Deja

With his free hand, he thrust his lengthened talons into the chest of the man and slowly pushed until his whole hand was inserted before gripping his heart and squeezing. He saw the shock on the man's face.

"Thank you for the apology, I needed that, and now my mother needs this."

He snatched his hand out of the cavity of the man's chest bringing the heart that still beat with him. With his other hand, he dropped the man's hand, gripped his neck, and squeezed, digging his own lengthened talons into the flesh there just before he ripped the strigoi's head off of its body.

He dropped both the heart and head on the floor and turned to leave. Now he had avenged his mother's death. Now he could go on. He walked off never looking back and headed to the nearest bathroom. ..

"Where have you been Neculai, you almost missed the beginning of the ceremony. Lucky for you they were delayed ." Vinna stated as Neculai slipped in beside her. He smiled, he actually felt light-hearted.

"Oh, just getting some air." He assured her. She turned and frowned at him. She was not used to the light tone he was giving her, especially tonight. She didn't say anything, just turned around to watch The Order as they all walked slowly out and onto the stage one by one, wearing long dark robes. Except for Vulcan, the leader of The Order wore a three-piece suit in black.

"You know Neculai, I can't wait to see who this Jovian is. I hear that he is one of the first vampires ever turned. He is supposed to have unique gifts that The Order will be able to share." Vinna declared in an excited tone.

Neculai nodded as he listen to her chatter about The Order. Honestly, he really didn't care what new power or other The Order would gain. He still felt the rush from avenging his mother's death. He chuckled. He caught several people turning to look at him, and even Vinna looked at him with a question in her eyes.

He dropped the grin and tried to pay attention. He was glad he let Vinna talk him into coming tonight. Hopefully, good things would happen from here on out. He focused once again on the stage and its occupants.

All eleven members of The Order were present, and everyone in the darkly lit ballroom was silent. You could hear a pin drop. The hoods on each robe were pulled up over their heads.

Vinna leaned over and whispered to him. "Isn't this exciting?" She was leaning so close to him that she was practically on him. He decided to slip an arm around her before she knock them both over. She smiled at him before turning her attention back to the stage.

"Look Neculai, all members are present except the newest member." She pointed out unnecessarily before continuing on in a whisper.

"Each one is more powerful than the next and with the new member joining their ranks they will be invisible." She added.

" Vulcan, the leader, it is well known that he is exceptional with both skill and power. In fact, it is said that no one alive can match his skill, nevertheless his power. No one would want to go against such a foe." She finished. The awe in her tone was evident of what she felt towards The Order members. Neculai rolled his eyes. All this fawning over this elite strigoi was giving him a headache.

As the members took their positions on stage, Aasir stepped forward in a long silk dark blue robe. Aasir is a powerful mind reader. It's impossible, as the saying goes to hide one's thoughts from him. No one can lie to him which makes him scary to all vampires.

Aasir raised a hand a long chain with a medallion attached hung loosely from his wrist as he quieted the whispered talk in the room gaining everyone's attention. The medallion flashed three times as it swung from his wrist. Neculai looked around confused because he swore he felt something move through his mind. He shook off the strange sensation and looked around the room, but no one seem to look as confused as he felt. Neculai watched the stage with careful attention this time. He sensed there was something more going on here.

"Tonight is a night for a celebration, a night that we can all come together as one big coven, a family." Aasir declared casting a dark watchful eye over the crowd.

"We have welcomed all of you here to celebrate our new member and the future we will build together. He is exceptional with powers as unique as they are amazing. Something that each member of The Order is excited to share with him, and on top of that he is a mentor of Vulcan himself."

Aasir declared, turning slightly and lifting a hand towards where Vulcan stood, all in black. Vulcan didn't acknowledge anyone, just stood quietly. Aasir turned back to the crowd.

"Yes, Jovian is special and a friend to The Order. Many times has he come out and fought alongside us. Many times he imparted knowledge of our species that he had the privilege to and he is one of the first vampires created by our great siege, as we are."

Aasir again allowed his hand to raise and the medallion swung back and forth as his dark gaze took in what seemed like each person in the ballroom within seconds. He grew quiet, a slight frown on his dark features. Vulcan walked up to his side and laid a hand on his shoulder. Aasir stepped aside.

Vulcan's hair, a chestnut brown, was flowing past his shoulders, and his eyes were a forest green giving him an otherworldly look. The power poured off him, which unsettled a lot of the vampires there. Most times vampires only felt comfortable around a small group of vampires, not a large two-hundred gathering of vampires. Not all in one place like this and especially not with The Order here as well.

"As you all know my mentor Jovian is being accepted tonight as one of us, giving us for the first time in over two centuries a full coven. However, it seems it will not be tonight!" Vulcan bellowed. You could hear the shocked tones move throughout the crowd at Vulcan's words. People grew nervous. Vulcan turned back to Aasir.

"Did you decipher anything?" Aasir shook his head in a negative.

"Would you like me to try again?" Aasir asked. Vulcan shook his head.

"No, I have a better way. It was a surprise saved for later after the ceremony and after Jovian was a full fledge member with us tonight. However, I feel we have need of this surprise now."

