[Evil Tink]

Serus sighed as she felt the eyes of 10 councilmen staring down at her. She stopped at the center of the room, "I appreciate you guys coming here on such short notice." She gave a slight bow then continued, "I have grave news..."

A female with brown hair and sharp red eyes interrupted her, "Just who do you think you are Serus?"

She tilted her head, stunned, "E-excuse me?"

"What the hell possessed you to do that? Layla is unstable, and yet, after your first failure to destroy her, we sent you, along with our best after her once more. Then when you failed once more you decided to..keep her contained? Pardon me for being furious. Serus, your actions are treasonous."

Serus stood, flabbergasted. How'd they find out about that? No one knew about that, not even Jaelynn. "Who told you this? You know very well I would never do such a thing. Who is your source?" She didn't need an answer, in the back of her mind she already knew but refused to accept it.

[Bovice]

Seth got out of the shower. "God that was amazing." He said as he started to dry off. "Hopefully today will be uneventful." He said as he left the bathroom. "Wow she got my stuff here fast." He said as he saw his stuff nicely put around his room. "Ahh my favorite shirt." He said as he grabbed the shirt. He got dressed the rest of the way. "I think I'll go check on Serus, and see how she's doing." He thought to himself with a smile on his face.

He went to Serus' door and knocked. "Serus?" He said nicely. "Serus are you there?" He said as he slowly open the door. "Serus?" He said as he walked into the room. He noticed that she wasn't in her bed. He ran to the bathroom to see if she was in there but wasn't. "Where is she?" He wondered to himself. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited for her.

He waited for a few minutes and she wasn't back yet. He started to worry. He got up and ran all over the house but couldn't find her. Seth ran into Felix's room. "Felix. Have you seen Serus?" He asked worried.
"No I haven't." Felix said nervous.
"Felix your lieing to me." He said angry.
"No I'm not." He said starting to sweat.
"YES YOU ARE!" He said yelling.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but I saw her and a woman outside and then they just vanished." Felix said scared to see Seth's reaction.

"GRR Why didn't you fucking tell me!?" He yelled slamming his fist through the wall.
"I thought you had a lot on your mind." Felix said worried.
"Damn it Felix. I LOVE HER!!" He said shocked at what he just said.
"Oh dear." Felix said flabbergasted.
"(Sigh) Did you see which way they went?" He asked somewhat calmly.
"I'm sorry sir but they vanished." He said concerned.
"Thank you Felix." Seth said with a sigh as he left the room. Seth went back into Serus' room and sat back on the bed waiting for her to return.

"He loves her." Felix said stunned after Seth left the room.

[Evil Tink]

Suddenly, a blonde haired woman appeared in front of Seth. Her arms bent with her hands clasped together just below her chest. Her fingers played with the bracelet on her right wrist while her soft blue eyes just staring at him. "I know you are aware of what's happening with the discovery of the Raksasha's, but my Mistress told me to make sure the gravity of the situation was clear."

She sighed, shifting her weight to one side, "You are Seth, the leader of the Augustins correct?" She nodded, and answered for him, "Yes. Let me introduce myself, I am Jaelynn Antinori; it's a pleasure to meet the new leader of the Augustins. Now, what do you know about the situation at hand? I don't want to waste your time with things you already know."

[Bovice]

"Holy shit!" Seth said as a blonde woman appeared in front of him. He sat there waiting to answer. "Well to tell you the truth I don't know much, why?" He asked wondering. "Wheres Serus? Is she ok?" Seth asked as he stood up.

[Evil Tink]

Jaelynn stepped back, giving him a stern look, "Serus is busy with a Council meeting; she's fine." She paused for a bit, then continued, "I don't really have time to explain everything, so I'll try to keep it short. The Raksasha's were a powerful clan of vampires that specialized in elemental control. They're power rivaled my own coven's.

"With the Raksasha's being such a severe threat to our species' secrecy, they had to be taken care of. Thanks to Serus and a few key other vampires, the Raksasha's were..eliminated. Or so we thought. Layla and Dragos, her partner, had advanced healing abilities, regenerating lost body parts and organs. Why they took so long to reveal themselves, we're unsure."

