[ { * - ( ( M e m o r i e s ) ) - * } ]

Lauralei smiled, closing her eyes when she'd heard him enter the room, even with his near-silent steps. She tilted her head off towards the side when his lips met with her ear, a soft giggle escaping her throat. "It was cheap, but it was good." She moved her arms so they were around his, still facing the window, the heat from his body on her back warming her further from the freezing room. Standing next to the window didn't help too much either, but it was more tolerable with Tristan there with her. "I want to know how you'll react on the full moon," she said softly. In days, a true frown actually tarnished her expression. "Werewolves always go... a bit crazy on them. Every one acts differently, but usually its violent. And.. vampires are your natural enemy." Her voice had gone quiet, almost pained, her arms -- which were wrapped around her middle and over his own -- holding his own arms to her more tightly, as if she were afraid that he would turn away from her as soon as the full moon hit. "Then again, others, their emotions get stronger. They give into their urges more easily. A lot of them are different. It all just depends." She leaned back against him, staring up at the sky which was now illuminated with the light of the near-full moon, stars flickering. It wasn't snowing for the moment, and when she looked down, she couldn't help but smile again. "Everything outside is so beautiful. It just glows." She was referring to the way the light reflected off the snow in a light, blue-like tone, gazing down at the many snow-covered lumps, wondering faintly what was beneath some of them.

Tristan closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. He didn't know much about who or what he was. He wasn't sure about anything that he had learned in his life about himself or his family. But he was sure about a few things. First. He was a werewolf and werewolves were all affected by the full moon. Two. He loved Lauralei with everything that he was. And three. "Lauralei. Please don't worry. I would never hurt you. I would never do anything that would injure you or hurt you in any way. I don't care if there is a full moon or not. I can promise you that I wont change on you.... and if I run off for a few hours, I promise that I'll come back to you. When I'm a werewolf... all I can think about is you. When I was off eating last night, I kept turning to look at you... but you weren't there. And now... suddenly... My body craves for yours to be near. I can't explain it and I don't understand it. But I know I want it like it is. I don't want anything to change. It's just... if I can't smell you near me... my body seems to grow restless. It seems that without you I'm not me." He said softly, his head leaned against her neck. When he talked, his lips brushed against her skin softly, his breath leaving his mouth to tickle her flesh. "I'm your Lauralei... Now and forever. You'll never be alone again ." He said, his lips gently placing a kiss on her jaw line before he lifted his head to look out the window. He smiled and nodded his head. "Yea. It is very beautiful. But nothing compared to you." He said, taking one of her hands in his. He kept her hand in his as he reached out and pressed her hand against the glass of the window. The moonlight danced on her skin, causing her to glow lightly. "Nothing compares to that."

Lauralei relaxed with his words, still leaning against him, watching as he took her hand and pressed it against the window. A small shudder ran through her spine, the thin layer of ice that had built up on the glass on the other side visibly melting, with his hand so near to hers, which was pushed to the glass. "I'm not sure how I ever got lucky enough to have you, or even deserve you, for that matter," she murmured, watching the glow of her skin. She didn't think highly of herself at all, never really bothering with how she looked, how much money she had, or anything else. Her angelic features had always attracted men, even before she welcomed the night with unsteady open arms. Because she'd always been accustomed to the night, and not the day, it really wasn't a huge bother to her to lose the sun. It was uncomfortable, for her to know that if it touched her directly, she would be in some kind of pain, but other than that, she didn't give it a second thought. "I'm not sure what I would do." She blinked, realizing what she'd said, and spoke again. "Without you here, I mean. You just took to me like no one else has. Everyone thinks of me as nothing but an object for their own personal use. And yet you..." She trailed off, not talking for a few long moments, pulling her hand away from the glass and pressing it to his arm. Her fingers were numb from the cold, and his flesh seemed to thaw the numbness out almost immidiately. "You wouldn't let me leave, that night. And there was something about you that I just trusted, that I felt I should believe, when everyone else put off nothing but menace." Her eyes shut, sighing heavily, unzipping her jacket now that Tristan was there. She wasn't so cold anymore, even being next to the window, and finally moved away from it, exiting the room and moving downstairs. "Come eat, Tristan." She herself wasn't very hungry. She was so used to getting very small doses every few days, that the large amount she was getting every day had spiked her energy and moods. It would take some getting used to. She wasn't sure how much werewolves ate, but she'd heard that they ate quite a lot. With him feeding the previous day on live prey -- and three of them, at that -- she wasn't sure if he would be hungry or not, but she'd rather have him eat. With the full moon so close, it still made her nervous, even though she truly didn't believe he would do anything to hurt her. Instinct was instinct, and with werewolves, it was uncontrollable a good ninety percent or more of the time.

Rapahel was impatient. He wanted Alexander to go ahead and check upon the vampiress and werewolf, but he knew that the blonde-headed male would give them their privacy. Lauralei had grown much too attatched to Tristan for Alexander to even think about having her now, and so the male wasn't going to try too hard in getting them apart. He hated to see people ripped from the ones they loved... he knew what it felt like. The blonde was in the main room, sitting quietly in one of the chairs, listening to the fire crackle over in the very large fireplace in the corner. Nicholas suddenly came down the stairs, wondering what the previous nights' discussion and big commotion had been about. Obviously, Raphael was upset over whatever it was, and because no one really told Nicholas much due to his tendencies to take things for himself, he was left in the dark half of the time unless Alexander felt that his brother couldn't harm the situation further. This was one situation he wasn't going to let release from his lips. "Alexander, you are my brother. Obviously this is upsetting you, I can feel it; I can see it every time you look around or move. Please, what's going on?" Alexander still didn't say a word. Once Nicholas had pleaded a few more times, he simply got frustrated and gave up, standing. "When you want to tell me.. you know where I'm at." With his words, he was gone, back up the stairs at a slow pace, long fingers tracing along the mahogany wood railing.

Tristan felt her body relax against his and it caused him to smile. He hated when she felt uneasy about anything. He hated it even more when she was upset or bothered by anything. And it only annoyed him when he couldn't do anything to calm her or make things better for her. So when he felt her body relax, he knew that he had helped her calm once again. And it once again made him feel like he was worth something. Tristan's eyes stared at their hands against the glass of the window infont of them. He watched as the heat moved from his hand to hers, causing the ice on the other side of the glass to melt from where it was. "Lauralei... why would you think you don't deserve something that makes you happy?" He asked softly, his lips still beside her ear. He sighed softly and kissed her cheek. "You deserve so much more than what I have here, Lauralei. Do you know what will happen when vampires and werewolves learn of us?" He asked. Slowly, he was starting to understand what it meant for the two of them to be together. "We'll forever be in danger once someone important finds out. Like that one werewolf we ran into in town. He didn't look too thrilled about anything. And that vmpire that keeps following you around.. he's seems off edge about something. I don't know what it all is though." He said as he continued. "That one vampire... he acts as if he's trying to protect you from something. But what it is I don't know. And that werewolf was obviously watching us about something." He sighed and shook his head. Tristan then heard her start a thought and pause, looking at her as he waited for her to continue. And when Lauralei finished her thought, he just smiled. "When I first saw you, Lauralei... my mind screamed for you, the unknown angel standing in my room. Something about you just made my mind go mad. You made me feel things I've never felt before in my life. All I could think about doing was to help you in any way I could." He said. "I've never let anyone else into my life like I've let you. And I'll never let anyone else in but you." He said as he let her move her hand from the glass. He listened to her speak again, and as she unzipped her jacket, he wrapped his long arms around her protectively. But it wasn't long until she was moving away from him, his arms falling from around her as she pulled herself away from him. As she walked away, she talked about him getting something to eat. He nodded, not even noticing before then just how hungry he was. Tristan was behind her almost instantly, his hand moving to take her gently. He followed her down the stairs and into the kitchen. Once there, he moved around it quickly, and before long, he was devouring a rather large steak whole and raw, just how he liked them.

