A GOTHIC LOVE STORY ( chapter 6 )

[queenofdarkness]

hey guys
I know I'm new here, but I'm gonna try my luck with a little story.
I hope you enjoy it!

CHAPTER 1

It was Friday Night Smack Down in Madison Square Garden, New York. The arena was full of fans, all of them waiting for the main event of the evening: the Undertaker vs. Triple H in a no desqualification match.
In that huge bunch of people , almost all of them just typical Americans, some wearing their favorite superstar t-shirt, anyone could spot a particularly beautiful woman. She didn't look like a typical American at all; even more, she looked like she would be something more then just a human being. She had long, dark hair, extremely beautiful gray-blue eyes and full ,red lips. Her face was pale white and despite being very good looking, she wasn't one of that skinny girls. Her body was voluptuous, hidden by a long, black, velvet dress. And even if she looked very young, there was something about her which seemed so old and mysterious. She's been a fan for about four years and she finally got to a live event.
Finally the sound of the bells could be heard by the crowd, the lights turned off and the Undertaker appeared. The audience exploded and the match began. At some point , both HHH and Taker were outside the ring and they were fighting with everything they had;they even destroyed the commentator's table. At that point HHH hit Taker in the face with a chair and he started to bleed. Right in that instant the beautiful woman felt a rush all over her body like never before. She stood up and ran outside the arena faster than anyone could see her...
The match ended minutes later with HHH being tombstoned by Taker... the fans were all clapping and cheering as the Undertaker walk his way to the back stage.
Back in his locker room, Mark was waiting for a doctor to check on him, so he could go to the hotel and take a nap. Wile being examined by the doctor, Hunter showed up saying:

"Hey man. I'm sorry for that hit. I didn't mean it to be so hard."

"Don't worry! I'm ok ! We kinda get use to these things after a wile." And he started to laugh.
Hunter smiled back saying:

"Ok, if you're all right, I'm leaving, cause Steph's waiting for me."

"Sure. Go ahead! Don't let the lady wait for you!"

They both smiled and Hunter left. A few minutes after that the doctor finished the examination and told Mark:

"Just as you said,you're kinda use to this and so is your nose. Just take some good rest in the next few days, and next week you'll be brand new."

"Yes sir!" they shacked hands, Mark thanked the doctor as he walked out of the door.

Mark just changed his clothes and headed back to the hotel, deciding to follow the doctor's advice, because being a wrestler it's quite tiring.

Mean wile , Vernona < the beautiful woman from the arena> was standing on the hotel roof , waiting for Mark to arrive. She tried to find him, but it was quite hard to enter his head; it was so much easier with the other mortals... she had to find him by searching through the other WWE member's heads... By the time Mark arrived it started to rain, but she remained still on the roof, waiting for him to reach to his room. She could still feel the blood of her "dinner" ~ a homeless young man~ rushing through her veins and warming her up.
Finally Mark got in his room. She heard the sound of the key turning into the door lock and Mark picking up the phone to order something to eat. She felt a wild desire to be close to him and she decided that she could watch him from his balcony. " Alright, Mr. Callaway, I don't know what you did to me, but I'm certainly gonna find out!"
She spend the night watching him eating and then sleeping. She could hear the sound of his blood rushing through his veins, she could smell it and almost feel the salty, warm stream flooding her mouth. But it wasn't like the desire she felt for other mortal's blood. This was so different, it was so much more than just the blood itself. In that moment she wished she could talk to Darius, her immortal father. She sent him a message, by the power of her mind: "Darius, I need to talk to you! I need you! I'm in NY... just let me know if you're around."
The answer came within minutes: " Sure, "kido" ! We'll meet tomorrow night! Until then, stay out of troubles!"
Vernona sight with relief: Oh, thanks God! then she answered: "Thanks "old man"! You take care ,too!"
She remained on the balcony for the rest of the night, watching Mark sleep and listening to the rain sound.
By the time of sun rise, the rain stopped and she realized that soon she'll have to look for a place to keep her out of the day light.

[CreatureOfTheNight14]

Great start to the story. Please continue

[queenofdarkness]

I'll try to post the next chapter today ...
I'm kind of busy right now, but I hope I'll manage to finish it and post it here.
Hope you enjoy it!