She sighed again, "You are not to engage these vampires. If you encounter them, flee any way possible and report the location you saw them to the Council immediately. Understand?" After a moment, she could pick up on his tension about Serus, "I can take you to the Manor where she is meeting the Council, if you wish to speak to her after the meeting."

[Bovice]

Seth listened intently to the woman. When she said "You are not to engage these vampires. If you encounter them, flee any way possible..." he thought to himself "That asshole Dragos I can take him." He snapped out of his thoughts when she asked him if he wanted to see her. "Yes I want to see her." He said as nicely as he could. He was mad that she left without telling him.

[Evil Tink]

She nodded, holding out her slender hand, "You mustn't interrupt the meeting, no matter what you might hear. Understand?"

[Bovice]

"I understand." He said grabbing her hand nervously.

[Evil Tink]

Jaelynn smiled, gathering up her power. The air around them became incredibly light, making it seem as if they were floating even though their feet were still on the ground. "If this is your first time teleporting, I would suggest closing your eyes, else you might throw up."

Her eyes started to glow brightly as the air began to swirl around them quickly and somewhat violently. The air suddenly became hot, vibrating rapidly, until there was nothing. Just an empty darkness. Not even half a second later, their vision had returned as they came to their location.

They landed only a few feet away from the large, ornate door. It was at least 8 feet tall with the Antinori clan symbol very elegantly engraved into the the dark cherry-wood. She let his hand go, the glow from her eyes fading. "We are here."

Just as they arrived, Jaelynn could sense a great disturbance with Serus. She turned slightly, her eyes glowing very softly as she held her hand to the door, amplifying the sounds in the conference room, but only allowed her and Seth to hear. She quickly began to worry as the conversation continued:

"E-excuse me?" Came Serus' voice

"What the hell possessed you to do that? Layla is unstable, and yet, after your first failure to destroy her, we sent you, along with our best after her once more. Then when you failed once more you decided to..keep her contained? Pardon me for being furious. Serus, your actions are treasonous." Came another female voice.

Serus spoke again, her worry apparent, "Who told you this? You know very well I would never do such a thing. Who is your source?"

[Bovice]

Seth gently closed his eyes as he was told. He felt the whooshing of the teleportation. Within a few seconds he was standing in front of a large door. "We are here." She said. Seth nodded at her. Within seconds he felt that Serus was upset. He wanted to go in there, but he didn't know what the repercussions would be.

Seth all of a sudden heard Serus like she was standing next to him. He looked at Jaelynn and saw her eyes glowing. "I wonder what they are talking about." "Who told you this? You know very well I would never do such a thing. Who is your source?" Seth heard Serus. He could tell she was worried. He took a step forward and reached for the handle.

[Evil Tink]

"Answer me Kitra!" Serus shouted, her power lashing out and smashing an empty chair near the back of the room.

Jaelynn jumped slightly, but kept quiet. "Something is definitely wrong here...I can hardly get a read on Serus' emotions," she whispered to Seth, "Seth..can you sense it? That..coldness."

Suddenly, the air in the room got ice cold. Serus' heart sunk, and if had been beating, it would've stopped. She took a tentative step back, her eyes narrowed in panicked suspicion.

The other female made no sound, nor indication she was going to answer. None of the Council did.

Serus sensed someone else in the room, something she couldn't believe she missed before. "No.. no no..this..isn't possible..."

A pale, white haired woman stepped from the shadows, releasing her shield, allowing Serus to sense her. "Did you miss me?"

Serus was wrought with terror for the first time in her life since her first encounter with Keiara. "What the hell is going on here!? Why are you just sitting there? Layla's right there!"

One of the male vampires stood, then the rest followed him up. "By forcing her into a deep coma and keeping her locked away for your own personal study, you disobeyed direct orders from your Master, and from the will of your race. Either redeem yourself, or die."

Then it was only Serus and Layla in the room.

