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It's a few hours into the night when Tayden wakes up. Long, silky legs have kept him in place, not that he planned on going anywhere. Not with Anika wrapped all over him. He thinks he loves Anika, or at least their arrangement. Maybe both. Probably both.

He met the startling redhead a few weeks after his sister disappeared. Life hadn't been good for Tayden then; honestly, it flat out sucked. He had been sick with concern over his sister; his twin. With her gone, Tayden felt like a piece of him had been removed out of his life. Maybe anyone who had a sibling that disappeared might have said, thought and felt the same things, but this was different. Tayden practically gave up on life, until he met Anika.

It wasn't her beauty that captivated him-even though she was beautiful for a dead person. Anika had a penchant for how life worked. She understood the cycle of life and it's purpose and maybe that's because she was a necromancer. Or because she had seen a lot of life and death before her twenty third birthday. Her parents had died when she was a girl, and was taken in by her aunt and two cousins. She was closer to one than the other, who died from alcohol poisoning when she went to college. Anika and found her in the girl's bathroom, face down in a toilet.

She was embraced by some no-name vampire that she never got to know. Not really. She said he was killed by a couple other vampires in the derelict homes they lived in. She was only a vampire for twelve days and had to figure out life. Or Unlife.

And so, when she found Tayden in close to the state she had been in, her intial plans were to sire him and spend their time as vampires together because of that stupid novel she read while she was in high school, 'Twilight.' But then she felt a little guilty as she got to know him and his story and decided she couldn't do to him what someone had done to her. What if his sister was still alive? What if she came home one night and found him as a vampire? Anika wouldn't sire him, but she did bring Tayden as close as she could to her world without making him a vampire.

He became a blood thief the night she gave him hope again. Hope that his sister; his twin was still out there. That one day they would reconnect, just like she one day planned to reconnect with her cousin, even if it was for five minutes. Let them know she was alive, because it made people feel better. It gave them closure and he would find his closure one night. At least that was what she told him; but that didn't necessarily mean it was favorable closure. But that was the life cycle. People could only go on if they had that closure.

Tayden grabbed the cold arm from off his chest and put it on the arc of her hip, waking Anika up in the process. She grabbed at Tayden and pulled him back to her, letting her legs and arms pretzel around him again. "I didn't say you could go." Anika complained, letting her body warm up as their bodies stayed connected. "No, but I need to. I'll be late for work because of you." Tayden reminded her about work, because some people still had to do that. Not everyone could break into offices and other places and walk away with thousands of dollars each night. "Because of me? Not my fault you can't set an alarm." She laughed against his ear after laughing. "No, but the blood that's pasted to my skin, because of you is going to need more than a five minute wash."

That comment made her get up and look at the mess we had made last night. "Not another set." Anika sighed, got up and pulled the top sheet off, preparing it for whatever she did with them when we spent the night making a mess of the other. It was a strange, screwed up relationship, but we both were strange, screwed up people. Or a person and a vampire.

While Tayden showered, Anika pulled off the rest of the sheets and disposed of them. "See you after work." He told her, not doing the normal things normal couples do, like kissing her bye as he left. Anika didn't mind and never complained about it. Tayden could be as cold as he was hot, but what mattered to her was that she got both sides of him every night.

As he headed to work, Tayden pulls out his phone and checks his email. Mostly junk, but not all of it. Wasn't that just like Teagan? So casual about shitty situations, while he was worried over her? Like people just got kidnapped every day and was an acceptable practice in Harper Rock? Like she went on vacation and just got back in town.

Nightmode. One hour. Meet me at the bar. It was short and to the point because he wasn't even sure if this was Teagan. She had been gone a long time. Someone could be pretending to be her. It could be a scam. Good thing he picked a populated place to meet. Just in case.

