Clara had not been aware of what she was stepping into when she'd come downstairs that morning. She'd gone through the motions with Wolff – allowed herself to be checked and then she'd taken whatever pill he'd prescribed. Still, she'd been entirely confused about the situation, clearly having missed a hell of a lot the night before when she'd secluded herself yet again. When Christian had awoken her, she'd only been partially listening to him – at least enough to hear what he'd expected of her in the morning. But now as she came back down to reunite with the group although reluctantly, she was listening with full attention – and she didn't like what she was hearing.

A frown fell on her lips as she sat close to Christian while she crossed her arms over her chest. She'd still been tired, but at least she'd gotten a decent amount of sleep the night before. Even so, her worry about the widespread illness caused by a rogue shadow mage was enough to wake her up and keep her attention. From what she'd understood – whatever this spell was could drive any supernatural being to sheer madness – which is why everyone assume it was hitting in their town as of late. Honestly, at that news she was willing to just pack up and go – but she knew better than that. No one in that room would have run from it – and by the looks on their faces and the ongoing discussion – she knew she'd be out there with them. They really hadn't a choice.

The wolves were the first to volunteer and Clara had shifted uncomfortably from where she was sitting. Christian, much to her dismay had chosen to clear his throat and stand, leaving Clara where she'd been sitting next to him. "Count us in – the quicker we can figure all of this out, the better. Perhaps we can then bring the town to normalcy once more." Clara had only given him an incredulous look, surprised he would be so quick to join these people. But then again, Christian always was a man of honor, where his manners always took precedence. To not assist these people while he was staying under Kieran's roof would have been absurd – even though he knew full well he owed nothing to the man.

Clara huffed quietly to herself as she leaned back in her seat. "I suppose I'm in as well, then." She added quietly. Yes, the quicker this could have been handled, the better- then maybe she really could just run off and be done with it all… Her gaze had never lifted to Kieran the entire time in the room – refusing to even acknowledge him.

“Three of my pack will be heading out, I considered it and felt it a better plan to have at least three here. Will that be alright Kieran?” Ynez asked as she re-entered the room, two familiar wolves following with another Kieran hadn't met yet. He tilted his head but offered a nod, his hands moving away from the map to grab a small wireless headset he'd pulled from a box near the back of the library.

“These should be on the wolves that are heading out, you can chose if you wish to where the other sets of course.” He rose and offered the headset to Ynez, the brunette blinked and lifted her gaze to his. She reminded still before her hand reached forward to take it, she turned to Orion and offerer it to him. The white-haired male took it and glanced at his other two companions, Evian nodded and their last member shrugged.

“We'll maintain a close radius and will keep to the Scavenger plan and check in every...half-hour?” The question was directed to both his Alpha and Kieran, the female Alpha nodded and themed to Kieran with a raised brow. Kieran nodded and handed the other two wolves their own headsets, before he turned and faced Isabela.

“I've spoken with them and they've agreed to help. You'll encounter figures in white, do not attack them and nothing will go amiss. Esther dear?” Esther blinked and glanced up from the book she'd pulled out after she'd ended her call, Kieran’s raised brow had a huff escaping her lips.

“A friend of mine will be joining us once she's out of her town. I'll go and change and head towards the East, Madam Isabela?” Isabela rose and patted down her skirts and she moved to the door, Ynez turning to watch her packmates as they adjusted their headsets.

“I'll be doing the same, some of should stay back just in case. Wolff and Ynez and two more of her Pack will remain, Ryanair?” The blonde had remained quiet, his attention on the map. At the sound of his name he glanced up and nodded his head, he wasn't going to remain seated and still. Isabela offered him a nod and smile before moving to exit the room, Kieran softly clearing his throat had her and the others pausing.

He held out a wooden box with similar headsets nestled within. His lips twitched at the soft snort Ynez let slip, his shoulders rolling into a shrug. “We'll use these to remain in contact with one another, check in every half an hour and if anything from happens don't go at it alone. Teams are a good idea, mind if I choose them?” His eyes scanned the room and when he received nods, he raised a hand and a finger. “Isabela with Evian, Orion with Ryanair, Esther with me and…” His voice trialled off when he faced the female wolf who's name he didn't not know, she smiled and he relaxed.

“Name's Anna.” The female offers with a twitch of her lips. Kieran smiles and continued after a pause as the ones he paired off joined their partner.

“And Ana, and Clara and Christian will be a team. Now change into clothes that you can move freely in and we'll meet in the foyer.” He grabbed his own headset and moved out of the room, Ryanair followed and soon the others did as well. They had their goals and with it they hoped to gain something.

Clara hadn’t exactly known what the ideal plan was -- they were going out to search for this shadow mage whom had chosen to wreak havoc on others. It all sounded wonderful, but Clara knew full well it was going to be more difficult than most had expected. You don’t just go out and find mages -- unless this crazy one really had entirely lost their wit. Perhaps that would be to their advantage... Clara stood still as they seemed to sort everything out and Kieran had decided to choose partners.

It was a bit of a surprise that he’d not partnered himself with Ryanair, but again he’d placed himself with Esther. She’d looked away as he chose, simply shrugging when she was put together with Christian and another - Ana. With that, everyone had parted and Clara had shuffled away as well. Christian was dressed well enough - Clara had to run off to change into something other than a dress. It was rare to see her in any sort of pants, and she’d frowned as she headed into her room and stripped, before throwing on black pants and a form-fitting black long-sleeve top. She’d secured her curls with a few more pins atop her head before eyeing herself in the mirror for a long moment. She looked tired; she looked like she simply did not want to deal with not only the entire mess that Kieran had put her in, but this whole mage business on top of it.

