Once Upon a Time 1. Chapter 1

_Entry One_

_I was only six when my parents were torn apart by vampires. My father shoved me into a cabinet and told me to not come out until it was clear. I remember hearing screams from outside and the smell of smoke filling my lungs. I remember hearing my mother's scream pierce into the night air. I clamped a hand over my mouth to keep my screams silent seeing blood splatter onto the floor from the peephole. I only saw my father's body hit the floor limply. His eyes darting to mine in one last weak attempt to say goodbye before he was dragged into the darkness. I only had a small knife in my tiny hand at that time. I saw a woman, or what I thought to be a woman enters into the room I was hiding in. Her eyes were nearly filled with black but had gleaming red in the centers of her eyes. Her hair was an ash color that nearly matched her white skin. Her teeth and mouth were dripping with blood that I assumed belonged to one of my parents. She sniffed the air, her eyes scanning the entire room while another came in. He resembled her but this time only with long black hair that was around his bloodied face. _

"_Do you smell that, Dragoth?" She hisses into the air, I hold onto the small knife harder biting my tongue down trying my hardest to not soil myself. _

"_I smell fresh blood, sister." He hisses back and his eyes land on the cabinet. I press my body against the back of the cabinet. What I thought was my escape turned out to be me being trapped. I was good as dead but it wasn't an option at this point. The two begin to come toward the cabinet with terrifying smiles painted onto their faces. Their teeth are glimmering from the candle, the teeth that were going to tear me apart. They swung the cabinet door open giving each other a laugh seeing me in my trapped state. I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst but instead I heard the door open. _

"_UNHOLY CREATURES," A voice screamed into the house as a small object bounced into the room. A ray of light shot out of the ball and splattered yellow matter onto the wall next the creatures. They hissed being blinded. I covered my head while the man stepped through the room with a crossbow. I remember hearing the silver arrows pierce into the skin of the vampires. I remember hearing their skin boiling and their screams, their screams that sounded exactly like my parents only moments ago. _

_Then, I heard them hit the floor in a heap. I was shaking uncontrollably when I looked up. Smoke was filling the room and I could see fires outside the window. My rescuer stepped through the smoke wearing full plated armor with a collar covering his neck. He leaned down to me; I didn't cower away because his eyes were normal. They were a soft green that calmed me down almost immediately. His long white beard covered most of his armor but he held out a gloved hand to me. _

"_Come child, the bad part is over." _

_Being only that small child then, I still knew that the bad part was far from ever being over. For that matter, it had just begun for me. _

_Two decades later_

Emma threw her hair back sitting down at the bar, her body ached like a bitch from her most recent adventure. She didn't even take the time to wash off the vampire blood from her armor before entering. It was almost immediately that the men surrounded her asking for her story before she could properly order herself some rum.

"Did you slay that foul creature?" A villager asked her, she nearly gave a remark of how foolish he sounded. If she didn't slay the blood sucker she wouldn't be here. She shouldn't even be standing in the damn pub but report to the constable of her success. But after that battle that nearly got her throat torn out, she needed a drink to celebrate the fact that she took her neck for granted.

"The beast is being burned inside her home on the outskirts of the town; if you're brave enough to venture out you'll be able to hear her screams."

It was one hell of a bitch to get that vampire to sit still enough to tie her up but with an arrow sticking through her knees it made it a little bit easier. Emma grasped the small cup of rum and tossed it back. Letting the alcohol hit her blood stream. The barmaid gave her a look before grabbing the bottle. Emma grasped the entire bottle and gave her a polite smile.

She had been taking these missions from Melkan for four months now, the vampires were growing and getting in bigger groups. Melkan spent most of his time in his study trying to figure out where the bastards were spawning from. It was one town to another every time she finished a mission. He somehow knew when she was finished because a letter would always arrive telling her next destination. She wondered for a moment when she could actually go back to the Sanctuary. She missed most of her comrades but they weren't as trained as she.

"You've been the talk of the realm these past couple of months." The barmaid whispered while wiping off her bar. Emma raised an eyebrow, she tried her best to keep her executions quiet as she moved through the villages. All she asked was for some gold and a place to rest before venturing forth. Most villagers didn't notice that their vampire was killed until it was burning at a stake in the center of the town. The thought of her being the talk of the realm was hard to believe.

"They say you're one hell of a vampire hunter, but you don't take any companions along with you?"

Emma sighed and looked up at the woman, her eyes were filled with admiration and a sense of longing. This kind of work wasn't meant for women but there was only a handful of capable women in the Sanctuary and this line of work suited them. Most women would have been married or had children at Emma's age but the thought nauseated her.

"It's not worth the risk," she muttered taking another sip of the bitter rum. She felt her muscles beginning to relax. She needed to start stretching out before going out to hunt. She was starting to stiffen up.

"You'd rather fight alone?"

"I've never found anyone that lives long enough," Emma sighed, she's only had two partners in her entire lifetime and they've all gotten murdered in front of her very eyes. It brought out a side of her that she hated to think about.

"Why not talk to that man over there? He's been here since you got here waiting for you, says his skills are unmatched and his strength beats every man in this intolerable town."

Emma shifted her eyes over to a man that was leaning against a wall staring right at her. He was tall with a good muscular form but his eyes were a little unsettling. They were a strong light blue that looked like it was lighting the whole area around him. He was dressed in a thick black armor, unlike any armor she had ever seen before. No weapon hung onto his side and that nearly made her suspicious. He moved from the wall and made his way toward her.

She sat up a little straighter when he approached flashing a smile. He stuck his hand out but all Emma did was gawk at his outstretched hand. She raised an eyebrow at the man when he took a seat next to her. "Ruby here told me you're looking for a companion?" Emma glowered at Ruby, who retreated to some men calling to her.

"I'm not looking for a companion, I don't need anyone."

"That's not very convincing."

"Neither are you,"

Emma hissed feeling her irritation level rise. Who did this man think he was? He may out match any man here but so could she. No man here could match her skill and this man couldn't even reach her own level of mastery. She was suspicious that he didn't carry some sort of sword with him but he wore a unique set of armor? She didn't like the idea of this man and she didn't trust anyone easily.

"You haven't given me a chance, love."

"Don't call me that,"

He rolled his eyes and leaned back taking her bottle of rum. She opened her mouth to object while he held out a finger while taking a long sip. Her mood was at a simmer earlier and now that he took her drink her mood was boiling. He put the bottle on the counter and turned back to her.

"Listen, I'm not like the rest of your companions back at First Light Sanctuary. I'm hard a little hard to kill unlike the rest of your-ahem _unfortunate_ comrades."

"Most of my comrades said the same thing." She said giving a dry laugh.

The man sighed and in one quick moment he grasped Emma's dagger from her boot and sliced himself across the palm. Emma's eyes flashed in confusion. Her mind was telling her to beat this man senseless. He had lost all his marbles. He pointed at his palm and urged her to watch at the deep cut spilled blood. She watched closely as the wound slowly started inching back together. Goosebumps rose over her skin seeing the wound close itself. In a matter of seconds his gaping wound didn't even show signs of a scar.

Emma jumped out of her seat and held her crossbow out to him. Her dart pointing at him in the chest, if he was some sort of vampire she was going to end him now. She knew vampires liked to play with their food but she wasn't going to stick around to be eaten.

"Who and what are you?" She hissed, the man smiled holding up his hands yielding to her pointed weapon.

"My name is Killian Jones, and I'd like to think I'll be your newest companion."

"Not the answer I wanted," She said, her finger itching on the trigger.

"If I'm not a vampire, what else can I be?"

It didn't take Emma long before the answer hit her quickly. Killian smiled when the realization hit her face. Emma was purely stunned seeing the man-creature before her. Never once in her travels had she ever come across this before. Only one word was on her tongue.

Werewolf.


	2. Chapter 2

_Entry Two_

_I didn't sleep my first night. I was drifting in and out of sleep throughout my journey away from my destroyed village. I was travelling away from my parents that never got a burial, away from my old life and heading into a brand new one. Melkan kept me seated in front of him while we treaded through unfamiliar countryside. I heard chatter from the other men behind me, I didn't dare turn my head nor did I even want to speak. _

_Melkan had only said a couple of words to me while we made our way. His words were soft for a man of such brutality. I only poked my head from Melkan's arms as he carried me out from my home. But I saw that the vampires that murdered my parents were in pieces, their eyes still focused on the place that I was hiding only mere seconds ago. _

_I had no idea why he picked me, maybe I was the only surviving child in my entire town or that I wasn't willing to just lay down and die when I was faced in front of the vampires. I had no family to be given to, I had no friends that would take me and I had nothing that was tying be back to a home long since destroyed. I should have been more grateful that I was being taken to shelter and that Melkan didn't just throw me onto the street in the nearest town. _

_When I was just about to drift off into unconsciousness Melkan tap my wrist. I opened my eyes to see the sun just beginning to rise over the mountains. Melkan murmured something of an apology for stirring me but then he pointed out into the distance. As we passed through a small trail between some mountains it came into view. _

_The building was nearly the size of a castle, and I had never been so close to such a beautiful sight. It towered above us while we walked under a bridge. It was built out of pure stone and carved with the sun on every pillar we passed. We slowly rode a trail up a hill toward the mouth of the building. I was mesmerized by the sight. I was so used to seeing houses made of wood and sometimes brick but nothing came close to this beauty. _

_As we came to a large wooden gate, it swung open immediately. A woman and a man poked their head's out from the opening. Their eyes landed on me and then wavered over to Melkan where he stopped his horse in front of the two people. The woman slowly wandered over to me, her large green eyes staring straight into mine. _

"_Melkan, have you lost your mind? How do you know she hasn't been bitten?" _

_The man complained on my other side, Melkan hushed him while the woman gave me a warming smile. I couldn't take my eyes off of her for a long moment before she held out her arms to me. I looked up to Melkan who nodded in approval. I heard more complaining from the man while I leaned into the stranger's arms. I saw a crescent scar on her wrist almost immediately. My eyes shot back to hers as she let me down onto the ground. _

"_Nasty little thing, isn't it? I bare it so vampires know that they can't bite me anymore." _

_She murmured taking my hand in hers. I looked over at Melkan that stopped abruptly and turned his head toward the complaining man. Anger flashed in his eyes and I felt myself pulling away from the kind woman. I cautiously wandered over to where Melkan was hissing at the man. _

"_She saw her parents get mutilated in front of her, she is the only survivor in that town. I took her on my own volition and will raise her as my own. I will not stand for another complaint from you, Symar, do you understand?" _

_I slid my hand into Melkan's big caloused ones where he turned and looked down at me. While my hand lay in his I started to feeling a wave of safety wash over me. I looked up into his soft eyes and gave him a small smile. He leaned down and tucked away my blond ringlet away from my face. He returned the smile to me. _

"_Where are we?" I whispered low enough so only he heard me. It nearly surprised him that I spoke. It was almost if he thought I never would. He lifted me up and turned me to face all the people-hunters in front of me. _

"_Home," he murmured. _

"Why should I put my trust into someone that isn't a mortal?" Emma hissed staring into the werewolf in front of her. He seemed unfazed by the weapon drawn in front of him. He looked up from the crossbow into Emma's eyes.

"Well, I won't get infected by a vampire. I'm nearly invincible and I have an unhealthy obsession to clearing out the entire vampire race."

"Is that supposed to make me put my trust in you?"

"I wasn't expecting it to but if you want these vampire attacks to stop, you'll need me."

"I haven't needed anyone before,"

"That was before and this is now if you haven't noticed, love."

Emma's eyebrow twitched in irritation from the small nickname that this werewolf has pegged on her. She was contemplating whether to end his mere existence in this room but as soon as he mentioned having to get the vampire attacks to stop, she became interested.

"What do you know about the vampires?"

"I've been trailing vampires for the past two years; apparently there is an underground coven where the vampires are seeking refuge. I've been hearing that there's something going on down there."

"Where's this refuge?"

Killian raised a finger to her while giving her a smirk. He sat up and closed the space between the crossbow and Emma. He placed his hand on the weapon forcing it to face downward. He leaned close to Emma while she flinched away from his closeness.

"If you want to know, you're going to need my help."

"What's in it for you?" Emma hissed.

She knew damn well that making deals with strangers led to something given in return. She had no gold willing to share with this beast. For all she knew werewolves were just as untrustworthy as vampires. She had no inkling whether he would destroy her the minute they tear down the vampires or he could at least be siding with them.

"Revenge, if I get what I want from within that refuge then we can split ways. You find out what's causing the uprising and I get what I want."

"How should I trust you'll stay on your end of the deal?"

"Werewolves have a code about making promises. We're bound not to break them."

"You're saying you can't break promises?"

Killian slumped giving her an eye roll. He briefly wondered if she was just as oblivious to the lycanthropy history as any other mortal. He began to notice that everyone was sitting on their seats staring intently at the two. Whether this would be the death of him or at least the woman in front of him it was remained to be unseen.

"Yes, yes. Our creator-_priestess_ if you will, bound us to never back out of a pact, therefore never letting us remain untruthful such as your daily vampire."

Emma hesitated for a moment. She wanted to pull away and think about putting her faith into a werewolf. Melkan never once mentioned werewolves. She had only heard of them through folklore and thought that they remained hidden with mortals for their own sake. She knew lycanthropy was a dying out and that it was a rare gift from their priestess, Akmala.

She had no choice to dwell on whether to trust him or not. Time was ticking away and more civilians are being attacked by vampires. Melkan hadn't even found the source yet and Emma's source to ending it was right in front of her. She didn't like the idea of going back on Melkan's orders but she had no choice in the matter.

"If I find out you're lying, I'll kill you with my bare hands, dog."

Killian pretended that Emma had struck him in the chest by the way he smacked his hand over his heart. Emma remained unamused by his dull humor. He sighed and held out his hand to her, Emma reached out and placed her hand in his shaking it slightly. It seemed the room itself sighed in relief at the small agreement they had made.

