The night was uneventful, neither party doing much. The Wolfbainians slept off their jet lag as the quiet footsteps echoed somewhere below. Daniel finally resolved to get from his bed and feed on his own.

Darren poured himself through Armand's library trying to learn anything he could about possible myths and legends that could hold true to Dagmantis and his life. Darren wanted to know, and little was going to stop him. For a long while, he found nothing at all, then stumbled on a book historic Russian legends. Near the middle of the book he found a glimpse of what he was after.

"In the early times, it was said that the known world was ruled by unearthly creatures, the Wolfbainians by far the most feared and revered, right above the Vampiric clans of Western Europe. The most impressive was told to have been dominated by Tranious Kacrona who ruled until his death in the Berlin Wars. His son was the soul survivor, Dagmantis Kacrona. Although he supposedly vanished the night of his clans death, writers and historians alike agree that there was meaning behind his name as this wasn't the last time he was recorded. In the old Wolfbainian texts, Dagmantis read out as 'One of the Wolf.' In other early writings, names like Lord of the Wolf, Dark Blade Night, and Soul of Night all refer back to the last living member of the Kronigs Clan..."

Throughout other books, Darren found connections that placed Dag all over the world at opportune moments. From the tails of the wise Wolf of the Native Americans to the Egyptian God of Death, it all went back to him. Darren scribbled as much as he could down in a notebook before falling asleep, hidden by the mounds of paper.

**

Mellina sipped her coffee slowly, watching Dag fade in the distance, left to his own means. She chose not to ask what he planned for his time there, but she already was praying that what he had said the night before would somehow magically come true. The chance to see his crystal blue eyes again would melt her like the first time they had met.

**

Darren wandered, yawning and closing off his mind so he could have some quiet. He had been up late, but it had been worth all of it. He passes some of the many coffee shops that lined the streets before stopping to glance around.

"Darren?"

He twirled around, finding the owner of the voice sitting at a welcoming table.

"Hello Mellina...I don't know if we should be talking or not...That guy you've shacked up with doesn't like Daniel or I that much."

"Oh don't worry about Dag for now...I think he knows something about us that we don't realize yet."

"Mell, we aren't the same anymore. I wanted to cry, and I did...It was all my fault because I left you there. And now we are on opposing teams and I wish we weren't just because I loved you..."

"Love knows no boundaries Darren, and my soul will always belong to you."

Darren hesitantly pulled up a chair.

"Are you sure he won't attack me as soon as I sit down?"

"I'm sure, please, sit and talk to me. I know a lot has happened to us, but we can't let it push us apart."

He dropped his gaze from hers, his pale skin shinning oddly.

"I'm a monster Mellina. I have to kill every night just to keep this body from disintegrating around me. And then there's the little matter about your lover-boy from hell. I'm sure you both had a blast that night..."

"You think it was fun watching a man being stabbed and ripped apart by one of your best friends? You think it was fun to go crawling back to Lee and Karl for help because I didn't know what to do? Fun, to think that another could have died because he was just faintly connected? No Darren, that was hell."

The air was so still that it was hard to tell if he was even breathing or not, not that they really needed it. Darren nodded softly, bringing his eyes back up to hers.

"So it was Ben...It really messed Dan up, really bad. I think it made him realize what is really going on...He...he just has this new attitude that he didn't have before..."

A shadow fell over Darren as Dan came up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder and glancing at Mell.

"Hello Mellina...How goes it?"

Mellina shrugged.

"Well enough for being in this mess."

"Good, good...And Dag? Has he learned anything yet?"

"Hard to say...He...Ben hurt him bad, but I guess you already knew that..."

Dan rubbed his hand against his shirt above his heart.

"I'm sure it couldn't have been helped. Ben has problems accepting what happens to him and those closest to him. He has always been that way."

A darkness grew over his eyes for a second, his concentration breaking.

"He's here...Dagmantis is coming back!"

**

Dag rounded around the corner, his ankle length coat sweeping around his booted feet. The smell of fresh leather drifted from around him as he wrapped his arms around Mellina's shoulders, kissing her neck and breathing into her ear.

"See, I told you that he would..."

He tilted his head to the side, like a questioning animal.

"Guten tag Dan'l...Werden der sprekst?"

Daniel's eyes widened.

"Guten morgen. Ja, Ich spreake, but do you still speak the old Wolfbainian?"

"Du ist tote herr...You can't speak Wolfbainian, stop trying..."

