~Sang's POV~

After stumbling into North I rushed back to my room with burning cheeks.

Looking around the room I hadn't slept in the day before I could see it was the same style as Luke's room. White walls, dark wood furniture, cream-colored sheets and dark grey curtains in the windows.

The glass gave me the view of a wooded area that was behind Mr. Blackbourne's house.

I walked over to the bathroom and opened the taps of the bathtub.

Throwing a locking spell at the door I removed my chemise and sank into the water when I felt that it was full enough.

I was just relaxing in the water and trying to ignore the ruckus the boys were doing in the hallway when someone barged into the bathroom with a explosion of orange light.

"Trouble, sweetie, I will just leave this dress here on the counter. When you are done getting dressed, call me. I will wash your hair." Gabriel's voice sounded close but I didn't dare move to look at him, afraid of what he might see.

Hadn't I locked that door?

I managed to strangle out an "Okay" in hopes he got the message and got out of the damned bathroom.

Once he was outside I rushed getting clean and jumped out of the bathtub, drying myself in a towel and throwing on the dress.

It was just then that I noticed two shocking things.

First, I had nothing to put under the dress.

And second, well... Second was even worse. It was wrong, scandalous.

I began to feel faint and knew that I was about to have a fit of the vapors when Gabriel knocked on door.

Oh? So he knows how to knock, does he?

I would be mad if I weren't freaking out right now.

When I didn't answer he stuck his head inside and frowned at seeing me.

"Trouble? Sweetheart, what is wrong?" He asked approaching me with a worried expression in his face.

"Gabriel," I whimpered "I can see my legs!"

He froze; body gone rigid, eyes unblinking while his blue eyes watched me.

I was almost hyperventilating when he began laughing.

Why? That... That despicable, uncouth, wretched jerk!

"Gabriel..." I growled at him, letting a bit of my cat come out.

"Sorry," he said, voice trembling in amusement as his arms hugged his middle.

"Sorry?" I nearly shouted at him in a very unladylike manner "You gave me a dress that leaves me indecently exposed..."

He laid his hand over my mouth, effectively stopping my rant. "Shit, Trouble, that dress covers your knees. The only things exposed are your calf and ankles." He said, still highly amused.

I narrowed my eyes at that but refrained from smacking him when his next words left his mouth.

"We have a bit of a problem. It's fucking raining in the hallway." He suddenly said.

My eyes widened "Is that a thing, nowadays?" I asked.

"Hell, no. Not at all." He answered dryly.

I nodded and was about to walk past him and out into my bedroom to see what was going on when he stopped me with an arm going around my waist and pulling my back against his front.

"Not so fast, Sweetie. I am not done with you yet." He whispered against my ear, his warm breath causing shivers to run down my spine as his fingers gripped me firmly, keeping my body plastered to his.

Maybe the natural disaster going on inside Mr. Blackbourne's house could wait a few minutes.

~Gabriel's POV~

After I told her to bend over the sink and began to wash her hair my thoughts went back to how weak and vulnerable she'd been the day before, tied to her bed in her tower.

That fucking bitch of a sister needed to pay for what she'd put Sang through, but I didn't know how to help with that.

Those old feeling of inadequacy flooded me again. I had never been as strong, smart or skilled as the rest of my brothers but now I could also add the fact I was human to my list of flaws.

Wasn't there anything I could do to help Trouble? I felt so useless.

A sudden rush of warm feelings filled my mind, coming from Sang and pushing the doubt away, wrapping themselves around my soul.

I jumped, startled. I had been getting a feel for her emotions since she first helped me and Luke when her sister attacked us, but now it was like she was deliberately pushing her feelings inside my mind.

I could feel how much she cared for me already. How glad she was for having someone who she could depend on to help her adapt and blend in to this new world where everything was different to her, how she respected me for my knowledge instead of judging me.

Hell, I could feel how happy and downright content she was at simply having me close by, as if my simple presence was enough to make her day brighter.

God damn, I felt my whole being settling down with the certainty of her affection, in a way it never had before.

I knew she didn't love me, not yet, but she truly liked and appreciated me the way I was.

It was also rather glaringly obvious that she could read my mind now, but I couldn't stir myself to give a fuck about it when I had her acceptance wrapped around my soul like this.

"As much as I hate to say this, because I am truly enjoying myself, I need you to hurry up, Gabriel." She suddenly said, regret dripping from her voice.

I smirked at her back, letting out a little chuckle. Oh, I knew she was enjoying herself. Her body had turned to putty the moment I put my hands on her and with as in tune as I was with her feelings I could sense her sincere regret at having to cut our time alone together short.

