Author: Ronnie Massey
Date: 2011-04-28 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Lesbian; Urban Fantasy; Lgbt; Romance; Paranormal; Vampires; Fantasy; Fae; Lesbian Romance; Paranormal Romance
Description: When vampire Valeria Trumaine comes home one morning to find her father waiting for her, she knows she's about to get trouble in spades. But she never imagined it would come in the form of her ex-fiance. Now she must confront old demons and face new possibilities as she struggles to bring the rouge vampire to justice. After she left him, Valeria avoided Tristan like the plague, but now that he's gone rogue, she's going to have to utilize every thing she's learned as a sentinel to find him. Finding Tristan proves to be more dangerous than anyone realized. He's changed in ways that go against na

CRIMSON DAWN

By Ronnie Massey

Copperhill Media
A division of Copperhill TEchnologies Corporation
http://www.copperhillmedia.com

CRIMSON DAWN

By Ronnie Massey

Published by

Copperhill Media

A Division of Copperhill Technologies Corporation

158 Log Plain Road

Greenfield, MA 01301

USA

Copyright © 2011 by Ronnie Massey.

Cover Design by Copperhill Media
Image: Red Moon Rising

Copyright: Crossvalley Design – Martin Schmidt

Disclaimer: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblances to real persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher.

ISBN-10: 0-9832800-3-7

ISBN-13: 978-0-9832800-3-3

Printed in the United States of America

http://www.copperhillmedia.com

DEDICATION

First, giving honor to God, I want to thank you Father for the many blessings that you have given me. I know than none of this would be possible without the creativity that you saw fit to bestow upon me.

To my wonderful mother who raised six kids and made sure all of us got an education; because of you I have a deep love of literature and the arts. I love you Mama, and want nothing more than for you to be proud of me. To my two daughters, Maya and Malia. I know there are times when you want to take my laptop and throw it out of the window, but both of you are so understanding when it comes to my writing. Everything that I do, I do for the two of you. I love you so much.

My brother Allen and sisters LeAnna, Nicole, Shonda and Cheryl; you guys always encourage me and give me whatever I need to make my dreams reality; be it an editor, a babysitter or an ear to listen to a new poem or song. I love you guys very much. T, Dre and Bree; Aunt Ronnie loves you babies. Lena, you are more of a sister than a cousin. Jenna B,. you graduated from being my best friend to my sister years ago. You are always there when I need you. Daddy, I love you. Thank you everyone and I love you all.

When I started writing Crimson Dawn over four years ago, I never imagined that it would actually be on a bookshelf someday. My only intention was to write a vampire story with characters that reflected me. If it wasn’t for my wonderful Wattpad.com fans, I would have never begun to seek publication. So thank you, Lyssa S., Foxxy89, Tracie S., Onfire, Obsidianbutterly13, and so many more; you guys are the reason I finished it. I also want to thank the fabulous romance author Tressie Lockwood, who encouraged me to begin querying again. Receiving rejection letters is not fun, and without your encouragement I would have given up.

Thank you, Mr. Wilfried Voss, for presenting me with the opportunity to share my work with the world. Ms. Yolanda Campbell, thank you for the edits and helping perfect Crimson Dawn. Mr. Martin Schmidt a.k.a. Crossvalley Smith, thank you so much for allowing me to use Red Moon Rising for the cover. You are insanely talented. B. Steady, thank you so much for the use of Autumn. That song suits Val and Irulan so well. You and A.O. are going to blow up and you deserve it. Everyone be sure to check out The Lost Bois on Facebook and Thelostbois.com.

I hope everyone that reads Crimson Dawn falls in love with the characters the way that I have. Also head over to YouTube and listen to Autumn by B. Steady, it is Val and Irulan’s theme song! Till next time…

Ronnie

CHAPTER ONE

Crunch! I looked down at the broken glass under my foot and took a quick glance back at the sleeping man sprawled across the bed. Good - still asleep. The last thing I needed was for Michael... Mitch... Matthew... whatever his name is, to wake up while I was trying to make a smooth getaway before the sun got too high in the sky.

