"You two look cute together," a foreign voice said,  and Silvia snapped her gaze up to a man who stood not a few yards from  them.

Long golden hair tied at the back of his  neck, and he was dressed in white formal wear that looked more mage than  vampire with its airy sleeves, pants, and a tie at his waist holding it  all together. The man was no mage with the dark energy rolling off of  him, and while he looked them over with a stunning pair of blue eyes, he  didn't move closer.

It took her a moment to  look down to Neil where he seemed to be having some sort of malfunction  of assessment. By the way his hands gripped her sides protectively, he  didn't know this man, but at the same time, his lips weren't pulled back  in aggression. It was more like he was trying to figure out if he was  hallucinating or something.

"I don't know you,  but I know you," Neil said carefully, and the man ahead waited patiently  with a small smile. "You're a councilman, the one who didn't seem all  that opposed to my actions." Neil mumbled the words as if there were  more to it, but that kept her glued to his side. This was one of the  upper hierarchy of vampire society, the ones above even the house heads. 

What the hell did he want?

"I  wouldn't say I was opposed or unopposed, merely curious," the man  replied with his smile frozen on his lips. It was suspicious, and she  swallowed hard as she looked around for anyone. The hallways were too empty, and she doubted that was coincidence. This man had showed up when Neil was alone for a reason.

"Curious is more than most in the council, I'm told." Neil said carefully.

"Yes." Would it kill this man to say more than that?

"You feel like Ares," Neil finally said and that lifted the man's smile.

"Yes."

  "Why?" Neil asked, seeming like he was completely baffled by this man's  existence. It kept Silvia from having a conniption, but also had her  concerned with how Neil was almost a submissive zombie to some stranger. 

"I am Ares' sire," the man said calmly. "I  suppose Vincent's as well. At some point in time the man was ambitious  but morally there. Power corrupted him, and I was unsure what power  would do to you, Neil Arc. That is why I wanted to see where your ambition would lead. I was not enthused by Vincent's fall off the beaten path."

"Ares," Neil whined abruptly, and Silvia could hear his fear as he called his general in a hush of a whisper.

The  Arc general was by Neil's side in an instant with a protective growl  that tapered off as he lifted his eyes to the man before them. Ares took  no time in putting Neil and her behind him and taking a defensive  stance of his master.

"Nicholas, what do you want here?" Ares asked with more oomph to his voice than Neil could manage.

Silvia was mortified as Neil shook  against her. Something this man had said had terrified Neil, and Silvia  was still trying to sort it out. This man was Ares sire, so the Arc who  had ruled the territory before Vincent? Why was he here if he was a  councilman now? They shed house names when they joined the council.  There had to be some agenda and it was no doubt personally motivated.  The council didn't do house calls.

"I was curious," Nicolas said with that same frozen smile on his face, but Ares didn't return it.

"About?" Ares prodded with little patience, and Nicholas frowned.

"You seem angry with me, Ares. Do you no longer love me?" That was a manipulative question if she'd ever heard one.

"Nicholas, my love for you as a sire only goes so far when you threaten my master. You left  and assigned me the task of rearing your house, which is something I  will not drop if you ask it of me. I am loyal to Neil, regardless of  what you are plotting."

"I did not threaten your master," Nicholas said, careful with his words, and Ares gripped his glaive with visible frustration.

"You  threaten him by being here. Neil is young but a good leader, and he  doesn't know what he's to expect from the man who preceded him just  showing up at a party meant to honor our fallen and push us forward.  Going backward will help no one."

"Such  animosity. You really love him don't you?" Nicholas tucked his hands  into a pouch in the front of his shirt, but didn't seem at all upset by  Ares treatment.

"I do, Nick. What are you here for?" Ares calmed a bit, losing steam, and the man ahead of them remained still. 

"I'm old and from a time when the line between mages and vampires was firmer. All I wanted was to see how real  this alliance was between them. I promise I wasn't here to frighten nor  intimidate your master, just observe. The Arcs are no longer mine. I  understand that." 

"If you've seen what you want, then leave," Ares continued on his line of pushing him out, and Nicholas frowned.

"If  you..." Neil's voice came up behind Ares quietly, and Silvia held him as  he clutched her hand for strength. "If that is all you want here, and  you promise not to harm anyone, you are welcome to see my territory. Do  you think he will harm anyone?" Neil lifted his eyes to Ares, and his  general moved back to the side and stood up straight to allow Neil to  converse with Nicholas, showing that he wasn't a physical threat.

"Thank you. I will bring no harm to you or yours," Nicholas said as he advanced on Neil.

Silvia  wanted to shove Neil behind her as the man came so close that she could  breathe him in, but he smelled of nothing, merely fabric that he wore.  Being protective of Neil might be offensive, so she stood still as Neil  left her side and faced him. A shadow clouded his eyes with fear as he  held her fingertips as a tether to safety.

"I  told him not to change you until you were an adult," Nicholas said,  extending both his hands out and touching Neil's face. "His impatience  and worry that you'd die a human death left you like this. For that, I'm  sorry."

"I'm all right with how I look," Neil  said timidly, looking at the fingers on his face with a blush that  melted a bit of his fear.

"You're really  innocent, aren't you?" Nicholas chuckled, and Neil reddened further. "No  wonder Ares adores you." Those spidery pale hands pulled Neil in to  him, and Silvia had to let his hand go as Nicholas stole him from her.  Ares remained where he stood, albeit clutching his glaive harder, and  Silvia was left to watch as Neil sank into the man's embrace like they  were close family.

