Dark Secrets


      Author: aria


      Rated: R


      Rating : 



      *Falls to LS' feet.*
      Big thanks to Ls for editing this chapter. I don't what I would do without 
      ya! And a nother big thanks to CR for not being an attention monger ;)
      Chapter 9
      The sight of the lovers in a tight embrace twisted his stomach in knots. 
      He never thought that when he got Hollingsworth's address that this was 
      what he would find. The fact that it was a mansion was startling enough. 
      But to find Serena and that man writhing in the grass nearly knocked him 
      to the ground.
      How could she? He kept turning the question over and over in his mind. His 
      shocked gaze was riveted on the scene before him, watching as the other 
      man made love to the woman he had wanted since the moment he'd first 
      spoken to her.
      He wanted to stop them. He wanted to go back a few minutes so that he'd 
      never seen it. But the sight of her skin, so pale and perfect in the 
      moonlight was incapacitating to him. Every garment of clothing thrown 
      aside rooted him even deeper to the spot.
      Bitter jealousy and rage began to build in him. How could she? Serena 
      belonged to him, not to the jerk she was with on the grass.
      He watched as the man caressed the skin that belonged to him. His eyes 
      followed every little movement, imagining it was his hands gliding over 
      her. Caressing her. They raked over her flawless beauty and would have 
      probably roved longer if Hollingsworth hadn't stopped and looked up, 
      grinning right at him.
      Stunned, he fell back into the bushes and crawled away as quietly as he 
      could. There was no way he could have known he was there. It must have 
      been a coincidence. But the way the man's eyes fixed on his chilled him.
      Just in case Hollingsworth had seen him, he ran back around to the front. 
      He looked around for a moment, trying to get a grip. He knew he should 
      have left, but he was so angry that he had to do something or his head 
      would explode. Turning around again, his eyes fixed on the house. The 
      answer to his problem was right in front of him.
      Grinning sadistically, he took the four steps leading to the door in one 
      small hop and entered the huge dwelling.
      Alan wandered through looking around at the splendour of the house. It was 
      no wonder Serena wasn't interested in him when the other man was flaunting 
      all this in her face. Jealousy gnawed at his gut when his mind immediately 
      returned to focus on what he had just seen.
      His face contorted with his fury. He wanted to break something. His first 
      choice was Hollingsworth's face; but since he was busy, Alan's attention 
      was drawn to a beautiful statue in the hall. Alan grabbed the marble woman 
      by the throat and was sorely tempted to tug at her until she fell to 
      shatter on the floor.
      He took a breath. No. There were other outlets for his anger.
      Alan crept around the house looking around at the place Serena in which 
      was living. All he could think of was if the man didn't have all of this, 
      she wouldn't be with him.
      A smiled crept across his face when an idea formed in his mind. He would 
      make sure that all of this would be taken away from Hollingsworth.
      ----
      Having Serena back in his arms again was the most incredible feeling. 
      Darien revelled in it as he made love to her. But there was something else 
      there. He could feel another presence. He tried to push it aside but it 
      annoyed him. It was there, persistent on the edge of his consciousness.
      Reaching out into the night with his mind he could feel the shock when 
      whoever it was saw the two of them on the grass. Then the waves of anger 
      rolled in, both in his mind and the mind of whoever was watching them.
      Darien's head snapped up and he grinned dangerously into the shadows.
      That someone was right there.
      "Darien? What is it?" Serena passion-hazed mind was immediately on the 
      alert as well.
      "Shhhh..."
      She could see his eyes darting, searching the garden. His eyes stopped and 
      he grinned widely.
      "I'm going to see what that was. Stay here." Darien grabbed his clothes 
      and disappeared before she could say a thing.
      Serena looked around into the darkness. She was sure there was something 
      Darien wasn't telling her. It had to be someone or something threatening 
      there if Darien ran off like that. Eyes wide and searching, she snatched 
      up her clothes and put them on as fast as she could so she could follow.
      Darien wasn't sure if he wanted to kill the intruder or just toy with him. 
      His mood was too good at the moment. But it was swiftly turning foul 
      thanks to a certain voyeur.
      He was almost certain about who it was too. He'd felt jealously like that 
      once before when he went to get Serena from the home of that man she 
      worked with. Darien was sure this was the same man. He obviously found an 
      address or something else that led him there.
      His clothes were on before he reached the door to the kitchen and, by the 
      time he was inside, his mood had soured considerably. He could feel Serena 
      following him. That woman never could follow an order. So now he was 
      looking for the intruder while trying to keep tabs on Serena as well. The 
      need to find the man intensified. If anything happened to her...the 
      consequences would be dire. He hurried through the house intending to 
      catch the intruder before he encountered Serena.
      Darien's hearing led him to the collections room. A loud crash told him 
      that his armour had been thrown to the ground. He edged toward the door 
      and took a look inside.
      The red headed man was in a fit of fury, throwing whatever he could get 
      his hands on around the room and shredding what he could. In his rage he 
      hit the other suit of armour, knocking the spear. The wall scraped open 
      and Darien watched the man stroll in to do more damage.
      Like hell.
      He swept in and grabbed Alan by the throat, holding him up in the air. 
      "What are you doing here?"
      "Let go of me, you freak!" he looked around, frantically trying to find 
      something he could use to defend himself. His eyes caught the portraits of 
      Serena from the different time periods. "What the hell are you? Some kind 
      of psycho?"
      Darien's voice was low and harsh. "I ask you again, what are you doing 
      here?" His hand convulsed on his throat. He could feel the rage coursing 
      through him now. He could feel himself start to change, could feel his 
      teeth forming into razor sharp points, the intensity of his senses 
      heightened, the lust for blood rampaging through him.
      Alan couldn't think of an answer. He couldn't breathe either but the look 
      in the other man's eyes told him that breathing was the least of his 
      worries. "I was looking for Serena."
      "Well, you've found her." Serena walked into the room arms crossed and 
      glaring at Alan.
      "How did you find her?" Darien shook him, trying to hurry his answers. 
      Serena touched his arm and he lowered the man a little.
      "I found an address." He gasped for a breath.
      "How did you happen to find the address?" Darien threatened to hoist him 
      up again and the other man stuttered.
      "I-I don't know. Someone put it on my desk."
      "You're lying." Darien growled and picked him up again. "I don't like 
      being lied to."
      Alan looked pleadingly over at Serena's impassive face. "Help me."
      "Why should I?" she walked over and looked up at him. "You broke in. As 
      far as I can see, Mr. Hollingsworth should be able to do what he likes."
      "How could you? After all we've been through?" he choked.
      Darien raised a brow at her.
