She exploded on him! But not the way he expected. He'd been prepared for her to retreat or to make an effort to retrieve her weapon. She did none of these, instead she darted quicker than a Setite, past his own blade, the keen tip skating across her lower abdomen, spilling more droplets of blood onto the already stained mat of the room. It seemed as if this was a final straw as she launched herself at him and struck mid-torso, her hands going around his neck in a strangle hold, her legs scissoring around his waist. She was plastered against his upper body.

The shock of the unexpected attack caused Alekz to drop his sword in astonishment, as he was caught off guard. His arms went around her in an unconscious embrace and he was aware of the coppery scent of her vitae, as it teased at his enhanced senses, his fangs extruding at the nearness of the needed fluid. The next move she made startled him even more as she began to ravage his mouth in a savage kiss, thrusting her tongue inside with greedy sweeps. A shuddering moan escaped her throat as she encountered his sharpened incisors.

Serai had refused to believe the evidence he'd allowed her to see for herself, let alone admit to the fact that Kaniel was a fake, a fraud. A rage at Abram Kaniel's true demise was so blinding as to wash her mind in a red haze that gripped her and she honed that anger to match the edge of her own sword. But she'd been unable to sustain it between the enticements of the pain from her cuts and her admiration of his skills. She'd known, from the moment he'd begun in deadly earnest, that she was no match for him. And yet, the lust that had built to exquiste proportions drove her to the one way of defeating him he would never have suspected.

Her thirst for him only grew stronger when the realization struck that he was vampire! She began to tear at his clothing and her struggles bore them both to the floor. He landed on his knees and counterbalanced by settling back onto his ankles, his hands still locked on her ribs to prevent any further movement. Then he kissed her back, sinking his teeth into her bottom lip. She drew back from him with glazed eyes and gulped air. Then bared her throat to him and begged huskily [i:0ff276675e]"Drink from me. Please!! Do it [b:0ff276675e]now[/b:0ff276675e]!!"[/i:0ff276675e]

Alekz reeled with this new development! She'd done this before!! She was someone's ghoul and that meant...........that her mistress, Lady Cyrilynn, was....... This needed to be sorted out and soon but the frantic mass of silk and sinew in his arms needed to be dealt with first and there was only one way to do it. If nothing else, he was certainly happy to oblige the delicious little package in his embrace. He bit deeply and began feeding, replenishing himself and, at the same time, neutralizing her!

"Angel" stiffened as the fangs sunk home and then went lax as the euphoria spread and she convulsed with the sexual release she'd built up. Her eyes slid to half mast and she panted like a marathon runner. As soon as Alekz had had his fill, he withdrew and licked the pinprick holes closed. The woman's eyes fluttered shut and she collapsed against his shoulder, her arms sliding down to dangle loosely. The young Maven laid her out on the floor and looked her over to ensure that all the fight had left her. He laid a hand against her neck, seeking her pulse, finding it slow but steady.

[i:0ff276675e]"My name is Serai."[/i:0ff276675e] Came a whisper so quiet that even his own vampiric ears almost missed it. [i:0ff276675e]"I wish you hadn't killed him. Kaniel, I mean."[/i:0ff276675e] And then the tears began to flow. She curled over on her side and sobbed like a little child who'd lost her best friend.

The combined shock of Kaniel's "death" and the subsequent battle between her and the unknown vampire left Serai drained of any will to call her own. The added languor of the feeding as well as her own sexual release was a double whammy to her already overloaded system and, as a result, the whole thing shut down. She went unconcious before the last of the tears had dried on her cheeks. Tiny shivers of fading ripples along with quiet sobs racked her as she curled into a foetal ball.

Alekz stood, looking down on the now pallid face, sorrow etched around her trembling lips, the eyes closed in denial of reality. And denied his own reality. Now that the fight was over, and he'd gained the corroboration he'd sought, the shock of his own revelation was bourne in on him. [b:153b178d15]SHE[/b:153b178d15] was the "lock" Jonas had told him of. For his "key", for him. And he'd been "awakened" to it when the first taste of her blood had slid over his tongue and washed down his throat. Enfusing his own body with Sagacity. He had only to Embrace her and the door would be opened. At long last.

He scooped the small but wiry frame up and carried her all the way back to one of the bedrooms he'd shown her, the one with the sunken tub. He laid her on the bed and covered her shivering frame before her cooling body lost more warmth. He had much to do to prepare her and some loose ends to tie up on her behalf. He couldn't allow her to leave, not until she was firmly in his thrall. And [b:153b178d15]that[/b:153b178d15] was going to take a bit of effort.

He walked over to an intercom and pressed a button. [i:153b178d15]"House?"[/i:153b178d15] There seemed a pause as if the AI had suddenly become aware that something momentous was about to take place. [i:153b178d15]"Yes, sir?"[/i:153b178d15] Alekz was grateful that he'd programmed her speech pattern into the computer, she would be more susceptible to her own voice in her interrogation. [i:153b178d15]"I'd like drug packet GF sent to the Silver Room, along with a lancet, as well as a blood bag. And, I'd like you to record the conversation and images within this room when I request it. Thank you."[/i:153b178d15] Alekz felt a strand in the air about him thrum.

