"I wouldn't be surprised," I heard a woman say as I was walking down the hall.

"I heard that she hit Melantha in the face days ago, is that true?" another asked. I tiptoed closer to the door.

"Yes, and I heard from Melantha herself, that she was going to kill the human. Once the young lord leaves, then the human is finished," the third woman said. It clicked me when I realised that the women were talking about, well me.They're also the ones that were gossiping about me when I was 'sleeping'.

"And if she runs away. She would enter our territory," the seconded woman said.

"And she will be ours," the first woman added. I breathed in as I turned around to leave. There was no way I was going to stay any longer than I have. Trying to make my way further down the hall I heard a door swing open followed by laughter.

I looked behind me to see them glaring at me. They looked at each other and then back to me. Please, just let them go away. Quickly, I made my way to the second staircase and down a familiar hall. This was where Rachelle had taken me to the kitchen and to the garden.

Just when I thought I was safe from the women, I heard their footsteps. Are they trying to corner me? Without thinking I started to race down the hall.I passed the kitchen and made a turn to where the garden was. I don't know why but I felt safe to go into the garden. But I did and that's all that mattered.

Opening the door, I saw no human life. Walking further in the garden, I had walked past the little table that Marika and her daughter sat. Looking at the table, memories of my hair popped in head followed by Mel's evil smile as she locked me in a box. How can someone do that? A box for god's sake.

"You think you can get away from us human?" I spun around and to tell the truth it made me a little dizzy. It didn't surprise me that they followed me.

"I was counting on it," keeping my head up.

Then leader's green eyes became wide as her mouth opened. She quickly she shut it and glared at me. "You heard our conversation, yes?" she said with a sly smile.

Walking around the table, "I may have."I Placed my right hand on the table, and rubbed the edge with the tip of my finger. I watched my hand as I heard her step forward.

"By our laws we can't kill you," she growled.

"Yes, I heard. I would have to be in your territory. May I ask why?"

Slamming her hand on the table she made a big crack. "Don't play stupid human. You kidnapped a child of the moon goddess. By doing so, your punishment is death," her eyes became dark. Her face began to shift into something else, like a wolf. Just like Beth.

"I didn't kidnap anyone. She had no mother or father, if I am right. You all abandoned her, so I took her as my own, gave her life. If I had left her, you would have killed her," I slammed MY hand on the table and inched closer to the werewolf.

"You have no say to what we do," with only four inches between us, I wanted to slap her.

"Her mother didn't want that. She wanted her child to live," the leader lifted her hand up to hit me. Closing my eyes I have waited for her sharp claws to cut through my skin. Why wasn't she hitting me? I opened one eye and then the other one to see that someone had gripped the leader's wrist.

"What do you think you're doing?" the leader whipped her head around as she tried to pull her hand back. Squeezing her harder the leader yelped in pain. "I don't want to see this type of action again. Do you understand?"

"Yes, it won't happen again," with their tails between their legs, they ran out of the garden.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Rachelle had asked me. I smiled a little as she remade herself emotionless.

"It wouldn't be the first time," I shrugged my shoulders.

"I wouldn't be surprised if I found you dead," she turned away as she walked behind the shelf that was on the other side of the room. Bending down on to the floor she was no longer available.

"Don't say that," I followed.

"What do you want?" she said as she started to water some flowers.

"The baby, River is doing fine. She has food, clothes, and a bed. Connor has been helping and..."

She stopped everything as glared at me, "You left her with him," she interrupted.

"Well I asked Beth but she wouldn't watch River in the room when Connor slept. So I waited when he got up," well not true but still. "Beth was angry as I was wondering about the others, did Connor do something to her?"

"Not to her, but her sister," she said as she continued to water the flowers.

"I see, was her sister one of the girls that Connor supposedly killed," I asked.

"Supposedly," she answered.

"I don't think he killed them," I looked at the flowers and touched a lily.

"And who do you think it was. All the evidence pointed to him," she said as she walked behind me and headed to the table.

"I think he was framed. He couldn't have done it, not the way he treats me and River," Rachelle sat down placed down the empty water can on the floor.

"And how does he treat you?" she tilted her head as she as she eyed the empty chair for me to sit.

"Ever since he bit me, he refuse to take any more. When he touches me, it's like he is thinking of someone else. And he doesn't want to be close to me. The only time I can be close to him is when he's sleeping. I secretly touch him and mess with him. And every time he looks at me or if he touches me, I want him to do strange things to me that no man has ever done."

"You mean sex," she said with a sigh.

Gasping "How can you say it like that," I felt my blood go to my face as I pressed my right hand on my chest.

She looked at the ceiling, "Then how about fucking?" she watched me almost faint. I think I'm going to die. "How old are you Miss Dawn?"

"Almost 25," I said pouting.

"And this is how you act. Are you..." I couldn't let her finish, just couldn't.

"Yes, yes I am. Can we not make this about me now? It's about Connor." She gave me a look that said that this was not over. We both adjusted ourselves in our chairs. I leaned in as a child would do so when telling a story. Well she is about to tell me a story but it's not a story. It's the past, a memory. "Do you know about the other girls?"

Nodding her head she looked at the flowers, "Yes, I knew every one of them." She became silent. "There was five of them. Two of them seemed to have committed suicide. We had assume that they couldn't cope with their new life here. The third one was found in the bathtub, all her blood was drained. When looking at the body, Connor's fang marks where the only marks on her skin. The fourth girl was very young, only ten I believe. Within a week she had gone missing."

I held my breath, "ten," I said.

"Yes, very young. My clan tried to look for her but we lost her scent. We were all disappointed that day. Connor blamed himself for all their death. He vowed that he would never love a human again. He believed he was cursed and so did everyone else. But one, Nina," I held by breath. That's what Connor called me earlier.

"Nina," she continued. "Was Beth's older sister. Nina had tried to help Connor. She wouldn't stop looking for the child until the young lord commanded it. She would also stay by his side. As time progressed, Beth told her to never see him again. She turned her back from the clan and went to him. There was a moment that the two of them were going to get married. Both of their families refused. They were going to elope but then one snowy night, Connor woke in a pool of blood. He found Nina died, her thoart ripped out, by his own hands." How, why? "Her family, wanted justice. I had told them that she was warned and that she was no longer a part of our clan. Outraged, they attacked Connor and his family only to see death," she tilted her head, still looking at the flowers, I saw sadness. "The lord and the lady of the house had understood their pain. After explaining, they gave my clan mercy, as a warning to never do it again."

***

Heading back to the room, I felt, I don't know, shocked, sad, angry, all that has happened to him I would blame him if he never touched me. Whoever did this didn't want Connor to be happy. Revenge, this what it was about. I got to Connor's door when I slowly opened it to see a really pissed off vampire. Sitting at his desk with his arms folded, he glared at me. "Where were you?" he said.

"I was in the garden, I wanted to get some air," playing like nothing happened. I looked around and found all of River's stuff and her gone. "Connor," I said in a panicky tone. It was like my dream came true when Edea disappeared. "Where's River?"