Gwen ignored most of what the girl had to say. Instead she pursed her lips and started walking past her, up the stairs. "My name is Gwen, and I'm taking you to Cade because this castle is his, and he should meet any new arrivals. It's only polite." Her dress snapped with the speed of her movements.


She just wanted to get away from Katerina. Her blood was too tempting. Gwen could feel the tips of her teeth coming out, pricking her lower lip. She licked her lips. It was so good to feed, but oh so bad … Victims died. At her hands. She didn’t want that. She didn't want to kill Katerina, despite everything that had happened.

Elizabeth watches Gwen and looks confused wondering if she wanted to save that person or if they were food. "Why not just break the chains off?" She points out assuming this person was a vampire of some kind. "You have super strength after all." She adds with a shrug.

She walks over to the cell not caring what Gwen thought of having her walk to this unknown second person and gets close by grabbing one of the chains and starts trying pulling it apart to get it off of the person in the cell. "See like this?" She says having trouble getting them off. "It will work.. just wait.." She points out with a bit of embarrassment now since it isn't quite working for her yet. She is believing it isn't working because she is a physically weaker vampire than most of the others.

(( Changed this a little since she was breaking the chain a little bit, but yeah I didnt know about any of the stuff you guys pointed out! Sorry anyway! ))

Gwen watched as the immortal attempted to free Katerina. She had the feeling it just wouldn't work. She shook her head, yawning widely. "I've had a long night. I'm going to sleep." And before she could do that, she had to make Katerina comfortable. Nodding to herself, she walked down into the cell and dragged the bed over to the captive human.

It was easy now, now that she was a vampire, to lift Katerina up and onto the bed. "You should find a room to crash in." With that said, she covered the other woman up, and then left. It was late. She needed to sleep of her confusion, her frustration ... She ran to her room, and shoved the door shut. Everything was so soothing and light. The covers were warm, easy to sink into. Gwen closed her eyes, yawned, and drifted off into dreamland.

Regan grabbed as many of the sketches as he could, before walking out. He sent furtive glances everywhere before running to his room and shoving the drawings carefully into his bag. He folded them between the pages of his own sketchbook, and then crawled into bed. Cade was going to wonder who had taken those drawings ... but so be it. He wanted to confront the man about them anyway.

Maybe now he would finally know what had happened to his favorite aunt, why she had disappeared.

Cade didn't comment on Katerina's torturing. She'd be miserable enough in that dungeon, not that Cade really cared either way. In any case, while he could blame Katerina, in large part, he really only blamed himself. He wouldn't kill her though. He needed her. Maybe Bell needed her, too. Cade liked that idea. Perhaps he and Bell could open up more, on the same level; neither of them having to hurt so. But would Bell do it?

The ancient simply nodded reassuringly. Of course it would take away the pain. And then when it was gone, Cade would still be there, helping to ease the pain again. Wouldn't he? He felt like he would be, at least he felt that way right now. Cade waited, to see what Bell would decide. Either way, Cade planned on bunking with Bell tonight, he needed it. In his current state, it would feel so much better than normal... that cuddling would.

"I need to attend something," he said, turning to the door. The newcomer. Then, he would find Bell. If the other was in his room, or waiting in Cade's study, it didn't matter. Cade gave Bell a reassuring smile and exited the aviary, closing the door behind him carefully. The birds didn't like him, but he liked them. They were hers...

Cade made his way through the castle to meet the newcomer, stopping in the foyer as he sensed her coming; the other old vampire.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Katerina watched with a sense of detachment. That she thought she'd actually be freed, seemed too good to be true. Gwen was pulling the bed towards Katerina, and then she was weightless for a moment before feeling the soft cushion of the bed. And it felt so good. She'd sat up though, as Gwen and the other turned to leave. Gwen had hurt her, and then been very nice to her. The girl was hurting inside, Katerina knew that much. And she wasn't human anymore either.

She only hoped that Gwen would return in the morning and fill her in on what happened. She thought of Cade. If Katerina lived that long... She laid her head down on the pillow, laying on her side; the most comfortable position with the heavy chain still around her ankle, and tried to sleep, though sleep wasn't coming easily.