[i:153b178d15]"Yes, sir. You're welcome."[/i:153b178d15] A chime intoned from the house computer and a highly concealed cubby hole near the head of the bed opened up to reveal the requested items. The Maven quickly strode over and withdrew them, sitting next to the young woman's now slumbrous body. Reading the label on the requested package, he finally tore a corner from it and quickly drank down the contents. Then sat, waiting for the drugs to course through his own circulatory system and intermingle with the blood in it. One last thing to do before the work began. [i:153b178d15]"House,"[/i:153b178d15] he didn't wait for acknowledgement this time, [i:153b178d15]"Miss Serai, or whatever she may call herself, is denied egress from the house in any way, shape or form. Regardless of whether she is dead or alive, until I change the order. Lock it in."[/i:153b178d15]

A deep tonal note reverberated in confirmaton of the explicit order. The ghoul shifted restlessly on the bed. Alekz turned and rolled her limbs and torso into an arched curve around his own upright one. He brushed the silvered streak back into the body of her ebon hair and gently angled her head up and away from the curled postion. Taking the lancet, he poked a small hole in his wrist and brushed some of his vitae across her lips and onto the tip of her tongue. Her head swung wildly from side to side, refusing it, but that fleshy pink organ swept out and licked up each drop greedily.

She whimpered slightly from the back of her throat and her head turned blindly toward the scent that issued from his wrist. He scored another, deeper line alongside the first puncture and she mewled as he brought his wrist closer. [i:153b178d15]"House, repeat after me. Come on, Serai, you know you need this. It's your mistress's blood. You've had a hard day and done your tasks well. Drink now. You'll feel [b:153b178d15]much[/b:153b178d15] better when you do. Drink it now."[/i:153b178d15] He'd recited it, using Kaniel's Jewish accent but the program repeated it back in the woman's tones and she responded like a starved animal. Her hands shot out and up, clamping onto his arm, dragging him down to those seemingly parched folds. She suckled savagely, all the while with her eyes closed, until both the drugs and the feeding drew her away again.

Knowing he'd found the best way into her mind, Alekz began his questioning.

She was running down a darkened corridor, the lights overhead dim bulbs of illumination, some even flickering in their struggle to live, like her. The formless danger was there, behind her; she was confused, terrified. Her heart pounded heavily and her limbs felt weighted, but she couldn't stop, couldn't rest. She wanted her mother, she wanted Lady Cyrilynn, she wanted.......................Abram Kaniel!! She felt the tracks of her tears as they began coursing down her cheeks. He was dead, he couldn't help her anymore.

She turned a corner at a T-intersecton and there was the strange kindred, sword in hand, waiting for her. The formless dread now had a face. She turned and fled down the opposite hallway, the lights ahead unlit, the way unseen. Two steps into the utter blackness and she fetched up against a solid body, sword in one hand. She shrieked and struggled to turn away, as an arm wrapped around her waist and held her against his chest. A gentle hand reached up and caressed down her mane of silk that had swung out into the darkness as she whipped her head around and then those tresses and Kaniel's voice enclosed her their combined warmth. She collapsed against him with little shudders and small cries of distress.

[i:389547eebb]"It's alright, dear, I'm here now. I'll watch over you."[/i:389547eebb] She hid her face in his shoulder and took in the scent of his clothes. How long she was wrapped in his embrace she couldn't tell. Only that she heard murmurs and voices that ran up and down the passageways. Most of them calling to her, calling for her, talking about her. At one point, early on, some one fed her, there in the void, but she had no desire to speak with them. She only had enough energy to comply with each request Kaniel asked of her. Had she been ill or hurt? Is that why she couldn't think, couldn't remember what she needed to? The ghoul was completely confused by now and wanted to ask Kaniel where "here" was but she was too disoriented and sleepy and his embrace was too comforting. She decided to just drift for a while, while the Jew continued to rock her fears away.

Time was meaningless as she floated in her cocoon. Warm, safe, treasured. Someone, she didn't care who, fed her a second time but she had no desire to speak with them. Only to be left alone in this safe and hidden place. At one point she thought that she must have been ill because of the hazy quality of the world that swirled around her and at times, it felt like she had a fever. But it all came and went so quickly she was never truly sure. It was too much effort to figure it all out. The voices droned on and on in the background, asking questions, carrying on conversations around her.

She saw a vision of her mother again and this began a rerun of her childhood, of her beginning apprenticeship, of her hopes and fears given light. She experienced her first mission and it's triumph. She remembered Rogan and the sweetness of rending his flesh. Then she relived that desperate flight over the ocean with Cyrilynn's precious package. The fear returned in force and she no longer felt secure and protected.

She felt the dread of facing the mage, Julius Darrant, again. She didn't know why he frightened her but she wouldn't knowingly bring his displeasure down on anyone! She balked at that point. Her mind was sealed and she wouldn't think of him, wouldn't recall anything about him. She buried the memories. Deep.

