A Crazed vampire dragged Sevastian's body into the clearing while the newly arrived vampire locked Lira's arm behind her back, forcing her to move forward.

"Look what I found, Alexander, it's that girl," her captor said, addressing to the figure on the rock. "This just made our life easier." He shoved Lira to the ground, forced her to kneel and bound her wrists behind her back. "We were planning to capture you later this evening. But since you made yourself so readily available for us..." He left the words hanging with a sneer.

Nicholas turned his head towards her. He showed a surprised look but immediately schooled his expression, returning to his impassive façade.

"What a surprise!" the one called Alexander said. "It's the prince's girlfriend joining us for the party." He stood from the boulder, jumped off the rock gracefully landed on the ground. He sauntered towards Lira and pinched her chin up. "Don't you recognize me?"

Lira frowned. The thin but sinister pale face of this vampire called Alexander seemed very familiar to her. Where had she seen this vampire before? She tried to dig deeper into her thoughts until she found her answer and her eyes suddenly went wide with alarm.

"I see you do recognize me. If it weren't for that pesky slayer and that prince of yours, you would have ended as my blood slave."

"Where is the other one? Aren't there supposed to be three of you?" she asked buying for time as her mind ran frantically, calculating what possible moves could be done to gain both hers and Nicholas' freedom.

"Don't remind me of Francis. He was too much a coward. He bolted at the thought of capturing the prince." Alexander answered, sounding disgusted. "He just can't comprehend the glorious task of fulfilling one's duty for the good of the vampire kingdom."

"Good for the vampire kingdom? You just imprisoned your prince! How's your king going to take that?" She needed him to talk more. She needed to know what their real plans were. If she lived through this present ordeal, the information would be very vital to the slayers.

The other vampire slapped Lira's face hard, causing her to spit blood out of her mouth. "You impertinent little piece of garbage! Address your betters properly! He is the Marquise from the House of—"

"That's enough Vincent. No need to smear that lovely skin of hers," Alexander said, but his face showed he very much enjoyed Lira's agony. He then turned to face Nicholas and smirked. "Did I just witness the prince flinched when his little girlfriend got hurt? Or I must have mistaken it. Do you want me to have her beaten just so you will speak up?"

"She is nothing to me. I wouldn't even have her if she comes begging at my feet," Nicholas hissed, eyeing Alexander levelly.

Lira snapped her head at Nicholas, shocked by his statement. Her heart bled upon hearing those words coming from someone she loved.

Alexander gave another hollow laugh. "How touching. If you think I'd let her go just because she means nothing to you, better think again." Alexander looked as if he really meant it, and it made Lira's heart raced. Nicholas did not care about her, Sevastian was knocked out cold, and although her mind was calling out all possible help around her, her fear obscured and confused her mind for her to channel her plea to the forest and use her abilities and powers to defend herself.

"Why are you doing this? What is it that you want?" Lira found herself asking a moment later.

"Why, to extract my vengeance of course. You see, after the humiliation this spiteful prince bestowed upon us, I began plotting his demise. He even waved his royal hand and made a royal decree never to touch her little mortal human the night after we attacked you. I am no prince; however, I am from a noble family. And yet this prince looked at everyone else beneath his royal feet. So when they approached me and convinced me I am far more suited as a Marquise than my father was, I killed him, my father."

"They? You are working for someone?" Lira asked.

Alexander sneered. "I see what you're trying to do. You're gathering information. But no matter, soon we will deliver you to your new fate." He sauntered towards Nichols and backhanded him so forcefully, causing Lira to gasp when she heard bones snapping. "I was ordered to bring the prince in one piece. But I just couldn't do that, you know? I was planning to kill him myself; then have it shown that the prince was putting up a great fight that there was nothing we could do but to kill him. But of course, I want to break his ugly heart first before I send him to the netherworld. So I devised a very ingenious plan; it was so grand, in fact, that I was so proud I was able to come up such beautiful scheme. I toyed with that slayer, might have slipped a thing or two about you and the prince's bargain. It was so obvious he had feelings for you. You were the only dumb person not to notice it."

"You're the one who told Matt? You're the one who set me up!" Lira shouted as she tried to lounge towards Alexander only to be shoved back to the ground by Vincent. That creep made a mess of her life! He was so going to pay for it.

"Oh, you mean those pictures? I considered myself a genius for putting up with a plan like that," Alexander boasted. "I needed to take the slayer and the prince away from you so we can easily abduct you later on. My plan worked. We were supposed to use that other slayer girl—Clarisse—that's why I sent someone to kidnap her. Only the plan backfired. We were hiding in the woods that night as well, waiting for my servants to return with the girl. And then you came along with that slayer! I wanted to have my revenge on that cocky slayer, so I ordered my servants to kill him. And since my servants were getting hungry and restless, I gave them leave to go and feast on whoever they meet along their way."