Elizabeth watched in almost amazement as Gwen had just walked away leaving a vampire to this defenseless girl in a cell. She is lucky though that Elizabeth had already fed and doesn't need much for now. So having been left alone she just gets up and makes her way upstairs, but on her way up she could feel that someone was looking for her up there now. She takes a breath and disappears (Invisibility). She can tell this is someone that can actually sense her, but she is confident this is enough to fool the person for a little bit as she goes up and looks around to see if she can find the person herself. Mostly to avoid him though, she doesn't like meeting with other vampires. Not once has it ever been pleasant for her and it might be paranoia, but she doesn't feel like this meeting would be all that pleasant either. She doesn't want to leave this place though, it is very much amazing.

(( Just to point out she doesn't know he is a vampire, it is purely assumption! Not that it really needed to be said it doesn't change much ))

Bell might've said something else, if Cade hadn't left to take care of something, he watched the ancient one walk away, and waited a few moments before he also made his way to the door. The sound of silver bells filled the air with every movement Bell made, it was a sound that most humans couldn't hear, but all supernatural creatures could hear it. It was a sound that Bell found more annoying than anything on most days. He stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

It would be a disaster if the birds managed to get out, Bell wasn't sure which way Cade went, and he did think of just going to his room and curling up in Red's bear skin cloak. Instead the jingling vampire made his way to the kitchen, he entered and went to the sink, turning the faucet on and splashing his face with cold water. He did that for a while, then moved to sit at the table, not really caring if Nate was still in there at the table or not. He put his arms on the table and rested his chin on those arms.

He eyed one of the glasses of alcohol with a look, an almost longing look. Perhaps he should say yes to Cade's offer. It would take the pain away.

Even in Cade's current state, he could tell exactly where the other vampire was at any moment. He looked directly at her, as if she wasn't even invisible. He didn't pay any mind to it, it was a defensive gesture, he understood. He reached out with his power then to find that she didn't appear to mean any ill-will. At least not right now.

He sent a wave of power after that. It would be something that none in the castle could deny feeling. It was a warning, and a show of power. It was Cade's way of letting anyone know that he was to be feared and respected, even in this state. He frowned visibly at the thought. Here he was, meeting someone new, like this. This was so very unlike Cade.

The ancient was standing barefoot in the foyer, shirtless, and looking like he might be drunk, though that wasn't the case. It was no matter. He didn't care what the girl thought. "Show yourself," he said finally, lest he have to delve into her mind to find her appearance and see what she could see. That was typically painful, depending on how long it lasted or how deep he probed. Another thing he did not care about.

"Fine, Fine." Elizabeth calls out with obvious annoyance. She wanted to get away from this situation, but she could tell this would be the one time where she wouldn't want to go and disappear from this person.

His senses were right as she appears right before him just where he was looking. "I am here. You got me!" She tells him with a cutesy voice to throw off any anger he might have had soon since she just walked right into this persons castle.

She then looks at him and looks confused. She wants to point out how he looks right now, but she felt it was wise not to do that so instead she keeps her mouth shut about that and just hears what he might want to say to her.

A little girl. That was rare, in vampires. Even when children were changed, they didn't tend to fare well for long, not as strong as other creatures or wise enough from their human years not to get caught. But this girl was old. "There isn't a need to be worried," Cade said. "Despite that you thought you were breaking and entering," he said dismissively, "You are not."

"Come," he said, gesturing for the girl to follow. "My home is a safe haven for all supernaturals," he explained, leading her up the stairs to the second floor. It was a strange thing, maybe to some, that his castle was a safe haven. Sure, Cade would protect them from the outside world, but could any of them be safe from him in the end?

His movements were sluggish. Not normal for Cade. But he was still alert enough. "There are two kitchens on the lower floor, a laundry room, though we have a girl who does that," he paused in thought at that statement, but continued. "There's a library, a gym, pool, greenhouse...", he trailed off lazily. "Make yourself at home.....," he watched her, awaiting the introduction of her name, where he would in return offer his.

