Clara lost track of time. How fast Cage was traveling, or how far he had traveled, seemed to become irrelevant.

Cage's movements slowed. A subtle fog settled around him and the girl who clung to his back nervously.

"We're almost there." Cage lifted his head and smelled the air momentarily. He watched as Orion and Kai both slowed to a stop. Kai let out a low snarl, while Orion stayed silent

The red sunset turned to darkness as the moon started to peak through the evening clouds in the sky. The sight was breathtaking, and unnerving at the same time. Cage recognized the feeling he felt as fear. It crept up on him like a sickness that ate him from the inside out, slowly spreading through his body until it overtook him. He made careful movements as he walked forward and peeked through the full trees that blocked his view.

Cage moved far enough forward to where Clara could see what was up ahead. She pushed aside the tree branches that were abstracting her view. They were in Tallahi territory now.

Clara was rendered speechless by what she saw. Firelight illuminated three, large black pointed towers that sat nestled in the rock of the mountain just behind them. The architecture looked ancient, the stone that was carefully placed seemed almost as if, it itself was alive and listening. The silence was eery and captivating. She wasn't expecting a castle, or a place this large to be where the vampires resided. This wasn't what she had expected at all.

Glancing down, Clara tried to unravel the mystery that was the ground around the courtyard of the three towers. The courtyard was desolate, and the flowers in the ground were wilted. In the ground, Just feet away from the decaying plants, there were notches in the dirt. Deep, symmetrical lines were dug every few feet. Clara tried to wrap her head around the significance of the surrounding property line.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Cage asked Clara silently.

"I have to." She whispered in response.

Cage didn't respond. It was more of a matter of courage and ability now. There were too many questions both Clara and himself wanted to ask, but they knew no one could answer them now. Clara wished now that she had tried to soak up as much information from Divin and his son as she could've before she left the Vagare village. Should've, could've, would've.

This was it. The four travelers final destination.

Hearing an echoing scream come from inside of the largest black tower, made
Clara flinch. The scream broke the silence, and everyone was suddenly on high alert. Clara could feel her hands start to shake from the fear she felt. Guinevere.

"Are you afraid?" Cage asked.

"Yes.' Clara's voice was almost inaudible.

"That's good."

Cage suddenly bolted forward, past the property line and over the fallen iron fence that had hardened into the dirt of the ground. He stayed low as he inched his way away from the light of the lit torches above him. His left side brushed up against the stone of one of the towers, Clara's pant leg also brushed up against the cold stone.

Cage stopped moving as he watched Kai and Orion step only in the places he had stepped, the indents of his large wolf paws had left a visible trail for them to follow.

Closing her eyes, Clara couldn't bare to watch as Cage began to move forward again. He was heading for a side paneled door just around the corner. The door was a solid steel, and looked like it hadn't been used in ages.

Opening her eyes, she watched as Cage slinked through the shadows towards the iron door of the largest tower. He was waiting for Clara to try the bolt on the door.

"Cage, there has to be another way. This door doesn't look like it belongs here." Clara stayed as quiet as she could.

"Try the door." Cage persisted, and Clara hesitantly obeyed.

The door opened when Clara used all of her weight against it. It was difficult to open the door from the position she was in, but she was able to get the it open nonetheless.

The room that the door lead into was empty. The same flaming torches were placed around the room above Cage and Clara's heads. There was nothing inside of the room other than two stone statues that were placed just before the room parted and bled into two illuminated hallways.

Cage stepped over the threshold of the door and he squeezed his large wolf body through the rather wide doorframe. Clara sat up straight and glanced behind her to see Kai and Orion step through the door once Cage was standing in the center of the cold room.

"I can hear them." Cage's ear twitched upward.

Cage made his way towards the right hallway quickly and checked to make sure the path was clear. The hallway was illuminated, and gradually, the stone floor descended upward. Cage stepped quietly and the two leading the group watched and waited to see where the walkway lead to. It curved up, around in a spiral of stone and fire. It felt as if they had been walking forever.
A maze, a never ending loop that was eery and rather dark.

"Can you hear them? Guinevere or Mari?" Clara asked quietly.

