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the burning mass of vampire corpses.
    Go to him my love. Show him he was not misguided in his actions. He has done us a huge service in destroying a large part of Hannah’s fledglings.
    I closed my eyes as Andrew’s familiar voice filled my brain and the core of my being with an aching need. I missed him so much. I could feel his love but I could also feel a change in him. He took his duties as leader of the Clans very seriously, as he did in his nurturing of Marie. He did not need me as desperately as he once did.
    I miss you my love and I am tired. I just want to come home. Warmth and affection greeted my thoughts and then, once again, Andrew was gone from my mind. A brief touch just to remind me he was still there.
    I wiped more bloody tears from my cheeks. Life for vampires would never be the same; had not been the same for a long time. Instead of preparing them to move forward, I had kept them sheltered in the past by enforcing the Vampire Code. Even in death, Hannah was still making me pay.
    Taking a deep breath, I steeled my nerves and walked up to Drake lightly touching his shoulder with my fingers.
    “What is it?” He asked without flinching or even turning to look at me.
    “It will be dawn soon. We have accomplished all we are going to for today and I think we both need to clean up and rest. I need to think about where to go or what to do next.”
    Drake turned slowly and I was surprised to see a slight smile playing upon his burgundy-colored lips as he spoke. “For once you have made sense. I know where we can go if you trust me. Of course, if you’d rather, feel free to scout around on your own for a resting place. Either way we don’t have much time; maybe an hour or so.”
    I looked toward the horizon and saw a hint of burnt orange streaking through the navy blue of the night sky. It was beautiful. Even though it had been hundreds of years since I stood before a sunrise, today would not be the day that changed that.
    It is myth that the sun is a destroyer of vampires but we do have a sensitivity to light. Besides, when I chose to expose myself to the sunrise, I want to share that day with my one true love.
    “I’ll follow you Drake. Don’t make me regret it,” I said, as I quickly kept pace with his long stride through the dense forest. At that moment, I had no one left to trust and I needed him as much as I hated to admit it.

Chapter Six
    With what seemed like seconds to spare before the sun rose in all its fiery glory, Drake led me to a thorny weave of brush and weeds. Where did he intend to hide?
    Drake cast an amused sideways glance at me and chuckled deep and low in his throat. “Do you always take appearances at such blatant face value?”
    I must have looked like a carp taking its last breath with my mouth open and my eyes round with surprise. As I watched, Drake placed his hand on an unnoticeable but apparently solid section of tangled brush. I could hear a discernible clicking sound and then took a step back as a solid, cement door swung open. Behind the weathered, graying cement was an iron gate that protected a lone stone staircase.
    “Amazing!” I exclaimed.
    “Save the compliments for a more appropriate time. Come inside before we are noticed in the daylight,” Drake said as he placed a large hand on the small of my back and propelled me forward into the dark.
    The air was cool and silent after the cement door shut behind us. I took a deep breath and smelled...roses?
    Small, dim, modern lights had been placed every five feet or so along the walls of this mausoleum. Although the lighting fixtures were new, I could tell someone had recently upgraded them. Dark patches still colored the walls where I assumed oil lanterns or candles had once flickered. This place existed well before the age of modern technology.
    The walls grew damp and the air got colder the farther down the staircase we went. A momentary feeling of dread twisted my guts as I began to wonder why I agreed to follow