Elizabeth follows him listening to what he is saying, but she couldn't help it. She can clearly see he is drunk or something similar it was obvious something is wrong here. She keeps her mouth shut about it though and just kept listening on about what this castle had to hold. She honestly didn't realize Vampires could get drunk which is a huge reason why she doesn't want to point it out since this might just be how this person normally is.

After the long pause she goes "Oh!" She curtsy's to the owner of the castle. "Thank you for this tour, my name is Elizabeth and I apologize for any ill behavior I might have shown earlier. I was here to see the area which has been rumored to have supernatural creatures, which it seems I have found."

Nate was quiet now, watching Regan as he put his arm around the other vampire, blinking as, not even a moment later, the other shook him off. The sharp tune of bells alerted him to why, Nate turning his head to give the purple-haired vampire a lazy smile.

Then he was alone. Cade leaving to speak with the ever angry Bell, Regan leaving him snoop about the castle. Nate sniffed and finished the rest of his drink with a thick swallow.

And then he sat, turning his head to stare out the window, the glass portal partially obscured by the walls of the archway leading into the breakfast nook. He just stared, mulling over what his possible options were now.

He supposed he could go home, back to his shit-shack outside of town. Or he could stay. Things would probably be easier for him if he stayed here.

He perked up and looked away from the window when bells jingled his way again, entering the kitchen and revealing the never-so-subtle Bell. He smiled at him for a second, watching as he splashed his face and sat with him.

"Wanna drink?" he asked, tapping the glass bottle with one finger lazily. "Might help that nasty mood of yours."

"Yes," he confirmed. "There used to be more," he said, seeming somewhat sad at the statement. There was a time when there were grand and elegant balls, dinner parties, garden parties, beings of all kinds coming and going... That had all gone when she had. He snapped back into it.

They were standing on the second floor now, near the corner of room ten. "You may stay as long as you like," he said. "This room," he gestured to room ten, "and that one are both available." The other room was room seven, with a balcony. "If there's nothing further, I'll retire until morning," he said, trying his best to seem like a normal host. Though he was everything but.

And Cade truly was tired. More tired than he'd felt in a long time. The chances were great that Cade would just fall asleep the moment he laid down. Perhaps he would give Bell a break then, he thought, amused. Though, he did wonder if he couldn't sneak down to the dungeon for one last... bite. Red eyes blinked a haze away as he returned his attention to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth looked confused about what he said. "You are going to sleep... at night? I thought you were a vampire!" She calls out. "O-oh, but yeah I want this room. The one without the window." She said looking to see it was room ten.

"Also you call yourself a host, but you have yet to properly introduce yourself?" She calls out with the sound of shame coming out of her voice. She can't stand when someone is acting rude in front of her. It is fine if she is rude though she looks like a kid.

Bell blinked when Nate spoke, then he tilted his head to look at the other. The vampire shrugged. "Tch. It'd make my mood nastier. My body doesn't take so well to things that humans eat and drink. Some vampires can stomach it, even use it to pretend like they're human, all it does for me is make me sick. Even if I could drink it, it wouldn't get me drunk." He sounded tired, and he was, on all kinds of different levels.

"If you get drunk and I drink your blood, then it would affect me." Any other time he would have said the words with intent, as if he were suggesting that should happen. Right now, his tone was more informative. He really wasn't in his usual mood at all, and he couldn't even pretend. He didn't have the energy for pretenses. Bell kept his eyes on Nate, just watching him. "Cade turned Gwen." Did Nate know Gwen? Bell wasn't sure who had or hadn't been introduced to one another. Though he spoke the words with a rather conversational tone.

Bell just wanted to keep his mind off of things.

"Why are you yelling?" he asked with a strange expression. He hadn't moved an inch. He was frowning at the small girl. She was certainly a strange one. What kind of vampire didn't sleep? Had he missed something since his existence from the beginning of time? All creatures needed some form of rest or another, the large majority of them being sleep. "What are you? Some kind of Hollywood production vampire?" he half joked, though still thinking the girl was half a lunatic.

His name? Right. He'd meant to give her that. Had he forgotten? His brain was hazy tonight. For a variety of reasons. "Cade," he said simply. "Now I bid you goodnight," he said turning to leave with a slight head shake. It was in part at her and partly at himself.