"No, not anymore." Cage stopped walking when another scream sounded from down the hall in the opposite direction they were traveling. It was like they had passed Clara's family.

Clara slid off of the back of Cage and ran down the hallway headed downward, she passed Kai and Orion as she ran.

"Clara! No!" Cage's voice echoed in her mind just before it was suddenly gone.
Like he was gone.

Clara made it to the end of the hallway. She was right back where she had started. The eyes of the two stone statues stared back at her. She was in the empty room at the bottom of the tower.

A glance left and a glance right sent an unusual shock to Clara's brain. She realized that her mother's call had come from the left hallway, not the right.

In a moment of poor judgment, Clara ran up the left hallway. The style and architecture mimicked the right hallway perfectly. Flaming torches, a cold stone floor, and an eery feeling.

Clara stopped when she noticed a dark room up ahead. It was pitch black as the hallway descended into a large room. Clara could see the outline of the stone walls curve around.

She took a step forward and pulled the blade from her side. The silver blade did not glow a dark red.

Clara held the dagger close to her side as she stepped into the dark room. She walked forward, and stopped in the center of the room. Her eyes were wide open and her ears were listening, but nothing was there.

Clara turned when a low whisper invaded her senses. Her heart beat rapidly when she realized that she could no longer see the light from the hallway behind her. She stood in darkness. A suffocating darkness.

Although she couldn't see it, the room surrounding her was vast and large. The point of the tower was far above her head. Clara was at the very top of the largest black tower. Alone.

Another eery whisper sounded in the air, scaring Clara back to reality. She needed to find a way out of the room she was in.

A cold draft sent a shiver down Clara's spine. She felt something suddenly brush against her left leg, and then her hip.

Clara's body stiffened. Her mind flashed back to the night at her family's cottage. The feeling she felt was now similar to that night. It was as if history was repeating itself in a different way. Similar, yet different.

Clara felt an arm snake around her waist, and a hand close around her throat gently. It happened in a blink of an eye, so fast Clara's reaction was a few seconds late.

"Pity. I would have thought that a pretty head like yours, would harbor a more intelligent brain." The man behind Clara whispered in her ear. His voice was deep, and his hold on Clara's throat tightened when she began to struggle against him.

Clara lifted her arms and attempted to get out of the man's hold. She moved her arm back and tried to stab him with the dagger in her hand, but it was no use. He quickly reached out in the darkness and took the knife from her hand forcefully.

"You won't be needing that." The man whispered again as he threw the dagger to the floor. Clara found herself gasping for air.

"G-go to hell." Clara bit out, her airwaves slowly closing as his grip tightened.

"Trust me, I already know exactly where I'm going. You don't need to remind me." Clara could hear the man smile as he said the words.

"L-let g-go-" Clara started, and the man suddenly eased up on how much pressure he applied to her throat. His arm still snaked around her waist,
as Clara began to breathe again slowly.

"My apologies. I can sometimes get carried away." The man chuckled as he continued to hold Clara tightly.

"Who are you?" Clara snarled angrily, a small amount of oxygen making it's way into her lungs.

"Reece Mainne." The man introduced, his voice low.

"You're my-" Clara began to speak.

"Half brother." Reece finished.

Clara almost audibly gasped. She would've, but she didn't have enough air in her lungs to make a sound. She stayed silent as she continued to try to get out of her brothers' hold.

"Stop struggling and listen. . ." Reece Instructed.

Clara heard in the distance a low growl. It was Kai, she could hear him growl once more before letting out a low whimper.

"That's wolf number one. An important part in this story."

A loud snarl sounded in the distance. This time, it was Cage who had let out a bellow.

"That's wolf number two. He's not too important, but it was fun watching him fall for you. " Reece chuckled darkly and Clara began to cry. She felt helpless.

A few moments passed in silence before Clara would hear Orion's cry of despair.

"And that's the vampire I chose specifically for the role of being the one to get close to you. Even when you lied, he didn't get upset. Did he?" Reece continued to antagonize Clara. She was a mess of confused fear and tears.

"W-what are you saying?" Clara stuttered.