[Dark_Lady_18]

This is rather interesting. I'm intrigued

[queenofdarkness]

thanks girls
and here comes the second chapter

CHAPTER 2

She found an old, abandoned factory at the edge of the town and she decided that the basement of that building could be a good place for her to rest during the day. She went down the stairs , lay in one of the corners and fell into a deep sleep.
Mark slept until late that day. By the time he woke up it was 11 o'clock. It was a cloudy day and the temperature was a bit too low for the month of September. He stood up and looked out the window, talking to himself: "This is one of those days when you'd just lay in the bed , watching TV." He remained still for a couple of minutes, then he went into the bathroom, took a shower, brushed his hair and his teeth.
About an hour later he went down, in the hotel restaurant and order his lunch : beef with rice. During his meal, the phone rang;it was Glenn:

"Hey man. How you're doing? "

"Hey. I'm doing fine, thanks. Just having my lunch. Or my breakfast, because I woke up just a couple of hours ago."

They both started to laugh.

"Sorry for interrupting your meal, but I just wanted to see if you're all right. We hang out last night and you didn't show up."

"Yeah... I decided to follow the doc's advice and take a good rest." they both laugh again.

"Alright then. Sorry again for interrupting your meal. See you at 6 at the Signing session!"

"Ohh, damn it! I completely forgot about it! Thanks for reminding me!"

"Anytime bro! See you at 6 then!"

"Yeah... Bye"

"Bye"

Half an hour later Mark was back in his room, laying in bed, staring at the ceiling. He decided that he should call his mom to tell her that he won't be home that night. The phone rings and within seconds his mother answers:

"Hello?"

"Hi mom. How you're doing?"

"Hi... I was washing the dishes! Is something wrong? "

"No mom! Relax! I just called to tell you I won't gonna make it home tonight. I have a signing session I completely forgot about."

"Ohhh... Ok. Is every thing all right? "

"Yeah mom! Don't worry about me!"

"OK then! Take care!"

"I will. See you tomorrow!"

Right after he spoke to his mother, something came through Mark's mind. He dreamed something last night; a gorgeous woman who was watching him from his window. Her eyes were so beautiful, but in the same time they seem to hide a cold, mysterious loneliness. Right in that moment he got a text message: " I miss you daddy! " . It was from his little daughter, Marry. He called back. The phone rang and Janne,his ex-wife, answered:

"Hello?"

"Hi, Janne! It's Mark."

"Ohhh...Hi Mark!"

"How you're doing? Are all of you fine there? "

"Yeah, sure! We're fine. I was cooking, Amy's at Rose's, and Marry's watching cartoons."

"Can I talk to Marry, please? "

"Sure."

Mark heard Janne calling for their daughter. Even if they were divorced for about 3 years,they still felt something for each other, but they both knew that their relationship won't work as long as Mark is gone for 3-4 days / week.
Finally Marry picked up the phone:

"Hi daddy!"

"Hi, sweetheart! How's my little angel?"

"I'm fine! I was watching cartoons."

"How about your sister? "

"She's out with her class mates!"

"Are you two good girls? "

"Of course!"

"Sure? "

"Sure!"

"Ok then. Be nice and take care of your mom,ok ? "

"Ok!"
"Daddy loves you !"

"We love you too!"

"Ok, sweetheart! Kisses! Bye!"

"Bye, daddy!"

When he saw what time it is he realized that he should already be on the road to the arena. It was already 5:30 and he was still in his hotel room. He changed his clothes and he drove to the arena, where hundreds of noisy fans were expecting for the superstars to arrive.
He entered the back door and he met Glenn there. They shacked hands as Glenn asked:

"Are you ready for the madness?"

"I'm not in the mood today." Mark answered.

"Yeah... Well, it could've been worst! Let's make them happy!"

"Let's finish this!"

They went outside, in front of the cheering fans. They started to sign all kind of stuffs and take pictures.

Being a cloudy, dark day, Vernona raised earlier then usual. Within seconds after she raised she got a message from Darius: "Morning kido! I'll be in NY in less than 2 hours!" . She answered: "Can't wait to see you!".