      Serena shook her head. Nothing had ever happened between them.
      Darien's expression grew even more menacing. "Give me one good reason not 
      to kill you right here and now."
      His eyes were beginning to roll back now, so it wasn't the time to be 
      hesitating. Alan drew a strangled breath. "I can...lead you to the guy who 
      gave...me the address."
      "You just said that you didn't know who gave it to you," Serena pointed 
      out.
      Darien grinned and tightened the hold on his neck. "This is going to be 
      such a pleasure."
      The strangling man let out a squeak. "He must work at...the hospital! No one 
      else can get into the place without being...stopped by security."
      Except maybe a vampire, thought Serena. She raised a brow at Darien, 
      making use of his ability to read her mind.
      He nodded slightly. "He might be useful to us." Then maybe they could find 
      out what was going on in the city once and for all.
      Serena tapped his arm and he brought the other man back to the floor. 
      "Alan." His eyes were wide and wild, barely able to see her. "Alan! Hey! 
      Listen to me!"
      His eyes slowly focussed on her.
      "If you do anything to violate the trust I'm giving you right now, Darien 
      will kill you. I'm not kidding in the least. And there won't be anything I 
      can do to stop him. Do you understand?"
      He nodded.
      Darien straightened the other man's lapels as he hurried him toward the 
      door. "I'll be keeping an eye on you," he threatened.
      "Y-yes." Alan ran down the driveway and disappeared outside the gates.
      Darien slammed the door shut and stretched his neck, willing himself to 
      calm down. He knew he wouldn't be able to relax now. Things were too close 
      to home and he had to protect Serena. If the man she had worked with could 
      find them that easily, then who knew what else could.
      He sullenly kicked the ruined artwork, pondering what he could do against 
      what was out there. Darien looked at the remnants of their past lives and 
      could almost feel things coming full circle again. Whatever the cost, he 
      would be ready this time and nothing short of Hand of God would be keeping 
      them apart.
      Serena watched as Darien mechanically tidied the room, retreating into 
      himself once again. She couldn't say that she was too thrilled with the 
      developments either. At least he didn't kill Alan. He might even prove to 
      be a good informant. That just left the questions of who and why? Who 
      would target them? What was so important about them that someone would 
      want to hurt them? Were they just out to hurt Darien? Or was there 
      something important about her? And why involve Alan?
      She watched Darien pick up some armour, his disgust with the dents in the 
      gleaming metal obvious. His features had returned to normal making her 
      wonder if he could change at will.
      "No, I can't. It happens when I'm hungry or extremely angry." He ran his 
      fingers over the dents sadly. "My good French armour..."
      Serena rolled her eyes. "You're mourning over armour?" She walked over to 
      take a look at it. "You know the words 'good' and 'armour' just don't make 
      sense in the same sentence right?"
      He grunted something in response and tossed it aside. "I don't suppose it 
      will ever come back in style."
      "Somehow I highly doubt that."
      He shrugged and looked at her. "Can I ask you to clean some of this stuff 
      up? I've got to go out for a while."
      "Now? What for?" She'd already started picking up shredded clothing and 
      portraits that had been punched in.
      "I just need to go...to talk to someone."
      "Can I come?"
      "No. And I would appreciate it if you wouldn't follow me. It's not safe 
      for you where I'm going."
      She shoved the things onto the growing pile and crossed her arms. "Why 
      should I let you go if it's so dangerous?"
      "I said it was dangerous for you, not me."
      His eyes caught hers and she understood. Serena nodded. "I'll be here 
      cleaning."
      "You swear?"
      "Yes."
      He nodded knowing she was being honest. "I'll be back later." He spun 
      around on his heel and strode out the door.
      "I'll be waiting," she said to his retreating back.
      ----
      Serena spent at least an hour and a half cleaning up the room. She 
      couldn't believe that Alan had it in him to be so destructive. Then again, 
      she didn't believe in reincarnation or vampires until recently either.
      "Live and learn, I guess." She sighed.
      Not knowing what he wanted to do with the ruined things, she simply left 
      them and closed the wall, using it to conceal the damaged items. She'd let 
      Darien deal with them however he wanted.
      She had no clue when he was planning to return or what she was going to do 
      while she waited. In her wanderings around the house, she picked up an 
      apple to munch on and several books on blood disorders. Serena ended up in 
      the library and sat down on the supple leather sofas.
      She flipped through them, trying to think of anything that she could 
      possibly do to help his condition. Even though they had been working most 
      nights, she felt like they hadn't even touched on a cure for him. Rubbing 
      her eyes, she groaned. Who was she kidding? She still didn't even know how 
      vampirism worked. Was it a mutation? A virus? How was she going to cure 
      something when she didn't even know what it was?
      Slinging the books aside, Serena got up and went to the lab they had set 
      up. Darien had left a test tube of blood in the refrigerator there. She'd 
      all but forgotten it until now. Maybe it would hold some clues.
      She pulled it out and set up the microscope. She looked at the blood cells 
      and immediately remembered the cells from the hospital that night from the 
      John Doe. Darien's cells were biconvex just like the first sample she'd 
      seen.
      She quickly repeated the test where she added her own blood to see the 
      reaction. And just as before, Darien's cells attacked hers and multiplied.
      "Well, that explains where that sample came from." Obviously the other man 
      was a vampire as well. But who or what did the other sample come from?
      Serena sat down on her stool and shivered. If vampires existed what else 
      could be lurking out there?
      ----
      Darien headed into the heart of the city. He knew there would be one place 
      where he might be able to find answers, though he wasn't particularly 
      happy about going there. Ever since his rebirth as a vampire, Darien kept 
      to himself. Even when he found others of his own kind, he never felt 
      particularly like one of them.
      In his experience, vampires were hedonistic and cared only for furthering 
      their self-indulgent lifestyles. By nature, he'd never been like that and 
      never could be. He hated being anywhere near them. Gritting his teeth 
      against whatever he might meet, Darien walked into the decadent club.
      Incense and perfume blended with the dark, the throbbing music winding its 
      way around him. He ignored the looks from the other vamps. They cowered 
      and moved away from him as quickly as they could.
      He stopped at the bar and eyed the bartender. "Where is she?"
      The vamp wiped the bar-top, careful not to make eye contact. "Who?"
      "You know who I'm talking about. Where is she?" He tapped a finger on the 
      bar and smiled dangerously.
      "Are you giving dear Dal'rien a hard time, Erasmus?" The gentle voice came 
      from a slinky, raven-haired woman carrying crates to the bar. "Take care 
      of these." She thrust them at the barman, forgotten.
      Darien nodded. "Ra'ine."