"A lot. You must not be listening." Clara caught Reece off guard as she pried his hands off of her. She ran forward in the darkness.

As Clara ran forward- away from the vampire that caused tears to form in her eyes and run down her cheeks- the room was suddenly illuminated by firelight.

Stood around the gigantic room, was four men, not including Reece. They all stood apart from each other, in different areas of the room. Clara recognized three of the men; the fourth she did not recall seeing before.

In the far corner of the room, a man stood, his eyes a solid red. He was clearly angry. Clara had recalled using her dagger to cut his forearm in the forest clearing. His long dark hair and dark eyes gave away who he was. He was there that day when they had taken Guinevere and Mari.

The man who stood close to one of the large, stone fire pits in the room, Clara recognized as the man who was the drunk man in The Extent Tavern. Those eyes who had stared at the bar maid in an inappropriate way, were now staring back at Clara angrily.
His defined jaw and seemingly new clothes were what caused her to recognize him.

The third man was dark skinned and shorter than the rest of the men. His cut off sleeves revealed his rather squared shoulders, and the ink scars similar to Clara's beneath the skin of his forearms. His dark hair looked windswept and wild. Clara looked closer, and realized that his low cut shirt revealed a scar just below the back of his neck. The bear. . . He was the bear in the forest. She realized.

The fourth man who didn't seem familiar to Clara, was blonde. His eyes flashed from a deep blue to a bright red. His physique, Clara realized, was similar to Orion's. Although, he was taller than Orion by a few inches, he was gruff and rugged. A vampiric presence most definitely.

Clara hugged herself as she walked backwards until her back hit the cold stone wall behind her. She glanced to the floor, the familiar stone engravings swirled and chanted until they reached the very center of the room. There, in the center of the floor, was a small notch. Similar to the notches in the outside surrounding property line of the tower. It was a small slot for a key, or a thin stone, or something jagged.

Clara looked to her half brother last. He stood closer to her than she would've liked. She could start to feel the heat from the fire around her, but it didn't help the cold she felt in her heart. She has dazed, and confused, and. . . scared.

Reece was tall, but only an inch or two taller than Clara. His green eyes were clouded with an emotion she couldn't put her finger on. His dark red hair was long and braided, the color contrasted with the golden rings in his ears. The rings on his fingers and the chains around his neck were gaudy and loud. His black attire made him look like he was drowning in baggy fabric, but the outline of his broad shoulders and manly attributes were still visible even through the fabric on his upper body.

Clara realized that her dagger wasn't close to her on the floor. It was many feet away now, and covered by Reece's large boot. He picked up the dagger and examined it casually.

Reece nodded to the blonde man who stood close to him, and he immediately turned to the wall and began moving a large metal wheel that was attached to a thick rope. Clara watched as the point of the tower separated into seven separate pieces folded down as the man turned the old metal wheel on the wall.

A cold draft blew through the room as the roof slowly opened, revealing the stars and the red moon just outside. Clara glanced up, her eyes set on the crimson moon set above her head. The red glow of the eclipsing moon shone down on Reece and the dagger in his hand.

"The only part your friends Divin and Divant didn't think about, was the most important part. . ." Reece paused and glanced up at Clara. "You see, there may be only a few copies of our great grandfathers book that have the pages torn out. But, what if I told you that I have a copy of only the parts torn out?" He asked.

"That's the part that was a bit difficult. . . But, I realized that Orion could come in handy when it came to listening in on conversations. You didn't think that when Divin read the beginning of the prophecy, that it wasn't going to be heard by a vampires ears? Did you?" Reece chuckled.

"Orion?" Was all Clara could say, she was confused and hurt beyond belief.

"Eros' little brother." Reece nodded towards the blonde man in the room who looked similar to Orion. Clara's eyes widened.

"No. H-he. . . no." Clara shook her head in disbelief.

"Yes. H-he. . . yes." Reece mocked Clara.

"How dare you!" Clara raised her voice, clearly fuming.

"Since she doesn't yet understand. . ." Reece turned to Eros. "Let's show, instead of tell."