Lauralei sat in her usual spot on the counter, watching this time with slight distaste as he devoured the meat. She could always eat some meats, but they always tasted off to her. And to watch him eating it now churned her stomach slightly, leaning against him, nose wrinkling at the smell of the dead blood there. "I don't deserve something that makes me happy because I can't seem to make anyone else happy," she murmured, closing her eyes and resting her head against his shoulder. He was tall enough that she didn't have to lean down very far at all. "Except you, though. You're the one exception to my life that I crave now." She smiled, nibbling at his neck a little while he ate, only puncturing the skin once and softly nursing the bleeding bite wound located on his shoulder. She waited patiently for him to finish up, hissing suddenly and pulling away, snarling afterwards, shoving herself against Tristan without meaning to. She was standing in front of him, her back pressed completely against Tristan's chest, fangs lengthening a great deal. Alexander had shown himself. He was standing a mere few feet in front of them, having appeared there out of thin air. But there was one other with him. A dark-haired, sapphire-eyed vampire who's power radiated so strongly it had made her dizzy at first. There was an obvious resemblence between the two, and Alexander looked pained, the other male looking quite frustrated. "Lauralei..." Alexander was speaking, unsure whether or not Tristan would step in front of her to defend her, so both of them stayed a few feet back. "There's no need to get in such a hissy over us. We're not here to hurt you." Raphael was leaning casually against the wall, shirtless -- like he always was -- rolling his eyes a bit but watching his only heir carefully. He was a foot or so behind Alexander, who stood and faced the other two with gentle emerald orbs, trying to show that they really did mean no harm. Lauralei wasn't having it, pressing herself tighter against Tristan's chest, glaring over at the darker haired male. She felt something odd about him, and everything screamed for her to do a different thing - go embrace him, turn away from him, fight him, avoid him, go with him - her mind was so confused, she couldn't hardly move.

Tristan smiled at her as she took her usual spot on the counter. She looked like a child at some points in time, and this was one of them. Her face was so curious when she watched him usually, but this time there seemed to be another emotion mixed in. Was it disgust? Or was it distaste? He wasn't sure, but either way he had caught the glimpse of it on her features. Tristan began to eat, taking more than large enough bites from his food as he listened to her talk. About half way done with his slab of meat, he stopped and looked up at her. "You make me happy Lauralei. Happier than I could ever express to you." He said softly before shoving another large bite of the meat into his mouth. As he finished his food, he felt her sharp teeth pierce the skin on his shoulder, and it caused him to moan softly as the feeling it caused to shoot through his body. He had never known that he was so attracted to the feeling of being bitten, let alone the feeling of having blood drawn from a bite. Maybe it was just the way Lauralei did it, but it always seemed to drive him crazy whenever she did. No sooner had Tristan finished his food had he heard the sharp hiss come from Lauralei's mouth. He blinked, and no sooner had he looked up, Lauralei was infront of him, standing with her back to his chest, pressed tightly against him. Tristan smelled it then. The different scents of vampires enveloped his senses. And when the two men made their presence known, Tristan let out a deep and protective growl from his lips. His right arm snaked around Lauralei's waist and pulled her slightly, making it so he could step around her and get infront of her. His right hand stayed behind him, resting lightly on her stomach as he stared at the two men that were suddenly intruding on their home. Tristan's growling didn't seem to stop. It was deep and menacing sounding. Tristan immediately recognized Alexander, having seen him before in the town. He recognized his scent first, then his face. But the other one, the shirtless man, he had never seen before in his life. The power that erupted from his insides caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on ends as his usual icy blue eyes darkened and stared at him. Tristan heard Alexander speak, but his eyes never left the other male. And when the unknown man spoke, acting as if he was better than everyone else, Tristan's growls only became louder, and much more protective. Tristan didn't like the feeling that this man gave off to him, so out of pure protectiveness for Lauralei, the woman that his body had unknowingly claimed as his mate, he brought her into his arms, wrapping both of them around her, and brought her into his chest. His grip around her was tight, but not tight enough to cause her pain. Every muscle in his body was tense, and his senses were going off the deep end. He could feel Lauralei's tension in her body as he held her, and finally he broke his gaze from the strange man to look at her for a short moment, unable to keep his eyes off of Raphael for very long, the growling yet to cease.

Lauralei was completely stiff when Tristan had moved her behind him, still snarling a bit from around his body, glaring at the two. The louder Tristan's growls became, the more uneasy Lauralei felt, finally stopping when Tristan had pulled her to him, feeling more secure with his arms wound as tightly as they were around her. "Shh," she cooed, putting her hand against his chest, frowning towards where Alexander stood, rather calm. The other one looked bored, almost. "Tristan, shhh." She reached up, running her fingers gently through his hair, glancing over where Alexander was still watching them rather placidly. Again, he spoke. "The man I brought with me, here, is Raphael. He wants... to speak with you. It's really very important, and we're both sorry to intrude." Lauralei heard what he was saying, but ignored it, resting her cheek against Tristan's chest. Raphael was looking very irritated.

Roscoe popped into the room, cringing away from the two elder vampires, then moving over and sniffing at Raphael's shoe. The male frowned, gently shoving him away with his foot, shifting away from the small dog. Lauralei tensed. Roscoe came back, and this time, Raphael wasn't so gentle about it. A teensy yelp escaped the dog, and Raphael was suddenly slammed into the table, Roscoe in Lauralei's arms, the vampiress snarling a few inches from Raphael's face. Her fangs were extended a good two inches, looking outstandingly lethal. Raphael was glaring back at her, standing up from where he'd fallen, brushing himself off, looking up to see that Lauralei was pulled tightly against Tristan's chest again, this time with Roscoe in her arms. He could tell that this was going to be a bit more difficult then he had wanted it to be.

Tristan couldn't cease the growling right away. It was near impossible for him to calm down. But soon, he noticed that the louder he became, the more uneasy Lauralei became. After Tristan heard her soft coos for him to calm though, just the sound of her angelic voice began to make him feel less rigid. Tristan took a deep breath and leaned his face down against the top of her head. He took slow and deep breaths, though the hair on the back of his neck still felt as if it was standing on ends. Tristan looked down at Lauralei and gently kissed the tophead, not caring that there was a rather irritated vampire watching them. "It's okay Lauralei. I'm fine now, love." He said softly into her ear, tightening his grip around her protectively. His eyes raised up and went back to Raphael, heang Alexander's words. He didn't care what the men had to say. They were in their house, unannounced and invading their privacy. "We don't care if you're sorry that sorry for intruding. You're in our house without being invited. You better have a damn good reason why." He said. But his thoughts were taken away from what was going on infront of him by the fact that Roscoe came into the room. Tristan eyes shot down to Roscoe, but watched as the puppy sniffed at Raphael. It wasn't long though before Raphael kicked Roscoe. But Tristan's attention wasn't on Roscoe, instead it was on his suddenly empty arms. His eyes shot over to where Lauralei was standing, her arms around the small puppy. Tristan moved quickly, pulling Lauralei back into his arms. He slowly backed away from the vampires to where they were at least slightly safer. His arms tightened around Lauralei and Roscoe. His eyes shot glares at the vampires. He wanted nothing more than for them to leave, but something t they weren't going to be doing it quietly.