And awoke to the taste of blood in her mouth. Unfamiliar blood.

It had been three days since Serai had checked in.

It was true that she was more than capable of defending herself, she had independent means and the intelligence to use them.

But all the same, she was rarely, if ever, this lapse when it came to maintaining contacts with Mistress Cyrilynn. It was worrying Jacque. And nothing worried Jacque. AS Cyrilynn’s “Second”, he was rarely riled. Truth be told, he had the demeanour and patience of a Ventrue. Not the irascible, devious eye of a Tzimisce. Nevertheless, he had an eye for detail. And certain details were missing. Namely his Mistress’ “First”.

He had tried to track her last movements, even succumbing to the urge to search her quarters and her business files. But every avenue he followed led him to a dead end. It was if she’d simply [b:4095497994]disappeared[/b:4095497994]. But that was impossible, wasn’t it?

So he kept digging. Checking her telephone records was the last port of call. And it paid off.

The name Kaniel came up on the screen. She had arranged to meet an elderly Weapons and Antiquities dealer of Jewish descent a little over a week ago. He was just about to start a new search to determine a little more on this “Kaniel” when the ‘phone started to ring.

He jumped at the sound, his hazel eyes widening with the start, before he answered.

[i:4095497994]“Oui?”

“Bonjour, Jacque. It’s me. Look. I’m flying to Tokyo on Wednesday. I’m helping Albert and my new friend Mr. Kaniel in validating the identity of a sword I’m interested in acquiring.”[/i:4095497994]

[i:4095497994]“Serai? Zut alor! It is good to hear from you! I was beginning to worry. Ah, that explains alot then. This “Kaniel”? Are we likely to meet him at some point? You know how the Mistress likes to meet all of our friends. Of course. Of course. Well please let us know when you arrive. And enjoy the flight. We’ll look forward to seeing this “sword”.”[/i:4095497994]

He sounded genuinely pleased and relieved to hear from her. It was true her voice did sound a little “off”. But she had been under alot of pressure. Maybe this trip to Japan would be just the thing. He said his farewells and hung up.

---------------------------

Alekz smiled blissfully. Darkly. His deft hand replaced the handset on the base. The House Computer chirped as it ended the call and resumed its normal programming. He tapped the screen on a nearby monitor bringing up a list of his known accomplices. Selecting a name from the list of female contacts he sent a message instructing her with his exacting details for her to follow.

Satisfied with her prompt reply, he tapped the screen again, bringing up the schematics of a Boeing 747. As he studied the aircraft’s design blueprints and maintenance schematics, he divided his attention to the small black package by his side.

He would study the plane from nose to tail for the next two nights. All the while modifying the package to augment its effects.

[i:a811b65444]"Drink, Serai. You know you need it. Please, sweetheart, do it for me."[/i:a811b65444] The voices was both hers and Kaniel's, telling her, askiing her to do this one thing. And she could smell the same coppery blood scent as the one that lingered on her tongue. She raised heavy lidded eyes and looked into the unknown Cainite's face. It was a beautiful face and she took a small measure of pleasure in roaming over it in wonderment. Then the memory of Kaniel came flooding back and the joy she took in the exercise drained away, leaving her eyes cold and bleak. She turned her head away.

Alekz kept his eyes on her for several more minutes before he stood up from his place at her side. Absently, he closed the wound in his wrist, and then went to stand at the window. It must have been the middle of the night, from the slant of the moonlight as it bathed him there. He put his hands into his pockets and appeared lost in thought. [i:a811b65444]"What should [b:a811b65444]I[/b:a811b65444] call you? I imagine you don't want to give me your real name."[/i:a811b65444] The question was couched in flat monotones. Alekz glanced over but the prone figure hadn't even stirred since she'd refused the last bonding. The question was surprising, he hadn't expected it and he couldn't help but admire the way her quick and darting mind worked.

The silence stretched a bit before he gave his answer. [i:a811b65444]"You may call me master."[/i:a811b65444] There was a dry, but very reluctant, chuckle from the bed. [i:a811b65444]"I don't think so."[/i:a811b65444] At least she had a sense of humor too. He sighed and turned towards her, [i:a811b65444]"Then you may call me Alekz, Serai."[/i:a811b65444] His use of her given name was deliberate. He could see her eyes glittering in the dark of the room, trained on him. [i:a811b65444]"How long have I been here? Have I been ill or something?"[/i:a811b65444] Now [b:a811b65444]that[/b:a811b65444] question he'd been waiting for! He contemplated lying to her but knew that it wouldn't take long before it unraveled under her sharp scrutiny and he didn't want any further lies between them. He wanted to start with her as he meant to go on.

He walked back to the bed and the ghoul watched as he flickered in and out of the wan paths like some ethereal ghost. He seemed to belong more to her nightmare world than to this moment in time. He studied the pansy-brown eyes, just as she studied him from her supine position. [i:a811b65444]"You've been here a week and, no, you're not ill. You've been answering questions."[/i:a811b65444] He caught the flare of terror, just before her face closed down. She struggled to sit up, weak as she was, and managed an awkward, half-reclined position on the several pillows there. [i:a811b65444]"You're lying."[/i:a811b65444] Her voice was flat and assured but something in the slump of her shoulders told him she wasn't quite so convinced.