"Why do you even need me? I am nothing to you or your group," Lira said, half hoping they still had no idea who she really was.

Alexander paced back and forth in front of her, his hands clasped together at the back. "Oh, you mean something to us. We plan to offer you to Lazarus as a gift. He has to have the best blood for his first drink. Yours smelled exquisite."

Upon hearing Lazarus' name, Nicholas growled as he broke the ropes that tied his wrists together then lounged towards Alexander, sending the villain vampire's back flat on the ground. Nicholas curled his fingers around Alexander's throat and pinned it down. "You dare to make Lira his blood slave? You will die!" he roared, his eyes flashing with intense anger.

Instead of cowering, Alexander gave a sinister smile jerked his head and shoved Nicholas away from him. Nineteen of the Crazed circled around Nicholas. Nicholas crouched low; ready to pounce on to his enemies. The vampires closed in around him, attacking simultaneously. Nicholas defended himself; he delivered a neck-chop blow to one of his attacker and kicked the one behind him with his booted feet. He dodged as another Crazed threw himself at him, dropped low and swept the feet of another vampire with his leg, causing it to stumble down. He elbowed the fallen Crazed in its midsection, causing the monster to cough out blood violently. But another vampire grabbed his collar and threw him in the air, sending him spiraling in the air before hitting the rocks. He staggered upright, finding his balance as the Crazed renewed their attacks on him.

Sevastian was still unconscious; Lira still held captive by Vincent and a mutant vampire. She had to help Nicholas! She struggled from their hold and tried to loosen the rope on her wrists only to be slapped again by Vincent. "Cease it, you bitch!"

Nicholas seemed to be able to hold himself but then Lira noticed Nicholas' weak movements. His punches were shorter; his kicks were lower. It looked like fighting the Crazed seemed to be draining his energy. "I don't understand..." she said barely above a whisper.

"What is it you don't understand?" Vincent said with a scorn. "Why your beloved prince is losing the battle? It's your fault, as a matter of fact. Your prince is weak from hunger. He refused to drink human blood since the day he tasted yours. He last fed a month ago; hunted a wild boar and feasted on it. It wouldn't surprise me if one day he would try to live the life of a human," he said sounding disgusted. "The stupid things you do for the sake of love." He said the word 'love' with revulsion.

He did that because of her? Was he trying to forsake his vampire thirst for blood because of her? Her heart twisted. Nicholas really did love her. She must help him. She scanned around her. The woods were her battle ground; and she had the upper hand. All she needed to do was to concentrate, forget her fear. She cleared her thoughts of her present horrors and whispered a command. The earth slightly shook, but it wasn't enough. She tried again, focusing harder and the trees began swaying and its branches bent towards her, swiping the Crazed vampire away from Lira with great force. The shock on Vincent's face caused him to be caught unaware as a long thorny vine snaked itself through the air, grappled him in the neck and heaved him upwards, leaving him hanging above. Another vine crawled its way to Lira to loosen the rope with its sharp thorns. Once she was free from the bindings, Lira immediately ran towards Sevastian.

"Sevastian wake up!" she cried shaking him hard in the shoulders. "Nick needs us."

Sevastian stirred and slowly opened his eyes. "What the—" The moment he saw Nicholas in danger, he immediately sprang to his feet and dived into the sea of monsters.

Lira whispered another order and the ground cracked open as large wooden roots whipped itself on the ground coiling every Crazed in its way. There were still at least ten nemeses standing, including Alexander, who saw what Lira did. Driven by anger and frustration that shone in his black eyes, Alexander ordered the Crazed to grab Nicholas by his arms. He lounged towards Nicholas and revealed his deadly looking claws. "Die, you bastard!" he roared and sunk his claws towards Nicholas' heart.

Nicholas' painful holler caused Lira to stop on her tracks as she witnessed Nicholas falling down, motionless. Alexander raised his claws ready to strike his last blow. Extreme anguish enveloped Lira's heart, and she gave a loud cry as lightning lit the sky followed by thunder booming loudly. Gusts of wind blew around them, causing the dried leaves to spiral around in the air. Alexander looked confused as a lightning struck the ground near him. He raised his eyes towards Lira and a terrified expression crossed his face.

Use the lightning... someone whispered. Let the rain fall... It was the Diwata instructing Lira what to do.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as rain started pouring down. She raised her hand and pointed a finger at Alexander. "You killed him!" she bellowed. She saw Alexander staggered backwards as the rest of the vampires seemed to be confused at the events enfolding before them. She took a step forward, her eyes dangerously aimed at Alexander, as one by one the vines grappled every vampire blocking her way and the roots coiled around the monsters, burying her attacker to the ground.