With a little huff, she slipped on her boots before she headed downstairs back to the other two. She’d pushed a loose curl from her face before she met Christian and Ana, leaning herself purposely on Christian for a moment.

“Well then - Ana, I’m Clara - this is Christian, but I suppose he’s already introduced himself.” Christian steadied himself as she leaned against his arm before he shook his head. “Well, I suppose we should head out then.” Christian continued with a smile and Clara hooked her arm in his in the meantime before he turned for the door.

It definitely was going to be an interesting day...

Keiran didn't get far before a hand was on his arm, he stilled and half-turned to face the owner. Ynez was frowning and he already knew what she had in mind, Esther huffed and hip-checked Ynez.

“We'll be fine, Lye will join us and we'll have an extra set of senses. Ryanair and Isabella will be fine as well, if the wolves are doing a Scavenger route then they'll be close by if anything goes wrong. Anything Alpha?” Her tone was teasing but Kieran could tell Esther respected the other female, Ynez clicked her tongue and nodded.

“No, if anyone doesn't check in I'll give you hell.” She stated with an arched brow, Kieran blinked when a familiar arm encircled his arm. Ryanair was at his side and nodding at Ynez’s words, Kieran turned and led both he and Esther to the stairs. Esther winks and moves up and to her room, Kieran turns to his fledgling and pats his cheek.

“Check in and be careful okay?” Ryanair smiled and offered a nod, Isabela appeared beside the blonde and reached forward to pat his own cheek.

“We'll be fine, dear. Now when you meet Lye tell her I said hello, now off we go.” With that both were out of the house, a wet muzzle nudging his arm had Kieran’s attention. A grey wolf stood at his side, it's ears flicking as it glances up at him, Kieran blinked and crouched down. The wolf barked softly and nudged its chin against Kieran’s own, the vampire assessed the size of the wolf before asking his question. He noticed that Christian and Clara had moved outside, the wolf barked once more and Kieran raised a hand to pat its head.

“Anna?” He asked and the wolf's ears perked up as answer. A arm on his shoulders had Kieran glancing up and finding Esther watching them, Anna yipped and Ynez huffed softly as she moves towards them.

“She's just saying good luck and that she'll keep the other two safe. Make sure you don't lose either Evian or Orion, right?” Anna barked once more and took off, Kieran rose to his feet and turned to follow. The wolves didn't need a headset but it was more of a means to ease Ynez, the Alpha worried for her Pack and he didn't wish to cause any problems. The remaining members took off in different directions and soon the mansion stood silent.

Clara was quiet as she walked away with Christian, refusing to glance back at Kieran or even the mansion. Whatever, this little game of cat and mouse would keep her mind off of the night before, and for that she was at least grateful. The fact that he really had no valid reason for what he’d done had pissed her off even further - but it seemed that he felt at least some remorse. But why now? Was it that she was there, in the flesh in front of him and he felt that he needed to atone for his sins only for his own relief? Lord, he never came looking from her after it had happened -- there had been centuries in between that time and now...

She gave a little sigh at her own thoughts as she walked with Christian, but she’d pulled away from him to stretch her arms over her head. “Are you okay?” She’d heard the voice next to her and she’d only glanced over to Christian in return with a little shrug of her shoulders. “I’m fine -- why?”

“You’re just too quiet -- not your usual quiet, just... distant.” He completed as he shoved his hands in his pockets again. Once more she gave a little shrug as she glanced to Anna as well. “Don’t worry about it, Christian -- Let’s just figure all of this out and be done with it.” Clara reminded him and looked forward again.

She felt like it would be a wild goose chase. It was difficult to find a mage unless they wanted to be found -- Although, with how reckless this one seemed to be, it probably wouldn’t be too long at all before they found something. Still, Clara had no particular idea as to what they were looking for. She’d never dealt with mages - hell, Christian and her always had kept a low profile. He’d never really gotten involved in things like this unless he was in a position to.

She assumed he must have felt guilty enough that Kieran and the others had helped them and put a roof over their heads -- he owed them. Clara almost scoffed at the thought - She didn’t owe Kieran shit. At the realization that her thoughts had flown right back to her sire she glared at the treeline ahead of her, growing frustrated. Fuck - She needed to keep herself distracted and quickly. Hell, she needed another good fight..

A half an hour had passed before Kieran noticed something was odd. The sound of silent paws alert them to a presence behind them, both turn and duck when a white blur rushed passed them. Kieran blinks and straightens, only for Esther to squeak and brush past him. Rolling his eyes fondly he shoves his hands into his pockets and moves forward, the white blur glancing up and locking its eyes with his own. The white tiger before him flicks its black-tipped ears before Kieran glances up at the person on its back, his eyes widen in shock.

He's only met this ice mage twice since he's been friends with Esther, though as she glanced away from the blonde and locked her own eyes with his he was glad she was on their side. She offered a nod before dismounting who Kieran assumed was her Familiar, her sharp eyes never left his as she approached him. Kieran noted she had on black trousers with a peach cashmere sweater, her brown locks tied into a ponytail that reached her mid-back. Her feet were covered with black boots, her hands as she reached out were covered in black fingerless gloves. He accepted her hand and offered a smile of his own.

