"That was my brother's car. He died a while back, but take a look if you want."
Griggs unstrapped the cover from the bottom bumper, only then realizing what was under it.
"My God..." Griggs's face went blank. "...It's Eleanor."
"I figured you'd say that." Karen smiled, helping him remove the car cover.
"Wanna go for a ride?" Griggs looked over at Karen.
"Hell yes."

((I WANT AN ELENOR!!!!  CURSE YOU!  FINE.  I shall give myself an S7.))))

After what seemed like a long day, the sun finally set. D got up and went to Joo-Eun's room.

"The sun is almost completely set, let's go."

"But what about it's final setting?"

"We're not cavemen, we have umbrellas and clothing to shield ourselves."

"Alright then."

The two headed out of the castle. When they were outside, they didn't even need their hoods or umbrellas, the trees of the forest were enough to block the low sun out. The duo began to search for Ashryn and Striker, knowing that they would eventually run into them.

Joo-Eun walked with D. She didn’t spend much time with the elder vampire so she was quite content to learn more about him. She hadn’t liked the idea of going out before it was fully dark but D seemed to know what he was doing.

“I’m sorry I brought Valiant to the coven but I didn’t know where else to go,” Joo-Eun confessed.

D’s nose crinkled but he didn’t seem angry anymore, “I understand. I just want him out as soon as possible.”

“He’s almost healed. He did endure a lot of pain.” Joo-Eun said realising it was an understatement.

“I’d image being run over by a truck to be somewhat excruciating.” D said with a smirk.

Unlike the werewolves, the vampires advanced senses were not as honed. D had exceptional eye sight but his sense of smell was nothing in comparison to a werewolf’s. It was fair superior to humans, whose blood he could smell miles off.

“Do you know where Ashryn and Striker might be?” Joo-Eun asked.

D shook his head, “I’m not sure but we must search.”

“There are slayers in town,” Joo-Eun told as they walked along.

D raised his head, “Any in particular that might specifically go for vampires?”

“I believe that one is a vampire human hybrid.” Joo-Eun said as she recalled the slayers at the Murk Motel shoot out.

“Than let us hunt for him,” D said as they turned back towards town as the sun finally set.

***

Valiant woke with a start then smiled his slumber during the day had rejuvenated him for the evening. He stood and stretched feeling as good as new. His desire to hunt was strong due to the amount of effort it had taken his body to heal. He also needed new clothes. He noticed that Joo-Eun had left him some.

Valiant slipped into the leather pants, black shirt and black leather jacket. He noticed his guns were gone. It wasn’t surprising. He remembered enough to know he was in D’s coven. The old bastard wouldn’t have allowed him to keep his weapons.

With the need to feed, Valiant strode out of the coven building as if he owned it. He paid no heed to the guards. He simply pulled a sword from an ornate wall mount and slashed their throats as he passed. They’d heal and he needed some breakfast.

Daphne’s anger didn’t really fade as she drove around the streets of Murk Valley. She was on the outskirts when she had to brake suddenly. A man with long white hair had run across the road in front of her. There was no way that Daphne wanted her Lamborghini dinted. As Daphne pulled the Diablo to a stop she looked out her windscreen to see a familiar face. It was Valiant.

Daphne got out of the car and watched him grin, “Want to play little wolf?”

“No I want to speak to your boss,” Daphne said as she closed the door of the Diablo and locked it. The twerp wasn’t going to steal her car.

Valiant took hold of his sword which he’d had hanging from the leather of his belt. “I don’t have a boss. But I know I sure am hungry. Wolf blood is sounding rather refreshing for a change.”

Daphne moved her hand towards the Uzi at her side. “I told you I don’t want to play.”

Valiant grinned maniacally, “Oh but I do.” He swung the sword at her and Daphne ducked and shot at him with the Uzi. He quickly backed around her car, knowing that she wouldn’t fire at it.

“Face me like a man, you creep!” Daphne snarled as she followed him. She took her short sword in hand and placed the Uzi back in its holster.

Valiant lunged at her and she blocked the blow with her sword. “I prefer to fight like a vampire.” With that he leapt over her head to land behind her.

Daphne whipped around as he grabbed her arm and bit down. She screamed then kicked him in the guts. The result meant his fangs tore through both her leather jacket and the flesh of her arm. “You ruined my jacket!” she growled as she swung the sword at him.

