‘First must come the blessing of the Elder, then the vampire
may begin the search for the Chosen. Following the Blessing, the Chosen shall
be fed upon on the Night of the White Fire. Thrice shall the vampire feed, and
each time the blood must be taken of the same wound and the same amount,
neither more nor less. After the third feed, the Chosen shall be drained until
he or she falls into a deep trance. Quickly, the chosen is to be revived with
the blood of the vampire. The vampire casts out the mortal essence, so the
Chosen can be filled anew so that he or she may walk amongst the undead.  ‘

Both Zayden and Cara shuddered as Delphine read the ancient
text. I just listened, lost in my own thoughts. It has been a few hundred years
since my own transformation, but I doubt that I will ever forget it.  I’ve always found the name “night of the White
Fire” quite fitting...not only because the newly acquired vampire blood and
senses overwhelm you as a storm would, but also because it feels as  if you’re burning from within while it takes
over and consumes every last mortal part of you.  You wake up dazed, feeling so alone and
overcome with thirst.

My expression must have betrayed my thoughts, because
without hesitation, Zayden took my hand in his in an attempt to comfort me.
This small gesture caused Cara and Delphine to raise their eyebrows.

“What? Am I not allowed to comfort my girlfriend?” Zayden
said, unable to hide the smug grin and the hint of pride that slipped into his
tone.

I don’t know why Cara seems so surprised, I mean, she was
there when he asked me out. Delphine’s shock was more understandable.

“Outrageous!” she scolded. “He’s a werewolf, you’re a
vampire. The two races aren’t even supposed to like each other, let alone date.
It will never work!”  Her voice was
shrill, which, believe it or not, made it sound even less pleasant than usual.

I rolled my eyes at her.

“And who are you to judge us? What exactly makes you think
we can’t make it work with a bit of effort?” Zayden chimed in, clearly
offended.

“Because...” Delphine seemed distraught, unable to form
complete thoughts or sentences.

Cara sat there quietly, watching the drama unfold.

“Because she is a monster, Zayden. She isn’t....normal.”

“Oh, and i bet changing into a giant wolf at will is
considered normal by your standards?” He lowered his voice, gripping my hand
tighter, as if the mere act of holding my hand only strengthens his argument.

“No, it isn’t...but you haven’t killed anyone. She has. She
is a killer.”

“I have destroyed many vampires and other creatures of the
night too, Delphine. That makes me as much of a killer as her.”

“No, it doesn’t! She murdered them in cold blood- innocent
humans lost their lives simply because she was thirsty. It’s disgusting! The
mere thought of it makes me sick.”

I was starting to lose my patience. I’ve known that Delphine
always had a problem with me, but I never realised that my mere nature bothered
her so.

“I took the job so I could help save my kind from the filthy
bloodsuckers, but here I am, working with one. I can’t take it anymore. She
should just leave The Circle. You and I don’t need her anyway, do we Zayden? We
can take down the Moloch without her. I mean, Cara has already been briefed on
the situation the same night Aralynne and I figured out what was going on, by
now we have also learned how to efficiently take down a vampire, so she is
just, pardon the pun, deadweight.”

That was it. I snapped. Without warning, I flew up, my hand
instantly around Delphine’s throat, lifting her up off the ground, and my lips
in her ear.

The whole room went quiet. No one said a word.

 Anger coursed through
me. I already hate what i have done in the past- she knows that. I decided to
form the circle with Seth so I can in some way make up for all I’ve done wrong.
I’m here to help, not to resort back to my killer ways.

“Listen here,” i warned, “the way I see it, you can either
accept working with a bloodsucker, or you can get out. I am not leaving. I
helped form this organisation long before you were born, and if you no longer
feel up to the challenge, I suggest removing yourself from my sight. “ she
glared at me, and without warning, spat in my face.

“I’d rather die than continue working with filth like you.”
She snarled, and my hand instinctively tightened around her throat. I have no
idea what has gotten into her, but she was hitting more than one nerve, and it
was the wrong thing to do.

“Aralynne....stop.” Cara’s weak voice came from behind, but
I didn’t take note of it. Delphine was gasping and coughing as the life was
slowly squeezed out of her.

“Go ahead....kill me...prove me right. Show them....that you
are a monster.” Delphine managed to sputter . I released my grip, dropping her
to the floor.... turning my face away from her.

“just...go.”

She slowly, hesitantly got up, and headed towards the door.

The slam of the door behind her was the only thing to break
the tension.

“So...what do we do now?” Cara asked, clearly shocked.
Zayden hugged me from behind, trying to comfort me, as I felt the tears well
up.

“We prepare. There’s a storm that is sure to hit within the
next eight days. I know it is short notice, but we have to be prepared. I have
no idea whether they want to kidnap you, or whether they want  to come to us instead of forcing us to come
to them. Moloch like battle. They think strategically. Unless you are someone
on the inside,  it is practically
impossible to know their plans.”

“You mean, someone like Seth?” Zayden interrupted.

“Yes. Seth will most likely know their plans, but there is
no way he will open up to me.”

“Unless you manipulate him.” Zayden’s voice dropped.

“You two have a history, I’m sure you can...trigger old
emotions, get him to trust you enough to want to help you instead of the
Moloch.”

“Zayden, to manipulate him....it could be dangerous. You
will get jealous, and though it wont be on purpose, I might have to end up
hurting you.” In response, Zayden hugged me closer.

“I won’t mind. I know you will be doing it to help Cara.
Besides, I don’t see any other plan, do you?”

“No. Not really. But how will I force him to spend time with
me?”

“Tammy is throwing a house party the day after tomorrow.
Sure, we have that big chemistry test that morning, but the girls planned a
shopping trip for the afternoon.  I can
invite him along.”

I groaned at the thought. Modern malls aren’t my scene.  Nor are parties, but I guess I don’t have
much of a choice.

I simply nodded, and Cara immediately started texting. I
wasn’t even going to bother to ask how she got his number in the first place.

Zayden saw my pain and held me against his chest.

“Hey, cheer up? Soon, all of this will be over and then we
can go hunt a huge mountain lion together, okay?” he whispered, lifting my face
up so he could kiss my forehead.

I held him closer.

Life wasn’t fair. Just as we finally ended up together after
all these years, a situation that could tear us apart arises. He has no idea
how much I might have to hurt him in order for this little plan to work.