“Pleasure to meet you again Lye, though I must admit last time you didn't have beautiful creature with you.” Lye blinked and turned to glance at the tiger behind them, the tiger shook out its body and flicked its striped tail. Esther rejoined them and settled for resting her head on his arm.

“Yeah, it's been awhile. This is Vox, he's been tense since we arrived so let's get moving. I can feel a shift in the air and I don't like it.” With that she turned and remounted Vox, Kieran and Esther nodded before following after them. The headsets buzzed to life then, Ynez’s voice filling both vampires ears.

She there yet?” Kieran snorted softly and jumped over a fallen log, his left hand reaching up to press the small bottom so the Alpha could hear him.

“Yes, something wrong?” He couldn't help but worry, then again he knew how this particular Pack worked so he wasn't so edgy. Before Ynez could answer a snarl from before them had Kieran’s attention snapping to the left. All three darted away as a creature made of shadows lurched forward, its clawed hand meeting nothing but air.

“Shit, Vox warn them--” Lye hissed as she ducked and rolled out of the saddle she'd been in, a clawed hand missing her by inches. Vox snarled and spun, his own paw lashing out to hit the creature. It backed away and hissed as the other lurched forward once more, Kieran and Esther dodging it by centimeters. The white tiger jumped away and raised his head, a long roar filled the air and it seemed to distract the shadow creatures.

Only for a moment though before both lunged forward once more. They'd appeared out of nowhere, this wasn't looking good.



○~○~○~○

Anna stilled when the roar met her ears, she spun and slammed both vampires away just as a clawed hand entered her field of vision. She managed to spin so it didn't nick her side, her ears pressed to her skull as she creature slunk forward. It wasn't human and its crimson eyes were focused on them intently, Anna snarled when she felt movement from behind them..

They were surrounded. The headset around her maw buzzed then, the werewolf stilled and listened as her Alpha's voice filled her ears. Do not touch them. Whatever you do don't fucking touching them. We just found a section in the Book of Mages that states, that if a Shadow Mage summons creatures of darkness that whoever touches them are either burned alive or pulled into madness. Use whatever weapons you have except your hands, thankfully Isabela managed to lend us the information before she fell under attack. We've asked Guard members to bring weapons to those who need it, hang on until then.” With that the line went dead.

Anna snapped her jaws at the creature before them, her hackles raised and her eyes glowing. They had little options and if the others were already under attack then they were on their own. The female werewolf lunged forward and grabbed a fallen branch between her jaws. It would have to do for now.

It was quiet - almost too quiet. They walked along slow and carefully through the thin trees, and the stiff and cold ground crunched beneath their feet. Clara remained close to Christian, her anxiety rising the longer they traveled in that silence. Something definitely had felt off the longer they continued, but it was something that Clara couldn’t explain. Her attention focused on the bare trees around them, attempting to peer through the numerous branches that continued to overlap, creating a haze of sticks and branches that seemed to blend together after a while. After all, with such silence along with the previous talk of mages and shadow mages and the impending doom that might have been lingering not only on the town around them, but on them as well - it was enough to make her worry more than she usually would.

Christian had noticed her anxiety - he could feel the tension thick on the air. Even with Anna on their side leading the way, it was too quiet, too heavy. He’d still brushed it off, at least for Clara’s sake. It was pointless for both of them to worry too much - or to at least be obvious about it. If Christian showed his worry, Clara’s would only heighten and she wouldn’t be able to pay attention to what she was out there to do; she’d be caught off guard and distracted.

Although -- It didn’t matter how anxious she was or how he tried to hide it -- the sudden voice over their headset had both of them stopping at once - the words coming over quickly before Christian had suddenly grabbed Clara, pulling her away from the black mass that was now in front of them.

The sudden force of him grabbing her had almost knocked the wind out of her lungs just as quickly as the surprise of the attack had. Clara had stared at the form in front of them, unable to contain her shock.

“--The fuck is that?!” Clara hissed out, but had been ready to spring forward before Christian grabbed her arm again.

“Clara! Pay attention!” Christian suddenly barked. “Do not touch that thing.” He’d pointed to his own headset for her to pay attention, but the words had already been cut off. She’d only had her dagger at the time and honesty, she doubted its capabilities against whatever the hell was in front of her.

Within seconds it was circling them and she was dodging as best she could - split from both Christian and Anna as she looked to find something to defend herself with. Having seen Anna - she followed suit - grabbing the closest branch she could pick up before she swung it out at the figure that continued to swoop down on all of them. “Mother fucker!” Clara bit out, trying to avoid touching the damn thing the best she could. “How the hell do you get rid of them?!”

Lye ducked and rolled, her magic lashing out and slamming into the creature with enough force to throw it back. Her gaze scanned the almost-peaceful landscape, her breaths fogging before her as she tried to locate her companions. They'd be separated and with the warning she'd heard, Lye was keen on gathering them all. The creature hissed and slowly rose to its legs, its crimson eyes blazing. Lye took a deep breath and reached a hand to touch the button that would allow her voice to carry, she was glad Esther had tossed it to her before she'd been distracted.

“The only way is with magic. I'm going to release a burst that should reach all of you, move away from them and stay down until I tell you it's clear. Fair? Now come here you fucker, meet my magic.” She hissed just as the creature reached her, with practiced ease she bent backwards and released a burst that slammed into its chest. It shrieked and with a final sweep of its claw, it vanished and Lye straightened to her full height. Her bond with Vox flared and a grin spread across her lips as a feeling of ice-water trailed down her body.