Lauralei was the rather uncalm one now, her fangs bared, loud snarls erupting from her throat. She knew that Roscoe wasn't hurt; Raphael had barely kicked him, but the puppy had still yelped. It didn't matter how hard it was, he shouldn't have done it in the first place. "Get out," she snapped, resisting the urge to lunge forwards. Her eyes were black, like endless pits, and Alexander was eyeing her. "She's definately yours," he muttered, looking back to Raphael. "Well go on then. You're the one that wanted to talk to them, so speak already. I'm not defending you, either, if she tries to take your head off again." Raphael glared at Alexander, shoving off of the wall, a deeper snarl rising from Lauralei.

The male started to speak. His voice was strong, dominance overpowering her, causing her to shrink back for a single moment against Tristan's chest. It was a natural part of who he was, he wasn't even trying to enforce it. "Lauralei, your blood isn't like anyone else's. You have power that you don't know about; you don't understand how amazing you truly can--" He was cut off, his eyes finally narrowing. "Get the fuck out of this house, now." Lauralei's words were pure venom. Roscoe was curled up against her chest, and she handed him to Tristan, getting within inches of Raphael's face. "Get. Out. Of. My. House." Raphael didn't back down. Instead, he smiled a little, closing his eyes and letting them snap open, being just as black as hers, now. He was slightly surprised to see that she was fearless, but that made no difference to him. "Lauralei, I am an extremely old vampire. One of the oldest known. Alexander here isn't too far behind me. And with this, comes power. Also with this, comes heirs, and you are one of my heirs. My only female heir ever, as a matter of fact--" He got slammed into a wall, Lauralei looking as if she'd never moved at all, even to his sharp eyes. Her arms had tensed the tiniest bit, when he'd suddenly been thrown. She stood there, watching him, her black eyes piercing him. She was no longer snarling, though her fangs were still quite extended within her mouth, causing a slight, ignorable pain in her gums.

Raphael again stood, looking even more irritated. "Lauralei, this is IMPORTANT. The werewolves will come after you. By now they've figured out what your pedigree is, and that's all they care about. Any vampire or werewolf can tell that you have power, but you just haven't learned to open it yet. This..." He looked at Tristan with distaste. "Because he chose you as his own, as his mate, the werewolf elders will come after both of you. I'm only telling you this to warn you, to protect you. You're a bree-" This time, he was slammed clear through the wall, Alexander sniggering over in the far corner. Raphael, though, was becoming quite pissed.

Tristan could tell that Luaralei was uneasy and that her nerves were on edge. He was unafraid of how Lauralei was acting, but he was scared that something was going to happen to her. He could feel the power radiating from the vampires infront of him, especially Raphael. Tristan was pissed, his eyes slowly becoming even a darker shade of blue, slowly turning to a brownish color. His eyes went between Raphael and Lauralei beside him. A small growl built up inside of his throat, but it was nothing more than a soft tickle against his skin that stopped quicker than it had started. He was uneasy. And for some reason, he was slowly beginning to feel more and more uneasy as the minutes passed. Something else was going on. Tristan was pulled from his thoughts as he heard an overpowering voice erupt throughout the room. He felt Lauralei's body press closer into his chest, and his eyes shot up to Raphael and growled hard. "You will not talk to her in such tones in our house!" He shouted, his voice dominant and very strong. "You comeinto my house and raise your voice in such ways to MY Lauralei... Why should I not just tear you limb from limb on this spot!" He shouted, his body tensing more than ever around Lauralei. But Tistan stopped talking, only to listen to what Raphael had to say to her. Tristan had felt the strong power that flooded through her veins, but never had he expected to be the daughter of Raphael, the eldest of the vampires. For a split moment Tristan felt insuperior to Lauralei. He felt like he wasn't good enough to have the love that she had given to him. But that guilt and feeling quickly faded as he heard Lauralei shout and felt Roscoe being put into his arms. His eyes shot to Lauralei, who wa suddenly standing infront of Raphael, a look of pure hatred spreading across her innocent face. Tristan watched as Raphael was thrown into a wall, and only smirked at the fact that Lauralei was standing up for herself. Tristan then took a few steps foreward, placing Roscoe on the floor. Tristan was behind Lauralei, his hands on her hips. "Well let them come. I'll protect her. We need no warnings or unannounced visits from the likes of you." He started. "You can hate me all you want. But I will never leave Lauralei's side unless she asks me to. You'd have to kill me otherwise." He said. But after he spoke, after Raphael was thrown through the wall, Tristan's hands went tight against Lauralei's sides. His eyes turned a deep shade of golden brown. His hair stood on it's ends as a deep and protective growl formed in his throat.

Suddenly, a clapping noise came from the back door of the kitchen. "So... Killian. You were correct. She is his only daughter." A deep voice said. A man, with eyes the same color as Tristan's were at that moment and long dark hair, was standing there beside Killian, the same man from the town. Killian smirked, leaning against a wall. "I know Lucian. If only you would have listened to me." He said in a matter of fact voice. Lucian crossed the room. "So Raphael... my son has decided to mate with your only daughter. You must be so thrilled." Tristan's ears twitched at the words that Lucian spoke. Son? His body twitched as he wrapped his arms around Lauralei. "It's a shame I didn't take him from his mother when he was born, none of this would have ever happened." Killian took a step forewar, his nose in the air. "She's a breeder as well, just as I had thought she was." He said, looking back at Lucian. "Well we may have more problems than we thought we would." He said, sticking his nose in the air as well. "She smells like she's been tainted. Perhaps we should just dispose of them both now?" Lucian asked, looking at Killian. Tristan growled deeply. "You will not speak of such things about Lauralei!" He said, his canines protruding from him mouth in a split second. "GET OUT!" He shouted, his hands dropping from Lauralei's waist. He moved quickly, his fist moving straight for Lucian's face. But Lucian caught his fist, a snapping noise producing from Tristan's fist. But Tristan didn't care, or seem to notice. "Tristan, my son. I'm so sorry that I have been absent in your life." Tristan growled. "You are not my father." He said. But Lucian only laughed. "Really? I knew I shouldn't have breeded with a human. Useless things really. But you... You're amazing. So strong and everything about you is so different from everyhing that we are. I suppose I can look over the fact that you've mated with a blood sucker. We'll just have to dispose of her and the spawn that she probably carries." Killian took a few steps foreward. "All I smell is that she is tainted. It's too soon to tell anything else." He said, looking over at Lauralei.

Raphael looked up when he heard Lucian's voice. At first, he wasn't sure who it was, but the sweaty, dirt-like smell that came from the werewolf made him recognize him almost immidiately. "I'm sorry to... disappoint you, Lucian, but she isn't my direct daughter." He was standing next to Lauralei now, moving in front of her, hearing her growl. It wasn't nearly as aggressive now, though. "She's always had vampire in her blood. I was a vampire when my... previous wife was human. She died -- as I'm sure you know -- giving birth to the first son, who was half-human, half vampire. He bred with a human, that son bred with a human, so on and so forth. There was so little vampire in her when she was born, no one could tell the difference." He grinned, a wicked look. "Not even you. But when she was turned into one of us, she never came in contact with that power. It's still there, hiding... and I hate to be here when it wakes up." He wasn't leaving for now. He wasn't going to let them kill his only heir -- a female, at that. "Thrilled? Indeed. I'm simply JUMPING for joy, Lucian, that my heir might be impregnated with YOUR filth." He stood his ground when Lauralei attempted shoving him back again, wrapping his arms around her and holding her to his chest. She beat on his skin, demanding for him to let her go... and quite suddenly she was quiet, calm, looking sleepy. His mind overpowered hers, letting her lean slightly against his chest, eyes no longer black, but back to their gentle hue, watching Tristan with pained orbs.

