“So what brings you to my happy little household at this late hour Miss.Lorna?” Skull said reclining back in his chair.

 “I need to seek asylum with your gang.” I said seriously.

“I take it the young man stood outside this office dressed as a policeman is also seeking refuge too?” Skull replied.

I nodded.

“Well, well, well,” Skull clucked, “This isn’t exactly the five star hotel service you are used to but we have a spare room in the cellar below we keep for such occasions.”

“Thank you, I-”

“This isn’t a free service Lorna. I am not a philanthropist, I will be expecting payment.”

“Keira could get money if you wanted-”

“No, no, no, money is not our currency down here. I would like you to repay me in kindness.” Skull said standing up from behind his desk and moving around it. He had that glint in his eye like the time before and carefully moved backwards.

“Take off that pretty little top and show me what’s underneath.” Skull smiled.

The door opened and Michael blurred past throwing himself in front of me staring menancingly at Skull. Gently I rested my hands on Michael’s shoulders and said softly, “Michael calm down.”

Michael ignored me. Punk vampires began to fill the office holding various bats and blunt implements. Skull made an irritating hissing noise,

“For the love of Pete I wanted this to be a little tete not a bloody gang bang. All of you fuck off out of here!” Skull yelled at his cronies.

The punk vampires filtered out the room reluctantly leaving Michael and myself alone with Skull. Skull lit a cigarette and said, “I wasn’t planning a menge a trois either.”

Michael grabbed my hand, “We’re leaving.” He said flatly.

Skull waved his hand, “Come on son, I was only trying my luck on with your lovely lady. Don’t take it personally. You can have the bleeding cellar room for free but I’ll warn you it’s a dump. There’s a mattress down there with battery lamp, but nothing fancy. You’re free to have it.”

“Thanks. We’ll take what we can get.” I said.

Skull snapped his fingers and a punk with a safety pin hanging out of his nose walked in.

“Frankie show our guests our spare suite in the cellar, my good man.” Skull said cheerfully.

We followed Frankie down a small flight of stairs into damp ridden musty corridor. We were lead to the last room on the right and left alone. Michael went in first and I followed. The room stank, it was wet, dirty, and covered in filth. To the corner of the room was a stained mattress and flickering erratically in the other corner was a glorified torch.

“You shouldn’t have lost your cool with Skull. He’s doing us a big favour.” I said closing the door behind us.

“He tried to touch you inappropriately.” Michael said flatly.

“Yeah, he did that last time.” I said shrugging off Skull sexual harassment as if was nothing.

Michael grabbed my arm, “I don’t like it here.” He said starkly.

Looking around the damp black cellar I snapped, “Michael what is there to like! I don’t like it either but,” I took a deep breath in and continued, “But I don’t care… I don’t care because I am here with you.”

Michael’s grip slackened and his hand brushed down over my arm to my waist. My hands rested against his chest and I could feel his heart beat fluttering underneath my fingertips. He stared down into my eyes and said in a strained voice, “I almost lost you back there.”

“Don’t talk.” I said huskily leaning up and kissing him.

Michael heaved a sighed and wrapped his arms around me protectively. I wanted him so bad. My fingers began to unbutton his shirt and he was tugging at my top. My body was aching for his but something made me pull away. Stepping back while wiping my mouth I said, “Woah, wait.”

Michael ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, “What? Why?” He asked breathlessly catching my waist and pulling me back against him. He nuzzled my neck impatiently scraping his teeth over my pulse. I gasped unable to stop the electrical bursts of pleasure running through me. Firmly I pulled away.

“Look Michael, I want to do it as much you do baby but look around.” I said.

The room was damp, the floor was covered in wet mouldly posters and magazines while the double mattress in the corner smelt like something had died on it. Michael cursed under his breath and began rapidly doing up his shirt.

“Stay there, don’t move. I’ll go and buy or steal an airbed or something.” He said.

“I’ll try and clean up a little.” I replied.

“God if I don’t have before the sun goes down, I am going to be so pissed.” Michael said with stark honesty roughly kissing me.

I couldn’t help but smile. He run out the room on his mission while I began tidying up. Our room was opposite a storage room which was good because there was an old broom and couple bin bags for the trash. I swept up the place, replace the batteries in the torch, found a home for the stinking mattress and surprising found a can of lavender air freshner. The room still looked grotty but at least it looked habitable now. Michael soon returned with an inflatable camping bed and some blankets and pillows. I knew he had no money so thought it wise not to ask how he had acquired them.

“It’s going to take me ten minutes to inflate this thing.” Michael said connecting the foot pump to the air bed.

I leaned against the wall as Michael began to inflate the bed.

“Michael I want you to tell me everything you know about the Cumbria incident, the archangels and the v-type monsters.” I said.

“Okay. The archangels were uncovered during the Cumbria incident. A pharmaceutical company had got hold of some vampire DNA and were experimenting on it. The idea was to find a cure for terminal illnesses like cancer and leukaemia by manipulating vampire DNA and reproducing the chemicals that accelerate healing in vampires. The project started out with good intentions but was hijacked when the company felt more profit could be made in bio weapon research. So good scientists began to experiment with the DNA and they started to make vampire hybrids. The early hybrids were called ‘ferals’, they had no control over their vampire selves to the point that when they lost control you could see it in their physical appearance. Their limbs contorted, they would become immensely strong, and they would become merciless killers without any conscience. These are the monsters that you have seen. They switch between human and vampire with no memory of the transition. Most walk about the city and streets without any idea of where they have been or what they have done. Occassionally we capture one and class it and then destroy it.”

“So what are you?”

“The final product of the research. We are the vampires hybrids that do not change or lose ourselves to the monster that lives inside of us. We are a team of perfect soldiers that work together in unison to do whatever needs to be done… or at least that was the plan.”

“So what is Micah?”

“A feral.”

“But he seemed to know who he was.”

“Micah is the exception to the rule. It’s why they want him so bad. Your cousin Emma found out something about him and for that she was murdered. The government want to use you to get to Micah. Our only hope now is finding Micah and handing him over before they find you. ”

“What about the slayers? Will they come after us?”

“They follow government orders and the government wants Micah, although I’m surprised they put Raphael on our case.”

“Why?”

“Raphael works solo. He rarely works with us. I don’t really know that much about him other than if the government wants someone dead then Raphael makes it happen.”

“He told me he was assassin. He also said that you would not be able to beat him because you specialised in strategy, what did he mean by this?”

“All of us have a unique set of specialist skills. Mine is strategy so tonight I knew I could not beat Raphael so I developed a plan to rescue you from him.”

“Will he hunt us down?”

“Yes. That is why we need to start searching for Micah.”

I closed my eyes and wished I was back in the hotel in my nice clean room.

“So if we get Micah we can go home?” I asked.

“Does that bother you?”

“What do you mean?”

Michael stopped pumping at looked directly at me. “Do you still love him?”

I paused for a moment and shook my head, “No, when I realised he was not human all my feelings for him left.”

Michael smiled and finished inflating the bed. Throwing the blanket across the mattress, I lay down. Michael followed me, he slid next to me and propped himself up on one elbow.

“Last time we were in bed you handcuffed me to the headboard.” Michael said tracing my lips with his finger.

“That was very naughty of me.” I replied catching his hand and kissing his fingertips.

 “How are you going to make it up to me?” Michael asked.

“Let me show you.” I whispered.