((Going to transition it to the next day soon! Start getting your characters into sleepy sleeps! It's got to be like four in the morning by now. ))

Elizabeth sighs and shakes her head. "Vampires I have seen sleep in the day and hunt in the night. Maybe some vampires do things differently..." She explains to herself. She didn't understand what he was talking about when he talked about Hollywood production vampire, but she assumed it was some form of insult. She decided to mimic his way of doing things and try sleeping in the night tonight, at least to try this alternate sleep schedule. Seemed a bit human like to do though.

After some time thinking about the alternative of vampire sleeping something clicked in her head. Oh that was Cade! She thought to herself. She actually wasn't listening to the last part, but in a way it still got heard anyway. She shrugs after that though and just walks into the room she had and sat down and rested her eyes.

Cade only continued walking away as the girl entered her room. Never once in his existence did it take him all night to hunt or feed. If anything, evening time was his favorite time. But it took less than a few minutes to yank someone into a dark alley and drain them dry. And in this village, the permanent cloud cover made it possible for all beings to travel outdoors at any time of the day.

Those things didn't really matter to Cade anyway. The ancient could travel in broad daylight, and he could simply call a human from the village straight to his doorstep if he wished, with his mind of course. How was that for delivery? He smiled to himself. Though he didn't tend to do those kinds of things. Not nowadays. It would draw too much attention to his castle. Young people of the village entering it and never returning. He supposed he could let them live, erase their memories of him and his castle. What a load of work.

All the while Cade had been walking and thinking, he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going. His red glassy gaze blinked down the stone stairs to the dungeon. He'd meant to find Bell, or go up to his tower and wait for the other. Now, he stood there frowning. Cade didn't know what he wanted to do. Part of him wanted more. Another part of him reminded him that all of this was a terrible idea, not a good way to live. It never had been. Even with her. Yet he'd taken a step down those stairs already, as if he couldn't stop himself.

Nate shrugged, lowering his hand and leaning back farther into his chair. He stared back at Bell, watching as the man slumped and moped. He seemed so down. So sad. Something terrible had happened to him.

He sighed almost sadly as the other spoke, listening partly to how he described alcohol as bad for him. How only drinking it out of blood could really get him drunk. "Well...it was worth a shot," he mumbled, more to himself than anything.

He frowned when someone named 'Gwen' was mentioned, wracking his mind for any memory of the name ever being mentioned to him. He couldn't really remember anyone with that name, but it did remind him of the village for some reason.

"I don't know who that is, but congratulations either way," he said, licking his lips for a split second. "...I guess."

He thought about maybe bringing up Bell's attitude, how sad he seemed, but in the end he thought better of it. He stood then, stretching out his arm before turning toward the door.

"You look beat. Try getting some sleep," he said, casting a look back. "A good night's sleep can do wonders."

And with that he was off, intent on finding some cushioned place or another to crash and sleep.

((Ok Nate is off to sleepy sleep.))

Bell was quiet, just watching Nate as the other spoke and stretched before finally wandering off. He waited a few moments before standing. It'd be more like a good day's sleep, Bell figured the sun would be up in another few hours or so, he could already almost feel it. He shuddered slightly. Bell did not like the sunlight too much, he was glad this place was almost always cloudy, it made it easier to move around in the daytime if he ever found the need to.

He had, a lot with Red. He grit his teeth and just stood there in the kitchen for a few moments before he left the room. Bell thought of going to Cade's study, to Cade's room but that was all, he only thought of it. He didn't want to go to his own room, even though he did want to curl up with Red's bear skin cloak. A little while later and Bell found himself standing outside the door to his room, he blinked and shook his head, then stepped into the room.

The door was closed and locked behind him, the lock would keep everyone out. Everyone except maybe Cade, and that was just fine with him. The jingling vampire pulled Red's cloak from where it had been left just before they'd gone out to hunt. He hugged it to his chest for a moment and inhaled deeply, the vargulf's scent was so strong and Bell had to bite the inside of his cheek from crying out.

