There was a moment—a fragile thread of a moment—in between sleep and consciousness where Alex thought this was all a dream. The shadows crept in his mind, their claws digging into his flesh and tearing at his neck, bathing in the heat of his blood. His first clear thought formed through the hallucinations. Gabriel broke his promise.
     Writhing at the weakness in his muscles, Alex forced his waking body alert. As he opened his eyes, a darkened room greeted him, filled with old furniture. Even the bed he lay in looked like an antique. His hands twitched. A strange tightness gripped the underside of his left arm. Glancing down he saw an IV stretching from his hand and to the depleted bag on a metal stand.
     A sound came from the opposite end of the room, startling Alex. He narrowed his eyes and saw the figure of a woman standing from a chair and rushing out of the room. His mind finally asked the looming question, Where am I?
     Sitting up, Alex looked around the room once more, his eyes taking in little of what he could see in the low light. The lack of any personal items told him that this was a guestroom. On the furthest wall, a dormant fireplace sat, cluing him into the possible size and age of the house.
     The door opened as three people entered, including the woman from before. The other two were a man and a woman. As the man kept his distance, the woman with long dark hair approached the empty IV bag. Traces of blood outlined the interior bag, telling Alex of the prepared nature of this place. But this wasn’t a hospital. The woman swapped the bag for another, this one filled with a clear liquid. Alex watched her closely. The woman’s strength was visible underneath her stylish clothes. He noticed the same with the other woman in the room as she returned to her seat, yet her appearance seemed more youthful under her locks of wavy, auburn hair. The woman at Alex’s side dropped the empty bag into the wastebasket.
     Finally, she crossed her arms and looked down at her patient. “Now that that’s been taken care of, who are you?”
     Alex glanced at each one before answering. “My name is Alex.”
     “An American.” She smiled. “My name is Helen Kenrick. This here is my husband, Daniel. And over there is Natasha Mallin.” She smiled once more, adding a slight nod with the greeting. “Do you know how you came to be here?”
     Alex forced himself to keep breathing. What did Gabriel do?
     Keeping his composure, he decided to speak the truth. “I was looking for my daughter,” he said.
     Helen’s fingers played with the charm on her silver necklace. Her lips contorted as she thought of her next question.
     “How did the vampire get involved?” she asked, nodding at the bandage on his neck. “We have footage of someone dropping you off at our gate.”
     “My daughter was with him.”
     The woman found the scenario humorous. “You went after your daughter, who happened to be with a vampire. What type of ending did you plan for?”
     “You’re a mother. How far would you go to get your daughter back?”
     Helen’s composure turned defensive. “How do you know I have a daughter?”
     Alex sat up further, resting his back against the wooden headboard. “Before this conversation continues, I must ask for my safety.”
     “Humans are innocent and we exist to protect all innocents. You’re safe here.”
     “If that is your code of honor, then I trust you fully. My name is Alexander Ingram.”
     The three looked at each other in shock. Helen returned to stare at Alex, her hands moving to her hips. “You’re a long way from your mountain fortress, little man.”
     Natasha spoke up. “How do we know you are the real Alexander.”
     Alex remained passive as he answered. “I have nothing to hide from you. I came here looking for my daughter. I found her, and the one who took her from me left me on your doorstep.”
     “Your daughter’s name,” Helen demanded.
     “Evonne Abigail Ingram,” answered Alex, his eyes locked on hers.
     “Her mother’s name?”
     “Sharon Janet Holt.”
     “And your first wife?”
     “Abigail Archer.”
     “When were you born?”
     “You seem to know an awful lot about me already,” Alex dared. “I think that question is irrelevant.”
     Helen raised an eyebrow as she replied, “Know thy enemy. The vampire, who was he?”
     For a fraction of a second, Alex debated if he should tell her. But his anger got the better of him. “His name is Gabriel.”
