Chapter 45

Steve drove like a maniac into Rose's driveway. He and Asher got out of the car and Steve led her to the door. He rang the doorbell impatiently until he heard Rose's annoyed voice from the inside. When Rose flung open the door, she raised her brows stunned to see Steve and Asher in their wedding clothes. What surprised her the most was the dry blood sticking out of Steve's nose and mouth.

"Oh my goodness Steve what the hell happened to you guys?" She gave them way into her house. "Aren't you two supposed to be at the chapel?" Rose asked as she led them into the living room.

Sitting on the carpet with toys scattered around him was Mason and the puppy. He was watching a cartoon on the TV. The sound of footsteps made him turn his attention away from the TV. He recognized Steve and smiled at him.

"Hi uncle Steve, would you like to go outside and play ball with me?" Mason sweetly asked Steve. His soft eyes sparkled in anticipation.

"Some other time champ. I promise." Steve gave Mason's head a gentle rub.

Rose stepped up and pulled him away from Steve. "Honey, why don't you go upstairs so that mummy can talk to her friends?" Rose softly asked Mason.

"Okay mummy. Bye uncle Steve." Mason innocently agreed. He turned his gaze to Asher. "Bye aunt." He smiled at her and picked a toy before finally leaving.

Rose waited until she was sure that Mason was out of the room when she turned her attention to Steve and Asher.

"What the hell happened to you two?" She impatiently asked, her anxious eyes wide.

"Whitney happened." Steve pulled down his tie. "She attacked me at the chapel. I am more than sure that she was going to kill me. You were right."

Rose held her chin and squinted her eyes in thought. "I thought she would but I didn't think that she would actually do it." Her eyes suddenly widened again. "How did you escape?"

"She let Asher and I go after realizing that I am human. I am guessing she thought I am a vampire." Steve took off his glasses.

"But why would she think that you are a vampire?" Asher broke her silence.

"I don't know." Steve quickly answered her. He then turned to Rose. "I went to meet Kelvin White on his death bed. He told me that a vampire ordered my brothers to kill Whitney. He didn't tell me who the vampire is because he died before he could."

"Oh Steve." Asher sighed

"I'm guessing my brothers mixed me up in some shit so that's why Whitney attacked me." Steve wiped his face in frustration and spread his legs apart looking sternly at Rose. "This isn't even the worst part. You should have seen Danny! He is a motherfucking reptile beast from underneath Lucifer's bed."

Rose dropped her jaw. "What?"

"He crushed my wedding too. Fucking literally. Funny thing is that he came for Whitney and not me. He didn't even know that I was getting married."

"Where is Danny?" Rose asked him. She was still in shock.

"We left him and Whitney brawling. We don't even know if either of them are alive but with Whitney being a darkas god now there's a chance that she is alive." Steve explained.

Rose tilted her head in confusion. "Darkas god? What is that?"

"Simply put, they are vampire predators." Steve quickly answered Rose. The wrinkles on his forehead discouraged Rose from asking further questions.

Steve got up, put his hands in his pockets and walked to the nearest window. "She protected us from Danny."

"Yes that is something that she would do. A little while ago I had her in my house and a vampire attacked her. She protected Mason and led it away from here."

"All this isn't making any sense." Asher voiced out again.

"We have to find out exactly what web Whitney has gotten herself tangled into." Steve stressed and both women nodded in agreement.

Steve was about to sit back down when a thought hit him. "Wait a minute Rose, why weren't you at the wedding?"

Rose shrugged her shoulders and stretched her lips. "I didn't receive an invitation."

Steve had lost Rose's card in his office so he asked Asher to prepare a new one for her. He closed his eyes in shame when he realized what Asher did. Steve cleared his throat while Asher faced away flustered.

Rose, however, couldn't wipe the smug off her face when she saw how awkward the couple felt. The sudden sound of Mason breaking something upstairs forced Rose off her seat.

"Mason! How many times have I told you not to play with your ball in the house?" She yelled up the staircase. Turning back to Steve and Asher, she said, "Excuse me while I check up on him."

Steve took this chance to escape. "Actually we should be leaving. Asher could use some rest."

Glancing over Asher's baby bump, Rose nodded her head. "Sure, I understand. I will see you at the office tomorrow. We will investigate this matter together. I just hope Whitney is alright."

"Me too Rose." Steve agreed. His voice full of worry and concern.

****

Akirexer opened her eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. As her eyes fixed upon the ceiling fan, her confused mind was sorting itself out. She remembered an explosion and immediately felt a sharp pain in her head. She let out a soft moan and weakly sat upright with her hand still on her head.

The soft and gentle breeze coming through the white lace curtains helped her cool her head. The vivid memory of seeing her sister right before she blew her away popped up and her heart skipped a beat.