Raphael watched quietly as Tristan attempted to punch Lucian, not interfering. It wasn't his place to stop it, though Lauralei was struggling a little more. "Hush, Lauralei," he murmured, and she weakly hit at his chest again, clenching her eyes shut and pressing her forehead to his chest when she realized she really wasn't getting away. When spoke of disposing of her; that she was tainted, an inhuman noise came from deep within Raphael's chest. "We will take care of anything that might possibly be growing inside of her. But she will NOT be destroyed. I'll make this one deal with you, Lucian. You separate your blood, I'll separate mine, and I'll deal with the.. problem, if there even is one. You know all too well how much your son will fight to get back to her, now that he's claimed her as his mate."

Tristan turned and growled more angrilly than he had ever growled before. His eyes were the color of embers in a fire. Pure anger radiated through his very being. "NO! I will not allow that to happen!" He said, snatching his fist from Lucian. Lucian was taken by surprised at the strength that radiated out from Tristan at that moment. And while he was taken off guard, Tristan turned and threw a punch that was so fast that any one of them could barely see it. Next thing they knew, Lucian was flying through the air, crashing through the back door and out into the snow. "I will die before I go with either of you!" He shouted at Killian, his sharp canine teeth now barred in anger. Killian lifted his hands and spoke quickly. "This is not my decision. Do not take your anger out on me. I am simply here as a witness." He said, looking over at Raphael. "You really think that you'll be able to keep them apart? Look at them! Even while your mind and powers over take the mind of your heir, her eyes are still focused on Tristan!" He shouted at Raphael. Tristan turned once again at Killian. "Shut your fucking face!" Killian backed up slowly, his hands out infront of him. He then turned to Raphael, his eyes on Lauralei. "Lauralei... Snap out of it!" He called to her, but before he could approach her, strong arms were around him from behind. A angry voice spoke in his ear. "You are strong my son, but never will you over power me." Tristan fought for his freedom, his muscles tensing and his growls becoming louder. "We have a deal, Raphael. I'll take my son, you take your heir. We will do everything we can to keep Tristan away from her." He said, a smirk across his face. But Lucian had plans of his own. Lucian wanted his war, and by god he would get it. Even if he had to break them apart, he knew that they would never stay apart. Tristan had mated with this woman, and be it a vampire or anything else that she may have been, he had mated for life. But that made it easier for Lucian to have his war. "Come son. Just forget about her. We have some very fine young werewolf women back at home that you can have your pick of." But those words only made Tristan angrier. Somehow, once again, he broke free of Lucian's grip, sending him flying backwards into a wall. "Lauralei!" He said as he moved as quick as he could foreward towards her. But Killian was behind him before he could get to her, a large needle in his neck. "I didn't want to have to do this." He said as Tristan growled and crumbled to the ground. Tristan looked up at Lauralei, his eyes going back to their normal blue. He held his neck and fought against the tranquilizer, but it took over his body faster than he had wanted. "Lauralei... I-I love.. You..." He was able to force out of his mouth just before he finally passed out cold on the ground. Lucian laughed, stepping over Tristan's now limp form. "There. So we have a deal then, Rapheal?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

Lauralei struggled again when the needle had been shoved deeply into Tristan's neck, a slight gasp coming from her, trying to break free of Raphael's hold. It was more difficult than she thought it would be. "Tristan," she mumbled, tossing her body weight against Raphael's arms. He sighed a bit. She really didn't weigh much at all, so it wasn't a bother to him, and his hold wasn't even loosened the smallest bit. "Yes, we have a deal." His eyes narrowed, as if sensing exactly what Lucian was thinking. "There will be no wars waged between this." He moved the palm of his hand against Lauralei's back, but it wasn't soothing her at all. Her eyes were glued to Tristan's limp body, still attempting to free herself, and within a short time, she was completely still, face pressed into Raphael's chest. He knew that she didn't want to leave. How strongly she felt for Tristan. And to see her now, like this, it honestly ached his heart. But vampires were able to choose new partners, much unlike werewolves. He wasn't sure how much it would effect Lauralei, because her hormones had mixed with a werewolf's; and werewolves could always choose differently, but it would be extraordinarily hard on them. Quite frankly, he admired how much Tristan had tried to defend Lauralei. It was... odd to see such a thing, but it had indeed happened.

"We will take our leave," he said softly, and he disappeared from the room, Lauralei tensing in his arms. Moments later, they arrived back at the Council House. Lauralei was an absolute mess. When he stepped into the main room, Raphael noticed his wife scowling at him, looking at Lauralei with sorry eyes. "Come on," Raphael murmured, hoisting Lauralei into his arms and bringing her up into a room. Alexander handed him a needle, which was inserted into Lauralei's flesh, her vision starting to blur after just seconds. "Sleep, Lauralei. When you wake up, things will be better." After that, there was nothing but black. Raphael exited the room, going back downstairs to his wife, while Alexander stayed sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at the floor. If only he'd obeyed Raphael in the first place; introduce himself sooner, court Lauralei more, this possibly wouldn't have happened. But because she was always so terrified, and was always hunted down, she shunned almost any kind of contact... even with her own kind. Around her eyes were wet from where tears had just started seeping out just before Raphael had given her a dose of whatever it was that put her to sleep. She hadn't been away from Tristan but a few minutes, and she was already heartbroken.

"So be it." Lucian said looking down at the limp body of his son. He sighed and slowly kneeled down to hoist his son over his shoulders. "Come Killian. Let's return home." He said softly before exiting the room. Killian stood there though, his eyes still glued on the spot where Tristan's body had laid limply. He didn't agree with this. And he knew that Victoria wouldn't either. Killian soon though took a deep breath and followed Lucian from the house, following him and Tristan closely. It hadn't taken them much time at all to get back to the Mansion. In fact the trip seemed shorter than it normally did. Lucian had taken Tristan straight to an empty room, laying him acoss a bed. Killian had walked in behind him, only to be greeted by Victoria. "What the hell have the two of you idiots done!?" She shouted at him, her open palm smacking hard across the right side of his face. "Do you know what you have probably done to that boy!? I swear neither of you fucking fools ever think about anyone but yourselves!" She shouted, shaking her head. Her hands were curled into tight fists at her side. But Killian just sighed. "We have a creed to protect, Victoria." But Victoria wasn't having it. "Fuck the creed! What the hell are you two thinking? Stealing him away from his mate not even a full day away from the damn full moon! Do you have any idea what will become of him!? He's going to slaughter the entire house when he wakes up without her next to him!" SHe shouted, slamming him in the chest with her fist. But now Lucian was behind her. "If he leaves, then it's his own death. They'll kill him if he goes after her. I only did this to protect him." Lucian said to the enraged woman. "Protect him!? You pretty much just ripped the one thing that had HELPED him away from him." She said at him, her eyes the color of embers. Killian had never seen her so enraged. "Yes... but we can not allow that girl to become with child, especially from one of us." Lucian said, unseemingly calmer than he had been. "And what if she already IS with child? Then what? Then you didn't only tear away his mate from him, you tore away his child as well!" But Lucian just laughed. "Even if she is with child, Raphael already told me they would rid of it when the time came." Sharp canines erupted from the lips on Victoria's face. "THEY'RE GOING TO DO WHAT!?" She shouted, a couch thrown across the room into a wall. "What the fuck is your problem!? The both of you? Kill the child just because it's a mix breed?" Killian's hands went to her shoulders, but she just pushed him away. "Don't touch me. You both disgust me." But Lucian simply shook his head. "You do realize that no vampire has ever bred with a werewolf, right? We don't even know if a vampire can give birth to a half breed. It very may well kill her in the process." Lucian said softly. But Victoria just pushed past him, heading for the stairs. "That is if she doesn't die from a broken heart first, you fools." She said before retreating up the stairs.