Sang and this bond that seemed to be forming between us were a fucking wonder. Shit, I never felt so fucking comfortable on my own damn skin.

Once I finished braiding her hair Sang hurried out of the bedroom completely barefoot, her instance suddenly confident and I knew it was because we were finally dealing with something that she knew how to handle.

I had the impression that she was a mostly confident person as long as she wasn't in a situation that completely flummoxed her.

And waking up one hundred and eighty years in the future would baffle anyone.

Out in the hallway the guys were all gaping at her and I felt a smirk stretch my lips once more. I loved doing things that got a reaction from my brothers, especially Mr. B who was usually a closed book.

But I could see the way his eyes focused almost unblinkingly at Sang and I knew I had a winner with her dress.

Sang's mind or soul or whatever it was, was still connected with me and I could feel how she had become "all business" and didn't even notice the way my brothers, and I, were reacting to her appearance.

I felt amusement unfurl in the pit of my stomach. She was so innocent and clueless to our feelings that it made me wonder if she'd never even dated before.

Normally I wouldn't expect such a thing of someone her age, but by the way she reacted to us...

The sudden possessive feelings that thought caused didn't surprise me, since I already knew that making her mine was something which I needed now that I could feel her inside my head. But the fact I wanted her for my brothers as well came as a bit of a shock.

God damn, this girl is going to be a hell of a troublemaker but I knew we were all going to love her.

~Phil's POV~

Phil knocks randomly at Owen's front door and waits for someone to greet him.

He'd come today because it had suddenly occurred to him that the little vampiress might need to be informed of how the things were being run in their community at the moment.

There was some catching up to do that the boys couldn't help her with.

Owen opened the door with his usual stoic expression.

"Dr. Roberts," he greeted with a nod. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Owen," Phil begins in a pained tone of voice, "could you please just call me Phil?" He asks, half teasingly half despairingly.

Owen merely nodded his agreement, lips slightly pursed, as if he'd sucked a lemon.

"Well, then," Phil sighed "I came here today hoping to have a meeting with Miss Sorenson." He finally said. "May I come in to talk with her?"

"Of course, I believe she is in the library at the moment." Owen offers as he steps back to allow the older man inside. "We had a bit of a mishap this morning and are just now having breakfast."

Phil comes in, concerned eyes focused on Owen "What sort of mishap? Is everyone okay?" He immediately asked.

Owen waves a hand "Everyone is well. I might have to invest in new carpets and paint for a while but we will be okay."

With a raised eyebrow Phil silently questions Owen who merely ignores his pointed look.

With a resigned sigh, the older man heads to the library of Owen's home and knocks at the door, more out of habit than necessity as he was sure the little vampiress had been aware of his presence since he'd entered the house.

"Miss Sang" he immediately greeted upon entering, finding her sitting in one of the armchairs laid out around the room. This one had a small table beside it with a table lamp on top of it that she kept turning on and off repeatedly, a fascinated look in her eyes.

"Doctor." she nodded in greeting, thought her eyes didn't leave the lamp.

"I wished to speak with you about a few things." He told her as he sat in the next armchair.

Her eyes finally left the lamp and focused on him, the green swirling with shades of blue and gold as she sat modestly on the chair, back ramrod straight and hands clasped in her lap.

"As I am sure you have noticed, things around here have changed and we've come to need to use much more discretion than ever before to avoid our discovery. Have you heard about television and cameras?" He asked.

She nodded her head, "Kota told me about them yesterday and even showed me his phone and how it worked. Such a small thing and yet so potentially destructive." She mumbled almost to herself.

Phil agreed, "Thanks to the development of technology many of our problems began to be solved by non-violent ways determined by the three councils: shape-shifters, fae and the magically inclined humans."

Sang cocked her head to the side, "And what about the vampire Senate?" she asked curiously.

Dr. Roberts blinked at her, confused. "As far as myself and the Academy knows the vampires do not have a Senate or any other governing body."

Now both her eyebrows were raised, part in shock and part in outrage because Sang had a sinking feeling she knew what was going on.

"In my time there was a Senate, Doctor, as well as a ruler. My specie might be very independent and prefer to stay apart from the rest of society but we had our laws and leaders as well as our own warriors, devout to the keeping of such laws."

Now, Dr. Roberts was shocked. They had never been informed of such thing and whenever a rogue vampire appeared on the Academy's radar they'd had to pay a pricey sum to another vampire get rid of the danger.

"Do you mean to tell me there are vampires whose work is hunting rogues and keeping the races a secret?