He leaned over her and bracketed her with his arms pinioning the coverlet to her curves, trapping her torso and legs. She was a stubborn little thing and she was going to have to be convinced the hard way.......again. He glared back at her. [i:a811b65444]"[b:a811b65444]No[/b:a811b65444], I'm not. After having fed you enough drugs and my vitae, I know enough about Lady Cyrilynn, you and Mr. Julius Darrant. I know things to spill into Camarilla ears and to put a spike in the Tremere's plans, whatever those are. And, [b:a811b65444]you[/b:a811b65444], my dear, spilled it all into my waiting ears."[/i:a811b65444] He searched the widening eyes, saw the flash of horror there, followed quickly by a blanked stare. She'd retreated again. [i:a811b65444]"I don't know it all, but I will, and soon. And you're going to give it to me........... [b:a811b65444]willingly[/b:a811b65444]."[/i:a811b65444] He said the last in a hushed and tender whisper, before lifting a hand to run a caress down her pale cheek.

Her stare returned with a hellish gleam in their depths, as she flailed out from underneath the covers he'd relinquished to comfort her. Knocking his hand aside with a choked off steam-hiss shriek, she clawed for his eyes and missed them by a narrow margin, leaving ragged, weeping furrows down his cheeks. He'd underestimated her, once more, and he made a mental note to himself to get her nails trimmed. Grabbing her darting wrists, he pinned them to the bed, above her head. She fought furiously for a few more seconds and then lay heaving in gulps of air, bathed in sweat. Having exhausted what little reserve she'd stored up after awakening.

Generous rivulets of blood pooled on his chin and he angled so that they dribbled into her panting mouth. She shut it with a firm snap as soon as she caught on to what he was doing and allowed the remainder to trickle down the sides of her jaw. But it was just enough to let the drugs that made it into her system, along with the ones already there, work to his advantage as she caved-in to her exhaustion. Shortly, her eyes dulled slightly and when he took his grip away, she left her limbs where he'd placed them. He healed the scratches and wiped away the left over blood from both of them, before it could congeal further. She tried to deny him that small service but he wouldn't allow her the defiance.

She glared hatred up at him while he dragged the cloth over her face but he seemed not to take any notice of it. Serai [b:9df16831ad]knew[/b:9df16831ad] she'd had him dead on, had wanted to blind him, but something at the last minute had thrown off her aim and, as it was, she'd only ended up wounding him. She winced, certain of his anger, and waited for the expected retribution to fall. Knowing that in her weakened state, the pain euphoria wouldn't protect her for long and equally unsure if he'd fed her a drug that might have negated that cushion.

When Alekz reached out a hand to brush away the sweat-soaked tendrils that had tangled across her vision, she flinched away from him. Serai thought she caught a frown as he completed the movement. [i:9df16831ad]"I've decided to discontinue the drugs and the bond feeding."[/i:9df16831ad] Serai turned her head toward him, derision and disbelief in her expression. [i:9df16831ad]"Right, and that little trick with your blood trickle wasn't included in that, was it?"[/i:9df16831ad] The sarcastic tone oozed with her enmity. He simply stared her down until she turned away again. [i:9df16831ad]"It wouldn't have happened if you'd behaved yourself."[/i:9df16831ad] He spoke evenly and stood up again.

[i:9df16831ad]"As I just said, there will be no more feedings, no more drugs."[/i:9df16831ad] The ghoul kept her thoughts to herself this time. He had an infuriating answer for everything and she was in no shape for dueling with him. [i:9df16831ad]"I want you to rest and sleep. That should purge your system of the toxins. There's a bathroom through that door to your right, if you should need it. I'll return at a later time, with something for you to eat. Right now, I have business to attend to. Goodnight, my dear."[/i:9df16831ad] Serai watched him as he crossed the room and exited, closing the door softly behind him. She listened intently but could not make out any telltale click of a lock.

She reached to haul back the covers on the bed, preparing to sit up and explore her prison, only to find that he was annoyingly accurate. She was weaker than she knew and she hated him all the more for making her that way. Her efforts to fight him had cost her dearly in strength. And although she managed to move the covers off of her and attained a half-way upright postion, the price of trembling muscles, overwhelming dizziness and nausea became too high to pay and she gratefully folded back down on to the sheets, sweat trickling down between her breasts and underneath her arms.

The contrasting coolness of the room from the heat of her bed linen's embrace helped to control her pitching stomach, while closing her eyes kept the room from doing a fandango on her vision. She lay there with her arm thrown over her eyes, trying to calculate escape options but before she could formulate any of them she slid into a sleep where no one pursued her or wanted to talk with her.