It didn't take Victoria long before she found the room that Tristan had been put in. She walked into the room, locking the door behind her. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she watched the sleeping form of Tristan. "Poor kid." She said, brushing some hair from his face. "I'll gelp you get out of here, even if it kills me." She promised to his unconcious being. Tristan wasn't going to wake for many hours. In fact, he didn't even stir until the next night. Tristan had started to stir around mid day the following day, but never did he wake. His dreams.... those horrid nightmares that Lauralei had chased away, had returned. He tossed and turned, tearing pillows apart in his sleep. Lucian told no one to worry, explained that it was because of the approaching full moon, but no one realized that the young man had such vivid dreams. The look that had been on Lauralei's face had haunted his dreams, turned his nightmare into a reality, one that replayed over and over in his mind. It wasn't until just a few hours before sun down that he woke up, sitting up in a sweat. He was breathing heavilly, and his own face was stained with tears. He moved quickly to look beside him. And then to the other side of him. But the thing he was looking for wasn't there. That cold but beautiful being that he had given his heart to was gone. Tristan felt as if his life had been ripped from his chest. "You're awake." A small feminine voice said from a dark corner of the room. Tristan immediately began to growl. "Calm down, Tristan." Victoria said as she walked out of the shadows into the light. "I'm only here to help you." She said. But Tristan just shook his head. "Help me? How? You can't possibly help me." He said, his eyes narrowing, his voice a coldness that he had never had before. "Tristan... Lucian and Killian are out hunting. They don't expect you to be awake for another few hours. They took the time that you were asleep to go and feast, to make sure they were ready for you to awaken. They expect you to start a fight." But Tristan just laughed. "Start a fight? I'm going to kill them both with my bare hands." He said, looking at her with black eyes. "You wont have the chance. You're going to be out of here before the moon comes up. Get your ass up and go out the back door. Head south.... Don't stop until you reach your home. Lucian hunts in the west, so you should be safe. Phase into the wolf on the way, it will be a quicker journey for you that way. But be warned, it is a full moon tonight, and no one knows how it will affect you. And when they return.... they will come after you." She said, turning and opening the bedroom door. "I'll make it look like you fought your way out. Don't worry about that. Just go and find your bloo.... Go and win your Lauralei back, Tristan." She said before leaving the room completely, the door still wide open. It took Tristan a moment before he realized a few things. Lauralei was gone, and he had to find her. His body ached for her touch. And second, this may have been a trap, but Tristan didn't honestly care. So within the next few moments, Tristan was up off of the bed and running as fast as he could down the hallway and the stairs. It took him a moment to find the back door of the mansion, but once he found it, he bursted through it and began to run as fast as he could towards the south. Once he hit the thick cover of the trees, his body shifted and became the large wolf that Lauralei had brought out of him. And from then on, he ran, his golden eyes watching as the sun set on one side of him, and the full moon rose on the other.

When Lauralei had woken sometime in the same night, she was worse than before. Her body was limp, her breathing was off, her heart beat was too slow. Raphael was worried about her, and wondered how long until she would get over what had happened. Jaylen explained to him a bit more -- from a woman's point of view -- how hard it would be on her, and for how long she would probably act this way. He was in an uproar when she told him it might take years, if at all, but he was quickly calmed. When Lauralei was asleep, Raphael had run two tests, within a few hour span, and was waiting for the results. The doctors there at the mansion said that they wouldn't have it until possibly the next day, so he was being very patient. Alexander kept Lauralei company, for the most part, but when Raphael asked how she was doing, Alexander only looked at him with pained emerald hues, looking as if he were deeply sorry. "Lauralei's... completely different. There's no light in her eyes, at all. I tried to poke fun at her, and she thought I was being utterly serious. It hasn't even been a day... and she's speaking suicide." That tipped Raphael off a slight edge, but he wasn't allowed to go see Lauralei. She would either be completely submissive, or overly enraged, and he wasn't taking the chance for the second opportunity. It was simply too risky for her to get away.

Lauralei was laying on the bed, having hardly moved except to lay on her stomach from the time when Raphael had brought her in. She hadn't gotten up. She hadn't taken the chance to feed from anything when given the opportunity. Her once wonderfully gorgeous eyes were a creamy-white color. The elder wasn't kidding when he said that there was no life in her eyes. She stared at the moon, listening to a few people coming and going, mostly Alexander and Jaylen. Jaylen had comforted her the most, she had to be honest with herself. The woman brought in Christopher -- and children had always delighted Lauralei -- and she talked quietly about several different things, not once touching the subject as to what had happened the previous night, or what might happen in the future. The vampiress very simply knew better. When she'd left with Christopher, Lauralei was miserable again. Her body was cold, and more than once she'd look behind her, thinking she'd feel a familiar body heat -- it would just be the fire. She thought she caught onto a lovely scent that she seemed to crave -- but it was just on her clothes. Everything was so wrong, and her depression was horrible, sitting in a chair close to the window and staring out, up at the full moon. Her fingers touched the glass. She left her hand there for minutes, watching. And finally, she snapped. The ice on the other side wasn't melting.

Her eyes went black, onyx pools, glaring up at the moon as if it were a traitor. And yet it showed no expression back, just a calm quiet that she always loved. Her fist beat against her door. All of them were strong enough to hold most vampires in. Her anger was just steadily rising, her emotions getting completely mixed up, and once again, she completely lost it. Except this time, every bit of the power she hid before came out in such a rush, the door almost burst into splinters the next time her fist met with it. Large chunks scattered, wood imbedding into her fist. She quickly yanked it out, and Raphael was right there. He wasn't expecting her to find herself so soon; he wasn't prepared for it. And when he went to reach for her... she was gone. "NO!" His voice was a roar, he himself disappearing. "FIND HER! NOW!" He had completely forgotten that she could transport herself, just like he could. In the room she was in, it prevented her from doing so, otherwise she would have.

The vampiress appeared outside, collapsing in the snow. She was weaker than usual, physically, but her blood boiled to a point of madness. Raphael found her, pulling her up and attempting to shadow her mind again. He was blown back, his head feeling as if it were going to split in half. A loud groan escaped his lips, clenching his eyes shut, laying in the snow with his head between his hands a good ten yards away from his heir. "Don't touch me," she whispered, sitting on her knees. It was freezing outside; snowing, and she got up. Her mental abilities surpassed even Raphael's now, and he had no control over her whatsoever. It only took her to disappear one more time... and she was finished. Her body's sudden knew knowledge had been too much at once, and it slowly faded off, leaving her to lay in the snow almost a mile away from the mansion that her and Tristan were staying in before, but in the opposite direction Tristan was coming in. She'd collapsed, sudden exaustion rolling through her in waves, blinking as the snow numbed her skin. She hadn't changed from the simple tanktop, jacket, and jeans she was wearing the previous day, and the snow just melted into freezing water right through the clothing anyway. Within the hour, she couldn't move at all. She was still awake, but just barely, and she couldn't feel a thing in her body except stinging, and even that faded off to just cold. There was nothing else there.

It wasn't long before Tristan was in the yard of his house,,, Lauralei's house... Their home. It pained him to see the house as it sat there, dark and gloomy looking. There were no lights from the inside, and the back door seemed to have been fixed. But just the fact that the house was empty and there was no one there caused Tristan more pain than he could have ever imagined to feel. The moon was just rising, full and glorious beside him, and as his eyes raised up to it, he allowed a long and pain filled howl to rise from his throat into the night air. It was as if he was calling for her, the lost love that he was afraid he would never find again. Tristan silently begged for death to come to him, because for him, a life without Lauralei was worse than the cold embrace that death would bring him. Another long and painful sounding howl came from his mouth, and he stopped to listen to it echo in the woods around him. He was glad that he had eaten on his way to the old house, seeing as how he was weak and in pain. Slowly, his body shifted back to his large human form, and for once, he phased back fully clothed. Tristan stood there, in the snow, his large body emitting more heat than normal. Snow melted around his feet, and slowly he made the long walk across the yard and into the house.

