With an annoyed huff, I followed a few steps behind Osiris's gliding ones. He held his body up high and confidence seemed to ooze of his form. He was a striking sight to see. Hair billowing in the wind as the soft glow of the house light brightened his body.

Oddly enough his presence calmed me and that's something that I would never dare to admit. I felt safe following his shadow. I knew he knew this. Osiris was way too smart not to understand why I would choose to walk behind him instead of beside him. That made me respect him in a way. How he wouldn't taunt me for my weakness and silently accepted my need to be behind him and protected.

Normally, I would've tried to keep the little dominance act I had left as much as I could, but today the worry for what was about to come knocked down my defenses. I was afraid. I tried my hardest to keep this fear in, but the build-up just caused me to become sick to my stomach. My palms and face would sweat and my breathing would become more erratic. Normally the difficult task of feeling was even harder when I couldn't keep the blood down. My mind was in turmoil, so my body chose for me. Be protected.

I looked up when the glow on the gravel got lighter. Peeking over Osiris's shoulder, I saw the house where I was trained as a vampire. Still beautiful and glorious as ever. Tall, dark pillars held up the roof that lumbered over the stained glass grand entrance door. Blackout windows littered the vast expense of the dark house and surprisingly no guards. Aegeus must have known we were coming.

We walked up the glossy steps leading to the house. I noticed when Osiris slowed his long footsteps so that we now stood together in front of the door. The unwanted nervousness feeling wormed it's way back in my gut.

I broke the silence, "aren't you going to knock?"

"I was waiting for you to get those emotions under control." He tilted his head down to diminish the little height he had on me. His calculating eyes struck me in place, as I gazed back up at him with equal interest.

"There is no need to worry, no harm will come to you when I am here." I couldn't help but think, what happens when you're not?

Just as Osiris's thick knuckles were about to hit the glass door, it was flung open in a hurry.

"Took you guys long enough. I almost thought you were making out by how long you stood there," Kallex announced with a cocky hand placed on his hip. He let out a low whistle as he gazed at Osiris up and down. "Damn, you sure know how to pick em Baine."

My face turned red in anger. I felt an arm wrap around my waist, then tug me close to a rumbling body. Osiris's face was void of any emotion as he stared Kallex down. "Lead the way to your sire," he all but spat out at him.

Kallex raised his hands up in surrender, "Alright cool it, macho man. Follow me." Kallex opened the door wide enough so that Osiris and I could both step through at the same time.

My eyes closed when a comforting smell reached my nostrils. Aegeus. I could recognize that scent anywhere. It was due to the special bond that I shared with him, a bond only formed between master and creation.

I felt the arm around my waist ease just for thick fingers to curl themselves around the back of my neck. The unique scent of Osiris wafted around me, reminding me of why we were here in the first place.

He guided me by my neck down the familiar hallways, towards Aegeus's office. It was a dominant gesture, and my face was scrunched up in an angry scowl as we followed Kallex.

Just as the door to Aegeus's office opened, I jerked my neck forward out of his hold. I scurried through the entrance quickly, ignoring Osiris's angry snarl somewhere behind me.

Aegeus stood tall and proud in the middle of the bland room. His arms were folded behind his back and his face held a darkly, serious face. His lips pulled into his signature scowl and his eyes piercing and dark as he looked beyond me, to the beast that stood behind me.

"Welcome to my home King Andrus, I hope it is to your liking." Aegeus mocked.

I felt the presence of Osiris's weight behind my back as he took a threatening step forward. "Good enough for you maybe, but not for my mate," he challenged back.

"Now, now let's not get off on the wrong foot," Aegeus smiled. "Come sit, let us discuss the dilemma that has come upon us," he gestured to the two plush chairs situated in front of his desk.

I sort of shuffled over because I felt ashamed and betrayed. Aegeus hasn't looked at me once or even acknowledged my presence since we've been here. That deep ache in my chest started to blossom once again. I suppressed the urge to collapse to my knees before him.

I was not surprised when Osiris didn't let me sit alone. Instead, he situated me on the arm of the chair he was sitting on. One tan arm wrapped around the middle of my bottom with his hand rubbing my thigh. He felt my pain. I knew so by the way his fingers traced feather-soft patterns on my upper thigh. Every few swipes he pushed his fingers down slightly, adding pressure and indenting my flesh.

"Would you li-"

"Let's not beat around the bush," Osiris cooly spoke. "You know what I want and I'll be damned before letting a lowly vampire tell me what I can and cannot have." His voice was full of venom, and that evil glint showed itself in his mismatched orbs.

