Eventually the muggy heat from midday stirred me. Only the thick curtains kept light from shining in. I woke up and slowly made it to the window, peeking outside. It was far too bright. A minute passed while I stood there blinking with only half my brain working.

This room was unknown and clearly not secured. Someone had come in during my rest and left a change of clothes on a chair facing the bed. My back itched just thinking about some stranger sneaking by while I lay passed out. Vampires had it rough. My discomfort didn't stop me from putting on fresh clothes. The shirt fit well and these pants didn't constrict my waist.

Shortly after I started wandering the hallways. It only took a few twists and turns before I ran into one of the servants from the night before. Male this time, but with the same business-like air that the others had last night.

"Can I help you?"

I shrugged.

"Did you need something?" He asked.

"Am I allowed outside or did Kahina lock the doors?" I spoke slowly. The world was still moving a little too fast for me.

The man looked at me for a moment. One lip curled up with something that might have been a smile. "They're not locked, no."

"Can I go out, or do I need permission?" Not that I had a clue who to ask. Kahina would be out for hours yet, and her second needed a punch in the face.

"I'm sure there's plenty to entertain a man of your nature around here somewhere. I'll see if we have someone free to guide you." He said.

"Just don't make her cute, Kahina is the jealous type." I tried to sound playful and failed. Plus there was no reason for me to let Kahina's employees get in trouble over me.

"I doubt that will be an issue." He said. Clearly he thought my charming factor was pretty low. What did he mean by a man of my nature? Like I was some mindless thug. Never mind. "Just head to the main entrance. Someone will be along shortly." His arm waved out to give guidance then he left me alone.

By the time I found my way to the front the little maid was there waiting. Same red hair, same freckled face. She was shuffling her foot from heel to toe and back again. It was difficult to tell, but she seemed to be looking around the room for someone. Probably me. I stepped down the stairs.

"Sir?" She stopped rocking.

"Are you my tour guide?" I asked.

She bobbed her head.

"Breakfast was good." My first attempt at conversation had fallen flat. My people person skills needed a lot of work.

"It was just breakfast." She shrugged off my compliment. "Come on, we'll tour the house and the grounds. Then I have an appointment at six, you may join us if you wish."

"Join what?" I still wasn't all together.

"You'll see."

The tour itself didn't do much for me. We did a pass of the outer property edge. Everything inside was the same anyway. It was basically an endless series of rooms with names and general descriptions. The few non-staff we did see were quickly avoided.

"Where's this appointment?" I tried to broach the subject again.

"Not yet. I will show you once it's time." She said. And the tour went on. A few hours had passed before I noticed and the girl slowly guided me into a larger room deep in the mansion.

"Basement?" I asked.

"Part of one."

I liked basements. They were more comfortable than other rooms. There was something about underground that made me feel at home. Secure.

"The Lady suggested that you might want to see how we pass our time during the day." My tour guide said. I assumed they all worked like normal people. there were certainly enough folks fluttering around the hallways.

I shrugged.

"She believed you might find it interesting." My guide sounded disappointed at my lack of enthusiasm.

"Something suitable to a man of my nature?" I said.

"Perhaps."

She opened the door and showed me inside, where I saw something that didn't match what I expected. My expectation had been either a theater with a lot of cheap violent flicks or a line of girls eagerly waiting. Both would have been suitable for my nature.

Once again my inner male was disappointed. There were twenty or so people kneeling on the ground. Each one wore a plain white set of loose pants, with a folded shirt bound by different colored belts. The only redemption was the two in the middle. They did give an air of cheap violence.

"Take your shoes off." My guide said.

"Socks too?" I asked. Looking around made it clear no one was wearing socks either. Part of me felt dumb for asking.

My guide motioned to the end of the row. I tried to sit like the others, with my feet bent back under me and toes pressed against the floor. It was quite possibly one of the most awkward positions I had ever attempted outside of childhood games and the odd sex pose or two. My guide vanished into another room.

No one snickered so maybe I wasn't a complete failure. Of course, no one actually looked at me other than my guide and perhaps a brief flicker of eyes that I hadn't caught. The two in the middle of the room were the center of all attention.

Both wore black belts, which by what little I understood meant they had been at this for a while. One of them was about average height with a light tan against dark hair. The other one was taller, a little bit bulkier and his hair was a carefully pulled back.