      "Dal'rien. It's been a while. I knew it was you. I could feel you." She 
      circled him dragging a finger around his shoulders. "And it's Raine now."
      Darien shrugged her off. "I need some information."
      Raine purred, "About what, darling?"
      "There have been some strange things going on lately. Have you noticed? Or 
      have you been wrapped up in yourself too much to notice?"
      "Dal'rien, you wound me." She pouted prettily, belying the hurt in her 
      voice. "Come, let's talk over a bottle of the '28." She slid a bottle of 
      dark red liquid over her thigh. "It's said it is the blood of a Russian 
      nobleman. Very nice."
      "I'm not interested. All I want to know is if you have noticed anything 
      strange going on."
      "My, you have been getting cranky in your old age. Perhaps you should join 
      us young bloods once in a while."
      "You are only a few years younger than I, Raine." His eyes swung around to 
      the younger vamps partying and drinking and he snorted.
      "What? Is all this beneath you?"
      Darien said nothing.
      Raine shrugged and pulled the cork out of the bottle. "Are you sure? It's 
      an excellent year." She poured the red liquid into a crystal goblet and 
      raised it to him.
      He looked at her, ignoring the proffered drink. "Let me know if you can 
      think of anything. You know where to find me."
      "And when you remove that stake from your ass, you'll know where to find 
      me." She winked and took a sip. "Maybe we'll finish what we started all 
      those years ago."
      "Not likely." He turned and strode out.
      ----
      "So that was the illustrious Darien?"
      Raine wound her arms around the pale newcomer. "Yes."
      His eyes hardened when he looked at her. "You have feelings for him."
      "It's hard not to have feelings for the one who created you." Her black 
      eyes clashed with his violet ones.
      "Not the types of feelings you have."
      She fingered his shoulder length hair. "Are you jealous?"
      "Why should I be jealous of him? What has he got that I don't?"
      Raine pursed her red lips. "Nothing, darling."
      He shoved her back. "Why don't I believe you?"
      "Diamond, stop being silly." Raine slid up against him again. "You know I 
      have no interest in him. He's barely one of us."
      His brow arched. "He is more powerful than all of us in this club 
      combined. Older and wiser, I think he's very much a vampire. He just 
      doesn't understand what is means to be one."
      "Don't bother. He will never be one of us. It would be a waste of time to 
      try and talk to him. All he cares about is her." She spat out the last 
      word.
      Diamond took her goblet and finished it off before tossing it over his 
      shoulder at her; his wry smile revealed his teeth as he walked away. "I 
      don't think that I'm the only one that's jealous."
      ----
      Darien felt soiled when he left the club. He should have known better than 
      asking Raine. The woman didn't care about anything going on around her, 
      not unless it eventually led her to gain something. He gritted his teeth. 
      He'd have to do some investigation on his own.
      He could still feel their curious eyes on him. And he knew it wasn't just 
      a feeling. They were all around him, observing him. As far as they knew, 
      he was one of the first. An Elder. One of the first of their kind. There 
      was great attraction in trying to find out more about him.
      He'd never seen the woman that made him ever again after that night, but 
      Darien was sure that there were others out there that were older than him, 
      but he'd never met one. From time to time he could feel others calling to 
      him, as their kind did, but he never responded. He never did understand 
      the need vampires had to be together. He'd been confronted by groups of 
      them at one point. But after that confrontation, they left him alone. He 
      became infamous for his solitary life. As far as he was concerned, this 
      was just a temporary situation; he had no aspiration to be like or be 
      surrounded by them.
      Darien sighed and kept walking. He could feel a presence behind him. 
      Someone was trying to mask himself and wasn't doing a very good job of it. 
      Darien did his best to ignore him. There wasn't anything he could do to 
      him that Darien couldn't counter. As a matter of fact, with the mood he 
      was in, he could use a good fight.
      He walked a little further before deciding it would be fun to toy with the 
      other vampire. He broke into a sprint and headed for the winding network 
      of alleyways that snaked around the centre of the city.
      Darien was impressed when the vamp was able to follow him. "Good, but not 
      good enough," he muttered. He closed off his thoughts and climbed the fire 
      escape of an apartment building.
      Diamond lost him as he approached and circled the building again. The 
      older vamp had known he was being followed and hid himself very well.
      A flicker of movement from above caught his attention. Diamond decided to 
      investigate. It would only take a second. And it wasn't like it was 
      important to talk to Darien Hollingsworth. He was just curious about the 
      mythic Elder.
      It took seconds for him to climb to the top of the twelve-storey building. 
      He scanned the rooftop and found nothing. He was getting quickly annoyed.
      A quick flash caught his eye again. He whirled on the spot trying to 
      pinpoint the movement.
      Nothing.
      Again, a flash, but this time in his mind.
      He was being toyed with.
      "Come out Darien. Enough with the games." His eyes darted from side to 
      side as he tried to find the other man. "Seriously, this is pissing me 
      off."
      He waited, reached out with his mind, searching for another presence and 
      felt nothing. "Bastard." He continued to mutter to himself when he leapt 
      off the roof. Such a waste of time.
      Diamond slowly made his way back to the club. He was cranky from lack of a 
      good meal and the fact that Darien was messing with him didn't make him 
      any happier.
      Snarling he took out his frustration on a dumpster, hurling it down an 
      alleyway. He reached over for another when a cold hand, with razor sharp 
      nails, closed around his throat.
      Diamond grinned despite the pressure on his windpipe. "Darien, I presume."
      Darien swung him around to face him. "Why are you following me?"
      "I was curious. I've never met an Elder."
      "I don't like being followed." Darien tightened his grip. "Leave me 
alone."
      Diamond squirmed a little now, but wasn't about to give in. "I hear you 
      like to be alone."
      "Why do you care what I like to do?"
      The blonde vampire grinned feebly, "I told you, I was curious." He could 
      see that the other man was getting angrier by the second. Diamond forced 
      his eyes to focus on his face. "You're pretty, you know that?"
      Darien let out a snarl of disgust and thrust the vamp across the alleyway, 
      sending him crashing into the other side. "Don't play with me."
      Diamond grinned, dusting off his suit as if he had been merely patted on 
      the shoulder. "What's wrong with playing once in a while?"
      Darien snorted and started walking away. "Follow me again, and I'll kill 
      you."
      That didn't faze the blonde vamp. He stepped in behind Darien. "Fine by 
      me. I just thought you might want some information about the things that 
      had been going on lately."
      Darien whirled and was in his face within the space of a breath. "What do 
      you know about what's going on?"
      "A few things. Some stuff I heard here and there." He curled his fingers 
      to look at his nails. "I might be able to tell... you if the price is 
right."
      "I'm not in the mood to kid around. I want answers. Now."
