Thank you, LissaSue, for editing the story and your support!

***

Her eyes fluttered as she awoke in a darkened room, bright sunlight shining through the gaps in the blinds. The brilliant light blinded her, and she blinked a few times before managing to open her eyes fully. She looked around the room sleepily; it was unfamiliar to her. The room was classically decorated in light tones, oak furniture matching its peaceful air. She was in the middle of a canopy bed in the center of the room. Comfortably, she lay on the soft cushions with thick blankets covering her.

Her surroundings were completely silent; not even a ticking clock broke the stillness . The house was completely quiet for that matter. Had they left her alone? She heard no footsteps, no voices, music, or TV. Maybe she'd be able to get away unnoticed.

Straining to hear anything, she concentrated on her surroundings. There was something there; she heard two faint heartbeats somewhere below her. She was startled by a sudden rustling next to her, and scared, she tried to identify the source of the sound. Relieved, she realized it had been the curtains in front of the open window. She was still alone.

She tried to push herself up into sitting position, and grimaced at the pain that shot through her body as she moved. Everything hurt, badly. Swallowing the pain, she continued to push herself up. Annoyed, she found that one of her hands was limited in its movement by something, an IV-drip she discovered surprised.

She tried to make sense of her surroundings, and fear started seeping in as she tried to remember what had happened. She'd been in her cell, and it had been an exceptionally harsh day again. The blond man had used his knife; even the dark man had been present. The last thing she remembered was that he had ordered the blond man...

She cut off her own thoughts, disgusted by the memory. Still, that was the last thing she remembered before she had blacked out. Had he...?

Somehow she knew he hadn't, knew she had been protected by something, or someone, from him. And now she had to find out how she would get from this place and get somewhere safe. Breathing fast, she tried to contain the rising panic.

She looked suspiciously to the two doors; one in the middle of the long wall, farthest away from her and one in the corner near the windows. The last door looked like a door to a bathroom, no exit there most likely. The other one probably led to a hallway of some sort, also difficult. She'd try the opened window first.

She ignored the pain and overwhelming exhaustion, determined to escape. Carefully, she removed the blankets, revealing her skinny body. She was clad in short sleeved pajamas, bandages applied to the sites of her skin where the blond man had been exceptionally ruthless. She looked away from her body quickly, scared by the damage done to her, and started sliding to the edge of the bed. She'd tend to her body later.

The IV prevented her from moving any further across the bed. Tugging on the tube, she found it wouldn't come off. She sighed nervously; this would take too much time. Leaning against the headboard tiredly, she started picking at the tape that attached it firmly to her wrist. It took her a frustratingly long time, her fingers unwilling to do the job any faster. She monitored the door as she worked on her hand; she heard no signs of anyone approaching yet. Pulling off the strands of tape hastily, she finally reached the needle. Grimacing, she pulled it from her arm, ignoring the blood that started seeping from the puncture wound and ran down her hand.

Holding the bedpost, she pulled herself up, using the wall for support. She slowly walked to the window, breathing heavily from the exertion. If she could only reach the window then she could make her escape from there.

Frustrated, she realized she wouldn't make it even half way, her legs no longer able to carry her weight. She slumped to the floor, her back resting against the wall. She could no longer contain her panic and tears started flowing from her eyes. Now she finally had a chance to escape, her body refused her.

Angry and scared, she wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them tightly to her chest. Trying to tune out her surroundings, she felt the gently rocking warmth she had felt when oblivion had grabbed her. Focusing on the warmth radiating from the depths of her mind, she relaxed into the feeling. This was escape, too.

***

Dominic bounced up the stairs to the front door; he was in an excellent humor that morning. He entered the mansion and crossed the hallway to the kitchen. "Anything new from upstairs?" he asked as he entered Alexander's kitchen.

Alexander was standing at the counter, making himself a coffee. He looked in good humor, too. "She's not awake yet, but she's sleeping more soundly, fortunately. No longer broadcasting her nightmares, and hasn't tried to trash the house." He winked at his friend. "We stopped the antibiotics."

Dominic grabbed a cup from one of the cupboards and poured himself some coffee. Sipping it, he stood silently beside his friend, enjoying the drink from the luxurious coffee-maker. "That's good. Has she been awake already?"

Alexander shook his head. He'd been checking on the girl every hour since they had found her, but she had not even turned in her bed, her shallow breath the only indication she was still alive. That had made him quite edgy the first times he'd checked on her, but he'd gotten used to it now.

"Did you have any success with figuring out where she's from?"

