With nothing urgent that he needed to do that night as they waited for dawn to approach, Vlad took his wife to the balcony of their bedroom and sat on a chair with her back against his chest after she had put her devil of a familiar to sleep.

The sky was still cloudy and the air supercharged with energy from all the tempers that had flown off the handle earlier that night. It sent tingles of energy down his spine every other minute, making it impossible for the adrenaline in his blood to completely recede. He buried his nose in Erinna’s neck and inhaled, hoping that her scent and mere presence would calm him like it always did.

The encounter with Lierian had left him feeling more restless than he had expected. It was not in his nature to come across someone who had made a personal attack against him or those he loved and let them walk away. Lierian had almost taken everything from him and his soul was calling for her blood.

In one move, she had almost ended his existence and where would that have left Erinna and the baby? In choosing him, Erinna had lost everything else. He was her only family and at the shuddered at the thought of what would of her should he suddenly not be there anymore.

His people would take care of her of course, they were duty bound to. But what if she was the reason the reason he was no longer there? They would not understand that Erinna had not control of the curses that Vlad had earned himself. They would just see a murderer and no mountain would hide her from their breath.

For his own peace of mind, Vlad needed to make provisions for her and the baby. He wanted to be optimistic and hope things would end well for them, but he wanted her ready should the universe work against them.

He couldn’t control his fate for he had already sown his seeds a long time ago, but he could at least do his best to make sure that should he go down, he would not take Erinna down with him. She needed to live, to see their baby grow up and chart up every detail so that she would tell him should they be graced to meet in their afterlives.

Vlad liked to believe they would be together after death. He had done nothing in his life to earn an afterlife but surely the universe could not be that cruel? After experiencing Erinna’s goodness, her love, her respect, her admiration; he was not sure he could go forever without it. Just the very thought….

Vlad tightened his arms around her, dropping a kiss on her neck. “I love you.”

Her quickening pulse and sudden dose of pheromones was the best response he could have hoped for. He inhaled and rubbed his nose against his mark. Her awareness was making Erinna’s blood flow close to the surface, its scent teasing him into submission. Love, what an inadequate word.

“I know,” she responded softly, intertwining their fingers across her belly.

They spent the next half an hour sitting in companionable silence, just looking out into the night as Erinna ate her mishmash mix of apples, honey and cinnamon. They could not see any lights from the human village because it was overshadowed by the dense forest.

The darkness around them made it seem like they were the only people in the world. It was the first time Vlad was in the dark yet did not feel like part of it. With Erinna, everything was different.

“Can you read them out for me?” Vlad asked after a while.

“What?”

“The skies.” He pointed with his head.

There were still some clouds but there were clearing to reveal the different constellations that lit the sky. With the moon still in its early phase, each star was shining brightly, its light not dimmed by competition.

Erinna leaned further into his chest and Vlad tightened his arms around her. She began pointing out the constellations to him and what had seemed like clusters of stars began to take new shape and meaning in his mind as he saw them through her eyes.

He knew it had been a while since she had sat down to read the skies because they were always busy with one thing or another. With the way her voice became more animated and a healthy flush covered her face; it was something she had missed doing.

Her building excitement completely changed her scent, making it lighter and more teasing. Her usual scent was more overpowering and it made Vlad want to devour her and conquer her. But the happy and sweet tones it was carrying right then made him want to play with her more and he couldn’t resist leaving little bites on her neck as she talked.

“You’re not listening!” She said but her sweet laughter didn’t translate whatever displeasure she was trying to communicate well.

“8th Elven king, I heard you.”

“Lucky guess. Now listen; you’ll need to recite this to our baby one day.”

Vlad vowed never to burden his child with such useless knowledge. It was a wonder his wife even walked straight with the amount of useless information in her head. His son would only know how to be a Dracula, how to hunt and how to charm a pretty girl but he didn’t have the heart to tell his wife no one cared about dead people so he let her continue, doing more to pay attention.

She went on for half an hour, telling him about all the dead elf kings before moving to other constellations.