      "Raine is right, you know. You need to loosen up a bit. You might stress 
      yourself to death." He chuckled humourlessly. "Join me for a drink."
      Darien didn't think there would be any other way to get the information 
      from him. He seemed harmless enough. Maybe curiosity was his main 
      motivation, but Darien remained wary. "One drink, and you tell me what you 
      know."
      "Two. And I'll tell you what I can."
      "Deal."
      Diamond took a look at their surroundings and shrugged. "I suppose since 
      we're back here, we can have a couple of drinks on Raine."
      The thought didn't really appeal to Darien. He wanted to be home with 
      Serena, keeping an eye on her. But if this vamp had any information, he 
      wanted it. "Fine, just make it a quick one."
      Diamond opened the door with a flourish. "After you."
      Darien walked in and was instantly the centre of attention once again, but 
      he couldn't be bothered with them.
      Raine appeared at their table smiling seductively as she wound her arms 
      around Diamond. "Darien. What brings you back here so soon?"
      The blonde vampire shrugged her off. "Get us some drinks. Darien has 
      decided to grace me with his company for a little while. I want the best 
      you have."
      Raine looked a bit upset at the way she was spoken to, but did as he 
asked.
      Darien watched her walk away before turning back to his companion.
      "I understand that you and Raine go back a long way."
      "Yes." He tapped the table impatiently with his index finger. "What do you 
      know about what's going on?"
      "Just a few tidbits really." Diamond caught a reflection of himself in the 
      table and was distracted for a moment. "I've heard rumours of a Clan 
      looking to make themselves more prominent in the world, if you get my 
      drift." He looked over at the older vampire and saw he wanted more 
      information. "They are gathering a formidable force, killing those who 
      will oppose them. You know how it goes."
      That he did. Darien may have been an outsider, but he still knew what 
      happened in their shadowy world. It had been the same for millennia. Vamp 
      against vamp, looking for more power. "What makes them any different from 
      the rest?"
      Raine chose that moment to reappear with a tray, laden with the promised 
      drinks. Obviously thinking that she was included in their little party, 
      she sat down and took a goblet off the tray. "What are we discussing?" 
      Smiling at Darien, she ran a hand up and down Diamond's arm.
      Darien knew she was trying hard to make him jealous, but how could he feel 
      anything for her when she didn't matter to him? He fought his instinct to 
      get up from the table and leave. He looked over to Diamond and noticed he 
      didn't look too happy either. "We're having a private conversation, 
Raine."
      She didn't look disturbed and pursed her lips. "Well, considering the 
      company in here, I doubt that your conversation is that private." She 
      nodded to the vamps obviously listening in from the other side of the 
room.
      "You're right." Darien got up. "Maybe we'll talk another time, Diamond. 
      Somewhere a little more private." Darien berated himself, in his haste 
      he'd forgotten to consider the patrons of the club.
      Diamond glared at Raine but nodded compliantly at Darien. "I assume you'll 
      contact me."
      "You assume correctly. Good evening." And with that, he walked out of the 
      club for the second time that night.
      He could hear them arguing even when he was several blocks up. Shaking his 
      head, Darien hurried home to Serena.
      ----
      She rubbed at her eyes and looked over the books again. Serena had been 
      staring at the same few pages for the past couple hours, trying to make 
      sure that she didn't miss a thing. Everything was running in circles. 
      Serena would follow lead after lead and would wind up in the same place 
      over and over again. It was all so frustrating!
      Closing the book, she shoved it off the table. The slap of the leather 
      against the hard floor echoed through the room. It did little to ease her 
      dissatisfaction. She contemplated going for a run or doing something else 
      equally physical to alleviate her dark mood.
      Knowing that wouldn't get her any further in her research, Serena slid off 
      the chair and hopped a few times as she scanned the shelves. Maybe there 
      was something worth reading that she might have missed?
      She did a slow jog around the room close to the shelves so that she could 
      look over the titles. After circling the room five times, she gave up. 
      There was nothing that she could have missed.
      Sighing, she walked out into the hall and headed to the kitchen--maybe a 
      snack would get her mind moving again.
      As usual, it was well stocked. Better than any grocery store she could 
      think of. Serena perused her options and decided on a simple peanut butter 
      and jelly sandwich. Grabbing a can of Coke from the fridge on her way out, 
      she decided to go on a self-guided tour of the mansion.
      She couldn't count how many times she'd been up and down the corridors 
      now. Serena just couldn't get enough of the house. It wasn't even her 
      style of home. She'd always liked her things to be new and modern. She ran 
      her hand over a Queen Anne chair as she walked past. Maybe it was her old 
      incarnations coming out, but she had come to really appreciate all of the 
      things in Darien's home. It made her feel like she belonged. Like she was 
      home.
      Home.
      She hadn't had her own place in a long while now. At least it felt that 
      way. She wondered where it would leave her after she and Darien figured 
      out what was going on. What was going to happen to them? Her mind wandered 
      back a few hours. Things had certainly heated up between them. Serena 
      blushed as she remembered practically jumping Darien on the grass. But 
      then he rushed off without much of an explanation except that he had to 
      find some stuff out.
      She took a bite out of her sandwich. He was kind of spacey now that she 
      thought of it. Did it have anything to do with her behaviour? He was a 
      pretty uptight guy. Always rigid and proper. What if he didn't approve of 
      how she was behaving? After all, he was still the same man that had been 
      the ruler of an empire.
      Serena closed her eyes and took a swig of her Coke. She hoped that wasn't 
      the case. She took another drink to ease her parched throat. Of course it 
      wasn't. This was her true self. He had had more than enough time to get to 
      know her. He'd been with her through countless lifetimes, how could he not 
      know?
      She walked until she found herself amidst his art collection once again. 
      Dwarfed by the statues, she walked through admiring the pieces one by one.
      Darien never mentioned it, but she was sure each and every one of them 
      belonged to them at one time or another. Her hand went to touch the smooth 
      marble of a statue of what looked to her to be Venus.
      "I received her from your father." Darien stepped into the room looking as 
      dark and glum as when he left. "It was part of your dowry. I admired it so 
      much that he decided to give it to us for the peristylium* of our home 
      during our times as Romans."
      Serena smiled up at him faintly, glad that he was home, yet a little upset 
      that he didn't look any happier. Sensing that he didn't want to talk about 
      things that had gone on recently, she chose to talk about the past.
      She walked over to a plinth bearing an enormous carved quartz crystal. She 
      ran her fingers over the beautifully intricate carvings. "How about this?"
      "That is your grave marker from Atlantis." His expression never faltered 
      and his eyes stayed on hers steadily. "I went back for it before the 
      empire disappeared into the sea."