The short one took the offensive. He stepped in, shuffling his feet quickly and lifted a knee. The taller man barely flickered his eyes and opened his hands to try catching the entire leg. Shorty quickly stomped his foot back down and whipped out a spinning back kick from the other direction.

Another shuffle of feet and the larger man had backed away. There was just too great a difference on the reach between them. The smaller guy seemed quicker, the taller one could strike sooner. It was the same effect where a smaller quicker basketball player was able to steal the ball frequently from the larger ones.

I blinked my eyes and there was another blur of movement. Somehow the tiny guy had stepped back in to try and throw the larger one. They had to be practicing a sort of mixed martial arts if they were changing tactics. Most disciplines focused on specific movements. Some on fists, some kicks, some throws, other joint locks.

Another twist of bodies later and the taller one had the shorter guy pinned on the floor. A leg jutted backward while the rest of his body kept the shorter man locked on the ground. Not a feat I would try.

Someone was counting in words I didn't understand, then a shout that sounded like victory being called. The two on the mat broke apart, scrambled up to bow then turned away to different parts of the mat.

I found it interesting that people who were professionals could find the fight over in an unexpected flash. That made me feel better about being so out of place. Combat made sense to me. Those were street fights. They didn't have rules aside from not beating the other guy beyond whatever healing he could manage.

That was a fine line. Quickly regenerating from wounds was one of the perks of fighting any of the races aside from human. The slight limp the shorter man had wasn't likely to heal up anywhere as fast as a wolf might.

Another match started. My former guide was sitting further down the line. She was in a completely different set of clothes. It was all white and around her waist was a blue belt. I had no idea where that fell on the rankings.

"Did you want to spar against someone?" She asked.

Yes and no. It looked exciting, very exciting. The idea of facing off one on one to test yourself was thrilling, but it was a game I didn't know the rules to. The next set made it all look a lot smoother, more drawn out this time. They were of even height and wearing different belts than the first two.

"No that's alright," I said.

"Afraid?" Her voice went from that cutesy maid voice to a deeper more annoying and raspy voice while she tried to whisper. I tried to think of the most intimidating comment I could and instead settled on the truth.

"I'm used to scraping against wolves, no offense to anyone here, but I don't want to do something I'd regret." Like knee someone in the package over and over in defense. Humans didn't heal nearly as fast.

"Then we're not good enough?" She questioned.

"I prefer a different battlefield."

"Maybe we could learn something." She didn't stop trying to goad me.

I didn't add anything to that, my edge against those others was mainly because of how my mind perceived things. They became my targets when I hunted them. That switch inside me provided some sort of edge as I tracked down what was mine.

"Nothing that's useful here," I muttered. There was a noise to shush further down the row.

She stopped talking and went back to watching. Another flash of movement and the other contestant was pushed out of the ring by a series of kicks and yells. Their routine was easy enough to follow. Bow, sit down, next set, bow again, fight.

"We could all learn from someone who has taken wolves and vampires one on one."

"No thanks, I enjoy watching." That didn't sound creepy.

"I saw what you did to Mister Janns, he's asleep right now, but that scar won't go away anytime soon. Not without plastic surgery." She said.

"Who?" Mister Janns? I had no clue who that was.

"One of The Lady's partial guards. There are two assigned to her by her patron, and Mister Rays, her Second."

The person assigned to change Kahina had likely sponsored other transformations. Who had Daniel said her sponsor was? Keeper?

"I'll pass anyway," I said. Another shush of noise came down the path again.

This round finished when the higher belt tossed the lower one onto the ground and brought a heel down that wasn't stopped in time. The winner managed to pull the foot so it did minimal damage. That didn't stop the shout from whoever was refereeing that signaled it was over.

They stood then bowed.

"You sure you can't show us?" She just wouldn’t let it slide. Maybe this employee of Kahina’s was just nervous and looking for tips. That made more sense than her trying to goad me.

"No," I said. My eyes were eagerly waiting for the next set of people to come up and spar.

"If we're to protect The Lady, we need all the guidance we can get."

Someone shouted down the aisle and people almost simultaneously moved back a few feet. Even the nagging guide who kept hassling me the whole time had shuffled back a good three feet. It wasn't a movement I had time to see or understand. Standing out in a crowd was already a problem because of my size. Being in the wrong clothes worked against me.