     Helen turned to the others and gave her correct assumption. “The blacksmith.” She addressed Alex once more. “And you went to him alone and unarmed?”
     “Excellent guess. As unwise as it may seem, I thought he would respect my gesture and listen to me.”
     “Instead, he almost killed you, and then dropped you off at the lion’s den.”
     He didn’t want to kill me, Alex figured out. He brought me here as some sort of strange peace offering, or possibly a distraction. Gabriel knew of his wish to one day work with Redthorn. But the shell surrounding them was impenetrable. Unless one managed to get their foot in the door… or their unconscious body dropped off at the gate.
     Alex replied calmly, “I believe he trusted you to take care of me.”
     “Exploiting our kindness is more like it.” Shaking her head, Helen took in a relaxing breath. “Alexander Ingram, you are safe here.”
     Natasha slapped her hands on her lap and stood up, bring a lighthearted side to the conversation. “This is all well and good, but I think he needs his rest.” She looked at Alex and added, “If you’re hungry, I can bring something up.”
     He politely nodded. “Thank you.”
     Giving a respectful bow, Natasha left the room, ushering Daniel out with her. Helen waited until the door closed to continue speaking. She crossed her arms and stared down at him.
     “The truth,” she asked. “Are you alone on this visit of yours?”
     Alex kept his answer truthful. He had no plans to deceive these people. “No. But if I know my men as well as I think I do, they’ll find me sooner or later.”
     “How many?”
     “Two.”
     “Two?” she laughed out. “You underestimate these lands, Alex. Two hunters and an old man are not even worth the trouble around here.”
     Alex avoided the insult. “Thank you for your advice.”
     “No advice. Just a warning.” She looked him over, amused at the curious predicament. “I will inform those in the security room about the possible arrival of your friends.” Forcing a smug smile, she turned from him and quietly left the room.
     Alex stared at the door as it locked from the other side. What in the hell just happened? He brought his hands to his face, rubbing away the tension. His mind swam amongst the reality of what had just occurred. Here he sat in the infamous Redthorn Estate, and he was still breathing. Gabriel’s plan appeared to work. This was a perfect distraction. But the other fragment returned just as it was forgotten.
     Evonne. She was no longer human. Gabriel had promised those many years ago that he would never harm Alex or anyone close to him. And within a month’s time, he had broken that promise twice.
     Alex placed a hand to the bandage on his neck. The light pressure sent a dull pain throbbing underneath. He felt his stomach turn. His daughter, his precious, innocent daughter. He drove her to this. He wanted to keep her safe, to give her a life without worry or agony. But she couldn’t see it. She refused to see. He did everything out of love for her, and yet she saw none of it. What else could he have done?
     She was dead. His daughter was dead. Just like his son, Zachary, taken at such a young age, ripped from him without remorse. Why, Gabriel? You, out of all, I have trusted the longest. His skin grew cold as he found the answer staring at him all this time. Seeing Evonne standing there, frightened at the sight of her own father, Alex had all he needed to piece this puzzle together. Gabriel wanted her for himself, and her father was a simply a casualty on the way to his goal. But why take her now? Gabriel hadn’t set foot on the estate since that night he turned his back on him. It was shortly after the attack on the first SEVEN headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, back in the late 1800s. The first time Gabriel had seen Evonne was the night he came to warn Alex about the werewolf conspirators. No, Alex thought, his interest went back further.
     For Evonne’s sixteenth birthday, Gabriel sent her a gift, a knife made out of silver. This wasn’t a simple gesture of kindness. It was a symbol of his wish to protect her. But somewhere along the way, his idea of protecting her had taken an appalling route. His twisted idea took the form of Alex’s worst fear.
     Sitting in the quiet room of the fortified Redthorn Estate, Alex tried his hardest not to fly into a rage. His anger, centering around Gabriel, left him with one course of action; no matter how long it took, he would rip Evonne from the monster’s hold. And the thought of the pain this one act would cause sang out beautifully to Alex.