“Deacon saw that one before me,” Erinna pointed, oblivious to Vlad’s body turning still at the mention of the D word. “It’s for our baby. At the time he said I would betray someone close to me to have the baby.”

Vlad gritted his teeth. He hated that damn elf and the easy respect that he had obviously coaxed out of Erinna. His only comfort was that with Lierian now in Transylvania, he could probably coax Erinna to tell her to lower the barrier so that Vlad could go to Ellingsdale and exact the revenge he was owed.

“We can agree his sky reading skills are terrible then,” he said.

Anyone who would suggest Erinna was a betrayer was not right in the head, let alone the kind of betrayal that cuckoo elf had suggested.

“They are not, really. I thought he meant you so I was angry at him and said some impolite things but he was right. I did betray someone close to me to have this baby.”

He couldn’t help the satisfaction at the knowledge that she had told the fool where to stuff his theories. But then the last part of her statement registered. She had betrayed someone?

“You father,” he said as it dawned on him.

“Yes,” Erinna nodded.

“Well, I still think Demon is an opportunistic bastard and I’m going to break his legs for what he did to you.”

There were more creative things he intended to do once he got his hands on the man but this was the only one that was polite enough for conversation with his pregnant wife.

“I know,” she laughed softly then looked back into the night sky before them. “See that one? It’s for rebirth and by the large number of stars there and the correlation with the first phase of the moon, it could represent the Awakening.”

They were right then, that the sky held all their past, future and present. He had not thought a ceremony to turn new vampires would be there.

“How about that one?” He asked, pointing out to a group of stars with a shape he could not make sense of.

“That is a sequence. It signifies the rise and fall of a nation. Wolves specifically if you see how it is aligned with the moon.” She said then paused.

“What?”

“Can you see the tally marks that the stars at the edge of the constellation make? They symbolize entrapment or loss of freedom. That correlates with what happened to them but if you look at the outer edges there is another star, brighter than the others. It’s either a new leader or a very strong wolf and he’s not in the Rehabilitation Village with the others right now.”

Vlad frowned, “We rounded the important ones up. Whoever is left is not worth the bother.”

And certainly not capable of orchestrating a prison escape or anything that could inconvenience them. Vlad had made sure to track every single werewolf of importance that had escaped from Silvercrest that night. All heirs and royalty had been killed or imprisoned.

“The story is not yet complete and there’s not much beyond what I’ve already told you but we can monitor it to see if anything changes.”

Since he didn’t like getting surprised, Vlad would probably remind her himself.

“What’s that one?” He asked after giving her arm a squeeze to let her know the warning was heeded.

“That one represents the coming together of people from two different nations.”

“Lierian and Chase?”

Vlad had not even seen that one coming. He actually felt sorry for the kid. Chase was a good vampire. He did what he was supposed to do when he was supposed to do it and he had good control for his age. Even in his early days, he had never given Vlad any headaches. He did not deserve to be saddled with the head case that was Lierian.

“No, they’re right there with us,” she pointed to a constellation that formed an infinity symbol.

“So there is going to be another Accorded Mate couple?”

The universe certainly was feeling generous.

“Yes; a couple of years from now.”

“About Lierian…do we need to worry about her?” Vlad asked.

Vlad wanted to pay his debts and extend his welcome to the girl in the hopes that someone would one day do the same for his child too but he did not want to do it at the expense of the safety of his people. Lierian was still an unknown element and as likely to snap and collapse the castle on them all as to honoring her end of the bargain.

“I’ll keep an eye on her but I don’t think she will give us any trouble. Did you see her face when she got marked? It was like she was just realizing she finally had someone and she couldn’t believe it. She will want to stay in his good graces.”

That was something Vlad still did not get. Erinna had mentioned Corrupted Beings were not capable of complex or deep emotions. Would the bond change that?

“How did you know she would choose her mother?”

“I didn't. It was a test as much as it was blackmail. The records say Corrupted Beings care for no one. I wanted to be sure,” Erinna confessed.