There was another shout of words that didn't make sense, and everyone pressed their heads to the ground. My dumb self didn't notice as I was still trying to back up. Now I was two mysterious motions behind.

"I wasn't aware we had someone new starting." A new voice said.

I looked around, hoping he wasn't talking about me. No such luck. It took a few moments to figure out who was talking. He was the taller of the two black belts that had been fighting earlier.

"Huh?" Was my stellar response.

"Who are you?" The black haired man asked.

"Jay." I gave my real name accidentally. It was hard to keep them straight.

"Why are you in the middle of my class tonight, Jay?"

"Someone told me this was the place to be." I managed to say it without glaring at the girl who had escorted me to this very room. The basement location no longer felt as welcoming as it might have.

"Did they? Fields, right? I've heard a little bit about you." The man paused for a moment. "You'd be doing us a favor if you could show us what methods you've used to be considered so formidable."

My escort was much easier to brush off than this man. Not only issuing an informal challenge, he was all but saying that I wasn't the tough shit my reputation said. Which was sort of true but to hell with letting him know that.

"I'm not practiced at sparing," I said.

"Use whatever you know." He calmly responded.

My eyebrow went up. What I knew was how to put someone down quickly. It wasn't clean fighting. How did that translate to a place that clearly had boundaries and counting? Walls were out, there was no cross or silver. These weren’t twitchy dumb kids I could get a drop on.

I could get thrown around a little bit while trying not to break anything. That would keep it clean. There was only so much that you could learn by watching anyway. Then maybe this whole little sideshow would end and things could go back to focusing on Evan and the answer to this Lord business. However to do that peacefully I had to wait until Kahina gave me approval, and pissing her off even more than I had didn't seem like a good idea.

Life was easier when I only had to worry about myself.

"I guess." I stood up and walked to the main part of the mat. There were small markings on the ground indicating where each person started.

My opposite was colored belt. Not that I knew the difference. She wasn’t wearing black or white. Her hair was shaggy and brown. She bowed and my return attempt felt botched. All I could hear was Stacy yelling at me that just because they would heal, I had no right to hit someone. It was even more true for a human like this girl.

I had almost given up thinking of myself as a human. Either way, the thought was enough to make me feel dirty for taking part in this. Play fighting, against someone I had no reason to bring my fists against. It was pointless.

She proceeded to toss me around for three minutes. Not that I really fought it. I made dumb mistakes like stepping into to painfully obvious moves. It wasn't that I was familiar with the martial arts she was using, but I could see by her eyes what she wanted to do. Which way she wanted me to move. At least her blows were pulled. I think she was as afraid of hurting me as I was of hurting her.

I buried my own natural response which would involve barreling in and hitting her as hard as possible to end the fight. I wasn't trying to knock her unconscious. There were still a few times that we were close enough that just a bit more resistance from me might have ended badly for her.

Taking the hits had to be enough to satisfy them. Soon someone shouted signaling the mock fight's end. My hands reflexively brushed at my front from the supposed ass whooping and botched my bow again. Once my ass was sitting again I took a mental inventory of how bad it would hurt tomorrow. Less than the encounter with the vampire a few weeks ago, far less than the wolf battle.

From the muttering around the room, it was apparent my display wasn't impressive. I tried not to shake my head. My goal in coming here wasn't getting in a measuring contest with Kahina’s staff members.

There was another series of shouts and everyone stood up, broke into groups and started some sort of routine. The taller man from earlier caught my eye and motioned me to the side with a small jerk of his head. Hell.

I followed him off the mat into a smaller office off to one side. The inside was lined with first aid kits as well as extra uniforms and manuals. There was even a series of remote controls to a television I couldn't see in here.

"Why are you here?" His voice wasn't as deep as I might have expected. It sounded almost soft, deceptively soft since I saw him lock down another man until a count went by.

"I'll be gone tomorrow," I said.

"Let me rephrase, why are you here tonight? You obviously don't want to participate."

"What gave it away?"

"You clothes. Disrespect during other matches. Your lack of effort in the spar and no attempt at gaining permission to join ahead of time." He listed the items slowly.

