Chapter 2

Drake’s POV:

          Hate-this word could be used for many things, and this is only one of the many words to describe how I feel towards Astra. There are also other words to describe how I feel towards her; disgust, despise. She makes my blood boil at the very thought of her, my eyes burn just to look at her. Those deep black eyes are like poison to my very soul… metaphorically.

I couldn’t help but look into the face of the one vampire I would forever hate: Astra Rossi. If not for her stupid brainless vampire of a father, mine would still be here. The hatred that I have for her burns in me like a fire in hell. She was going to pay for what her family did to mine, and she was going to suffer like they did. I would eventually get her alone and kill her slowly watching the life blood drain from her body, as she begged for it to end. She was the hate that ran through my blood, that made me the skilled fighter I am today, that motivated me for revenge.

          “Drake, dear…” Lillith said in a soft smooth voice. Lillith was my mother and the only family I had left. “who were you staring at?” I had just turned around from watching Astra’s strange face as I sensed she was trying something on me, so I smirked at her weak effort. “None mother. Just a vampire who will soon die.” I sneered. “Oh, my dear sweet Drake. You will finally be able to seek your revenge for you father in due time, but as of now you must learn to keep your anger in check.” She stroked my hair lovingly as she spoke. “Believe me mother, I know.” I smirked at the thought of ripping those Rossi’s to shreds.

          We were walking back to our so called “home” when I heard Valen and Mira talking amongst themselves. “Why didn’t you let me tear his throat out!” Valen said with disgust. “Because it would cause a war, and we aren’t ready for a war, Valen. Even you know this. Causing a war with the Rossi clan would be the worst move…possible.” They silenced when they noticed I was eavesdropping on them. Mira’s eyes were intent on me as I walked past, and then she turned to look back at Valen.

          “Drake!” a male voice called from behind me. I turned knowing already who it was, “Yes, Ronan?” I asked with annoyance. “Why the hell were you staring at Astra?” “Why do you care?” “I don’t. You know I could care less about that Rossi coven.” He said their names like it was poison in his mouth. “Well, then if you hate them so much then I would recommend you stop asking about them.” I sneered and took off into the woods.

          So many thoughts were going through my head, but the strongest thought was the image of Astra, her long slender body and flowing long black hair was the last image imprinted on my mind. Trying to get the picture to fade from my memory, I took off running and was soon on the outskirts of the forest. It had only taken me minutes to run what would take a human hours, it was exhilarating in a way but also frustrating. Trying to run away from an image or problem was definitely not the easiest thing to do when you could be here and then the next moment miles away in seconds.

          What frustrated me the most was the fact that Astra’s father, Antonio, was the cause of all the disputes and “wars.” If Antonio Rossi would have kept his mouth shut about what he knew of my father, then my father would still be alive and we would have the right to claim what was ours, instead of being treated like we were outsiders and the lowest of scum. I was going to make sure that these wars would end, and soon. There was no way I was going to let that Rossi coven stand in the way of what was rightfully mine! They were going to know what consequences were coming for the wrong they had done to my family and to the Marino coven.

Astra’s POV:

          His face…those eyes…his father. Ricardo Marino was Drake’s father at one time, before he betrayed the vampire world and decided to associate himself with a werewolf. The Marino’s think that we are to blame, in one way I guess we are since my father, Antonio did kill Ricardo, but in another way not so much. You see Antonio knew much about Ricardo they were actually best friends centuries ago when neither one was settled down yet. They used to roam the world, looking for good times…when my father found out Ricardo’s deep dark secret. He had gotten a werewolf pregnant. This illegitimate child was against all rules to the werewolves and vampire alike. If one was guilty of this crime, the punishment was death.

          Of course my father pleaded with Ricardo to just kill the woman and the child, but Ricardo would have none of that. He told Antonio that if this child lived it would be the greatest creature known to all of the mythical world and a miracle. Werewolves and vampires are scared of a child that has been mixed with both blood lines, if this ever was to happen it would be a great disaster and the child would have to be destroyed. So when the council of Elders convened Antonio regretfully decided to put Ricardo’s fate into his own hands and tried to save his life. In the end, the council decided against my father and since my father was the one who knew where Ricardo was and what he had done; he was the one who was sent to kill him. The Elders said he could not return to the coven unless Ricardo Marino was dead.