While the night before had proved to be very entertaining for us both, I wasn't looking for anything beyond a one-night stand. As my luck would have it, I picked a guy that liked to cuddle after sex and actually talk about his feelings, most involving us getting to know each other better. Yeah - I'll pass. While the sex was good, I had my doubts that it was worth all this. Now I know that may sound rather whorish, but most Vampires don't see promiscuity as such a terrible thing. Pain and pleasure go hand in hand for us; they increase our chances of having successful feedings. Humans don't tend to take a few missing pints so bad if they've had an incredible night of sex the night before.

Maintaining anonymity does matter. To make sure I kept my own, I placed a few mental blocks in said cuddle bunny's mind, (i.e. Glamour). I hate messing with people’s heads, but it was the only way to make sure he wouldn't show up at my favorite Extras club, The Den, looking for me later. The next time he saw me he would vaguely remember some chick he thought he went to high school with. The blocks wouldn't mean shit though if I couldn't get out of the house without accidentally waking him. I'd go from last night's thrill to trespassing burglar - Not high on my 'to do' list.

Fortunately, with a little burst of vamp speed I was out of the house and into my car in a matter of seconds, kicking myself the entire way for carelessly knocking over the glass in the first place. As soon as I slid into my leather seat and shut the door, my cell phone started to ring. I didn’t even have to look down to know that it was my roommate Irulan. She was the only person that would have the gall to call me in the morning when any decent Vampire was safely in bed. "Yeah, this is Val, talk.”

Irulan huffed on the other end. I could almost see her green eyes rolling with aggravation. "Valeria, you've really got to work on your phone etiquette. You have all the social graces of a sloth.”

I shrugged my shoulders despite the fact that she couldn’t see them, and pulled my burgundy Fusion into traffic. "I knew it was you Ire, so why bother with the pleasantries?"

Instead of the snappy comeback I expected, I heard nothing but silence. Irulan was taking entirely too long to answer. On top of that, she covered the phone with her hand and lowered her voice to a whisper. God, I hoped she didn't have some girl in the bed with her while she was fussing at me. The last thing I needed was for her to be berating me in front of her flavor of the week.

"Gee thanks,” she said when she finally decided to respond, “You really know how to make a girl feel special. I was just calling to make sure you were awake, and on the way home. It's getting close to eight. I know you're Pureblood and all, but you're still young in vamp years. You need to be in before the sun gets too high in the sky."

"Nah, Ma, you think?” I rolled my eyes at the phone and silently cursed. No matter how many times I make it home before the sun completely rises, she never lets me forget the one time that I didn't. To be honest, I think it scared her more than it scared me. I got off relatively easy... just a three-month long tan after the initial burns healed. I've seen other Vampires my age take a few years to heal similar sun damage. Our bodies heal almost instantly, from almost everything except sun damage. Granted, their blood might not have been as pure as my own.

"I'm already in the car and headed home on Tyvola. I'll see you in ten minutes.” Irulan was obviously satisfied with my answer because she hung up without saying goodbye. Now who needed lessons in phone etiquette?

I live in the southern United States, Charlotte, North Carolina to be precise. Charlotte became one of the "it" destination for Extras after the Awakening. The city was large enough to support us and allow us to blend in, yet small enough and deep enough in the south that the Humans here hadn't lost their belief in all things otherworldly. They weren't quite as jaded as the rest of North America, thus, they were a little more welcoming.

So much so that there are at least four suburbs here aimed strictly at Extras. Irulan and I lived in one called Emerald City. Yeah, I know the name is cheesy, but I didn't name the place, I just live there. The last time I checked the census we were the fastest growing minority in Charlotte.

*****

I made it home to our converted storefronts just as the sun was starting to peek out over the second floor, excellent timing in my book. Irulan didn't share the feeling. The moment I pulled in through the back of our building and slid my car into the parking bay she was pounding on the window.

"Damn it, Valeria, one of these days your car's gonna roll in here with a pile of ashes behind the wheel.” Irulan yanked open my door and shoved her hand into the pockets of the low-rider jeans that she wore. She stood there tapping one foot, as she waited none too patiently for me to get out of the car. By the gods, she fusses more than my mother ever did when I lived at home.