She lifted her left hand and pressed her fingers to her lips, a sharp whistle filled the air. She waited and was rewarded with a flare of their bond, her head whipped to the side and she caught sight of white-black striped fur. Her fingers flexed when Vox, Kieran and Esther appeared from the trees, the two remaining creatures on their heels.

“Do something before I beat you!” Esther hissed as she came to a half beside her, Lye remained still as Kieran paused with his back to them. Vox spun and with a flick of his tail, Lye watched as Kieran tossed something into the air. The Ice Mage lurched forward and with a flick of her wrist, the thick branches turned into spikes and rained down on the creatures.

“Now, Lye.” Kieran’s soft voice filled her ears, Lye glanced at him and noticed his face was blank. Her eyes closed and with an exhale, she released a large burst of magic and commanded it to spread out. It molded and shaped itself into replicas of Vox in her mind, Lye knowing full well that her magic would appear that way when the others saw.

She'd be drained after this but a friend had asked her to come and help. She wasn't going to turn back and go home, Shadow Mages weren't easy to kill and their Summons were just the same. Opening her eyes she mounted Vox and gestured for both vampires to follow, they had people to help.

Mages, or even anything to do with magic had not been on her radar. Clara had never dealt with anything like this before -- not that Christian hadn’t. She felt suddenly out of her element, unsure of what to do and how to entirely defend herself around the thing. Her frustration grew to new levels as she continued to swing her branch out every time it had gotten close - at least to deter it. She couldn’t touch it; she couldn’t attack it -- hell, what the fuck were they up against and how the hell could they even help?

She’d heard the voice over the headset and she nearly scoffed in return, still a bit away from Christian. It was better if they weren’t entirely together -- it made the thing work even harder to try and get to one of them. “Fucking figures.” She continued, jumping off to the side as she swung out again. “How the hell are we even supposed to help?” Clara began with a huff. “Just --” Again, she tucked and nearly rolled to the side before she got up again. “Keep fucking running from them?”

Christian was just as frustrated as her, however, he’d felt the sudden burst of energy around them and had seen Vox once more. “Just keep dodging, Clara!” Christian hissed out again, knowing help was on the way.

Perhaps the two of them were in over their heads -- he’d thought about it for the brief moment he had, concerned over the fact that he should have just taken Clara and ran for it when they had the chance. That way he’d keep her away from Kieran and away from this god awful mess that wasn’t really theirs to begin with.

“Be thankful that the magic has faded. Let's stop for now and see if the Mage decides to act one more.” Lye snapped through the headset, Kieran and Esther were behind her and Vox was heading towards a place where she could feel at ease. She could feel sleep pulling her under but she resisted as the sun began to dip below the sky, her gaze shifted to Keiran and she voiced her questions.

“What have you been up to friend? It's been awhile since I've seen you, Esther you look great as usual.” The blonde female snorted softly and Kieran sighed before he seemed to answer.

“Drama has found me and my friends. I've lived too long for this and it's annoying, I also have drama that I'm trying to work out --no, I won't tell you-- and that's about it.” He offered after a pause, Lye blinked and focused on his words. He'd been oddly quiet and tense, as if something or someone else were on his mind. Lye didn't say anything more though she wanted to, Esther chose that time to speak.

“And you? I haven't spoken with you since three months ago. Rude much?” Lye huffed and shrugged her shoulders, she took a moment to respond. She could feel the ice tigers reaching their targets, her muscles relaxed as her ice dispersed and faded.

“Nothing exciting really, compared to what's going on here anyways…” Kieran listened absently as b it has female's began to talk, his limbs feeling heavy and his mind oddly numb. He'd couldn't place how he felt but, he just didn't feel right in his skin. His bonds with his fledgling’s flared then, dragging his attention to them instinctively. Clara was angry -no surprise there- and Ryanair was relaxed though exhausted, he released a breath and continued forward.

He couldn't help but wonder why he'd chosen to live for as long as he had.

Clara had given a little huff in response to the voice over the headset, but it was short-lived. As she’d sent another swing, there came another burst of energy and she’d seen what Lye had sent out to the others -- immediately shutting out the dark being in front of her. She took a slow breath before tossing her branch aside with a little scowl. She hadn’t looked immediately towards Christian, knowing he probably wasn’t the happiest either. This was quite the mess and she knew they were both thinking it. Hell, if they were with any other strangers she might have slipped out long before Christian had...

But, sadly enough, she was invested -- deeper than she would have liked.

“Come on - let’s head back.” Christian murmured as he looked over to her.

Clara only sighed in return and turned from him to head back towards the others. She at least knew where Kieran was - she couldn’t hide from that. Hopefully that would be enough fun for the day -- the sun was starting to drop in the distance and she just wanted to relax; she wanted to wind down and not have to worry even more about other things on top of the new emotions and feelings that had surged through her since yesterday.

She crossed her arms over her chest as they walked, Christian at her side while her steps brought her back towards Kieran and Esther.

“I trust that’s enough for tonight?” She asked suddenly as she approached them, rolling her shoulders as she stretched slightly. She’d hoped one of them would agree -- she could go for another drink...