"Sunrise, we start the journey. Do not lollygag or I will find my own way."

"You have my word."

"I better not be wrong about you." Emma hissed to herself locking her crossbow onto her side and passing Killian. She finally managed to pay attention to her aching body as she climbed the stairs. She had plenty of hours to catch up sleep and prepare for her next journey. She was in luck that Melkan hadn't sent another destination yet. But without her word he would be forced to send someone else.

Emma opened the door to her rented room from outside she could hear the music strike back up and the chatter fill the room. She slowly removed her armor from her body piece by piece; giving a wince when she lifted her arm too high over her head. Emma scanned her body in the mirror in front of her for any scratches or wounds. She surveyed her muscular frame slowly making sure every inch remained untouched.

She turned her back to see her scarred back remain untouched from any new wounds. Her breath caught in her throat every time she surveyed the scars on her back. The scars lashed out all across her back almost curving around her waist. These scars were a constant reminder to never be as foolish as she was when she was a teenager. She sighed pulling a long wool tunic over her sore body and slowly slipped into the warm bed.

Her mind was spinning with thoughts, had she made the right choice? Was putting her faith into a werewolf considered foolish? Melkan never mentioned about making deals with werewolves and she only knew what she read from her books. She could only recall small fragments of what she read when she was only a little girl.

Whether this man was her ally or an enemy it wasn't going to stop her from learning everything she needed to know about werewolves. This man was her only tie to knowing the truth of the lycanthropy history. It made her wonder why a werewolf was seeking revenge against vampires. She remembered reading nothing about them being enemies or allies. She remembered the complete look of hatred written all over his face once he mentioned vampires.

She could tell that he was serious about going in for this mission, but why he needed her help was a mystery to her? What could she do that could possibly benefit him? He was stronger, faster and more lethal than her. Did the vampires know something about him that she didn't? If her memory served correct werewolves were only weakened only when a moon is waning. Before Emma fell asleep she made a vow to herself that she was to find out everything about Killian Jones.

_**Uh, WOW! I can't believe the awesome feedback I got from posting the first chapter within the hour! Thank you all for the lovely favorites and follows! You make my muse very happy!**_

_**Review? **_


	3. Chapter 3

_Entry Three_

"_Side!" _

_I dove away from Melkan's lunge toward me, I spun around him and my blade hit against his. He pushed me back and I stumbled for several seconds. I caught my balance in time to see him coming down to swing on me. I hit the ground and rolled blocking his next lash from him. Our swords hit against each other while we danced around the cistern. _

_Melkan's moves were precise and careful; each step was with careful thought but with quick completion. He had been my practice dummy for the past three months. I had just gotten to the age for fourteen when he handed me my first blade. After I completed all my schooling and nearly finished all my hand-to-hand combat Melkan was pushing me up the ranks quickly. _

"_Center!" _

_Melkan roared as he dove for abdomen again but I slipped away from the jab. I lifted my sword up and over my head and smacked it down upon his sword. Melkan gave a grunt as my weight hit his sword down to the ground. I smiled in victory but my triumph was short lived when I felt Melkan's shoulder collide into side. I staggered back feeling my sword slip out of my fingers; I landed on the floor as Melkan quickly came at me with both swords and aimed them at my throat. _

_He gave me a dissatisfied and proud look while setting them down next to me. He helped me up slowly; I had broken the first rule of conduct of fighting. __**Never think you're finished until you can see the enemy's heart. **__I had gotten cocky and thought I had won the duel against Melkan and that got me on my arse. He gave a sigh as I picked up my sword; I mentally prepared myself for the old man's words of wisdom to come. _

"_My swan, you are as swift and graceful as the bird but you lack viciousness in your execution and dwell far too much time on your strikes." _

_I wiped a hand across my sweaty forehead. He was right about my swiftness, as soon as I got into the darkness I was nowhere to be seen. I blended well into the night and it became my own salvation when I was hunting. I could creep by a whole bandit group and not be seen. Melkan came up to me and wrapped his hand around the butt of my blade. His hands tightened around mine and he gave me a sharp look. _

"_Have the same belief you have in the darkness and put that into your sword. Do not hesitate to execute the enemy, my swan. They will not hesitate to kill you." _

_I looked down at my blade where my reflection shined back at me. I had to stop holding back onto the gentle little girl I used to be. I was not that small child anymore and I was the woman in the reflection and that woman would be the thing she was raised to be. _

_A vampire hunter. _

Emma's patience was running low as the sun just started to rise on the northern sea behind her. She had no idea where her next destination was and how long the journey would be but she didn't want it to take longer than nightfall. Killian was running late and for some reason this didn't shock Emma. She sat on her horse staring out at the ocean seeing the black sky beginning to fade as the sun broke through the water.

_I thank Thelena for holding the sun_

_And let vampires burn_

_With our hopes that their faction comes undone_

She heard a horse whinny behind her and then Killian appeared next to her giving her a cheeky smile. Emma narrowed her eyes in suspicion to Killian's ruffled hair but before she could open her mouth a voice cried out behind them. Emma turned her head to see a dark haired woman whose clothes were nearly exposing her entire chest.

"Goodbye, my love! Please come back!"

Emma gave Killian a look and Killian held the charming smile only this time with a raised eyebrow. She sighed and tugging on the reigns gently to her horse making him pushes forward. Killian gave a grunt before giving the woman a look and giving her a wink. He caught up to Emma within seconds and let silence remain between them.

"I thought werewolves only can only mate when they mark someone?"

Emma asked staring forward but then giving a look to Killian who seemed a little surprised at her inquiry. Did she say something to offend him? She knew little about marking but knew it was a sacred ritual. Maybe it was only to be mentioned and discussed between a pack? He gave her a sly smile and cleared his throat.

"Already delving into sexual backgrounds of lycanthropy, are we?" He asked, Emma's head snapped back to him. Killian saw a small amount of blush flood to her cheeks which made him throw his head back and give out a laugh. He admired her bluntness; he has never had a partner that was so interested in his werewolf heritage.

"If you must know, it's a myth." He said seeing Emma turn her head slowly back into the direction ahead of them. He tried to decide whether she was embarrassed to bring up such a subject or she really did not know anything about his kind. He assumed vampire hunters had an extensive knowledge on anything mythical including werewolves.

"Tell me how you discovered the refuge?" Emma asked letting the awkward moment between them slip away. Emma didn't want to reveal her embarrassment to Killian. She had to know how long she would be riding for until nightfall. She didn't like the idea of being out in the open for hellfire knows what.

"I was following a vampire for weeks in my form so he wouldn't catch onto my smell-"

"Do vampires not recognize the smell of werewolves?"

"They only smell canine so they assume we're just wolves. But as I was saying, I had followed this vampire until Westen where he met brethren outside of the town. The other vampire told him of a 'refuge' on the outskirts of Rifthaven."

"It just sounds of a vampire den to me," Emma sighed; if she was going straight into a vampire den she should have turned her tails and head toward the sanctuary instead of going on some hunch. She was already disobeying Melkan and as if the guilt wasn't enough she was going to have to return with his disappointment looming over her.

"Ah, but this is where it get's interesting." Killian grinned at Emma who didn't even turn her head to look at him.

"The vampire mentioned something about a shrine or totem that they needed to retrieve and that it 'would be the beginning'."

"The beginning of what?"

"See, what's where I finally got caught."

Emma let out a frustrated sigh; she definitely knew she had to figure out what the vampires were seeking. But it didn't calm her nerves that she was going onto this mission with blinders on her. She didn't understand the significance of a shrine for the vampires. Emma recalled back when she was studying vampires that vampirism was created when Helfane the Forcine God of Day cursed his believers for shaming him.

What was a totem so important to these vampires? They had left their own God because they did not believe in his worship and now are they returning for Helfane's mercy? Emma chewed on her bottom lip uncertain to say anything. She had a two day's trip to get to Rifthaven and to find the shrine once she found out what they were seeking it was to get back to Melkan as quickly as possible.


	4. Chapter 4

_Entry Four_

_My screams echoed through the quiet woods as pain seared across my back. My body was limp against the tree that I had been tied to. I didn't want them to hear my pleas so instead I just kept my begging instead my head. Laughter rang through the clearing as another lash struck out and slashed across my back. I felt the blood pouring down my bare back; I was completely exposed to these vampires. I could hear their heavy panting as my blood poured out more. _

_I had been foolish; I thought I could take on a group of rogue vampires all by myself and they had captured me the second I stepped foot into the clearing. Now, I was stripped bare and laying limply across a tree while I was prepared to be eaten. I should have never run off by myself; I was staring down death right in the eye and I wished it would hurry up. The whip cracked against my back while a blood curling scream passed my lips. _

_The master vampire with the whip came to my side, his hand touching my side smearing the blood that had slid around me. His eyes stared into mine as he licked his fingers of my blood. He leaned in close while his breath stunk of copper and alcohol. I felt his nails trailing along the side of my breast. I was still trying to think how I could manage to escape this but my frail body couldn't take me anywhere. _

"_Beg for me; beg for me to transform you. I could have you as my mistress," he cooed into my ear. I felt goose bumps rise over my skin which caused another bout of pain from my wounds. I turned my head and spit right into his face. He cringed away wiping my spit from him while I tested my arms against the rope that bound my wrists to the tree. _

"_I'd rather have you kill me." I hissed, I gritted my teeth and tried to move my hands around the rope but my luck was running dry. My head was spinning from the blood loss; I could feel something rising inside of me as soon as that vampire's eyes shined with pure fury. I knew I wasn't going to give up here, not now. Not ever. _

"_That's easily done!" He roared and lashed out the whip. I let out another scream as my body finally went limp against the tree. __**I'll survive. **_

_**I will live.**_

"_Why won't you die?" _

_Another lash cracked across me, I had finally lost count of how many I was given. I assumed the next two will be my death but I considered that the last two should have been my demise as well. I heard the vampire getting angry that I haven't given up. I took a deep breath and slowly stood up. My body ached and groaned but I slid up the tree. The vampire questioned how I could possibly stand and in his rage he let out another lash. _

_I screamed for Thelena, the Goddess of Light one last time. This scream rippled through the trees shaking the birds out of their nests. This scream took everything I had left out of me but it gave me everything I needed. A gust o wind blew through me as a light struck across the black sky. I heard the vampires cry out in pain. I weakly rubbed my binds against the tree feeling it cut through the rope and slice against my wrists. I couldn't hear any movement from the vampires while I cut through the rope and my wrists fell weakly. I sat up turning around to see them staggering to get up. I turned and lunged for my crossbow. _

"_I don't die easily, however," I whispered before launching the explosive arrow straight into the master's chest. He staggered, looking at the arrow that pierced his chest but before he could mutter a word the explosive detonated. I covered my eyes feeling the spray of blood hit my chest and arms. I didn't waste any more time as I launched three more explosives into the remaining vampires._

_I hid behind a tree while the last of them exploded into oblivion. After the last arrow detonated, I slowly came back into the clearing. It was a mess of blood and body parts, I ignored the churning of my stomach as I advanced toward my gear that laid by a tent. I pulled my pants over my legs and put my wool shirt over me. I turned back around and slowly headed home. _

_I walked for four hours and during that time I was trying to figure out how I had survived. What had given me strength to push forward? What created that streak of light? How was I surviving in this moment? How am I pushing myself forward? I had so many questions and I needed to counsel with Melkan. Suddenly, I heard horses in the distance of the path. I tried to see anything from the early morning hours but my body was just finally beginning to give up. _

"_How could you be so foolish to leave Emma to herself, Fregnar?" I heard a familiar voice roar, coming closer. My heart went into my throat as I recognized it. It was Melkan; I knew that angry shout from anywhere. I started to limp faster ignoring the protests from my back. Tears stung my eyes while I saw the horses coming forward. _

_Relief flooded through me as I waved a hand to the horses. I could see Melkan hop off his horse and sprint towards me. I let out a sigh as I crashed into his arms. He supported me without touching my back but I heard his breath catch in his throat seeing the blood that soaked through the tan material. I sobbed into his chest as my body finally gave out from under me. _

"_My little swan," _

_I heard his voice cut sharply at the end of his sentence. He stroked my hair and slowly lifted me to my feet. I felt another pair of arms wrap around me as they carried me to Melkan's horse. Unconsciousness wrapped around me like a warm blanket as I felt the world slip between my fingers. _

Emma's eyes snapped open hearing a loud pop come from the fire next to her. She stared up at the glimmering night sky feeling her heart pounding against her chest. She tried to steady her hoarse breathing but it was almost as if she could feel the lashes still fresh on her back. She sat up slowly feeling her head begin to throb.

"Nightmare, lass?"

She heard Killian's smooth voice breath through the silence. She turned her head to see him perched on a fallen log. His blue eyes nearly shone from the crackling fire. She sighed after a minute finally feeling her heart rate slow. Nodding she sat up and warmed herself by the fire.

"I get them regularly," she admitted quietly.

"You know, they say that nightmares only spawn when one's truest fears are coming into light."

Emma let out a small laugh. Her fears having been coming into light since she was a little girl. They've just multiplied and became more violent over these last decades. Her head started to throb of all the vampires she had killed. _Vampires that were once human beings_,_ human beings that had lives and families._

"My nightmares have been into the light for as long as I can remember." She sighed looking up at Killian, he stared intently at her. She felt a wave of uneasiness wash over her; something has shifted since she first encountered Killian. She knew he was hiding something from her but instead to act upon it she danced around it.

"You know, you're somewhat of an open book, love."

"My pages has been sealed away for years, I don't know how a man of your kind can read me. I thought I told you to stop calling me that."

Killian gave a small laugh, somewhere Emma told herself that Killian had never had a partner like her before. It almost seemed that he was sitting on every word she said even if it had the littlest of meanings. She had no idea why Killian would be so interested in her or her own life for that matter.

"I have an uncanny talent to read people, whether your book is closed or not, lass. I can tell you've been through many tough times in your life, must be quite a tale."