Jaelynn shook slightly as a tremor of terror wracked Serus' body. "What is going on in there? Dare I enter?" She bit her lip, unsure of what to do. "Wait..who..is..." Her hand dropped, silence over coming both their ears. "How did she get in here? Seth," she looked over, "it's...Layla."

She quickly grabbed onto the door, but quickly let go with a loud hiss, "It's cold as ice." She held her hand over the door, analyzing it with her mind, "There's a powerful barrier around the door..it won't open unless Layla wants it too."

Suddenly, her form blurred, as if vibrating at high speeds, which was essentially what she was doing. After a moment, it stopped with a soft curse from the blonde vampire, "I can't teleport either. Seth, we have to get in there."

[Bovice]

Seth was worried about Serus when he heard the chair break. "I can't get a read either." Seth said scared. "Seth..can you sense it? That..coldness."
Jaelynn said. "Layla!" He said to himself. "Layla!!!" They said at the same time. "I know Jaelynn!" Seth said as he kicked the door. But it didn't budge. "If Layla is here that means, Dragos must be..."
"That's right." A voice said as he grabbed Seth.

Seth went flying and crashed through the stair rails. "Dragos you son of a bitch." Seth said getting up.
"Yes. How have you been you little piss-ant?" Dragos said with a huge laugh.
"Fuck you!" Seth said as he lunged at Dragos.
"Hahaha." Dragos said as he grabbed Seth in mid air. "Your going to have to do better then that." Dragos said as he threw Seth at the wall.
"Damn it! Jaelynn get in there and help Serus, I have this asshole." Seth demanding as he got up.

"Oh honey you don't wanna go in there." Dragos said looking at Jaelynn.
"I wonder if that will work. I need to try." Seth thought as he jumped on Dragos and bit his neck and started to drink his blood.
"Ahh you little fucker." Dragos said as he threw Seth off of his neck.
Seth landed on the ground. "Well I certainly do feel more powerful." He said as he got up.
"You little bitch I can't believe you did that." Dragos said as he healed his neck wounds.

"I wonder what I can do now." Seth said concentrating.
"Don't you even try it." Dragos said as he ran towards Seth. But he got thrown into the big door with a huge boulder.
"Sweet." Seth said as he saw what happened to Dragos. "Why thank you sir. I love my new found power." Seth said as he felt his ribs heal up fast. "I have to kill him soon." Seth said to himself.

Dragos got up and ran at Seth. "I hope you are ready to die." He said as he went for Seth's head to make it explode. Seth dodged it. "That little fucker." Dragos Thought to himself as he flipped and landed on his feet.
"To quote you Dragos. This will be fun." Seth said mocking Dragos.
"Don't you dare mock me you bitch." Dragos said very angry.
"What are you gonna do about it?" Seth said sarcastically.
"This." Dragos said as he ran at Seth to burn his arm.
"You really like to play the running game don't you Dragos." Seth said as he barely dodged Dragos' attack.

Seth saw a pistol in the back of Dragos' pants and he eaisily grabbed it when he was dodging him. "Ahh a beautiful gun, but I never really got into guns." Seth said as Dragos landed on the ground. "Now let me tell you why." Seth said as he cocked the gun. "Its a messy weapon." He said as he shot Dragos' new arm.

"Fuck!!!!" Dragos screamed as he was shot. "You bastard." he said as he grabbed his arm.
"See? I told you. There is blood everywhere." Seth said with a smirk.
"How dare you use my own weapon against me?" Dragos said as he leaned close to the ground in pain.
"Do you really wanna know?" Seth asked as he walked closer to Dragos. "Do you?" Seth asked as he Enzuigiri kicked Dragos in the head. "Dragos? Why aren't you answering me? It's so rude." Seth said as he shot Dragos' good arm.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Dragos yelled as he was shot again.
"Hahaha! You disappoint me Dragos you know that? You ask me questions and I answer them. I ask you questions, but you don't answer me. Why is that?" Seth said as he stepped back and punted Dragos in the head. "Ahh you rudeness is overwhelming Dragos." Seth said as he shot Dragos a third time, but this time in the left knee.
"YOU FUCKER!" Dragos said in immense pain.