At first Kieran didn't respond. Esther turned to him and paused, Lye falling silent as well. His expression was vacant, his eyes were dull and almost lifeless. Esther moved toward and stepped up on her tiptoes, her now glowing eyes on her friend. “Kieran….Kieran….Kieran!” Her voice rose with each time she said his name, her hands fisting in his shirt. The other didn't respond and with a gulp, she raised her hand and slapped his cheek. His head whipped to the side, Esther shook him and spoke his name once more. “Kieran.”

Kieran blinked as he felt a sharp pain before he was being shaken. His gaze focused on a tree trunk for a moment before he lifted his heavy head, Esther and everyone else save a few were before him. Esther was the one shaking him, her glowing eyes drawing his attention as his mouth opened to respond. “The fuck?” He bit out, before pulling away from Esther. He regretted it when she flinched and her head turned to the side, he swallowed and turned his attention to the left.

Clara and Christian were there as well, Kieran didn't say anything beside nod his heavy head. He began to walk then, his hands limp at his sides and footsteps feeling like lead.

A young Kieran walked beside his mother with a smile on his lips. Raven-black hair swayed in the breeze around them as they continued down the street, the townspeople waving as they passed. A squeeze of his hand had Kieran turning to face his beautiful mother, his head tilted to the side in question.

“What shall we do today, love?” Her voice was soft and smooth, Kieran blinked and turned his head to the streets they walked. His free hand lifting to fiddle with a necklace he'd been given by his friend Esther a week ago. The emerald was warm from the sun's rays, he hummed softly and shifted closer to his mother.

“The Shops?” He questioned with a blink of his eyes, his mother's musical laughter filling the air in answer. His father hadn't been home for a few days and Kieran noted how his mother rarely allowed them to spend time at home. They were always out and about, Kieran’s mission to keep his mother happy.

Those days ended on the night of a moonless sky. Keiran awoke to a scream that had him lurching from his bed, his footsteps leading him to his parents room. A iron grip encircled his neck the moment he entered the darkened room, the smell of blood thick in the air.

“Mommy…?” Kieran asked hesitantly as the hand tightened it's grip, blazing silver eyes met his wide sky-blue ones. He'd grown and with the time that passed he noticed his mother was acting strange. His father hissed and pinned him harder into the wall behind him, Kieran didn't put up a fight.

“She's dead and it's your fault.” Were the words that filled his young ears, Kieran’s eyes widened as his head shook in denial. He could smell the blood on his father's hands, his eyes frantically searching the darkness for his mother. She was on her bed with the covers thrown away in disarray. Her mouth was open and her eyes were blank, her hair fanning out around her almost as if representing a halo.

His young mind snapped. Before he knew what he was doing, his father was across the room and clutching his missing arm. Kieran snarled a feral-souding noise and lurched himself forward, only to lurch away with a pained cry. A silver dagger was embedded in his arm, he glanced up and found the room empty aside from his mother.

He didn't move from where he collapsed against the wall. When morning came he began to dig a grave and settled his still mother within the wooden box he'd created. Kieran had cleaned her as best he could, his movements mechanical and stiff. She was in her best dress and her hair tied into a low ponytail, Kieran placed a bouquet in her arms and settled the top on the casket. He buried her with a silent goodbye, before turning to his childhood home and returning inside. He'd packed a bag and grabbed a lit torch from the wall, he lit the house ablaze.

He never looked back. Though the ache took a long time to disappear.

Kieran picked up his pace and headed towards the mansion. Esther following behind with Lye and Vox at his heels, his mind going blank once more.

At first, Clara had pretended not to notice and had avoided the scene altogether. Her arms remained crossed about her chest as she looked elsewhere, hearing Esther call out his name over and over again. Why should she even show interest or even a snippet of worry over his sudden detachment? Hell, that was the one thing the man was good at, wasn’t it? His distance was nothing new to her, although she had to admit his behavior was suddenly odd... Sure, he’d shown her that detachment before but when it came to the others, especially Ryanair, that distance was absent. He was more attached to them then he would ever be with her.

Still, she couldn’t help but glance over as Esther had slapped him, and for just a split second she’d felt the urge to separate the two. Her arms had tightened as she eyed them, more focused on Kieran then as he seemed to be in a daze for only a moment longer. It was when he’d looked over to her and Christian that she’d suddenly looked away from him, unwilling to be caught showing even a second of concern for him.

It was instinct - or at least that was what she told herself. Even so, Clara could not push that urge away either as he turned and started heading towards the mansion. Something within her wanted to go up and shake him just as much as Esther did - check on him and make sure that everything was indeed okay -- even though she knew he did not deserve any ounce of her worry or doting. She was sure Ryanair would be the one to throw himself at him should he notice that something was wrong as well -- there was no place for her.

And yet - ever since the day before, he’d awoken something within her that she was almost certain she’d extinguished a long, long time ago. His mere touch; the feel of his lips on her skin had brought back those memories and had drowned her within them. All at once she had felt that desperation and that primal need that had once brought them together like magnets so long ago. She could not deny that, even as her body betrayed her in such a way -- As long as he didn’t know, she would continue to squash it and push it so far away as long as she could.

Yet that need to feel accepted, to fill that void that hung over her ever since he left her was probably the hardest thing she’d had to kill -- especially while they were under the same roof.

It tore her apart, really - the internal struggle of wanting to make him hurt and feel the sheer pain and loneliness that she’d felt all of those years, coupled with the all too familiar need and lust of having him with her once more -- it was conflicting; it was confusing, and she wanted it gone.

