The following two days past by in a slow blur. Evonne stayed in her room as Demetrius ordered, and food was brought to her three times a day. Or at least she thought it was the daytime. After a while in the haven, she lost all track of time. Only when she felt sleepy did she assume it to be midnight, her normal bedtime. Cabin fever was threatening to take over.
     She thought back to Demetrius and how he spoke to her. He treated her with respect, something that seemed odd coming from a vampire as powerful as he. She also noticed how Gabriel acted in the Elder’s presence. The unshakable confidence he once shown was absent while in the room. This change in his composure puzzled her. There was something more to the meeting with Demetrius, but Evonne’s mind could barely scratch the surface.
     Gabriel remained with her most of the time. They would speak on idle subjects, but the conversations ended as quick as they began. The uncertainty and tension from motel room were heightened tenfold while in this place.
     As the last night began, they left the haven. Evonne was glad for the change. Gabriel understood her restlessness and was beginning to feel the same.
     They arrived in the town where Keelan instructed Gabriel to met him. They waited for two hours before Gabriel left the Jeep to check the area.
     As he returned, Evonne noticed the worry in his voice.
     “Something has happened,” he said, turning on the Jeep.
     She became scared, not for her safety but for Keelan. “Where are we going?”
     “Back to the house.”

The long drive ended as they parked in the driveway of the Victorian house. Evonne followed Gabriel to the front door. The door had remained locked during the time Keelan stayed there, but as Gabriel twisted the handle, the door opened. They entered the quiet house.
     Gabriel stopped in the foyer, letting his mind move throughout each room, searching for anyone waiting within. He tried to do this as they entered the driveway but found nothing. It was when he stepped into the house did he find Keelan’s presence. He headed upstairs, centering in on the room that held Keelan.
     He opened the door to the master bedroom and saw Keelan laying on the large bed, arms outstretched and facing the ceiling.
     Evonne struggled to see Keelan through the dark. The curtains were gone from the windows, allowing the moon’s light to enter the room. She stepped closer but found Gabriel’s arm stopping her.
     “Don’t,” he whispered. “Something’s wrong with him.” Walking to the side of the bed, he looked down at Keelan. There was an odd scent to him. Upon entering the house, the place was filled with the strong scent of humans, but this other scent wasn’t different.
     Keelan’s lifeless body lunged from the bed and toward Evonne, his fangs ready to tear into her. Gabriel’s fist struck the side of Keelan’s face, sending him back onto the bed. His body began to writhe in agony. The pain wasn’t from the cheap shot but from something foreign within him.
     “Stay back!” Gabriel yelled at Evonne.
     She pressed herself against the wall and watched. “Is he all right?” she asked.
     Moving onto the bed, Gabriel began to check Keelan for any marks. He had his suspicions but he wanted to be certain. The light from the moon was plenty for him to see the marked vein on his inner right arm. Whatever had been injected, it was potent enough to irritate even the flesh of a vampire, leaving a darkened trail underneath. He looked around and found a discarded pile of chains on the floor near the far end of the room.
     “He’s been drugged,” he finally said.
     Evonne looked at Gabriel then Keelan. “He will be okay, won’t he? I mean, in time, it will wear off, right?”
     “I’m not sure,” he said, not wanting to admit it out loud.
     Placing a hand to Keelan’s forehead, he tried to tap into the pain he felt. A blinding hunger filled him, paralyzing all other thought beyond its consuming force. It was all his body knew. With his mind amidst Keelan’s, he could sense the soothing warmth coming from Evonne. In Keelan’s manipulated eyes, Gabriel was not in the room or even the house. All that existed to him now was the innocent human helplessly standing near the wall.
     He moved away from Keelan and addressed Evonne. “You’re not safe in this room.”
     “I have to help him,” she persisted.
     “He needs blood to quiet the toxin,” he explained.
     “Then I can help him.”
     Gabriel remained adamant. “No. His hunger has control over him now. If he feeds from you, he will kill you.”
     Evonne thought quickly and replied, “What about your blood?”
     He took in her words. “My blood may only muffle his pain, but his mind will become clearer. It will still be dangerous for you.”
     Her voice rose. “I can’t stand by and watch him suffer like this.” Where was this compassion coming from? Was she really willing to place herself in harm’s way over a vampire?
     Gabriel studied her, catching a glimpse of her bravery. “Now I see why he was drawn to you.” He stood from the bed, removed his coat and tossed it to the floor.
     Standing at a safe distance, Evonne watched as Gabriel returned to the bed and took Keelan by the back of his head. He then grabbed a handful of his hair and forced him to his neck. There was no hesitation as Keelan violently bit into his sire and began to drink. Gabriel sneered, not in pain, but at the fact that he underestimated his strength.
     Certain that enough blood had been taken, Gabriel pulled him away. As Keelan’s greedy mouth began to leave him, he struggled to keep his hold and tore at the flesh as he was ripped away. Keelan collapsed onto the bed.
     Gabriel placed a hand to the wound on his neck. It was already beginning to heal, slowly. Within minutes the flesh would be completely healed.
     The agony once dominating Keelan began to subside. The blood did as Gabriel anticipated. Keelan’s mind settled into a normal rhythm and focused on the human.
     “I feel warmth,” he said, moving his eyes to find Evonne.
     She didn’t move. This wasn’t the Keelan she remembered. His once human facade had fallen under the drug’s rampage. And in this moment, as his eyes studied her, she felt her fear beginning to surface. She could see the hidden core in which he was so skilled at suppressing.
     He spoke directly to Evonne, “Are you the angel sent to soothe my pain, to send away this cold void?”
     “Evonne,” Gabriel said, trying to draw her attention, “do you still want to help him?”