I hadn't noticed a sign up sheet. Of course, there hadn't been a lot that was brought up before the door was opened, and the only instructions had been to take my shoes off.

"No one told me what to expect." I tried to defend myself a little.

"Do you know why we're down here?" He switched tactics on me. It wasn't an employee fitness day. Not with the effort they were putting into it.

"For Kahina."

"Correct." He said.

"Even though the chances of her surviving are slim." Her survival worried me when I dared give it thought. The final days of the transformation came with something close to an eighty percent fatality rate.

"Has anyone explained why the rate is so high for failures?" He asked. There were more than a few papers on it. Conspiracy theories, nut job stories, and speculations. The final stages of transforming from a human to a vampire came with a hibernation from which most didn't wake up.

"I've seen the videos." The same movies that everyone sees as a part of high school health class. Documentaries aimed at explaining the positives and negatives of switching races.

"There's more to it." He shook his head and stepped behind me to close the door to our little room. Then he slid the blinds down on the one window that let me see outside to the rows of people punching in unison to more of those foreign words.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Getting sponsored is like being dragged forcibly into dirty politics. Most of those that get put up for the change die of natural causes, yes, but some are targeted."

"Targeted? Who would target a vampire?" My face scrunched up to the side with confusion.

"Anyone with a grudge against the sponsor. Other vampires, former business partners, childhood rivals, pro-human groups, among other factors." His words caused me to blanch a little. Everything that had been shown on the documentaries said it was just poor survival odds from the condition taking hold. Not that Kahina would be attacked personally.

Leave it to vampires to give a skewed view.

"Well, it looks like you guys have it covered," I said while going for the exit.

"I'm not sure why, but she seems to think that you're someone who can help her survive the change." The instructor quietly sidestepped my attempt for the door.

There it was again. Me, somehow useful to her. "Why me?"

"That's a good question." He didn't think much of me. Likely because I hadn't put up a good show on the mat out there. To hell with him.

"You're a big guy, and I've asked around, as much as I could anyway. Especially since Kahina has told me you'd be valuable." I was grumbling at the idea of him being able to ask about me anywhere. "There isn't a lot of information out there other than word of mouth, and a lot of that is dated."

"Good." That was the way I wanted it. My mind counted the number of steps between my spot and the exit up top. If I ran now, I might be able to fight my way through before Kahina woke up.

"Then there's what happened to Kahina’s two burnout babysitters." Burnouts were vampires unlikely to survive the change. Which he also didn't think much of I guess. From his expression, it was clear he didn’t put much stock in anyone.

"And?" I asked.

"And you're clearly capable, or you wouldn't have put down two nearly transformed vampires and still be able to walk. She said they were to break you if needed." He looked at me again, his eyes trying to take my measure. I didn't bother changing my poster or puffing up just to look tougher. "That alone gives some credibility to the other stories I've heard."

"What stories are those?"

"Ones that said years ago you made a lot of enemies. That someone would let you loose to track and attack. That you were a beast that comes barreling through anything in his path to his target." He said.

I chuckled. That was a story I liked to hear about myself. But it was almost about someone else entirely. All that was tied to a mindset that felt beyond recovery at this point. Better than it was, but nowhere near the height before Kahina had scared me senseless.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I wish I was that guy still," I admitted it out loud.

"How so?" His eyes narrowed and his hair seemed to try and scrunch forward. It gave his widow's peak a funny sort of look as it wrinkled up briefly.

I shrugged.

He raised his eyebrows and ears in a brief movement of frustration. Then dropped a hand to the desk and rapped against it with his knuckles.

"Are you, or are you not, the man who threw around a squad of trained men a few days ago? The man who hunted down a wolf and then went toe to toe with him in his half form?" He asked.

Just how much did Kahina tell this guy? Everything? Who was he? First that slimy second, a man I wish had been the one to get the cross to the side of his head instead of this Mister Janns. Now I was being questioned by yet another person while a small private army punched each other.

"I did those things," I said.

"Do you realize how hard it is for anyone to go against those people and survive? Much less be in one piece like you seem to be?” He shook his head. “I couldn't do it."

I didn't really think about it. It was part of my standard bread and butter. My perspective about it was all tied to the tracker thing. Finding objects, defending them, being stronger and faster, sure. None of it was beyond a wolf's strength or a vampire's speed. I still wasn't sure I bought this Lord thing Evan had been babbling about.