I'm consumed with self-loathing by the time I get his reply. I waited at the coffee shop and spent around half of the money I have on me. I can't really complain about my meagre funds. I was lucky to escape from that place with my life and clothes, the cash is a serious bonus. I'm wearing what I wore the night I went missing. The frays are a little more authentic and my top is now so well worn, that the once crisp print on it is soft to the touch. That might be another plus point for what I've been through. This t-shirt is now much more comfortable to wear, though once I take it off I'm not sure I'll ever want to put it back on again. Choices. Freedom. The little things.
I don't reply to him but I read his reply several times. It's cold. Detached. Was my message the same? Was I wrong? Has my coming home disrupted the perfect life he's built for himself in my absence? I push the thoughts from my mind. Tay's still here. He hasn't left me. He'd never leave me.
I step out into the cool air and close my eyes. Freedom. The soft kiss of a gentle breeze on my skin is delicious. I don't care that it's cold. So cold in fact that I start thinking about snow. I'm used to the cold now. I've lived in the festering underbelly of this city. I've proved my worth. A dry, sarcastic laugh escapes me as I walk down the street. I don't have the money to get the train or a taxi and still be able to afford the cover charge I'm sure will be required at the club. My shoulders are hunched, my mood dark. The chains that once hung from my jeans are missing but I've replaced them with scraps of clothing and lengths of cording taken from my victims. My victims. My fingers curl around one piece in particular and I squeeze it tight. It's the charm from Dominic's necklace. The one he was wearing the night they tortured and killed him. The night I was taken. I hope he came back. I hope he's safe.
By the time I get to the club there's a queue outside. It's not too long, but long enough that it makes me anxious. I want to see Tay. I need to see Tay. I keep my head down and hope that no-one bothers me. It's hard not to be noticed however when you stand out like I do. It could be worse though perhaps. The pink dye in my hair has faded and my roots are thick and dark. I'm a shadow of the person I used to be, even with my more defined muscles and my new skills. I knew the basics of self-defence before I was taken but it does you little good in a fight against them. Against me. How can I feel so broken, when I'm stronger than I've ever been before?
I finally get into the club, grateful for the first time that I look my age. If they'd carded me, I'd of had to wait for Tay to come out. I'm not sure how long that would have taken. Ten minutes. Sixty. Three hours maybe. The longer the wait, the more he loves me. I'd of known that but it would have played havoc with already rampant emotions. I'm not sure what to say or do when I see him. I've missed him so much. I don't even have the words, and believe me I tried to find them. Every day. Every hour. My mantra of the last few months re-plays in my mind; Please God let him be safe and well.
My throat thickens with unspoken sentiments. I question whether or not I should have contacted him at all. Should I have let him go? Let him live without me, free from obligation. I wonder if I need to apologise for my absence. Apologise for being taken from him. For being kidnapped. My eyes roll in my head at my own stupidity, but I honestly have no idea how to start this conversation, even if I've had it in my own mind more times than I care to count.
I stand by the bar, which is off to my side, my back against the wall. I'm trying to be invisible. I'm not hiding from my brother, just everyone else in here. The place is packed. The people around me are happy. I feel out of place. I stuff my fingers in my pockets and keep my head down. My feet are crossed at my heels with the walls supporting me.
Please God let him be safe and well.

Nightmode is always packed no matter what time of night or what day of the week it was. Tayden stops by the guy outside the door and holds a hand out to him. His name was Barry and Tayden had got to know him pretty well because this was Anika's favorite place to go. "Hey man." Barry holds out his hand and the two hands meet and Barry pulls Tayden near his chest and gives him the only hug that's acceptable to give a guy unless it was someone in your family. "Hey. Before I go in, see any new faces tonight?" If anyone would have seen his sister, it would have been Barry. No one gets in without going through him.

"Yea, man. A couple. Couple girls. Not your type." Barry laughed, let go of Tayden's hand and Tayden retreats back to a comfortable distance. "Thanks, bro." A couple new girls. Could one of them be Teagan? Or could one of them be pretending to be Teagan? There was only one way to find out. "Maybe I'll put in a good word for you with one of them." Tayden said with a smirk before ducking inside.

He isn't sure where to start, but the bar seemed as good as any. If not for getting a drink and scoping the place out, then to see if the bar tender met any of these new girls. He wasn't as chatty as Barry was-but then Tayden didn't really know much about the guy. He had only been working here a few weeks because the other guy stopped showing up to work one night. Tayden wondered if he was one of the few unluckies he read about in a newspaper. Not all vampires were like Anika.