She nodded at him, "That is the way things worked at my time."

Phil grunted, feeling extremely irritated with his former contacts. He was about to question Sang some more about this Senate when the sound of an explosion reached their ears and the ground under their feet trembled, books falling from the shelves as a red and gold glow shone through the glass windows.

Their heads snapped in that direction and they both watched shocked as the forest behind Mr. Blackbourne's home was engulfed in flames, the heat of it already reaching the house.

"Oh my God..." Phil mumbled shocked.

Sang's face was impassive, a mask having fallen over her expression as she watched the fire spread.

"I do hope your Academy has a contingency plan in the case someone chooses to handle things not so discretely." Was all that she said before standing up and leaving the room.

~Victor's POV~

The moment we heard the boom from explosion my brothers and I stood from the table and rushed to the windows that showed the back yard.

Flames licked up the trees outside and the wind fed the fire ever higher blowing it in the direction of the house along with dark smoke.

A shiver of fear ran down my spine and I glanced at my brothers, making sure we were all accounted for.

"What the fuck?" Nathan mumbled beside me while Gabriel let out a string of curses.

"Are we under attack?" asked North sounding furious.

"Should we go out and check?" Kota questioned Mr. Blackbourne.

"No," Sang said as she entered the room, "stay inside and try to use your power again, Kota. Keep the outer walls wet enough so the house doesn't catch on fire."

I turned to her, a protest in my lips that died the moment I caught her gaze.

Her eyes were shining in a fury of dark reds and purple and while her face was carefully blank I could swear her emotions were raging as much as the fire outside. Either way, she suddenly looked deadly.

"Miss Sorenson..." Mr. Blackbourne began to protest only to be interrupted.

"Whatever is out there it is nothing you boys can fight at the moment. I will secure the house so that no one can come inside while I handle this threat, but I need you to stay in here and not distract me." Sang said, looking at Mr. Blackbourne straight in the eye, her voice strong and sure.

None of us liked that, but we didn't argue.

She turned around and left the room leaving behind a whiff of orange blossoms.

We watched through the windows as she stalked towards the flames, her arms rising to the sky causing dark clouds to gather and rain to fall in a struggle to put down the fire.

The flames suddenly moved, opening a path for a man to step through. He was a giant where Sang was small and delicate, and yet I felt my own jaw dropping when the man fell on his ass before her, a terrified look on his face.

~Sang's POV~

When I stepped out of the house I knew there was another vampire out there and I asked myself who could be stupid enough to come after me.

Wind whipped around me bringing the foul scent of smoke and burning wood as well of vampire. My dress was soon drenched from the rain but I didn't feel the cold with the heat of the flames still strong.

I shouldn't be surprised when the idiot stepped out of the woods.

"Hey, Pretty Girl! Come to Rocky!" he shouted as he attempted a swagger in my direction that more resembled a limping gait.

It didn't take him long to see my face and recognize me because his expression soon changed from smug and sexy to downright terrified.

"Sit!" I growled at him, out of patience to deal with this kind of thing at the moment. The rain was finally having an effect on the fire and now we had more dark smoke than flames around us.

He immediately fell on his behind, body trembling on fear as I stalked toward him, "M...my Queen! I... I didn't realize you were alive!" he stuttered.

I pursed my lips at having my suspicions confirmed.

Marie must've spread a nice tale of my death after she put me to sleep.

"Who sent you here, Rocky? And why?" I snarled at him.

"Th...the Senate, my lady." He answered, head bowed. "They sent me to eliminate a few humans who had found out about our existence."

My eyes widened and I felt my blood boil in my veins. It took all of my self-control not to let my cat out of its jail so it could rip apart the idiot at my feet on that moment.

Thunder rumbled overhead and Rocky flinched, head still bowed. His body trembled harder and I could smell his fear pouring out of him in waves that only enticed my beast.

No doubt he could sense my fury.

Not only had the council ordered the killing of innocent humans when they could simply compel them to forget about us, but they had made that order against my boys.

Never mind that they didn't know these boys belonged to me. I was going to throttle the lot of them as soon as I got a chance.

I was so distracted with my fury that I didn't sense the other one until she was upon me and had managed to drawn blood.

"Die, you bitch!" screamed Jade as she drew her clawed hand back to take another swipe at me.

I backed up a step before turning to face her head on.

Rocky was still in the ground, shocked and terrified. My left arm was bleeding heavily from the gash she'd torn on it and my fury was rising by the moment.

I didn't even stop to consider what the boys would think about seeming me in action. I let my claws grow, like Jade's and attacked her.

