Alrighty peeps! Here it is! FOR THOSE WHO HAVE READ MONGREL/EYES/WHITE/BEAUTIFUL HEARTBREAK: (First off, I freaking love you guys) THIS IS NOT MY REGULAR STYLE. IT IS A LOT DARKER. This story is not quite M, as it is not very graphic, but does still contain and deal with mature subject matter. All the same, I hope you will enjoy it.

This takes place after Reckoning. Graves has not returned so he won't be in the first few chapters, but after that he should be.

"Get her out of here!"

"I can fight!"

"Get her to the garage, there's a team of cars waiting there!"

"I can fight!"

"Watch out! Behind you at seven 'o clock!"

"Benjamin is down, repeat, Benjamin is down! We need back up over here to get her out!"

"C'mon, run!"

"Behind you! They're getting closer!"

"Dru!"

/

I don't know how long it was before I was slapped awake.

It was a stinging pain in my cheek. My eyes jolted open as someone laughed from above me.

Thanks to my blooming, the darkness of the room was no problem for me. This meant that I had no problem seeing clearly the face that loomed above me like a nightmare. It was male, dark haired with a prominent nose. He had a scent of cloves and desert around him, and I realized he was part of the Maharaja.

"Hello, Dru." He sneered.

I scanned the room, desperately looking for a way out. I couldn't see much- the guy was almost laying on top of me. I tried to roll him off me, but discovered I was restrained down to whatever I was laying on- it was soft, so probably a bed.

"You won't be escaping." He said in what was almost a conversational tone. "You're mine now."

I really didn't like the sound of that. "Get off me!"

The man laughed. "That's not very friendly, Dru." Still, he straightened so he was kneeling above me, one leg on either side of me. "How rude of me. I haven't introduced myself. My name is Adesh."

"How ya doing, Addie?" I spat. My wrists and feet were under lock and key, but the rest of me flailed like a fish out of water while I prayed the Order would be here soon.

Adesh pushed down on my hips with his tanned hands. I recoiled as much as I could from his touch. "Relax, Dru. I'll only hurt you if you displease me."

Why did that not make me feel any better?

"Let me go!" I yelled. It was a pointless attempt, but everyone has to try it.

He laughed again, a dark sound that conjured up images of a sandstorm in the middle of the night. "Oh Dru, we will have fun together."

"We have a treaty!" I cried. "The Maharaja and the Order, we have a treaty!"

Adesh shrugged one shoulder, a slight dipping movement. "I signed no treaty. A piece of paper means nothing to me."

"What do you want with me?" I demanded. "The Order will be here soon, and they'll kill you. But if I give the word, they won't. So tell me. What do you want with me?"

Adesh smiled cruelly. "I'm hoping for us to become… closer. Much closer."

I was really hoping he didn't mean what I thought he meant. "Tell me clearly." I ordered in a voice a lot tougher than I was feeling. This guy was just as terrifying as Sergej had been.

"How respected would I be among those of us who don't believe the Maharaja should ally with anyone?" He mused in a wistful voice. "If I took the virginity of the Order's only precious svetocha?"

/

I shrunk back. "If you touch me-"

Adesh laughed loudly. "What will you do about it? You're tied down. If I want to touch you, I will."

"Don't you dare-" I started before realizing I was just provoking him.

"Don't what?" He questioned in an amused voice. "This?" Adesh took his hand and dipped it beneath my jeans.

I rolled violently to try and get away from him. "Don't touch me!"

Adesh simply chuckled like I'd told him a particularly good joke. "Oh, Dru." His hand went a little lower. "You're so naïve."

"Don't fucking touch me!"

His other hand cracked across my face. "Now, Dru." He reprimanded. "Look what you made me do."

I gasped for breath. Fuck, that hurt.

His hand went lower.

I wrenched my body into a spin and managed to shake his hand out of my jeans. "You bastard!"

He hissed. "You've displeased me now, svetocha."

"Oh yeah?" I retorted scathingly. "Bite me."

His amber eyes hardened as he looked down at me. "You'll regret your foolishness in moments, byat."

I didn't know what that meant. I didn't care, either. Not when he reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a pocket knife.

As weapons go, knives aren't the most dangerous. That's guns. But knives inflict the most pain.

I recoiled into the mattress as far as I could as Adesh laughed. "There's nowhere to run, Dru. Now stay still like a good girl."

I thrashed desperately as he slowly brought the blade closer to my face. I always had a smart-ass comment to make, but now I had nothing. "I'll kill you!" I cried.

He snorted condescendingly. "You're handcuffed. Stop moving. It'll hurt more." He reached down and cupped my chin in his hand. "It's a good thing you have the aspect. It would be a shame to scar such a pretty face."

Adesh's fingers bit down iron hard as I struggled to escape his grasp. I made a sound of desperation, and he sighed happily. "You sound so sweet, little flower. Now, onto business." He took the tip of the knife and ran it lightly along my cheek. "Are you ready?" He murmured.

My breathing quickened, but there was nothing I could do. With a cry, he jabbed the knife down into my cheek.

I cried out and struggled to turn away. Adesh applied more pressure on the knife and said in a sharp voice, "Next time you try that I'll let you do it. We'll see your face ripped open as my knife carves its path."

He dragged the knife in an upwards line towards my eye. I swore a line that would've done Dad proud and couldn't stop the tears from escaping from my eyes. "Stop it!"

Adesh burst into insane laughter. "Now you know better than to refuse me, my flower!"

The blood dripped down from my cheek and into my hair, matting it with dark stickiness. I sobbed and nearly fainted. Don't you dare pass out, Dru! Who knows what he'll do to you if you do…

Adesh pulled up then. "Some may call me a traitor for hurting one who is part Maharaja, especially a woman. But once they see how much better we are without being hampered by any treaty, I will be a hero."