Reece smiled as he suddenly was standing beside Clara. She moved away from him, but he clawed at the satchel still at her side. She removed the bag quickly, to get him away from her. Clara backed away as he began to open the bag and go through her belongings.

Reece threw the satchel to Eros once he had gotten what he wanted from the small pocket. The red stone.

Eros took the bag from Reece and slung it over his shoulder obediently.

"My heart's turned to stone, so I'm afraid that I don't bleed. . . I will just have to use someone else's blood instead." Reece said.

Clara glanced towards the hallway she had ventured into the room from. A large stone door had been pushed over the exit, trapping her and the vampires inside.

The stone blocking the door suddenly moved, and a vampire lead into the room a kicking and screaming Guinevere and Mari. Clara ran forward to get to them, but Reece stopped her by gripping her by the arms forcefully.

Clara called to Guinevere and Mari. They turned and glanced at her, their movements becoming more frantic.

The vampire who originally held them let go and placed the heavy stone back over the door. Guinevere and Mari were grabbed by two of the vampires Clara recognized in the room, suddenly stopped from running towards Clara.

"Why are you doing this?" Clara couldn't stop the tears from flowing as she looked up at her brother.

"Because you killed my father." Reece replied, his eyes cold and emotionless.

"My father? John?" Clara asked, confused.

"No. My step father. I know it was you." Reece became angrier as he said the words.

"If I did... I didn't mean to! Please! Don't do this!" Clara protested, her body weak and unable to fight against her brothers hold.

"It's the only way to bring him back." He said simply in response, before he turned to see the stone of the door moving slowly.

Clara could hear Kai's call from the other side of the door before he broke through the stone, his large body pushed through the opening of the now open corridor.

Kai growled as he turned to Clara. He pounced on Reece, the vampire at Clara's side. Reece stopped him in mid air as he raised his hand. Kai's large body fell to the ground as he curled into a helpless ball, his body almost lifeless.

"What did you do?!" Clara cried when Reece allowed her to run to Kai. She held his large, scarred furry face in her shaking hands.

"He'll be asleep for a while." Reece responded dryly.

"Find a way to get that door closed once McLaren gets back with the others!" Reece yelled loudly over the noise.

A minute later, another vampire came through the corridor into the room. He passed everyone as he stomped towards Clara and Kai. The vampire threw down the large man he held in his impossibly strong arms. It was Cage.

Clara sobbed as she took off her large over shirt and used it to cover up Cage's naked body. She didn't care that the shirt she wore underneath was almost see-through.

Cage lay almost lifeless, his human body looked pale and his eyes were closed. Clara examined the wounds on his body. The five large scars across his thick neck were the most noticeable. Clara realized that the bears attack was not healing, the wounds were still open and bleeding.

"Cage. Cage open your eyes." Clara whispered in Cage's ear as she sobbed. Her voice cracked as she begged for him to wake up.

Cage was unresponsive. His eyes stayed shut as he gently groaned in his deep state of unconsciousness.

"I love you, you stubborn man. I swear, I will never pretend to hate you ever again!" Clara cried quietly as she placed Cage's head in her lap. She hugged him tightly in a desperate cry.

"There he is!" Reece said happily as the vampire who had brought in Cage returned minutes later with a very angry Orion.

"What happened?" Eros asked as he stepped towards Orion and examined the wounds on his face and body.

"He fought back." The unknown vampire said, Orion still in his grasp.

"You said you wouldn't hurt her. You said you wouldn't hurt any of them!" Orion snarled at Reece, his eyes a dark red.

Clara glanced up at Orion, and his eyes met hers.

"You knew about him? You told him everything?! You lied to me." Clara yelled at Orion, he looked more sorry than ever.

"I'm sorry Clara. You wouldn't understand." Orion pleaded.

"Don't tell me what I wouldn't understand. I understand completely. You betrayed me, Cage and Kai. All of us! You knew they had my family, and you just went on with the lie when you could've been trying to help me free them. You knew about him. A brother I never met. God knows what other information you will decide to tell me. Is my father alive too? Is he here, waiting to jump out and scare me?!" Clara couldn't take it anymore.