      Her fingers ran over it reverently before moving onto a painting of them 
      in Renaissance clothing. "And this?"
      "It was presented as an engagement gift from your friend, Leonardo."
      Her mind leapt to the only Leonardo she could think of from the 
      Renaissance. "Da Vinci?"
      "The one and only." He sighed and shrugged out of his coat. "How would you 
      like to get some dinner?"
      The image of them sitting in a dimly lit restaurant automatically flashed 
      through her mind; and she quickly tried to quash it. But it was too late: 
      She could see that he had already picked up on her thoughts. She knew it 
      wasn't really feasible for them to be out in public.
      Her train of thought stopped. Why couldn't they? He didn't look any 
      different from other people. He might have been much more attractive than 
      any man that she had ever seen but she was sure that was just her own 
      biased opinion. He was slightly pale, but in dim restaurant lighting it 
      wouldn't matter.
      She looked up at him, knowing that he had been following her thoughts.
      "You're absolutely right. Why shouldn't we go out and enjoy ourselves?" He 
      gathered his coat and put an arm around her waist. They got her coat and 
      headed to the side of the house.
      "Should you call your driver or something?" Serena asked as she saw the 
      large garage they were headed to.
      She was answered with a chuckle. "I can drive, you know. I've been doing 
      it for quite a few years now."
      Like she needed to be reminded of how old he was after the impromptu art 
      show.
      Serena let him lead her to the huge garage. It must have been big enough 
      to hold at least eight cars.
      "What would you like to ride in tonight?" He flicked a switch and the 
      doors slowly opened. Lights flickered on almost immediately and Serena 
      feasted her eyes on the performance machines. She wasn't an expert but 
      every single one of the cars looked like they could move at terrifying 
      speeds. She couldn't wait to get in one.
      "Well?" Darien was watching her in amusement. She was like a kid in a 
      candy store.
      She held up a slender hand. "Don't pressure me." Sliding her hands over 
      the hood of a sleek black car Serena smiled at him. "I want this one."
      "As you wish." He plucked the keys off a rack and pressed the unlocking 
      mechanism. Opening the door with a flourish, he bowed. "Your chariot, 
      milady."
      He did that so easily that she was almost transported back in time. 
      Almost. She doubted that any chariot in the past had supple leather seats 
      and a 400 BHP engine. "Want to see what she can do?"
      "Absolutely."
      ----
      A few hours later, as they finished up their dinner, Darien waved over the 
      waiter and whispered something to him.
      "What was that all about?" Her eyes followed the man as he scurried away.
      Darien smiled mysteriously. "Give him a minute."
      "Ok..." She took a sip of the wine Darien had ordered and let the flavours 
      blend on her tongue. "This wine is absolutely amazing."
      His smile grew a little wider. "I'm glad you like it." His hand found her 
      free one and his fingers tangled themselves with hers. "We must do this 
      more often."
      "Absolutely."
      The waiter returned moments later with a woman selling roses and a 
      violinist. Darien nodded, simultaneously thanking the waiter and 
      signalling the violinist to start playing. He took her other hand and 
      smiled.
      Serena almost sighed aloud. After the apprehension of that evening and 
      then the exhilaration of the drive, a nice intimate dinner was exactly 
      what she needed. "You're quite the charmer, aren't you?" She touched the 
      petals of a rose to her lips.
      He could feel her relax and was pleased that he was able to do that. "I 
      just know what pleases you."
      "You certainly do." She closed her eyes and listened to the strains of the 
      violin. It was heavenly to take time off and just be together without 
      working. She kept her eyes closed for a while just soaking up the moment. 
      That is, until the sweet smell of chocolate invaded her senses. Her eyes 
      flicked open to find Darien wielding a fork heavy with chocolate cake 
      dangerously close to her lips.
      He smiled at her hesitation. "Take a bite. You know you love chocolate." 
      Her fear for her figure flashed through his head. "You must be kidding. 
      Chocolate has never had an adverse effect on you..." Darien trailed off and 
      hummed thoughtfully. "No, wait. There was that time you slathered it all 
      over me. It seemed to have quite an interesting effect...not adverse in the 
      least."
      Serena's eyes widened and she took the bite while slapping a hand over his 
      mouth. "I can't believe you said that!" Visions of Darien wearing nothing 
      but chocolate flooded her mind.
      He chuckled and took a forkful of cake as well. Smiling, he sent a few 
      other wicked thoughts to join the others, enjoying the way her eyes 
      widened and her cheeks flushed.
      Serena couldn't believe what she was seeing in her mind. She knew from the 
      look on his face, that Darien had something to do with the naughty visions 
      flashing through her mind. "Stop it!" she hissed. She was rewarded with 
      another more explicit image and her eyes fluttered shut, a soft moan 
      escaping her lips.
      Keeping up the onslaught, Darien waved the waiter over. He quickly paid 
      the bill and ushered Serena out to the car. The drive back was silent, the 
      tension between them thick and exciting.
      Darien could smell her arousal, which in turn acted as an aphrodisiac for 
      him. His entire body tightened in anticipation. He turned to her and 
      shared a heated glace as he pushed the car to the limit getting them back 
      home.
      He brought the car to a screeching halt in front of the door. The pair 
      stumbled out of the car and immediately came together for a heated kiss. 
      Darien caught her behind the knees with one arm and cradled her against 
      him, not breaking the kiss. They stumbled through the doorway and were 
      already partly undressed when they hit the floor.
      Darien kissed her hungrily. The need he felt for her rivalled even his 
      feeding instinct. Having her writhing against him was having a devastating 
      effect on his control. Darien leaned in to smell her throat when a small 
      sound came from the far side of the room. His focus immediately shifted 
      from Serena to find the source.
      Jealousy and anger from whomever it was swept through him; the feelings 
      instantly telling him who it was.
      Darien pulled Serena's blouse closed and stood up, shielding her from 
view.
      "Come out."
      Serena quickly redressed herself as she looked into the darkness. For a 
      moment it looked as though no one was going to appear. But slowly two 
      figures materialized out of the shadows.
      Diamond and Raine stepped before them, their eyes intent, but on two 
      different targets.
      Raine's gaze was riveted on Darien, but it flicked to the woman at his 
      side and back several times. Diamond, on the other hand was unable to stop 
      staring at Serena.
      Darien glared right back at them. "You have no right to be in my home. Get 
      out. Now." He said the last word on a snarl and Serena turned to see that 
      he had changed. His lips curled back into a sneer when they didn't move. 
      "I'm going to enjoy this."
      Raine put up her hand. "Darien, please. We only came here to talk, not to 
      fight with you."