"Hi honey, I'm home,” I laughed as I eased out of the car and kissed my best friend on her nose. In return, she cracked the glass of my window slamming the door shut. OK. , no way did I deserve that, something was not right with this picture. "What's going on Ire, did I do something..."

Irulan crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at her feet. She was nervous. Aw hell, something was wrong. It took a lot to shake one of the Sidhe. Faint footsteps fell on the concrete behind us, and a familiar aura stole over me. I knew without looking that it was my brother Valerian.

A huge smile blossomed lighting up my face, but it fell the instant I turned around. Beside Valerian stood our father, Hadrian Kemet Trumaine. Could my morning get any better?

Before I go any further, let me tell you a few things about myself. My name is Valeria Dominique Trumaine, and I'm a ninety eight-year-old Pureblood Vampire. In Vampire years, I'm still relatively young, between twenty-five and twenty-seven by Human standards. Personally, I don't think I look a day over twenty-three.

I stand five feet, eight inches, have jet-black hair, with new burgundy streaks, that hangs just below my shoulders, and the most unusual eyes you'll ever find on a woman. They're ice blue with silver pupils. Unlike the more common dead-born Vampires, my skin isn't pasty and pale. My skin is a smooth, café au lait tone. When I say that I am a Pureblood, I mean that I was born a Vampire: I never had to go through a "turning.”

There are about twenty Vampire families in the world, six of which are in America. The top five in the world are the oldest and most powerful. Standing, in Vampire politics, is the common way to refer to a family. My family is The Fourth. The Trumaine family, as the world knows it today, started in Africa with my great-grandfather Kemet. No, contrary to popular belief, Vampires didn't originate in Transylvania, just the Tempest family. My brothers and I are actually members of The Fifth. Also, our mother Anya is a Gregory by birth.

I have two older brothers and one younger one, but only by ten minutes. Valerian Donatello Trumaine, Vedo, is my twin and, at the moment, he looked about as happy as Irulan did. That meant he was here in a working capacity. Valerian is a junior vice president and chief counselor in the legal division at Trumaine Enterprises. My father was also grooming him for a spot on the Vampire Council.

I wasn’t on our company’s payroll, so that meant they were here for the latter, which wasn’t any better. I was tired and didn't need any Council drama at this time of the morning. All I wanted was sleep, but my father’s presence pretty much guaranteed I was about to get drama in spades.

I shook off my surprise and went to give my father a hug, but he caught my face in his hand and twisted it from side to side. "You've been away from your family too long, Valeria. You're not feeding enough, your face looks thinner every time I lay eyes on you, and what did you do to your hair?"

Here we go with this shit again. "I love you too, father, and you'll be pleased to know that I just got through eating. As for my hair, Ire put a few burgundy streaks in it for me. You like 'em?” I twirled a strand of dark tresses on my finger as I looked up at him with a sideways grin. He dropped my face, stepped closer to me and leaned into my neck drawing in a deep breath.

My eyes fluttered closed as my father's aura washed over me causing my fangs to drop. How I hated the power he had over me. Unless a Pureblood is close to starving, it's damn near impossible to draw out our feral side against our will. Father could do it to us all, and he made sure we never forgot it.

When he looked up, both our eyes had become entirely black. He straightened his black silk tie, smoothly running his hand down the tie so that it lay flat against the grey silk of his shirt. I knew that motion. He was trying to control his emotions. Once the tie was perfectly in place, he looked at me and frowned, his disappointment evident. "I only smell Human blood running through your veins. You've been on your own five years now, more than enough time to strengthen yourself by feeding from a lower class."

It was an old argument and, frankly, one that I was so far beyond tired of hearing, that I didn’t even have the gumption to get mad. I simply sighed and shook my head. "Daddy, please, I've told you I want my blood to strengthen on its own. I don't want to take any more shortcuts. You should be proud of me for that."

My father’s eyes narrowed as he looked from me to my brother, also another old tactic. One would think he’d get tired of using it against me. He was constantly trying to get Valerian to side with him whenever we had a disagreement, but it was no use, my twin wouldn’t turn against me. He wouldn’t exactly side with me either. He didn’t have the balls to stand up to daddy. As far Valerian was concerned, he was neutral territory.