"I guess this is the only way to get you to talk to me. Its actually kind of sad." Seth said with a fake pout. "Dragos Dragos Dragos." Seth said as he stomped on Dragos' face breaking his nose. "Mmmm, I love the sounds of bones braking in the morning." Seth said with an maniacal laugh. "So why did you and Layla wait this long to attack Serus?" Seth asked pondering what the answer is. "Well Dragos?" Seth asked as he shot Dragos in the right knee.

"Oh man look at all of that blood on the floor. You are a bleeder, but we already know that because of the roof. Now don't we?" Seth said with an evil smirk. "Ahh you are rude bastard." Seth said as he dropped kicked Dragos in the head. "Now would you look at that you got blood on my favorite shirt." Seth said as he put the gun in the back of his pants. Seth got on top of Dragos with both of Seth's knees on Dragos' arms.

"GAH!!" Dragos yelled as Seth got on top of him.
"Well lets have some fun." Seth said as he punched Dragos in the face. Dragos was getting hurt so fast that he wasn't able to heal. Seth kept punching Dragos in the face for a few minutes. "Are you having fun yet? Cause I know I am." Seth said as he stopped punching Dragos' black and blue bloody face.

"You know what? I need a little rest and so do you." Seth said as he pulled out Dragos' gun and put it against Dragos' head and pulled the trigger. Blood flew all over the place most of it landing on Seth. Seth got up and walked over to the stairs and sat down. "Whew I don't know about you but I am beat." Seth said with a smirk as he pulled out a cloth to wipe some of the blood off of his face.

"We will sit here and rest for a little bit." Seth said with a very evil laugh.

[Evil Tink]

Layla’s eyes narrowed, “Your little lap dog can’t help you now Serus. I’ve got this place completely sealed off. And don’t you even think of trying to escape, my hold on this room is unbreakable. You can’t hope to beat me Serus, so let’s make a deal. Join me. Surrender your coven to me and I will spare your life, Jaelynn, and Seth. How does that sound?”

She cackled, jumping down and landing in front of Serus, her face centimeters from the other vampire, “You are quite amazing Serus. It’s a shame to kill such a unique creature.” Her hand gently touched Serus’s cheek as her eyes became black, her irises glowing an icy blue as her pupils shrank away. “Keiara was smart to turn a witch. Strigoi viu’s are rare, powerful, and beautiful creatures. In a couple years, your power would grow to match mine, perhaps even surpass me again.”

Serus trembled violently as Layla touched her. She quickly hissed, baring her fangs, “Don’t touch me!” A cold, deadening sensation traveled from her cheek down her body, causing her legs to collapse underneath her. “I would never accept that proposal Layla. I would rather be burned alive!”

Suddenly, there were gunshots outside causing Serus to jump a bit. Why was Layla’s grip so powerful? She should not have this much power so soon after their battle on the roof. Serus extended her mind to outside the conference room, searching for Jaelynn and Seth, finding them both alive she quickly focused back at Layla. “You know Layla, I now know why your mother hated you. You are an evil creature, inside and out. She was smart to break off from the Raksasha’s and rival them with her own.”

Jaelynn pounded her fist on the door, sending a powerful blast of telekinetic power along it. Nothing happened other than the attack backfired and sent her to the opposite wall. “Serus!” Her connection to Serus’s body and emotions was greater than any other vampire in the coven. Serus was in danger; she was still low on power, having only fed on one human. She repeated her assault on the door again, only to get the same result.

She had to get in there. Now.

She couldn’t help but panic a bit. The seal on the door was so strong, she knew she couldn’t break it or teleport around it. She would have to find a weak spot on one of the walls, but that would take too long. Hold on Serus…I will get in there…

She gathered up all the power she could spare, focusing it to teleport into the room. She also began to manipulate her own body structure to make it easier for her to pass through the wall and hopefully the shield. She would have to be careful. She only had one shot and if she failed, she would die.