"And one that I shan't share with you, are we done talking for the night?"

Emma watched as Killian stood and stretched, from the smirk on his face told her that this conversation was far from over. Never in her travels had she met anyone so nosy and emotionally detached from the world. She considered for the briefest moment if it had to do with him being a werewolf. Killian cut her off from her thoughts when he plopped back down onto the log.

"Aren't you interested in knowing about me?"

"Why should I be interested? We're going to travel together to destroy a coven of vampires and then we separate ways, simple as that."

"You seemed interested into my sexual background,"

Emma felt her face redden at his words. She looked away awkwardly when hearing Killian let out a genuine laugh. She had never met such an infuriating man in all her life. She wanted to run off right then to avoid this awkwardly painful conversation.

"I'm just teasing, lass. If you are interested in lycanthropy I wouldn't mind explaining it to you."

"Well, now that you've mentioned it-"

"But answer me one question," Killian said cutting Emma right off her sentence. Emma closed her mouth and looked back Killian.

"You're a vampire hunter and yet you have barely any knowledge of werewolves, why is that?"

"You said it yourself, I am a vampire hunter. I only studied vampires and my teacher never thought I'd need the information in the future." Emma admitted. Melkan didn't enforce her to learn about werewolves it was learning something she had no reason to study. She didn't think she would have to learn it but then again she didn't think she'd team up with an actual werewolf.

"Fair enough, will you answer one more of my questions?"

"I see no danger in it."

"How do you think werewolves mate?"

Killian stood pacing around the side of the fire for a brief moment. Emma was debating whether to give her own answer or to give an educated guess to not seem as ignorant as he probably thought she was. Emma knew that she needed straight forward answers so she needed to be as oblivious as possible.

"Don't you just pick someone and mark them?"

Killian turned and gave her a small smile before waving a finger of disapproval at her.

"Not as easy as you think, love. You see, werewolves are breeds that have strong senses. We can sense things seconds before humans do. Call it our sixth sense or just having good hearing but when we see someone it's as if we're tied to that person. Think of it as a string, I tie one end to myself and then I tie another around my potential mate."

"Doesn't the chosen person have a say in this? Or when they are marked do they just fall for you?"

"No, if it were that easy our breed wouldn't be dying out. It all depends on the type of bond they have. A werewolf can be bound to someone that has no interest at all or may even be in a relationship. We're bound to stick by those who have been chosen for us. If the bond is strong between the two then the matee has no say. Once they're marked they almost belong to the mater just as the mater belongs to the matee. Think of it as a soul mate, really. The matee is almost matched with the mater; they can't help but be drawn to us."

"How does a werewolf know they've marked someone?"

"Certain signs happen to the matee and the werewolf."

"Can you specify on what you mean by 'signs'?"

"When the mate is picked they dreams, may get small markings on their wrists or neck. For the werewolf it's usually random transformations, protectiveness and the uncontrollable urge to mate."

"When you mate, is that a finalized guarantee you're mated for life?"

Killian turned on heels and nodded right at her. Emma gave a small proud smile to herself; she was already picking up on the lycanthropy background. She could see that Killian was amused with her questions and that she was learning so quickly.

"When we finally mate, it's as if a marriage has happened. We're bound to that person and no one else comes in the way of that. It's strictly monogamous from then on. Our mate may move on and leave us but we are bound morally to still protect and serve under who we've marked."

"You guard the person that rejected you? That's a little harsh."

"Is that sympathy I hear in your voice?"

"More of curiosity,"

Killian flashed her smirk before taking his seat back on the log and running a hand through his hair. Emma saw the tired look in his eyes. Giving a sigh she knew she had to put tonight's lesson to rest until morning. She stood stretching out her sore muscles before sitting down next to Killian.

"I'll take the next watch, you rest up. We have a busy day tomorrow."

Killian didn't hesitate to go onto his bed roll on the ground and stretching out on it. Emma watched him face away from her. Chewing on her bottom lip she wondered if she had made the right choice putting some of her trust into this stranger. Upon that thought she knew that it was too late to go back on her word now. Tomorrow, she was going to find out why Killian was out for blood.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat? Two updates in one day? How crazy is that? I hope you guys had a good holiday!


	5. Chapter 5

_Entry Five_

"_Emma, what did I tell you about running off without me?" _

"_I took care of that hag faster than Arnbjon would have!"_

"_You nearly got your throat ripped out!" _

_Melkan cursed in Gaelic underneath his breath before slamming his crossbow on the table of his study. I had just slain a vampire by myself since my accident. I didn't tell Melkan how I had escaped from the clearing; I couldn't even explain it myself. It took months for me to get back into the right state of mind and to get my body back into shape. _

_Melkan kept me inside, however, he avoided giving me any missions and kept me studying and practicing my swordsmanship. I was going crazy from the lonely solitude from being under Melkan's watchful eyes while everyone else boasted about their latest slaying. I felt like I was the runt of the pack once again, I knew that my skills could easily beat most of my comrades but I wasn't willing to boast about something so trivial. _

_I had overheard Melkan speaking with other hunters earlier last night about a vampire that was terrorizing a nearby town and I took it upon myself to take this mission without his consent. The fight was nasty and blood was definitely shed. All my pent up energy and aggressiveness won me through that brawl. I had taken her head off with a nearby kitchen knife while I sat on her back. It was brutal and completely horrifying but it was either be the killer or be the prey. _

"_But, I didn't get my throat ripped out! You showed up right as I lit her body!" _

"_She could have easily escaped or worse, she could have killed you!" _

"_Why are you so protective of me? You know I can defend myself and that I can easily out match any vampire! Why don't you trust me anymore?" I nearly shouted. I was completely ignoring the fact that everyone in the sanctuary could hear our argument but I was filled with too much anger to let any of this go. _

"_I'm not trying to lose you again, damn it!" Melkan roared flipping his wooden desk over. I cringed at his anger; I had never made Melkan this angry or seen him this upset over anything. This side of him was the side that vampires were the ones to see. He was the exact man that I saw when I was a little girl, the man that he tried so hard to conceal from me, until now. _

_I knew that I had completely stepped right over the boundary, the line that was cut between family and business. I had jumped head first into the family line and I wasn't ready to see how much he did care for me. I wasn't ready to see the fatherly side because I had never thought of him as a father figure. Melkan stood with a hand over his mouth staring at the flipped table. _

"_Emma, I raised you since you were a small child, I cannot lose the one thing I care about most." _

_I didn't realize the consequences when I left the sanctuary last night. I could have easily been killed and left Melkan alone. I was the one thing he cared most about because we were the only family we had. The both of us had lives that tore us into pieces and we relied on each other. We needed each other because we were the only thing left in this damned world. _

_Putting my anger aside I went over and wrapped my arms around Melkan. Placing my head on his arm we stood there for a small moment. I could feel him relax in my arms and lean his head on mine. I had been thoughtless about Melkan's feelings and what I could have done to him if I got killed. I didn't think about how much it would hurt him if I was gone. _

"_I'm sorry for going against your wishes. I was careless for your own feelings." I felt him sigh and remove himself from my arms. He rested his hands on my shoulders and looked at me straight in the eyes. _

"_I am sorry too, my little swan, I treat you like a child when you are clearly not one any longer. I overreacted and I keep thinking that if I keep you safe in here then you won't grow up. But I see that I'm wrong now. You're more than ready to become a full fledged hunter." _

_He gave me a small smile and his eyes gleamed for a small moment. I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly. I knew that I wouldn't bring him any disappointment and that I would live up to my title as a vampire hunter. I knew that I could make him proud and that I was going to bring honor to the sanctuary. I was going to earn to my own name and avenge my parents. _

"You mentioned that you were seeking revenge?" Emma asked as they traveled along the path toward Rifthaven. They were only hours away from reaching the cove and she still needed to find out anything on Killian. Killian turned his head to Emma who avoided his raised eyebrow.

"Aye, a vampire in there took something from me and it's time he finally get's what's coming to him."

"Something or someone?" Emma asked turning her head to finally meet him. The way that Killian's voice darkened at the mention of revenge told her that it wasn't some stolen item. She knew that he was seeking to avenge someone. Killian gave her a smirk before waving a finger at her

"I thought you don't care about my story,"

"I don't but I might as get information on you, in case you try and stab me in the back."

"I wouldn't be calling it 'stabbing' more of staring at your backside with awe."

Emma gave him a look which Killian greeted with a cheeky smile. She tried to ignore the small flapping feeling in her stomach. She had no problem admitting that he was an attractive man but she wasn't going to pursue him either.

Men in Emma's life ended up disappearing or running for the hills when they saw her line of expertise. She had only a few courtships but none that ended happily. She remembered the last man that courted her, Neal. He was a prince that was more than interested in her crossbow. His father was a kind gentle king but she knew a life of riches and balls wouldn't keep her entertained.

Most of her relationships failed miserably because of her loyalty to the sanctuary. Never once in her life had she ever thought about leaving it for another person. Even though many men came her way, courted her and begged for her hand. She refused all. Her happiness and her loyalty ran deep for the sanctuary.

Only few men approached her at the sanctuary. She turned down everyone for the sake of Melkan. She didn't want awkward dealings between the two partners. Inside that sanctuary every human, elf and Orc was treated like siblings, there was no sort of diversity. Thinking about the sanctuary, her heart cramped painfully. She was homesick and missed Melkan more than anything.

"Are you always this forward with your companions?"

"Only the pretty ones,"

"You are a man of honor and chivalry, aren't you?"

Killian threw his head back and gave a laugh. Emma a smile tugging on the ends of her mouth, she turned her head away while Killian laughed harder. Maybe she had partnered with a horrible man, a man of no remorse and a man that might just cut down anyone who stood in his path.

"I am a man of honor but of chivalry? We've been working together for two days; you should know me better by now."

"My apologies for putting you in a category as a human being that actually has feelings and the ability to show emo

"Your words wound me,"

"I'm sure you're self-image isn't that impaired."

Emma tried to distinguish if this bickering was playful or completely serious. Killian didn't seem serious and neither did Emma. She wasn't use to a man that accepted her sarcasm and harsh quips. It would seem that Killian was the first man to handle almost everything she threw at him. Before she could think of anything else she stopped in her tracks Killian rode in front of her putting a finger over his lips.

She raised an eyebrow before seeing him raise a hand to point over a hill in front of them. Emma's heart skipped beat in her chest once she realized why she had to remain quiet. They had finally gotten to the vampire refuge. Had time slipped that quickly in front of her? It only seemed like yesterday when she first met Killian. She gave a nod towards Killian before grabbing her gear and sending it towards the woods.

She loaded her bow while Killian sheathed his sword at his side. Her heart was beginning to race, beyond this point she could have the answer that Melkan was trying to find for the past four months. She could finally rest easily if she knew how to completely destroy the vampires all together. She looked at Killian, she knew that this would be the end of their agreement and all she had to do was destroy the vampires that lurked inside.

It was freezing as Emma tracked through the cave; she stayed away from the branches and traps that were set up nearby. She was used to the human bone ad string like sound traps she kept her eyes onto the ground for any wires that she could accidentally trigger. Killian was quiet behind her while he replicated almost every step she took.

"To actually progress through the first floor, we're going to need to sneak up on the vampire thralls."

Emma whispered dodging another trap while seeing the entrance come into view. She kept her breathing calm as best she could when she heard voices start to rise from the entrance. She could hear the hissing in their voices that hinted her hunch that there were thralls guarding the first floor.

As soon as they got into the first floor, she slowly sunk to the ground and hid behind a pillar. As her eyes adjusted to the dim lighted cave, they set upon a giant golden door. Two thralls stood next to it speaking quietly about it. She raised a hand to Killian before he could make the first move. She had a feeling that these two would tell her exactly what she needed to know what was beyond that gated door.

"Victor, why did they ssstick usss on guard?"

"Becaussse they ssaid we needed more knowledge on protecting our mastersss."

"They are lying, they are hiding something behind thisss and they won't ssshare."

Emma's ears perked up, it would seem that they were just as clueless to what they were guarding. She rolled her eyes, they were only in stage one of the vampire transformation. They had three more stages before they were at least mistwalkers. They still were just as human as she, so killing them would be easy since they held no important information.

Steadying her crossbow against her shoulder she aimed the first bolt towards the loyal one, the one more likely to send a warning to their master. She kept her breathing steady keeping her eyes on his red ones. As soon as his head came between her crosshairs Emma's finger pulled the trigger letting the arrow soar into the head of the vampire.

The impact was swift and quiet, she wasted no time cocking the string back and aiming it right at the last vampire that was just now recognizing his fallen comrade. She could hear him let out a curse as he inspected the body. She heard Killian hiss a warning while the thrall's back was turned away from her. She could see his form was beginning to shake with anger and just as he turned around to scream she shot the next bolt right into his throat.

Emma shot up and slowly made her way down towards the door seeing the vampire sink to his knees as blood pooled out of his throat and onto his whitened skin. She could hear him gurgling for air while the dart lodged in his throat began to heat up slowly. She made a mental note to thank Thrynn for his blacksmithing skills. Infusing the bows with a fire enchantment was the easiest thing yet.

She turned her head away to investigate the wall behind them as their bodies began to burn behind her. She paid no attention toward Killian's shocked expression as she touched the three dials in front of her. Her mind was speeding through all sorts of languages she's learned in all her years. Touching a mark that resembled an arrow her mind finally made the connection.

"It's Drecorian Elvish, or well what seems to be Drecorian Elvish." She muttered to herself, her thoughts were screaming that Drecorian Elves wouldn't be in this part of the realm, they were used to being out in the cold tundra, not spring-like places. Why would they have a gate in this part of the realm?

"So, is it just a locked door?"

What would be of such importance to try and enchant the door with such a long extinct language? Drecorian elves had been extinct for almost centuries and their work was highly valuable. She was missing something, she knew it. She could see that her answer was lying right in front of her but before she could solve the puzzle she heard cracking noises from her far left.