Bell fell onto his bed and curled up around that cloak, it was half over him and clutched tightly against his chest, with his face buried against it. Really it didn't take long for the vampire to fall asleep, he was exhausted in every sense of the word.

((Sorry guys - been SO busy!))

Cade swayed in his spot at the top of the stairs and leaned as if he might descend those stairs and finish Katerina off, get all he could from her blood. A memory flashed in his mind of her, something that caused him to lean his bare back against the stone wall. He pushed hair from his face and closed red glassy eyes for a long moment, before turning away and making his way to the top of the tower, to his room.

He stumbled and clumsily made his way up all of the stairs, seeming worse off now than ever. He opened his door and then closed it behind him, locking it again. He barely made it to the bed, where he collapsed on his stomach. He had completely forgotten about everyone again. Even Bell. In no time at all, he was passed out in the bed.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Mid day the next day, Cade opened his red eyes. His room was still dark, all of the black out curtains drawn shut. He dressed in a plain button up, blood red long sleeved shirt, and black dress pants and shoes. He reached out with his power to get a feel for where everyone was and what they were doing, specifically Bell. He winced inwardly at what he might find with the other. Cade was messing up again, he knew.

Bell generally liked to sleep the majority if not all of the day away, he had usually only gotten up in the daytime for Red's benefit, or even for Cade's occasionally. Right now though, Bell did not want to be awake at mid-day. He had slept rather peacefully for a few hours, then the nightmare had started. It was just a replay of the events that had happened, forced to watch as Red died in front of him while he was unable to do anything. He dozed now and then but never for long.

Right now, he was clutching Red's bear skinned cloak hard against his chest. His face buried in part of it as he lay on his side curled up around it. Bell didn't want to move, he didn't want to go feed, something he usually enjoyed greatly. He didn't want to see anyone. Bell was wishing those events in the woods had really been an awful dream, but it wasn't. It had really happened and though yesterday he had been mostly functional, now Bell didn't want to do anything. Just wallow in his pain.

Maina- Over 600 years old. Very powerful witch.

About 5’ 8” dancer like build. Pale skin, ruby red lips, pale green eyes that swirl with gold when she uses her powers. Her hair is white as snow and wavy, falls to her hips. Speaks with a British accent like her brother.
Her wand when she is not using it is tattooed to her left forearm so her brother cannot steal it from her.

Maina is super sweet and incredibly shy. She does anything her brother says and rarely fights back for herself. Though she is more likely to stand up to him when he’s threatening others. Has a black cat as a familiar named Aira. Maina is actually a more powerful witch than her brother but she doesn't believe she can ever beat him. It would take an extreme act for her to rise up and over-power him. She is completely afraid of him.


Euphores- Twin to Maina, few seconds older. A bit more powerful than his sister.

About 5’ 11” lean but muscular. Pale skin, pale green eyes that swirls with black when he uses his powers. His hair is a shade darker than Maina’s, always looks like he just rolled out of bed.
Euphores has to carry his wand on his persons at all times since he has yet to master the art of placing it within his skin as Maina can. She studied for over a decade to be able to do it.

Evil and power hungry. He uses Maina like a lackey. Euphores has no love for his sister and is constantly threatening her so she will do his bidding. He tends to pretend to be “nicer” when he first meets people. Puts on a good impression to gather information about his targets.

---

Maina's clothing- Maina Intro - Polyvore
Maina's wand
Euphores clothing- Euphores Intro - Polyvore
Euphores wand



Deep in the forest, a few miles away from Castel Nosferatu, two tall forms were standing next to their horses arguing. The hoods of their cloaks covered their faces from view but from their voices you could tell that one was a man and the other was a woman.

“Please Euphores you cannot do this.” The woman pleaded, her British accent dripping with desperation. At her feet a sleek black cat paced back and forth, obviously as agitated as her master was.

In response to her pleas Euphores snaked his hand out and grabbed her by the throat. “I will do whatever I please dear sister.” The words were snarled in her face as he shook her, causing the fur hood of her cloak to fall down. Shocking white hair and scared, very pale green eyes were uncovered. “Please brother,” was choked out. The cat hissing near her feet, she was suddenly let go and gasping for air she backed away from her brother.