I saw Aegeus's jaw tick as he ground his flesh together in an effort not to lash back. "I know your customs, and I know what must happen before you can mate with him, and I won't give it to you."

Osiris darkly chuckled. His eyes igniting even more at the obvious threat, he enjoyed a challenge. "Oh I'm not asking for it, I've already got it," he leaned in past me to look deep into Aegeus's eyes. "That young vampire, Kallex. If you want him to see him whole again, you best do what I say."

I started to hiss at the mention of my adoptive brother's name, but Osiris captured my mouth in his palm. Then pushed my body into his chest, so that my legs were swooped beneath me and my face was tucked into his shoulder.

I saw my sire fume at the ears. "You can't do that."

"Oh really," Osiris raised one thick eyebrow. The doors were burst open at just the right time. Kallex was flipped over the blonde lion's shoulder who I met in Osiris's office. Kallex had already dug his fangs into the side of his torso with his long claws scraping his back. The lion's face was void of any emotion as he stood at the entrance of the door.

I started to squirm, my claws already out, and trying to break free from his death grip. He held on tight though, still looking at Aegeus's blank face.

"Give me what I want or I kill him," Osiris smiled. "Your choice."

It was silent for a while, then Osiris broke the silence. "Lyonis give Aegeus here some convincing." Lyonis nodded his head as he pulled out a silver knife.

I felt the whole aura in the room change drastically.

Just as the silver poked Kallex's skin, Aegeus roared, "Stop!" He walked around the desk and glared hatefully at Osiris. "Let him leave, then I'll give you what you want."

Osiris snapped his fingers, and Kallex was dropped to the ground, then went scurrying from the room as fast as he possibly could.

I closed my eyes as I let out a breath of relief.

"Now carry on," Osiris ordered, while Aegeus clenched his fists.

I felt Osiris rip my shirt so that my chest was exposed to the warm air. Confusion littered my mind as I gazed at Aegeus with furrowed eyebrows.

Osiris pushed my chest out as he held my body in place. In those brief moments, my mouth was set free.

"What's going on?" I murmured looking at both Aegeus and Osiris for an answer.

Aegeus closed his eyes as if in pain and looked away. Osiris spoke for him. "He's breaking the master creator bond."

My body stiffened up at those words. "But-but, I thought you couldn't do that. You can't do that." My voice broke a little at the end as I frantically looked at both of them.

"It's possible if you're mated to certain species," Osiris answered.

I exploded. I started to struggle and thrash as Aegeus advanced. Fear rolled off me in waves as tears threatened to spill from my eyes. He couldn't do this to me. He knows it would kill me from the inside out.

"Please don't do this, please," I cried out when Aegeus touched my skin right where my non-beating beating heart lay.

"I'm sorry Baine, I'm so sorry." Aegeus's pained eyes met mine as he sliced down my skin.

Blood came out of my chest, staining the chair and carpet as it flowed out of my body like lava. I felt my fight get weaker and weaker as more and more blood left my dying body.

I was fading in and out towards death as my body slumped back and accepted its fate silently.

Through it all, all I felt was the pain. Pain like I've never felt before kept crashing and crashing down upon me. All I could do was cry out and arch my back as pink tears made their way down my cheeks. This pain was too much for me to bear, as I wished my body to be dead.

Eventually, my body gave up when all my blood escaped me in a hurry. Osiris wasted no time slicing his tan neck open and pushing my fangs into his neck.

I tried to resist wishing for true death, but my vampiric instincts took over and I sunk my teeth deeply into his skin.

I didn't care that it hurt him. All I cared about was that he hurt me more than anyone can ever comprehend.

I grasped his hair as I kept sucking from his neck. I gurgled and gulped down his addicting blood. His blood felt like bliss as it slithered down my throat and rejuvenated my body back to function. I pulled him even closer when a pulse of pleasure jump-started my senses. Eventually, I had to stop. His blood was so thick, it only took a few gulps until my body was as close to normal as it could get.

After I finished, I promptly curled my body up in a fetal position on his lap. Little spasms of pain overtook my body, as I lay there shivering and blank-faced on Osiris's body. My vampire felt the bond towards him and chose to be by him in my time of need. It was pure instinct for a vampire to stay close to the ones closest to it. Now, It was Osiris's duty to fill in that job.

Every once in a while a pained whimper would escape my lungs, but Osiris would cover it up with one of his growls, then start to stroke my hair.

It wasn't from the pain. Of course not. It was from feeling the last bit of my bond drift away.