Clara had shaken her head suddenly, not following after him immediately like the others had. Christian had noticed her drift and had eyed her for a moment longer before she glared at him and waved her hand to dismiss such concerned looks. Without a word, she’d followed after the group, however, she was unable to keep her focus from Kieran. Their bond may not have been strong at all, but something was off - something felt wrong and she couldn’t place her finger on it.

Ryanair knew something was wrong the moment he reached for their bond. His brows furrowed when nothingness filled his mind, the blonde vampire slowed his pace as he tried to sort out the hazy that came from his sire. Earlier he'd felt a surge of anger and then nothing, a nudge against his hands jarred him from his thoughts. Orion was watching him, his head tilted and ears perked up. Ryanair shook his head and offered the werewolf a strained smile before continuing forward.

Soon enough he catches a crimson blur and then Isabela and Evian are with them. Both are unhurt and for that Ryanair is grateful, the cool hand suddenly on his arm startles him slightly. Isabela was watching him as they ran, it felt like slow-motion as a crimson brow arched in silent question. He shook his head and pulled at their bond once more, he felt a flare of irritation before it too fades and emptiness is left. He didn't like it -not one bit- so with a flex of his fingers he picked up his speed.

The sooner he saw his sire the better he'd feel.

~○~○~○~

Reaching the mansion should of filled him with ease and happiness. Instead he felt the void within him almost like a fist had been shoved into his chest. Ynez came from around the side of the mansion, only to still when she caught sight of him. His lips twitched into a trusted smile before he moved forward once more, a hand on his arm stopped him.

“The hell-- are you okay?” Esther’s voice fills his ears, he doesn't respond for a moment before he half-turns to face the blonde. A few blonde strands have come loose from her neat bun, her eyes were narrowed and Kieran offered a bland smile.

“Perfectly fine.” He murmurs before he turns and heads a inside, a soft whine reaching his ears before the door closed behind him. He shifted to head upstairs, only to pause when Wolff appeared before him. The Healer scanned him from head to toe, Kieran didn't move until a small plastic cup was held out to him. He didn't say anything but obediently swallowed the pill, Wolff eyed him a moment longer before stepping aside. As Kieran moved up the steps and towards his room, his lips unconsciously lifted into a twisted smile.

Maybe a shower would clear his head. Entering his room and closing the door, he striped from his clothes and moved towards the bathroom.

Clara was quiet – more so than she'd been the entire time she'd been around those people. Her nails absentmindedly raked at her arm while they remained crossed, fighting the urge to go up to Kieran and beat it out of him. The looks and words of concern continued and were met with only a quiet reassurance that still didn't sit well with her, and she silently followed the rest inside. She'd paused in the large foyer, unsure of where to go or what to do with herself in that moment as she watched Kieran make his way upstairs after dismissing Esther. Her toes tapped quietly against the floor, idly mulling over what she should do, versus what she wanted to do, versus what she really wanted to avoid.

Christian had noticed her silence and noticed she'd not moved from the foyer as the others began to disperse. He watched her carefully as he stepped away, curious to her behavior as well. Clearly the others were worried about Kieran, but Clara had a bond with him – even though he'd wished they hadn't. He wondered if she knew more than the others at that point, but knew full well it was a dangerous thing to even acknowledge that she may be worrying over the man. He'd frowned as he turned from her with a sigh, to head towards the living room where he had leaned back in a chair slowly. Perhaps they all had much to talk about – what had happened today, Christian had a sneaking suspicion, was probably only the beginning.

Clara had noticed that Christian had left her and soon Kieran was out of sight as well. With a little huff, she turned on her heel and made her way back to the kitchen. Maybe another bottle of wine down for the night would make her thoughts cease, at least momentarily. She wanted to get to the bottom of it; wanted to shake him from whatever the hell was wrong; but then again she wanted to avoid it all together. No; he did not deserve that from her.

She'd gone into the kitchen and swiped another bottle with a glass before she headed back out to the foyer. It was then that she'd noticed Ryanair and had only glanced his way. Without a doubt he would know something was wrong as well – hell, he probably knew it sooner than she had. Part of that realization had annoyed her while the other part could care less. Still, she knew he would be the first to check in on Kieran, which would allow her to sneak away. As long as someone checked, she wouldn't have to worry about it…

Even so, as Clara turned from Ryanair and headed up the stairs, she couldn't shake that need to check in. She could not deny that something was wrong and the itch to fix it or at least make sure he was alright was distracting. She'd frowned as she passed by Kieran's room and onto her own before shutting the door behind her.

The bottle was soon uncorked and she'd immediately lifted the glass to her lips for a long sip as she stepped inside her room. A shower would help – she was sure of it.

And with that she undressed and carried her glass into the shower with her, allowing the hot water to wash over her – but it still didn’t clear away her troubled thoughts.

Ryanair had entered the home with a mixture of relief and trepidation. He'd watched as Kieran had made his way upstairs, how Ynez hasn't moved from where she'd been when he'd arrived. Everyone had dispersed and Ryanair had found himself in the kitchen, he wasn't hungry but the need to do something to calm himself was why he sat down on a stool and put the pots and pans away. He'd just finished when soft footsteps alerted him to someone within the kitchen, he rose and dusted his hands off as Clara entered. Her eyes met his own and Ryanair relaxed when he noticed the tense set of her shoulders, she was worried just as he was.