She and Killian both turned their heads to see four vampires coming out of their coffins nearby. Emma turned her head towards Killian. "I thought you surveyed the area!" She hissed hearing a cry from one of the vampires as their eyes set on them.

"I'll take care of it, just figure out to open the door!"

Emma let out a curse before Killian took off toward the vampires. She turned back to the wall spinning the dials slowly; each dial was carved with different sets of numbers. She tried to understand what the numbers could possibly represent. Were they timelines? She slid each number over one another trying to figure out the puzzle.

Realization hit her like a gust of wind. From afar she could Killian grunting and dodging the vampire's claws. She heard Killian yell for Emma, quickly turning and with quick reflexes Emma dodged a hand before it could wrap around her throat. Before the vampire had enough time to strike again, Emma quickly launched a bolt into the vampire's eye. She ducked underneath her as the vampire hissed and cried out in pain feeling the bolt beginning to burn up.

"FASTEN YOUR PACE WITH SOLVING THE DOOR!" She heard Killian yell before he drove his sword into a vampire's stomach. Turning back to the door she realized that the dates weren't timelines but they were a combination. Her mind landed on one spot when Drecorians could have possibly come this way. Before she could make sense of it, she twisted the largest dial to a four.

She heard Killian yelp out of pain while she raked her brain of other numbers, hearing a blood curling scream come from the vampire Emma twisted the smallest dial to 92. Her fingers shook while her fingers worked to slide the last turn wheel. Reading the numbers as quickly as she could, she heard Killian let out another warning just as Emma stopped the third dial on a six.

Turning around while the door behind her twisted and groaned while opening, Emma turned her crossbow toward the last vampire Killian was fighting with. Their bodies twisted in dodges, Emma tried to regain a good shot on the vampire but as soon as she was about to strike Killian got in the way. She closed one eye seeing Killian shove the vampire back. Before he could advance toward the enemy Emma launched the bolt straight into the chest of the vampire. He stopped and turned towards Emma, who stood up off her knees and gave him a look.

Killian gave her an irritated look as the vampire slumped to the ground already starting to burn. He came forward to see that the gate's dials had twisted to. It was an era far older than Emma and far older than Killian. Her mind was racing with thoughts as they stared at the door.

"Whatever lies between these doors, the Drecorian elves wanted to keep in."

Emma murmured to Killian before placing her hand on the center dial and twisting to the left. The doors groaned and shook with dust as they slowly split apart and opened inch by inch. Why was a wall so important to a Drecorian? What would have been so important to keep it inside?

"They did all this for a shrine?"

Hearing Killian's words Emma's heart stopped beating, this wasn't for some shrine. Something told her that as soon as she stepped into the tunnel that she was going to be handling something that no one else knew about. Something beyond this would change the face of vampirism forever.

"It's not a shrine they were protecting," Emma whispered stepping her foot into the tunnel. She could see a small light ways in front of her. Whatever was casting that glow was her answer and she needed to reach it before the remaining vampire masters in there got their hands on it.

As they progressed closer to the glow, Emma saw the cave walls slowly carve into a smooth marble and the floor change from a rocky, grassy surface onto stone flooring. As she entered the entrance and her eyes adjusted she could see that the nature had built a mountain over a broken lair. She heard voices from below her as she and Killian slowly crouched making their way towards the pillar windows.

She saw Killian freeze when a dark voice broke out loudly amongst the other voices. She watched as Killian's expression hardened and the fists at his sides clenched and shook. She craned her head over the pillar to see about six or seven vampires circled on what seemed to be the balcony below them. They stood all arguing until the unfamiliar voice cut over them.

"You fool, you have the answer in front of you, and yet you question whether it's worth the trouble? Master Lucius should have never put you at my aid!"

"Master Gold, I think you are mistaken we have tried to open the vault but it does not accept out blood like Master Lucius said it would."

"Then you are all doomed to return back to him empty handed! Our answer, our salvation is right in front of us and yet you're ready to give up you miserable fools!"

Emma met Killian's stone cold eyes and gave him a nod. She slowly lifted her head and to her surprise she saw a purple glow out in the distance from the bridge that the vampires were in front of. She squinted further out to see a whole cistern covered with marbled and twisted pillars encircling around each other. She could faintly make out a smaller pillar in the middle of the cistern. Emma gently lifted her bow and faced it downward. She gently pulled out one of her explosive bolts that were enchanted with an electric rod. Pulling her string back she aimed it at the center of the vampires and fired.

A blast of electricity hit the vampires hard while they all yelped out in pain. Killian took off for the large balcony as Emma stayed back and aimed her next bolt for a vampire already sitting back up. She walked down the steps making each and every vampire that stood up in her crosshairs.

"I thought I killed you!" She heard a voice roar from below her. Killian was already wreaking havoc on the vampires below. He tore through each vampire while more seemed to spawn out of the room underneath them. She shot a paralyzing bolt at the brute of the group and jumped down onto his back. She held an arm around his neck as he stumbled.

Emma reached for her dagger in her boot while the brute swung her body. The dart only had sixty seconds of paralysis and she was wasting precious time on this brute while the others convulsed on the floor. Emma swung her leg up and caught the hilt around her fingers, pulling it out of its sheath she jabbed the blade into the chest of the brute. He gave a grunt and smacked Emma's back right into a pillar. She let out a groan feeling her back shoot bolts of pain through her.

She let out a curse before hoisting her legs onto his shoulders. She wrapped her legs around his throat and held onto his hair while he tried to swing her off. She squeezed her legs together while he swung her hard. Pulling his head back she drove the blade down on his throat and tore through his jugular. Blood spilled onto his hands as he slowly dropped to his knees. Releasing from her chokehold, she hopped off as he fell forward onto a paralyzed vampire.

Emma could see Killian and the vampire circling around each other while she twisted away from a vampire's sword. Swinging her sword down she knocked the sword out of the hand of the vampire. Lunging and driving the blade through the chest of the vampire she twisted away as another one came after her. She heard Killian tear through another set of vampires in front of her. The man that he was after was just starting to see all his companions being torn to shreds in front of him.

He turned and made haste to get away but he could take three steps Emma launched herself at him and brought them both to ground. She rolled away pulling her crossbow up and aiming it straight at Gold. His red eyes stared at her as he gave her a quick look and smelled the air around her. She heard another scream behind her as Killian sliced off the head off the head of the last vampire master.

"If you try to run I'll send this explosive dart right into your bloody head, bloodsucker." She hissed hearing Killian come up from behind her. Gold's eyes went to calm in seconds while a sickening smile spread across his face.

"I see that you've 'befriended' a vampire hunter, shame on you Killian."

"I don't have many choices of allies these days, Gold."

Killian spat stepping in front of Emma. She nearly flinched at his sudden protectiveness of her but she kept Gold's head right on her crosshairs, she was sure he was the type of vampire to flee.

"Still bitter from me slaying our Milah, are we?"

Killian let out a growl; she could see his form beginning to waver. She was right, was Milah a mate of Killian's? Why did Gold refer her as if she belonged to both of them? She didn't have the time to pity him, Gold was in the way of her answer to destroying the vampires for good and if Killian didn't hurry up, she'd end Gold for him.

"She wasn't yours to begin with, Gold." Killian hissed under his breath but the vampire just simply laughed and clapped his hands together. Emma's patience was beginning to run low, she didn't like games and she sure as hell didn't like the vampire wasting her time.

"Does it even matter anymore? It seems you've moved on from Milah!"

Emma's eyes flickered back to Killian whose expression was unreadable. When she turned her eyes back she met Gold's inquisitive eyes. He let out another laugh and Killian stepped forward. It was like a dance between the trios, each step they took someone took a step back.

"Shut it, Gold before I rip your throat out faster than I intended!"

"She doesn't know does she? Oh, how interesting is that! Shall I be the one to tell her or do you want to?"

"Last. Warning." Killian growled. Emma saw his body shaking with fury now. She stepped away from him to get a better angle of Gold. Something told her that she needed to give Killian space but her mind was spinning with thoughts. What was Killian hiding from her? How did a vampire know something that she didn't?

One side of Emma was beginning to turn the crossbow onto Killian but her feet were planted firmly towards Gold. She was telling herself to not put her trust into a werewolf, she knew that putting trust into someone was going to get her killed and it seemed that her conscious was right. She was going to get killed right after Gold but she wasn't going down without a fight.

Gold cleared his throat before opening his mouth and just as words were beginning to come out of his mouth, she saw Killian hunch over. The transformation happened quickly in front of her. She could see his body bending and stretching into the shape of a wolf. She could hear his bones and joints breaking and rearranging and then it was almost immediately that he stood before her in his full form.

It was only seconds before Killian launched himself on Gold. Emma twisted her head hearing Gold's gargled screams and the sound of bones being crushed. She heard Killian's growling and his teeth tearing apart Gold. She knew that this was year's worth of anger and revenge. She had seen a lot of gruesome things in her life but never someone being torn apart.

After the screaming stopped Emma turned her head to see Killian back away from Gold's mangled body and toss it over the bridge down below. He turned towards her, his muzzle dripping with Gold's blood and his blue eyes filled with bloodlust. She held up her hands as he walked past her. His fur was matted with blood and other things while he disappeared into the shadows.

Emma didn't dare to breathe as she walked by the gruesome area of Gold's death and made her way to the cistern. She left Killian to change back on his own, she didn't know how long it would take but it was probably better than to have him rip her to shreds. Which made Emma stop in her tracks, why didn't he kill her? Wasn't that what Gold was talking about?

Emma walked into the cistern and looked at each cryptic pillar; each was marked with more Drecorian language. Emma saw that the purple glow coming from a small center pillar. She made her way towards it, before she could investigate it she heard Killian running up. She turned to see his mouth had dried blood around the corners of his face and several cuts on his arms and cheek. Without hesitation she loaded her bow and pointed it at Killian.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?"

"What are you not telling me?"

"I can't believe you actually listened to that –"

Emma cocked her bow and held his chest in her crosshairs; Emma was far from lies now. She knew he was hiding something from her now. She realized that's why she felt something different about him. That he was hiding something from her this long. She wasn't going to die right when the answer to the vampires was right next to her. She heard Killian quickly mutter something that she couldn't hear.

"Speak up or I'll send this arrow through your chest and paralyze you."

"MARKED," Killian shouted suddenly, Emma tilted her head to the side, confused. Was he referring to Milah? Was she somehow tied to the cistern? Did he know the markings along these walls?

_What about the markings?_

The next set of words made Emma drop her crossbow onto the floor. The next set of words completely changed her forever and those next set of words are made her who she was. Those words were branded on her and she knew she wasn't coming back from it.

"I marked you, Emma."


	6. Chapter 6

_Entry Six_

"_Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if your parents survived?" _

_Neal whispered in my ear while we lay underneath a fir staring up at the twinkling night sky. I asked myself that question every day since Melkan first took me to the sanctuary. What would my parents be like dealing with my snarky attitude or my need to prove that I was right all the time? The question, no matter how many times I tried to rephrase it was always the same. _

_What would it be like if the vampires didn't attack? _

"_I assume I'd be a blacksmith with a terrible attitude and I wouldn't give you a second thought." _

_Neal gave a loud laugh while giving me a gentle bite on the neck. It had been only two weeks when Neal started to court me. It was a sweet simple gesture and I had no quandary with him wooing me and giving me promises of riches beyond belief. Even though the thought was pleasant, the more desperate the promises became the more I wanted to return to the sanctuary. I was afraid to admit to myself that Neal was nothing more than a distraction, simply a thing to do while I was bored. _

_I was never a person that cared more for someone than me or Melkan. My only priorities were never love over hunting. I knew that I never loved a man and that I never really gave anyone a chance to let me fall in love with them. The thought of finding the one I'm meant to be with, my other half and my soul mate. _

_The thought terrified me. _

~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Emma could feel her whole protected little world crashing to the ground. She tried to keep her thoughts in place but the thought of being marked by a werewolf? It scared her more than anything; she found it impossible that he could possibly make a mate connection when they only met three days ago! What could she have done to possess him to mark her?

"Emma, you need to let me explain-"

"No. Don't-don't say anything more."

"What?"

"Our contract is over, I've helped you and you've fulfilled your end of the bargain. We can go our separate ways now."

"Emma, it's not that simple-"

"Well, it is in my eyes. We are finished Killian."

She could see the hurt in his eyes but she had no choice, she couldn't have him as her soul mate. She couldn't have anyone as her soul mate. This wasn't what she agreed to when she met him. He promised her separation as soon as she filled her part of his revenge and now that it's completed he could leave.

Emma felt the room spinning beneath her feet; she needed to regain her balance before she would fall back. Her mind was reeling with thoughts and all of them she was shoving into the deep crevices of her conscious. She could see Killian step forward through bleary eyes. Pushing away from Killian she stumbled back and threw her hand out onto the pedestal next to her to keep her balance.

Emma assumed it was the nausea and her body going in overdrive when she felt a sharp pain strike through her palm. She let out a yelp and turned her head to see a small spike piercing her hand. She ripped her hand up and away from the spike and watched as the bowl filled with her blood and slid down the drain-like tube. She watched as the pedestal spun around and sunk itself into the ground.

She felt the ground shake beneath her while she grasped her hand from bleeding anymore. She could see the pillars beginning to crack around her. Emma felt her blood run ice cold thinking that she had just awoken a great beast or woke a demonic spirit. Emma stumbled back into Killian where he grasped her tightly to hold both of them still.

Emma watched as a pillar began to rise out of the place where the pedestal once stood. When it fully stood tall the cistern stopped shaking. Ripping herself away from Killian, she slowly walked up to the pillar; she held her sword in her good hand while approaching the square pillar. She looked at a symbol that resembled a moon wearing a crown. She gently placed a finger on the symbol where it began to glow blue and a door slid down above her.