"It wasn't like that Clara! I did it for Reece, and I wasn't expecting to get to know you better. After I knew you, I made Eros promise me that no harm would come to you!" Orion said, his eyes returning to a light blue.

"Don't talk to me like you know me. You bastard!" Clara snarled as she looked away from Orion. She held unconscious Cage tighter in her arms.

"I've had enough of this sappy conversation." Reece charged towards Orion and cut his forearm with the dagger in his hands. Orion's blood dropped onto the blade and it began to glow red.

The red stone in Reece's hand collided with the dagger, before he stepped towards the center of the room and slid the blade into the notch on the floor.

Everyone paused. Guinevere and Mari continued to struggle in the vampire's hold, and Clara was trapped with Kai and Cage. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as they all glanced at Reece.

"Is everyone out?" Reece turned and asked Eros, he nodded in response.

Reece turned back around and turned the dagger clockwise from where he kneeled on the stone floor. The ground beneath everyone's feet started to rumble and echo. A sound pierced Clara's ears that she wished she had never heard.

Everyone spun as the floor of the empty room turned, they watched and braced themselves when they were suddenly moving downward, crushing the floors and any architecture beneath the floor they were on.

Clara looked up once more towards the open skylight of the tower. She watched as it seemed to inch further and further away. Her, and everyone were seemingly sinking, the floor beneath them was moving downward, crushing anything underneath.

Once the floor had stopped moving downward, the light of the moon was was already so distant. A few beams of light shone down on the floor everyone was now at. They watched as Reece stepped towards a dark stone door imbedded in the underground wall beneath the surface of the ground. Everyone fell silent as he dusted off the engravings on the stone door and read them aloud.

Clara couldn't understand what Reece mumbled, but the look on his face gave away his feelings of shock and happiness.

"I can not tell you how long I had spent trying to figure out the prophecy. . ." Reece spoke quietly as he eyed the markings on the walls surrounding him. He glanced to Eros, who looked upset and surprised.

"It's amazing the things people will do to get what they want." Clara spat at Reece.

Reece looked at Clara menacingly, he looked even scarier in the light of the fire pits surrounding him. He said nothing as he walked to where Clara's mother and sister were being held.

Reece gripped Guinevere by the arm and pulled her towards the engraved stone door.

"Mom!" Clara called as she fought to get to her mother. Eros held her back from moving forward any further. It was beyond frustrating.

"I'll do anything! Just p-please don't!" Clara cried.

Reece paused and stopped walking. Guinevere was still attempting to get out of his strong hold.

"You just keep surprising me! First you run around in a tower that is filled with vampires alone, and now, you're willing to beg." Reece said, shaking his head.

"It's okay Clara, I knew what I was getting myself into many years ago. I never wanted any of this to happen. . . I should've told you everything." Clara's mother spoke with tears in her eyes, thick rope tied around her wrists.

"I don't know what is happening." Clara could feel herself start to slip away when she heard her mother's words. It was surreal to think about what was happening. What had happened... what was going to happen.

"I know. I-I know. . . But I promise everything will be okay." Guinevere cried as Reece kneeled to pick up the dagger from the center of the floor. He pulled it from the place in the floor where it sat, and he held it in his hand as he stood.

Little Mari cried as Eros allowed her to run to Clara. Clara engulfed her in her helpless arms and held her small head against her shoulder. They both realized how helpless and small they both were against Reece and the other vampires in the room. There was no use in fighting.

Clara looked up, her vision blurry with tears as she watched Cage's hand twitch. She watched him from feet away, his pale body still lying on the stone floor.

Reece held the dagger in his hands as he glanced at Clara, the glowing blade in his hands hovered over where Guinevere's heart was beating out of her chest.

Clara could see a white blur suddenly move in her peripheral. It was Cage. He had transformed into his wolf and ran forward, catching Reece off guard as he bit down on his arm that held the dagger.

Reece growled as he pulled his arm out of Cage's grasp. He reached forward as Cage's body was still in mid air and was about to send a forceful punch flying, but Cage was suddenly knocked out of the way.

Orion pushed Cage out of the line of fire and took Reece's punishment.