Whether she wanted to admit it, they were siblings with the joined bond they shared with the one who'd turned them. He watched her leave and with a nod, he exited the room and headed for the stairs. Entering Kieran’s room the blonde vampire noted the shower running, he remained silent but picked up his sire’s discarded clothes from the floor. It had been a good fifteen minutes since he'd entered the room, Ryanair had moved towards the far window when the sound of the water shutting off filled the silence. His gaze was still trained on the untouched ground below, the blonde nearly jumped out of his skin when warm arms wrapped around his waist.

This time it didn't feel like a kind embrace. Ryanair began to squirm, his gaze never lifting from the scenery outside. The lips that touched his skin had Ryanair sucking in a sharp breath, it wasn't gentle and it left a burning sensation across his skin. His mouth opened as if to speak, his arms lifting to pry away the ones that held him. He didn't get a chance, sharp teeth pierced his neck and Ryanair could only release a soft wounded sound from his throat.

It hurt.

He didn't want this.

Let go…. The words wanted to come but he couldn't move, the arms that held him squeezed tighter. He could feel their bond now and it made him want to scream, it was filled with so many emotions that Ryanair couldn't decipher ones from another. This wasn't the person he knew, his sire wouldn't be enjoying his fear and confusion like this person was. The arms and teeth vanished a moment later and Ryanair had to grab the arm of the chair closest to him so he'd remain on his feet, the fingers that curled under his chin had the blonde trying to pull away. Kieran’s fingers tightened warningly and with teeth grit he allows his face to be lifted upwards, his stomach fell to his knees when his eyes met blank ones.

“Did I hurt you?” Were the words that left the other male's lips, Ryanair remained still and tried to squash the need to run. Kieran clicked his tongue and Ryanair flinched as if he'd been hit, he swallowed and shook his head in a no gesture. The other male hummed softly and his free and reached up to trace his cheek, to others it would appear as a gentle caress but Ryanair was clenching his teeth. He could feel the heaviness of sleep pulling at him as he tried to squirm away from for touch, Kieran held him for a moment before a trusted smile pulled his lips upwards. “You'll forget most of this by morning anyway. Sleep now.” He said with in an almost soothing tone, Ryanair was slightly disgusted with himself when he eyes began to droop. The fingers that let go of his chin and cheek left a trail of agony traced into his skin, he didn't even notice when he fell into the coolness of sleep.

The person before him wasn't his sire. Even in slept he didn't relax when he felt Kieran’s arms wrap around him and lift him up. This wasn't the same person he knew, it was a stranger.

The warm water fell around her and Clara leaned against the wall, letting it fall down her front in hot waves. Her eyes were shut, the frown still on her lips as she tried to clear her mind; focus only on the water, hoping it would relax her muscles. And yet, as time passed, she could not relieve the tension that shot through her uncomfortably. It was almost like an itch she couldn't scratch – something was off and she could practically smell it. Honestly, she'd hoped Ryanair would have followed after him to quell her own curiosity – but something told her she would not settle that night.

With a growl, her fingers curled into tight fists and she'd slammed one against the tile behind her. Damn it – Clara couldn't get past the worry that was suddenly surging through her no matter how much she'd tried to hide it. Part of her wondered if it was only due to the fact that he was her sire, and it was merely her instincts shouting at her to make sure everything was alright. And yet – she knew she wouldn't. Hell, if something was wrong with him, Ryanair could deal with it. Those two were attached to the hip, he would figure it out. And if he needed help, well, she wasn't the one to come running to.

Clara had glared at the wall ahead of her as if it had been the one to cause all of the inner turmoil that she'd been struggling with. She'd roughly grabbed her shampoo and worked it through her hair before she stood still, allowing the water to fall over her much longer that time. A long sigh fell from her lips before she turned it off and grabbed at her glass. That had been emptied all too soon and as she wrapped herself in a towel, she went back to the bottle to fill up her glass again.

Hell, she was nearly pacing in her room while she drank – unsettled and unable to relax. Everything within her nearly pulled her to Kieran's room, but she made sure to keep her heels rooted. No – Ryanair would fix it. She had no place in meddling with whatever the hell was wrong with Kieran…

Even so – she eventually had calmed herself enough to get dressed, slipping on shorts and a tank top before she'd tossed herself into bed. Maybe things would be fine come morning…

She knew she was wrong about that – she'd only been lying to herself.

--

The night was one of the longest ones Clara had had in a long while. She'd tossed and turned, been up and down – walked through the mansion, stayed in the study, tried to read a book and tossed it aside. She was back in bed and then out again – and it wasn't long before the sun began to rise.

Once Clara did settle, it was only for a couple of hours before she'd awoken with a start – much like she usually had. She'd been plagued by nightmares for years – that abandonment and pain flashing through her dreams over and over again where she couldn't escape them.

With another growl and huff, she grabbed a pillow and pulled it over her face, nearly screaming into it. She was exhausted – she wanted to sleep – but the worry and need to figure out if everything was okay was enough to keep her awake.