"Not really, I've been searching both the human's and our archives, but I haven't found anything on her, or these kinds of powers. Also, no-one filed missing matches her description. I've put the secretary on it; she's a bulldog with these sorts of things. Did you manage to contact that friend of yours?"

"I did, but he couldn't tell me anything either. It's obvious she isn't human, but he also hadn't a clue what race she's from." Alexander frowned. "Mason has been missing since we found her, too. He'll probably be keeping a low profile as long as the police are investigating the fall-out at his company. But I haven't been able to find anything on his little project we have upstairs either."

Dominic nodded. "Let's just hope she'll be able to tell us something when she wakes up. I'm not looking forward to having Mason as my enemy." Staring at the wall, he suddenly smirked. "You've placed your glasses inside the cupboards instead of on the shelves?"

Alexander grimaced. "I've had to buy everything new twice this week, after our upstairs guest had a particularly unpleasant dream. I'm not looking forward to explaining to the salesman in town why I'm buying a third set in a week."

Dominic grinned. "You wanted to redecorate anyway." Just in time, he dodged Alexander's shoulder punch.

Alexander sighed as he heard the glasses rattle against each other in the cupboard, the house slightly shaking on its foundations. He could feel the rocking waves starting to rise in his body again. The girl was having a nightmare.

"I'm going to check on her," Alexander said as he walked from the kitchen.

"I'll take care of your coffee," Dominic teasingly called after him.

Alexander walked up the stairs to the first floor. He'd tuck the girl in again, usually that snapped her out of her bad dreams, and then he'd make himself some new coffee. He knew what Dominic's taking care of coffee meant.

Suddenly, the house started shaking more violently, the walls groaning from the strain placed on them. Alexander frowned as he felt the intensified sensations crashing through him. She hadn't dreamt this bad yet. With two big leaps he finished the stairs, jogging to the girl's door.

Entering her room, he halted with a start. Her bed was empty, and he smelled fresh blood. Had she been hurt while she was under his protection? Quickly he walked to the bed and heaved a relieved sigh as he saw her behind the bed, sitting on the floor unharmed. He corrected his thoughts, not more harmed than she already had been. She still was seriously ill. The scent of blood originated from the wound the ripped off iv-needle had caused, the drip now dangling aimlessly besides the bed.

He frowned as he took in her form. She was awake and in obvious distress, her arms folded around her knees tightly; the waves radiating from her shook his house on its fundaments and turned his insides upside down.

He knelt before her and tucked her hair gently behind her ears. Speaking softly, he tried to get her attention. "Hey, good morning. I'm glad you're finally awake. Don't worry. No-one will hurt you here."

She cringed away from his touch, only getting more terrified from the situation around her. The energy she exuded intensified at his words, and Alexander heard one of the windows downstairs shatter, illustrating her fear. His face was tense. This was a lot worse than the energy she had projected earlier; releasing her would probably safer for his house.

Taking a step from her, he gave her more room to breathe. He was right, the house stopped shaking immediately and the girl seemed a little less terrified. The scent of blood distracted him, and made it more difficult to concentrate on moving slowly and reassuringly. He'd patch up the bleeding wound first and try again after that.

The scent tickled his nose and made his mouth water, not a good thing if he wanted to try to calm a girl that could trash his house. He got up and retrieved a bandage from the first aid kit on the commode, returning with it quickly.

He got on his knees in front of the girl again, and introduced his actions this time. "Girl, you are bleeding from your hand. I'm going to put a bandage on it, so don't be scared when I touch you."

Slowly, he took hold of her left hand. He firmly pressed the wound with the bandage and attached it with some medical tape. The girl managed to curl up even more but the rocking waves did not intensify. That was something at least.

Alexander was at loss with what to do with her for a moment. She was too weak to walk to the bed herself, and she obviously was terrified of anything that came near her; however, he couldn't just leave her on the ground like that.

"I think it's better if you go back to the bed again. You are still very weak after everything that happened," he said kindly. "Are you strong enough to get to the bed?" She remained motionless against the wall, unresponsive to his question.

She didn't look like she'd be able to get back to the bed herself, shivering from the cold although he'd turned up the radiator in her room to maximum. "I'm going to help you back to the bed now. I'm going to lift you with one hand around your back and one under your legs, so don't be afraid." He gave her a moment to let the words sink in, and then moved to her. "Here they come."

He moved slowly back to the girl, putting his arms around her. With a swift movement, he lifted her from the floor and brought her to the bed. She was really cold. He covered her with the blankets, leaving only her head visible. As soon as she was back in the bed, the waves faded away, her frame no longer tense. She looked exhausted.

