Crime and Punishment

Harley held the pendant firmly in her hand as she remained lost in her own thoughts. Mason used this silence to study her, the best he could. It was not easy since she seemed dead set on hiding away from him. He thought briefly about using mind control, but had decided against it as he wanted their conversation to be real and not forced. It wasn't everyday that he got this close to a human, and in a strange way it brought him some shred of peace.

"Do you want me to…" He began to ask, pointing towards the pendant to get his point across.

"Uh- Are you going to bite me?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow as she thought about giving him access to her throat.

"That depends, do you want me to bite you?" He retorted smugly, giving her a wink.

"I'm sure you have a charming bite, but I'm gonna have to give that a hard pass."

As if to agree with her comment he pulled his top lip back in a playful snarl, giving her full view of his fangs before closing his mouth again.

"Seriously though, would you like me to clip it on?"

"Yeah, that would be great. Thanks." She agreed.

Handing him the pendant, she brushed her long silky black hair to one side with her hands and held it in place as he clipped it up around her neck. Setting her hair free, she brought her hand up to her chest and straightened out the cross, a smile forming as she did so. Quickly hiding her expression, she turned around and kept her mouth in a firm line.

"Look, I gotta get back before my- I mean, I've got things to take care of, but uh… tonight?"

"Yeah, I will-" She began, but he quickly interrupted.

"I'll find you."

Just like the last time, she didn't get the chance to speak again before he disappeared. Alone once more, she stepped out of the shadows and into the sunlight. Rather than continuing the shift that was supposed to be her father's, she decided to head home. It was odd, but seeing Mason again had ignited something inside her that she hadn't felt in a long time; a need to stand up to Zander and confront him. Well, it had always been there, buried deep in her heart, but now she wanted to tackle it and release her head from the niggling thoughts. She was determined to get to a point where she could see eye to eye with her father. Several zebra crossings and street corners later, she finally arrived back at the apartment block and wasted no time heading up the stairs and through the door.

"Dad…"

No answer.

"Dad?... I know you're not gonna be impressed but I'm home now."

With no answer yet again, she gave in and headed straight for her bedroom. She slowed as she passed by Kiara's room, noticing the door was ajar as she heard voices on the other side. Making as little sound as possible, she crept up and peeked her head around the door. Inside the room were Zander and Kiara, who'd obviously been pulled out of school early, and they were sitting on the bed. Staying hidden behind the door, Harley watched as her father reached into his pocket.

"Listen, Kiara… There's something that I want you to have. It may not be much but-" Zander began.

"No, it's okay dad. I appreciate anything." Kiara brushed off.

"You see, this ring… It used to belong to my late wife, Marie. Her father had given it to her when she was your age and now I want you to have it." Zander explained, pulling a ring out of his pocket.

"Really? Thank you, dad! I love it." Kiara exclaimed, taking it and slipping it on her finger.

From what Harley could see it was silver with a cluster of sparkling blue diamonds in the centre, however she was too fuming to focus on any other details. Her body began to shake and her hand slipped, causing the door to fly open. Both Zander and Kiara turned their heads to face her. Standing in the doorway, completely speechless as she'd just been caught spying on them, her eyes wandered from Kiara to her father. As her mind replayed the scene over and over trying to process it, her anger reached the boiling point.

"What are you doing in my room? Dad, tell her!" Kiara complained. "She just ruined a nice moment!"

"Shut up, Ki! Don't worry, you'll get plenty more opportunities to spend time with your daddy! In fact, you can have him all to yourself!"

"Don't speak to your sister that way!" Zander scolded.

"Sister? Pretty sure you mean half sister! How could you give her something that once belonged to MY mom!"

"Because she has earned it! Do you know that she has been getting straight A's?" Zander justified.

"Yeah, I have! You know why? Because it's all you ever talk about! Kiara did this, Kiara did that, oh she deserves a medal for being the perfect daughter! You make me sick!"

"Keep your voice down! Do you want your mother to hear about this?" He threatened.

"Cut the crap! Lydia is not my mother and she never will be! Just because you've replaced your wife, it doesn't mean that I have forgotten about my mom!" Harley told him.

"Enough! Go to your room!" He demanded.

"I'm not a little girl anymore, dad. You can't tell me what to do. If I'm being honest, I'm not so sure that I can call you my father anymore after you gave away one of my mom's prized possessions to her." She sighed, tired of all the arguing.

