At the apartment...

Aura lays beside Darren who is still asleep, a few days having gone by since her promise, and having returned home to her Sire's every night.

Lioni will be proud that I got my own place... It will show her that I am becoming more independent...

She smiles at her utterly devoted Darren, kissing his forehead and drawing patterns on his bare back while he sleeps, her slender fingertips spelling out words and tracing over hard earned muscle. She smiles a little wider when he starts to wake, her face on the pillow beside him.

His eyes flicker open and they settle on the angel laying beside him with a look of dreamy wonder. A light purr of desire escapes his lips as he opens his eyes fully and takes Aura in.

"Hey, you're here already," Darren says, happiness in his voice. "I must have overslept." He then pushes himself up forcing his tired arm and back muscles to bulge out under the strain as he kisses her fully on the lips, his tongue seeking hers.

She smiles, kissing him deep and long, curling to his side and petting down his tired back.

"So... I want to be able to answer all of your questions...But I am scared...Because there are some secrets that a regular man could not bear...But I believe that you can..." she murmurs, still gently rubbing his tired muscles.

"Ok," he replies, slightly confused. "What is it? Is it your birthday, have I missed it," he says, chuckling in an attempt to lighten the apparent tension in her voice.

No...Just... I was wondering if you had thought of anymore questions? she asks.

"Well," he thinks, "I did have a strange dream the other night. You were standing over me as an angel, which was nice, and thenyou were straddling me, which was better," he tells her, winking. "And then you spoke to me but I couldn't hear you words. Instead, they were formed of light that started white and turned a deep red, like blood. As I sucked them in, I felt a craving in my gut I'd never felt before. Then, I woke up with the strangest taste of blood on my lips." Shaking his head, Darren says, "Sounds weird, huh?"

Not really... A little... she nods, kissing him lightly, her gaze still serious.

"Yeah, maybe." He leans back, taking her in fully, seeing the seriousness of her expression.

"What? You got a funny look on your face" he asks.

"Nothing... My sir-... My friend just txtd me to move out... I have to go get my things, and then we have to talk..." she murmurs softly, looking very upset all of the sudden.

Darren moves closer and takes her in his arms, holding her close to his chest and stroking her hair.

"Hey, hey, don't cry, it'll be alright. Do you want me to come and help get your things?"

"No...No you probably shouldn't I dont want her to see you... She's mad at me because of us I think... I just have to get the rest of my clothes." she breathes, curling closer and trying not to cry rivers of blood.

He holds her so close that he is afraid he'll crush her as an anger bubbles in his chest at the person to cause so much upset to his beloved. It smoulders deep inside and is similar to the time he put that bastard in a coma back home for hurting his cousin.

Never again, he thinks, closing his eyes and trying force the anger away.

Will you wait here for me? I will be right back... I just have a dufflebag of clothes and jewelry and a few books...

She gets up and tugs clothes over her bare form.

"Yeah," he replies with every intention of smashing the punchbag into oblivion once she's left.

"Darren whats wrong?!" she looks at him.

He stares at her, not used to allowing anyone this close.

"I'm just a bit angry at your friend, I don't like seeing people I love hurt." He sighs, placing his hands over his head. "There's something you should know about me and about my past, Aura."

Then I suppose it will be a night of secret sharing... You can tell me anything... And as soon as I return I will tell you my side..." she murmurs, sitting back down on the edge of the bed.

He smiles, taking her hands in his.

"I was born in a caravan as part of a Irish travelling community. No Mum, no Dad, just my Granny to raise me and some cousins to play with. All I wanted to do was be a boxer like my Granddaddy." He sighs, thinking back. "When I was 16, my cousin, Katie, went missing. I found her, being abused by some scumbag. I felt an anger build and my pride rise to protect her." He stops, thinking back, his blue eyes glazing over.

She nods, kissing him softly, when he gets that sad distant look, bringing him back to reality.

"I beat the living snot out of him; John Swaby. I hit him until my fists swelled and then bleed and then my hands broke, and still I kept hitting him until he was no longer recognisable." He looks at her, ashamed at himself.

"I served 3 years in prison and lost any hope of getting a professional boxing license. He is still in a coma with no chance of recovering. I fled the country searching for my dream."

"I understand if you want nothing to do with me now."

"We all lose control sometimes...Shhh..." she murmurs, "it just makes me know that you can defend me," she smiles, kissing him gently and reassuringly.

He smiles at here, glad she understands.

