Edwina rushed to the forefront of my mind.

A gunshot brought me back to the present. Samuel's clasp loosened, letting my feet touch the ground.

Amelia stood in the doorway, pointing the revolver at him. "Hands off her. You know the rules." Her voice was stern as she released another bullet, showing Samuel that she was capable of anything.

I fell forwards, heaving from the gush of air that filled my aching lungs.

He crouched to the floor, hissing through his teeth. "You're getting too good with that thing."

"I had to. You might be family, but you're in our home." She indicated for me to follow as he was incapacitated. "Are you going to behave?"

Plunging his fingers into his abdomen, he growled and pulled out the bullet, dropping it to the floor with a metallic ring. He removed the second bullet in the same fashion and inspected his bloodied shirt. "You owe me a shirt."

Amelia rolled her eyes and led me into the kitchen, disregarding Samuel in the hallway.

"Did Johnathan watch the CCTV footage? Did he see my dad?" I caressed my sore neck, collecting all my thoughts on what could've happened if Amelia hadn't intervened.

She turned on the faucet and switched on the kettle. "Three figures wearing cloaks ambushed Richard."

"And?" I held onto the edge of the table and ignored the thumping within my chest, increasing from the ongoing silence. "Is he okay? Tell me."

Amelia crossed her arms and hung her head in defeat. "They took him, Erika. We have no leads. I'm so sorry."

"No. No." Each word went through one ear and out the other with no recollection. "That's it. You're giving up."

She pressed her finger to her mouth, gesturing for me to keep my raised voice under control. Signalling to her ear, Amelia pointed to the next room. The continuous running water cancelled out any background noise, making it harder for Samuel to eavesdrop on our conversation.

Why would Amelia try to hide the kidnapping of my father? Does she think Samuel has something to do with it?

He strolled into the kitchen with a bottle of scotch and a tumbler glass. "Please don't stop on my account." Setting the glass down, he unscrewed the lid on the bottle. "What's gotten your knickers in a twist?"

Dismissing his mocking tone, I replied, "They kidnapped my dad."

Pouring the golden liquor into the glass, Samuel lifted the rim to his lips. "He's a goner. You might as well say your prayers and move on." Gulping back the scotch, he closed his eyes in pleasure and reopened them with a smirk. "You know, I can compel any man to replace him. Young, old, pimp or priest, you name it."

Holding back my frustration and the impulsive desire to shoot Samuel in the heart with the revolver, I sat on the furthest chair and created distance between us.

"Nobody is compelling anybody because we will get Richard back." Amelia added the boiling water to her teabag before handing me a mug of herbal tea. "Thought you could use a little detox."

"She needs more than a little detoxing. Erika lacks vitamin D and sunlight," Samuel scoffed, pouring himself another drink. "I thought healing the bothersome teens back to health was your job."

Taking a small sip of her tea, she nodded and placed it back on the table. "I almost forgot. Johnathan said they carved a symbol, and looking back, I'm sure I saw it in one of the hospital corridors." After a moment of searching for a piece of paper and a pen, Amelia drew the symbol from memory. "He said it resembled something like this."

The symbol was identical to the one I had jotted down in my notebook.

Is it a coincidence?

"I've seen that before. The night Ethan killed a vampire, that symbol was on its wrist. He didn't know what it meant," I said, tracing the rough marks on the page with my fingertips. "But after drawing it several times, I discovered what it means. If you turn the page upside down, the triangles represent fangs."

"Why would a vampire have that on their wrist?" Amelia drummed her fingers on the table in a sequence, perplexed.

I had no idea. My initial thought was that the tattoo divided vampires from humans, but Samuel didn't have the tattoo on his wrist. If a witch helped Edwina harness darkness, then maybe it derived from magic as a result.

Samuel caressed the tumbler, leaning back against the countertop. "Fortunately for you, I recognise the symbol, and it's not good." He swigged the last mouthful of scotch before casting aside his glass. "I had Diphtheria back in 1739, practically lying on my deathbed when I first met her. She disguised herself as a nurse and thought I was worth saving."

"What has this got anything to do with that symbol?" I asked.

"Because that was her trademark. Once she turned me, she showed me the way they do things. The emblem distinguished themselves from others of their kind." Samuel stared at the sketch displayed on the table. "She goes by the name of Nadine, but they call her Nada for short."

The name sounded familiar. "Why Nada?"

Samuel replied, "She has everything to gain and nothing to lose."

Too bad Nadine doesn't know what Edwina has in store for her and the vampires.

Sipping the hot sweet-sour Hibiscus tea, I fixated my gaze on Samuel. He knew I had more information on Edwina, and if I wasn't careful, he would come at me for round two.

How could I explain to a vampire I have visions of their ex-lover? For whatever reason, Edwina is showing me vital information, and I have to know why?

"How come you don't have the symbol?" Amelia leaned back in her chair and brushed the hair off her shoulders, letting it trail down her back.

"When I met Nadine, she was training a group of newly transitioned vampires and turned them against one another, testing their loyalty. One species split into two, creating an altercation within the vampire community. You're either on her side or a rogue. Nadine needs vampires to protect her from the one person she fears the most."

"And who is that?" Amelia asked.

Samuel moved forward, gripping the back of the chair. His voice was low and sombre as he whispered, "Akrsna."

A/N

Word Count: 1,400

Will Samuel find out what Erika is hiding from him?

Why do you think Nadine is afraid of Akrsna (the darkness)?

Who thinks Richard (Erika's dad) is still alive?

Have a fangtastic day!

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