"What? Seriously, Harley? It's just a ring!" Kiara exclaimed.

"Yeah maybe to you, but to me it's much more than that! You didn't even know my mom, and you're lucky enough that yours is still breathing! Just forget it, dad gave it to you… It's yours."

Turning around, she exited the room without speaking another word to either of them. She'd already been feeling pretty low this morning, but now she just felt lousy. The disbelief over what Zander had done was still strong and the stress of arguing with him was making her head hurt. Curling up on her bed, she closed her tired eyes for a moment of peace. She wished for nothing more than to fall asleep, but it just wouldn't happen. Within seconds there was a tap on the door.

"Go away! I just want a minute of peace!"

Despite her plea, the door opened and Kiara walked in. Opening her eyes, she sat up and rested her back against the headboard, clearly unimpressed by her half-sister's ignorance.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. It is what it is." Harley shrugged.

"Look, I had no idea that receiving a gift that used to belong to your mom would upset you so much. I guess it should have been obvious."

"Please just make your point and leave me be, I have things to get ready for." She requested as politely as she could, given her mood.

"Sure, I just wanted to give you the ring. You were right, she's your mom and I didn't know her, so I think it belongs to you." Kiara said, taking the ring off her finger and offering it out to Harley.

Thinking it over for a moment, Harley reached out and closed Kiara's hand. Despite the anger towards her father, she couldn't blame Kiara for what had happened. It was Zander's choice to give her the ring and she couldn't be mad at her sister for receiving a gift. She would feel beyond petty and jealous if she blamed Kiara.

"I'm not going to take it from you, Kiara. I'm mad at our dad, not you. All you did was receive a gift. Just, promise me you'll take care of it."

"Of course. I'll never let it out of my sight, but are you sure?"

"Yeah, you should keep it. I don't want to come between you and dad." Harley concluded.

"Thank you, Harl." Kiara smiled.

Happy with the conversation, Kiara exited the room with a bounce in her step and Harley felt slightly better, though she still couldn't stand to see her father right now. Forcing herself to get up, she stocked up on weapons and then went to grab something to eat before the beginning of her shift. Heading into the kitchen, she opened the fridge and pulled out some bacon rolls that had been saved from last night's supper along with a carton of apple juice, sitting down at the table with it. Zander sat across from her and the occasional glances were thrown, but neither one of them spoke, leaving the conversation to Kiara and Lydia.

_ _ _ _

Two of Demitri's most trusted vampires forced Mason to his feet and dragged him away to the prison that had been built a few months back by himself and his best friend Julian upon order. It was ironic that he would be one of the first to ever be tortured in it. He watched with a dull expression as one of the vampires held him in place while the other bound his wrists in shackles and tied them around two wooden beams that caused his body to rise at least five inches above ground. He knew these vampires quite well since they were fairly new to the clan and they weren't the brightest of the bunch, to say the least.

"What should we do now?" One with dark brown hair, wearing a grey overcoat asked the other.

"I'll stay here while you inform Demitri that this bozo is all set for the first round of his punishment." The other, a vampire with silver-looking hair and dressed in a bachelor suit, instructed him.

"But why do you get to stay and watch him suffer… Can't I-" The one with the brown hair complained, but was quickly cut off.

"For the devil's sake, just go!" The silver haired vampire demanded, raising his voice.

Without further complaint the brunette vampire sped away and within seconds returned with Demitri. Still, Mason didn't bother to try and fight the inevitable. The attachment he felt towards her was a feeling that had come out of nowhere, but if this was the price he had to pay for saving Harley's life then so be it.

"Right, now let's get this started, shall we? Because come tonight I have a job for you, Mason." Demitri stated, a glint in his eyes that made Mason uncomfortable.

"Job! What job?"

"Tonight you are to find and kill the hunter girl, and if you fail I will be sending someone who can get the job done. Even if that means taking you out too."

The one order that Mason had been dreading had finally been given to him. There was no way that he could bring himself to so much as harm Harley, let alone kill her. Getting around this one would take some thinking. He knew that Demitri wouldn't hesitate to find someone who wouldn't have a problem finishing her off, but he couldn't let that happen.

"No! You can't do that, Dee! Please… I'll do anything else…"

"Silence!" Demitri boomed, stepping closer so that he was up in his face. "Either you kill her or I will get the job done myself, got it!" He yelled.

"Yes." Mason whispered.

"Good, then let's move on to other matters. Carl, fetch that iron fire poker for me." He ordered with a smirk.