Alexander, who seemed to have realized the problems he had stirred, tried to run for his life but the trees swayed its branches and blocked his exit. Something in Lira's eyes must have heightened the vampire's horror as she silently commanded lightning after lightning to strike on Alexander until flames engulfed his body. He flailed to the ground as flames licked its forked tongue around the vampire, consuming his body. Lira sauntered towards Alexander, her every step made his eyes widen with great fear. When Lira was looming over him, she said in an ominous voice, "You are the very first vampire I am going to kill. And if all of your remaining comrades are as evil as you, I guess I won't hesitate to obliterate you all." She flicked her wrists and roots and vines came crawling on the ground and started circling around Alexander's body, twisting around his head and midsection, gripping him tightly, breaking every bones in his body. He let out a loud shrill cry, followed by a loud snapping sound and Alexander's cries ceased abruptly, his head rolled off from the rest of him. As Lira turned around, lightning struck on his lifeless body once more as fire continued to consume him until ashes became his only remains.

Lira ran towards Nicholas and gave another anguish cry as she held his motionless corpse in her arms. The booming thunder resonated and shook the ground as series of lightning struck the earth, matching Lira's cries. "No! Don't you dare die on me, Nick. If you leave me, I will never say I love you!"

She surveyed Nicholas' body through her tear stained eyes. He was severely wounded and blood continued to ooze from his wounds. Desperately, she placed her palms over Nicholas wounded abdomen and tried to transfer her energy to him.

"Heal!" she commanded as thunder roared in the sky. "I said heal!" she bellowed as lighting continued to strike the ground. But Nicholas' wounds were far too serious for her to heal it.

"Lira stop!" Sevastian yelled as he made his way towards her, the soil slippery beneath him.

Lira ignored him as she continued to weep. Calm yourself. Even the Diwata was trying to sooth her.

"Lira I don't know what just happened but control yourself. Nicholas is not dead. Stop the lightning before all of us will die," Sevastian said calmly when he reached Lira's side.

"But he's not moving!" Lira sobbed. "I saw Alexander stabbed him in the heart."

Sevastian shook his head. "Haven't you been listening to Nicholas before? How do you kill a vampire?"

Lira stopped weeping and said "Oh" as her eyes turned wide and the rain, thunder and lightning suddenly stopped. "Beheading and incinerating."

Sevastian gave her a small smile. "He's alive. He just lost too much blood and his hunger 'caused of his weakened state and his inability to heal faster."

She heard Nicholas groaned and felt him stirred. "What can we do?"

"He needs to feed."

Without any hesitation, Lira placed her pulsing wrist on Nicholas' lips. "Drink Nick, please."

Nicholas slowly turned his head to the side and weakly brushed Lira's wrist off his face. "Nicholas!" she insisted.

Sevastian held Lira's hand away from Nicholas' face. "Lira, he doesn't want to drink your blood straight from the flesh anymore, even if you offer it to him."

"But how is he going to heal!" she cried. Then to Nicholas she said, "You stupid, stupid vampire! Why did you go on fasting suddenly? Since when did you decided to become vegetarian?"

Sevastian chuckled and said, "Let me do it Lira." He pulled his sleeves up, nicked his wrist with his claws and let several drops of blood fall to his brother's mouth.

"You can do that? Give him your own blood? Isn't it like cannibalism or something?" Lira asked.

"Yes we can, but with great risk—one that I am willing to take. Besides, our blood has healing properties. This will be enough to help him heal while we take him back to the house."

Sounds of leaves and twigs crushing caught their attention. Several Enforcers circled around them. A vampire came forward and made a low bow.

"You're late," it was Nicholas who managed to speak though weak.

"My apologize Your Royal Highness. We were occupied by the sudden attack inside the academy." He gave a silent command to the Enforcers and they helped lifted Nicholas.

"Sev, see to Lira's safety," Nicholas said before they disappeared into the woods.

Sevastian helped Lira to stand, and her gaze fell on the other vampire who was left behind. "I recognize you. You're one of them. Francis, right?"

Francis gave a nod. "Yes. I apologize for the previous incident," he said referring to the attack in the garden. "When Alexander started making these schemes, I couldn't take it any much longer. So I informed Prince Nicholas of Alexander's plan before he received the letter. He said he will go along with Alexander's plan to get enough information as to whom he was working for and what his plans were. We were supposed to follow the prince but the attack on the academy occupied our time."

"Lira, it's best that we go on our way," Sevastian said. He looked around him, the remnants of the fight sprawled before them. "I won't ask how you did that, but remind me never to be on your bad side."

Lira gave a sheepish smile.