"Get some sleep. I'll wake you in an hour and get you some food." He doubted his words reached her; she looked like she was unconscious again already. Alexander started walking to the door. Now she'd awaken, he'd make sure she'd gain weight and strength fast.

A hardly discernable "Thank you" made him halt with a start. The girl was in the bed, staring at the sheets uncertainly.

A smile spread on his face. "You're welcome," he answered, and turned for the door, the girl now really off to dreamland.

In the kitchen, he walked into Dominic who was pacing the room, a worried expression on his face. "Man, I was afraid she'd killed you, and I'd have to pull your body from her talons. You're still in one piece?"

Alexander grinned. "Barely, but she's awake, and she even spoke. Two words, still some progress to make there," he smiled, "but quite an improvement to her comatose state."

Dominic looked surprised.

"Hmm, good for her."

He waved his hand to the door that connected the kitchen to the dining room. "I took the liberty of calling someone to fix the dining room window."

"Thanks. Any other casualties?"

Dominic grinned. "You'll need new coffee cups."

Alexander sighed, a third trip to the store it was. But first, he'd get the girl some food. He had done some grocery shopping, buying food for her. He'd start with some fruit and bread and see how she'd take that. Maybe he'd get her some soup or porridge too, but first things first, he needed a new coffee.

***

He could no longer contain his anger. The whining of the girl behind him on the bed already grated his nerves, and now this incompetent idiot before him still had not finished his job. Angry, his fist collided with the man's head with an audible thud. Unable to keep his balance, the man slumped to the floor, blood trickling down his cheek from where he had been hit.

Trying to contain his fury, he hit the wall several times, leaving angry dents in the concrete. The girl yelped but he ignored her. He imagined he cooled his anger on the man that sat before him, the man he could not kill yet; this useless man that could not even track a severely wounded girl.

Massaging his temples with his hands, he managed to speak calmly. "I wanted that girl found last week. I wanted her found before she even got away! She cannot be allowed to escape my project." Sucking in another breath to calm himself, he continued. "I want you to track the traces you have found and capture her. You have one week to find her. You know I do not tolerate failure."

The man sat before him, his head bowed. He made no move to get up.

He kicked him in his stomach. "Go find her!" he shouted, shoving the man towards the door. He really had to spell out everything here.

The man scrambled from the floor and darted through the door. At least the message was clear now.

He turned to the girl on the bed in the corner of the room. He'd just been getting familiar with her when that stupid cunt had interrupted their introductions.

He locked the door and walked to the bed. She shied away to the back of the room, her eyes darting wildly from side to side. "Let's see, where were we?" he said, smiling menacingly at her. "Ah yes, I was going to fuck you."

Suddenly, he stood in front of her, moving too fast for her human eyes. He grabbed her wrists and shoved her back on the bed, landing on top her. She screamed and tried to fight him off, but he easily restrained her. With one hand he held her arms above her head, ripping her clothes off with his other hand.

Her screaming annoyed him. He smacked her in the face, not too hard, she really was a delicate little thing, and told her to shut up. It took some smacks before she figured out what he meant, humans really were too stupid to breath, but finally she got the message. Her screams changed into hysteric sobs, annoying too, but more easily ignored.

He roamed her naked body with his eyes, molding her breasts with his free hand. She had small firm tits, he kind of liked that. Moving down he bit a nipple, eliciting a yelp from the trembling girl. She tasted exquisite; at last, something his mindless employees did right. He felt his cock harden in his pants. He'd enjoy her.

Trailing his hand over her stomach, he continued south to her sex. Sliding a finger in her cunt, he felt her dry warmth. She was very tight, virgin probably. Not for long, he smirkingly thought, releasing his now fully erect cock.

Positioning himself between her legs, he hit the girl again. She looked at him panic stricken, begging him with her eyes. "I'm going to fuck you now, girl. Don't worry, it will be over soon." Probably too soon for her taste, he thought.

He concentrated on his stiff member between the girl thighs and pushed at her entrance. He felt her stiffen beneath him, and plunged his cock into her virgin cunt in one swift stroke. The girl screamed and started trashing even more. Oh, how he loved virgins.

He pulled his cock from her and she relaxed somewhat. Stupid girl. He thrust himself inside her again immediately, impaling her fully. It was delicious, her virgin pussy clamped around his cock, caressing his manhood.

He settled in a steady rhythm, fucking her hard and deep and felt his lust rise as he took her. He kept looking at his cock as it disappeared rhythmically in the girl's cunt, accompanied by her screams every time he plunged into her. He felt his orgasm rising and concentrated on the approaching bliss.