"Anyone could do it," I stated.

"Maybe in larger numbers, maybe with tools and numbers." He slowly gave his response.

"I have tools."

"But not numbers. Nothing more than yourself.” The man seemed bothered. His eyes expected a better answer when there was none in me to give. “I watched you out there, you wanted to fight back, to do something each time. Yet you suppressed the movements. Why?"

"Fighting that wolf was a job, fighting those vampires was my life, same for the squad." Then the pack of wolves that I somehow waded through in the woods. A long time ago there were other incidents that were fairly similar. Maybe he would understand I didn't rumble for other people's entertainment.

"You're not taking it seriously because there's no reason?" He raised an eyebrow.

I shrugged again.

"What then?"

"Sounds close enough. Not getting paid, or anything else, why bother?" I jerked my head towards the window. "Besides, I don't want to break her."

The teacher shook his head back and forth a few times and scrunched his forehead.

"I'm just not sure how she wants you to fit into all this."

"Who says I want to fit in? Kahina and I aren't on the same page right now." Until a few hours from now, where she would say her piece or at least answer my question.

The instructor just raised an eyebrow again in response. I shook my head back.It wasn't his business. Not from my lips anyway. He sighed and seemed to give up for now.

"She should be awake in a few hours. Normally she looks at the day's reports first, sorts a few things out for business, then takes part of the night for herself. Though since you're already here she'll probably try and cut the business short." The man had his head tilted like he was going through a mental checklist.

"Alright."

"You're welcome to stay and watch. We typically wrap up a half hour or so before nightfall so everyone has a chance to take a break before the second shift."

"Sure." As long as there were no demands being made. I didn’t mind watching.

He opened the door back to the little dojo and stepped out to take over his class. I followed but stayed off the mat. Setting foot back on there was like asking for someone else to try and spar against me.

A few hours later I found myself alone with Kahina in some sort of decorated office. I had been ushered into the room by some random servant and then Kahina had said a grand total of nothing. It had a large window that peeked out to the west. Kahina looked like she needed sleep. Which was sort of funny since she was completely comatose the entire day. If that wasn't rest, then I was lost.

She was staring out the window that had the thick curtain on either side pulled back just after nightfall. The barest hint of red could be seen in the distance as the sun curled around the horizon. It was the closest she could get to daylight outside of a movie for the rest of her existence.

"Do you have any idea what it's like for me, Jay?" She finally spoke and it was a weird question.

It? If she was talking about some vampire thing then I had no clue. Well, nothing beyond a school educational that preached racial acceptance next to sexual health.

"There's normal blood, and then there's yours. It's a million times worse and part of my brain has to focus on not running over and trying to crack you open." Kahina said.

She knew how to make a man feel safe, but step one was acceptance in any addiction program, right? Should I even be here? My focus now should really be finding Evan and Julianne. We were already a night behind them.

"Then you were giving it to that elf."

To provoke her, to prove that Kahina had been the one that scared the life out of me that night. I fidgeted with the cross I had put in my pocket. As long as she didn't pin my arm I could survive this. Just pull the cross as my trump card, hold her in place, leave quickly through the nearest exit. My mind was already plotting out an escape route just in case.

"I can take temptation, Jay, I can put up with it and think of the long picture. I don't want to hurt you." But using me like a blood bank once in a while was okay? "But I do not deal well with jealousy." She made it sound like a threat and a statement of fact.

"So?" I said.

She turned around and had that confusing look on her face. I would be willing to bet that this time it was anger though and not excitement.

"You are mine, Jay. I will allow no obstacles. I endured your little sabbatical, allowed you your fun and freedom as I had other things to get in line and ready." Which means she had me followed as I traveled around. Her reach was further than I thought.

"Ready for what?" I asked.

"Ready for the final step. That's one of the reasons I needed you back." Kahina walked towards the desk and looked at me. The last sliver of sunlight had dipped below the horizon's edge.

"Oh." She hadn't brought up our contrary stories back at Julianne's house. Maybe she was still mulling them over like I was.

"We need to clear Daniel and his cronies from the table so I can focus.” Trust her to figure out what the real problem was. She could focus like no woman I had ever met. “His goal isn't the elf, but this missing child?"