"Black Russian." Tayden said, ordering one of his usuals as he grabbed his cheap, tattered wallet out of his pockets and laid a ten out on the bar. The drink didn't leave much of a tip, but the guy didn't exactly ever earn it in Tayden's eyes. He did minimum conversation at best and half the time the drinks were too strong to appreciate. Tayden didn't mind getting drunk, but he wanted to do it gradually. Not in five seconds.

With the drink on the bar and the cash gone, Tayden let his eyes scan the bar in search of the new girls. He saw one with a guy he's seen in here before, but she wasn't his sister. Even from this far away, Tayden knew her dispositions and demeanor. With a shake of his head, and a hand going to the drink. Still scanning, he took a drink of the Black Russian and found two more girls, but unfamiliar. But they weren't her either. Tayden would just wait for her to approach him. If it was a scam, they wouldn't waste any time. If his sister was here, she would be able to pick him out of the crowd with no problems.

I don't want to be seen. Not by anyone. Not even by him. My heart stops when I see him approach the bar. It shouldn't. That's not the sort of thing that should happen when seeing your brother. But it happens. God how I've missed him. I love my brother and I've been without him for too long. So, why aren't I running to him? Why am I pressing myself further into the wall? What is wrong with me?
My heart kicks back in but now it's thundering in my chest. I'm nervous.
Why am I nervous? It's just Tay.
I know why I'm nervous. I'm worried how he'll react. I've been worried since before I even sent the email. I have no idea where he's been or what he's been doing. I don't know if he knows what happened to me or not. Did he think I left him? Did Dominic find him and tell him we'd been attacked?
I tell myself to calm down. My brother loves me. He'll forgive me. He has to. It wasn't my choice. I didn't ask for this. I don't want any part of that evil, sadistic, vampire killing cult. I want to be me. I'm not even sure who that is anymore.
I keep my head down. I watch Tay through the veil of my hair. He looks good. Real good. Too good? Has he missed me at all?
I watch him look around. He's scanning the crowd. He's waiting for me. I need to see him. I need to talk to him. I need to know if he hates me. I'm not sure what I'm going to do if he does.
I take a deep breath.
I don't know how I kept myself still this long. I wanted to run to him. I wanted to run from him. Now. Now I have to make my feet work. I can do this. It's just Tay. Tayden is here. For me. I just need to put on foot in front of the other and make myself move. Why aren't I moving?
My legs tremble and I take another deep breath. I can do this.
I pull my fingers from my pockets and begin the short walk to where my brother stands. It seems to take forever. Like time has slowed. Or maybe like I'm in one of those horror movies where the person walks down an ever extending corridor and no matter how far they walk or how fast they run, they don't seem to make any progress.
I begin to panic. My eyes dart around the room. What if someone followed me? What if I've lead those freaks right to the one person I never wanted them to find?
I swallow down my fear and rub the palms of my hands over my jeans as I walk. I'm not sure if I should throw myself at him or not? What's the appropriate greeting for reuniting with your brother when you've missed them and you have no idea if they're angry at you or not?
I'm half way too him when my mind shuts down and instinct kicks in. It's Tay! I run the rest of the short distance between us and practically tackle him as my arms go around his waist. I should have waited till he put his drink down, as I'm sure I'm now wearing at least half of it down my back but I don't care. After everything I've been through, what's a little alcohol down my back going to do?
Tayden knows I'm not the affectionate sort. Not with anyone but him that is. I trust Tay. Trust is difficult for me. Even the vampires I fed never had that. Dominic never had that. They fed from the wrist. It's all I'd allow. Minimal contact.
"Oh Tay."
I press my face into shirt and hug him tighter. Probably a little too tight. I'm not in control of myself or my emotions. I start to cry. Thankfully I'm not wearing any mascara, else it would start to run and then I'd have panda eyes on top of dark roots. Not that I care how I look right now. I'm free. I'm finally free. And I'm home.

Tayden's just about drank half of his drink when a woman with startling pink hair comes throwing herself at him. As soon as she's wrapped around him, Tayden knows this is his sister; even before she speaks. Maybe it was their twin connection, or just the disposition and demeanor of his sister that he's come to know for the last couple of decades now. Maybe it was just the familiarity of her that had him pinpointing the woman on him as his sister.