Vulcan expressed and turned to wave to some of the guards who waited off to the side. Two men walked forward wearing black knee-length steampunk coats with form-fitting black leather pants while a third person walked in between both of them wearing a green robe with the hood pulled up obscuring the view of their faces. One person Neculai knew personally. Quillium or Quil as he liked to be called was one of the guards guiding the hooded stranger onto the stage.

Quil had the face of innocence. Short-cut jet-black hair and dark blue eyes. He was a tall, thin-frame-looking young man. People would assume from his looks, he was innocently personified.

Not knowing he was one of the most dangerous guards Vulcan had. Not just anyone could serve under such a powerful leader. Vinna stood quiet, no longer appearing excited, next to Neculai. She leaned back and whispered to him.

"Tell me you had nothing to do with what is going on tonight?" She demanded.

He didn't respond. He didn't think it had anything to do with him. The three people approached and stopped in front of Vulcan. He waved them forward and the two guards removed the green hood from a woman. She was average height, about five-six give or take. She was slim and human. Neculai inched closer to the stage. It was that woman he spoke to earlier, Deja. She wore her small black braids down her back past her waist and pulled them into a ponytail. Her make-up was lightly done, except around the eyes. Her eyes were heavily lined like a cat with thick full lashes. Her face had African tribal paint that lined her forehead like diamonds in a beautiful display.

Neculai stood still, hypnotized. Vulcan stepped up to where the woman now stood. The guards had backed away leaving the two figures alone at the center of the stage.

"Everyone, tonight was to be a night of celebration, one of joy and feasting," he exclaimed with dramatic flair as his hand swung to encompass everyone in the room before growing quiet.

The room was so silent that the cars passing by out on the street was easy for all of them to make out from where they stood, on the top floor of La Roulette Noire.

"Instead tonight will be about justice and vengeance. Tonight The Order will be hunting." He announced to the crowd.

Some began to move, inching away from the stage. However, Kayen and Iovita, the crystal twins, as they were referred to, both wearing gray silk robes moved to each side of the stage and nodded to guards to block the doors. Guards wearing black combat-style jackets and loose-fitting black pants that tapered off at the ankles filed into the room and lined up on each side of the walls surrounding them. Neculai looked around the ballroom, with his eyes settling at the doors to the back. Two large males stood guarding the doors.

He figured they could only be Lycans. There was no exit and even if the guards had not been blocking the doors, Kayen and Iovita were some of the greatest fighters in The Order, not to mention the vampire society. Plus they were as old as Vulcan, which meant they were ancients. Scary didn't even begin to describe the two.

"Where is Beau, I don't see him?" Vinna asked, scanning the crowd around them.

"I don't see him either, but I'm sure he is fine," Neculai mumbled as he looked around them also. Vulcan cleared his throat to get everyone's attention again.

"Now as I was saying, tonight was to be a night of gaiety." He grew quiet once again as if admonishing children.

"However, tonight there must be a reckoning." He announced matter-of-factly as he eyed the crowd of tense partygoers.

"Tonight the very member we thought to embrace and welcome as a council member. My mentor, My Jovian!" He shouted, his voice now vibrating throughout the silent room.

"Has been murdered!" Vulcan's words fell on many gasps throughout the room. Several took steps away from the stage. The rage emanating from Vulcan's eyes and off him reached out towards the crowd.

The lights were suddenly engulfed in darkness. The darkness could only be from one person, Vulcan. As the most powerful being alive he could direct his energy into a dark net and cast it where he wanted, making it nearly impossible for even vampires to see. He again scanned the crowd like he could wean out the culprit that way.

"Tonight we found his head and heart on the balcony along with the body of course. Yes, someone came into our midst and murdered our guest. Tonight we will have this individual step forward and present himself or herself" He stated on a pause.

"Come forward and answer why you murdered Jovian. Why you would want the wrath of The Order against you." Vulcan shouted spewing spittle as he spoke.

His eyes had grown round and his hands swung in the air back and forth as he spoke. The nails on his hands lengthen like talons. This was bad and Neculai knew it. He had no idea the man he spoke to on the balcony was the new council member. Still, would he have done anything differently? No.

Vinna looked back into Neculai's empty expression. She dared not utter a word because she knew vampires could hear even a whisper. She cast accusations at him with her eyes alone. He still did not feel guilty, he could not regret his actions and only hated that his actions seem to have brought the wrath of these ancient beings down on every vampire at the party tonight.

"No one wishes to come forward. No, not one?" Vulcan asked as his eyes scanned the crowd. They lingered on Neculai for a few seconds too long before moving on to others in the crowd. After several minutes of silence, Vulcan was calm once again as he spoke.

"Truthfully, I hoped no one would accept responsibility for this horrendous crime. You see, we in The Order have not had a chance to enjoy a real hunt in over a century and this is what we love most about the power we have. No one can get away from us, no one can elude us, at least not for long." He boasted. Still, everyone remained silent.

"Let's begin shall we." he held a hand out to the woman beside him. She placed her palm into his. He pulled her close.

"Now my dear look over the crowd, look into the crowd, and find the one who committed this crime. Find the one we are looking for." He spoke with confidence that he would get his answer, as he looked over the crowd, watching their reactions. Neculai stood stiffly, not even blinking as Vulcan looked over the crowd. The girl was quiet, but her eyes took in the crowd and seemed to settle briefly on him before moving on.