"Well, at least we get to wake up together now. Are you sure you don't want me to come to your friends?"

"Ill be fine..." she smiles, kissing him one more time long and deep, quite sure he wont want anything to do with her by the time the night is over.

She returns in about an hour with a huge dufflebag of clothes, and some art and jewelry, and a few favorite little things left over from France.

"Now...You get to hear why you probably wont ever want to talk to me again..."

While away, Darren throws on some casual training pants and a white vest, exposing his arms. Taking a seat on the sofa, he leans back and smiles.

"Yeah, ok, whatever," he replies, sarcastically.

She slides into his lap, still terribly upset that her sire kicked her out, something tickling at the back of her mind from her past but not registering.

"I was born in Paris in 1902..." she starts, watching his face.

His face doesn't change at all, replying "You look bloody good, for your age."

She rolls her eyes and half smiles.

"And I died in 1920....When I was 18...." she continues.

His eye brows furrow as he listens, thinking this is all some kind of joke.

"Riighhttt. Look, Aura, is this some prank you and your friend have come up with?"

"Darren... Think about it... You only see me at night...You never see me eat...Im always cold..." she murmurs gently.

The smile disappears from his face as he thinks about all this.

She does always see me at night...


She never does sneak any food...


Her skin did always seem to have a chill to it...

"So, you're telling me you're dead? As in....well, dead?"

Atta boy, that doesn't sound at all in the least bit fucking insane!

"Well....Undead...." she murmurs softly, seeing his confusion.

"You know how much you like it when I bite you? Well...I really like it." she murmurs.

"Aura," he cries, throwing his hands up, "come on! Undead? What the hell are you talking about? Of course I like it when you bite my neck, its, well, excitin..." Darren's voice drifts away as somewhere deep inside his brain, two sparks seem to connect and he gets an answer; one totally unbelivable but the only one that fits.

"Oh shit..." he replies, gulping and trying to push himself off the sofa, backwards.

"Darren...Please dont panic... Please... You can ask me anything...Calm down..." she mumurs, sliding off of his lap as he pushes himself away.

Darren stares, his eyes wide like a deer's trapped in the headlights.

"YOU'RE A...A...WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU, DRACULA'S DAUGHTER OR SOM'ING?" he cries.

"Darren, amor, calm down...." she breathes, her accent heavy because she is so upset.

"Sort of...Yes... By mortal standards I guess I am.."

"What??" he says, not shouting as much, worried the neighbours might hear as his voice turns all kinds of squeky. "Kind of, mortal standards....What??"

"Oh Darren, please please calm down." she breathes, looking sad, inwardly amused that his deep manly voice could get that squeaky.

"Yes...I'm a vampire...With fangs and everything.."

"Of course! I suppose fangs are part of the deal, eh?" his voice losing some of its squeakiness, instead turning sarcastic.

"I take it a tropical holiday is out of the question, then?"

Well...Pretty much anything to do with the sun wouldn't be good," she murmurs, glad to see the panic is gone at least.

"Do you want to ask me anything?" she murmurs, attempting to crawl back into his lap.

He settles back down, willing to allow her back onto his lap.

"Have I got any questions? Quite a few, I guess. So, 1920, was it a good year?"

"My sire was kind to me then... And then I started having too much fun with my new power and she staked me... That puts us in torpor...Until someone takes the stake out... I dont remember very much from before... My amnesia is still quite bad..." she murmurs, resting her cheek on his cehst.

Darren goes quiet, not quite listening through shock. All he can notice are the small nuances of her condition; her cool skin, the lack of any breathing or noticable heartbeat.

"The stake rotted just a couple months ago, and I woke up... I never seem to do anything right, and now she has kicked me out and released me... But I have you, I mean... I hope I still do..."

He looks at her, her beauty melting through his fear.

"Yeah, you still have me."

"This is serious Darren, you cannot tell anyone this, no one in the entire world... It is called the Masquerade... And if you break the masquerade, you die." she says.

"Oh, trust me. I'm being serious, all right."

"But you must promise love... And now you can ask me whatever you want, and I will answer as best I can..." she murmurs.

Darren tries putting his arms around her, things rushing into his mind at such a speed he can't make much sense of thm all.

He simply asks, "Do you kill people?"

"No...Well..Not on purpose. I did on accident once, I felt terrible.. I still do... It was right when I woke up from my torpor... And I was so hungry," she breathes, immediately curling into the warmth and comfort of his strong arms.

"Let's talk about that, since you've brought it up," he says, "Blood, correct?"