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Brendon smirked to himself as he closed and locked the door; William would be happy with him, certainly. He had just achieved everything asked of him. So much for Spencer and his ridiculous assumptions!

Turning, Brendon pulled up sharply as Spencer appeared suddenly in front of him.

“What now?” Brendon snapped. “Not that I’ll believe anything you have to say.”
“Worried you, did I?” Spencer said quietly. “I’m sorry about that.”

Brendon frowned; Spencer sounded serious. It just wasn’t the sort of thing you expected another vampire to say.

“Look,” Spencer glanced nervously around. “Can we talk? Privately?”
“What are you up to, Spencer?” Brendon frowned with deep mistrust.
“We can’t talk here,” Spencer whispered, still looking very on edge.
“Talk about what?” Brendon replied with a scowl.
“Can you be a little more discreet, Brendon,” Spencer hissed. “This involves you and it’s important. We need to go somewhere quiet and private.”
“All right,” Brendon sighed, giving in, although still suspicious. “My room is about as private as I can get.”

Spencer shook his head and almost laughed. “Trust me, Brendon, your room is far from private.”
“What!”
“My room,” Spencer nodded sincerely. “I’ll explain everything.”

Brendon frowned and followed Spencer. As they walked down the long corridor towards the stairs back up to the main house, Brendon’s mind was whirling through all possible scenarios. Clearly something was wrong, but if that were true, why would Spencer be helping? It seemed an unlikely possibility.

Within a few minutes, and walking for the most part in silence, they had reached Spencer’s door. Unlocking it, the pair entered. Brendon turned as he heard the click of the lock once more and Spencer placing the key in his pocket.

“Hey!” Brendon’s voice took on a warning tone. “Put that key back in the lock!”
“But…” Spencer began only to be interrupted.
“You can keep it locked, but I want access to the key.”

Spencer nodded his understanding, it was something he would demand himself if they were in Brendon’s room.

“So,” Brendon sighed, ready to hear what tale Spencer was about to spin. “What’s all this about? Why the secrecy? And what the hell is wrong with my room?”
“Brendon, sit down,” Spencer encouraged. “It’s way past dawn, you must be tired. I know I am.”
“I’m fine,” Brendon snapped in reply remaining standing. “Now, what’s going on?”
“Master William is going to replace you.”
“Yeah, nice try,” Brendon frowned. “I spoke to him about it.”
“And he said outright that he wouldn’t replace you?”
“Yeah! As a matter of fact, he did,” Brendon replied offering a superior smirk.

Spencer sighed and shook his head. There was obviously something on his mind, something that perhaps he felt Brendon wouldn’t understand or believe.

“Look, I’m going to tell you what I know and then it’s up to you whether you believe it or not.”
“What?” Brendon asked, confused and a little concerned.
“I’m serious, Brendon! Master William is going to replace you with Wentz.”
“Yeah, so you said… ah… no gloated. But William said otherwise.”
“I’m sorry,” Spencer sighed, confusing Brendon even more. “I know it sounded like I was mocking you.”
“Sounded?” Brendon raised an eyebrow.
“Okay! Okay! I was mocking you. I don’t like you, Brendon, but you know that and I know you don’t like me. But guess what? I like Wentz even less. I know he wasn’t here long and he kept his humanity and all that, but I really hated him. Even if Master William can get control of him, I’ll still hate him. Bottom line is, I’d rather have you as Master’s Second than him.”

Brendon stared, shocked. It wasn’t the sort of thing he had expected to hear from any vampire, let alone from Spencer.