Layla grabbed Serus by the neck and hoisted her off the ground, her claws digging into Serus’s flesh, “You shut your mouth or I will sew it shut. My mother was a fool to leave us. No matter how hard you guys tried, you could not defeat us. Even with her greatest accomplishment; destroying my entire coven and my father, she still failed miserably. Now I can rebuild my coven with even stronger vampires.”

She opened her jaws, her fangs hovering over Serus’s neck for a second, before she lifted her face, her hair turning to match the color of Serus’s, “I think, that after I kill you, I will destroy your coven and your image. Seth will despise you and your poor mother will be rolling in her grave, and your lovely little Jaelynn will perish.” Soon, her facial structure and height matched Serus’s, even her blinded eyes. “They will never know that it’s me.”

Serus was suddenly furious. No one ever threatened Jaelynn’s life and lived. She grabbed onto Layla’s arms, tiny telekinetic needles shooting out from her fingers forcing Layla to let her go.

As she was released, she forced herself to step back away from Layla, her face angling downward so her hair covered her face. The gravity around her became low; her hair floating about her in a haunting manner as her power suddenly began to sky rocket to meet Layla’s.

Jaelynn froze, sensing something incredible in the council room, dropping her power and waiting. She couldn’t simply just burst in there, if her plan would’ve worked. She would’ve been crushed from the sheer volume of power being thrown around. “Seth! Please, I can’t get this door open by myself. I have to help her!” She threw a few more telekinetic attacks at the door, “Break damn you! Wait!” She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

Astral projection was a rare ability, regardless of the vampire. Jaelynn was lucky enough to have it. She didn’t use it often, as it was very taxing. She placed her hand on the door, focusing her energy to her spirit before dispelling it from her body. Layla was not prepared to deal with such a move, and therefore, her shield would not be either.

It was her only hope to help out Serus.

Her spirit managed to get through the door, but even now, she couldn’t do much. She could, however, supply Serus with enough spare power to perhaps win the battle. Her wispy form made way across the room, broken chairs and tables littered the floor, which she simply passed right through. She stood behind Serus, placing her hands on her shoulders, ”I will spare every last bit I can, but this is all I can do. I hope it will jump start your recharging as well.”

She focused intently on Serus and transferring her power. Once she could spare no more, her spirit was sucked back into her body. Once it merged, she was thrown back into the wall, unconscious.

Layla staggered backwards, “W-what the hell is this? Where is this power coming from?” She snarled, lunging forward at Serus only to be blocked by a solid wall of telekinesis. She felt something grab onto her body and squeeze.

Serus let out a deep growl, looking up as Layla jumped, throwing up a wall of telekinesis then wrapping it around her tightly. “Unlike you, because I’m a witch, I can draw power from others, whether they like it or not. I may have needed a little boost from Jaelynn, but once my power was restored, I could then tap into yours. I will show you the true extent of my power.”

Serus stepped forward, her eyes glowing a bright, pale rose color, “Enough of this useless verbal exchange. Layla Raksasha, you will finally taste death.”

Suddenly, Layla’s head was thrown back as a telekinetic fist pushed her chin up so hard, it broke her neck at the base of her skull. Layla yelled out as she could feel something pulling apart her tendons and muscles, shredding them completely. “You are not stronger than me Serus! You can’t keep this up forever!” But she had the feeling that Serus was indeed stronger as she could feel her own power being pulled from her body.

Serus snarled, throwing Layla to the ground and pouncing her, telekinetic shell kept the vampire still. “So as long as you keep providing me with the power I need, you will die. I may not be able to match you on my own yet, but I don’t need to" She grinned, whipping dried blood from her face with her left hand, as she was sure the ongoing slaughtering of Layla’s insides was going to kill her shortly.

Layla saw her chance. She may not be able to physically move, but she could still use her power. She forced some of her blood to gather at the puncture wounds, then sent a large invisible needle of power shooting into Serus’s wrist, dead center on the brand. Shortly after, the needle of blood dove into her flesh. “You shouldn’t have procrastinated Serus.”