The drink was splashed all over-some on her back and some on the floor at their feet. It couldn't be helped. The force of his sister's impact against him, and the sheer surprise that it was her and not some crazy scheme made up by some one who wanted to make some quick cash, or something else had Tayden being a little sloppy. And the first and only thing she says is his name.

"Where have you been?" Tayden put the empty glass on the counter, still facing her as he did this. "I've looked all over the city for you." He wasn't trying to make her feel guilty, but she looked fine. Teagan wasn't bleeding. She didn't seem to have any broken bones. No bruises that he could see, but all he could see was the top of her hair. "What happened? Who were you with?" Tayden had a billion questions at least, but that seemed as good as any place to start. From there she would reveal more information and might make the billions turn into just a million questions.

I keep my face buried in his shirt as he questions me. I knew he'd have questions but I didn't think he'd start the interrogation so soon. I should have known.
I'm not sure where to start my story. I told him in the email I'd been kidnapped. Didn't I? Shouldn’t he be asking who took me instead of who I was with? ****. He doesn't believe me. I don't think I'll be able to handle it if Tay thinks I'm lying. I'd never lie to him. Okay. So, maybe I keep things from him at times but lie... never. No need. And Tay can read me like a book.
"Freaks in the sewers."
My reply pretty much answers all his questions. Who I was with, or rather who took me. Those damn vampire hating freaks that like to patrol the sewers and attack people on site. I'm not actually sure how they tell vampires but humans but I guess they've been at it longer than me. I'm still learning. Well, I was learning. That might be the only skill they taught me that I continue to work on. Or... maybe not. I need to continue learning how to fight in case they come back for me. In case they come for Tayden. No way are they getting their hooks in him if I can help it.
No wonder Tay never found me. I'd bet from what he said that he was looking above ground. It probably never occurred to him to venture into the sewers. Does Tay even know about the freaks in the sewers?
I pull back just a little and peek up at him. I let out a sigh of relief before my hands release him and find their way to his face. My palms rest against his cheeks as I look at him. He looks good. He looks well. He looks... I dunno, not mad? Maybe he's not angry at me. I hope not. It wasn't my choice to leave him.
"You look good."
I smile at him but he'll see somethings off with it. I know he'll see what I'm feeling just by looking at me. He knows me, like I know him. He'll see the gamut of emotions running through my mind. I'd say it's my eyes that give me away, but I'm pretty sure he'll read it in the rest of my facial features too. I'm happy to see him. Relieved to see he's well. I'm worried he won't accept the new me. Fearful that he'll reject me. Rationality isn't something that can be applied in this situation. I know he'll accept me. I know he won't blame me. But I can't help but listen to that whispering voice that tells me otherwise. That little voice of fear.
I let my hands slip from his face. My fingers tracing over his beard before I pinch his goatee with the thumb and index finger of my left hand and playfully pull on it.
"Missed you."

Freaks in the sewers. The naked guys? What would they want with his sister? Why would they kidnap his sister? Never in a thousand years would Tayden think he would know someone that had been kidnapped-let alone his sister. There were too many thoughts going through his head. Too many things to ask and say in a place like this.

There was a feeling of dread as Tayden thought about his sister being held captive by anyone for any length of time. Did they hit her? Abuse her? Touch her? Tayden almost didn't want to know-but he had to know. This was his sister. People just couldn't get away with doing things to people like that. It wasn't right. Most of all, it was illegal.

"Let's find somewhere else to talk." He says after he looks down at his sister, recognizing something wasn't quite right. How could anything be right? She'd been kidnapped. Kidnapped! "Maybe even go to the cops." Someone had to do something. If not them, then the cops. Something had to be done. "Let's go." Tayden wasn't the bossy type, but he wanted answers and he needed them sooner than later.

"Are you hurt?" Tayden paused, his hand still holding his sister's as he looked her over. He did want answers, but he wanted to make sure she was okay first. "Do you think anyone followed you?" Tayden looked around the entire space of the club they were in, not sure who he was looking for. Someone naked, mostly. But they wouldn't come in a public place naked, would they? "We need to go somewhere public, but not too public. Just in case. There's safety in that. Library, maybe. Or diner, anywhere. Any ideas?" His attention shifted back to his pink haired sister, willing to go anywhere she picked so that they could get down to business.