Alekz slipped back into Serai's room having watched her struggle on his monitors. He'd waited to return until her breathing and heart rate indicated that she had dropped even further into a natural slumber. Approaching the bed, he reached down and covered her with the bed clothes and smoothed more tangled hair from her face. No, he mused, watching the rise and fall of her chest, it was necessary that she make the final decision on her own. Until she did, she would never be wholly his and [b:9df16831ad]that[/b:9df16831ad] was imperative!

The flight was to depart from Gatwick airport at 0400 hrs. The necessary arrangements had been made with regards to the replacement “Serai” being aboard. She was accompanied by two gentlemen whose passports identified them to the flight crew as Albert and Abram as Jacque had been informed.

The car’s engine purred as it rolled onto the far end of the runway. A faint trace of light from the distant control tower and main building of the airport danced along the gleaming alloy shell of the prototype Audi. The Nuvolari crept forward, its driver’s face lit by the various displays and readouts his dashboard and onboard computer displayed.

[i:f66b208028]“Car. Give me full access to their communications frequencies. I need to know their movements.”[/i:f66b208028]

An eerily familiar voice replied, albeit with a slightly mechanical tone. The voice was that of Abram Kaniel.

[i:f66b208028]“Compliance. As requested.”[/i:f66b208028]

Alekz scrolled the HUD that superimposed the interior of the windscreen. He began to hear the radio chatter being banded back and forth across the airport. He scanned for the frequency the airport’s security team deployed. Locking it into the car’s computer systems he whispered another command before driving towards a copse of trees.

[i:f66b208028]“Jam their frequency. Notify me if anything changes.”[/i:f66b208028]

The car accepted the command, switching itself to silent running as it rolled under cover.

A few moments later, a familiar figure sprinted across the expanse of grass, heading panther-like towards the holding area where Flight 655 sat waiting for her crew and passengers.

--------------------

Alekz used his enhanced senses to adjust his movements. Whenever a passing engineer or guard drew too close, he instinctively shifted pace or movement to avoid detection. He rolled under the belly of a small jet that stood a few hundred yards from his target and checked in with the car. The car spoke calmly, reassuring its driver that the coast was clear. Standing again, he sprinted full pelt, under the watchful eye of the car’s sensors. A group of engineers drew dangerously close, were they to turn his way he was sure to be spotted. But the Nuvolari countered this risk, sending a signal to the engineers radio, informing them that a small electrical fire had broken out within the main hangar. They turned in response, jogging off to repair the damage. Thus free from discovery, the Maven started to ascend the landing gear that fed into the belly of the beast. He released the maintenance panel that restricted further ingress and slipped upwards, disappearing from view.

Once inside he twisted himself around until he could squeeze into the tight confines of the maintenance shaft. Pulling himself forward he finally reached the power junction he sought.

His hands snaked into the pouch on his hip, removing the bundle of tools, and the device he intended to attach.

The device was a perfect match of the conduit he was removing. He made a few final adjustments, securing it with a final twist of the screwdriver and pocketed the real one.

Sliding back, the car and his growing Sagacity informed him when his egress was clear. Satisfied he dropped clear of the undercarriage and headed back towards the waiting car.

----------------------------

The car pounded along the road heading away from the airfield. Reaching the motorway, Alekz activated the device remotely. An LED display denoted the detonation time for approximately one hour after takeoff. He grimly switched the display off, strangely unnerved by the coming loss of lives.

----------------------------

0459 hrs. The flight had been delayed by a few minutes. But the takeoff had been smooth and uneventful. The various passengers were unaware of their fellow travellers identities. As far as they could have known, she [b:f66b208028]was[/b:f66b208028] Serai. And her companions [b:f66b208028]were[/b:f66b208028] the Antiques dealers Albert and Abram. She leaned back in her first class seat, sipping from a glass of chilled vodka as the plane started to move out over the ocean.

She was blissfully ignorant that another passenger counted down its final few seconds before it would carry out its simple instruction. It seemed to stutter in itself as the final second passed.

0500 hrs. The explosion lit up the Eastern skies. The device ignited, sending super-heated air into the cabin. The sudden burst subsequently igniting the unnaturally inert air within the cockpit and the passengers cabin. The effect was instantaneous and incredible. Agitated beyond acceptable levels, the air became its own fuel source. Becoming an invisible explosive that rippled through the aircraft. The hull popping open at every seam, every socket, every door.

The view was dazzling. A forward travelling plume of fire, molten plastic, and immolating bodies.

-----------------------------

Alekz however, was dazzled by another sight. The vision was that of his most recent acquisition.

She lay sleeping. Exhausted. Beaten almost broken.

He ran a tentative finger under her chin. Smiled. Then left.

Alekz woke Serai before dawn with a tray of fresh made scones and hot English Breakfast tea in a teapot. The smell awoke her long before he'd called her name. She felt heavy in her body and still sleepy but at least the nausea and dizziness had retreated. He helped her to sit up and placed the tray across her lap. [i:28ffa5d823]"I trust you slept well?"[/i:28ffa5d823] Serai nodded and dived into the light repast while he seated himself on the edge of the bed. He had the courtesy to wait until she'd eaten before asking any questions.