      He ferociously took a step closer, "Then you should not have broken into 
      my home."
      The two vamps didn't seem concerned that they were being openly 
      threatened. In fact Raine took it as an invitation to take a closer look 
      at Serena. She even went as far as to circle her a few times.
      Serena glared at the other woman who dared to enter Darien's home and 
      openly assess her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
      "It's so strange," Raine murmured.
      Serena stuck her arm out stopping her from circling once again. "Can you 
      get out of my face please?" She continued to stare at the heavily made up 
      vampire. She looked very familiar.
      Darien put a hand on her shoulder, "I'll explain why later." He returned 
      his attention to the two uninvited guests.
      Raine had moved onto his furniture now, running her hands over anything 
      within arm's length. "Such beautiful things."
      "What do you want?" he growled.
      Diamond put up his hand. "We thought we could come up with a little trade. 
      You know, tit for tat." He winked at Serena.
      Darien stepped in front of him. "What could you have that I would possibly 
      want?"
      Diamond flicked some imaginary dust off of his immaculate lapels. 
      "Information."
      Darien's eyes narrowed, "What do you want in return?"
      "Your help and guidance. No matter what you think of us, we respect you."
      "Of course you do." The scorn was clear in his voice. Darien didn't move, 
      but simply kept his eyes on the two. "You just want a vamp you believe is 
      powerful enough to help your cause."
      Raine clicked her tongue. "We just thought we could join forces for the 
      greater good." Her eyes went to Serena. "We might have been able to spare 
      you two from the same fate you have been reliving for too long." She 
      linked her arm with Diamond's and propelled him toward the door.
      Darien knew when he was being manipulated. But she was right. It was time 
      to try a new tactic. He'd been going it alone for far too long. Maybe they 
      could help each other out.
      He was careful not to let on his interest. "Tell me what is going on." 
      Darien motioned toward the door to the study and they followed the two in.
      "My Darien, you have such a beautiful home." Raine's eyes surveyed the 
      room unhurriedly. She gasped when she found a white quartz sculpture on a 
      pedestal on the other side of the room. "You took things from the palace!" 
      She rushed over and ran her hands reverently over it.
      "What does it matter? If I hadn't had taken them, they would be at the 
      bottom of the ocean now rotting away along with the rest of Atlantis."
      "Do you have anything else?" Her eyes still hadn't budged.
      "Yes, but that is not what we are here to discuss." He nodded pointedly at 
      the couch while Diamond did his best to dislodge Raine from the corner of 
      the room. "Please sit."
      Diamond forcefully sat Raine next to him and smiled politely at Darien and 
      Serena, doing his best not to let his eyes or his thoughts linger on her 
      for too long. "Thank you for listening to us."
      "Don't thank me just yet." He sat Serena down in the chair while he 
      perched on the arm. "Now get on with it."
      Diamond jumped in, not wanting to upset Darien more than he already had. 
      "Well, you know about the war going on. There are two main clans with a 
      bunch of little insignificant ones caught in the middle."
      "And both clans want to be all powerful," Darien finished.
      "Yes."
      "What does that have to do with us?" Darien knew the answer before he 
      replied..
      "We want you to help us win."
      Darien laughed humourlessly. "What makes you think that I would make any 
      difference to the outcome?"
      Diamond stood up abruptly. "You're an elder. You're more powerful than all 
      of us combined. You could destroy them all single-handedly."
      "And why would he want to do that for two vampires who like to break into 
      his home?" Serena glared at them both. She didn't like the vibe they were 
      giving off and Darien could feel her agitation at their presence.
      "In return, we will do everything we can to protect her." Raine pointed 
      her blood red nail at Serena.
      "And what do you know that will protect her?"
      "The other clan has the help of a strange creature that we think is a 
      hybrid."
      Darien's interest piqued. "A hybrid? Really?"
      "We aren't sure. There have been rumours of this unstoppable...thing. But no 
      one has actually seen it or even knows what it is."
      "How can you be sure it even exists? It sounds like a story designed to 
      scare you into submission."
      "We've lost members of our clan in some horrific ways. No vamp could do 
      what was done to them." Diamond put an arm around Raine as they remembered 
      their fallen comrades. "But with you on our side we would be able to beat 
      them." He walked over and put a hand on Darien's shoulder, adding softly, 
      "And together we'll be able to put an end to your torment."
      Serena looked up at Darien. She could see that the thought of working with 
      them wasn't on the top of his list of good ideas. But then again, she knew 
      that he didn't want the inevitable to happen once again.
      She looked at the two vamps and wondered if their intentions were as good 
      as they sounded. They didn't look like they could be trusted. Could you 
      even trust a vampire? The way the blonde one was staring at her was very 
      unnerving. He either wanted to make a meal out of her or strip her naked. 
      The female wasn't all that great either. She looked as though she wanted a 
      piece of Serena and then strip Darien naked.
      Serena knew they could probably read her thoughts but she didn't care. 
      Especially about that 'Raine'. There was something so familiar about her. 
      Until she could figure it out, she wasn't going to buy anything she said.
      Her eyes went to Darien once more. She could see him weighing his options. 
      She knew he didn't like the way things were going. And that he worried 
      about her non-stop. Knowing all that, she knew the answer that would pass 
      his lips.
      "Yes."
      Serena got up and walked out of the room. She could hear Raine and Diamond 
      chattering excitedly on her way upstairs. It was ridiculous. She knew it 
      was all for her. But it was too dangerous. They didn't know the first 
      thing about those two, or about the 'clan wars', or anything about this 
      supposed hybrid. How in the hell could Darien do anything about any of 
      that? He might be as powerful as they thought, but he was still just one 
      vampire.
      Her stomach flipped at the thought of what he might have to encounter. And 
      to think that they basically used her to get him to do what they wanted. 
      It made her sick. All she wanted to do was to hide with Darien from the 
      rest of the world.
      She went straight to her room and climbed into bed. Throwing the covers 
      over her head, she wished it was all just a horrible nightmare.
      ----
      The grandfather clock in the hall gonged in the hour.
      2am.
      Serena forced her heavy eyes opened and found them dry and burning from 
      her tears. The other side of the bed was rumpled, which suggested Darien 
      had been there at some point before leaving to feed.
      Serena sighed and pulled the covers back over her head.
      "Can't you sleep without him?" The sultry voice came from nest to the bed.
      Serena flipped the sheets back and shot back against the headboard to 
      stare at the woman there. "What do you want?" she glared at Raine. "Get 
      out of here." Her mind was already screaming for Darien, not caring if she 
      could read her mind or not.