…Damn him…

In one swift movement, she'd tossed the pillow aside and had gotten up out of bed. Her curls were nearly unruly as they fell around her face, but she didn't care. She'd only thrown open her door and stomped towards Kieran. She didn't even hesitate before her fist hit the door, knocking roughly against the wood. If he was up – fine; if he wasn't – he better damn well get out of bed and act normal that morning…

The sudden sharp knocks jarred both vampires from sleep, Kieran rising from the nest of blankets while Ryanair remained still. His eyes adjusting to the bright light that bathed the room in gold, Kieran opened the door and blinked down at the figure that woke them. Ryanair winced when he finally managed to untangle himself from the warm sheets, his hand rose to his neck and he swallowed at what coated his fingers when he pulled them away.

“Yes?” Kieran muttered as Clara stood before him, his arms remained limp at his sides. Ryanair glanced at the male who seemed like his sire, he bit his lips and rose from the bed. He made sure to keep the bleeding side of his neck hidden from Clara as he bolted into the bathroom, his fingers trembling as they moved to lock the door. His head rose and he found himself staring at his reflection, his stomach dropped when he found several bites littering his neck. As he watched the bleeding slowed and Ryanair coaxed his legs into guiding him towards the sink. Turning on the water he tugs a folded cloth from the wooden box and wets it, pressing it to his skin he has to bite back a hiss.

It comes away clean but what's left are angry outlines of teeth on his skin, his heart stutters as the events from last night flash in his mind.

He'd been asleep and at the sudden feel of cool fingers tracing over the mark Kieran had made, he'd bolted awake. Glowing eyes met his own wide ones and before he could react, he found himself on his back with sharp fangs piercing his neck once more. Thankfully he'd passed out and hadn't felt the other bites that littered his neck, with a wince he moved to the shower and stepped inside.

The warm water would do him some good.

Honestly, she wasn’t so sure that he would answer the door - and really, she didn’t know what she was looking to accomplish by pounding on his door. All Clara knew was that she was terribly tired and she couldn’t get beyond that bothersome feeling that something was very, very wrong. The longer that the time had passed, the worse she’d felt about it. She couldn’t get herself to settle or go to sleep and even the wine didn’t help calm her nerves. There was nothing she could do to just simply relax and ignore it. Why the hell was she even bothering, anyway? Screw him - he really hadn’t done much for her save for that apology -- why would she even care?

Her frustration was high while she banged on the door before her fist eventually met air and she had rested her attention on Kieran. Her eyes had narrowed, and quite frankly she looked furious. Even so, she tried to peer around him to see if Ryanair had still been around -- She’d only hoped he’d figured everything out and that would be it...

Yet - as she eyed Kieran she could tell something was different. He stood there emotionless, not even showing signs of his usual exhaustion of her anger. Her arm dropped for a moment, unsure of what to say since she’d been so caught off guard by his appearance. The sudden movement behind her had her distracted, realizing Ryanair had, in fact, been in the room and had run off to the bathroom. Silently she wondered what the hell that was about before her glare returned back to Kieran.

“...What the fuck is wrong with you?” She suddenly hissed, her hands balled into small fists. “Not that I give a shit, but it’s creeping everyone out.” A lie...

Still, that emotionless expression was getting to her. Clara at least wanted a rise out of him, but she doubted she was going to get much of that. “Whatever - “ She continued, lifting her finger to point at his face. “I’m going to fucking figure it out - like it or not.” She barked again, and turned away from him to stomp back to her room to get dressed. Something was, in fact, wrong -- she just didn’t know where to begin... Maybe she needed to hear from Ryanair to figure out his take on it.

He hated the fact that he felt afraid of the man who'd created him. Toweling off and glad he'd left a change of clothes on the towel rack yesterday morning, he dressed and turned his attention to the mirror. He looked paler than normal and just above the collar of his shirt he could see the angry red bite marks, he didn't want to leave the bathroom. The sudden knock on the door had Ryanair slamming his hand against the counter, he turned to the door and swallowed.

“I have to shower as well Ryanair, do come out.” The tone of voice was so much like Kieran that Ryanair wanted nothing more than to obey, the only thing stopping him was the need to hide. The tone was smooth, almost like silk but underneath it he could hear something he couldn't place. He bit his lip and winced when another knock came from the other side, he couldn't stay in here all day. With a deep breath in his lungs, he opened the door and bolted for their closed door. He didn't get far before he was slammed into said door and the collar of his shirt was lowered. Ryanair couldn't help the whimper that escaped him when Kieran’s sharp teeth skimmed owe the sensitive marks, the chuckle he received had a shiver running down his spine. “Such tasty blood….”Those words were the only thing that filled the air before he was released, Ryanair made sure to tug his collar up before he bolted from the room.

He needed to get away and reflect on what he could remember from last night. As he made his way downstairs he hoped wholeheartedly that things would settle.

Two weeks had passed and with it, everyone seemed to notice something was wrong. Kieran came down and acted ‘normally’ but everyone could tell it was fact, and the fact that Ryanair stayed as far away from his sire was a red flag as well. No one directly asked the blonde what was wrong but they could tell something was off, the separation between the two was the biggest sign. The wolves were restless and could be found play-fighting outside, Esther and Isabela could be found with Wolff in the infirmary. Lye poured over the books she'd found in the library with Vox at her side, Ryanair could be found in several different places. Right now he was with Lye in the Library, his knees to his chest and a book open. The dark rings under his eyes were noticeable as was his skittishness whenever Kieran was close or he was mentioned in topic, Ynez was close to snapping.

Rising to his feet and discarding the book on a nearby table, Ryanair exited the room and moved towards the pool room. His eyes blinking furiously as if to clear them, his jaw working as soothing silence fills his ears.