"Ich sagt du ein frage...Antworten geben!"

"Nien, Ich werde nicht. You don't deserve an answer. What would you gain?"

"Same thing you are after, understanding."

Darren only caught the greetings, the rest of the German going over his head. He pushed Daniel's hand from his shoulder, taking Mellina's hand and moving away from the table.

"It would be nice to have a conversation without you two hovering over us. Give it a rest!"

He led her away from the two enemies.

"What brings us here Dag?"

"Animosität Daniel, einzigeit animistät..."*

* "Animosity Daniel, only animosity..."

**

Dag was asleep in the bathtub when Mellina came back late in the afternoon. He didn't bother to shut the door, but had draped a cloth over his crotch just incase anyone came in. She couldn't help but giggle at the way he looked, he had his hat pulled down over his eyes. If not for the fact that she could feel him in there, anyone could miss him. He silently took his breaths, slight movements the only clue that he was still alive. She walked over, running a finger down his chest and down to the cloth floating in the water. She smiled as a grin spread on his face. She played with the cloth, delighting as his member jumped to meet her touch. She suddenly grabbed it, Dag dunking himself out of surprise. He came back up, sputtering and cursing, his hair hanging down over his eyes and around his ears. Mell kissed him.

"Sorry, I had to wake you up somehow..."

"Too bad, I was expecting something else..."

She picked up his water-sopped hat from the floor, ringing it out a little.

"You should keep your hair like that...It makes you look more mysterious..."

She met his lips again before dropping the hat back on his head and walking out the door. She didn't want to give him anymore ideas at the moment, although he was good. Mellina had learned things from Darren that afternoon that proved that Pyraids by far were a better species than vampires. She could still feel his warmth within her, something she didn't want to lose yet.

*FlashBack*

Darren was still continually learning things about his new form that he had thought would never happen. He had taken Mell back to Armand's empty house, and led her into a bedroom where they wouldn't be bothered. Talk turned cheap as Mell started experimenting, forcing her tongue into Darren's mouth in a heated kiss. He felt a stirring between his legs, something he hadn't felt since he had been changed, something he thought he'd never feel again. He instantly felt ashamed about his conversation with Dan that day in the theater. In all truth, Dan probably hadn't missed out on much after all, but had sat there and taken Darren's ranting. Mell brought him back, stroking the growing bulge and letting him moan. She was gentle, running her tongue over his teeth, tasting him like he longed to taste her, long and hard. She slowly unbuttoned his pants, letting the pent-up heat that had strained against the cotton. She traced her finger along his length, feeling him shudder. He was leaning his head back as she moved to his shirt, opening it but leaving it wrapped around his shoulders. He jerked when her lips brushed the skin around his nipples, still as sensitive as ever. A few seconds later, both were undressed and rustling the bedcovers. Where he entered her, he released all of the energy and frustrations into physical power. His hips would grind into her as she sighed deeply onto his neck, inhaling his scent until he came into her, gasping as the heat spread through him. She clamped down on him, pulling it from him until he was spent. As their breathing returned to normal, she snuggled to his chest.

"You know I have to go back to him, even though I don't want to lose this..."

"Dan will kill me though...He's really going crazy I think."

"Well, lets just keep this between us, shall we? Now I think I need to get back...No knowing how much hell they've gotten into..."

*

Dag grumbled as he pulled on a pair of pants before walking out to his bed, Mell thumbing through the files again by the window. He snorted before crawling into his bed and turning his back to her. She ignored him until she heard his blankets ruffle and he uttered a muffled groan. She shook her head in disgust, but asked the question anyway.

"What are you doing over there?"

He didn't look up from his work.

"I am jerking myself off since someone didn't want to help..."

Her mouth dropped open in mock horror. She had known, but laughed inside at his frank answer. She slid her headphones over her ears, Chaz and the rest of Linkin Park trying to drown out the grunts and groans from across the room. She couldn't help but glance over and watch him as he pumped around under the covers, until he suddenly disappeared, falling off the side of the bed. Mell laughed, watching him crawl back into the bathroom, rolling her eyes.

"Oh did poor Daggy hurt hisself?"

"Maybe...Wanna come kiss it better?"

"No, I'm not coming anywhere near you. Anyone who masturbates in front of someone doesn't deserve sympathy, especially when they come so hard that they dump themselves off the bed..."

"Well, I can't help that...I really thought I had more room than that..."