[i:28ffa5d823]"I'd like you to tell me about this package that your patron delivered to Mr. Darrant, Serai. What did he want it for?"[/i:28ffa5d823] The ghoul wiped her hands on the provided napkin and said nothing. She refused to look at him. [i:28ffa5d823]"You know you're going to have to tell me. Sooner or later."[/i:28ffa5d823] She darted a quick glance at him and then looked down again, folding her hands onto the silk lap of the white peignoir she wore. Alekz reached over and put the side of his curled hand under her chin and raised it. When she finally gave in and looked at him, he read the terror that lurked there.

[i:28ffa5d823]"If you take the final step, my dear, you WILL tell me."[/i:28ffa5d823] She quivered and jerked her head away, searching the walls for a way out. Her chest began to rise and fall with panicked breaths. [i:28ffa5d823]"You understand that if I become [b:28ffa5d823]your[/b:28ffa5d823] ghoul, I could never do anything to hurt you. You realize it, don't you?!"[/i:28ffa5d823] the words from her ended almost on a sob, hysteria hovering close. Alekz was confused, what did that have to do with the question he'd asked? [i:28ffa5d823]"I'm well aware that a servant such as I can only do as I'm bid but I also know that anything I do, that would put you in danger, is something that would be tear me apart! If I tell you what you want to know, the distress will drive me insane."[/i:28ffa5d823]

Tears spiked her lashes, as she struggled, and succeeded, in keeping her head from exploding with the inner battle she waged. It was brutally rammed home to her that with the two bondings, she was more than halfway to being his and there was only one strand left of her love for Lady Cyrilynn.. It helped that he didn't persue that line of questioning but, in his little kindnesses toward her, Serai had forgotten his ruthless streak. In the stark blankness of his face the young woman saw her failure to make him understand.

Desperate to escape, to flee his implaccable countenance, she hurled the one thing she had left at him. [i:28ffa5d823]"You can't keep me here, you know. Cyrilynn will come and find me. They're probably looking for me right now!"[/i:28ffa5d823] She was shaking and trembling, her eyes huge. Alekz stood, a smug smile on his stony face as he sealed her fate with his next words. [i:28ffa5d823]"No, they won't, my dear. You see, the plane you took to Tokyo to see about a sword for Lady Cyrilynn, that you phoned and told Jacques about, met with an "accident". It crashed and burned. All aboard were lost."[/i:28ffa5d823] She saw the truth in his eyes, those beautiful, inhuman eyes.

With a small intake of air, Serai froze in place. Unable to move, unable to breath, unable to think. She made a small whimper in the back of her throat and then the sickness of her soul slammed in to her with the weight of a freight train. She emptied her stomach right then and there; on the tray, the bed, herself and Alekz. She crumpled back onto the pillows and was racked with shivers so hard, they were nearly convulsions. Alekz scooped her up and slammed in to the bathroom, shouting for the house to pull a bath hot enough for a jacuzzi. Serai's teeth started to chatter as he set her feet down on the floor and held her against his chest as he undressed her, tearing the night rail in half in his haste to get her naked.

Once that was accomplished he toed his shoes and socks off and swung her up in his arms again. He stalked into the steaming water of the sunken tub, fully clothed, and sat down on the nearest contoured bench, cradling her in his lap, immersing her up to her neck in the heated liquid. He held her there until the shivers had stopped completely and she lay limp and empty. She stared at nothing and emptiness stared back from her own face. He'd rubbed her limbs to keep her from stiffening up and had run a cloth up and down her back, murmurring things to her all the while to provide a link to the here and now. None of this brought a reaction from her.

Finally, as the temperature grew colder, he carried her out of the water and wrapped a very large towel around her. Carrying her back to the room, he set her on a nearby chair, made sure she wasn't going to fall over while he stepped away, then stripped the bed linens from the mattress before replacing them with clean ones. All of his movements swift and efficient. He plucked the young woman from her seat and sat her down on the bed, then went to the wardrobe to get a clean gown, black silk this time, and returned, leaving the door open to reveal a vast amount of clothing.

Impersonally, he toweled her dry and then began slipping the sleeping garment over her head. Serai stirred at that and stared at the exquiste apparel. She blinked twice and then glanced down at her exposed torso, eventually raising a hand to lay it on the bare spot just above her heart. A single heartrending sob broke from her lips before she choked it off and closed her eyes, the arm now hanging limply at her side again. She stood meekly, at his urging, as he finished sliding the garment down to cover her and then went unresisiting into his embrace once more. He'd sat on the remade bed and began rocking her, the way he'd comforted her in her drugged state, knowing it would make her more pliable to his wishes.

Eventually, sunrise intruded upon the room and the house automatically darkened the windows and shut the shades. The ghoul stirred and placed a hand on Alekz's chest. In a low voice, she queried him. [i:28ffa5d823]"Why did you keep me, Alekz, or whatever your name is? Why didn't you just kill me when you had the chance? I had pretended to be someone else and you wanted answers or my death in that duel. Why are you binding me to you?"[/i:28ffa5d823] She raised her gaze and scanned his face, searching, hoping for answers. [i:28ffa5d823]"You killed the only thing I had ever truly loved. Abrahm Kaniel. Made him a fake, a fraud, an illusion. You've bought clothing for me, no doubt in my size, but not in my taste, made for a different kind of woman."[/i:28ffa5d823] She waved her hand feebly at the finery on her body and in the distant closet.