I find myself shaking my head almost immediately as he starts talking. I'm happy to go somewhere else to talk, somewhere away from all these people but I don't want to go to the cops. Apart from the fact that I've never put much stock in the authorities, I'm almost certain they can't do anything against a supernatural cult. I might as well just walk in there and tell them I hear voices and request a rubber room. I mean who is going to believe that the tattoos on my back give me special powers? I barely believe that little fact and I know it to be the truth. I really hate those freaks.
I let Tay lead me out. Or start to at least. I don't mind his touch. I like it even. It's comforting. He's the only guy I really trust. The only person I trust. I don't think anyone can blame me for being the way I am. At least they wouldn't blame me for the way I am if they knew the reason I don't like to be touched. If they knew what I'd been through. What we'd been through, because of it. I throw those thoughts off. I can't keep going back there. Besides. Now I have a new there to go back to. A scarier there, perhaps.
"I'm fine Tayden. Stop fussing."
I don't mind the fussing though and it probably shows when the corner of my mouth curls up. He cares about me. Still. I was so worried he wouldn't. Worried he'd forget me. That he'd be happier without me. The doubts wash over me again but they don't linger. They can't. Tay's here and he's holding my hand. He's grounding me. With Tayden I'm always safe.
I squeeze his hand and start us heading for the exit again.
"Library. Diner. Doesn't matter."
I shrug. It doesn't matter where we go. We could go home. I'm pretty sure we're safe but that doesn't mean to say I won't be looking for a new apartment for us come tomorrow. That's how you survive. You move. Keep moving. At least that's how we survived in the past. I hate running. I hate living in fear. I hate feeling like I've failed at life. I should ask Tay if he ever feels the same way.
"You're paying. I have no money."
I probably don't need to tell Tay that but it's best I do. I used the last of my cash up getting in here and if we go to a diner I can't afford to buy anything. I know Tay won't mind paying for me but it's whether or not he has enough money to do so that worries me. He looks good but that doesn't mean he has cash to spare. I still don't know how he's survived without me. I don't even know if our apartment is still our apartment. So much can happen in a few short months.
"I don't think I was followed."
I don't say this till we're outside. He doesn't need to fear every noise made around us as we walk the streets. He shouldn't fear anything and honestly I'm not sure he ever fears anything except me. No. Tay's not afraid of me. That’s wrong. He's afraid for me. He takes his big brother duties seriously. He's my protector. Though some might say he's failed at that. Twice. And spectacularly. But not me. I'll never agree with that. I wouldn't be here without Tayden. He's my saviour. My life line.

Tayden doesn't know where to go. The library would probably be safer, or at least quieter, but he's worried that his sister might be malnourished or something. What did people feed people that they kidnapped? He doubted it was anything nutritious. He wants to know what they did to her. Why they took her and it's eating at him in the back of his mind as they walk on the city street. But how can he broach the subject tactfully?

"Let's get something to eat." He tells her after they have walked away from the club and are on another street down the block from it. He doesn't have a lot of money, but he does have enough to go out to eat, or hit a bar once a week. Unless Anika was with him. Somehow that girl had more money than what she knew what to do with. Or at least more money than Tayden would ever have on a low-income job.

While they eat they can talk, unlike a library. People could only talk so much before people started giving them the eye and telling them to 'shhh.' They walk in silence for a couple minutes before he opens his mouth to speak. "Not fussing, but worried." Who wouldn't be worried about what happened to their missing relative over the last couple of months? Assholes. That's who, Tayden decided. "What did they do to you?" Tayden has decided that before they go anywhere or do anything that he has to know right now. He stops to emphasize this point and puts his hands on both her arms and makes the other face each other. "Did they, you know?" He can't say it, even if he is thinking it. It's his sister for Christ sakes. Thinking about anyone touching her, accepted or not just isn't in Tayden's thought process, but people didn't kidnap people for no reason. So why did they kidnap his sister?