          My father searched for Ricardo for years, when he finally located his whereabouts in a castle high above a village in Romania. He searched the perimeter of the castle concocting a plan on how to get in and out without much struggle. When nightfall came that night Antonio entered the castle and requested to speak to Ricardo. He regretfully watched as Ricardo met him with high hopes, as well as holding the half vampire, half werewolf child in his arms. My father hissed as Ricardo brought the abomination with him, for protection nonetheless.

          “It is good to see you my friend. I hope you bring joyful news.” Ricardo outstretched his hand, but let it drop when my father wouldn’t even look into his eyes. “The council has come to a decision Ricardo. They would not listen to my reasoning’s, so they sent me here to kill you, the child, and your wife.” Ricardo let out a laugh, “My dear friend, you do not even poses the strength it takes to even fight me, let alone kill me.” “Ricardo do not make it harder than it has to be. Trust me I do not wish to destroy you, but if I do not do what the Elders have asked, then I will be destroyed as well.”

          “What happens to you does not interest me anymore. You have shown me that our alliance centuries ago meant nothing to you. You have betrayed me and my family you are no longer welcomed in this place. Get out!” “I am sorry for what I am about to do to you and your family.” My father whispered just loud enough for Ricardo to understand what he meant. Ricardo hissed just as my father lunged at his chest and throat, ripping the child from his arms. As my father snapped the child’s neck Ricardo roared with rage, “NO!!!” Ricardo swiped the child’s dead limp body from my father’s hands and held it in his arms as he wept.

          “What have you done!? You destroyed the one thing in this world that meant the most to me, and could have saved both the vampires and werewolves for centuries! You fool; you will die by my hand for this!” Ricardo laid the lifeless body of his child onto the floor and got into a crouching position, ready for the kill. My father prepared himself for the attack, his fangs extended, hissing under his breath. Ricardo lunged, hissing with anger and just as he was about to hit my father he turned and knocked Ricardo to the ground. Faster than before Ricardo picked himself back up and flung himself over to a wall where a sharp, silver sword hung. He yanked it off the wall and turned to face my father once more. With the sword gleaming in one hand and his sharp fangs showing he issued a threat, “You will die today, and I will take the glory in knowing that I killed you!”

          “You know that I never wanted it to come to this. I would never want to harm or kill you. But you…you forced me to do this! You created that abomination and you knew that it would come to this…you betrayed our kind and our Elders!” My father then unsheathed a sword that was on his back and murmured something in Latin, and then tilted the sword to its side. Ricardo then lunged at him again, their swords clang as sliver hit silver. Hissing violently at one another they kept fighting, swords clanging and sparks flying from them. “Just give up!” sneered my father as he slashed the sword across Ricardo’s chest, creating a thin line of blood. “NEVER!!!” Ricardo then swung his sword and hit my father in his arm, leaving a deep bloody wound.

          “You are merely a coward, the Elders control you. Don’t you see I finally have freedom, I no longer am a puppet controlled by those infantile monsters. They only worry about their own concerns and what they fear. My child would have been the very weapon that would have brought them down and made them cower. None has ever known any creature that has been mixed with both bloods, it’s a miracle Antonio…can you not see that?” “All I see is your naïve attempt at exposing both the vampires and the werewolves. We are to live by the code, even nomads know this! For you to purposefully disobey this order is just cause for you to die!” My father roared with rage and backed Ricardo into a corner, and then with one final blow he thrust the sword through Ricardo’s chest, straight through his heart.

          As blood slowly rolled out of Ricardo’s mouth, my father gently laid him by his child’s lifeless body. He knelt down and whispered into his ear, “I am sorry friend.” “Not as sorry and you will be…” and with that Ricardo took his last vampric breath.