[queenofdarkness]

Chapter 3

They met on top of St. Patrick's cathedral. They hugged for a minute, then Darius took a step back so he can see his immortal daughter. She was at least as wonderful as she was when they last met, about 30 years ago. Vernona was watching him just as close as he did. He was a tall man, the muscular kind, having blond, long, curly hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a black ,velvet suit and a white, silk shirt. By the time he was still alive, he was ,what people call today, a viking. Something of that warrior still lived in him, even after his death.
He finally spoke, loud :

"Hello, my dear ! How's my beloved daughter doing? "

"Hello, Darius! I'm fine.... I guess..." After a brief pause she went on: "I really missed you, you know? "

"I'm glad to hear that someone still cares about me. But believe me or not, I missed you too!"

She smiled. A smile that seemed so innocent and childish to him. Even if she could kill a man with a single hand, she looked so defenseless in her creator's eyes.
They went on with their conversation, but this time, Darius chose to keep it silent. They could talk to each other through their minds. That was one of the advantages of being a vampire. And the blood bound they had made it even easier.

"Now... Tell me what happened." Darius said in a warm, parent-like voice.

"Well... You know I've been a wrestling fan for about four years..."

"So... What's wrong in this? "

"Nothing's wrong in this. Just let me finish!" Vernona said with a bit of frustration.

He raised one of his eyebrows as he looked at her, and he seemed a bit amused.

"Last night I made it to a live event. There I saw my favorite wrestler: the Undertaker. At some point of the match he was hit with a chair by his opponent and he started to bleed. Right in that instant I felt thrills down my spine... I could literally see the blood flowing off his veins... I could feel the taste of his blood in my mouth... But it wasn't the salty, warm taste I always feel when I feed... It was more like ... sweet... I felt a wild desire to be close to him..." She went silent for a few seconds.

Darius was paying attention to her, and after a few moments , he nodded and said:

"Go on... " He knew there was something more she wanted to talk about.

"So, this is my first big problem. But here comes the second one. When I tried to read his mind I was blocked. It was like hitting a wall, and I had to try quite hard to " brake" it. I had to read his friend's mind in order to find him."

They both fell silent for a few moments, before Darius spoke again:

"Alright, kido... I have the answer for your first problem : you're in love with this mortal."

" I'M WHAT?"

If she would be saying this out loud, the sound would break the cathedral's windows.
Darius was laughing out loud in his mind.

"What's wrong? You always liked goth romance. This could be one of those gothic love stories."

She was mad, frustrated but also felt a bit of joy. Anyway, she was wordless. But her father into darkness went on, saying:

"This is, indeed, a problem. Because your desire to taste his blood is stronger than you think. And once you'll feel its taste you won't be able to stop and he's going to become your dinner. Unless.... " and he stopped, watching her reaction. And even if she was a vampire, her eyes widened in horror. She couldn't stand the thought of Mark dieing. She finally spoke:

"Unless what? "

"Unless you won't be able to control your desire for him and his blood. Usually when a vampire falls in love with a mortal, the mortal ends up as the dinner. Your will to control yourself should be very strong ! You should spend lot of time around him, so you can get use to his smell and to overcome the desire which attracts you to him."

She sighed and after thinking for a few seconds, said :

" I think I can do that!"

Darius smiled in encouragement. She smiled back, asking:

"How about the fact that he blocks his mind? "

"As much as I know, there are very few mortals who can do that. And they are either psychics they either believe in our existence."

"He doesn't seem to be the kind of man who believes in our existence, or in any other mythical creature existence."

"Then , we have a problem here."

"Yes, I know."

After a brief pause, Darius went on:

"I'll have to think about this... But right now, I'm hungry! So how about catching "dinner" first? "

"That sounds good!" and her answer came with a smile.

[Dark_Lady_18]

Cool. Looking forward to the rest.

[queenofdarkness]

thanks dark lady!
and here comes the next chapter

Chapter 4

By the time the vampiric family left for "dinner" , Mark and the other WWE superstars have finished the signing session. They were all back stage, chatting and getting ready to head to their hotel rooms. Mark was chatting with Glenn and Hunter:

"Thanks God it's over!" said Mark.

"Yeah... It was quite tiring." Glenn answered.