I might be weak right now, but I was still the faster vampire so separating her head of her shoulders was no difficulty.

Dark red blood flew everywhere, staining the grass and my new dress.

At the back of my mind I could feel Gabriel freaking out and almost smiled at his choice of priorities.

My arm was hurting and my stomach was cramping in pain and hunger, I began to feel dizzy from blood loss but there was no way I could show Rocky a smidgen of weakness right now. I had people to protect.

I let my gaze roll over his body in disinterest before saying, "Make sure to tell the Senate that I am back, Rocky." I let my eyes and tone of voice go frosty with hate, "And that I will be seeing them really soon."

He nodded and stood up immediately, walking backwards, his wary gaze locked on my form until he reached the tree line and broke into a run.

I turned my back to him and walked slowly to the house, refusing to allow my legs to tremble like they wanted while there might be eyes watching.

I walked into the laundry room through the back door and from there to the dining room.

The boys were all there, eyes wide, watching me as I approached.

At that point Nathan's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fainted, Silas barely catching him before he hit the floor.

Dr. Green went to him immediately and began checking him over.

I frowned at the sight worried, "Please, tell me he isn't one of those people who can't handle a little blood."

North snorted.

"I think it's not the blood, but the head that went flying that was bothering him, Trouble." Gabriel commented as he observed my dress in horror.

I sighed "At least no one ran away screaming this time." I mumbled.

Shaking his head with a frown on his face Gabriel snapped his fingers at me, "Focus, Trouble. We need new clothes for you and since I don't have another dress altered you will just have to wear one of our pants and shirts."

My eyes widened at that. "But... Gabriel, pants? Isn't that... scandalous?" I whisper shouted at him causing a few of the boys to chuckle.

Mr. Blackbourne shook his head at us, "I am sorry to interrupt your discussion, Miss Sorenson but I am a little concerned over the matter of the body in my backyard." He said, face impassive.

I glanced at him, "There is no body, Mr. Blackbourne. Vampires turn to ash after their deaths." I told him.

He looked out the window, "How... convenient." He commented.

"Very." Kota agreed with him while the others gaped.

I sighed. It was only morning and I could already tell this was going to be a very long day.

"I need blood." I stated the obvious as my body began to shake, only now feeling the cold.

Dr. Green was at my side in a second, his gaze focused on my arm as he wrapped a gauze around the wound to stop the blood flow.

Luke and Gabriel immediately raised their hands and shouted, "Dibs!"

I shook my head at them both. "No, you gave me too much yesterday. You can't give more today. Tell them, Doctor." I said.

Dr. Green smiled up at me, "She is likely right, boys. Listen to the little vampire, she is the specialist."

The two boys pouted but didn't argue so I asked, "Would one of you be willing to donate?"

The boys exchanged glances, with the exception of Nathan who was still out cold before Mr. Blackbourne took a step ahead.

"I will, Miss Sorenson." He said stoically.

I nodded in thanks and took the wrist he offered to me when Dr. Green stepped back.

I tried to ignore the other boys in the room so I wouldn't blush while I took from Mr. Blackbourne.

Feeding had always been an unemotional process to me before I met these boys. Now, every touch I shared with them was charged with feelings.

I placed a tiny kiss at his pulse point and felt it speed up under my lips. I licked the spot a couple of times and his heart skipped a beat both times. Then I sank my fangs in his skin and like the boys he froze for a nanosecond before his body relaxed.

Only then did I dare glance up at him.

His eyes had become molten silver as he seemed to study me with scrutiny while I tool his blood.

He tasted even better than his brothers, if possible and I felt my heart melting for him. I knew why he'd offered to donate the blood.

He was worried for his family and wanted to see first-hand what happened before he allowed any of the others to take the risk.

He was a good leader to them, leading by example.

He cared.

He loved.

And he protected.

For those things I would do my best to be honest with him about all that involved having a relationship with a vampire.

AN: Hello Birdies! :D

How are you liking this story? Any suggestions, requests, questions?

I hope you are enjoying reading it because I know I am having fun with the writing. ;)

Thank you very much for all the votes and comments, I really love to hear your opinion and am glad to be able to share with you all.

Now I have a bad news, next week I don't be able to update. My family and I are going camping after Christmas, which means no wi-fi. I am taking my little notebook, thought, so I will be able to write while I am away.

I am hopping that means you will either get a extra-large chapter on January or you will get a bonus chapter. I will do my best.

Until then, I hope you all have a merry Christmas and a happy new year! :D

~Mila