[sakari09]

Lilith kept looking in awe at the door her daughter just ran out of. No one made a move to stop her; after all, she was the daughter of the head family.
“Just like her father.” Lilith whispered half to herself, “I should’ve known she wouldn’t take this well.”
Vincent stepped out of the corner into the dim light, “I’m sorry My Lady. Would you like me to retrieve her?”
Lilith shook her head in disapproval, “No. Let her calm down; I don’t want to put any more strain on her body.”
“You have high expectations for your daughter My Lady.” Vincent added, “Are you still going to have William be her mate?”
She looked over at Will with a glare, “How can I refuse, he’s already imprinted on her. We do that after the first bite.”
Will began growling, strain growing on the chains that bound him, “She doesn’t have to live this life! The old ways are dying Lilith and you know this! You’ve always known this!”
She began laughing, “They began dwindling with the death of your father didn’t they William? After you dispatched him yourself?”
“SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP YOU STUPID BITCH!” Will screamed trying to break the chains to get over to where Lilith stood.
She turned back to Vincent, “Have Yiichi follow her will you. I don’t want anyone getting any stupid ideas while she still retains her human-like qualities.”
Vincent’s expression turned into surprise, “That talking cat? Are you sure she’s reliable after the last job you gave her?”
Lilith nodded, “I think Yiichi is just the comforter for Caterina at the present time.”
An adult, black cat with a white diamond mark in the middle of its forehead stepped through the open crack of the door, “You rang, My Lady?”
Lilith turned to her, “Ah! Yiichi! What a surprise! You always seem to know when you’re summoned.”
Yiichi sat down in front of her, “Cats do have an acute sense of hearing, My Lady.” She seemed to chuckle, “I suppose you want me to tail (no pun intended) the mistress who just burst out the office doors?”
Lilith nodded, “Would you please?”
Yiichi bowed to Lilith and left the way she came. Vincent turned back to Will and said.
“I don’t see what your problem is. It’s not like she won’t be protected here when she reverts to her old self you know?” He sighed, “I didn’t like the idea of her staying with that old witch/hag to begin with.”
Will growled, “Don’t you talk about Cecilia that way! She is Kari’s true grandmother, and you can’t deny her rights to see her grandchild like she has been.” He shook his head as if to clear it, “She shouldn’t be going back to living as a vampire, even if it’s to keep the bloodline strong so our race can survive. You won’t get away with this, mark me! The council will take action and eliminate you for good!”
Lilith laughed loudly, “On the contrary William, I think they, with most certainty, will not get to us. Do you have any idea just how many of the members belong to our society?” She spun around in a circle, “They have no power over our clan! I can’t say the same for you William. You’re the last one left of your family…just a fly in the ointment compared to us.”
Will bowed his head in exhaustion from the struggle and lack of food, “You forget it was my Grandfather who started the race. My blood is stronger than yours Lilith.”
She sniffed the air, “We will see…”
…

I kept glancing behind me every few seconds that I was running. I had gotten past guards that had been watching a patio area. So I stopped to catch my breath. The inside was beautiful, surrounded with exotic trees and plants covering the outside perimeter. It was almost like something from a dream constructed by a child’s imagination.
“Wow…I can’t believe its soo big!” I muttered as I marveled at the painted ceiling.
From the double doors leading into the place, came a soft, female voice, “You should like it. It was made just as you wanted it to be.”
I turned quickly expecting another woman like Lilith, but instead I saw no one.
“What—” I tried to ask but she spoke again.
“Down here My Lady.” The voice belonged to a black cat with a white diamond on its forehead, “I see you’ve finally calmed yourself down a little.”
I gave her my most surprised look, “Yeah…before you walked in the door.”
I could’ve swore the cat chuckled at me, “Most beings have the same reaction as you did; trust me, I get that a lot around here and the jobs I go on. It’s a rough life being a talking cat.”
I tilted my head to one side inquiringly, “You wouldn’t happen to be a shape shifter would you?” Gran made a big speech on not trusting them.
“No…not exactly.” She explained, “I am Yiichi, Lady Lilith’s personal messenger. I have one other form beyond the one I am now…and that is the human-like shape.”
I shivered, thinking of how much more beautiful she would be compared to me, “So why did Lilith send you out here to stalk me?”
She sighed, “Always for the mistress. I hate my job.”
I gave her my best-surprised look before I asked, “Why?”
“I am what humans would call, an entrepreneur. I dream of being a fashion designer for all realms.” She sighed and looked down at her paw, “But I owe Lilith my life, so I have to work for her. I remember your younger days Kari; you and Will couldn’t be separated; it was soo adorable.”
“Don’t change the subject. Why did you come here after me?”
She gave me a death glare; “I am supposed to comfort you, though I do not think you need it from me. I think you need William more than anyone else right now.”
“I hated seeing him bound up like that.” I mumbled remembering the image of Will wrapped in chains, “I still don’t understand why I was put under some kind of spell to forget my heritage though.”
Yiichi sighed, “It was for your own good child. You’re the only heir to this line and if something were to have happened to you back in the warring days, our family would dwindle.”
I looked down at her mournfully, “I sound soo spoiled.”
“Will got the same treatment, except he wasn’t put under a spell; just heavily guarded.” She began swatting at a fly that had been buzzing around her head, “You haven’t had any flashbacks of any kind have you?”
“No…” I replied slowly, “Just visions. Gran says that I might possess a little bit of precognition.”
Yiichi digested this, while keeping the fly trapped under her paw. I kept waiting for an answer, but she kept quiet.
“What? What’s so interesting about precognition?” I asked annoyed.
She shrugged, “Dunno. It’s not a quality that you find in Nosferatu.” She then bent down and ate the fly, “Mm…you don’t see many of those roaming this far underground.”
I gasped, “We’re underground?”
Yiichi gave me a look like I was supposed to already know, “This is only a part of an underground city, made my Nosferatu, to live without the threat of interference from other nations. We live in peace, except for the occasional fledgling that escapes for a night out on the town.”
“So that’s where all the myths of attacks come from?” I asked her taking another look around the room; still not believing it was underground.
Yiichi replied, “Yes. That is one unfortunate part of being Nosferatu—the accusations of others, the blame we have to endure for the things that one idiot created.”
“But you’re not a vampire, why should you care so much?” I wondered out loud.
She answered quietly, “I do not care much for the witch that I serve, as you may already be able to tell. But the others, who have nothing to do with this cult of hers, they are just like lost sheep with nowhere else to go. I pity them.”
“Now you’re scaring me.” I grumbled, “so, when are you taking me back to her?”
Yiichi gave me a pessimistic look, “It’s up to you. She has Will remember? Aren’t you going back for him?”
She had a good point; I couldn’t leave him there with them. Who knows what they would do to him because of me. I couldn’t let that happen. I would have to go back and listen to what Lilith’s demands were.
“Let’s go Yiichi. Thanks for the chat.” I began making my way to the door. I had my hand on the doorknob when she spoke again.
“On the contrary, let me thank you My Lady.” I turned to see her bowing, which looked like a stretch, “I’ve made up my mind to leave this Order and join you, wherever you may travel.”
I couldn’t stop myself from staring at her in disbelief, “Are you serious?”
She nodded, “Of course. Now let’s get William back. My torture senses are tingling.”
I shivered as I followed Yiichi out of the room and back to Lilith’s office.
…