"Arnold Regious."

"No child then. I've met him before." She twisted the words as they came out. A suggestive emphasize unlined each word. I was irritated with the blond face that had only presented in photographs.

"Well, he's dead," I told her.

"How do you know?" She asked.

"Can't track the truly dead."

"You realize that last night wasn't Sector sanctioned?" Kahina was looking at a small touch screen device that had words scrawled across it. They were too hard to make out from this angle.

"No, I hadn't." I responded.

"I got some answers back, they said this was something completely separate. They didn't say what."

"Sounds typical." For Daniel. What was it he had said? There was a cult that didn't exist on paper somewhere in Arnold's file. Maybe they did exist, maybe it was more than a cult.

"What do you want to do, Jay?" She left the question open-ended enough that it could refer to anything. To us, to Evan, to Daniel. I had no clue about anything beyond being left alone in my apartment, and doing my job when it came up.

"Such a wimp. Such an indecisive little boy!" She stomped over to me and I could see even better how tired her eyes were. They drug at the edges, barely kept open, and while it was more difficult to tell with her skin, there were bags under the eyelids.

"Did you turn into a coward?!"

"Only because of what you did!" Now I was mad, shaking, yelling back, but I kept a hand in my pocket over the cross if I needed it.

"What I did?" She was quiet again and had moved a few steps away. I hadn't even felt her move. She shook her head. "What do you want, Jay? What do you want to do? Tell me and I can help."

"Why would you help me?" I shook my head and closed my eyes.

"Because you're mine and I will remove any obstacle in your path to bring you back to me." Mine, the same word that rolled around in my head every time I tracked something. "What about me, Jay?" Her voice was so different. Tender compared to when she was yelling at other people.

"What about you?" I was still mad.

"Am I yours?"

The question completely bypassed my defenses. It was a good way to get to the heart of the issues between me and Kahina. The answer to that would tell me if we could work past this or not. It was easy to answer about how things had been between us. Once I would have fought an army for her. I had, in my way, accepted everything that she was, that we were together. Then she had broken it all. Yet here I was still working with her. Standing in a room with no one else watching, no bar patrons, no close friends, no bodyguards.

Because I couldn't help it.

Even after so long. Even with me, a much different man from years ago, and her, she had never been the women I thought she was. Kahina was a rich heiress to some sort of high-powered company. Not just some woman who used to sneak away with me on my jobs. Not just a person I had spent nights watching cheesy movies with.

I remembered briefly the conversation between myself and instructor a few hours ago. No one had any clue how I fit into this. No clue, because I didn't know. I didn't know because I couldn't commit.

"I..." The words didn't come. She paused for a moment to see if I would continue, but nothing more came.

"If you can't answer a simple question then get out." It was quiet, but her voice had taken on a professional air. A presence that masked any real emotions.

"Get. Out." This time it was louder and forced.

I backed up slowly towards the door and kept one eye on Kahina. She was bent over a desk with both hands slammed down. Slight trembles were visible in her arms. The desk creaked under the pressure.

My hand fumbled behind me for the doorknob. The other stayed clenched tightly over the cross in my pocket. This was my only safety net if she flipped. She looked for a moment as the door opened. Her eyes dripped streaks of crimson. I barely had time to consider what that meant in my hurry to escape.

"Get out," Kahina said. No part of me wanted her angry, not towards me, not while crying blood, and not again. Closing my eyes for a moment brought back the image of her with fangs bared chasing me around the room.

It was time to leave.

I shuffled through the halls to my guest room. Inside was the pouch Daniel had given me. This was the only distraction available at the moment. My hands shook slightly as I opened it. Anything to distract from Kahina's face, either one. The one from now, full of crimson tears, or the one from the past, where her mouth had been just as bloody.

Inside was a folded up piece of paper printed with tiny letters. Along with that was the picture of Evan and Arnold, the cut-off bit of hair, and the lipstick tube that still made no sense. My eyes closed and I tried to focus enough to check on the direction. Managing a link while being mentally unstable was difficult. I gave up and read through the note.

Quote:Jay,

Don't shoot the messenger.

I can not stress in words how important this is for me, but someone else has forced a little insurance be taken out. This is not my choice, I warned you others would step over me to get this case.