“Maina, Maina what am I to do with you?” Throwing his hands up in the air Euphores began to pace next to his black horse. “I figured you were going to be a stubborn little twit about this.” A hand reached up to pull down his own hood revealing the same hair, though a shade darker, and the exact same eyes as his twin sister. A hand ran through his mess of hair before he turned and gave Maina a wicked grin. “Look at your pet little sister.”

Frowning Maina looked down at her familiar Aria. “What of her?” Snarling Euphores took two brisk steps forward until he could grip her jaw in his hand. “Look at her with the sight,” he growled while forcing her head down sharply.

Maina cried out in pain and quickly did as her brother demanded. The second she opened up her witching sight she sobbed in horror. “You do anything to go against my wishes and I will activate the death curse I put on your bloody rat. It doesn't matter where I'm at Maina. I can activate it anytime I wish.” Like before he suddenly let go of her and Maina quickly reached down to scoop Aria up in her arms and darted away from him.

“I won’t do anything I swear. Please just take the curse off her brother. Please I promise. I promise!”

“Yes Maina you will do anything I tell you. But no I will not remove it for I do not trust you. Maybe after what I have planned is done.” Pulling his hood back up Euphores quickly got onto his horse and sneered over at his sister. “Get on your horse Maina, it’s about time we made our arrival.”

Hanging her head in defeat the white haired women quickly strode over to her golden horse and placed Aria in a pouch hanging off the saddle before climbing on. Pulling her hood up she followed after her evil twin.

With their magically enhanced horses they made short work of the last remaining miles to the Castle. Coming upon the driveway Maina mumbled an incantation underneath her breath. It would cover up the bruises around her throat until tomorrow. Then she would make a healing potion for them.

After a few minutes they reached the Castle and Maina looked up in awe. The place was amazing, she couldn’t wait to see the inside of it. The twins rode up to the front entrance and dismounted from the horses. The two of them would graze until their master's came back for them.

Walking to the door Euphores strode in like he owned the place while Maina followed meekly behind. Not wanting to be rude she pushed her hood down so her face was showing.

Elizabeth having a horrible time trying to get enough rest at night opens her eyes and sighs. It was not something she was used to, but here she is in the middle of the day now. The door opens and her ear perks up after all she does have amazing hearing. She gets up and makes her way to where the front door was to see who was there. She stood at the top of the stairs and stares down at the two who have now walked in. One of them was acting like they owned the place. Wow that is pretty rude. She thought to herself being a complete hypocrite. She looks at the other person that had walked in as well she seemed more like she didnt quite want to be here as much as the other person appeared to have wanted.

Seeing that the master of the house, Cade, wasn't around quite yet she took it upon herself to welcome these two guests and walked downward to the two guests with a smile on her face. "Greetings and welcome to this castle." Elizabeth called out with a bow to the two new guests. As she said this she realized she has never greeted someone in a castle before so she wasn't sure if this was the proper way to greet, but then she realized they didn't know she wasn't actually a little kid so it didn't matter anyway. If she did do it wrong it would just be like a kid learning new things still to them anyway.

((Sorry guys, this is the busiest week I've had in a long time. I should be around all day tomorrow!))

Bell was in his room, curled up on his bed, with that bear skinned cloak that Red always wore. Cade was back to the habit of breathing, and sighed. He'd completely forgotten about Bell last night. His intention had been to find the other, comfort him, talk to him. But he hadn't. And now he was back to not wanting to. It was natural for Cade, to shut everyone out. Why didn't Bell just leave? Before Cade hurt him...

The ancient vampire remembered a time, with a particular woman, that reminded him almost of what was happening right now. It bothered Cade, though he was back to appearing completely in control, detached, and even bored. His emotions didn't show on his face, nor would they in his voice. He remembered Katerina. The girl hadn't had anything to do with the attack on the castle, well, in the sense she hadn't meant any ill-will. He knew that much from her memories, hazy as even they seemed to him now.