Emptiness. Blackness. Things that he hated most in that world were all that were there to embrace him. There were no smiles on his face this time, even when Roscoe had come out of hiding to lick at his bare feet. "Hey... boy..." He said as he knelt down to pet the dog. Slowly, he moved to the kitchen, pouring food for the dog into his small bowl. And once he sat it down on the floor, Tristan fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands. Tears streamed down his face for the first time in years. His body twitched and became rigid as he looked up, his eyes once again black. Roscoe whined softly at him, backing away slowly as he stood up. Tristan walked across the kitchen, leaving the puppy in there to eat, and walked slowly into the living room. A deep growl formed in his throat, and almost immediately after, things began to go downhill. Tristan found himself going into a beserk filled fit. His hands grabbed anything they could reach and threw them across the room, shattering many breakable things and breaking anything that wasn't able to shatter. He screamed loudly, aggrivated and fury filled shouts of random curses, a few times even calling out for her in deep, almost howling, sounds. Tristan was livid, a thing that he never allowed himself to be.

His heart pounded, his breath was fast and uneven. Things continued to bouce from the walls as he threw them, and at one point he even lifted the glass coffee table and threw it into the television. But soon, the room was left with nothing untouched, every little thing that he could have destroyed, was in piles on the floor, and once again, after his fit was thrown, he fell to his knees, his hands on his head, wishing that he could simply die right there. But death never came, and neither did that cool touch that his body was yearning for. Tristan was covered in blood, his food from earlier, and his own as well. Glass was imbedded in his skin, cuts and gashes decorating his usually perfect complexion. But at that moment, he didn't care. At that moment, everything that he cared about and loved... was gone.

Lauralei shifted in her spot in the snow, even more piling on top of her from the sky. A quiet groan escaped her lips. Her limbs were stiff, she couldn't feel anything, and everything she did was completely opposite of what she wanted to do. Finally, her blood got so cold, she felt as if she were hot. And suddenly certain parts of her was burning. She struggled, blinking, her eyes unseeing for the most part. Hot spots along her back, and her side, and for a moment, she thought that Tristan was there. "Tristan..?" But as her body began to thaw, she knew that it wasn't him. Someone, however, was carrying her. She started to feel each footstep they made -- it wasn't at all graceful, like Tristan's would have been. Whoever's body it was, wasn't as hot as Tristan's, either, even though she felt as if she were on fire as it was. Finally, he didn't smell anything like Tristan. It was a human, she realized, and they were headed in the direction of the mansion. It couldn't possibly be Erik... could it? She didn't care who it was at this point. She was still frozen to the touch, ice having formed in several spots on her body; her hair, her eyelashes, her clothes were stiff from ice that had gathered on them. The person's skin, whoever was carrying her, was warm. Not hot, but warm; and to Lauralei, it felt as if it were hotter than Tristan's. Within no time, she was was out, her head resting silently against whoever's shoulder that was carrying her. She felt exausted, and once her eyes slipped shut, she was completely gone; having passed out from the cold and sudden exaustion her body exerted on her.

Raphael was being restrained by his wife by this point. His head was still killing him, but he kept trying to get up. "I need to find Lauralei," he said, and he sounded as if he were begging. But Jaylen refused to let him go, and she pressed his head gently into the pillows of their bed. Christopher -- who was now walking on his own and looked as if he were five -- was playing in a lit corner of the room, painting. "Jay, please. The tests haven't come in yet. They won't be in for another hour or so, none of us knows if she's--" He was shushed yet again, and sighed, looking up at the ice that was pressed to his head. "She's going to be more difficult than I could have possibly imagined. I knew that her mother had those abilities, but... I didn't realize they would strengthen in Lauralei at all, and it seemed to multiply by ten fold." He couldn't fathom how her mental abilities were stronger than his. It seemed impossible. He could control almost any vampire he wanted to, or any human, but with her... his mind was weaker than hers now. And in a sense, it actually frightened him.

He had been walking into town, his body bunddled up tightly with a heavy jacket and a scarf. He had already finished his work for the day in the house and had actually been able to leave early, seeing as how Tristan wasn't there when he had shown up for work, and neither was his new friend. But what had worried Erik the most was that there was damage inside the house that no human could do. Erik had felt something strange about both the woman, and soon after Tristan, but he had never asked questions. He still wouldn't ask, but it didn't stop him from worrying. Maybe that was the reason he was taking the long way into town. He hadn't even noticed that he was walking towards the almost too familiar house until he was about two miles out, the town directly to his left, but he was still walking foreward. He had gotten the door fixed earlier that day, but the holes in the wall would have to wait. But the fact that the damage was there unnerved him. Something had happened, something big. Erik had waited around even after he had finished working, just to see if the two would come back to the house, but when they never showed up, Erik left, worried. And now here he was, treking through the foot deep snow, freezing his ass off, just to check to see if his Master Tristan was back and safe. But something ahead of him stopped him in his tracks, catching his eyes. He blinked a few times, at first thinking it was a wild animal that had strayed close to town, but after a moment he saw the hair that protruded from the head of the being, its light color covering it's body. "Heavens..." Erik said, the older male jogging quickly foreward and dropping to his knees infront of Lauralei. "What has happened to you young one?" He asked, brushing her hair from her face. "Why is Master Tristan not here with you?" He asked as he stood up and looked foreward, the outline of the house just in the deep trees. "Come on..." He grunted as he pulled the girl up into his arms, struggling a bit seeing as how he was older than this kind of job called for, and began to walk towards the house. He stumbled in places, struggling to keep his balance as he walked. But it didn't take long before Erik pushed through the front door of the house, his eyes falling upon the trashed items, and finally on Tristan. "You know..." He said, out of breath to Tristan. "I just cleaned this place today." He said, chuckling softly. But something about Tristan frightened him, caused his body to tense. "Tristan... I found her about a mile out. She's frozen."

Tristan raised his head at the sound of Erik's voice, but he smily growled. "Get out..." He said, looking back down at his hands. "Tristan... She needs your help!" But Tristan just laughed, his voice insane and distant. "She? She's gone Erik! I'll never see her again!" He shouted as he shook his head. But a smell reached his nose, a faint smell, but a familiar one. His head rose up, his black eyes slowly turning to their normal shade of blue as he looked up at Erik. "Laura..lei?" He said softly as he stumbled to get up. He stumbled over to Erik, his hands outstretched to Lauralei. It wasn't long before Erik handed her to him, sighing with relief as the weight was off of his weak body. "Take her upstairs. I'll get some warm rags. We have to make her warm." But Tristan just stared at Lauralei, who was drapped carefully across his arms. "Bring me up a bag of blood too please... she's paler than normal." He said, before turning and retreating up the stairs. Erik simply nodded, things slowly coming together for him as he turned and walked away into the kitchen. Tristan carried Lauralei in the normal graceful way that he always did, softly talking to her, telling her that he had her and that she was finally safe. It was only a matter of moments before Tristan had Lauralei laying in their bed, sheets and a large comforter wrapped around her. He stood up and walked over to the fireplace, quickly lighting up the fire, making the flames much larger than normal. By the time he was finished, Erik was in the room. He had on a tray a large bowl of steaming water and a packet of blood. "Thank you Erik." He said, taking the tray and setting it on the beside table. "You can go. Stay clear of here as long as you can. I fear that they may come back for us." He said. Erik just shrugged. "I've got a mess to clean up first. I can't have you getting more hurt." He said before turning and walking out of the bedroom. He slowly walked downstairs and began to clean the mess that Tristan had made. Tristan sat on the edge of the bed, his burning fingers tracing her face softly. "Lauralei?" He said softly, feeling just how cold her body really was. He knew she needed to eat, but he needed her to wake up first. Slowly, Tristan slid into the bed beside her, his long arms wrapping around her. The normal smell that she had was faint, fading with her. He swallowed hard and gently nuzzled his burning face against her frozen cheek. His hand reached behind him and he picked up the jacket of blood. He brought it to him, laying it beside him. "Please wake up..."

