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Where could she run to, and whom was she running from?
     
     
     

Chapter Three
     
    As eerie as the ancient cemetery was, the blanket of swirling fog hugging the ground made it even more so. Alec stood at the edge of the graveyard. Behind him, a long abandoned village church and hundreds of gravestones rose up from the night mist. They were a reminder to all that life was short, and that sooner or later death would come for them. It would come for everyone but Alec, and his kind.
    Alec’s soul was damned to prey upon the living for all time. Nicole was his saving grace, but for how long would that last? Sooner or later, Omar would manage to turn her or kill her? Maybe she would escape Omar, but she would not escape time. He would once again walk the earth alone, unless he could free himself of his curse.
    He was sure that the ancients knew how to do this. They knew how the vampire could live in the light and exist without the need to prey on the living for their blood.
    Alec stared up at the massive black cliffs. At the very top was a fortress that had occupied the same imposing stance for hundreds of years. Castle Arges stood watch over the empty village nearby. This was how the master of Castle Arges preferred it. Solitude was the vampire’s friend, especially in Romania, a land of legends and vampires.
    Here in this dark land, it was difficult for the vampire to hide. The people were always watchful for these creatures, but few dared to confront Luciano. Some believed that Luciano was the oldest of the ancients, and perhaps even the first vampire, but Alec didn’t believe this. He did not doubt that Luciano was one of the ancients, but not the first.
    A steep staircase led to the top of the cliffs and Castle Arges, but Alec needed no stairs. Slowly he rose out of the mist and flew through the night toward Luciano’s haven of darkness.
    Confronting Luciano was a fool’s mission and Alec, was no fool. He would search out the castle himself for the Book of Anu. More than a thousand years ago, the words of an immortal were preserved in this manuscript, but it was kept well hidden by the ancients, if it actually existed at all.
    Alec hoped that it did, but he’d spent two centuries searching for it, without finding even a hint that the manuscript was anything but myth. Then Lex had confirmed its existence. He was a member of the Vilka pack, but Alec could not help but wonder what the wolves could know of the vampires? The Vilkas were the wolf people of Eastern Europe, and they were ancient, but what could they really know about vampires?
    The courtyard was empty and dark, the perfect place for Alec to gain entrance to Castle Arges. His feet touched down on the stone surface of the courtyard, barely making any noise at all. Normally he would have little fear of discovery, but this was no ordinary home. This was the home of Luciano, a vampire so powerful that none dared oppose him, not even Omar.
    Alec slipped inside through a large wooden door. It creaked as he pulled it open, but not enough to make others aware of his presence. He found himself in a long - dimly lit corridor. Not much had changed at Castle Arges since medieval times. There was now electricity and probably running water, but it appeared almost exactly as it had all those years ago. That was one thing that you could be sure about with the ancients. They did not like change, and tended to squash anything that would bring about change, or a shifting of power.
    The last time he’d been at the castle, he had not made it into the lower levels or any of the hidden passages. Alec decided that would be the best place to begin his search. A scream from another part of the castle brought Alec to a standstill. He listened for a long time. There was another shriek of agony.
    Alec blocked out the sound. Someone was playing with their food. This was not the way it was supposed to be. The humans were a source of life, not a toy for cruel amusement. He continued down