The fair thing to do would be to explain to Katerina what had happened, who her brother really was, and that he was dead, and release her. But he couldn't. Not now. Cade was no liar, but he was not above bending the truth, leaving out details, etc. He would let the others believe Katerina was not a friend of the castle, so that he could leave her down there. If he didn't end up killing her, he'd at least have enough humanity left to erase her memory of this place and what went on inside it.

Everyone else was still asleep, and Cade took that time to handle things without anyone getting in the way or catching onto anything.

~~~*~~~*~~~

As Katerina slept on the cot-like bed in the dungeon, she dreamed the strangest dreams. She would realize in the next few days, that they were Cade's memories. She wouldn't know that it was because Cade was allowing them to flow into her mind as he fed from her poisoned blood, as it had happened accidentally, something that he made to happen with the girl from his past, when he fed from her.

She'd always had so many questions about other eras and of Cade's past. It was much easier to show her, than to talk about those things. And she'd loved it. She'd retained the memories as if she'd been in the situations and eras herself. Now Katerina was experiencing something similar, only the memories were given to her by accident, and they seemed only to be of a female that Cade loved at one time or another. And the interesting part, was that Cade was giving them away entirely. With each slip of a memory, it was gone from his mind then, giving Katerina a strange leverage, if she ever put the pieces together.

A tug at the chain around her ankle and the sudden lightness of her leg, pulled Katerina from her dreams of Cade's memories. The shackle had been removed. As dark olive green eyes blinked up into the dimly lit dungeon room, Katerina found Cade hovering over her. Her heart rate picked up immediately and instinctively she moved away to the edge of the bed. Was he here to poison her again? He handed her food, something small, a protein bar or something similar probably, and turned to exit the cell.

"Let's go," he said in that quiet, monotone voice. Katerina was silent for a moment, then questioned, "Go?" Could she really leave this dungeon? "You want to clean up don't you?" He asked, turning that red gaze onto her. Of course she did, and he preferred clean victims anyway, so they were both winning. Only, they were both actually losing, if Cade picked those old habits up again.

The dark haired girl nodded, and followed Cade. She'd hoped they were going out into the main part of the castle, where she could possibly run away, or signal that she needed help. But instead, they continued up the stairs of the tower to Cade's huge room. "The bathroom is there," he motioned, moving away to the heavy blackout curtains. He pulled one back and remained there, lost in his own thoughts as he stared down at that garden fountain, until Katerina was showered and clean.

Before she could dare put her old dirty clothes back on, Cade appeared in the doorway with a pile of women's clothes and undergarments. They weren't anything fancy, nor were they special, despite that it had belonged to her, the woman of Cade's past. He didn't care to hold onto things like that, he had just not gotten rid of them, having been so infrequent in living here since she'd gone. At least that's what he'd told himself.

Cade disappeared again, only to return while Katerina was dressing. "Hey!" she'd exclaimed automatically, only dressed in the dress-like slip and underwear, holding the dress against herself for coverage. Cade was holding something familiar; a small metal box. Katerina's heart rate spiked again, and she swallowed hard, taking a step backwards. She looked from the metal box, to Cade, and back again.

Not too many minutes later, Katerina was sitting on the bathroom floor against the barest wall. At some point, her eyes had taken on a glassy look, and her eyelids drooped. Her shoulders had grown significantly relaxed, as the rest of her body had. A euphoric feeling had settled over her, and she had a really hard time caring about anything at all. Her head tilted back against the wall, and her dark wavy wet hair messed around it.

Cade was putting something that looked like a tourniquet back into the small metal box before disappearing to store it away in his room. While he was gone, Katerina pulled herself to her bare feet, leaving the dress on the floor behind her, uncaring now. She stumbled forward, about to fall, when Cade was suddenly holding onto her. As he caught her, the scent of the slip, once belonging to the woman he loved, rose up to his nose.

Before even biting Katerina in her current state, Cade's eyes glazed over. His mind flooded with memories of the woman from his past. This moment, was turning into the exact same kind of moment Cade had shared with Gwen. He would suddenly become confused. Mixing memories with reality. As Katerina straightened up to see him, he frowned down at her, seeing the woman from his past in Katerina's place.

He clutched her arms tightly in his grasp, before using one hand to gently brush the hair away from Katerina's face. She frowned. Even in her current state and impossible euphoria, she knew that he wasn't acting normal. She made to pull away from him, but felt weaker than normal. Not that it mattered with human strength vs. vampire strength. "Why do you always, want to leave me?" he asked her.

Katerina watched him in a strange haze. What did he mean? Who would want to be around the damned crazy vampire? Well, right now she didn't really seem to mind. Suddenly, like he'd done with Gwen, Cade swept Katerina off of her feet. The scent of the fabric had him closing his red eyes, relishing the flood of memories. Before either of them realized they'd moved that far, they were laying in Cade's giant bed.

"I can give you eternity," he said so quietly that Katerina almost didn't hear him. The girl didn't know he wasn't actually talking to her, that he was seeing someone else. She closed her eyes and let the euphoric feeling consume her. Eternity. He wanted to change her into a vampire. What better way to learn of the supernatural, than to become one, she thought. "Let me rid you of your fragile human existence." Yes. She liked that idea. The sudden feel of lips at the base of her neck had Katerina tilting her head back in permission. The two of them were certainly not in their right minds, and Cade was only about to get ten times worse.

As the sharp prick of fangs pierced the delicate flesh of her throat, Katerina's eyes fluttered open. A small bit of sanity creeped back in and she panicked, but that euphoric feeling just wouldn't keep away. On top of that, one of Cade's hands was softly sneaking its way under the slip, and the feel of the touch on her skin only increased the euphoric feeling ten-fold.