~Elsewhere~

When Lucian and Killian had returned from their hunt, the mansion was in shambles. Things were torn and thrown across the room. Things were a royal mess. Lucian was angry, knowing full well that it meant that Tristan had gotten free. But Killian seemed awfully calm, his eyes stuck on his wife. He knew that what she said were lies, he also knew that this was all set up. But Victoria told her story, making it seem all too perfect. "Look, he's overly strong tonight. We would be best to just let him go, let him tire himself out. Tomorrow, we should go after him, when he's at his weakest point. You know how new bloods are weak after their first full moon." Lucian just nodded, shrugging his shoulders. "He wont get to her. Raphael will never let the girl out of his sight. And if he does, he is a fool and he will be met with war." He said before turning and storming from the room, throwing Vincent, who was just walking down the stairs, through a wall. Victoria sighed and Killian just looked at her. "You're just buying him time aren't you?" She simply smiled. "I told you I didn't agree..." She said, walking off towards another part of the house.

Lauralei showed no signs of waking when she'd been transferred from Erik's arms to Tristan's, but by the time Tristan had brought her up into their room, she wasn't quite as numb anymore. The blankets, the familiar smell near her, the atmosphere -- everything told her that she was safe again, even though she couldn't hear Tristan's voice. When he'd gotten into the bed with her, her body automatically pulled against him. It wasn't until almost an hour later when she began to become coheirant again. At first, she didn't even open her eyes. That quick depression had settled over her again. She realized, suddenly, that she wasn't cold anymore, she was warm. A lovely scent reached her nose, one she thought she wasn't going to be able to ever smell again, and her lips pressed to something warm... flesh. Only then did her eyes open, and her vision was blurry at first, the texture of Tristan's creamy skin being all too familiar. She wasn't even sure how to act, at first. It seemed unreal that she was there again, and faintly wondered if everything from the previous night had been nothing more than a dream. When she went to move, and her entire body was sore, she knew that things hadn't been a dream. Her head hurt, as well, and more power swelled through her blood than before. Half of it or so had gone dormant, like it previously was, but that other half was still there, clear as day. She was completely relaxed, pressed to Tristan as she was, seeing shadows from the fire in the fireplace dance along the walls. "Tristan?" Her voice was a mumble, as if assuring that it was him, that he was really there next to her. Her fingers gently pulled at his shirt, the tip of her icy nose pressing lightly to his chest, not wanting to move any further than that.

Tristan didn't move the entire time. Erik had, at one point in time, come upstairs and into the bedroom to check on the young woman, only to find Tristan in bed with her, his arms wrapped protectively around her. Erik had only smiled and simply shook his head. "Some cousin." He had said before walking out of the room with a small chuckle. Tristan didn't smile. He didn't move. His body had been yearning for her, and now it yearned for more. The feelings and the emotions that sped through his entire being were surreal to him. They were things that were stronger than he had ever imagined. He was so happy that she was there with him again, but at the same time he was enraged. He was at the point of killing someone. A few times, his grip had tightened around Lauralei both out of protection from the things he now knew were out there, looking for them, wanting to tear them apart. And also it was because he was angry. His mind was dilluted with visions of tearing the throats out of those vampires, and Lucian... his father. It was still like a dream to him. His entire life had been a lie. The woman that he had been raised to believe was his mother, was really his aunt. And she knew about it. He had been the death of his mother, and he would never know who she was. Lucian was his father, a man so cold and full of hate for vampires that even Tristan felt sick around him. Tristan's mind spun and swirled in so many ways in that hour, by the time that Lauralei had woken up and muttered his name, he had thought he was imagining it. But after a long moment, he knew that he wasn't. His eyes went down to Lauralei, watching her as she
moved against him and gently touched his chest. "You're fingers are like ice, love." He said softly, raising a hand up to take her hand in his. His body tempertaure was burning, much like it had been the night that they had shared their love. "You need to eat." He said, lifting up the packet of blood for her with his free hand. "It's okay now, Lauralei. I'm here again. I wont let them take you again." He said, kissing the top of her head gently.

Lauralei closed her eyes when he finally spoke, and her body started to register several things. Parts of her body were still numb, and several others were freezing. Her hands, for example, feet, and from her chest and up. She pressed her legs against Tristan's, shuddering a bit from the warmth that enveloped her. "Why is-s it s-so c-cold in he-ere?" she muttered, her face moving to press into his chest, letting his hand engulf hers. When he told her she needed to eat, she frowned, quietly taking the packet from him and popping off the red cap, suckling softly on it. His words soothed her, and she snuggled deeply against him, sighing softly in content. She took her time in drinking the blood from the packet, much rather preferring something live -- soon, she would need to find something live to feed off of to keep her strength up, instead of using the blood packets all of the time. Her nerves were damaged from the cold, slowly healing, and everything was out of whack to her. She was tired, still slightly cold, sore, and she refused to let herself be taken from Tristan again. It had been less than a day, and it practically killed her. "How'd you escape?" she mumbled, lifting her head to look at him, her body relaxing further beneath the blankets, which were pulled up to her cheek.

Raphael frowned, opening his eyes. He'd fallen asleep, but someone was gently shaking at his arm, trying to wake him. "Raphael, get up," Alexander ordered, and the darker-haired vampire grumbled. "What do you want, Alexander?" he growled, shoving him away. "Raphael, this is important. The results came in. Look." Papers were shoved into Raphael's face, and he sighed, grabbing them and reading them. He blinked. "What does this mean? One says she isn't, and the other one says she is." Alexander was shifting uneasily, foot to foot, a few feet away. "That first test, the one that says she isn't, was taken twelve hours before the second one, that says she is. It takes a certain amount of time for a body to register a pregnancy." Alexander was watching Raphael's expressions change from confusion, to realization, to anger, and then horror. "We have to find her. Soon. Now. Send someone out for her; send anyone, I don't care. This cannot start another fight between us and the werewolves, not when we've gone so long without one. He's going to protect her with his life..." He was muttering mostly to himself now, frowning again. "Where is my wife?" Alexander was moving towards the door already, looking back to answer Raphael's question. "Jaylen is out in the garden with your son. Don't worry, they're being guarded." With that, Alexander was gone. He knew where Lauralei was, but he didn't want them to find her. He didn't want anyone to find her, nor Tristan. He would lead them a false way, a separate way. Anything to keep Lauralei from being torn away from Tristan again. He wasn't sure he could bare to see that horrid look in her eyes again, the look of deprivision and depression, completely lifeless.


We May Be Different On The Outside...