The silver haired vampire, Carl, did exactly that and handed the tool over to his leader, stepping back and leaning against the wall, waiting patiently for the show to begin. Demitri gripped the iron poker tightly and dragged it along the middle of Mason's t-shirt, ripping it open and exposing his bare chest.

Bracing himself for what he knew was coming, Mason squinted his eyes shut and forced his mind to travel anywhere but the place his physical body was. He grunted in discomfort as he felt poker pierce through his skin and then let out a pained howl as Demitri began to drag it downwards, creating a deep long wound that extended from his chest down to his stomach, stopping just inches away from his belly button. He huffed as the poker was withdrawn from his body. Just as the wound was beginning to heal, he was dealt another blow. This time, Demitri had shoved the poker right through him, so that it had pierced through his spine and the other end was visible behind him. If he was a human, he'd have been dead already. He almost wished he was as his creator began to rotate the poker slower than the pace of a snail.

Mason let out an ear piercing shriek as he felt every little moment tearing up his insides. Despite his supernatural healing, fresh wounds still hurt and weakened the body for at least twenty-four hours after they'd healed. After this, he knew that he wouldn't be at full strength for a little while. Yet his only concern was what might happen to Harley if he weren't strong enough or fast enough to prevent it.

As Demitri withdrew the poker once again and began another attack, Mason's mind shut down. Everything became a dark haze and he no longer screamed when the pain shot through him. His eyes remained closed and he dared not to open them as he felt the blood running down his chest. Everything around him seemed to be fading fast and then he saw her; long, silky black hair illuminating her peachy skin. Her green, cat-like eyes full of fire fuelled by a pain that he had not yet deciphered.

For a vampire, sometimes days could feel more like weeks but when one discovered love, they knew instantly. There was never any hesitation or confusion, it was always straightforward. Getting the person off their mind was impossible, and there was never anyone else who could replace them should they ever leave. A vampire's love was much like their life; eternal and undying. No other feeling could compare. Not anger, not hurt, not even thirst.

Noticing that the pain had stopped, Mason opened his eyes and waited until the blurry mess came into focus before looking around to locate Demitri. Glancing to his left, he found that his leader was hovering over an old metal incinerator that housed a blazing fire inside. Then he saw the poker, extended into the flames. His eyes went wide and for the first time he began to struggle and fight against the shackles. Carl and the brunette vampire took note of his struggle and held him in place, tightening the chains just as Demitri came back with the smoking hot poker. Mason thrashed more frantically as the hot metal neared his face. Carl stepped up and forced his head in a locked position as Demitri pressed the burning rod against his face.

Mason lost all control and couldn't hold back the gut wrenching cry that escaped him and echoed throughout the tunnels. As Demitri pulled the iron poker from his face, peeling off skin in the process, he sucked in a huge gasp of air and braced himself for the next assault. But it never came.

"Alright, I think that's enough for one day. Best save some for tomorrow." Demitri decided, tossing the poker aside. "Release him now boys!"

Carl and the brunette vampire followed orders quickly and broke Mason free of the shackles, causing him to drop to the ground on his knees. Barely able to lift his head, he looked up at them, wondering why no one had moved yet.

"Let this teach you a lesson, Mason." Demitri warned, snapping his fingers as he began to walk away, causing the other two to follow.

Now alone in the prison, Mason let himself fall back against the wall, sitting there for a while as he waited for the healing process to begin. He wanted to get out and be ready to find Harley, but his veins felt like sandpaper. Before he could see her, he knew that he had to feed. Forcing himself back to his feet, he sped out of the prison and tunnels, ending up back in the main area of the hideout. In the far corner he located a cooler being guarded by Tyler, a vampire that had been turned by Demitri only a few weeks ago. It quickly became clear that the sucker was hoarding blood bags that had been stolen from the hospital in order to relieve his undying thirst.

Stumbling over to him, Mason folded his arms across his healing wounds and gave Tyler an expectant look. Without hesitating, the vampire opened up the cooler and tossed him a blood bag. Catching it with his hands, he put the seal between his teeth and ripped it open, guzzling down its contents like there was no tomorrow. Craving more, he shot the vampire another look and once again caught a second blood bag in his hands. Just like the first, he tore it open and emptied it within seconds. Still not satisfied, but feeling his thirst rise to a dangerous level, he walked away and waited for his wounds to heal before disappearing out of the den.