     She nodded.
     “Then walk toward me,” he instructed.
     Keeping her eyes locked on Keelan, Evonne moved around the bed. He reminded her of a snake readying to strike. She kept her distance as Gabriel took her hand and guided her to sit before him, her back against his chest.
     “Keelan,” Gabriel said from behind her. “Look at me.” He waited. “Look at me!”
     Keelan’s eyes snapped from Evonne to his sire.
     “Sit up,” Gabriel ordered.
     Again, Keelan obeyed.
     Evonne felt Gabriel’s cool hand pull back the hair from her neck, calmly presenting her to Keelan. The nervousness finally slammed into her. Human instinct begged her to run from the room, to leave the house and return to her father. But a feeling of obligation steadied her. It wasn’t the initial bite she feared, it was Keelan himself that made her feel like nothing more than prey.
     “She waits for you,” Gabriel whispered to him. “Take her slowly and quiet the pain.”
     Keelan moved forward on his hands and knees, slinking flawlessly like a cat. His mouth found the offered flesh and latched on. As he began to feed, he wrapped his arms around the weak human and tried to free her from his sire’s grip. He wanted this one for himself. He knew his sire very well and knew that Gabriel would want this human as much as he did. But she wasn’t his; however, that wouldn’t stop him. Gabriel could be as conniving as his own sire. This human he would rather kill than share.
     Keelan tugged once more, giving one last attempt to ease the girl from his sire’s arms. She remained between them. A thought entered his foggy mind as he saw himself ripping into the human’s throat, quickly spilling the rest of her blood. She would be dead, but at least Gabriel couldn’t have her. His mind concluded what he needed to do. The human had to die.
     Burying his teeth deeper, Keelan ceased drinking to open the bite further. He plan was to quickly strip away her remaining blood before his sire noticed the ploy. The idea wasn’t perfect, but he had no other option.
     Gabriel sensed the shift in Keelan as well as Evonne beginning to struggle. With a strong hand, he held onto the back of Keelan’s head and tried to pull him from Evonne. Keelan didn’t budge. He removed his hand then placed it over Keelan’s throat and squeezed. The force closed off his throat, keeping him from taking anymore blood.
     Retreating, Keelan jerked away from the two and fell onto the bed. He was no longer concerned with killing the human. Her blood quieted him considerable. All that passed through his mind was the warmth and contentment he now felt. Gabriel could do whatever he wanted with her. To Keelan, she served her purpose.
     Evonne’s head began to swim amongst the swirling moonlight. This was as close to death she had ever been and it was surprisingly peaceful. She felt weightless. The bed drifted below her, along with the darkened form of Keelan. She could see the room fade and another opening to her. A bed of white surrounded her as she descend upon it.
     Evonne’s eyes found a brilliant form of a man leaning over the bed. Was this vision real? She fought to touch the face, to see if the vision was real. A surge of strange energy quietly settled beneath his skin, giving off the radiance she felt, comforting her. Along with the energy, her senses nestled against something far more soothing. It called out to her, inviting and as cleansing as spring rains. This belonged to her. It was the clearest thought in her swimming mind. Gently, she pulled the man closer, her eyes never leaving the sight which unknowingly called out. With mouth agape, she pressed herself to his neck and felt the torn skin relinquish the radiance.
     Why couldn’t he stop himself? Kneeling beside Evonne, Gabriel understood what she felt at that moment. He had felt the same once before. But why didn’t he stop her? As she began to take in his blood, her peace intoxicated him, as well. He wanted her to continue, but his rational mind fought its way to the forefront. This was not how it was suppose to happen. She belonged to Keelan. No, this had to stop.
     Calmly, Gabriel eased Evonne away. He was certain she didn’t take enough blood to harm her, but she had taken plenty to blur her body between their worlds. Another few minutes and the results would have been irreversible. Within a month, her body would be free from his blood. He found his own comfort in knowing this.
     Gabriel left the room and closed the door. His attention went back to Keelan. He remained on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Gabriel caught sight of the chains on the floor and began to examine them.
     Keelan laughed upon hearing the sound of the rustling chains. “Do you really think those will hold me?”
     “No,” Gabriel admitted, “but they may slow you down.”
     “Bring my angel back to me so that we may finish our song,” he said, his words lifeless.
     “Your angel?” Gabriel toyed. “You are in no state to lay a claim on one as strong as her.” He placed the chains back onto the floor. Without any locks, they were useless.
     “She is mine!” Keelan hissed. “I plucked her from that dying garden.”
     “And a vibrant rose she is.”
     A minute passed before Keelan spoke again, his mind becoming clearer. “Gabriel, what’s happening to me?” He could feel the blissfulness began to melt away as the pain crept within him once more.
     Gabriel stood beside the bed. “You were drugged. I haven’t seen it before, but the effects should subside by tomorrow night.”
     “Evonne…” he remembered, “is she all right?”
     “She is fine. You can thank her later.”
     Rolling onto his side, Keelan tried not to face his sire. “My brave girl,” he whispered.
     “Do you know who did this?”
     Keelan paused as he tried to remember. “I can’t remember. My mind… I can’t think.”
     “Dawn is in a few hours. I’m going to find something to cover these windows.”
     “I can rest downstairs,” suggested Keelan. “The room has no windows.”
     “And no door,” he added. “I will be right back.”
     Leaving the room, Gabriel found a constant thought stirring in the depths of his mind. A day’s rest may not help him at all. He had seen the effects human drugs had on vampires. Within a short time, the presence of the drugs would subside. But what if the drug had been designed for a for a vampire? Gabriel knew that humans were the cause. But for what goal? He would have to wait for the answer.