"Can't wait to get at the hotel and take a hot shower." continued Hunter, then addressing to Mark:

"So, how's your nose doing after that hit? "

" I'm fine, Hunter! You don't have to worry about that!"

"Right so, H. ! He's already dead! You can't kill him again!" said Kane in a laugh, somehow mocking Mark's character.

But Mark wasn't in the right mood for jocks. He was also the first to leave.

"Ok guys... I'm leaving now. Have fun if you hung out!"

"You're not coming with us tonight?" asked Glenn.

"Nah... I need some good rest!"

"I know what you mean!" said both, Hunter and Glenn, at the same time.

"I guess I'll see you next week, then!"

"Have a nice week!"

"You too, guys!"

He headed for the hotel,so tired that the only thing he could think about was the bed. He reached into his room ten minutes later. He took a shower, ate something , then went to bed. It was almost midnight and knowing that he had a plane to catch the next morning he set his clock alarm at 530 am. Before he fall asleep, he remembered the woman he dreamed of last night. He tried to picture her face, as he closed his eyes. It didn't took much until he saw her : a darkish woman, with deep gray-blueish eyes and red lips. She was amazingly beautiful and yet, there was something unnatural about her. Besides her pale-white skin, there was something very mysterious about her, something which seemed to keep so many secrets behind the shadows of her past.
Mean wile , Vernona and Darius were in New York Central Park, sitting on a bench, just like any other mortals. They just fed and they still felt the rush of the moment. They were both feeling the energy given by the blood of their victims. The mortal's blood was flowing through their veins warming them up and making their skin to look more... like a human's. Neither of them said a word since they left St. Patrick's cathedral roof. Darius broke the silence:

"Vernona, do you remember David?"

"Of course! The noble english man."

"Yes, him. He may be able to help us with your problem."

"Which one of my problems? "

"With the fact that your mortal can veil his thoughts."

"And how can he help me?"

"You know that he always was a bit strange. After he was born to darkness, he became interested in human nature. So he definitely knows were to look!"

"Ok... How do we find him?"

"He's your immortal brother, Vernona!" answered Darius with a smirk.

"What are you waiting for, then?"

Darius didn't answer but Vernona could see that he's focused on something. She stood out of his head, not willing to distract him. Within minutes Darius told her what she needed to hear: David was in Canada and he promised to help. He said he's going to do some researches and then contact Darius.
She smiled and her immortal father knew that she was happy at the news he had.

"Where did you sleep yesterday?" he went on with the conversation, changing the subject.

"In an old, abandoned factory... and I'm afraid I can't offer you much comfort in there. "

"No, my child! We're not going to sleep there, today."

She raised her eyebrows in wonder, but his answer came faster then she could ask:

"We're going to sleep in my house , from Green Bay, Wisconsin."

He could see a sign of astonishment on her face again. He smiled gently, took her arm, which seemed a bit tanned compared to his, < because he was a viking , his skin was white even when he was alive> telling her:

"We should transmogrify and leave now. We can't risk to be out in day light."

"Ok... but can I see him before we leave?"

"Of course, my darling! Let's go now!"

They went to the hotel where Mark was sleeping. Vernona headed to the balcony window wile Darius was waiting for her on the roof. It was almost 5 o'clock when they arrived there.
Mark was still sleeping and Vernona could see the movement of his chest as he breathed. She could hear his heart beating at a lower rhythm. At some point Mark smiled in his sleep, just like he was having a nice dream.
She stood there for another minute and then she returned to Darius. As he saw her smiling in content , he knew what she was feeling. He smiled back, saying :

"We have to leave now... or we'll end up like fried chickens!"

She answered with a chuckle, then both turned into two big, scary bats. They seemed to be shadows of death flying in the deep sky.

[Dark_Lady_18]

"We have to leave now... or we'll end up like fried chickens!" My favourite line in the part lol. Good job.

