How will he protect this baby, and when she is of age make her his mate? A female newborn cries out with her first breath, the beautiful ringing into the night. At that exact moment, in a long-forgotten cave, buried deep in the earth, a heart begins to beat. Thick, ancient blood begins to sludge through shriveled veins. Nerve endings waking, causing exploding agony as the blood reaches limbs. Lungs threaten to inhale. A mind, now alert, begins to use its ancient knowledge to remove the hardened dirt above with a simple thought. Ciprian lay there. Afraid to open his eyes to this existence. Why did he wake? In all his life, for over a thousand years, he never had been woken without choosing. Yet his heart began all on its own. He didn't want to be awake. He did not want to face the monster that he was turning into. Long ago he had chosen to sleep. He had spent several lifetimes seeking the red-haired angel. The one foretold to him as a child. A Castling had shared a vision of a woman that would bring him back to life. He knew even as a child, this was the one. The other half to his soul. Without her, he was destined to turn into a vile life consuming monster. Someone with his years, with his skill and ability, could rip through a city and leave nothing standing in a single night. He was sure. There were others like him, but he knew there were none left as old as his brother Valor and himself. None of his species except Droden, their best friend and cousin. Droden had succumb to the turning. After witnessing the change in his cousin, he knew, he could never let himself turn. No one would be strong enough to defeat him, if he turned into a Fear Eater. Fear Eaters were another type of Darkling (beings that cannot exist in light and feed on human blood), that the Shifters ( the race of Darkling that Ciprian belonged to) would phase into when they killed too many while protecting, or if they went too long without their human senses. After a time they had to use their animalistic abilities to see and hear. Emotions are only felt during feedings and they could only see as huma through the eyes of their prey. There were rules. Like putting the human in trance before feeding so not to consume their fear. It got them high and was addictive. NEVER kill unless unavoidable. This was mostly impossible as they existed to hunt and kill evil humans and fallen Darklings. Each kill could be detrimental to a male without a mate. Darklings slept during the day and protected the humans during the night, from beings humans decided were lore. Humanity would have been wiped out a long time ago had they not been there watching and protecting. Most of the men in his day found their mate young. Right after puberty started. But for others, they would wait a life time. Or longer. Becoming cold, calculated killers. In limbo, closer to animals, like the cannibalistic Fear Eaters. Ciprian knew it would take time to find his mate. But years went by. Then decades. He became a master at sigils, spells, and safe guards. And like his father, he excelled at the hunt of the Fear Eaters. He went so long without finding his red angel, that he began to believe it was a trick of the Castling. Emotions left him. He became callous. Eventually the only thing he could feel was the high off a kill. He come so close to feeding without mercy. Without enchantment. He once heard Droden describe feeding on an alert woman as she was hysterical with absolute terror. He said that while he fed on her, the adrenaline laced fear caused him to feel for the first time since losing his senses. That through her he could feel the rush of terror; that it was most delicious high he ever felt. He said he even wept after. His energy was wasted trying to coax Valor and Ciprian into joining him. It became a dangerous game. Each time Ciprian had to kill a Fear Eater, a minion, or another race of demented Darkling, he would feel the turning. Valor and Ciprian swore blood oaths that if one began to seem more animal than human, the other would strike them down. When Ciprian and Valor could not find their mates, they did the only thing they could do, they chose to go to earth. It was rare to sleep under ground, but it was the only way to hold on longer. Ciprian was too afraid to seek the dawn. What if the red angel was out there? If he chose to end his life, she would be made to live alone, empty and vulnerable. He had no choice. One more kill would destroy him, so he became like the dead. Now he lay in open ground. He assessed his body. His slumber had been long. Hunger twisted his insides. He pushed the pain away. Something was different. He opened his eyes. Light danced on the ceiling of the cave. It hurt his eyes. He rose effortlessly from the earth. With a thought he was clean. He floated to the mouth of the cave over the black ocean crashing below. A red boat in the distance fought against the waves. He knew now, his soul had woken him. Ciprian's mate, was near!