“So what makes you think that Wentz is my replacement?” Brendon asked calmly.
“His humanity,” Spencer explained only partially.
“What about it?” Brendon asked. “Apart from, how did he keep it?”
“Well, that’s just it, it was your fault.”
“My fault!” Brendon’s eyes widened.
“About three months ago there was a Coven meeting…”
“Yeah, I remember,” Brendon interrupted. “Just leaders, I didn’t go.”
“Well, it wasn’t just leaders, it was leaders and seconds,” Spencer explained, hoping that Brendon would begin to understand.
“But… I didn’t… William went on his own,” Brendon stammered. “How do you know it was seconds too?”
“I’m in touch with a second from another coven, he told me.”
“Why did he tell you?” Brendon asked suspiciously.
“I saved him from a hunter’s stake, he owed me. He told me what was discussed.”
“And?” Brendon prompted.
“When Master William turned Wentz, he left it to you to give him his first blood.”

Brendon paled instantly at the words.

“He knows?” Brendon’s jaw dropped slightly in disbelief. “I had no idea. He told the Coven Leaders? What did they say?”
“First things first,” Spencer interrupted. “Why didn’t you give the blood to Wentz?”

Brendon took a step away and turning his back on Spencer, raised his hands to his forehead.

“When they wake up, they’re usually desperate for blood He was different somehow. I don’t know what was wrong with him, but he was so angry and bitter! He wouldn’t drink it. I knew he wanted to, but he just wouldn’t! We got into a fight, it didn’t take long to subdue him, he was pretty weak.”
“What happened with the blood? Didn’t you force him?” Spencer asked incredulously.
“No! I’d had enough of him, I drank it myself.”
“You fool!” Spencer shook his head. “That first drink is so important! You know that!”
“He wouldn’t take it!” Brendon snapped in return.
“Sometimes they don’t. You have to force them; it drives out the last of their humanity. Don’t you get it Brendon? You’re the reason he’s been a thorn in our side!”

Brendon flopped down into a chair. It was true that he knew the first drink was important, but he believed it to be more a ritual thing than anything. He had no idea it served an actual purpose – especially one that would, in this case, have delivered Wentz a fully fledged vampire into William’s control.

“And William knows?” he asked. The question was almost rhetorical, but Spencer replied anyway.
“All the leaders know,” Spencer confirmed quietly. “And your room? It’s bugged. Master wants to know if you’re making any plans to prevent what he’s doing or even trying to overthrow him.”
“Why would I do that?” Brendon grumbled.
“Because you’re ambitious.”
Brendon sighed heavily. “So what do I do?”
“You have to make sure Master’s plan doesn’t succeed.”
Brendon shook his head, his wariness returned. “No way, that has suicide-plan written all over it.”
“You want it to work?” Spencer countered.
“No, but it might not anyway.”
“Maybe not, but are you really willing to take that chance?” Spencer asked, leaving Brendon to brood over his response.

*

“My dear, you are truly beautiful,” Beckett’s velvety voice sounded softly in Andrea’s ears as they stood alone in Beckett’s magnificently furnished bedroom.

She stood, perfectly still, almost rigid as Beckett played with her hair and breathed in her scent. She had seen what this… thing and his followers had done to Joe and his friends, and worse still, what he had made her do. Invading her mind he had forced her to attack Joe, rendering him unconscious with the taser baton he had give to her to defend herself. Joe had been supremely brave taking on a mansion full of vampires, led by this one. This one who had forced her, unknowingly, to betray him. She had been unprepared, not at all like Joe would have been. She had insisted on helping and all she had helped with was his capture. He would have been better off without her, much better off and now free of Beckett’s mind control, she could see that and she hated herself for it.

“Even more beautiful than I could see in my visualisation,” he continued.
“Let them go.”

Andrea’s voice was quiet, yet sounded much calmer than she felt. Standing still rigid and terrified as Beckett toyed with her hair, standing far too close for comfort and believing, or appearing to believe, that his advances were acceptable, even welcome to her.

“Who?” Beckett asked simply as he pulled her closer, pushing his face into her hair and breathing deeply. “I can make you forget them in an instant, you know.”
“No!” Andrea cried, trying to pull away from him.

She was unsure how he intended to do what he had suggested, but it frightened her deeply. His grip on her grew tighter, almost painful and she knew she would never be able to pull from his grasp. It seemed that his strength was so great that he had to keep himself from crushing her.