[queenofdarkness]

"We have to leave now... or we'll end up like fried chickens!" My favourite line in the part lol. Good job.

lol ... thanks ... i tried to make it sound a little funny
I hope that in a few days I will post the next chapter

[queenofdarkness]

Chapter 5

Vernona was really surprised at the sight of her "father's" house. It was an old victorian house, built around 1900, painted in brownish-red and white. On the front steps they took human shape again. Darius opened the door, at mortal speed and hold it for her. In the great room they entered firs, there was an old stair , wooden made, painted in black and white, on the left wall. In the middle of the room was a big sofa and two armchairs, victorian style as well.
They went down, in the basement, where a black coffin was waiting in the middle of a room, lighted by thousands of red candles and surrounded by white lilies.
Vernona was mesmerized by what she was seeing. Darius saw the wonder in her eyes, even if a mortal could never guess what was hidden behind those cold, icy eyes.

"This it, my child! I hope you will enjoy my humble home!" said Darius with a grin.

"Humble?! You can't be serious , Darius!"

"But this is nothing compared to you castle!"

"I slept in an old's factory basement last night, remember? I can't complain about this!"

Darius smiled in content, then pulled her close to him ... He embraced her softly , then tasted her blood which he missed so much. The blood of his immortal daughter, which he pined for so much. It felt better than feeding on any mortal, her blood was tastier that any other he drank before. She felt exactly the same thing, only that her blood lust for him was even bigger. As a young vampire she pined for her creator's blood, as much as the dessert pined for rain.
They slept in the same coffin during that day. Vernona was deep asleep when Darius kissed her on her forehead, thinking : "She's the most beautiful and powerful creature i could ever create!"

Mark woke up at 5:30 , cursing his clock . He took a look out of the window and then went into the bathroom for a shower. At 7 o'clock he was in his plane seat, waiting for the take off. He didn't have to wait long as the plane took off minutes later. He started to read a few pages of his book, but he soon gave up the idea, being too tired.
5 hours later the plane was landing in Houston, Texas. Mark got down from the plane and headed for his car, which was waiting for him in the airport parking lot, just where he left it 2 days ago. He had to drive another hour or so until he got home. As he enter the house , his mother greeted him :

"Hello,Mark! "

"Hi, mom!" he hugged his mother and shacked hands with his father, saying: "Hi, dad!"

"What do we have for lunch, mom? I'm starving! "

"Just be patient! Another half an hour and the meal's ready. It's your favourite: steak with rice!" Catherine's answer came.

"Oh, thanks mom! You're so nice!"

Half an hour later all three of them were having their lunch, chatting:

"So, how was it this week? " asked Frank.

"Just as ever ... Lots of fans at the show, great madness at the signing session ... " Mark's answer came, with a hint of boredom.

"How about your match? " the next question came, also from Mark's father.

"It was a no disqualification match. I was hit with a chair, hit which broke my nose... and after that i won."

"Oh my God!" said Catherine , almost jumping up from her sit when she heard that Mark broked his nose.

"Just relax, mom! I'm fine ! I've been doing this for 20 years! I love my job, I know the risks and assume them ! Plus, I'm not a kid anymore! "

"You're not a kid anymore, but you're still my child, no matter how old you are! " said Catherine in response.

They were still eating, when the phone rang. Mark's mother was the one who picked it up:

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Callaway? "

"Yes... "

"Hi... It's Janne talking!"

"Ohh, hi Janne!"

When he heard his ex-wife's name, Mark already stood up and headed for the phone. But the conversation between the two women continued:

"Sorry for bothering you, but i have to talk to Mark. Is he home? " asked Janne.

"Yes, he is coming right now!" answered Catherine with a hint of disgust on her face.

Mark's parents never liked his ex-wife, and not even Mark knew the reason why.
Mark picked up the phone, saying:

"Hi Janne!"

"Hi Mark! ummm... I have to ask you something very important... "

"Go ahead! "

"I have some problems to solve, and I was wondering if you could take the girls for a week , or so? "

"Yes, sure! But what kind of problems? Can I help you? "

"No, but thanks anyway. I'll bring the girls in the morning! "

"Ok. See you in the morning then!"

"Ok. Thanks again! Bye!"

"Bye!"

Both Mark's parents were watching him and as he hung up, Frank ironically asking:

"What? Is she coming to visit us, or something? " with the same feeling of disgust Catherine showed when she answered the phone.

"No, dad! She's not coming to visit us! She's just gonna step by to bring the girls."