Emma jumped back holding her sword as her eyes adjusted to the figure lying in front of her. She blinked several times before giving Killian a look of confusion. It was a woman about her age was inside the column. Her almost white hair was twisted into a braid, she seemed like she was sleeping. Emma kept her sword pointed as she watched the woman's body lean forward.

Before she could even react the woman caught herself before falling. Emma jumped back hearing a noise come from the woman's mouth. Her eyes slowly blinked open and set on Emma. Emma felt her heart leap into her throat; she stared right into a pair of black eyes. Killian circled around behind Emma while the woman slowly walked out of her own coffin.

"Who are you?" The woman whispered with her voice hoarse and tired.

"The real question is _who are you_?"

"Well, I asked you first! Therefore you have to tell me whether I can make a run for it or not."

Emma gave a look to Killian and back to the woman. She was unsure whether to answer but her eyes caught onto something hanging off her back. Emma lowered her sword in realization of the artifact in that stranger's possession.

"Is that-is that what I think it is on your back?"

She mustered; she almost couldn't believe that a vampire was carrying the legendary sword. She could see the glimmering light coming from the hilt and the glow peeking out from the sheath on her back. There was no mistaking it, Emma was right the Drecorian elves were sealing away the very sword that could end the rise of vampires.

Dawnbreaker

The woman looked to her shoulder and immediately backed away from Emma and Killian. Emma pushed past Killian and lowered her sword. She knew that if she played this correctly that she could get that sword in her possession. What puzzled her was how a vampire came to the very thing that could destroy her own kind.

"My name is Emma and this is my-well, this is Killian. We're adventurers."

The woman's eyes flickered back from Killian to Emma before she straightened out her back and flashed a toothy smile. Emma was alarmed at her friendliness from this stranger. Vampires were nothing but foul creatures that had no control over their own instincts. But here she stood with blood running down her wrist and the woman seemed unfazed by it.

"My name is Elsa and if you're referring to the supposed mythical sword on my back, you would be correct."

"How long have you been in there?" Killian asked seeing how completely speechless Emma was to this stranger. Emma's mind was reeling on the fact that a vampire wasn't trying to eat her while she bled. Or at least she was trying to understand how this vampire could be friendly.

Elsa pursed her lips in thought before placing a hand on her armored hip. She was fully decorated in an armor that didn't seem to be of this realm or of this century. Emma could see the delicate carvings and intricate designs fitting each piece of her body perfectly. She had never seen such fine craftsmanship in all her life, she was sure if she showed that armor to Thrynn he would nearly drool in envy.

"What century is it?"

Emma heard Killian answer Elsa as she stepped forward to inspect further at the woman and the tomb she slept in. She could see each wall of the crypt was covered in the crowned moon markings. But what could they mean? She thought to herself, Emma was pulled out of her thoughts when Elsa tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

"Emma, is it?"

"Yes…"

"You seem to be the one in charge around here, can you help me?"

"You want my help? With what exactly?"

Emma suddenly realized her predicament and flashed a glare at Killian. She was just now lamenting her deal with him and she was bound to find out an answer to get him off her back and get as far away from him as possible. Emma's answer was right in front of her and the answer was _breathing_! She knew that it was going to be tricky to get her to the sanctuary and even trickier to hand over Dawnbreaker.

"If my memory serves me correct, a wizard trapped me in here so I wouldn't give Dawnbreaker to anyone. I suggest that you help me destroy this wizard before he creates an army of the vampires."

Emma's eyes opened in shock, "Wouldn't someone of your-_own kind_- be trying to support the army of blood suckers?"

Was this Elsa willing to end vampirism forever? She was willing to slaughter her own brothers and sisters for the sake of a cure? Emma could feel her head beginning to throb again but she needed to face her problems now and something told her that the two problems in front of her weren't going to be that easy to escape, as much as she wished.

"Those things you're slaying nowadays aren't my kind. They are a mutation of what my breed was originally. You see, Gorem, the wizard that exiled me into this crypt wanted to start a whole new breed of immortals. He used my blood to create the things you're fighting against now."

"How did you know I was a vampire hunter?"

Elsa rolled her eyes and shot a look to Killian then back to her. "It doesn't take very much to figure that out. Besides, I had you pegged for a vampire hunter as soon as I saw your armor. Adventures cannot afford that type of armor. And your werewolf friend smells like wet dog,"

"I am greatly offended by your bluntness."

"Well, you should. You need to bathe."

"Can we get back to how you ended up in here?" Emma said impatiently. Time was ticking and the more time they spent in here the more that vampires would catch onto their scent and they'd be dead for sure.

"Right, you see I'm the first generation of vampires. I have pure vampirism blood running through me; I was part of the group of people that were cursed with this disease when Forcine unleashed his wrath on us. I met Gorem when I was traveling and studying to become an arcane master of frost-"

Screams erupted behind them from the main floor, she turned to Elsa who nodded and pointed behind the pillars. All of them took off sprinting following Elsa while the vampires were just now stumbling upon their dead masters. Emma sprinted up a pair of steps and into a small cove right into a burial chamber room. She flashed a look of warning to Elsa who began to rifle through each coffin.

"Look for a lever!"

Emma frantically ran her hand over the walls while Killian kept watch from the vampires. Emma could hear them screaming and cursing Forcine for the slaughter of their own. She tried to hold back the smile of pride hearing them sound so pained. Before she could make another move her hand slipped between a crack and held onto something cold. Emma felt the metal in her hand, without hesitation she pulled the lever down where a nearby rock wall split open revealing their way out.

"They caught onto our trail!"

"Then there's no time to lose! Go through the exit!" Emma shouted shoving Killian forward; Elsa turned and held her hands out to the floor in front of her. Emma froze in amazement seeing frost come from her hands and create ice all over the floor and nearly covering the exit with a barricade of ice. She turned toward Elsa stunned.

"Still have it!" Elsa smiled and turned to Emma shooing her towards the exit.

~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Emma sat on a rock staring at the setting sun while Elsa paced back and forth trying to collect her words. She couldn't believe that she had saved a vampire, but she wasn't a regular blood sucker. She was one of the first vampires. She was trying to destroy the very thing that vampires had become. Emma knew that killing her wouldn't be smart but she knew that trusting her wouldn't be smart either.

"You were saying with your story?" Killian asked taking a swig from the river nearby. Emma met his eyes with a cold glare before turning her eyes back to Elsa. She was going to act as if Killian never marked her and that as soon as she got all her bearings together she and Elsa were going to make their way back to the sanctuary to tell Melkan.

"Gorem was my teacher, my instructor and my friend. That is until he became obsessed with my immortality and how to become immortal. At the time, vampires were still never heard of and we weren't a threat to the mortals. Gorem was known to be a powerful necromancer and wanted nothing more than to know everything about life and death, especially bringing someone back from the dead."

"So, instead of seeing you as a powerful wizard he saw you as a test subject?"

Elsa nodded twisting each finger on her hand. "I willingly gave him my blood so he could experiment; I only thought that he would try to become a vampire himself. I didn't expect him to create a mutation that he wanted to call my kind."

"What went wrong?"

"First generation vampires thrive on the moonlight, that's how they feed on the rays of the moon. Just as you mortals thrive on the sun to survive. Similar to the ways that werewolves shift on full moons, we're all connected somehow. To rise up someone of the undead, you need a heart, blood and hair. Gorem added my blood and a human's blood together, creating the very first cannibalistic vampire."

"This wizard created one of the realm's deadliest creatures because he simply added too many ingredients?"

Emma asked being more confused than before. If it was so simple to create a vampire then shouldn't it be easier to destroy their kind by doing the exact opposite of what Gorem did incorrectly? She pondered for a moment before Elsa gave a sigh and ran her hands through her snow colored hair.

"If you think about it like that then yes, anyways, he nearly lost his life fighting that creature with me. It hungered for his blood and we just had to chain that beast in a cage. Gorem knew of a cure to end any creature that belonged to the undead. Dawnbreaker, we spent months finally tracking this thing down but we knew it would be the only way to reverse his failed experiment."

"How did he change his mind from wanting to kill the vampire to being an ally?"

"His unhealthy obsession with immortality, when he tried to kill the vampire the creature bit him and fled our tower. He contracted that vampirism and he found himself even more obsessed with creating more and more of them. I wasn't going to stand by and let him tear the realm apart by having him create more of these horrific versions of us. But before I could kill him, he put me under a sleeping spell and sent me to that crypt where I slept for centuries with the Dawnbreaker."

"You're the reason why the vampires wanted to get into the crypt so badly."

"I'm also the reason they want to keep me alive, this way I can create an even more powerful kind of vampires because I'm a first generation with Sovereign blood. With destroying the Dawnbreaker and my blood they can seize this realm by force."

"How many are left of you?"

"I assume out of the original one thousand of us there will be a remaining three hundred but all have gone into hiding into the Drecorian ruins where they can safely be away from regular vampires."

"Why was your tomb full of Drecorian writing?" Emma blurted out suddenly; she knew that asking such a thing was going to be hard for Elsa. She had been asleep for centuries and Emma was surprised enough that she could remember her history, let alone her name.

"Gorem is a Drecorian, aren't there any left?"

Emma stared at her in shock and shook her head slowly. Elsa put a hand over her mouth, her eyes staring at her feet blankly. Emma slowly put two together; Elsa had been alive since Drecorians were still a living race. How old was she really?

"I see, well that must fuel his need to create more vampires, so he doesn't feel left out from being the last of his kind. That isn't a justification to create a band of creatures that haunt the night and destroy innocent lives."

"I have an idea, but you aren't going to like it very much."

"Does it have anything to do with stopping Gorem?"

"Well, yes."

"Then, what is with your uncertainty?"

Emma knew that helping Elsa was going to be walking right into the pits of hell. But she knew that if she didn't destroy this wizard when the opportunity was right that no time would ever be acceptable. She knew that she was going to need every bit of Melkan's help as possible. She would have to do the very thing he's warned her about all her life.

"I have to bring you to the Sanctuary."

~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

_Please help a starving writer and donate a review down below. Any sort of review or favorite can help. _


	7. Chapter 7

_Entry Seven_

_The nightmares didn't stop for months after I was rescued. In my unconsciousness I felt my fears coming alive and pulling me under. I could feel the whip lashing across my skin for hours in my dreams and I could just feel the sickening touch of the damn master vampire as he whispered sins in my ears. I tried to my best to wake myself up from this reoccurring nightmare. The more I tried to wake myself up the farther I was pulled down. _

_It was usually Melkan that woke me up, he would run into my room and shake me until my eyes finally snapped open and I got to see his face. The first couple of months were the roughest for him. He tried everything to calm my weak body from the shaking and the crying but nothing ever soothed me. I almost heard him begging the sanctuary's healer, Rebella, to heal me or give me some sort of potion. _

"_Melkan, that child has been through hell and back more times than any being should ever go. That child has had tiny fragments of her soul ripped off. She is a fighter; this is something she needs to overcome. My potions are nothing to what she has laying inside her." _

"_She cannot even fathom to what she has within her yet, she is only a child." _

"_They always are, Melkan, they always are." _

"_I can't bear to hear her cry out in pain again, I cannot stand idly by while her mind is torturing her." _

_I only heard fragments from my bed but I knew that something was being hidden from me. I knew that something was different with me. I had hoped that it was just from my lack of sleep that I was hearing all of this but some part of me, the part that was unwilling to take any other excuse that part of me was telling me that this wasn't something that would just vanish._

"_You knew that her fate is a troubled one and one that has crosses and scars she's going to bear when you rescued her, Melkan." _

"_I didn't expect them to be this torturous to her." _

"_Thelena chose her to go on this journey and she will be victorious with the trials before her." _

_I knew my mind was sleep deprived and that I was still wild with these hallucinations. I couldn't lift my eyes while I laid flat on my back. I wanted to know if what I was hearing was real or not. It seemed to be so real but then again, the nightmares I had been having felt to be real too. My weak mind was trying to process everything all at once but the harder I thought the weaker I was getting. _

"_I never wanted this for her, I never wanted to see her go this." _

"_You chose her, Melkan. Whether you stay idly by her side or you move with her. Nothing is going to stop the power that's inside her and when she's fully ready, she'll be a force that no creature will hesitate to run from." _

~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

She was avoiding it. She was completely aware how much she dodged the nagging feeling of her body getting used to being marked. She didn't want to accept that this was going to be her fate, that being tied to a beast all her life was going to be who she was now.

The thought of him choosing her as his mate made her cringe to think about. She would have never expected to imprint on her, let alone leave her to think on her own or have some privacy to herself. She knew that he wasn't going to let her ignore this situation forever but she was damned well sure that he was going to leave from this mission whether he could do it or not.

It had been a day since they discovered Elsa. The night was rocky and Emma didn't allow herself to sleep or check her body properly for wounds. She wasn't going to put some blind faith into this vampire and sleep. Her side had been aching all night and her thoughts didn't help either.

Her mind was still trying to commute to the fact that this vampire could easily rip her throat out. But Emma wasn't going to just let her walk off with the only thing to end this madness. Elsa seemed to despise her rejected model creatures enough, however. Emma was torn between trusting this unexpected ally and putting up a fight to get that sword.

She had been watching that sword almost every hour. She'd never seen a sword so beautiful and so strange all at once. That very sword was used in the Undead Crusade against the ghouls of the woods. That sword had brought down and entire army by just raising it toward the moon and shedding a light the burned the skin off of every ghoul in the woods that night.

She had read that story millions of times over, it was the tale of Jordis a woman who devoted her life to Thelena and in return Thelena gave her Dawnbreaker, a sword made of small fragments of the sun and the sword forged by the very gods themselves. Emma knew that story like the back of her hand and she never would have thought that such an unspoken relic existed.

Emma tried to imagine Melkan's face once the Dawnbreaker was revealed in front of him. Would he even trust Emma after she completely rejected his next mission? Did she betray his trust by going off with a werewolf that had marked her? The questions hung heavily on her as she gave a look to Elsa that sat on Killian's horse. He rode behind her keeping his hands firmly on the reigns. They had at least a fortnight to get back to the sanctuary in one piece.