“So if she had not chosen Angelica?”

“Then I would have done what was necessary. But Lierian has a heart. As long as she is capable of love, she can be saved. Her reaction to Chase confirmed it. She was looking at him like he was the most precious person in the world and Chase was just standing there with a confused expression on his face,” Erinna smiled, remembering the scene.

“Poor lad, I don’t envy him.”

He would not have wished the misery of waking up next to that woman every day even on Alexander and that was a vampire who pushed all of Vlad’s wrong buttons.

“Oh stop it; I believe she is good deep down inside,” Erinna lightly pushed her husband.

He grabbed her wrists and pulled her closer.

“Your micro vision to people’s goodness is going to result in Castello Dracula becoming a charity home. Very soon we’ll have demons walking the hallways too.” Vlad said but his tone suggested he was not angry.

“How do you feel about her staying here? We could move them somewhere else. I should have asked before, I’m sorry.”

“You think having one of the most powerful people in the world in my kingdom is a burden? We need to give you another lesson in the dynamics of power, Countess. It was a good call. I would have done the same, though not for reasons as altruistic as yours."

Knowing that Lierian was living in his castle was bad but it was much better than having one of his enemies get their hands on her. He would rather she stayed right under his nose where he could monitor each and every one of her moves.

The only thing he needed to know was her buttons so he knew just how to press them to his advantage.

Erinna winced and her hand went to her stomach, alarming Vlad.

“Is the baby coming?”

“What? No, Vlad.” She laughed. “I just got kicked really hard. Oh and I guess we can definitely say he or she is part vampire now.”

“How did you know?” Vlad asked.

“When Lierian was screaming and all the other vampires were hurting from the noise, the baby got distressed as well.”

“Really? Is it okay then? We need to call the midwife. I’ll get Alex-”

Erinna put her palm over his mouth to stop him from talking.

“If the baby is a vampire that means it can heal. There is nothing to worry about.”

Vlad didn’t look too happy but he couldn’t argue with her logic either. It was unlikely that the midwife had any experience with vampire babies let alone vampire-angel-elf babies.

He began to say something, but paused, his head tilted a little.

“What is it?” She asked.

An amused smile broke over his handsome features.

“You might want to go to the West Wing. I think your familiar is eating your new friend.”

“Xander? But he was just h-” She trailed off when she found the door to the adjoining room wide open.

Oh no. She scrambled off the reclining chair, or tried to anywhere. Her nightdress tangled with her legs.

“Relax, you’ll hurt yourself,” Vlad said, appearing at her side and easing her to the ground.

“I can’t believe you’re so calm,” she muttered, walking to the closet and getting a dressing gown to put over her nightdress.

“She can defend herself,” he said but followed her when she teleported to Angelica’s chambers.

Loud screams and scrambled thoughts bombarded Erinna as soon as they materialized outside the door.

“Ah, agh! Get it off me! Mama, get it off me, please!” Lierian was screaming.

Erinna had never heard such raw terror in her life before.

They burst in through the door to find bond Angelica and Edward brandishing swords at a Xander who was all wrapped around Lierian like a vine, his stinger poised to attack.

“Wait,” Erinna said urgently to Angelica before she attacked.

“Xander, release Lierian now,” she told her familiar firmly.

How had he even known about Lierian?

“No. She’s bad news. Xander knows.”

“How do you know she’s bad news if you’ve never met her before?”

Lierian had gone very still, not daring to breathe.

“I knows her type. Look at the eyes and the face. It’s corrupted to the bone.”

Terror had made Lierian’s already ashen skin tone even paler. She didn’t look evil at all, just scared out of her mind.

“No, she’s my friend. What did we say about attacking my friends?”

“Fine, be friends with the dark one, see if I cares. Fool of a princess.”

He released Lierian and sauntered out of the room, pausing near the door to make a sudden movement to scare Vlad but he only raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

With Xander gone, the whole room sighed in collective relief. Angelica shuddered and would have fallen to the ground but Edward helped her into a chair. Lierian had taken to whimpering, her arms around her legs as she sat, curled into a shivering ball on the bed.