~~~*~~~*~~~

A short while later, Katerina lay twisted up in the sheet of Cade's bed. He was standing beside it, having just pulled his black dress pants back on. His red gaze was glassy and half lidded, and his movements were sluggish. He was frowning down at Katerina, in a sort of confusion. He'd been able to stop himself from turning her, but the irony in that lay in the fact that Katerina had really wanted to become a vampire.

Cade reached out with his power again to feel for the others in the castle. There was the child-like vampire, and two newcomers. Without thinking twice on it, Cade left the room, leaving his door wide-open for the first time. He didn't lock Katerina back in the dungeon like he'd planned, and he descended the stairs almost pathetically. He'd used more of that poison this time, than he had last time, and he and she both were feeling those effects.

He made his way sluggishly to the foyer where he found a pair of siblings. "Witches," he mumbled, though he'd meant to be louder. "Welcome to my home for the supernatural," he said with a gesture, seeming off for any kind of creature. "I am Krimel.... Cade," he corrected himself. "Make yourselves at home within the castle," he half mumbled and half slurred. Any other time, at the top of his game, he'd have known much more about this pair. But right now, he honestly didn't care.

Cade would wait there for them to introduce themselves, and ask their questions, if they were the questioning type. Meanwhile, Katerina slept in Cade's open room. The ancient vampire thought back on her. Next time, he would use more. It would be a miracle if he didn't kill one of them. But then again, Katerina's death was quite possibly the only way to end this destructive down slide.

((Sorry it was long. There probably won't be too many posts like this. I'm just really trying to mold these two characters pretty quickly and set the stage for everything.))

The twins sensed the presence of a vampire coming towards them so they waited, and they didn't have to wait for long. Out of the corner of her eye Maina saw the form of a small child at the top of the stairs. Neither sibling let on that they knew she was there until she greeted them.

Both set of pale green eyes glanced upward. Maina really couldn't believe the sense of power she got from the vampire. Turned as a child and she managed to survive this long. It was quite impressive.

Hiding his emotions Euphores reached up and pulled his hood down. It was time for him to play nice. He gave the girl a small bow of the head in return. "Thank you. May I acquire your name?"

Just then another form appeared before them. From his appearance Maina just knew it was the owner Cade. Sure enough he introduced himself as such. He seemed...odd, like something was wrong with him. Euphores was thinking the same thing and how he could use it against the Castle owner.

Taking the lead Maina bowed her head to the vampire. "Thank you for welcoming us into your home, I am Maina and this is my twin brother Euphores. Is there a safe place we can place our horses? We left them outside to graze.”