Why was Neil so relaxed with him?

"Your  mate is so concerned for you," Nicolas whispered into Neil's ear, and  Neil pulled out of his arms just far enough to turn toward her, his red  eyes soft and pacified in some eerie way. "You needn't worry, mage.  Vampires feel a certain comfort with the heads of their line. As the  oldest living Arc, I exude a familiar magic and it's lulling the closer I get, you could say."

"Silvia," Neil said, but not to her. "Her name is Silvia, not mage." Annoyance hinted in his voice from how she'd been disrespected.

Ares  arched an eyebrow at the same time as Nicholas, and the latter  sputtered a laugh that broke the trancelike hold he had on Neil. More  normal to his nature, Neil's shoulders raised as if he were offended,  but he kept his calm to avoid confrontation with her so near.

"One  cannot forget that the bonds of mates are stronger than that of a  sire," Nicholas said, tucking his hands back into his shirt. "Forgive  me, Neil Arc. Silvia, I did not mean to offend by referring to you as  your race. I merely did not know your name."

Silvia  still had the instinct to throat punch him like she did to men who got  too close to others without proper introduction. That meant saying  anything was a bad idea, so she kept her mouth shut as the vampire  crawled his eyes over her. Arms grabbed her from behind, and she let out  a squeak of terror until she settled back against a huge chest with  Neil yanked right next to her.

"Nicholas," Talamayas deep voice rumbled the threat that Neil and Ares had been prudent enough to withhold.

"Talamayas  Sol. It's been some time since we crossed paths. You nomads are so  boring." Nicholas let out a groan of displeasure, and Silvia had to  cover her mouth to hide her smile. It was a poor attempt and Nicholas'  eyes sharpened on her.

"Boring or not, you  touch Neil or Silvia and I break your face. Even if it kills me, I  promise you'll hurt," Talamayas growled, and Neil patted his abs to grab  his attention. 

"Tala, threatening a  councilman can get you in real trouble. I can handle myself," Neil said  with a deep-set frown, but Talamayas barely glanced at him.

"Of  all the vampires who have heard our conversation, you have been the  only one bold enough to come here, Talamayas," Nicholas said  matter-of-factly, a hidden meaning lurking under his words.

"Yes.  The other house heads here have loved ones and families they must  protect before Neil, which is fair to expect of them. I have literally  no one who cannot protect themselves, meaning I will wholeheartedly and  suicidally break you to protect Neil. Feel me?" Talamayas had  dropped none of his hostility, but thankfully Nicholas let out a chuckle  before composing himself back to his calm.

"You  have good allies, Neil Arc," Nicholas said, eyeing him in Talamayas  arms. "I did not mean to cause issue here, merely see if what I'd heard  was truth or fabrication. The mages here seem to earnestly care for my  kind as much as I would myself, and that is astounding considering our  history. Please invite me at your leisure to speak on calmer terms, Neil  Arc. The council has a few things we need to discuss on other matters."

Nicholas  gave him a light bow, lifted a white hood, and headed off down the  corridor before turning a corner and disappearing. The powerful energy  vanished and Silvia was pretty sure he'd used a spell to leave.

"Pissant," Talamayas said, dropping down to pet Neil's hair. "You okay?" he asked, and Neil smiled up to him.

"Yes.  Thank you, Tala. I'm sorry if you were frightened, Silvia." Neil lifted  his hand to her cheek, and it trembled until she grabbed it and pulled  it to her chest. Neil came with it, and she hugged him.

"I wasn't the one frightened, you potato," she chastised, and Neil hugged her tightly.

"I  know. You're stronger than me, even if you don't know it. I'm sorry  that I'm not great at handling your stress. I'll get better." Neil  nuzzled her neck, and she sighed against him. "Let's get back to our  party before everyone up and leaves. You're the life of it, and they'll  get bored without you drinking us all into an early grave."

"Oh, shut up." Silvia slapped his arm as they headed back into the room.

So  many eyes crawled over them as Talamayas and Ares returned to their  previous positions, and she blushed, grabbing another drink glass from  the table.

"A toast," Silvia said, and Neil  stared at her strangely. "I got into this whole mess wasted off my ass  and picking up some midget at a bar, and I'd be no happier than to do it  all over again if I could go back. To the future of the Arcs and our  allies, all of us no less than a hundred drinks away from some peace and  quiet."

The room lit up with laughter and they  drank. The dancing resuming, the chatter resuming as it had been before  Nicholas had showed up.

"To the future, no matter what it brings,"Silvia whispered to Neil as they moved in the slow sway of a dance much calmerthan the storm that was coming from society's revelation of vampires

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Word Count: 2076

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***IMPORTANT***

I would LOVE your feedback!

There is a super short Questionnaire in the next chapter that asks about who you want to see in an adventure next! The world is so large that I have to split up our allies, so we won't see every character in full action in each book </3
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That is the conclusion of Dawn of Seasons! Thank you so much for  everyone who has hung out till the end with our mage and vampire allies!  I am always so excited to see all your reads and comments!

This is NOT the end however, merely a closing of the original arc.

If you're interested in continuing on in the Dusk world, please head over to the "Thanks for Reading" chapter for more info!