[i:28ffa5d823]"You have severed my ties with my lady, all except one, in such a way as to prevent me from ever going back. She had promised to Embrace me and make me her Childe and now even that is denied me."[/i:28ffa5d823] Her hand left his body and, once again, returned to the place she'd touched before and a single fat tear landed between her slender fingers to be soaked into the threads of her nightgown, chilling the skin beneath. [i:28ffa5d823]"You have all but completely bound me to you and have asked me to take the final step. And you ask me to go against those bonds that bind me to you, heart and soul, and put [b:28ffa5d823]your[/b:28ffa5d823] life, a life I must protect at all costs, in the gravest of dangers."[/i:28ffa5d823] She looked up at him in total confusion and misery, pleading.

[i:28ffa5d823]"Why, Alekz, why? Why do you do this to me? What am I to you?"[/i:28ffa5d823]

Alekz tightened his arms around Serai and stilled. Several minutes passed in passive silence before he looked down at her, scanning her features as if looking for something there. What he said shocked Serai and wasn't at all what she had thought he would tell her. [i:77fb564e04]"You would have made a poor Tzimisce. You don't have it in you to be uncaring and methodical. There's too much fire and passion to your being and your mistress would have realized it sooner or later and found you flawed. She would have destroyed you one way or another, possibly letting time take it's toll or put you in a position where you might not have made it out alive."[/i:77fb564e04]

Although he struck at the heart of her own personal anguish, the ghoul shook her head from side to side in vehement denial, [i:77fb564e04]"[b:77fb564e04]NO![/b:77fb564e04] No, she wouldn't have; she's not like that! [b:77fb564e04]SHE[/b:77fb564e04] created me, how could I be flawed? She's been good to me and she promised to make me her Childe! She promised!!"[/i:77fb564e04] Serai's eyes were dry, the tears already spent, but a shattered soul looked out of those doe-soft eyes. She had slammed her tightened fist into the Cainite's chest to emphasize her point and hadn't even been aware she was doing it. Alekz cradled her close to him again, laying her head where his heartbeat should have been and began rocking again.

[i:77fb564e04]"You know I'm telling the truth, my dear, she's already tried sacrificing you once before. You told me what she'd said to you in the Tremere's place."[/i:77fb564e04] He stopped the calming motion and stared into her upturned gaze, knowing that he could only give her the truth. [i:77fb564e04]" She'd have given you and Venisi up to Julius Darrant without a qualm. I know she said she'd do her best to save all three of you but she did warn that the possiblity was very slim.

"She'd have delivered anyone to him without a second thought, to die, for what you all knew about him and his coterie, if she thought it would save herself. She was willing to buy her unlife with the lives of both of you. [b:77fb564e04]And[/b:77fb564e04], she'd have paid more. Deep inside, though you wish it were otherwise, you [b:77fb564e04]know[/b:77fb564e04] I'm not lying to you."[/i:77fb564e04] Silence descended, hard and implacable. Serai said nothing, knowing that he'd only told her what she'd refused to see all along. She detested him for it. Bitterly.

Finally, she voiced the one thing that still eluded her. [i:77fb564e04]"Then, why this elaborate game of Questions and Answers, Alekz? Why the bonding? You don't need a ghoul and if you did, how do I fit into all of this?"[/i:77fb564e04] Her voice was level and even, with a trace of bewilderment lacing in and out of it. Alekz stood up and, deposited her on the bed covers, before turning away to cross the room and close the wardrobe doors. He stood for a moment, hand on the handle, before turning back to her. She could barely see his face in the gloom of the room, but her heightened senses told her he was not quite seeing her or the chamber. His voice had a hollow, distant quality to it when he spoke again.

[i:77fb564e04]"I can't release you because of who and what you are. If the Ventrue clan ever found out about you, your life would be less than nothing. They'd torture you, dissect you and ,in the end, make you into a monstrosity."[/i:77fb564e04] In the space of several minutes, Alekz's prisoner had been dumbfounded, again. She sat stunned, dry eyed and curious as hell! This time, he turned eerily red eyes in her direction and the glacial pitch behind his next words, convinced her as nothing else would have!

[i:77fb564e04]"You see, I'm was childe of their creation until I found a way to break their bonds and escape. For what I am, they would sacrifice much to have me returned to them and nothing would be too dear to pay or too cunning to draw on. Nor would I go back into their tender care, I'd greet the sun first!!"[/i:77fb564e04] He was breathing heavily, rigid with tension and Serai was transfixed by these astonishing revelations. She began to feel trapped by circumstances that were overwhelming.

