Kysenia

1

Prologue

Kysenia Skadus was the head of her prestigious family known as the House of Shadow. Her name literally meaning shadow in old Gothic. She was a 100 year old vampire and with the strange and still unexplained death of her father due to poisoning she had been required to step up and become head of the family, only five years ago. This had meant a life of solitude behind constant security. Kysenia was stoic in her way of life, becoming distant and aloof, an ice queen some called her. However deep inside her heart she was sad, she hated her life – she felt unfulfilled.

Kysenia had then decided that she had had enough of the tedious daily routines of running the Skadus Family and with it the entire Vampire Nation – as the strongest family she was also head of the Vampire Alliance. It was all work and no play, humans fascinated her and she wanted to be able to interact with them more and do something where she could study them better. Although humans still didn’t know of the existence of vampires, most lived easily undetected amongst them.

Kysenia enrolled at a prestigious college for the elite, a collage known for being filled with dangerous and influential families. She had decided she wanted to procure a degree in Psychology. She loved human relation dynamics, they fascinated her, as did the human brain and how it worked – from a purely mental perspective.

Although her entire family had objected, especially her uncle who as her main advisor held no qualms about the fact that she should give the title of Head to him saying she was too young. But as long as she could keep everything in line and not fail in her duties no one could stop her from doing what she wanted, so they just had to deal with it.

Now into her third year, she was enjoying the experience, although still held apart from the other students…attending with a detail of security and not living on campus but an estate that was twenty minute drive away. Everyone assumed she was the daughter of a kingpin mafia boss or some such organised crime syndicate and she always wore the robes of her House. A flowing silk short kimono style robe that had a pattern of a dragon encircling a lotus flower on the back. It looked very oriental and led some to think she was Yakuza, but she wasn’t Japanese or even of any Asian descent, which showed obviously in her looks.

The faculty fawned over her as a very special student, who helped out mainly as a major patron. The other students, on the other hand, always kept a wide berth of her, no matter how famous or infamous their own status was or that of their parents were, although many male students and some female ones admired and lusted for her from afar.

Her waist long deep rich auburn hair and creamy flawless complexion with pale jade coloured eyes certainly made her stand out in a crowd, and the impeccable way she always dressed, she was known as the unattainable ten on campus. She tolerated no fools and had established in her first year at college a strict underground law that anyone caught bullying or fighting each other would not be tolerated, as there were a few rival gang families that sent their boys there. She just didn’t need to be near trouble, so she became to be on the student council…although she refused the top position due to her own work load, she didn’t mind helping out from time to time, especially financially, which made her a favourite when it came time to plan events.

All in all, Kysenia was now enjoying her life…as lonely as it still was…

Chapter 1

Things irrevocably changed for Kysenia the day she arrived on campus one morning and noticed a skirmish that was happening at the other end of the carpark. She had been driven in, in her black Bentley by her driver and as her minder stepped out of the car and held the back door open for her she heard the disturbance, looking up over the roof of the car as she straightened she saw a crowd gathering. She frowned, this was never a good way to start a day.

She walked over and noticed several people had gathered around and were watching one young man in bike leathers holding his helmet up high ready to bash it into the head of another young man that was lying on the ground. She noticed a car parked at a strange angle with its door open, the motorbike lying on the ground, the wheel still spinning.

“What’s going on here?” She asked, making the biker freeze then lower his arm with a scowl.

“He clipped me on my bike in his rush to get that parking space, the prick!” The biker yelled.

Kysenia looked up and around at the crowd of spectators. Her eyes settled momentarily on a new face.

He was tall, which was why he stood out, towering over the people standing in front of him. Lean, muscular looking…like he played sports, his bag tossed over his shoulder as he held the handles. He was talking to a couple of other guys who were obviously his friends. They seemed to be disagreeing about something. As her minders picked up the guy on the ground who was trying to say it wasn’t his fault, Kysenia pointed to the guy in the crowd.