As a friend, I would suggest that you do not go home. It's being watched. While your treasure trove is safe, my current companions have wired most of your home to blow up in case of emergency.

I dislike such tactics, but they need to see some sort of threat to get you moving. Were it solely me I would not do this, but I am no longer alone in this endeavor. My life quite literally depends on finding what's left of Arnold and returning him home. It is sink or swim time, and you are the only life preserver I have.

Beyond this warning and a day’s worth of time, there's nothing I can do until you find him. My associates have insisted that you be left to your own means while they prepare. I have confidence that you have sufficient resources.

I will do what I can. Be ready.

Your friend, Daniel Crumfield

Things had turned sour quickly. Being kicked out by Kahina was outright secondary to Daniel messing with my stuff. By his own admission, someone was holding hostage everything I owned. My home was under siege by someone I thought was a friend. My items that I had gathered over a lifetime were in danger of being blown up if I didn't achieve results. The word pounded over and over, mine, mine, mine.

Vision blurred and the world seemed to grow and contract at the same time. Blackness sent my eyesight into snapshot mode again. The next noise I registered as the door being slammed so hard it shattered. Not by someone else breaking in, but by me going out.

"Quite the little brute aren't you." The voice of Kahina’s second in command oozed out from nearby.

One second my hand was in my pocket, the next it was out bearing a cross. It felt like I blinked and slid across the distance between us with a red glow leading the way. It was so odd, a brief moment of predatory movement accompanied angry growling. If I didn't know that Kahina’s attempt at turning me had failed, I say it was almost vampiric in nature.

The Second moved with that startling speed that even partially turned vampires have. A moment later I was after him. I felt his hiss of anger as spittle hit the air. He fled down the hallway in zips then practically flew down the spiral stairs to the main lobby.

Somehow I managed to horrify a vampire, probably the cross' doing.

I didn't take the stairs, instead leaping from above after him, cross bared. He turned around and I saw panic in his eyes. Panic that I had kept up with him though I wasn't sure how.

The world around me felt like silence after a loud explosion, that lack of noise made the world seem peaceful amid chaos. I felt wonder at what was happening, joy at having something close by to vent my frustrations on. Then more feelings, a concoction of emotions that made no sense. There was a clear emotion centered among all of it though, rage.

Shouts were bouncing off the pavement. Things I could feel but not hear. They were too drowned out by my other sense going wild. Wild because of what was mine being in so much perceived danger.

A blackout later and I was on the sidewalk. There was someone in my hands and shouting came from all around. My fingers were squeezing the throat of a man who had been in my way. Something about a person's neck just made for an easy target to drag people by.

My senses were on overdrive as they outlined exactly what was around. There were footsteps pounding the dirt and pavement. Sound pelted the walls, pavement, doors, and windows. Each splash like a bucket of water being tossed in my direction. Each yell was felt. People's fingers kept clenching over cool steel and leather.

It wasn't something I immediately realized, but Kahina’s second was outside with me. I had dragged him from inside the building to the sidewalk. His face looked brutalized, and parts of his skin felt crisp. Crisp for fuck's sake. Had I done that? What was going on?

I felt a breath of fright and excitement hundreds of feet away. Chilled hands pressed against an even colder window. Clothing brushing around a pair of legs. Purple fabric shudders differently than any other color.

A moment later and I dropped the Second. His own people would have to take care of him. I had more pressing concerns. Finding Evan to find Arnold. Returning Arnold to get Daniel and his group to go away. Protecting what was mine.

Slowly my body turned to the figure in the window.

Kahina looked back down at me. I couldn't entirely make her out. My senses felt more than eyes ever saw. Sensations swam in from all around me. Those extra mental limbs kept expanding and contracting. It was like my own hands brushing against the uneven brick wall. My own skin rolling across the rough cement.

Then Kahina smiled. I could trace the curve of her lips with my senses as if there wasn't even an inch between us. Her scent of peppermint bit at the air about her. A slide of heavy liquid fell down her cheek. It felt so overwhelmingly real that I brushed at my own face in reflex. For a moment, I could swear the bloodily tears smeared in response on her face. Why did Kahina feel happy?

It didn't matter. I had to find Evan. Evan had the answers to what I was and to where Arnold’s remains might be. I ran off down the street. The feeling of my own feet hitting the pavement never quite matched up with the sound.