Before his parents could say anything else, Mark went into his room. A few hours later he got a text message from one of his old friends : "Hey man! We're going to the "Rattlesnake" tonight. You'll find us there if you wanna hang out!" . Mark considered the suggestion and he decided that hanging out with old friends should be relaxing.
After a couple of hours he was ready for his evening out : he was wearing a pair of dark-blue jeans and black t-shirt. He thought for a minute, and he decided that he rather takes a ride with his bike than driving. Half an hour later he arrived at the "Rattlesnake". "Rattlesnake" was the local bar, traditionally-style made, just like those you see in an old western movie.
He spotted his friends as soon as he entered : John and Mary, who were just married, Will , Naomy and George. He greeted his friends as he took his seat at the table :

"Hi guys!"

His friends answered to his greetings, as the men shacked hands.

"So, how are you doing, Deadman? " asked John in a smille.

"I'm good. I just got home in the morning. How about you, guys? "

"Well , we got news for you! " said John and the joy in his voice could be heard be every single person in the bar.

"What news?" asked Mark with obvious curiosity.

But Mary was the one who answered :

"I'm pregnant! "

"3 months . " continued John.

"Congrats, guys! What do you want it to be? A boy or a girl? "

"A girl." said Mary in the same time with John, who answered " A boy."

Everyone started to laugh and to have a good time.

But on the other part of the country, Vernona was just rising from her day-time rest. As she got out of her coffin, she realized that the candles were still lighting the room and to her surprise she found a blue rose and a note right beside the coffin. The note was from Darius and the rose was an apologize gift :

" My dearest child , I had to leave early in order to settle some business . I'll be back as soon as I can.
I hope you'll enjoy my little present!

You father into darkness,
Darius "


Vernona put the rose into one of the vases that were all over the room, and after that she noticed the big, white, present-like box which was waiting on the floor. She opened it and to her astonishment she found inside an amazing dress. She put the dress on and for the first time in years she wished she could see herself in a mirror. The dress was a bit too long, almost touching the ground, it was long sleeved, made of black velvet and red silk.
She went upstairs, at mortal speed, admiring the beauty of the house. When she got to the first floor she entered the first room; it was a big, matrimonial room with a huge white bed in the middle of it. She went outside, in the balcony, for fresh air. As she stood there, watching the sky, she seemed just like a gothic queen, waiting for her dark king to arrive.
In less than a half an hour a huge, white wolf came out of nowhere. As he spotted Vernona at the balcony he stopped for a moment and the corners of his mouth curled in which to a mortal would look like a devilish grin, but she knew it was just a kind smile. Faster than she could smiled back, the wolf was beside her. She gently brushed his hair with her fingers , before he took human shape.

" You like the present, I presume ?" asked Darius as he saw her wearing the dress.

"Of course I like it! It's wonderful ! " and she kissed him on his cheek as a sign of appreciation.

"I hope you're hungry, because I'm starving!" continued Darius.

She just smiled in agreement, and Darius turned into a big bat ready to loose his shape into the dark sky. But Vernona stopped him, saying:

"Darius... "

When the bat turned his head to her, she knew she had his attention and went on:

"I feel more like running tonight." and she turned into a big, black wolf, but with the same gray-blueish , icy eyes.

Darius transmogrify into the white wolf and they both started running towards the beach.


I hope you enjoy this

[Dark_Lady_18]

You're doing a good story here. Keep it up *makes mental note to break from researching to add another part to own story*

[queenofdarkness]

thanks a bunch, dark_lady !
~can't wait to read the next part of your story ~

[queenofdarkness]

hey guys
i came up with a new chapter for my story
i hope you'll enjoy it !

Chapter 6

When they reach the beach they both took human shape again, and soon they heard the sounds of a few hearts beating at about a mile away. They headed the way where that well known sound by them came from. Another few steps and they could hear the blood flowding through the mortal's veins, they could already feel the salty, warm taste of blood into their mouths.

It didn't took long until Darius and Vernona arrived to the place where a group of teenagers were having a beach party. They were gathered arround a camp fire, drinking, smoking and singing. Darius chose his victim when he and Vernona were quite far from the mortals; a blonde girl with black eyes and full shapes, wearing a white summer dress. Vernona picked one of the boys: a tall, brownish boy, with brown eyes and full lips. The colour of his eyes seemed to match perfectly with the colour of his hair.

