Daniel's gaze fell quickly to the floor, Darren beginning to tremble.

"Father? Say something, please...I had to tell you, you had to know..."

His reply came in a whisper, as his eyes never lifted.

"Then there is more to Dagmantis than we realize. We balance power, but he would dominate if I was gone."

"But Lestat would surly stand against him?"

"No, he came to me just after I had changed Darren. He showed up about the same time that Dag did, and he came with us to the formal meeting. Then minutes after walking in the door, he was out cold on the floor by his own means. He may be the weakest of us all, in the respect that Dag acts more threatening to him than me."

"Then Lestat stands in his way as well..."

Darren pushed himself up to sitting, grimacing a little.

"Then why keep the other seven, and you Jason?"

"I don't pose a problem as I have no ruling power. Keeping the others would be understandable, though. Use them, and through them he would rule the world..."

Darren looked at Daniel.

"Complete rule and domination of the race who left him alone, the last of his kind..."

Daniel looked up, startled at first. He hadn't told Darren much, and he was pretty sure that he had left that bit out.

"How did you know?"

Jason glanced expectantly at Darren, his eyes asking the same question.

"I read...While you were out, or just away from me, I was in Armand's library trying to learn more...They all think it legend, though, no way of ever being real..."

Dan bit his lip, smiling as he tilted his head.

"How dare they tell me I was wrong in changing you...At least you have enough sense to go looking for knowledge if it doesn't come to you. You've been blessed with a brilliant mind, a very beautiful and logical one at that."

Jason grinned, grabbing Darren's hand in a hearty shake.

"Use it, pull his past out from him. The failing point of everyone who fought him was that they didn't know him...Didn't know he was coming. I will be honored to call you brother..."

"Brother? Why?"

"Daniel changed us to what we are, and in that way we share blood and relation. My life and powers are yours if you so wish."

He stood and grasped Daniel's hand.

"I will return shortly...I have a few things to check on."

And with that, he dove out the window and out of sight.

"He actually welcomed me. He called me brother..."

***

"Personal space is defined by the fact that you aren't in it!"

"Don't you know, we don't believe in personal space. Looks like we need to teach you more about culture."

Mellina glared at Dag as he crawled closer on the bed.

"Dag...You will force me to take extreme measures...I want to be *alone*..."

He didn't stop his advance at all, a shine running across his eyes.

"And what would you do to me?"

"This!"

Springing forward suddenly, she caught him off guard, pushing him down on the covers. He looked amused as she propped herself up on her lower arms, resting on his chest.

"Well, is that it?"

"No..."

Moving a hand slowly down to his groin, rubbing him slowly to arousal. She smiled as he moaned, moving the other hand to open his pants. Running her hand over him again, he shut his eyes, leaning his head back. She chuckled as he suddenly snapped back from his pleasure as she pressed a cold blade against his balls.

"I told you I wanted space, and I intend to get it. And on the chance that you don't, I'm sure you'll enjoy being neutered in your own bed."

He put his hands out to the sides.

"Okay, go...Have your space..."

"Ahh...and I was so looking forward to using this. Could have made you the first castrato in the world in over 300 years..."

She moved off him, laughing at his quickly shrinking member as she went into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

"Maybe Wolfbainians weren't meant to have limited selection for mates..."

***

Jason slipped on his tinted glasses as he walked down the quickly crowding street. He could blend in better than the others, and he used it to his advantage as he would make his way back home, at least one person in tow. A romantic, he never killed if he could help it, even so, many didn't remember anything at all. He opened his door, a body falling to the ground at his side, breathing lightly.

"Deacon? That you?"

Jason groaned as he walked into the kitchen, a young man sitting at the table.

"I am not my father...Do not refer to me by his name."

"As long as you are on the Council, we will refer to you as we wish...You wouldn't be where you are without him."

He stared at him coldly, having the same look returned back to him.