Reece hit Orion so hard, that his fist punctured the skin of Orion's chest. Reece ripped his heart from his body with a single, vengeful pull. Clara watched as Orion fell backward, the crimson blood from his heart in Reece's hand dripped onto his lifeless body.

Eros fell to his knees beside his dead brother and Clara could have sworn she saw a single tear fall from his eye. He took a moment to mourn his brothers death, before he looked up at growling Cage.

Eros tore at Cage's fur as he attacked. Cage fought back, but his current state held him back from being strong enough to take Eros on.

Clara covered Mari's innocent eyes as Reece took the glowing dagger and ran it through Orion's heart in his hand. The blade soaked up the blood, and the blade glowed darker as it transformed into a long, slender key.

The newly transformed key slid out from Orion's heart and floated in the air like it had a mind of it's own. Orion's heart fell to the floor as the key moved towards the stone door in the room, inserting itself in the key hole of the dark door.

They key turned itself, and a loud shriek sounded from the other side of the door. Clara watched as the door slid open, revealing a large dark room.

Eros tore into Cage's neck with his fangs, and Cage let out a whimper. He fell onto his side on the ground, his wolf eyes suddenly flickering a deep red.

Reece smiled as he watched the chaos around the room unfurl. He whistled loudly, almost in a shriek as he closed his eyes. Clara had a feeling something was going to happen, she just didn't know what it was.

Nothing had yet come out of the dark room the key unlocked.

A loud similar shriek to Reece's, sounded from above Clara's head a few moments later. Clara glanced up to see large, black beasts with wings flying into the tower from the open skylight.

The first beast'swingspan was large, and his black body was clumsy as he flew downward and bumped against the circular stone walls around him.

Four more similar looking beasts followed behind the large black dragon ahead of them. Clara looked into his large red, captivating eyes as he landed on the floor beside Reece, the stone breaking beneath his claws.

Clara threw her body over Mari and held her in the far end of the room, both girls were terrified. With Kai laying on the ground almost lifeless, Orion dead, and Cage bleeding out from the bite mark on his neck, Clara realized that her fate had been sealed. It was surely over for her.

Guinevere was still being forced to kneel just outside of the open door behind her. Reece held her head in his bloody hands before he quickly turned her neck, snapping it.

Feeling the hope leave her body, Clara clung to Mari. She squeezed her body so tight that she was most likely crushing her. Clara cried, and cried, and called to Guinevere, but it was too late. It was all too much for her to take.

Reece climbed onto the large black dragons back and nodded to Eros, who looked distraught and calm at the same time.

All of the vampires in the room looked up to the sky as they watched the other black dragons barrel into the skylight and fly down from the top of the tower. Reece and the dragon beneath him stalked towards where Clara was sitting with Mari.

Reece and the black dragon pried Mari and Clara apart. Reece held onto Clara's arm and didn't let go as he descended into the air, Mari held on and cried out for her sister before she had no choice but to let go.

"I'm so sorry Mari! Mari!" Clara called out to her sister as her small body fell and hit the stone floor ten feet beneath Clara and the dragon in the air.

Reece pulled Clara up with a groan, her body now hoisted over the back of the scaly dragon. He held her and kept her from wriggling.

The dragon flew up and out of the towers skylight. The cold air blew Clara's red hair back as she stared blankly at the ground hundreds of feet beneath her. She had no words to say to Reece. She was in complete, utter shock.

Clara felt as if she was dreaming. The dragon flew straight, through darkness and through light. Over the dark sea that moved in waves and currents. An island in the distance glowed with lights and fire as it seemed to move closer and closer to her.

Clara realized that she wasn't dreaming, the moment she felt Reece bend his head down and bite her neck gently, before sinking his fangs into her soft flesh fully. She grew drowsy as she felt him drain the blood from her body, and just before her eyes closed, she looked down to see a black mark form on the side of her neck where Reece had bit her. It was a mark. A deep, black mark that magically arose on her soft skin. A design of swirls and dark letters appeared on her skin, showing that she was now marked. Claimed by the monster that snapped her mother's neck, and tore her baby sister from her arms.