Vedo shrugged his shoulders and quickly put his back to the both of us. My father growled and sucked his teeth. "I can't take pride in weakness,” he finally huffed. “You're a Trumaine, my only daughter, and I expect you to live up to what that means. Trumaines aren't weak.”

The last time I checked I could toss a Caddy about a hundred feet. I didn't think that classified me as weak, but anyway... I threw my hands up in defeat and pushed past my father making my way up the few metal stairs that separated the garage and gym area from the living space. "Whatever! Listen, if the only reason the two of you came was to browbeat me about my grooming and eating habits, while it's been real, I have to wind down, so I can get some sleep. I'm on duty tonight."

I shed my shoes and socks the minute my feet hit the carpet of the living room and plopped down on the couch hoping they wouldn't follow me.

I had no such luck. My brother flashed by me and snatched the remote from the nearby table with his free hand, before I could turn on the TV. "Valeria, you know the both of us wouldn't show up here together if it weren't important.” He tossed my remote across the room and onto the metal framed recliner that sat in the corner. He opened his saddlebag and began rifling through it, flipping papers out of the way, as he looked for something. “There are a few matters that are going to be brought to your attention when you go in to work,” he said as he continued his quest. Work, in my case, was a position as a Sentinel within the Center for Multi-Species or CMS for short. In laymen's terms, I was a cop for the Extras community and an executioner when need be.

When he’d found what he was searching for, Valerian frowned as he dropped a black folder into my lap. "We need you to go over this information before your shift. It's about a kill order you're going to be issued."

I cut my eyes towards my father as I sliced the file open with the tip of a nail. I flipped through five or six pictures and glanced at the collection of personal information. "I get kill orders all the time, and it's never interested you before, why now?” I looked up at my father. If it was so important, I wanted to hear the answer from him.

"Take a look at the last picture, Valeria. I'm sure you'll recognize the mark.” I flipped to the end of the pile of papers and drew out a picture. Shit, staring back at me was the black haired, brown-eyed face of a man I had known intimately. It was Tristan Meriwether, my former fiancé, son of this region's Master Vampire, Thomas Meriwether, and grandson to Council Member, Eric Meriwether.

"This can't be right, Daddy. No way is Thomas going to allow this kill order to go through. He'll have it shut down before I even make it in tonight.” I dropped the pictures back into the file and tossed it at my father.

Valerian dropped an Atlanta, Georgia newspaper into my lap, followed by a copy of Newsweek, The New York Times and an issue of the Charlotte Observer. "I'm afraid it's out of the Master’s influence within the CMS already. The situation has gone national."

Across all four were pictures of Tristan with headlines ranging from, “Vampire From Prominent Family Goes Rogue, Who's Next?" to "Are We Really Safe With Extras Among Us?"

“Double shit! This is far from good publicity. As far as the Human view of Extras is concerned, a situation like this could set us back twenty years or more.”

My father nodded, "Which is why I want you to carry out your duties to the best of your abilities. Tristan is marked. His actions have forgone any trial he may have been entitled to within the CMS's legal system. I want his death to be fast but non-brutal. There’s got to be a body to turn in so the public can be assured that we Vampires will not tolerate rogue behavior no matter who the perpetrator may be."

My father was happy about this kill order which meant this was gonna go bad for me, "Uh-uh, No! There’s more to it. You wouldn't show up here to discuss a kill order, no matter who the mark was. Tell me what's going on and how far up shit creek this is gonna land me."

I looked into my father’s pale blue eyes so like Valerian’s and felt a shiver run down my spine. "That's my girl, look past the obvious, and learn to read your adversaries. It was always harder to get things past you."

"Don't flatter me, Father. I know you, that's all.” I turned to my brother. He could never deny me anything I wanted. "Now please, Valerian, tell me what's going on.” I was growing tired of the bullshit damned quickly.

Valerian looked to our father and got his nod of approval before he continued. "You're right to assume Thomas and certain members of the Council don't support this kill. They'll be contacting you later with instructions to spare Tristan's life. Eric expects you to follow his instructions to the letter."

Duh, of course he did. "Exactly how am I supposed to do that? The media's made the Human population aware of the situation. They'll expect us to act swiftly and decisively, or this is gonna end badly for all Extras."

