“The darkness...”

“Lilith...”

“Heresy...”

The whispers float across the room like knives. The elders stare at me. The King looks at me and I know it is going to happen before it happens. I can't prepare for it because I think everyone knows all hell is about to break loose.

This was supposed to be the day I announced my happiness but instead it was the day my happiness was going to be snatched away from me...forcibly by two twins I thought I should have trusted with my life.

“Take him...”

The order comes from the King and it seems like almost immediately every vampire in the room turns. Fangs come out. They are coming out because of fear.

I watched as the Countess Ira jumps across the table. The little girl tackles me to the ground. I rise as I try to throw her off of me. She's so strong. It doesn’t work! I feel immediately two others jump to her aid to try to restrain me.

That's when I realize JB is there.

JB picks up Ira and tosses her off of me. I manage to get the others off.

“JB back down!” I hear the King say.

“I'll die first.”

An elder vampire flies across the room. He soars through the sky with his fingers aimed at me. I duck out of the way just in time for him to miss me. As soon as he does JB hits him a few times with solid punches aiding in a rough landing.

It doesn't stop them, another vampire makes his way towards me fangs out and ready to bite into my neck. I duck under the table and when I see several vampires attempting to follow me under there I flip the entire table with all my strength throwing dishes and plates across the room.

It causes a little bit of a distraction but not enough.

“RUN!” I hear JB say.

He's fighting off a couple of vampires. He doesn't have any weapons. It's just hand to hand. He's fighting them using kickboxing to keep them at arm’s length before delivering massive blows to knock a few of them on their asses. JB is strong. Even the elder vampires are having trouble keeping him away. I feel something grab me at that moment.

I turn to my left and realize that it's Roman. His dirty clothing separates him from his brother.

I push Roman as hard as I can! He drags me with him and together we fall to the floor. Mark pulls him off of me quickly before instructing his brother in a loud angry voice, “Stay out of this!”

I don't know what Mark's motivations are now. He caused all of this and now he it was getting out of hand.

That's when I hear a scream. I turn.

It's Jackson.

Jackson is still being pinned down by 10 men. The ten men attempt to hold him down but he screams this amazing scream and springs his muscles up as hard as he can. The vampires are tossed off him onto the surrounding floor. Jackson charges towards me and I think he's going to tackle me but instead he takes down the Countess Ira who is coming at me from behind without my knowledge.

Chaos is going on all around me.

I struggle to aid JB who is still fighting off several vampires. I'm at his side scrapping, feeling my hands flail around in an attempt to help him no matter what it takes. I'm not as strong as JB but together we push them back. The more we fight the more I realize there are too many vampires and they are too strong. These are elder vampires. They don't stay down for long.

JB grabs one of them and swings him into the crowd of oncoming vampires. They fall back like bowling pins.

He grabs my hand, “We have to leave.”

“I'm not leaving Jackson,” I respond.

“We have to!”

I look over at Jackson. He's still fighting off the Countess Ira. The little is a ing beast and she has jumped on Jackson's back and is now making a desperate attempt to claw at his face. I am about to go help him but then I feel JB let out a scream from behind me.

I turn and realize JB's been knocked out. I see Bambam standing there.

“Bambam help me...”

Bambam stares at me. There is this look of disconnect there. He ignores my request but turns next to me, “Satyr now!”

That’s when I feel Satyr grab me from behind! She puts a ing stake to my ing throat! My heart is racing as I realize my friends have both me like this.

“I'm sorry...you're just...not one of us,” Satyr explains.

King Ecbert screams across the room, “Stop fighting Jackson. It's over!”

Jackson has finally gotten Countess Ira off of his back and flung her across the room like a rag doll. She is passed out clearly. There are other vampires littered around the room aching in pain mostly from having Jackson get at them.

It isn't until Jackson realizes that I'm being held by a stake and JB is knocked out on the ground that he finally stops fighting.

“He's my son Ecbert,” Jackson explains.

He doesn't address King Ecbert as King. I can tell he's attempting to invoke their friendship. Even as Jackson has his hands up right now I can tell there won't be any mercy granted here. Not today, not from these vampires who have finally completely me.

Just minutes ago they were here to celebrate me and now they were looking at me like they were horrified of me.

“And this is my city Jackson, I'm sorry,” King Ecbert argues back.

***

I'm placed in a dark cell for three days. Vampire jails aren't like human. Silver didn't have the same sort of effect it did on bull vampires from mythology, but it did burn my eyes if I stared at it too long for some reason. I have no one to talk to for the three days. I don't sleep for three days. I get three cups of blood for those three days but no one comes to visit. No one comes to see me. It isn't until that third day that I hear footsteps that are different from my jailer's. I jump up.

In a matter of moments, I see the King himself. He is escorted by King's guard but he tells them to leave. King Ecbert pulls up a chair. I look at him not understanding what this is all about.

“I'm sorry it came to this.”

“I'm no threat to you,” I explain to him.

King Ecbert smiles. I realize now he is a very handsome King. He's a very handsome man in general. He has the look of royalty. His curly long hair and his features seem to stick out from any man I've ever seen. He has a soothing smile when he looks at me for a minute I kind of think this man might actually be a gentle soul.

“You are,” he tells me reminding me that he's my enemy.

“I've been here for months.”

“You killed another O Type student,” he replies.

“I don't remember it,” I explain to him, “I lost control. Me and Mino had a long history. It was long and complicated. Please. You can't do this to me. I love JB. All I want to do is be with him.”

His smile gets even more gentler. You would think I was talking to an old friend by how King Ecbert is looking at me. It's so soft. It's so calm.

He folds his lips almost like you would pout right before disappointing a child, “I know you do.”

“Then why am I here.”

“Because of who you are,” the King explains to me, “Because of who your mother is. Before we came to Eden many vampires lived in Boston. The King back then his name was Emporio. I remember Lilith woke up back then. I remember her walking into the room. Everyone swallowed their hearts every step she took. I remember the deaths. I remember all of us running, dying. My friends and people who I considered my family...dying. I remember how she used people, turned them against one another. She used someone that I loved dearly. It was the worst time of my life. I'd never been so...afraid...”

Seeing someone like the King talk about fear was a strange thing. He is staring at the floor as he reminisces.

After a short break he continues, “She wasn't evil. They say that evil came into the world with Cain and Able. Cain was the first human born and Able was the first human to die. Those were supposed to be the origins of murder and the origins of evil. But this thing that walked into that room was something much darker...much older than evil. It was hard to describe it. Something darker than despair, hatred, jealousy, anger and resentment. This was Lilith...the darkest. And I've never been afraid of anything like I was afraid of Lilith and I don't ever want to be that afraid again...”

“You don't have to. I don't think Lilith can enter Eden.”

The King smiles, “I know she can't...”

I don't get it.

“Then why are you afraid. Lilith can't enter so you're safe. I'm not threat to you. Keep an eye on me. I promise all I want to do is be with your son. That's it.”

The king smiles, “It's not that easy. I'm sorry.”

“Please.”

“You had a trial already. All the elders already sentenced you. They said you were guilty.”

.

I had a trial and I didn't even get to attend