Realizing that Killian had caught her stare she whipped her head back to the road in front of her. Emma could already feel his eyes on her while she stared ahead. She didn't want to deny the electrifying chemistry between them but she knew she had to. If she gave Killian any glimmer of hope he would stay and that was the last thing that she wanted.

"Emma, you're bleeding."

Emma looked down at her bandaged hand to see no blood and turned her head curiously toward Elsa whose eyes were planted on her side. Emma looked to see blood beginning to soak through her tunic and maille. Emma could feel the numbing pain in her side but she completely dismissed the pain as a small scratch. Seeing how wrong she was made her reevaluate her instincts.

"I'm fine, it's just a cut."

Emma let out a gasp feeling a sharp sting rip through her side. She looked back down to see the blood beginning to pour out. Emma could feel her head beginning to spin, how long had she been bleeding for? She stilled her horse and held a hand to the blood that wet her palm, Killian hopped off the horse as Emma crashed into him.

She felt Killian lower her onto the ground and slowly take her armor off piece by piece. He tore right through her tunic and let out a gasp of the wound. Emma strained her head to look; she let out a small whimper seeing the wound clearly not being a scratch. The wound was a foot long and a lot deeper than she expected. The skin had ripped back open when Emma twisted her body away from Killian to avoid his stare earlier.

She cursed herself under her breath while Elsa dropped to her knees. Her eyebrows raised in inquiry as she slowly raised a hand over the wound. Emma could feel a slight tugging then a sickening sharp pain. Emma let out a small cry digging her nails into the dirt. Emma heard Killian let out a growl toward Elsa.

"My magic is weak from being isolated and away from the moon, this is the best I can do. But we need to properly clean and bandage this wound."

"There's a healing spring nearby if we hurry we can get their by sunset."

"We'll need to hurry, I've managed to slow the bleeding but it doesn't look good, Killian."

Emma felt herself being pulled back up into Killian's arms; she heard his quickening heartbeat while he hoisted her up onto the horse. Slowly, she sprawled her fingers out on his chest feeling her body slowly going limp. Killian grasped her hand tightly and started off her horse into a run with Elsa right on their heels. Emma felt the world slip beneath her as her eyes closed.

~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

"_I want you," Killian growled with his hands sliding up her legs, his breath hoarse in her ear. Her body was on fire every touch singed a piece of her skin. She felt as if she'd lose her mind if he kept touching her lick this. Her lips crashed onto his as she held him closer to her bare chest. _

_She could feel his hand rubbing circles on her inner thigh, just waiting for them to part fully. She leaned back on the floor bringing him between her. She moaned feeling his hardness rubbing her right where she needed him. Killian's tongue explored her mouth while his hand finally found the spot that she needed. Her hips were already working against his fingers. _

"_Yes!" she moaned into his mouth feeling her body humming with desire. Killian's tongue trailed from her mouth where he placed his teeth on her neck and bit roughly. A strangled whimper came out of Emma's mouth as she came closer to her climax. Killian removed his fingers then placed them into his mouth tasting her on him. He slid his body down, kissing every inch of her chest and stomach before his tongue found her aching center. _

_Emma's hands tangled in his hair, it was as if someone threw ice water all over her skin. His tongue flicking over every inch of her while his ocean blue eyes never left hers. His tongued lapped everywhere and his fingers took precedence of where she needed him. His mouth took over the small bundle of nerves while his fingers worked her thoroughly. _

_Emma's hips were relentless while she moved her hips with his fingers, moans slipping out of her lips making Killian groan in anticipation. Emma arched her back her decent to her climax reaching its peak. Killian's name fell out of her mouth over and over again while his fingers curled and hit just the right spot. _

"_That's it, come for me Emma." _

_She could heard him growl against her, Emma let out a breath before feeling her climax crash over her. The fingers that tangled in Killian's hair pulled while she rode out each blissful wave. She lay there spent seeing Killian unbutton his pants, his eyes hungry with lust. His eyes raked over her naked figure before pulling his pants down below his hips. _

"_I need you, Killian." Emma whimpered drawing him closer to her. "Gods above, I need you too." He groaned into her neck. Her back arched waiting for him to slide in, waiting for the glorious feeling to wash over her and just waiting for him._

"_I need you, Emma." _

~~~~~~/~~~~~~

Emma felt a sharp pain sting on her cheek as she opened her eyes to see two dark figures looming over her. Lifting an aching arm Emma rubbed her eyes to see the shapes form into Elsa and Killian. Emma could feel her cheek stinging; it felt as if someone had-

"_Was it necessary to slap her_?"

"She wouldn't wake up! I had to make sure that she wasn't dead, wolfy"

"It's Killian! And I told you that she was passed out from the blood loss!"

"And I told you that I don't believe you!"

"Stop…bickering,"

Emma mumbled slowly lifting her body upwards. She saw Killian gently put his hands on her shoulders putting her back on her back. Emma could hear running water from behind her; she let out a groan feeling the wound in her side beginning to throb.

"Did we make it to the healing spring?"

"Of course but this isn't a spring, it looks like more like a lake to me."

Elsa muttered running her hand along the water, causing a small top of ice to form above it. Emma could hear the hum of the water's healing abilities and she didn't' want to waste any more time on the floor with her side aching like this. Her injury was stunting their time to get to the Sanctuary. Grasping Killian by the shoulders she slowly tried to raise her body off the ground.

"Usually, I'd like have other enjoyable activities with a woman on her back than this." Killian flashed a smirk seeing Emma trying to lift herself was utterly pointless. She groaned and swatted his hand away and grasped Elsa by the arm.

"You'll be more inclined to help," she muttered casting Killian a glare. Elsa helped Emma to her feet and gave an encouraging smile. She watched as Elsa backed up and cleared her throat to Killian, he gave a sigh and turned back to Emma.

"Love, the thing about the spring is that you'll have to take off your clothes so the water can get to your wound quicker."

Emma flashed a look to the duo, looked down at her armored outfit and then around the depleted land of trees.

"You are not expecting me to change In front of you two-"

"I sure as bloody hell wouldn't mind-"

"I wasn't asking your permission, Killian."

"I can create an ice wall so you can change in peace," Elsa said after a moment, Killian whipped his head to her and gave her a glare.

"Would you kindly please create that wall?"

Emma watched as Elsa clapped excitedly and raised her hands on the ground and quickly shot them up. Instantly ice rose from the ground and created a barrier between them. Giving a sigh of relief, Emma slowly unchanged trying not to disturb her wound.

"I thought you didn't have enough magic to do anything,"

"I'm a master of ice, not a healer."

"I think you're a master in lying,"

"It takes one to know one."

Emma smiled to herself, she almost enjoyed the banter between the two it didn't seem that they hated each other more than just annoyed one another. The bickering was entertaining and it kept her mind off the fact that her wound throbbed. She could see that it was worse than she had thought, the wound was severely infected.

Taking off the last of her armor, Emma slowly wafted into the water. She let out a gasp as the cold water hit her body while she sunk it. She held her bare chest away from the water as she sunk further in. Emma held her breath while she dunked her head underwater finally letting silence drift.

She remembered hot summers where she would escape with Neal to a lake behind his castle where they would have contests of holding their breath. Emma always won for her incredible ability to hold her breath longer than humanly possible. Neal would always fall for it too. The memory caused a small ache in her chest as she rose back up to the surface.

Emma saw that Elsa was nowhere to be seen and Killian remained investigating the ice wall. He turned hearing her let out a breath, Emma's hands instinctively returned back to her chest and turning her body away from Killian.

"Do you mind?"

"Not at all, I've seen plenty of naked women in my time."

Emma rolled her eyes at his remark.

"Killian, when I heal properly, I am going to put your head on a stick."

"I'll consider it a blessing since you seem to cringe away from me."

"Can you blame me?"

"In fact, I can."

She turned her head toward Killian to see he was crouched at the bank of the lake. His fingers played with water as his eyes never left hers. She turned her head back to look at the trees in the distance. She looked toward her hip to see the wound slowly closing up, the skin almost connecting back together.

She could feel her head replaying the images from her dream earlier. She shook her head trying to dismiss them from her vision. She knew that it was a dream but it had felt so real? How could she experience something like that and yet wake up to see that Killian was oblivious to what she dreamt about? Did he know that she had such an explicit dream of him?

"You can't run away from this,"

"I'm not running, I'm simply fast walking."

"Do you avoid all your problems like this?"

"Only the ones that truly annoy me,"

"This isn't something you can just brush off your shoulders, Emma. I know you more than you think-"

"You know nothing about me, Jones. Once I get Elsa to the Sanctuary our contract is over,"

"We have to talk about this-"

"My wound has healed!"

Emma nearly yelled avoiding the conversation to go any further. She touched the pink scar line where her gaping wound once was. She saw from a distance a head poke out from the trees. Elsa strode over carrying Emma's gear in her arms while giving Killian a glare. She watched Killian give her a look full of hurt before turning away from them. Emma knew that she couldn't avoid the imprint forever but she was going to avoid it as long as she could right now.

~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Quick rant/update

_I had a comment on here that upset me a little. The lycanthropy and the vampirism backgrounds are not completely wiped off the storyline. I will bring them up in chapters but I don't want you all to have to swallow more than you can chew with the all the history and backgrounds. My story will continue it. I've been writing non-stop for the past three weeks and I've finished the last three chapters. My story will continue how I choose to play it out. _

_Chapter ten will be first person then on and with a different background story (hooray!). And as you can see I've lived up to the M rating on this story and so from now on there will be smut scenes (more hoorays!)! _


	8. Chapter 8

_Entry Eight_

_The sun was just beginning to rise behind me while Melkan and I sat on the ground next tree. I held my crossbow tightly while my target was the elk in front of me. It was my seventeenth birthday and like every year Melkan dragged me in the early morning hours for a good hunting lesson. Only this time I knew that I could handle myself perfectly. _

"_That elk won't stay in that spot for long, little swan." _

"_Neither will my arm but I need a good shot." _

_Melkan knew that my crossbow was my expertise that my aim was just as good as his or anyone's for that matter. But I wasn't trying to rely simply on my own knowledge of my skills, I was relying on the fact that for one day, every year that I wasn't a vampire hunter, a lethal assassin or an orphan. I was just myself on this day, when I was away from the Sanctuary I was free to be whoever I wanted. _

_The elk had turned his head toward the pond. I had a perfect view of his chest, the perfect spot to strike. I watched as it turned his head to me. His brown eyes staring at mine with suspicion and curiosity. I could feel my hand beginning to shake and a great amount of guilt wash over me. I lowered my bow and watched as the elk quietly walked away. _

"_You let him go, little swan."_

"_I couldn't kill him, it didn't seem right." _

_Melkan turned his head to me with a raised eyebrow he stroked his braided beard. I knew that look in his eyes, he was surprised. It almost seemed that I was the only one to show emotion to recently. I knew I had lost my opportunity to boast about a good hunt but killing that elk didn't feel right to me._

"_Are you sympathizing for this animal?" _

"_He is an innocent creature,"_

"_Aren't we all innocent creatures?" _

_I leaned back and began to play with the grass next to me. Something told me I was going to get a long life lesson from Melkan today. I wondered what he would have said if I did manage to shoot that animal. I could only hope that it wasn't a lecture. He leaned forward and stroked my face gently. _

"_Your sympathy amuses me,"_

"_Are you mocking me?" _

"_Of course not, my little swan. It's like a breath of fresh air for me; it makes me happy that I haven't raised a cold blooded assassin." _

_I turned my head to see him grinning ear to ear while I gave him a gentle shove. My sympathy toward that animal was just one of the many life lessons that I taught myself. Melkan didn't even have to say anything to me for me to understand the choices I made. Whether they were good or bad choices, I had always looked for the good in both. _

_Maybe that was my blessing or maybe it was my curse, I could never tell. _

_~~~/~~~_

They all stood in the center of the Sanctuary; Emma could feel her heart racing and her stomach fluttering with uneasiness. She was debating whether to find someone to get Melkan or just yell for him herself. She didn't want to leave either of the two people next to her. She could see Elsa fidgeting next to her, was she feeling the same nervousness she was? She pondered for a moment.

"What a lovely place to get impaled," Killian muttered touching a stray steel bolt puncturing the straw dummies lined on the walls.

Emma chose to ignore his remark and took her step forward through the dead silent Sanctuary. It was past midnight when they had finally gotten into the place and everyone was either on their missions or resting. She knew only four people that would be up at this intolerable hour and she was decided on which person to go to.

Her feet made the choice before her mind could, however. Emma found herself going straight for the only person that would be rational in this situation. She knew that going straight for Melkan would have been the right choice but she needed someone to watch over Killian and Elsa before she stepped foot into his study. The door opened before she could even knock.

Emma faced an Orc woman with dark green eyes and piercing red irises. Her small frame was decorated in Orcish steel armor with the Sanctuary's insignia branded on the chest. She had two canine teeth sticking out over her mouth and hung by her chin. Emma gave her a small smile before the woman pulled her to her chest.

"Rebella,"

Emma breathed a sigh of relief. She pulled away from Rebella giving her a warming smile and turned toward Elsa and Killian. She watched as the Orc woman breathed in an air and made a disgusted look before her eyes set back onto Emma.

"Melkan wouldn't even let you have a pet dog!"

Elsa snickered and Killian jabbed Elsa in the side.

"It would seem she has one now and is stuck with it." Elsa chimed in causing a groan come from Killian. Emma watched Rebella's eyes hover from Killian to her eyes shot up in shock.

"He's imprinted on you?"

"It would seem so, do you know of any way I could remove this?"

Emma could see the disbelief on Rebella's face. She knew that it was animal instinct of him to imprint. She also knew that this wasn't something that could be removed and judging by Rebella's sympathizing eyes there wasn't any way to get rid of the imprint.

"I wish that it could be that easy but I'd suggest you talk to Melkan and bring him Elsa before you go searching for an answer to a small problem."

"That's what I've been telling her." Killian said exasperatedly.

Emma looked at Elsa who investigated the thick concrete walls that were decorated with all sorts of weapons and tapestries. She could feel her blood running cold at the thought of going to Melkan with a vampire. She was going to get a lashing and it wasn't going to a pleasant one.

"Go now. I shall take your – _acquaintance_ somewhere where he won't be used as a crossbow target."

Emma eyes shot to Killian whom looked less inclined to leaving Emma by herself with Elsa. But for once she wouldn't have him right next to her. It felt relieving that she could progress further without Killian being right behind her all the time. The four of them parted ways as Emma led their way towards the study.

"You should really talk to him," Elsa mumbled next to her while they climbed the stairs to Melkan's office.

"Would you speak with someone if they've imprinted on you?"

"Vampires and werewolves don't mix, if you hadn't already noticed."

"I'm speaking theoretically."

"Well, I have a question for you then. If you had an arrow in your leg, would you ignore it?"

"Of course not, the pain would be unbearable and you can't ignore that."

They stopped at Melkan's door when Elsa gave her a knowing look. Emma bit back a curse word. She had proved her point. It would seem that avoiding the imprint was just as useless as ignoring an injury. Emma shook her head and opened the door to Melkan's study.

The smell of pine and lavender filled her lungs and she could already feel the nostalgia beginning to go through her. Her eyes set on a figure whose back was turned away from her but instead faced out the window. She came forward and cleared her throat, preparing for the worst to come.

"My little swan, it's been quite a while."

Melkan's voice filled the stilled room after a long moment of silence. Emma could feel her fingers itching to embrace Melkan. She had missed him terribly in her long months and to see him now was just as painful as not seeing him at all.

"And it would seem you have brought a friend along."

Emma watched Melkan turn around and his eyes land on Elsa that stood next to her.

Before she had the time to blink Melkan shot forward with a dagger going straight towards Elsa. Emma jumped between him hitting his elbow up and knocking the blade to the floor. Melkan stumbled back into his desk his eyes full of bewilderment at Emma's charge of fury. She knew that Melkan wasn't going to even let her take a breath before trying to decapitate her and she wasn't going to have it.

She could see the hurt in his eyes and she desperately tried to ignore it while standing between the two of them.

"Don't hurt her; she is not a threat to us."

"Of all my years being your guardian and your instructor I never thought I'd see you taking sides with _vampire_!"

"She is not like other vampires-"

"They are all the same; they are the ones that killed your own family!"

"We made a deal-"

"THAT SHE CAN EASILY BREAK OUT OF AND KILL YOU-"

"WILL YOU NOT LISTEN TO ME?"

Emma shouted, slamming her hand on the table. The table shook and creaked beneath her palm while her body faced Melkan. Emma paid no attention to the singed hand print on the desk while her eyes focused on Melkan. Elsa's eyes darted from the desk to Emma.

"I knew the consequences of keeping her with me; I knew the consequences of bringing her here and to you. I wouldn't have let her live if I didn't trust her in some sort of way. She is no threat, she has decided to put her trust in us and give us the one thing that can stop these vampires."

Emma watched as Elsa unsheathed Dawnbreaker from its holder and presented it to Melkan. She watched as his eyes change from anger to shock. Emma could feel her hand shaking but it was almost humming with an electric feeling through her entire wrist.

"This…cannot be."

She heard Melkan exclaim touching the hilt of the sword. His face withered and crumpled holding the sword to the moonlight where it shone even brighter. She knew that he hadn't seen such beauty in all his years. She could just feel his hope returning to his body and all arguments of Elsa being inside the Sanctuary flew out the window.

"This is why I brought her, she found this sword centuries ago, Melkan. She's a _first generation_ vampire. She can be major help to us since she knows who's creating more vampires and we have the upper hand on how to defeat them!"

"This is what you've abandoned your mission for? How did you ever find this sword or this woman?"

Emma gave a quick look to Elsa who gave no such help on her end. She wasn't going to include Killian just yet, not when she had to practically scream at Melkan to understand her side.

"I…had some partial help. But that doesn't matter."

"You've done good work, I'll prepare men and we can take your friend to find the creator of these monstrosities."

Emma's head snapped back in surprise. She knew that Melkan wasn't serious about taking all her hard work from underneath her and leaving her inside the Sanctuary while he fought with the sword she worked so hard to get.

"Surely you're mistaken? You cannot expect me to stay behind let alone let you run off with the Dawnbreaker."

"I'm not mistaken, you need to stay here and prepare the Sanctuary."

"I will not stay behind when I nearly risked my life to get that sword!"

"That's exactly why I want you to stay put. I cannot have you almost dying—_again_."

"Melkan, you know nothing about her and what we have to face."

"—and you do?"

"Actually, yes, she has filled me in on everything. That sword is entrusted into her hands. You know once Dawnbreaker has been touched that it claims an owner. You cannot use it or even come in contact with its full power."

"If I may be so bold to interject my opinion into this stressing matter?"

Melkan and Emma both swung their heads toward Elsa who smiled sweetly and stood up.

"I have grown a bond with Emma and I've put my trust within her. I know she'll protect me and keep her word. I do not know you and I'm sure your hunters will be no such help in keeping me safe. This kind of mission requires small amount of people and by the looks of it Emma seems more than capable for the job. She is after all my rescuer. If it was not for her, there would be no Dawnbreaker and there would be no end to the vampire attacks, don't you agree?"

They blinked at her for a few moments, Melkan turned toward Emma. His eyes were pained and his body almost slumped against the desk.

"Can I ever keep you out of death's crosshairs?"

"Only if you chain me,"

He gave a small laugh before handing the sword back over to Elsa. Emma felt his hands on her shoulders but she was too afraid to meet his eyes.

"It would seem your path has been chosen for you, my little swan."

"That's been happening quite frequently recently." Elsa muttered sheathing the sword once again.

Emma ignored the remark and gave a smile toward Melkan.

"You've spent your life protecting me; I think it's my turn that I protect you."

"The pupil surpasses the educator?"

"No, the pupil just learned all that needed to be taught."

Melkan gave her a tender smile before he wrapped his arms around Emma tightly. Emma could feel that she was home in his arms. She could feel a wave of safety wrap around her. She savored the moment as much as she knew because she knew that the journey she was going to embark on was going to be a long one.