Valiant rolled, “It makes you look fat anyway.”

Daphne growled and pivoted, the sword landed where Valiant’s head had been only moments before.

“I want to know where D is,” Daphne demanded.

“You sure don’t know how to make friends, do you?” Valiant said as he laughed. He ran with super fast speed to get behind her, grabbed her by her jacket collar and bit down on the side of her neck.

Daphne thumped him with an elbow then twisted the sword around to plunge it through Valiant’s chest as he stood behind her. He gasped and dropped to his knees. It wasn’t a killing blow but it had hurt him.

Daphne touched her neck, as the wound was pumping blood out furiously. He’d torn an artery in her neck. She had to change otherwise she’d die. Daphne shifted into her humanoid wolf form and pulled her blade from Valiant’s chest. Her own blood coated her left side and Valiant looked at her like he wanted to consume her.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Daphne growled as she stabbed him again.

“I don’t give a fu-“ Valiant started but Daphne twisted the blade in the wound. “His coven is in town.”

“Where?” Daphne snarled as she pushed the sword in deeper.

“Maxwell Street,” Valiant said as she gripped the sword in his hands, cutting them in the process, but pulled the sword from his wound and flinging Daphne back.

He jumped on her so she fell to her back. “Now little wolfie, you’re going to give me your blood.”

Daphne tried to grab the sword but it was just out of reach. She tried to throw Valiant off but she’d already lost too much blood. Daphne feared that she was about to die.

Daphne had reverted back to her human form as she sat in the passenger seat of her Diablo. She was loath to let anyone else drive it but under the circumstances she doubted that she could.

She felt light headed and somewhat disorientated. “Thanks Nikoli,” she wheezed as they pulled into the garage.

He got out of the car to assist her. Nikoli helped her out of the car and to her feet. Daphne knew she had to look a mess. Her clothes were shredded in various places from both the fight with Valiant and the transformation. Her own blood coated all of her left side. “I need to go get some sleep,” she told Nikoli.

“Okay, I’ll take you back to your quarters.” Nikoli said in response.

Daphne noticed that one of Nathaniel’s crates was still in the car park, she hoped she wouldn’t come across him in her current state.

Audrey was pulled along by the two vampires. She felt torn to leave John behind. He had been her only friend for some time and she hoped she wasn’t going to regret her decision.

***

Joo-Eun and D heard the screams and snarls and quickly headed in that direction. “That better not be Ashryn,” D growled as he drew closer.

The shouts and noise ceased and it took Joo-Eun and D a little while to find the scene they were looking for. Valiant was pinned to a tree with a sword through him. Joo-Eun ran over to check him. “He’s not dead,” she told.

“That’s a shame,” D replied as he sneered at the other male vampire.

Joo-Eun removed the sword from Valiant’s body and he dropped to the ground. Joo-Eun slapped Valiant across the face a few times to wake him. Valiant snarled and bared his bloody teeth. Then he recognised who was in front of him. “Joo-Eun, where’s the werewolf?”

Joo-Eun shrugged, “We only found you.”

Valiant let out a few choice words as he spotted D. “What do you want old man? Are you in league with the wolves? The fem was looking for you.”

Valiant was angry at Joo-Eun, how dare she side with that old fool D. It wasn’t that surprising since the old man was the leader of her coven. Still Valiant had expected more loyalty from his partner in crime.

As he walked along the gaping wound in his chest healed and he felt the thirst. He walked into town, his clothes bloody and torn, and made his way into the darker alleys to prey on the unfortunate beings that were nestled there.

Valiant found himself a group of thugs waiting for a victim of their own. Valiant smiled as he approached them with silent steps. He picked up a can and threw it with supernatural force down the alley so they’d be distracted. The first two stepped forward as Valiant snagged the large man at the rear of the group. Valiant leapt with his prey in toe to land on a rooftop and take his fill of blood. His hand covered the mouth of his victim so the others wouldn’t hear his scream.

Once the large man was drained Valiant felt much better but he wanted more. He went after the other two men. When it was over Valiant decided he needed a cleaner and less motley outfit. He removed the shirt and jacket off one man while keeping his own leather pants.

Valiant still had the sword he had stolen from D’s coven and decided he wanted to play with the wolves once more. The dark one, Nikoli, needed to die.

