Henry’s money paid for the bus and the train tickets. We would have to catch a train to Birmingham to Edinburgh and then get another train from Edinburgh to Inverness. Loch Ness was west of Inverness only by a few miles. Our only enemy now was time. We would be arriving in Inverness late evening after a gruelling train journey and then we would have to waste no time in hunting down the Loch Ness monster, although I had not divulge that part of the plan to Dante yet.

We got on the train bound to Birmingham. I sat by the window while Dante sat next to the aisle. It felt weird being able to sit back against my seat without having my cumbersome wings interfering. It was strange that my wings had disappeared again when I had just started getting use to them. The train pulled off and Dante nervously gripped the seat.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“It’s not natural to move this fast.” Dante said.

“Try not think about it. Close your eyes.”

Dante closed his eyes and murmured, “This isn’t working.”

“Okay, stay here. I’ll be back.” I said climbing over him.

There was a bar in the third carriage, I could pick up a couple of glasses of wine and see if that would help calm his nerves. There was a line for the bar when I got there. In front of me were two blondes with bad spray tans who nudged each other and stared at me and my clothes as I joined the line.

“What the hell is she wearing?” The first blonde girl whispered to the second blonde.

“I have no fucking idea but it is ugly.” The second blonde replied.

I didn’t say anything; these clothes were Dante’s choice- not mine. Personally I would have preferred jeans and t-shirt instead of a Lolita styled dress. The two blondes had a giggle and diverted there attention on to a recent celebrity break up and for a moment I thought that was the end of my awkward encounter…

“Kelly, woah what’s your name love?” The balding fat skinhead husband of blonde number two had stumbled from first class into the bar and was about to ask her a question when he got side-tracked by me. He offered his hand out introducing himself as, “Barry. Love your dress, can I buy you a drink?”

Kelly went bright red, “Barry I’m stood right here!”

Barry waved a dismissive hand at his wife and whispered in my ear, “I hate her.”

“You bloody pig! I can’t believe you’re at it again with this little slapper!” Kelly sniped turning her attention one me.

Her friend the blonde shook her head at me, “Shameless little tart with her slutty clothes.”

Barry pulled at the hem of my dress, “I like it, reminds me of the French maid stripper at your brother’s 40th birthday.”

“Hey,” I snapped slapping his hands away, “Don’t touch.”

“Come on darling, dressed up like that, you are begging for it.” Barry huffed.

I stepped back and hit a wall. I turned and saw Dante staring blackly at Barry. There was a small leap of joy inside me and I suddenly felt a lot safer. Dante possessively circled his arms around my waist and pulled me close. Looking straight at Barry he ordered, “Leave my wife alone.”

Barry backed off while the two blondes stared at Dante with their mouths wide opened. Dante slipped his hand in mine and led me away. As we walked through the carriages back to our seats I noticed how many people, especially women, were staring at Dante like a piece of meat. For some reason this bothered me- it really bothered me. The way they stared at him all doe eyed and drooling, it made me feel really cross. I couldn’t understand why? I had always down played my feelings towards Dante because to me they were kind of superficial. We hadn’t really fallen in love, he thought I would be an interesting piece at his court and I had wanted to escape my brother. Our relationship hadn’t been too romantic either- so why did I feel like hitting someone for eyeing him up?

We sat back down in our seats but Dante still held tight on to my hand. His own hand was trembling and for a moment I thought it was in fear but when I looked up into his green eyes I could see the violence swirling behind them.

“Stay here from now on.” Dante ordered looking around the carriage.

“He hasn’t followed us,” I said trying to reassure him, “And thanks for saving me back there.”

“I really wish I hadn’t walked away now. Did he touch you?” Dante said trying to control his voice.

“No, he didn’t.”

“If he touched you, I swear-”

“Dante, he didn’t touch me. Please calm down.” I said.

But he didn’t calm down. Dante was furious and all my effort to pacify him only mad him angrier. He let go of my hand and turned his back towards me. I felt my heart going cold on him again, just like before.

The train pulled into a station and I watched people disembark out on to the platform while other patiently waited to get on. I envied those people and their normal lives. I sat and wondered as the train pulled away what it might have been like if Dante and I had met in ordinary circumstances. What if he was just a normal guy and not a vampire, and I wasn’t some weird raven thing with a stalker brother… Would we stay together- we would have even got together? If I was human then I would still have my family and my best friend. I missed my family. The pain of seeing my parents looking at me with unknowing eyes left a sad emptiness in my heart. My thoughts drifted from my parents to my Morgan. She had bindingly followed me into the immortal realm, subsequently wiping her existence from the mortal realm. She too had lost her parents and the life she had led on the mortal world. There are times I wish I could run to her and share my pain and fears but Edvard, my brother, ensured that I would be completely isolated from Morgan by spreading vicious lies. He told Dante that Morgan and the dragons had torn me away from him and left me to die in the mortal world. In reality it was I that had chosen to hide in the mortal realm away from Dante and Edvard. Morgan was the last person on earth who would do me any harm.

Dante rested his hand on top of mine and pointed out the window at the passing ruins of a castle. He tried to say something interesting but his words fell on deaf ears. I was too wrapped up in my own self at that moment to even try and respond to his efforts of a conversation started. He had calmed down about the whole Barry incident.I forced an empty smile and watched the castle until it passed out of sight. Grey clouds darkened the skies and small flecks of rain distorted the glass hazing the view. I wonder what would have happened if I had listened to my brothers and sisters when I first met Dante. In my mind I visualized the forest I grew up in winter. I could see the black skeletons of bare trees rising out a blanket of white and I could feel the biting cold yet I do not recall feeling cold. Then I remembered when the handsome stranger in his colourful clothes wandering out the monochromatic forest into the moonlit clearing where I was crouched in the snow. Maybe I should have runaway instead of being seduced by the exotic nature of this foreigner. Regret was useless now. I had orchestrated my own fate through my choices and now I had face the consequence and set what I could right.