      "I just wanted to talk. Woman to woman." Raine sat on the arm of a chair 
      near the window. She crossed her legs in a carefully practiced manner that 
      showed the maximum amount of thigh through the daring split in her skirt. 
      "You don't remember me, do you?"
      "Should I?" Wishing Darien would hurry, she ran through her newly found 
      memories, trying to place her face.
      She pouted. "I'm hurt. I was your closest friend at Darien's palace and 
      you can't even remember me."
      "Well, it was a few millennia ago. If it had been only a few hundred years 
      back, I might have been able to remember you," Serena replied 
      sarcastically.
      Raine threw her head back and laughed. "I like this incarnation. You're so 
      biting. Is that what happens from being murdered every lifetime?"
      "You bitch." Serena grabbed a vase and brandished it threateningly. "Get 
      out of here."
      Raine raised a delicate brow. "Temper, temper," she tutted. "Here I am, 
      trying to rekindle our old relationship, and you threaten to throw 
      antiques at me. Would Darien approve of that? I think not."
      "What do you know about what Darien would or wouldn't approve of?" She 
      grabbed another vase and fingered it, ready to use it was a weapon; it 
      wasn't that pretty anyway.
      "Oh, I know a lot about what he would approve of. A lot of it has to do 
      with the bed chambers, of course, but I'm sure you don't want to hear 
      about that." Her self-satisfied smile was short lived. Raine didn't get a 
      chance to duck the vase that smashed against the side of her head.
      "I swear to god, if you don't get out of here right now, I'm going to rip 
      that smile off your face."
      Raine's face contorted with rage, and looked as if she was going to tear 
      Serena to shreds, but she never made it across the room.
      "That's enough, Ra'ine." Darien stepped in between them.
      Hearing her name, Serena stared at the bloodied vampire. "Ra'ine." She 
      could picture her now under the blood and makeup. "You bitch!" She grabbed 
      something else that was within her reach and hurled it at the woman.
      Raine composed herself instantly and smiled as she wiped the blood from 
      her face. "I'm surprised you never told her about us, Darien."
      "There was never any 'us'." Darien's eyes glittered dangerously. "Now get 
      out before I summon Diamond."
      Her lips twisted as she strutted toward the window. "There was enough of 
      an 'us' for you to turn me into what I am now." And with that she leapt 
      out into the night.
      Serena felt arms grab her around the waist as she hurled more things out 
      of the window behind her. The arm constricted and pulled her back in, 
      placing her in front of Darien.
      "Calm down. She's gone." He flinched when she hurled the last remaining 
      item in her arms at his chest. "What was that for?"
      "Why didn't you tell me about you and her?" The anger she felt at the 
      other woman was starting to fade into sadness. She couldn't get over 
      Darien and Raine getting together. It made her stomach churn. A terrible 
      thought came into her mind then, and here eyes widened as she looked up at 
      Darien. What if they had been together before she died?
      "Don't even think that." He tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but she 
      backed away.
      Serena shook her head, letting him know not to touch her. "Swear you never 
      touched her while I was alive. Swear it!"
      "I swear. I never so much as thought of another woman while you were 
      alive." He sighed heavily and fell back into the chair. "It was years 
      after you died. I was so alone. Ra'ine was there to comfort me..." He put 
      his head in his hands. "I was weak and I ended up turning her. I have 
      regretted it ever since."
      Serena could see the emotions were tearing him up. She was torn up as 
      well, but she didn't let herself comfort him like she wanted to. "I can 
      understand you being alone and needing someone to turn to, but why 
      couldn't you tell me?"
      "I wasn't sure how you would react. I wanted to tell you. I did. But I was 
      happy to let it slide off the table, so to speak."
      Serena could understand that. It was hard enough with all the other things 
      that he had to tell her, he didn't need to complicate things even more. 
      But she still didn't like finding out this way.
      Serena pulled a robe off the hook in her wardrobe. "I'm going to do some 
      reading."
      Darien relaxed visibly. "I will join you. If you don't mind, of course."
      "Why should I mind? It's your house." She didn't wait for him to get up 
      before she left. Even if she couldn't hear him, she knew he wasn't far 
      behind her.
      She headed straight to the study and picked up the books she had left a 
      few hours earlier. On the side of the pile was the journal Darien had 
      asked her to read. She hadn't had much time with everything else going on 
      and hadn't managed more than a few pages at the beginning of it.
      Not feeling much in the mood for research anyway, Serena picked it up 
      instead and settled on the chair near the fire. Reaching up to pull the 
      switch to the floor lamp, she sat back and began to read.
      Darien could feel that she wanted some time on her own, and didn't want to 
      disturb her. Damn Raine and her impulsiveness. She was definitely in for 
      an earful the next time he saw her. He watched Serena's solitary figure 
      sitting quietly by the fire, reading, and thought it would be best if he 
      wasn't around to bother her for a while.
      What was there to do? He wasn't doing much good treading on eggshells 
      around Serena. Maybe he could do some good by talking to Diamond one on 
      one.
      He started to walk into the study but stopped at the door, thinking better 
      of it. Instead, he went to the kitchen and scribbled a quick note, leaving 
      it there knowing that she would go for a snack at sometime during the 
      night.
      Darien quickly searched the house mentally before he was satisfied she 
      would be ok.
      He bid a silent farewell and dashed into the night, unaware of the eyes 
      watching him.
      Serena heard the front door slam and knew that Darien had gone out. 
      Sighing, she went back to the book. She knew she was being obstinate. 
      Serena hated being hard-headed but she hated being lied to even more. It 
      was obvious that he had his reasons for not telling her. They might have 
      been very good reasons as well, yet she was still very unhappy. Right or 
      wrong, Serena felt that she had the right to wallow in it for a while. 
      Bully for him if he didn't understand.
      The door opened and closed once again not too long later. Assuming it was 
      Darien, Serena sunk deeper into the chair preparing to ignore him again.
      She heard footsteps come up behind her, slowly coming closer and stopping 
      just short of the chair. When the presence directly behind her was too 
      persistent to ignore, she whirled around.
      Her eyes widened with alarm when she saw it wasn't who she though it would 
      be. "What are you doing here?" Serena got up and ran so that the chair was 
      between herself and the intruder.
      Diamond smiled apologetically." I'm sorry that I scared you. I just wanted 
      to talk with you." Because she didn't look quite as sure as he'd have 
      liked, Diamond put up his hand and smiled calmly. "I know I scare you a 
      little. I swear I don't want to hurt you."
      Serena edged out from behind the chair a little. "What do you want to talk 
      to me about?" His smile relaxed and it made her feel a little easier.
      Diamond studied her for a moment--openly and freely, not bothering to hide 
      it from her, lest he scared her off. "It's just been so long...I mean...you 
      don't remember me at all do you?"