~~~/~~~

"So, you trust me?"

Elsa whispered excitedly as they sat in Emma's old bed chambers. She gave a sigh, trying her best to ignore the snow haired woman's enthusiasm toward her. Emma hadn't given it a thought but considering that Emma didn't feel any danger coming from her she felt as if she almost had to trust her by now.

"I said I trust you in _some sort of way_."

"Trust is trust, I haven't had a friend in centuries and considering the last one used me to create an undead cannibal horde of night creatures…you'll be the best one yet!"

Emma raised her eyebrows and then began to unclasp each individual piece of armor on her chest. She was aware of Elsa's presence still in the room. She looked up at her as she removed her chest plate.

"Are you going to be like Killian and try to get a good look at me naked?"

"Depends on if I like what I see." Elsa said paying attention to the small snowflake storm she created in her palm. Emma grasped her pillow and tossed it at Elsa roughly causing the snowflakes to sputter upwards.

Quickly, Emma changed into a pair of thick wool pants and just as she pulled her night shirt over her body she heard someone knock on the door. Rebella stood in the door way holding a bed cot with Killian next to her holding another one. Emma swung the door open further to let the two in.

"Do you expect me to sleep in one of those?"

"You slept in a coffin for two centuries."

"I didn't know I was going to be put into a cement casing for that and if I did I would have wanted something more…comfortable."

"I'm sure many of the people here would make you more comfortable by pinning you to a stake and burning you alive." Killian grumbled as he took up place on the windowsill seat.

"Someone is just angry because they slept on their tail last night."

"More like slept alone." Killian's eyes shot to Emma, which she ignored and focused her attention to Rebella.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked seeing her set up the final cot.

"Not at all, there's some sort of meal waiting for you three downstairs. Melkan says you need to rest then the two of you need to discuss plans for the mission."

Emma nodded watching Rebella disappear behind the doors. Emma could feel the disappointment Rebella had for her. She had brought in a vampire and a werewolf into the Sanctuary. This place was to give people solace and seek refuge from the very two kinds and yet she had brought both in. She turned towards her bed to see Elsa already tucked into the covers.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" Emma hissed.

"I'm going to sleep!"

"Don't you think you've had enough sleep for a lifetime? Don't you need to go sit in front of the moon?"

"The moon's not out for a couple of more days." Elsa and Killian both chimed in.

"Are you not comfortable sharing a bed with a vampire?"

"I'm sure she'd rather share it with me, lass." Killian said taking off his armor. Emma kept her eyes peeled to Elsa not wanting to give Killian the slightest advantage of knowing she was staring at him while he undressed in front of her.

"No! I'll share the bed with you, for tonight only." Emma sighed getting into the bed seeing Elsa's giant smile she couldn't help but hold back her own sheepish grin.

"Will that mean that it's my turn tomorrow night?"

"Goodnight, Killian!" Elsa and Emma both shouted before Emma blew out the candle.

~~~/~~~

I just want to keep thanking everyone for their lovely reviews! It really does keep me motivated to make more chapters and to keep it entertaining and well written as possible!

The next two chapters will be _very _interesting!


	9. Chapter 9

_Entry Nine_

"_I cannot marry you." _

"_Emma, I know that you're scared-"_

"_I am not scared, Neal. I just cannot marry you." _

_It had been like this for an hour. I had at least rejected him three times for it to come to this end for us. I kept telling myself that I needed to end things before it got to this but my dilly-dallying got me here and I was reaping the consequences. _

"_Why won't you marry me? D-do I not make you happy?"_

"_You make me happy, Neal but I don't feel that you're the one for me"_

"_Emma, you're saying that because you're scared of the future-" _

"_You are to be a king and I cannot become a queen." _

_The rejection on his face was enough to break my heart a million times over. No matter how many times I tried to tell myself that he was the person that can change my life and make me happy and that I could finally escape from my nightmares. But as many times as I tried to put Neal into my life it wasn't going to equalize and it wasn't going to be stable. _

_As much as I wanted it to, I knew that he wasn't on my path to finding out who I am. I knew that he wasn't going to be the man that would be next to me when I finally did know who I was. I didn't even anyone that would be with me when that time would come. _

"_Is there anything I can do to change your mind, is there any way-?"_

"_I wish there was, Neal. But I'm afraid this is where you and I end and where our story comes to a close. Please, just move on and find a woman worth cherishing and worthy of being a queen. I am no more suited to become a queen as you are to become a vampire hunter. Our lives are too different." _

"_I am the only one that can make you happy," _

"_No, what makes me happy is saving people. You are not my savior nor will you become my husband. I have to say our goodbye." _

"_Will you ever find happiness?" _

_He shouted at me while I walked out of his library. I stopped in my tracks completely thrown off by that question. Of all his inquiries about finding me out, he asked me the one question that I didn't know the answer to. I couldn't help the smile that broke across my face as I turned and faced him. _

"_I am my own happiness." _

_~~~/~~~_

It was late in the afternoon when Emma and Elsa left Melkan's study. They poured themselves over plans for defeating Gorem and his creatures for hours. Emma and Melkan had come to agreement to let Killian and Elsa stay for a few days for rest and prepared accordingly before they left. She felt bad for lying to Melkan and saying that Killian was a fellow hunter that she had come across to find Elsa.

The thought of lying to him made her sick to her stomach and then the thought of talking to Killian about the imprint made it all worse. Elsa could see Emma's distraught look and sighed at her.

"Emma, you should go get some more rest. Your body needs to properly heal and rejuvenate."

"I have things to settle before I do that."

"Are you going to release Killian off his leash?"

Emma rolled her eyes at her before going toward the doors but before she pushed out the door she turned to look at Elsa.

"Speak with Rebella. She'll help you with strengthen your powers."

Emma opened the door out to the stables and found Killian sitting by her horse staring out into the lake. She took a deep breath before going towards him.

"I think it's time you and I had that talk, Killian." Emma said sternly seeing his ocean blue eyes meet hers. He stood up and nodded letting her go forward toward the lake. It was quiet between them; Emma was unsure what to say without hurting him and her wondering when she finally started caring about his feelings?

She stood at the bank of the lake letting her words sink into her head. What could she possibly say to a man she's only known for a week? How can she reject a man that acted like he knew her better than herself?

"You and I had a deal,"

"Obviously that deal has been broken."

"Why are you still here? Can't I command you to leave me alone?"

Killian gave her a withering glare while his shoulders slumped. He rolled his eyes and leaned on a nearby tree playing with a pine needle between his fingers.

"As much as Elsa likes to think it, I am no dog. With marking it's all about equality. You can't wish me to leave just as much as if I wished you to leave. "

Emma's mind flashing back to her conversation with Killian the night they finally bonded. Had that been the night that he had marked her? How long had he known that she was his mate?

"Why haven't you left on your own volition then?"

Killian raised his eyebrows off the pine branch in his hand and met Emma's emerald eyes. Emma couldn't command him to leave, why didn't he already leave a week ago?

"I care about you. You may not think that the imprint is real but you're still my mate and I have to protect you."

"You can't protect me."

"I'm not only protecting you, I'm also making sure that you don't kill yourself. Those are just small details though."

"No, I'm not letting you come with us. "

Killian let out a laugh while leaning off the tree he made his way toward Emma. Emma stiffened when he came in close, closer than any other man had dared before. Goose bumps ran along her skin when he picked up a piece of her hair and gently played with it.

"Are you not letting me come because of the need to only have two people or the fact that you're afraid I could get hurt?" He murmured close to her ear.

She shoved him away from her unsheathing her blade to point it at him.

"I do not care for you nor do I want anything to do with you. You don't understand that I'm not your mate."

Killian craned his neck around the sword's tips, grasping her wrist roughly. He turned it over palms up and showed her a small tan marking that had taken place on her wrist. Emma's eyes widened in shock, a small crescent moon had carved itself into her wrist. How had she not noticed that?

"No, _you _don't understand. We're bound to each other; you can't tear this apart as much as you want to escape. You need to face the fact that you've met someone that won't pick up and leave you—or _die_."

Emma's eyebrow twitched, anger coursed through her like a thick whiskey. She came closer bringing the point to her sword to Killian's neck. Her teeth ground together while she tried so desperately to inflict pain on him. The more she tried on concentrating to run the blade through him the more she struggled. Her eyes kept checking at the small marking on her wrist. She lowered her sword and turned away from him again to stare into the lake.

"I'm not going to stand in your way, lass."

Emma turned her head towards Killian's voice, she heard him coming up behind her again this time. Her arm was almost too weak to lift while his mouth came close to her ear once more. She wanted to run away from this conversation, from this moment in time—from _Killian_.

"If you do not want me, I shall stand back and let you find who you think is suited to be your soul mate. But I won't stop trying. When I win your heart, Emma—and I will win it. It won't because of any trickery. It will be because you want me."

With that she felt the warmth of his body depart from her as the cold returned to its place instead. She heard Killian walk off. She needed to escape; she needed somewhere where she could finally escape from Killian for a small amount of time.

She heard doors burst open and her head turned to some of her comrades laughing and wandering out of the back of the Sanctuary. They sang loudly and held flasks in their hands, stumbling upon Emma they all let out a cheer as they grasped her into the middle of their small group.

"Come, we shall make merry at the pub and drink to Emma!"

The thought of getting rum into her system and forgetting her pressing matters for a couple of hours seemed too good to resist. She took a flask from a friend's hand and took a long swig causing them to let out another cheer as they lead her toward the town line.

