“Look, here’s the deal. You’re little girlfriend is in a whole load of shit and if you don’t get this limo to do a u-turn right now then the government will consider you her accomplice as well. Come on Michael, be smart, terrorist is label you don’t want to be dirtied with.”

“Raphael, brother, you are right I should return Lorna to the holding facility. I should follow my orders and I should avoid making circumstances for both myself and Lorna, but, the beast inside me will not allow me to return Lorna to you. It will not listen to logic or orders or be brainwashed into believing something different. Lorna will not leave my side, the vampire in me will never let you take her.”

Michael’s hand grasped mine and he pressed a light kiss against my forehead. Raphael rolled his eyes and banged on the glass, “Stop the car. Michael wants a fight.”

The limo swung into a layby. I grabbed Michael’s arm, “Please, don’t do this, don’t get hurt. I don’t mind waiting a few days for the government to interrogate me.”

Michael shook his head, “Once the government knew that Micah was after you, there was no chance of them letting you go.” Michael said softly.

“Michael, please!” I said watching him leave the limo.

Raphael smiled patting me on the shoulder as he got out the car. “Don’t worry honey, I not going to kill him, severely maim maybe but not kill,” Raphael then yelled at the driver, “Lock the door Phil, I don’t want my little bird escaping.”

The door slammed and locked after Raphael exited. The windows were tinted and I could not see through the glass. I tried pulling at the door and banging on the driver’s window but my pleas to be let out were ignored. My heart was thundering in my chest. What was happening outside? The noise of the traffic made impossible to hear. Horrible images of battered Michael drifted through my mind. We had just got together after all this time and misunderstanding, we couldn’t be separated again. Tears burned in my eyes and I sat back down on the seat, “Please god, please let Michael win.” I whispered.

 The doors unlocked and the passenger door opened. I held my breath waiting to see who entered the car. Raphael causally entered the car covered in blood. Tapping the driver’s window he ordered the limo to be driven back to the facility. Numbly I sat on the leather seat unable to force air back into my lungs. Had Raphael killed Michael?

Raphael turned to look back at me and smiled pleasantly. He then pulled a white handkerchief out of his pocket and started wiping the blood off his hands. Sliding next to me he leaned back and groaned,

“Well that was pointless.”

I flew at him, kicking and clawing in an uncontrollable fit of rage. Raphael was fast and he was a soldier, combat was his trade. He easily caught my wrists and threw me back against the car seat.

“Sit down and shut up!” He shouted irritably.

“You killed him! You bastard-” My air way blocked off by Raphael’s steel grip.

“Listen carefully because I am only going to say this once. Vampires do not have to breathe, it’s damn uncomfortable even distressing especially to a baby vampire like yourself, but it is not necessary. Now if you are going to scream you lungs out at me for doing my job then I am going to take my belt off, wrap it round your throat and choke you until you cannot talk and leave you like that until I hand you over back to the facility. Do you understand?”

I nodded feebly. Raphael removed his hand and I gasped for breathe.

“You know this is your boyfriend’s own stupid fault,” Raphael said. “He should have complied with orders; he knew he was no match for me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” I snapped.

“Michael’s speciality is strategy, he averages on combat. While me, I’m picked for the top jobs, political assassinations and abducting little girls.” He said with biting sarcasm.

I buried my face in my hands and wept. If Michael was dead my world was over. I didn’t want to live. Raphael placed a consoling hand on my shoulder, “I’m going to miss the guy as well.”

The driver suddenly swore and the breaks of the limo screamed as we braked suddenly. Both Raphael and I were flung forward as the limo swerved. The sound of crunching metal and breaking glass followed. Raphael threw himself over me protecting my body as the limo began to roll. I could hear other cars breaking and angry loud hammering sound of metal hitting metal. The limo stopped rolling and Raphael grabbed my arm crawling out of a broken window. I crawled along the tarmac and looked up to see a twenty car pileup behind a jack knifed truck. Hope glimmered inside my heart, had Michael had done this?

Raphael, looked nervously around. There was chaos everywhere. People were staggering around dazed and confused, there were sirens blaring in the distance, so much noise and chaos and…blood. No one was dead but there were many injured. My fangs reacted and to my astonishment so did Raphael’s. He covered his mouth and tried to drag me away from the chaos but the police had just arrived. “What are we going to do?” I asked calmly.

“Fuck! Cover your mouth.” Raphael ordered.

The smell of blood was growing stronger and I could see Raphael struggling. An injured woman walked past her leg covered with blood, Raphael turned away sharply. I was vampire while Raphael was a vampire hybrid. They found it difficult to control their blood lust whereas I didn’t.

“You haven’t eaten today.” I remarked calmly.

“I eat very little and I haven’t eaten in a few days.” He said.

“Unwise mistake, you wouldn’t want another repeat of the Cumbria accident.”

Raphael eyes snapped onto me obviously perturbed by my comment. He studied me suspiciously but did not reply. Instead he tried to march me away from the scene but a police officier stopped us,

“Are you injured?” He asked us.

Raphael shook his head not wanting to reveal his fangs.

“Come with me, I need a statement from both of you, which car were you in?”

Before Raphael could answer, I jumped in, “The truck sir, this man is my ex-boyfriend, he kidnapped me and he’s been drinking.” I said hysterically.

Raphael froze. He grabbed my arm and whispered harshly, “Do not make me start killing innocent people.”

I smiled, it was an empty threat. He wouldn’t want to draw attention to himself or to the existence of vampires by going and killing everyone who stood in his way. The government would probably put him down like they had tried to put Michael down the moment he absconded. In fact any vampire that was seen as a loose cannon ball was killed, that was how I nearly died the first day I came into the world as a vampire.

“Alright mate, step away from the girl.” The policeman said.

“My sister has had quite a bang to the head.” Raphael laughed.

“Get down on the floor, you’re under arrest.” The policeman snapped.

Raphael sucked in a sharp breath and got down on his hands and knees. The police man handcuffed him and then handcuffed me to. “Sorry we have to do this to both of you.” He said. Raphael allowed the policeman to walk him into the police car, while another policeman walked me to a separate police car. Rapheal watched me carefully his eyes full of venomous hatred from his police car. A policeman got into my car and said, “Act normal.”

I smiled, it was Michael’s voice. I looked and glanced at the reflection of his eyes in the rearview mirror. Warmth spread through me. Michael had somehow managed to swipe a police officer’s uniform and enter the car. He started the engine.

“Are you hurt?” Michael asked.

“No.” I said.

Michael drove the car slowly out of the crime scene and quickly pulled off the dual carriage way.

“We need to ditch the car.” Michael said.

“Are we going back to the hotel?” I asked.

“No, we have to go underground. They’ll be waiting back at the hotel.”

“So where are we going?”

“Keira said you have friends in Camden that will help you. Some guy called Skull.” He said.