Centuries

~Five~

Arabella's POV

"School was fine. But I missed you." Cade says. Looking up from his plate of food. I had gotten a caterer to make a special dinner. I stab a piece of ham, and swallow it. Trying to get the taste of Daemon from my mouth.

"I missed you too." Derek says. Glaring at Cade playfully. He is my second most recent turn, so he does feel a bit threatened by Cade.

"You two are sweet." I hum. Letting go of my fork, it clatters against my plate. My mind goes back to the standing form of Daemon. Waiting, bloody, at the end of the hall. There had been a part of me that had wanted to ravish the little wolf. But a much bigger part was angry at the smugness and arrogance of his ways. War had been declared. And I was going to give him exactly what he wanted, a bloody war. "But I meant, what were your classes like?"

"Mine was-"

"Mason." I interrupt. My eyes narrowing on him. I hadn't quite gotten to punish him for speaking out of turn yet. His eyes lower to his cleared placemat. Not responding. After a moment Dorian speaks up.

"The school requirements for the supernatural have lowered. That or you taught us a lot more then the teachers there can even begin to understand. The classes felt obvious, and dumbed down. I thought Aiden Aldersmith was a genius. The classes are low academically to say the least." Dorian had the biggest brain around, in the 20's. The 1820's.

"Nobody can quite match your brilliance, Dorian." I tell him. Catching a rolling purple grape. I push it to my mouth, humming in thought. "I think this game of Vitae will be wonderfully active. I'll have to attend everyday, and make trouble for the werewolf."

"Make trouble?" Derek speaks up. He flashes a wicked grin, all fangs. "I love the way you think, Bella."

"What kind of trouble exactly, Miss?" Cade asks. His cheeks flushing. So human. I really should turn him sooner than planned, he is my weakest link.

"A few werewolf deaths, a couple snarky lines, and in the end a broken heart. Maybe two, if Daemon's twin brother comes around." I smirk. Motioning for Cade to follow as I stand and start walking away from the room. "Come on, Cade. Time for me to snack."

~~~

"You're angry with me." Mason says. Cade is in the library reading and eating a cookie along with juice. He really just needed my blood. But I couldn't trust that he wouldn't force the turn. I run my brush through my hair again. The white platinum strands don't shed from my head. Ever. I look at Mason in the mirror. He stands behind me. Looking ashamed. His hands folded in front of him. His eyes on my brush running through my hair.

"Yes. You know why." I answer. I don't change my blank expression. Knowing that his punishment would be swift. Normally I would just tell him to stop feeding for a few days. Sap his energy. But I needed him strong if I was facing off a werewolf pack with twin alphas.

"I spoke out of turn."

"And why would that warrant any punishment?" I ask. My voice condescending. I love Mason. He was my first turned. My first little pet. But he needed to learn from this.

"Because if we speak up, then we seem like more than just soldiers. And that would make us your weakness. Because your enemies would see us as something you care about."

"You understand," I start. Standing up. "And yet you disobey." I use my vamp speed to appear in front of him. "Never again, Mason." Then I attack.

Daemon's POV

"You should have been at school. I needed you there so I wasn't facing her alone." I tell Dmitri. He is squinting at me hard. His arms crossed. His shirt is off, he wears the swim shorts I had found him in when I got home.

"I thought everything was cool, and you liked her and were sniffing your way to her." He half laughs at the last part. But his expression stays mostly serious.

"She bit me." I motion to my neck. It wasn't marked, but my shirt near the area she had bitten is soaked in blood.

"She's a vampire. So that's probably like sex to her." His mouth twists into a smirk. "You work fast. But you remember telling the whole school you'd kill any vampire that came to our school? Yeah, that's not gonna be pretty. The packs going to think you are cool with vampires. Tell your mate to go to a different school. That way the pack can get used to the idea of her and not have to see her everyday. Then when you two settle down the pack will be more open minded."

"She's an ancient, Dmitri." I say. Glaring at the wall. "She's strong and willful and has several guys hanging around her. Like vampire guys, except a human one, and they love her. Like love love her. And I think she's sleeping with all of them and I hate it. I hate those stupid toys she tugs around. They're toys." I'm panting now and I fell Dmitri gripping my shoulder. I think of his comment about a bite being like sex. "And she bit James to spite me. When we first met. So she practically had sex with-" I growl low in my throat. Dmitri is saying something. Calm down. I think. I shake my head. My fangs ripping out of my gums. My body contorts as I feel the change. I stumble hard and fast to the back door. The familiar tug of animal instinct taking over.

My world tumbles into focus. My claws ripping out of my fingers and toes. My body itches painfully as fur takes over human skin. My jaw shifting and moving to form a snout. I let out a howl as the change finishes. Calling to my pack. I hear the howls of other wolfs. My body moving to run toward them. I'm the same height as my human self was.

"Daemon you prick!" I don't understand the words for a moment. Comprehending human thoughts slower. I try to keep my animalistic side from taking over.

Run. Find pack.

Arabella- So beautiful.

Run. Find pack

Mate. Beautiful mate.

Run. Find-

Mate. Find mate. Protect mate.

Run, find..

Mate.

~~~

Arabella's POV

"You'll be turned this weekend." I tell Cade. Walking into the library. He sits in a chair by our biggest window. He looks up at my words.

"You said that-"

"I will turn you this weekend. I would do it today, but we need time. I have to get to school and do a few things before I can take a week off." Newly made vampires require a lot of attention. And a couple days to even grasp ahold of their emotions.

"Okay." He grins, his face practically glowing. Energetic at the idea of getting what he's wanted for awhile now. I've had him here about two years. Which isn't very long to me, but it's the longest he's stayed in one place. His family was wealthy, to a degree. But he hadn't been happy. He moved every few months. The reason for the moving was a secret to him. But I knew why it happened. His parents owed a lot of money to a gang very prominent in the human world. I had freed them of their debt after I had Cade.

"You will be an excellent vampire, Cade. Even your name is sexy for a mortal." I smirk down at him. I stand staring down at him. My hand sweeping his one blonde lock off his forehead. It always managed to drift there. "For now, you'll need to stop eating for the week. I'll give you my blood to heal. But we'll wait until the weekend to actually turn you. Now, go on and get some slee-"

I falter. Silencing as my eyes catch movement out the window. I focus on the figure moving through the edge of the woods and stalking towards my mansion with great speed. Then I'm moving. My voice ringing out.

"Get Mason's body to my room, Cade and lock up. Derek! Dorian! Get to the front door now!

"There's a wolf in my yard that needs tending."