The vampiric family used their supernatural powers, and read the mortal's minds, so they found out their names. The boy chosen by Vernona was named James and the girl chosen by Darius was named Jesse. They call the teenagers by their names, in that seductive, yet terrifying wisper vampires like to use when they lure their victims to death.
They were just a few meters away from the other humans, when the two vampires crossed their arms around them into hugs of death. Vernona was the first who bite;a bite which pirced the skin of the young man more preciseley than a surgeon could cut open a wound. Darius did the same thing, and they both felt their bodyes warming up because of the blood they were taking. They were sucking the life out of the two mortals drop by drop.

They never drank the last drop of blood. When they used to take their fangs out of their victims throat , there were still a few drops of blood left within the bodies. Just enough to let the mortal's heart struggling to keep him alive. But finally an angel of death used to appear, like a ghostly shadow embrassing the mortal in his coldness.

Darius met Vernona's eyes. She wanted to leave but she could read the disagreement in her creator's look. He told her, keeping the silence :

"We are not leaving without cleaning the mess!"

"Oh, come on! "

She never bothered too much to follow the rules. She enjoyed the idea that the bodies of their victims will be found by the other mortals, drained out of blood, and the mistery of their death will never be solve.

But the look in her father's eyes inspired obedience. She rolled her eyes , shaking her head in disagreement, but helped him cleaning up the place.

They walked, at mortal speed, to the see-wall, Darius holding Vernona's high heels and she holding her dress with both hands so it didn't get weat, as she was walking through the water , enjoying the calm waves washing her feet. As they reached to the sea-wall they set down, both enjoying the coolness of the wind surrounding them. Darius was the one who loved more the sea, because it was one of the things that use to remind him of his mortal life. Vernona was the one to speak first:

"Do you have any news from David ? "

Darius could feel the curiosity and the impacience in her voice, as he answered :

"Patience, Vernona ! He needs some time to do some researches. He may be a vampire , but he is not a god !"

She sigh first and after a few minutes of silence she went on :

"I try to be patience, but you know that this is not one of my qualities! You have no idea how odd it seems to me the fact that i can not read his thoughts! You have no idea how it feels to be in love with a mortal ... "

At that point Darius turned his eyes to her with a glare which seemed to throw fires all around. He scared her so badly that she moved a few inches away from him. For a second she thought she sees a bloody tear in his cold, deadly eye. But she didn't have the courage to ask what was happening to her dark father.

Then she realised that there are things , much older than her, which happened to her creator , but she didn't know anything about them. She just wished that some day he will tell everything to her, because she felt that his story was at least similar to her story.

They both remained silent for a wile, Darius watching the waves of the sea breaking against the sea-wall and Vernona watching the clouds covering the stars one by one, like a giant, black and menacing veil.

"I have to apologize for my behavior !" said Darius in a low voice.

"Some day I will tell you everything... " and after a short pause he went on :

"But right now we have to leave, because the dawn is closing... "

She already knew that. She could feel the dawn just as well as she could hear a heart beating. It was one of the feelings she gaing when she became a child of darkness and her instinct urged her to hide.
She just approved him with a move of her head and got up ready to leave. Darius stood up as well askind her if she wanted to run or to fly. She just raised her shoulders saying:

" As you wish!"

Darius turned into that huge bat and Vernona followed his example. They both rise into the air lossing their shapes into the deep, cloudy sky.

For Mark and his friends morning came faster than they could imagine. It was breaking dawn when they decided to go home. Mary and John left earlier because Mary didn't feel good and she needed some rest.

Mark stood up ready to leave saying :

"Ok, guys. I have to leave now. Janne will be here soon and I didn't even get home."

"Jane ?! " asked Naomy in surprise.

"Are you two back together? " but this question came from Will.

They knew that the flame which brought Mark and Janne together was still burning, but their relationship didn't work because of Mark's job.

"No guys. We didn't make up. She just steps by to bring the girls."

For a moment everyone was silent. George was the one who went on :

"Ok than. Go and get some rest, Mark! I don't know about you guys, but I will do just the same."

Everyone agreed and each of them headed for their homes.