Reminiscence {Book Two of the Vengeance Trilogy}

Chapter One: A Change In Perspective

*Danny*

After months of being away from her, it was strange to see her standing only a few meters away from me. Caroline was there in Finnegan's Cafe, minding her own business and going about her day like there was nothing different from any of the others that she had experienced before this one. She was not aware of the danger that surrounded her, but I bet she still smiled every damn day. All the while, Elliot and the sad excuse for a pack of vampires were trying to keep her protected from the absolute asshole that was trying to change her and take her life away from her. Caroline didn't remember any of us, but we still protected her with everything we had.

There were a lot of things that I didn't agree with Emmet on and this was no different. Although Emmet could see into the future, I knew that the future is always subject to change. Still, I could see why the others would take his side over mine. Besides the fact that everyone liked Emmet more than they liked me, the Romanian Council would have eventually noticed Caroline with everything going on in the wonderful world of vampires. They would take one look at Caroline and Elliot and most likely kill them both. Elliot knows that one day he will have to turn her if he wants to be with her, but he doesn't like to talk about it. I know that even if he turns her the council still might want to have a word or two with them.

As unassuming as she may seem, Caroline supposedly has this power that could destroy the world as we know it, vampire and mortal. Every vampire had their perk and no matter how powerful that perk was, the council never worried that they wouldn't be able to defend themselves against an uprising, but rumors spread around Romania quickly and people knew that there was a girl in Dublin who could demolish centuries of secrecy. The balance between humans and vampires would be completely obliterated, which could end very, very badly. Elliot wouldn't even tell me what her power is, which is really saying something. Then again, I guess I am not the best person to share secrets with. Still, I knew Caroline would never intentionally hurt anyone, but Tom had his ways of getting whatever he wanted.

Right off the bat I knew that Tom would be a pain in my side until the day that I finally took care of him and burned him alive. His father killed my Aunt Aileen and Uncle Daley, who acted more like my parents than my real parents ever did. Tom and his father took them away from Elliot and me. Elliot would never agree with me, but it hurt me just as much as it had hurt him. They became more than just my aunt and uncle to me. I had been close with my Aunt Aileen before she was turned. Once I was turned she and my uncle took me in and from then on we were a little family of misfits. My Uncle Daley even made me swear on my life that if anything were to happen to them, then I would watch over Elliot and make sure that he was safe.

Well, after a while I screwed that up too. I left the pack about a year and a half after their death.. I tried taking Elliot with me, but he wasn't too happy with the idea of leaving. Something about fulfilling his place in the pack like his parents would have wanted, but I wasn't about to stick around with a psychopath. I went everywhere I could. I traveled all of Ireland, lived in Romania for a while, but no matter where I went, I couldn't escape. The guilt was eating me alive every single day that I was away from Elliot. This is why I do not make promises.

Tom was making the kid's life hell. He pressured him into giving into the natural thirst and before I knew it, he was murdering five people a day. I began hearing about the O'Brian boy going bad and I knew that I had to return. By the time I got back to Dublin, Elliot had killed up to thirty people or so, leaving it up to me and his mop head friend, Collin, to get him off of thirst, which took a good year or so. While living in Romania, I worked for an old woman who lived in the city and helped others learn to resist the natural thirst, so seeing the symptoms of withdrawal was nothing new for me. It was when he relapsed that I couldn't handle it. I remembered him falling into my arms, sobbing covered in a young woman's blood just apologizing over and over again.