“You there…”

He turned when his friends suddenly went quiet and looked scared for him. Kysenia had only been able to see his face side profile, but as he turned her eyes widened slightly. He was a gorgeous specimen. His unruly mahogany hair was tousled and unkempt, his jaw strong and features chiselled, but his eyes…they looked lazy but full of charisma, the unusual pale golden colour making them striking – bedroom eyes – Kysenia thought briefly.

He must be extremely popular on campus, funny I haven’t seen him before.

“Me?” He asked pointing to his chest.

“Did you see what happened?” She noticed his friends look away chagrined, they had obviously been trying to tell him not to get involved, but he had clearly wanted to say something.

The smile he gave her took her breath away, his pale pink lips were full and stretched perfectly over his teeth in a roguish, twisted sort of way. “Yeah, actually I did.” He said as he stepped through the crowd and confidently swaggered over, his bag still held over his shoulder.

“Good.” Kysenia smiled back, giving him a smile to match his own. She saw his eyes go wide and he stopped in his tracks as their eyes met. Kysenia’s lips lowered into a smirk. “And you are?”

“Ah…” He seemed to lose confidence under her scrutiny and became flustered. Kysenia raised an eyebrow…maybe not so good with the ladies after all, perhaps a bit shy.

“Daniel…Hampshire.”

“You’re a freshman?”

“Ah…yeah, just transferred two weeks ago and on a football scholarship.”

Kysenia smiled to herself - sporty, she had guessed correctly. She glanced at his friends who were all standing nervously, still in the crowd. Yes…sport’s bags…all of them, part of a team. She slid her eyes back to Daniel who, it amused her to see, was still intently watching her. She raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

“So can I get your name?” He asked as he saw her eyes come back to his with a questioning look.

Kysenia changed her mind again, maybe he is good with the ladies… “Kysenia.”

Daniel looked down at the ground, an amused smile twerked the edges of his lips. Kysenia watched his facial expressions enthralled.

“Well, Daniel, what happened here?”

“Ah…” He looked around, his forehead furrowed.

“Don’t fear repercussions….”

“Okay….no, I don’t…” Daniel frowned at her a moment and Kysenia wondered what had caused it. “Well biker boy here actually came screaming round the carpark and dived past the car as it was turning into the parking space…he clipped the front of the car.”

Kysenia smiled at him and she noticed him blush. She smiled wider, oh he blushes…how fine is he? then she frowned and looked away. Stop it, Kysenia…she shut down her emotions and looked away from him and so didn’t notice his sudden frown as he watched the expression on her face change.

“Thank you, you can go…everyone can go…” She turned to the biker, completely dismissing Daniel from her thoughts. “All except you.”

The biker suddenly looked terrified as a minder clamped a strong hand on his shoulder.

Daniel wondered about the change of expression on Kysenia’s face, he was about to say something when his friends grabbed him and hauled him away.

“Come on, man, let’s get out of here.”

“What…wait a minute...who is she?” He turned to ask his mate.

“Someone you don’t need to know…come on…”

“What do you mean…she’s…?” Daniel was looking back with a silly grin on his face.

“Yeah we know….but you don’t want to know her…there are plenty of other girls on campus.”

“Not like her…” Daniel laughed as his mates dragged him around the corner of a building.

“Christ’s sake mate.” His friend, Matt, said once they were away from the scene. “Look she’s dangerous…anyone with guards must be…and do you see that robe she wears…it’s some sort of official attire…she’s the head of some Family, you know…”

“What? Like mafia?” Daniel scoffed.

“That’s the rumor, you know there’s more than one mafia type family at this school.”

“Why’s she at college then?” Daniel asked somewhat dubiously, he never listened to mindless gossip.

“Doing some psychology degree apparently, so she can mind f**k people more than she does now…”

“Hmm.” Daniel snorted.

Matt gave him a strange look. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not listening to me?”

Daniel grinned and walked off towards the football field.

.