Was it really Britney who I saw? It was her I'm sure of it. My Britney has been alive all this time?

Akirexer heard soft footsteps shift and for the first time she saw Sana and Sanuika in the room. They each had brooms in their hands. From the look of things, they were sweeping the room before Akirexer woke up. Akirexer ignored them and tried to get out of bed but to her shock, her legs wouldn't budge. They felt stiff and numb.

Why can't I move my legs?

"You are probably wondering why you can't get out of bed." Sana was the first to speak. "You are under a spell of Bruce, our team mate and gamarax manipulator. He has been treating you since yesterday." Sana explained but all she got was a blank expression from Akirexer. Sana turned to Sanuika. "Please inform everyone that she has regained consciousness."

"They'll be no need for that." Bruce answered as he walked into the room. He fixed his gaze on Akirexer and grinned at her. His grin was returned with a raised eyebrow.

"Why have you crippled me?" Akirexer asked him through her gritted teeth.

Bruce slowly shook his finger at her. "I haven't crippled you. I have only temporarily stopped your legs from responding to your will. I was ordered to do so."

Akirexer felt her heart drop. Ordered by Britney? "You were ordered by who?" she anxiously asked him.

"Ordered by me." Waxx stepped into the room and shocked Akirexer with his presence.

"Vice commander?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "No you just resemble him. You're a slightly older version of him. What the hell is going on here? If this keeps up I will just have to shoot myself." Akirexer clenched her jaw at the bubbling anger and frustration building up inside her.

Waxx put his hands into his pockets and spread his legs apart. "I can see you have met my brother. Small world huh?" he chuckled.

"What do you want from me?" Akirexer glared at him.

"I only want answers. Yesterday, our computer wizard picked up a battle at a chapel in Kansas City. The twins went over there to check it out and there you were. They alerted me and I joined them. Imagine my shock when I saw your striking resemblance to the vampire queen or 'Great One' as she prefers to be called." Waxx took off his sunglasses and they locked eyes.

Akirexer took her eyes off him and faced down squeezing the duvet in discomfort. "If you have questions concerning my sister, I'm afraid I have no answers. I am feeling perplexed by all this and I don't know what to do anymore."

"So you are related. You can't honestly tell me that you know nothing about your sister. I know we all have family issues but come on. I mean yes she almost blew you to smithereens but you two must have been close at some point right?" Waxx continued.

Akirexer felt a sharp headache when another memory flashed before her eyes. She remembered the moment when the ray was shot at her but someone blocked it from hitting her. She sat there looking at the back of a blonde man with his scythe held up high. She then blacked out soon after.

"It was you who saved me." Akirexer widened her eyes at her realization.

Waxx nodded his head in confirmation. "You're welcome." A smug look crossed his face. "We have been hunting your sister for months. I was so relieved when we came across you because I figured that you would help us track her down."

Wrinkles formed on Akirexer's forehead. "I thought I told you that I don't know anything."

Pretending as though he didn't hear what Akirexer said, Waxx continued. "What I don't get is why she is a vampire and you are a darkas god."

"She is a none pure." Bruce spoke up and everyone turned their attention to him. "You made a pact with Queen Sharaina." Bruce said to Akirexer.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Akirexer dismissed with a blank face.

"Did she tell you why you shouldn't tell anyone about your pact?" Bruce asked Akirexer but the look in her eyes clearly told him that Sharaina didn't.

"Don't worry, I will tell you why. You see, when Queen Sharaina turned you into a darkas god, she transferred part of her power in you. When a none pure is killed in battle, their power is transferred to their killer. You contain Queen Sharaina's power therefore anyone who kills you can get it. People knowing about this will make them hunt you down. It is for this reason that the queen asked you not to tell anyone."

Akirexer leaned back against the headboard and slowly let everything Bruce told her sink in. At least that part of her life started to make sense. She felt a new presence and turned in its direction. Her eyes met with Alex's at the door. Alex quickly turned away and stunned Akirexer. No one but she saw him standing there.

****

A loud and angry yell echoed throughout the hallways of the Day Walkers hideout. The Great One was walking back and forth in her room. Ezio and Dr Spencer were there with her. They watched her kick a table over spilling a silver goblet of blood on the tiled floor.

The Great One gritted her teeth and punched a hole through the wall. Ezio and Dr Spencer backed away safely to another corner where they continued waiting for her to calm down.

"Why don't I feel stronger? I killed her didn't I? There's no way she survived the blast from my medallion! I should be feeling Queen Sharaina's power by now but why I'm I not?!"

"Perhaps it will take a little longer my Great One." Ezio tried to reason with her.

"Shut up! Get out of my room! Both of you just leave!" The Great One screamed at them. With a bow they left. The Great One turned to her mirror. "That bitch is still alive!"