Serus howled out in pain, her hold on Layla quickly fading as she rolled off, holding her wrist with great agony. How could she have been so careless? She continued to scream as Layla’s blood began to spread through her veins. As it happened, her veins began to turn black, the occurrence slowly spreading up her arm causing great pain.

She had to get it under control, but it was such a strong reaction, thanks to Layla’s age. She clawed at her arm, trying to tear away the sensation, even though she knew it wouldn’t work. She gathered up what power she could focus, having full intentions to cut off her arm. Suddenly, her power left her, and all she could do was suffer. She couldn’t sense Layla in the room, as she had fled. ”Jae…”

Jaelynn awoke a few minutes later to a throbbing head, “Why do walls have to be so solid…?” She groaned as she stood, her back sore as well. Suddenly, she was alert, hearing the screams of Serus in the council room. “Serus!” She recognized the spell laced in the brand as it became strong enough so she could sense it.

She pounded her fist hard on the door, surprised to see it fling open. Without the door muffling the sound Serus made, she almost had to plug her ears. She quickly rushed over, trying to hold Serus still, “Seth! Get over here!” Her eyes glowed softly as she used a bit of power to silence Serus’s screams. She sighed, trying to hold Serus still, “It doesn’t help to move Serus. Focus…separate her blood from yours. You’ve done this hundreds of times with me.”

[Bovice]

Seth heard Jaelynn hit the wall. "Shit I need to help Serus." He said as he quickly got up and ran over to Dragos. "Its time to die Dragos." Seth said as he jumped on top of him and bit his neck. Seth sucked until he knew Dragos' blood was almost gone. He pulled out the knife he had hidden on his ankle. "You will burn in hell." Seth said as he jammed the knife into Dragos' throat.

"Layla... Layla... I'm dieing right now. Please kill this piss ant Seth for me. I love you. I alw..." Dragos couldn't finish his message to Layla before Seth cut off his head.

"There you fucker now you'll rot in hell. Seth said as he jammed the knife into Dragos' chest. Seth got up when he heard Serus' screams.

"Serus!" Seth said as he ran into the room where Serus and Jaelynn were. "Serus? Serus? What's wrong with her Jaelynn?" Seth asked almost crying. "What can I do to help her?" He asked scared.

[Evil Tink]

Jaelynn gripped Serus's face, forcing her to look at her with a glare, "Serus Marie!" She snarled a bit, looking to Seth, "I don't know what it is she's told you about her past, but that mark on her arm is dangerous. The brand contains a dangerous spell, and when activated, this happens..sometimes worse. Either way, we need to get Layla's blood separated from her own, or wait it out."

She sighed, swinging her leg over so she was sitting on top of Serus, her forehead touching her Master's as she closed her eyes and tried to focus what little power she had left. "I'm not sure the exact..details behind the spell, but I know it was used as punishment for disobedient slaves. It was very effective back in the day, as you can tell." Jaelynn was so calm, considering the situation, "If it lasts too long, it will reach her heart, straining it beyond belief until it tears, or something else extremely violent. Since she is a vampire, she would most likely survive, but I'm not about to chance that." The spreading of the blackening veins slowed to almost a complete stop. "As for what you can do, I'm not sure if there's anything you can do."

Serus clenched her eyes shut, feeling Jaelynn's hands on her face. She tried to focus through the pain, especially when she heard Seth. He was so upset. She could feel Jaelynn's power pulling apart the different blood types in her arm, while being careful to not tear anything too severely.

[Bovice]

Seth was shocked at what Jaelynn said. "I'll will do anything to help." He said as he grabbed Serus' hand "Serus I don't know if you can hear me but I love you." He said starting to cry. Seth put his hand on Jaelynn's shoulder. "Here take some of my power." As Seth did that he pushed his power into both Jaelynn and Serus. He stopped when he felt his power almost gone. He kissed Serus' hand to let her know that he was still there.