      "Should I?" Serena stared at him, unable to place his face at all. "I 
      don't."
      He hummed thoughtfully and nodded. "Can I sit?"
      Serena couldn't see the harm. "Go ahead." He sat back on the couch while 
      she settled back in her chair.
      "I'm guessing that you and Darien are working to get your memories back. 
      Right?" he waited for her to nod. "How far back can you remember now?"
      "Bits and pieces here and there." She looked at him sceptically. "How come 
      you know so much about me?"
      He winked cheekily, "I'm getting to that."
      Serena scowled. "Care to get to the point?"
      Diamond sighed. "Look at me very closely and try to remember."
      So Serena stared at him. He possessed the same preternatural beauty as 
      Darien but he was the complete opposite. Where Darien was dark, Diamond 
      was light. His hair was long and so blonde it was almost white; his eyes 
      were a very light lavender colour. Even his skin seemed paler than 
      Darien's. Where Darien was serious, Serena was getting the feeling that 
      Diamond was lighter hearted. He smiled easier and just seemed more playful 
      than Darien.
      But she still wasn't that sure of him.
      "You're sure of my name, even though no one has told you," he suggested.
      "Get out of my head!" She got up and started stalking around the room. 
      "I'm sick of having everyone in my head! I can't even think things without 
      all of you knowing!"
      Diamond didn't move. He looked a little pole axed. "I'm sorry. I didn't 
      mean to. And just for the record, not all of us can get in your head."
      Serena still hadn't stopped pacing. After everything that had gone on, she 
      was so wound up she didn't think she'd be able to sit again for quite a 
      while. She vaguely remembered Darien saying something about having a link 
      with her, giving him access to her mind. So how was she linked with this 
      guy? "Ok. I'm getting sick of all this. First I'm approached by this guy 
      who tells me that he's my lover from countless ages who incidentally is a 
      vampire, then I find out that he slept with my supposed best friend from 
      one of those ages." She glared at Diamond. "And now you show up and poke 
      through my mind." Serena let out an anguished cry and stomped out of the 
      room. "I must be out of my mind to even be listening to you!"
      Diamond ran after her. "I'm sorry for making this harder on you. You 
      probably feel like you're going crazy." He took her hand and held her back 
      gently. "I just wanted to talk to you about a few things."
      She wrenched her arm out of his grip. "Talk about what? You keep saying 
      that and you still haven't said a thing that I've found interesting." She 
      stomped into her room and slammed the door.
      "Haven't you ever wondered why you feel so close to Darien? Why you've 
      never questioned a thing that he's told you?"
      After a long moment, Serena opened the door and blinked at him.
      He sighed, "Haven't you thought for one second that this whole thing is a 
      little bizarre?"
      She hadn't. Everything just seemed to fall into place and she accepted it 
      all. All those memories...the images were so vivid...
      "And they make it all the more real, don't they?" Diamond took her hand. 
      "Close your eyes."
      She looked at him suspiciously. "Why?"
      "Please."
      Serena did as she was asked and immediately found herself standing back in 
      the palace at Atlantis. Everything was the same, the scenery, and the 
      smells, even the feelings that overcame her as she looked up at the 
      buildings. She wandered for a while, looking around, getting reacquainted 
      with the place when a voice called from the hall.
      She walked out but saw no one. Puzzled, she looked around for a moment 
      before a pair of strong arms wound around her and pulled her tight. The 
      delight and comfort she felt in those arms was incomparable.
      "I love you," whispered the husky voice.
      "I love you too." Serena turned around to look up into Diamond's face.
      Her eyes snapped open and she glared at Diamond. "What are you doing?"
      "I'm showing you just how easily you could be fooled." He shook her 
      lightly, "Didn't that seem real?"
      It seemed all too real.
      She shook her head unbelievingly. "But all the other things..."
      Diamond hold on her hand tightened a little as he pulled her along. Within 
      seconds they were in Darien's gallery. It took a few seconds further, 
      thanks to a quick look into her mind, for Diamond to find out where the 
      door release was to reveal the hidden treasures.
      Serena took a wobbly step and pointed at the paintings of herself and 
      Darien. "See?" She pointed it out as much to him as to herself.
      Diamond brushed his hand lightly over her eyes so that they closed. "Now 
      open them again."
      She did and all the paintings depicted herself with Diamond. Serena gasped 
      and ran to them, flipping through the canvases one by one to find them all 
      the same. "Stop it!"
      Before her eyes, they changed again, but this time to pictures of Darien 
      and Raine.
      Serena fell to her knees now, her head was whirling wildly with disjointed 
      thoughts and memories. Her faith in Darien, now shaken to the core, was 
      all that she had left. And now even that had been taken from her. She 
      looked up at Diamond with tear-filled eyes. "Why?"
      "You needed to know how easily you could be manipulated." He whipped his 
      head as if he heard something. "Darien is returning. I can't stay much 
      longer." He helped Serena up and stood her limp form against a wall. "Just 
      remember that everything can be turned around on you. Don't be so quick to 
      trust what you think you know and feel." He gave her a lingering peck her 
      on the cheek and whispered, "I will find you if you need me." He pulled 
      back and looked at her again to see if she was taking any of this in.
      Serena saw Diamond's lips move again before he turned and hurried from the 
      room. She barely heard him.
      The betrayal she felt was shattering.
      If Diamond could do that to her mind that easily, it must have taken no 
      effort for Darien to do the same, if he was as powerful as they thought he 
      was.
      She could literally hear the walls of her world come crashing down around 
      her. The blood rushed through her ears and she felt faint. Would Darien do 
      such a thing? Why would he? What could be the motive for such a monumental 
      lie?
      She rubbed at her cold arms through her robe and then wiped away her 
      tears. Now that Diamond was gone she felt absolutely nothing. None of the 
      emotions she'd felt for Darien were left. The house, the art, even the 
      fairytale life she had held no worth, nothing.
      All she was left feeling was cold and hollow and devoid of life.
      She knew that Darien would be coming back soon and that she needed to make 
      a decision quick.
      Serena decided that Diamond had had the right idea. She needed to get out 
      of there before he returned. All she could think of was getting away. 
      Getting away from all of them. There was no way she was going to stay 
      there any longer.
      * Peristylium (peristyle in English) was the garden of the house. It was 
      incorporated into the house itself and was usually surrounded by columns 
      supporting the roof. In it were grown herbs and flowers, particularly 
      roses, violets and lilies it appears. Small statues and statuettes and 
      other ornamental artwork or outdoor furniture would adorn the space that 
      would be used as an outside dining area on sunny days.
      Hope you enjoyed it!