“What are they to you?” he asked, dragging over to the bed and throwing her down onto it.

Turning quickly, Andrea steadied herself and sat perched on the edge of the beautiful mahogany four-poster bed, surprised, but relieved that he had advanced no closer towards her.

“What are they to you?” he repeated.
“I… I was just helping Joe,” she stammered.
“Why?” he asked cocking his head on one side. It seemed unlikely to him that she was helping strangers. “Tell me, or I’ll force you to, and you know I can.”
Andrea sighed and looked down. “I was returning a favour.”
“That being?” Beckett prompted.
“I was supposed to be Pete’s first kill, but he saved my life instead.”

Beckett brought his lips together into a thoughtful pout as he considered her words.

“So,” he began slowly, “you’re the one. I did wonder. He got away from me that night, you know? Rejoined his hunter friends. It’s taken me a long time to get him back. And now I have to decide.”
“Decide what?” she asked nervously.
“Well, position of first meal is already taken, but if that doesn’t break him, I have his two other friends and I have you. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’d much rather keep you for myself, but I have plans for Peter and they must come first.”


*

Andy stared harshly at the crumpled, unconscious form of Joe, recently deposited in the centre of the cell. Pushing himself to his feet, Andy approached the figure; still dressed in the familiar military style jacket he favoured so much whilst hunting.

“Wake up!” he yelled, infuriated by being forced to wait.

Whilst dwelling on Brendon’s words, Andy had made the decision to discuss things calmly with Joe. He wanted to hear his side of things. Had Brendon twisted things around to make them appear that Joe had betrayed them and set up the trap? Had he been tampering with Pete’s Holy Water? Certainly the blend was failing and Pete had grown much more distant and difficult to live with, even scary at times.

As he thought more about it, Andy recalled one time he had fallen asleep whilst watching television and woken to find Pete, sitting opposite, rocking slightly and staring at him intensely. It had unnerved him; he knew that Pete was struggling to keep his craving at bay. They had long since taken Patrick to Pete’s cell. Was he already dead? Was he in pain? Was Pete going crazy trying to hold himself back? Was this all Joe’s fault?

“Wake up!” Andy landed a vicious kick to Joe’s side, before pulling him up from the floor until he was almost sitting. Holding him by the hair with one hand, Andy swept a hard slap across his cheek. The result of both blows produced a sudden gasp from Joe’s mouth as he began to wake. Another slap was all it took for Joe to reach full consciousness. Looking up at his attacker, Joe’s mouth dropped open as his eyes opened to see his friend and fellow hunter raising his hand to him again. Unable to react quickly enough, Joe felt the punch to his cheek that sent shockwaves through his entire body. Pulling back out of his grip, Joe scrambled a few feet backwards.

“Andy! What the hell…? What’s wrong?” he struggled to find the right question.
“You set us up!” Andy screamed. “You fucking betray us and you have the nerve to ask what’s wrong!”
“I… I haven’t done…” Joe screwed up his eyes in pain as Andy landed another kick to his side.

Trying to roll out of his reach, Joe scrambled shakily to his feet and threw up his hands defensively.

“Andy, I didn’t… whatever you think I did, I didn’t do it! I was trying to rescue you, but they got me.”

Andy paused; now he wasn’t so sure. He had expected a fight, that Joe would curse his own betrayal by the vampires. Everything he had expected had not happened and he was confused. Brendon had been so convincing, the arguments sounded so plausible, so real. Had he twisted the truth? Was Joe innocent? Still with is anger intact, Andy allowed for the possibility that Joe might not be to blame.

“I was told you set us up,” he began, teeth still clenched. “The information he had was too personal, too close not to be true.”
“I didn’t! I swear, Andy, I was coming to rescue you, all of you!”
“Prove it,” Andy asked, his voice suddenly less strained. “I want it to be… I… I didn’t want to believe it, but he knew too much. You’ll have to prove it.”

Still shaken, Joe swallowed hard as he wondered what it would take to convince him and even if he could.