The world went completely silent as he reached his peak, stars dancing before his eyes. Thrusting in her one last time, he kept himself seated in her depth and moved his mouth over her throat, his bloodlust no longer containable. He bit down on the girl's neck and drank her blood, draining her virgin blood.

How delicious she tasted. How hard she made him. His cock jumped as it spurted its seed in the girl, her walls milking him. Riding the waves of his orgasm, he continued sucking at her throat, moving his cock in short thrusts in the girl's dryness. He felt like it would never end, the bliss sending him to peak after peak.

But it did end, and always too soon. Exhausted, he slumped over the girl, not bothering to pull himself from her.

The girl lay silently beneath him, staring at the wall. Dead, he observed when he took a good look at her. That really was a shame; he had really enjoyed her pussy and had wanted to fuck her another time. She'd still had two holes he had not used yet.

He shrugged his shoulders. He'd have to find a new girl to fuck. All pussies were warm.

***

She awoke to the sound of the door opening. The man who had carried her to the bed earlier entered the room. Looking at him intently as he walked across the room to her bed, she noticed a tray with food and something to drink in his arms. He smiled warmly at her, and she propped herself up against the headboard.

He was an extremely handsome man in his late twenties; unearthly handsome. Even in her weakened, food-deprived state she could appreciate that. He was tall and muscular, a body like a Greek god. He wore his hair half-long, the blond locks dancing around his expressive face. He really was someone that could make teenage girls swoon.

Taking a seat on the side of the bed, he started to prepare the food on the tray. It looked delicious. He had brought various fruits, breads, and even some kind of thick soup. Her stomach was screaming for it. The plate only distracted her briefly from his features though. Fear and curiosity were battling each other in her mind, could she trust him?

She did not feel entirely comfortable with the man. He had acted kind and reassured her, but she sensed he was powerful. He had the same aura over him as the dark man in her cell; an air of immeasurable strength and danger. But the dark man also had felt malevolent, whereas the man across from her felt the contrary. Suddenly, she realized she recognized him.

"You are Alexander De L'Ile," she said hesitatingly, looking away from him while nervously twisting her fingers.

"Yes," Alexander answered, surprised. "What is your name?"

She felt like he had slapped her. Something snapped. Before he even had finished the sentence, panic overwhelmed her, tears running down her cheeks. Her eyes darted to the door, and she cringed away to the other side of the bed.

Alexander looked stunned. Was it something he'd done?

She measured the distance to the door, but she would never be able to outrun him. Sobbingly, she started pleading, "I don't know, I told them everything, really, I don't know, I don't know." Shaking her head she started begging him, "Please, please, don't hurt me, I really don't know, please, please, please, please, I don't know." Her voice broke, and the words got lost in her sobs.
Alexander reacted instinctively, wrapping his arms around the shaking girl. "Shhh, don't worry. It's okay." He stroked her back reassuringly, murmuring soothing words into her ear. "No-one will hurt you, I'll protect you. You're safe here." He continued reassuring the sobbing girl, rocking her in his arms.

His strong arms did not move to hurt her; they actually felt good, protective and warm. She felt the fear lessen, and allowed herself to relax in his arms, sucking in deep breaths. When she was breathing evenly again, he released her, wiping her hair from her face.

"That's better. You're safe here," he said, smiling. "If you don't know something, or don't want to answer me, that's okay. I won't hurt you." The girl looked skeptical. Alexander saw the denial in her face. They'd have to work on that, he thought. First, she needed food, desperately. She looked like gravity alone could break her.

"Now, let's get you something to eat." He handed her a fork and put the plate in her lap.

The food distracted her from the panic she had felt just moments ago. She took a bite, her eyes glazing over as she tucked the piece in her mouth. It was delicious. She couldn't remember when she had her last meal, when she hadn't been hungry.

It was also exhausting. After a few bites, her arm felt heavy, and she found it difficult to direct the fork back to her mouth. Alexander took it from her, helping her finish her plate. He smiled as she drifted away to sleep again before she had even finished her last bites, some color on her cheeks for the first time in weeks.

He tucked the girl in, taking the tray with him. She finally was on the mend.

***

A delicious scent of freshly cooked food drifted in the room and she felt her stomach rumble in anticipation. She frowned as she wondered how she could get some of the mouthwatering meal. As she debated whether she'd try to get out of the bed again, the door opened sending a new delicious wave into the room.

Alexander walked in carrying the source of the scent. She looked at it eagerly, ready to devour the meal he held in his hands.