“I’ll talk to her for a minute, okay?” Erinna said to Vlad, not wanting him to be bored. This was essentially Elven business anyhow.

“Alright, I’ll be with Alexander. Call me if you need anything.”

He kissed her then left. Erinna sighed then moved towards the bed.

“Are you okay?” She asked, sitting on the bed and putting a gentle hand on Lierian’s knee.

She couldn’t see any physical wounds but the eyes could be deceiving.

“I’m fine,” Lierian growled, shaking Erinna’s hand off.

“He didn’t bite anything or sting you?”

“You think I’d be alive if that thing had stung me? Don’t you read our history books at all?”

Erinna frowned.

“What do you mean?”

Scorpion venom was fatal for vampires but Lierian was not one. She could easily heal from it.

“His name is Amloc. He’s the lord of all scorpions that have ever walked on this earth. No man or animal can survive his venom.”

Oh.

Erinna had not known that; her knowledge of the familiar who had been bestowed upon her could hardly fill a cup. She knew that he hated her, hated Vlad and hated the world but somehow he always seemed to follow her orders no matter how much he seemed to despise her.

“I would have healed you or brought you back to life,” she told Lierian because up until then she hadn’t ever encountered an illness she could not heal.

Bringing Lierian back from the dead would also not bear the same consequences as Miya since Lierian was technically an elf.

“I’m a Corrupted Being; you cannot ‘heal me’ or bring me back to life. The gifts of the elves are not accessible to me.”

“So if you die…”

“I’ll just be dead. Keep that in mind before you let your pet loose.”

It was a sobering truth. Erinna had thought since Corrupted Beings had come about as a balance for Pure Beings, they would share the same gifts and be at least equally as indestructible. But Lierian didn’t have any second chances like her. She should have been glad to know the weakness of someone who had been an enemy but all it made Erinna want to do was protect Lierian more.

“If nothing hurts you, could you live as long as the elves?” Erinna asked.

“I’m not immortal. My presence destabilizes the balance in the universe too much for nature to be able to sustain it for long.”

“

I’m sorry, Lierian.”

“There’s nothing to forgive. Besides, we’re the same. I don’t have long but neither do you.”

A chill went through Erinna.

“What do you mean?”

“No Pure Being has ever lived past twenty-five; in fact you’re the very first one to carry a child.”

“Yes but they were killed,” she explained.

It was not because they were not immortal. Erinna had read the stories.

“It doesn’t matter how it happened. The end result is the same, the balance was restored.”

Edward gurgled from the other side of the room. Erinna turned her eyes to him but it was Angelica who opened her mouth.

“Your father thinks it’s a good thing that the two of you are alive at the same time. The other Pure Beings were unfortunate because they did not have someone who balanced their presence on earth. You two will be able to stabilize each other and there will not be too much of the other.”

That was one way to look at it. But Erinna did not think she needed much balance to begin with. Her system had found a balance by giving her a duality no other Pure Being had ever had before her. She was not purely good but neither was she purely evil. With both fire and milk burning in her veins, she would never be too much of one thing. But that was a secret only she and Vlad shared.

“I’m sorry about Xander tonight. He won’t bother you again.”

She kissed Lierian’s cheek and stood up from the bed. Lierian was putting on a brave demeanor but her face gave her away.

“Should I send someone to bring some warm milk for you? You don’t look so good.”

“Milk from what? Demon tits?” She scoffed.

“Lierian!” Her mother admonished.

“I don’t want milk. I’m not some baby,” she said but when her parents stood up and crowded her in a group hug, she closed her eyes and shuddered.

Erinna quietly closed the door and teleported out.

***********

When Erinna left Lierian, she followed Vlad’s presence to find him in his study with Alexander, discussing some sort of plans. Well, Alexander was talking and writing whilst Vlad mostly rolled around with Alex on the carpet, trying to pin each other down.