Tristan kept his arms tightly around her, nuzzling his face into the top of her head. He enhaled deeply, taking in her scent as he laid there. He had felt like he had forgotten what she had smelled like, forgotten how sweet her touch was to him. Even though they were only apart for less than a day, it was as if it had been a lifetime to Tristan. "Erik found you passed out in the snow, love. You've probably had damage from the frostbite that would have taken over your body. I'm glad he found you though. I owe him my life for finding you." He said softly, her lips moving against the top of her head. His fingers played with her back as he laid there, holding her to him as she nursed the packet of blood. "I know that's not what your body needs, but it's what I've got for now. Once you become strong again we'll go get ourselves live food." He said. Tristan would not let her out of his site, even for a moment. He didn't care if he had to hunt with her or not, he would protect her with his life. "Just stay calm, Lauralei. I promise you'll feel better soon." He said as he wrapped his legs around hers. She was freezing cold compared to him, and he stayed against her as he tried to warm her. Slowly he moved his arms though, unbuttoning his shirt and slipping it off of his body carefully. Cuts and bruises were still on his body, though now it seemed as if they had all been there for days instead of a mere couple of hours. His body was healing much faster than any humans ever could. "A woman... Victoria... She came to me when I woke up. She explained to me that Lucian and Killian were hunting before the night came, trying to gain their strength for when I woke up. But I guess I woke up before they had expected because they weren't there. Victoria explained to me where to go, how to get back here without them seeing me. From the way she spoke, it seems to me like she made the mansion look as if I had fought my way out... She covered my tracks for me... got me out of there." He said, kissing her forehead softly. "But none of that matters, my love. I'm out of there. You're away from the others. I'm here with you again. And nothing will ever take me away from you again."

Lauralei quieted at the sound of his voice, closing her eyes after a while. "If I go back there, you're coming with me," she slurred, feeling more assured than she had in days. A sharp intake of breath hissed through her lips when he wrapped his legs around hers, a burning sensation tingling throughout her lower half for just a moment, letting her muscles unwind again. Everything was so cold, it was painful. She was greatful for his words. She wanted to feel better. Silently, she resisted the urges to nip at his skin, noticing the bruises and marks that were there. "Did they do this to you?" Her voice was louder than it was before, pulling her face back, shuddering at a rather cool gust of air that hit her, and nestled back agianst Tristan again, grumbling loudly. Finally, she couldn't restrain herself anymore, and her teeth gently bit down into Tristan's jugular, not going very deep, but just enough to make him bleed. She nursed the wound, drawing the blood from him, not realizing how much she craved it until she got a taste. While she waited for his answer, her mood seemed to calm, suckling on the bleeding bite marks, forcing the blood from him. She knew how much to take, how to keep her venom glands sealed off, etc. etc. Anotherwords, he wouldn't be overly weakened, and he wouldn't get venom injected into his blood. But the urge to have something live, to feed from a live source, was too overwhelming in her weakened state. Instinct took over, and her lips engulfed the wounds further.

Several guards were sent out to look for Lauralei. Alexander told them several places that she would quite obviously not be, but he told them to look there first, and then anywhere where perhaps a pregnant vampiress would reside. They said they had no idea where that could be, but he sent them off without another word. He knew that Lauralei wouldn't realize she was with child for perhaps a week or so away, anyway, and even then, Tristan would probably sense it before her. Because she wasn't a werewolf, and he payed more attention to her scent than others, that was the probable reason that would happen; her scent would change slightly, and unlike a human, she wouldn't be pregnant nine months, it would only be a few. With the child being part werewolf, Alexander wasn't too sure of how that would effect her, and as soon as the guards were off on their search, he went to go research to see if he could find anything on the subject to help Lauralei. He would visit her without Raphael knowing, that is, if she or Tristan would let him, and help as much as he could. Neither one of them knew how to be parents. That much was obvious. And he had helped Jaylen throughout her pregnancy with Christopher, along with several other vampiresses. He would assist them only if they wanted it, but he would be persistant about it.

Tristan sighed slightly, shaking his head. "No... I did this to myself." He said, looking down at his own body. He hadn't noticed how much pain he had inflicted on himself until she mentioned it. Slowly, Tristan closed his eyes. "I went completely haywire when I got back here. I couldn't smell you. I didn't see you. I had hoped and prayed that you were here... waiting..." He said, steadying his nerves. "I just was hurting myself more than anything. I wanted to die. I figured that I would have never seen you again. I know that deth would be better than a life without you." He said softly, looking back down at her. He couldn't help but to smile though. She was still so perfect. But there were so many things that were different about her. She had power that was erupting from inside of her, power that she hadn't had before she had been taken away from him. The power made his head spin, but after laying there with her for so long, he slowly became used to it, his body adjusting to her absurd amount of power. But Tristan was also able to ignore the power because Lauralei had started to press her lips against his neck. Tristan took in a deep breath as he felt her teeth sink softly into his skin, letting her softly nurse the blood out of his body and into her mouth. But after a long moment, the nursing became into a soft feeding. Tristan couldn't help but to moan, a soft growl erupting from his throat afterwards. His hands tightened around her hips, his fingers pulling at her skin. "L-Lauralei..." He said. He hadn't noticed just how sensative his emotions and his feelings were. Before, when she had done this to him, it had cause a casual build up inside of him, but this time, the feeling was completely burning and tingling his body. "Y-You need... need to stop." He said, breathing heavilly as his body spun into a world of passion. "I ... i'm afraid I can't control myself..." He kept going. Talking was keeping him at least a bit calmer. "Please... I don't... I don't want you to stop. But you have to." He said, moaning again. His hands pulled down her back now, pulling her closer to him. "Take as much blood as you want from me... just don't do it in such a sexy way." He said, smilng gently.

~Elsewhere~

Lucian paced back and forth in the living area of the mansion. He was upset, and he was uneasy. Bad feelings were exploding from within him. Tristan was loose again. The vampires were restless, leading him to only be able to believe that Lauralei had gotten loose as well. He was willing to bet that the two of them were together again. Part of him was excited by this change. Raphael would do whatever he could to bring Lauralei back to her home. But Tristan would do anything he could to protect Lauralei. His powers had been exposed, he had even overpower Lucian himself. Lucian growled and shook his head. He knew the treaty. No werewolf shall harm a vampire. No vampire shall harm a werewolf. They were to live in perfect harmony with each other. If anyone broke this law, then the treaty would be void, and a war would begin. So would Raphael go as far as hurting Tristan? Kill Tristan? If he did, it would give Lucian his war. But if Tristan was killed, they would have one very angry Lauralei on their hands. But what if Lucai were to set it up so that another werewolf, one that could be disposed of, got killed by a vampire? A smile spread across the lips of Lucian. He looked over in the hallway. "Vincent!" He called out, and in only a few moments, Vincent was standing before him. "Yes Master." Lucian wrapped a warm arm around Vincent's shoulders. "I want you to go to Tristan's house. Stake it out. If you see a single vampire go in or out of that house, I want you to approach him." Lucian said. Vincent just swallowed hard and nodded. "Yes sir." He said, and in minutes, he was gone.

Lauralei pulled away, frowning at his words. She rested her head against him, eyeing the wound that healed as soon as her lips had pulled away from it, looking at the last bit of blood. "Sorry," she murmured. "I didn't realize how hungry I was." She sighed. "This is a horrible time for you to have a fetish." Her voice was a mumble, sinking further into the blankets, feeling tired now that she had gotten a rather good dose of blood. She was still hungry, but ignored the throbbing of the blood pulsing through his veins, resting her head against his chest and listening to his heart beat. She wasn't nearly as cold anymore, though it was still quite chilly in the room, to her. Tristan's body heat was the source that was really helping her warm up, even though she'd been out of the snow for a while now. She did, indeed, have mild frostbite in some spots, but it wasn't much, and damages were still healing from the cold. All she wanted now was to feed more, and rest, and once more she kept herself from feeding from Tristan, unsure how long it would last. The urges to take more blood were excruciating, and the only thing that was subsiding it enough to not drive her mad was her tiredness.