"Drantille, I am not amused with this. I told the Council that I am not to be bothered..."

"They want the Pyraids...You can't hide them forever. We will find them, with or without you."

Jason flashed his fangs, growling.

"For the fact that Lestat is planning behind my back..."

"...It wasn't your choice to tell Jones of his position..."

"He is the last person I can call blood relation. It wasn't our place not to tell him. Keeping it from him is a wrong against our entire ideal...You can't trust Lestat's rule!"

Drantille stood, his fist slamming onto the table.

"I am of the seven, the world power, the binders of the darkness. He brought us together to reclaim what is ours. We don't stop, and we don't back down..."

"You are a simple representative of a reckless monster who knows he can't control his reign alone. It's not to share his power, it's to bring it all back to him, and you follow like some dog who is afraid of being beat."

Jason's eyes burned violently.

"Now, get out of my flat!"

Drantille snarled before storming towards the door.

"You will lose it all Frost...Power was only meant for the pure, and you will fall. As will your dear Pyraidians. Nothing can stop the Council!"

"Tell your master that he's overlooked one thing...A wolf who walks in the light will end it all, and the vampire rule of the Council shall fall."

***

"No more knives!"

"Dagmantis, aren't you being a bit rash?"

"No! You have used them on me for the last time. You will not compromise my 'productive' abilities with some mad fit!"

Dag stood with his fists knotted and his fangs at full length. His temper had flared, his dominancy at risk.

"I am not your pet...I deserve the right to fight back!"

"Right now you barely deserve the right to live! We are the last of our kind...You nix me and you will live as I have for so long."

His eyes flashed as he turned away, digging his nails into his palms.

"Take me out of the equation, and you will see things that will chill you to the bone. I know you don't think that it matters, but there are reasons why there are still humans on this planet, simple predator/prey relationship. I keep them in check so they don't take over society as you know it. Without me, there would be one war, one standoff, and humanity would fall to its knees before you could blink. Technically speaking, evolution hasn't been kind to them in the past millenium. And what they do have doesn't count for much. Blind during the day and unfeeling at night, they are the weakest link. So before you threaten me, you just think it over, what it means to you, what life is really worth in your mind...Decide if you could live alone for the rest of time."

He walked out the door without glancing back.

***

"Aha!"

Darren pulled his comb out of his bag.

"I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Daniel looked up from behind his book as Darren flashed a triumphant smile.

"You're talking to your comb again..."

"Yes, well, it is very important to me and my style..."

"You and your style need to give it a rest...You're the living dead, remember? No worries..."

"No worries for you, bed-head. Only for me."

He smiled again as he made his way into the bathroom for the self-satisfied glance of the mirror. Dan rolled his eyes, then returned them to the printed page before him.

"So brilliant a mind, yet he talks to hair supplies...What a wonderful companion..."

Darren poked his head back in the room, his hair matted to his head.

"Talking to me?"

"No..."

"Talking about me?"

"Of course, don't I always?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged as he went back to his hair. He hummed quietly to himself, running the bristles through his hair, pulling them up into spikes, as how he liked it.

As he returned to his bed, he sat and simply watched Dan scanning the pages of a book he'd read a million times, though he acted like he'd never seen it before. Good time to interrupt his thoughts.

"So, what exactly happened here?"

"I don't want to talk about it..."

"Could you give me a clue?"

Dan never lifted his gaze from the writing.

"You want a clue? How about this: He saved me, I saved him, and now he hates me with a passion. It all happened in a space of 24 hours, and nothing has ever been the same. There you go, now go think on it for a while...I'm sure it will keep you busy for a while at least."

Darren flopped onto his pillow, rolling over and closing his eyes. Daniel chuckled under his breath.

"Now you've done it...Your comb's going to be all broken up..."

"What are you dribbling on about?"

"You just ruined your 'perfect' hairdo..."

Darren sighed loudly.

"That was bad, Dan. We really need to work on your humor."