All the characters,except a few characters like Ashley,in the following story are owned by Spelling Television Inc. & Vampire: The Masquerade is owned by the very cool Mark Rein-Hagen/White Wolf Publishing.
At first a scream.
Then another scream; longer this time around.
The desparate scream shattered through Frank's dreams and he woke up instantly covered in a sheen of sweat. He tried to calm his irregular breathing down and took a look around the dark surroundings of his bedroom.
Frank was about to go to sleep again when he felt something in his stomach awake with newborn fear.
Something is wrong.
Very wrong.
Frank looked toward the gun on his nightstand but it was no longer there. He got out of bed and slowly walked toward the living room. Frank felt firm fingers pressing on the back of his neck; then he felt a pulling sensation of being pulled back into the forbidden shadows.
Franks struggled with all his might against the tight grip until the it loosened and Frank stumbled away. He looked at the dark corner behind and saw a pair of golden eyes gleaming back at him.
"Hello, Frank," a soft male voice called from the shadows. "You escaped Nino but you will not escape me tonight."
A shiver of fear went down Frank's spine as he heard the man growl and step closer to Frank.
"Julian will not be able to protect you this time, Frankie boy," the man said.
"You killed one of our own. Nino was like a brother to me. But I am willing to give you a second chance. All of us are. I've come here to embrace you and bring you into the Brujah Clan. Boy, will Julian be angry about this when he hears about this. But the consequences defintely will be worth it. The man came another step.
"Stay away from me!" Frank screamed while frantically searching for a weapon to use.
There was none in sight.
"Don't fight me, Frank," the man continued, "You and I are more alike than you will ever know. Nino should of embraced you that night but something slipped and there was a traitor among us. We will find out who this traitor is later. I am going to finish what Nino started."
The Brujah advanced and laid a firm hand on Frank's arm. Frank wished at that moment he had the vaporizer gun with him at his side. He wished Sonny and Julian were here now.
But none of his wishes were going to come true.
Frank let out a desparate scream; a scream he realized was the one from his nightmares. His scream combined with Alexandra's last scream before she died.
Frank silenty called out Julian's name while the Brujah bent toward Frank's neck.
The Brujah didn't notice the tear falling down Frank's cheek.
Lillie sat quietly at the bar at the Haven. The Haven just closed twenty minutes ago and this silence give Lillie the chance to think about Julian. And to think about Cameron.
"Where is Julian?" Lillie wondered out loud. "Where can he be?"
She heard the door slam at the front door and thought that it could be Julian. She watched with interest as Cameron, very handsome and dangerous, came down the stairs with a satisfied grin.
"Hello Cameron," Lillie said. Cameron bent over and kissed her on the cheek. "Why are you by yourself? Where are your men?"
Cameron didn't reply. He just smiled and mentioned so low she could barely hear it.
"My men are very, very busy tonight. It gives me the chance to see you alone." Cameron said.
Lillie couldn't tell why Cameron was acting like the cat who eat the canary. She couldn't stand the suspense anymore. Cameron seemed to notice this and ran his finger gently down the side of her face.
"No wonder Eddie wanted you, Lillie." Cameron whispered.
It was Lillie's turn to not reply. She looked up from her white wine and stared at Cameron.
Cameron leaned close to Lillie's delicate ear to whisper. Shivers of excitement ran up and down her spine. She felt guilty for feeling this but she couldn't deny her feelings for Cameron.
"Can you keep a secret?" Cameron asked her.
Lillie let out a gentle peal of laughter that surprised Cameron and then she suddenly got serious. "Yes, I can if you trust me."
Cameron noticed the devilish look in eyes and grinned. He watched her as she slowly traced the rim of her wineglass.
"Tonight, Lillie, tonight, the Brujahs will embracing a very important person to us....and to Julian."
Cameron had her total interest now.
"Who is it, Cameron?" she asked.
Cameron eyes got brighter and his smile wider with the next two words that came from his lips: "Frank Kohaneck."
Lillie gasped in surprise and the wineglass fell from her hands and crashed on the floor. She didn't seem to notice the mess at all. Neither did Cameron.
"Does Julian know about this?" Lillie inquired.
"No, he doesn't," Cameron said.
"Do you know Frank well?" Cameron curiously asked.
"Yes, I met him through Julian. Who is embracing Frank?" Lillie asked.
"Matthew is embracing Frank probably right at this moment." Cameron said with a self-assured smile. Lillie shivered.
"Do you know where Julian is tonight?" Lillie inquired.
Cameron was about to reply that he wasn't sure when suddenly Lillie ran outside and he followed behind her. Lillie and Cameron stared out into the stormy night. the huge raindrops came down with no mercy. But they didn't mind at all. Their true focus was the limo across the street at a restaurant. Billy stood by the car door patiently and looked across the street as if he saw Lillie and Cameron. They stepped back further into the shadows. The front door of the restaurant opened and Julian and Caitlyn stepped out talking and laughing about a story. The smeal of the shrimp coming from the restaurant tempted Lille but it was put aside at the sight of Julian.
"She's pretty, isn't she?" Cameron asked.
Lillie broke out of her daze. "Who?" she asked.
"Julian's girlfriend. I think her name is Caitlyn."
Julian and Caitlyn stepped into the waiting limo. Lillie felt a nasty growl grow on the back of her throat and her rage increased seeing those two together. She fondly remembered a time when she told Julian that she had always been there for him and always will. She didn't realize that the human Caitlyn would come between them. Plus Julian had started losing trust in Lillie more and more every day.
She clenched her fists at her sides and dug her nails into her palm. She heard Cameron's voice asking her if she was okay but it seemed so far away. Lillie felt a sliver of pain and looked at the bloody half moons quickly healing before her eyes. The phsycial damage was gone but the emotional damage was still there.
Her eyes narrowed at feeling a presence of another and she growled. The growl shattered the still night and a sketchy figure to her right froze.
Lillie sighed and apologized to Cash. Cash asked her what was wrong. He could see the pain and sadness in her eyes.
She could not tell him. She turned away and let the rain wash away the tears of blood. The tears of blood for herself, for Julian, and especially Frank.
Copyright & Copy 1996 Kimberly Bliss