~~~/~~~

I'm so sorry it's short!

I had to make this a Captain Swan centric fic for all of you. School just started back up for me and it's been a little hectic! I'll try to keep posting chapters two a week so you won't get irritated with a chapter a week.

I hope you're all having a wonderful day!

Please leave a review at the bottom if you want!


	10. Chapter 10

_Entry Ten_

_I had been hiding outside of a vampire's cove for an hour now while the rain hailed down on me. I had been in the same position for an hour my body was just beginning to go numb. I could hear the newest recruit, Romir fidgeting next to me. He had come to the guild over three weeks ago from an Elven kingdom where he served as a knight. He was an attractive elf with his hair braided down his neck tightly and his almond colored brown eyes and olive skin with his pointed ears facing upward. _

_Melkan had thrown us together on his first day. I had managed to impress him well enough with my bow and dazzled him at my swordplay that he took an unnerving interest in me. He followed me around like a love sick puppy for most of the month until he was deemed fit to actual partake into some hunts. Point blame to Melkan for putting us together. _

_We sat outside for longer than entirely possible and I was almost sure that the vampire wouldn't come out of that cove to feast. It had been constant downpour for three hours and it didn't show any sort of signs of lighting up any time soon. Romir found a comfortable spot and kept his crossbow aimed toward the cove. _

"_May I ask you a question?" He asked cautiously. _

"_Depends on what the question is." I said blankly seeing a movement inside the cave. I gently cocked my bolt back and could see the paralyzing enchantment faintly glow green against the dark woods around us. _

"_Have you tried the pub that's just around the corner from the Sanctuary? I think you'd like it, a lot of the companions go there after missions and I was hoping-"_

"_Now," I hissed seeing a head poke out from the darkness. Romir sighed and turned back to his crossbow letting the bolt soar and hit the vampire straight in the face. My jaw dropped at his remarkable accuracy, I could hear her scream just before she combusted into flames. _

"_I was a marksman back at the kingdom. Now, would you possibly come with me to this pub sometime? I have yet to try regular mead." _

_I was still staring at the body in the distance. I felt as if I had been lied to this entire time, Romir had shown no signs of knowing how to use a crossbow properly and I expected him to fail completely on his first hunt just like I did. I whipped my head back to his, feeling shock still written all over my face. _

"_What do you say? Will you give me a chance?" _

_I was deciding whether I was insulted or flattered that Romir had faked his stupidity just to be close with me. I decided to mark it down as annoying since he wasted so much of my time. Nonetheless, I was impressed that he had summed up enough courage to ask me to go out to the pub with him. Most wouldn't even ask without knowing if I'd willingly go. I was torn between two choices, so instead, I stood up and walked back to the sanctuary. _

_~~~/~~~_

Emma stumbled back into the Sanctuary well as the sun just began to fade behind her. Emma made her way toward the cistern to find Elsa standing in the center with an annoyed expression on her face. Emma's mind was fuzzy and her vision was blurry as she came up to her. Elsa raised an eyebrow at her drunken stupor while Emma pushed past her and went up the stairs.

"Where the icy hell have you been for most of the afternoon?"

"Rum…isn't it a lovely thing?"

"_What_?"

Emma hiccupped while she made her way upstairs. She was fully aware at Elsa's concern but decided to take it upon herself not to care. Emma held onto the railing while she made her way toward her room. She lost her footing only twice by the time she had thrust open her door to her bedchambers. She saw Killian raise his head from the window sill with his book in hand.

"Well, if it isn't mister…fancy…pants." Emma slurred pointing a finger at him while she held onto a poster of her bed. Killian raised an eyebrow to Emma and shot a look to Elsa.

"What have you done now?"

"I haven't done anything; I assumed this was your doing, _fancy pants_."

"His pants _are_ rather fancy." Emma garbled.

"I'm not following."

"Sit, stay, follow should be an easy trick for you. She wasn't…_drunk_ before she went to talk to you!"

"I'm not drunk! You're all just blurry!" Emma let another hiccup. She felt her armor beginning to wear down her aching body. Sighing, she began to strip herself of the armor. Killian raised his eyebrows in shock while a smirk rose over his face. Elsa turned her attention back to Emma with widening eyes she let out a curse.

"Oh, for Forcine's sake!" Elsa hissed flicking her wrist up to create a barrier between Killian and Emma.

"WHY MUST YOU KEEP DOING THAT?" Killian yelled throwing his book at the ice wall.

Emma had finally stripped down into her long woven tunic and slid onto her bed. She hiccupped while pulling the blanket over her legs. Her hair spilled over her pillows while she faced Elsa that lifted the icy barrier, revealing a very angry Killian.

"I'm sorry that you get sad when you don't get to see Emma naked, as much as you would like."

"Why is that you're always the one that's around when she strips?"

"I'm sorry, who stripped of her clothes last time? I'm sure it wasn't me."

"Can you two hush up already? I'm trying very hard to sleep and your conversation is making my mind hurt."

"This isn't over,"

"I don't think it _ever_ will be."

Emma could feel her head throbbing while she finally began to drift away into unconsciousness where her stress could easily be avoided.

~~~/~~~

"_Don't deny me, Emma." _

_Emma moaned feeling her body betraying herself as she leaned into Killian's touch. His hands raked over her chest grabbing her breasts while his teeth sunk into her neck. Emma was wild with desire feeling every inch of him, begging for him to take her. _

"_Killian, please don't tease me…" Emma purred feeling his hand sink underneath her skirt. His fingers slipped between her legs where she ached for him most. A whimper escaped Emma's mouth while she held onto the bedpost to hold her composure. _

"_Tell me you want me, love…" Killian growled sinking his fingers into her. Emma's body jerked at the contact. His thumb stroked the bundle of nerves and Emma could have sworn that she was going to lose her mind with every lick and bite he placed on her neck, marking her as his. _

"_I won't move my fingers until you tell me." Killian said harsher this time, his voice dark while he throbbed behind her. Emma rotated her hips against his fingers, desperately trying to rid of herself of the throbbing between her legs. She couldn't submit to him, she knew she couldn't. _

"_I-I can't tell you that Killian." She cried out when his thumb brushed her once again. Emma's grip on the bedpost tightened. She could feel warmth spreading across her palms but her mind was racing with thoughts of him trying to take her._

"_Gods, yes you can. Just tell me you want me and I'll fuck you right here." _

_He said more hoarsely this time. Emma could tell in his voice that he was straining to take her, to make her his. She gave a yelp when his fingers began to move within her. She bent forward over the footboard, not paying attention to the sizzling hand marks on the bed post. Killian trailed wet kisses down each vertebra down her back while she arched her back against his touch. _

"_I can be yours, Emma, I can give you everything you want." _

_Emma's climax was fast approaching as she leaned back up against his chest, his fingers were thrusting faster. She fucked herself against his fingers, her hand overlapping and speeding up his thrusts. Her breathing was hoarse and her mind was blank, all she could think about was how close she was to reaching her climax. _

"_Gods," Killian groaned loudly as their bodies moved together pushing Emma closer to her breaking point. She felt him bite roughly into her shoulder while his free hand clawed at her side. Emma's body seized tightly as she let out a loud moan while her climax crashed over her. _

"_Killian!" _

_~~~/~~~_

Emma's eyes fluttered open as her eyes cleared staring into a pair of alarming blue ones. Elsa hovered inches from her face with a raised eyebrow. Muttering a cuss word, Emma gently pushed herself away from her.

"How long have you been having Killian in your dreams?"

"_What?" _

"I couldn't help but pry—well, actually that's wrong. I was listening to you while you slept. You kept murmuring his name."

"Did-did Killian…?"

"I let the dog out before you got any louder. What _were_ you dreaming about anyways?"

"I—I dreamed about _things_."

Elsa stared at her for a moment before rolling her eyes and sliding off Emma's bed. Emma leaned up and watched as Elsa began to create small snowflakes on her fingertips. She was still surprised that a vampire had such a unique ability with ice. She'd never seen anyone with such mastery and grace into every spell she created.

"How-how do you do that?"

Elsa turned to look at the small flake dancing and twirling around her fingertips.

"Make a snowflake? It's an easy beginner's trick."

"I mean, create magic? How did you come across being an arcane master of ice?"

Elsa looked at the snow flake in her palm and pursed her lips for a moment. She turned her head back to Emma and sat at the edge of the bed.

"When we were banished and cursed, people fled to all sorts of places because we believed we were hideous creatures unworthy of love. Most of us turned to solitude so no one could get hurt or see what kind of monsters we had become."

Emma could see sadness darken her face as she told her story. Small snowflakes appeared above her gently swirling around with each twist.

"I was ashamed of myself too and left most of the others behind. I traveled alone for most of my years. I put myself into books and solitude so I couldn't hurt anyone with my new immortality and I was unsure what I could do with myself at that point. I had read books of magic, trying to find something that fit with me. I couldn't become a Necromancer because you can't bring something back from the dead when you're already considered dead."

"You're considered dead?" Emma asked being a little alarmed at the speed the snowflakes had gathered around her. Elsa looked up and waved a hand while the snowflakes disappeared around her. She gave a small smile and nodded.

"Forcine cursed us to live a fate worse than death, immortality. He knew that us living for centuries would eventually drive us mad while we saw everyone we loved grow old and die while we stayed the same. But as to what I was saying. I tried to do fire and that blew up in my face—literally. I tried dark magic at one point and was very unimpressed since it was either consuming power or become all powerful. I had two other options: ice and nature. Ice suited me better since I could easily manipulate things with my hands and it took a couple of centuries but I had actually harnessed the energy to become a master. I was more powerful with my magic that it became part of me. I wasn't just a person that needed potions to physically create magic anymore. I was someone that depended on my own mind and my own skills to create the ice, it comes naturally now."

Emma opened her mouth to ask her another question but the door opened to cut her off. Elsa twisted her head around to see Killian poking his head in.

"Emma there is a very angry Gaelic man looking for you."

Emma smiled and turned to Elsa, "Do you want to see a grown man cry?"

"Not unless it's Killian."

~~~/~~~

"Gods above…this craftsmanship is unlike anything I have ever seen."

Emma watched as her blacksmith, Thrynn, gazed at Elsa's intricate armor. Emma sat back feeling Killian's eyes on her the entire time. She turned to make eye contact with him as he brought a mug of ale to his lips. His gaze was dark and hooded that nearly made a chill run down Emma's spine. She turned her head back toward Elsa.

"This craftsmanship was made by a man that could have easily been your ancestor." Elsa smiled at Thrynn. Emma tried to bite back her laugh seeing her pearly white teeth nearly glimmering against the fire nearby. _Thrynn seemed to be uncaring of her being a vampire_, Emma thought.

"Thrynn, I'd say this is the most attention you've ever given a woman before."

Emma laughed seeing him jerk his head toward her his braided beard flipping around as well. "I would never think I'd see such beautiful armor on such a beautiful woman."

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you're tip-toeing along the lines of flirting with a vampire."

"I see no vampire but a woman with an impeccable taste of good armor."

"And I see a man with an impeccable taste in women," Elsa teased giving Emma a wink.

Thrynn threw his head back and gave a laugh, Emma watched the two chat happily about each other's armors. She never would that she'd be able to see a vampire hunter making advances a _vampire_. But then again, she was a vampire hunter that was marked with a werewolf. Emma tried to think of how she and Elsa had become unlikely friends.

That's when she realized that it seemed that Elsa was someone she could sympathize with. They had shared things in common, being the odd one out and to feel alone for most of their lives. She laughed again as Elsa touched Thrynn's impressive beard and he leaned out to nibble on her fingers.

Emma sighed rubbing her temples. She had a large migraine from drinking with her companions from last night and yet she wasn't regretting it. She turned her head out toward the field where they all trained together in their younger years. Her heart began to throb painfully, she briefly wondered when would she would see all these people again after this mission or if she ever will see them again.

She knew that she was supposed to be scared, that she was supposed to fear her objective but seeing Elsa in front of her made her nerves calm. She knew that she put trust in her and when push came to shove, Elsa would have her back. She turned to Killian and saw him laughing around with some of her companions, as much as she didn't want to admit it. She had Killian's trust and with the two of them she knew she could return from this mission successfully.


End file.