Once Daphne was alone in her room she took the time to strip off her various weapons and boots. Then she took off her beloved leather jacket next. She was devastated that her favourite jacket was ruined. Not only was the sleeve torn but her blood had washed over most of it. She dropped it on the floor refusing to care. She looked at her wounded arm and flinched. It was a mess.

Valiant had taken a chunk out and although it was healing it didn’t look pretty, nor did it feel any better.

Daphne walked into her small bathroom and looked at herself. She looked like an extra from a horror movie. Her shirt was stained a dark red and even when she removed it her white bra and also suffered the same fate. She touched her fingers to her neck and winced. It didn’t look as bad as her arm but it certainly was sore.

Daphne finished removing her clothes and showered. She made sure that the water wasn’t too hot as she didn’t want to start bleeding again. Adrenaline had kept the pain at bay for a time but now Daphne was starting to feel every ache and stab of pain.

She dressed in a simple satin nightie and started for bed. There was a knock at her door and she staggered over and opened it. Paul looked at her in shock.

"I...we should stop." Griggs looked Karen over again, putting his arm on her side. "Well, Maybe once mor-"

She grabbed him around the neck and pulled him closer. "I've never met anyone quite like you Griggs...I think I'm in love."

"With a slayer?" Griggs raised a brow.

"Yeah, a slayer." Karen put her very essence and soul into the kiss she gave him. "You kiss pretty good for a halfling."

"So do...you. Karen, I...I need someone, I've been alone all my life."

Karen looked at Griggs, "You alone? I’m sure you’ve had to fight off the female attention."

Griggs chuckled feeling elated, "No not me. I’m a pretty boring in the looks department."

"Not to me," Karen said as she moved in closer.

Griggs raised a hand and place it over her lips, he would like to continue kissing her but Nathaniel would be starting to wonder where he was. "How about we continue this later?"

Karen kissed him on the hand. "Okay, but you’ve got to promise."

"I promise," Griggs said then as an afterthought, "By the way, can I borrow this car?"

As weary and achy as Daphne was she reached out and took Paul into a comforting embrace. She winced at the pain it caused her but she understood how Paul was feeling. She’d been devastated when Thomas had died. It must only be magnified for Paul being so close to the Luna Eclipse.

As much as Daphne wanted to help Paul she really needed to rest. She wondered who he could talk to and then it came to her. “Paul why don’t go talk to Fran? She’s old and wise. She helped me find Anita, perhaps she can help you.”

Paul stood back, glad for the moment’s comfort, “I guess so.”

Daphne smiled wickedly, “Otherwise you could always find comfort in a human’s arms. They have no idea you’re an Omega.”

Paul nodded and walked away seemingly lost in thought. Daphne closed the door behind him and returned to her bed.  She gasped as she lay down, as the pain was certainly getting worse. The adrenaline was most certainly gone.

Eventually sleep came but it was quickly disturbed as she rolled on her left side and let out a screech. “Oh my God, that hurt.” She said as she took a few deep breaths and held her arm. She turned on the light to see the wound was now seeping.

There was a knock on her door, “What now?” she muttered as she held her wounded arm.

Daphne was somewhat surprised to see Nathaniel at her door. “I’ve been better,” she didn’t want to improvise as she was certain that Nathaniel would give her a Told you so speech. “I didn’t run over a vampire because I didn’t want to dent the Diablo. He ruined my jacked and left me a few bit marks in return. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going back to bed.”

She went to shut the door but Nathaniel grabbed it and held it open, “You went looking for D, didn’t you?”

She looked at him with annoyance, “Yeah but I found Valiant instead.”

“Valiant?” Nathanial asked.

“Yeah the blonde dude who shot at us at the Murk Motel, the one that Griggs ran over.” Daphne pointed out and winced as she turned her head slightly.

Nathaniel reached out to touch her jaw and moved her head to the side slightly, “He fed on you?”

“Not for long,” Daphne replied as she gritted her teeth. She was weary and in pain but even so she had to stop herself from drinking in the sight of Nathaniel at her doorway. She’d be glad when the Luna Eclipse was over, however she knew things were going to get much worse hormone wise. She knew that she was only standing in her navy blue satin nightgown. It was short and didn’t really leave much to the imagination. She’d worn it because it was easy to put on. She suddenly felt self conscious. “I’m going back to bed,” then she paused. “Don’t rule out D, Valiant isn’t part of his coven.”