The room was steeped in his panting and a silence so profound that time stood still. And still his eyes burned with those inner fires. The young woman shuddered delicately but remained as still as she could. He started in low and she had to strain to hear. [i:77fb564e04]"You ask what you are to me, Seria, and why I've gone to such lengths to make sure you are mine. You, see..."[/i:77fb564e04] He smiled, faintly, and made her wish he hadn't, because there in the darkness, his smile frightened her. [i:77fb564e04]"...you are the "lock" to my "key". The mother of a new clan, if you wish to term it as such, but you are more than that. Without you, I am the last and only Maven."[/i:77fb564e04]

He stalked across the room and pulled her up from the bed, her entire body resting against his. Then he trailed his hands up her arms until his hands lay on her shoulders, encircling her neck, his thumbs caressing the suddenly studdering pulse point there. Serai's eyes widened and her pupils dilated at the sudden sense of her own danger. Helpless in his grip, should he decide to snap her neck. Her mind was enveloped in a red haze of unexpected arousal. He turned her face up to his.

[i:77fb564e04]"I was told by my "Sire" that I would have to find the "lock" that would turn my Sagacity loose. All it took was one taste of your blood and there was no doubt. Even now it grows. I intend to Embrace you and make you [b:77fb564e04]my[/b:77fb564e04] own childe when you're completely trained. There is no promise here, Serai, only fact. It [b:77fb564e04]will[/b:77fb564e04] happen."[/i:77fb564e04] Serai watched as his lips slowly approached, then dipped to her throat to place a slow, heated lick on her skin. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back, prepared for the sweet torment of his fangs. Feeling the scrape of them back across the moist path he'd branded her with.

With a shudder, he pulled back from her and the ghoul felt another piece of her soul leave with him. She opened her eyes in dismay and an aching agony at the incompletion of his act. She brought her gaze back to his, waiting for what was to come next, knowing in some small part of herself, what it was to be. [i:77fb564e04]"I have been a hunted creature for nearly two years. When you came to Kaniel's attention, I was afraid you had been sent to check me out, that you were a Ventrue operative."

"The more I dug up on you, the more I was sure of it. It seemed ironic, once I'd tasted you, that the one person I was searching for would spring from my enemy. Further, your Tzimisce mistress was of the same clan as the fiend that helped to create me."[/i:77fb564e04] He caught the question in her countenance and answered it before it was uttered. [i:77fb564e04]"No, he was not my Sire. Jonas Cale is my Sire, no matter what anyone else says."[/i:77fb564e04] She decided not to argue with the vehemence of his words, even though she suspected, from the latter part of his statement, that someone else had a hand in his conversion.

The tension suddenly drained out of Alekz's body, leaving him weary and vibrating with the need to feed. Dawn had come and gone and he badly needed to rest, but there was one thing left to conclude. He removed his hands from her and she swayed in place before catching a hold of herself. She reseated herself on the edge of the bed, when he pushed her down onto it, watching as Alekz slowly lowered his arm, until his wrist was level with her mouth. She looked from the contrasting alabaster of the skin there to the relentlessness of his expression.

[i:77fb564e04]"If you return to Lady Cyrilynn now, to your old life and friends, it won't be long until they find me. And when they find me, they will find you. If they find you, not even your vaunted Tremere sorcerer can protect you from their combined might, minds and resources, let alone your mistress. With you as my ghoul and soon-to-be childe, we can develope your skills and disciplines, garner power, allies and favors, form our own or join another coterie, even create more childer. It isn't the revenge I want to exact on my former tormentors but it will do for a start. I can wait until the time is right"[/i:77fb564e04]

There was a short pause but his insistance came anyway. [i:77fb564e04]"Come, Serai, drink. It's time."[/i:77fb564e04]

The young woman's head spun with all of the information she'd received; over the last twenty four hours and, especially, over the last few minutes. A cold certainty settled in her heart and she knew that she was only putting off the inevitable. The one desire she'd labored for, in all her years as Lady Cyrilynn's ghoul, was nothing more than to become vampire. Did it really matter what type of kindred?

The question settled the seething emotions that swirled inside her breast and stood out, starkly, from everything else. And behind it was the desire to protect everyone she'd loved or known, and that included Alekz, from any dangers she might unwittingly represent. She hadn't asked for this essence he put so much credence into but there it was; she'd have to make the best use of it.

She had no reason to trust that Alekz had told her the truth. He, too, had lied from the beginning and could have made up this seemingly plausible explanation for her abduction and captivity. But the facts, as he'd lined them up, were not impossible. Could she risk the consequences if it was real and she denied him!?? No. But the gods help him if she ever found out he'd betrayed her. And she'd have years to study him and come to know him. Somehow, someway, she'd break her bond to him and extract a revenge that would make all other Cainites seem tame!! It had been done before, it could be done again.

Serai nodded once, then gripped his wrist in both of her hands. He reached down with a single, sharpened nail and scored a deep gash. The scent of his blood permeated her senses and expanded them. Anticipation crawled and clawed in her belly, yet, she slowly brought his arm up to her lips. A final unshed tear splashed into the furrow and quickly sluiced down the track of an escaping blood drop. The ghoul's tongue quickly flicked out and caught both before they could fall away. She followed the trace back up to the wound and began to draw from it.