He smiled at her expression. The girl was clearly in better shape than she had been this morning when she had had her first meal in weeks. He gave her the plate and she attacked the food immediately. She was doing much better than he had expected, he thought as he took a seat beside the bed.

She devoured the meal in record time and he worried briefly whether her stomach would handle it. Before he could warn her though, she'd already made the food disappear like magic. She smiled at him hesitantly, looking away quickly when he smiled back.

He was surprised at the progress she was making. This morning she still was too weak to even carry a fork, but now, she looked like she'd be able to get out bed for a few minutes.

But he decided it was time to talk first. "I think we still have not been properly introduced," he said smiling.

The girl looked away tensely and ignored his words, staring at the wall. She'd hoped to escape the house before he'd get the chance to talk to her. Although he had been kind up to this point, that did not mean she wanted anything to do with him.

Alexander ignored the fact that the girl looked like she was trying to tune him out. She'd have to learn to trust him. "I am Alexander De L'Ile, as you already found out this morning. Together with Dominic Orion, I lead the Rivers Company, and I've been living in the city for quite some time now."

"Thirteen days ago, Dominic and I found you at a business complex at the Northern border of the city. You were unconscious and heavily wounded, and we decided to take you with us; although..." hesitating, he paused for a moment, "although we thought you would not make it."

Alexander looked at the girl uncomfortably. He had argued quite a lot with Dominic, and they still were not sure whether it had been a good idea; especially after she had started to broadcast house-trashing waves. The girl didn't seem to notice though. She was still staring at the wall, not even blinking her eyes.

"I'd like to talk to you about how we found you, but before we get to that, we've got to find a solution about what to call you." From what had happened that morning, he'd expected a reaction by now, but she was still staring at the wall as if it was a piece of art. It was an exquisitely beautiful wall of course, he'd painted it himself, but was she even listening to him?

"From how you reacted this morning when I asked you your name, I think your name has something to do with why we found you heavily wounded two weeks ago." The girl tensed at his words. At least she heard him, he thought; although she obviously didn't like where he was going.

He saw her eyes dart to the door and wondered whether she'd make a run for it. She looked stubborn enough to try it in her condition. Hell, she had already tried it in even far worse shape this morning. Alexander smiled to himself. Stubborn was a good word to describe her; stubborn to escape, stubborn to ignore him, stubborn to live.

Dragging himself from his thoughts, he figured he needed to reassure her fast before she'd start breaking more windows. "I won't bring that up again, but I do want a name to call you." He quickly added, "Sensing that you don't really have one, I have a proposition to make."

She looked at him suspiciously. He sat across from her calmly, a patient look on his face. He didn't look like he had anything up his sleeve, but still. Suddenly, she started to get angry, angry at him, angry at her body, and at the situation. She didn't want to be so dependant, so weak.

She measured the distance to the door again. It didn't look very far.

The man across from her didn't seem to notice, or didn't care, he just continued his monologue. "I've been thinking about what to call you, and I think that 'girl', 'hey you' or 'uhm' will not suffice."

Her head snapped to his side, and she looked at him surprised before containing her emotions. That was unexpected. She looked at him calculatingly. After some moments, she just shrugged, reluctantly admitting to herself she couldn't argue with him on that. But where was this going?

Alexander smiled at her now that he finally had her attention. "In archaeology, newly found treasures are named after the excavation site. We found you in an area of the city called Ravenna," he said while he regarded the obvious doubt on her face. How would she react?

"How would you feel if we named you after that?"

She looked at him stunned, unable to say anything for some moments. This gorgeous and kind man wanted to call her Ravenna? To give her a name?

A dozen emotions ranging from fear, to anger, and surprise crossed her face, but Alexander also thought he saw flashes of pride and pleasure. She settled on hesitancy, her anger completely forgotten.

"Ravenna?" Her voice trembled, it sounded like she was trying to contain her tears.

He nodded. "It's a beautiful name that has great significance in Roman ancient history. I think it suits you. But if you don't like it we can find another one of course..."

"I like Ravenna," she answered in a small voice. She didn't like it, she loved it. She did not remember ever having a name, something to call herself. This adopted name would be hers. She felt pride warm her insides, and gratefully she gave a nod to Alexander.

He smiled at the positive reaction. He had not expected her to respond this positive. "Good. That's settled then."

It looked like it was time for sleep again. She was obviously fighting her sleep, her eyelids already drooping. "Get some sleep. You look tired. We'll talk again later." She nodded sleepily and watched Alexander get up and open the door to the hallway.

He turned to her in the doorway. "Good night, Ravenna," he said, closing the door behind him.

She smiled.

***