So that's what he wants. I managed through my pain-fogged brain. "They won't release the Maharaja from the treaty." I gasped.

"They will if it's the only way to get you back." Adesh smirked. "Oh yes, little svetocha. You will be returned to your pathetic Order once they terminate the treaty. Then, and only then, will I let you go." He leaned down and pressed his lips against mine, hand still cupping my chin. "I think it's time we showed them how you're doing, don't you?"

Adesh reached into his pocket and pulled something else out- a key, this time. He reached to where my wrists were handcuffed above me and inserted the key, twisting to unlock it. I snatched my hands down to my chest protectively.

He turned around and unlocked the handcuffs around my ankles. I could see the door behind him.

Now, Dru!

With a grunt, I brought my knee up and rammed him a good one in the groin. Adesh gasped and I took advantage of the moment, shoving him off the bed and rolling myself off the other way. I got to my feet and sprinted towards the door.

I almost made it, too.

A round ball of scorching something slammed into my back. I went down in a heap just in front of the door.

A hex. Dammit, Dru! You should've seen that coming!

Adesh walked up behind me and kicked me harshly in the ribs. "Bitch." He growled. "You little bitch." He hauled me roughly to my feet. "Come on." Dragged me behind him as he stalked over to a lone laptop on a desk situated in the corner. He lifted the lid, and, of all things, opened up Skype. Grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked me down so I was on my knees.

Adesh pressed a button, and one of those video-chat windows opened up on the screen. It wasn't even a second until the call was accepted, and I realized I was looking into the Council room at the Prima.

"Dru!" That was Augie, who yelled over his shoulder at the others in the room to get their asses over here- like he needed to. As soon as he yelled my name, all the other Council members got their asses over there, jockeying for a position in front of the webcam.

There was Christophe. "Dru." He gasped. "Moj boze, what happened? Where are you?"

Adesh stepped into the line of vision. "She's with me. And she's not going anywhere."

Christophe's blue eyes snapped over to look at Adesh. "Who are you, djinni child? What are you doing with her?"

Adesh smirked. "I am Adesh. And your precious little svetocha is going to stay with me until you co-operate."

"If you harm a hair on her head-" Christophe started in a deadly voice.

"Look at her, Gogol." Christophe's wintry eyes hardened as he studied Adesh. "I already have. And I'm going to continue to harm her unless you do what I say."

"Christophe, don't fucking listen to him!"

Adesh whomped me a strong one on the head. Augie swore, Hiro growled, and Christophe yelled something in a foreign tongue that sounded vaguely like a death threat. Adesh simply smirked and pulled me close to him. Christophe sucked in a breath as Adesh put an arm around my waist and pulled me into his lap.

I elbowed him viciously. "Don't fucking touch me!"

"I already told you, little flower. I'll touch you if I want to. And I believe I gave a demonstration."

That was too much for Christophe. "Where did you touch her?" He hissed, terrifyingly slow and enunciating every syllable deadly clear. "Where did you touch her?"

Adesh smirked again. "Places I would doubt she's ever been touched before." I turned my head and looked at the ground, shaking my hair to hide my face. I couldn't face them. "Now. Are we going to continue babbling about our little Dru's experiences-" There was an audible growl from the other side of the connection. "Or are we going to talk about my conditions?"

Augie passed a hand over his face. "What do you want, you damned bastard?"

Adesh made a sound. "Language. I don't think I can tolerate that."

I knew what was coming.

I ducked on instinct, and Adesh's fist passed through empty air where my face had been. Yells came through from the laptop, but that didn't stop Adesh. He took another swing, but I was ready this time.

Oh yeah. I thought to myself. It's payback time.

I wasn't, however, counting on him hexing me down. I tried to block it, but without any formal training and only Gran's voice ringing in my ears, it hit me. The furious yelling continued from the laptop. Augie was visibly restraining himself from cussing again, Bruce was actually speechless, Hiro was doing that djamphir thrumming that means shit is about to go down, and Christophe was on a raging rant in whatever-that-language-was-ian.

It knocked me flat on my back as I gasped with pain. Everyone on the other side of the screen shut up, and Adesh laughed. The aspect had closed up the gash on my face, otherwise that would've Really Hurt.

Adesh was suddenly right there in front of me, straddling me before I could get up. Leaned down and kissed me roughly, smashing his lips against mine and biting my lip. "Bastard." I spat as he pulled up.

He tutted and shook his head sadly. "Oh, Dru. I really thought you would've learned by now."

"I will kill you." Christophe growled through tightly clenched teeth. "I will kill you."

Adesh smirked cruelly. "On to my conditions."

Bruce passed a hand over his face. "What the he- what do you want?"

"Terminate the treaty with the Maharaja."

Hiro's eyes sharpened. "Why do you want that?"

"The Maharaja should not associate with nosferat brood." Adesh sneered. "You will terminate the treaty, or lovely little Dru here will pay the price."

Lil bit of an awkward place to leave it, I know. But I didn't want to put everything I have written in one chapter, so I cut it off.

Now you guys come in! I can have the next chapter up very soon, if you guys want a shorter chapter. (Just over a thousand words-ish. This one is just over 2600.) Or, if you want a longer chapter give me a little longer and we can do that too. Let me know!

I've never really done any writing like this before. It's like chapter nine of Mongrel, I guess. First time for everything. (And Jaymie: IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT. XD Love ya! 3)

I'll only update if I think people like it. (No point polluting an already small fandom with an unwanted story. Fun fact: When I first started reading on this fandom, there was... 67 (?) FF's. Now we have what, 94? Go us!) So let me know what you think! And if you don't like it, let me know what I can do to improve!