My father smiled, "Which is why I don't want you to deviate from your superior's orders. No one is above the law. Young Meriwether must be eliminated for the safety of the masses."

Saints preserve me. "That's going to put me at direct odds with the High Council. Do you know what they'll do to me, Father? My lifeblood..."

My father's eyes blacked out, and his facial features shifted for a brief moment, a sign of a loss of control. "No one on that Council will lay so much as a finger on you. Eric is one member. He can't speak for them all. Don't forget my grandfather Kemet is responsible for many of the charters that are in place today.”

He scowled and continued, "As for Thomas, he may be Master but I am the elder and more powerful between the two of us. He sits in his seat because of his father, not because he earned it."

Valerian's thoughts crept into my head. "Father thinks it's time for new leadership. This is the perfect opportunity for him to prove Thomas' incapability. Just play the dutiful daughter role, Val, one more time. No matter how ambitious he is, he's our father. He loves you and would never put you into a situation he didn't think you could handle."

Valerian shrugged as my father leaned towards me and gave me a kiss on the forehead. "I trust you to make the right decision, Valeria. Now, if you'll excuse us.”

My father led Valerian towards the front door. "While your brother feeds properly and has a greater immunity from the sun than you do, I believe we've pushed it far enough.” My father pushed open the heavy iron door with one finger and waited for Valerian to leave before he nodded his final goodbye.

So much for a ‘quiet morning’ at home. Irulan slid the heavy locks on our front door into place and flopped down on the couch beside me. "Thanks for the warning, Ire. you could have let me know my father was here. I would have kept on driving.”

Irulan laughed and propped her feet up on my lap. "Exactly! What the hell did you expect me to do? He made it perfectly clear he wanted to surprise you. Besides, you weren't the one stuck here listening to your father tell Valerian about the short-term advantages of consuming fey blood.” Irulan nudged me with her foot, "Hell, Val, I was scared."

"I don't think so, nervous maybe, but in all the years I've known you, five of which we've been living together, I haven't seen much of anything scare you."

Irulan laughed and lobbed a pillow at my head. "You know you're right. The day any Sidhe is scared of a Vampire is the day I lose my magic."

Irulan wasn't just any Sidhe, and she knew it. She didn't act like it, but She’s one of the Tuatha De Danann, The Bright Ones, and powerful as hell.

I pushed her feet off my lap and got up off the couch. As I walked out of the living room, I picked up the black folder from the chair where daddy had dropped it. "No need to insult the entire race, Ire. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to try to get some sleep. I'm going to need my rest to deal with the disaster I'll be walking into when I get to work."

To my utter amazement, she let me get away without an argument. I padded my way down the wide hallway that leads to our kitchen and bedrooms. When we had the two empty stores converted into one large living area, Irulan was thrilled to find out that one of them had been a restaurant. As a result, we had an enormous state of the art kitchen/dining area, which was excellent since Irulan was a chef.

At first, I thought it was an odd occupation for a three hundred plus year old Faerie, but she's an excellent cook. She runs a catering business for the Extras community directly from our home. As an Extra herself, she isn't squeamish about rounding up willing donors for a Vampire cocktail party or gathering live animals for a Werewolf’s pack meeting. She made a killing, money-wise.

For a moment, I considered a shower but changed my mind. I passed by a bathroom, through the kitchen and gave my heavy iron bedroom door a shove. The florescent lights that filled the rest of the house weren't in my bedroom. Vampires have excellent night vision, no matter what class we are, but Purebloods had a slight edge.

Purebloods have night vision, but we're also able to see the body temperatures of our prey. A small film drops over our eyes allowing the infrared vision to work. It's immensely handy when hunting, but takes a lot of concentration to keep them in place for long periods.

In my case it's the opposite, I have permanent infrared/night vision. I can switch easily between the two. The films over my eyes allow me to see normally, so I have to keep them dropped about seventy-five percent of the time. Sunlight, light bulbs, they'd all hurt my eyes without the films. Because of my unique eyes, I keep my room lit with black lights so I can relax.

I sat down at my desk and pulled Tristan's image from the file. He was gorgeous; there was no doubt about it. His soft, bronze skin and chocolate bedroom eyes were a few of the things that first caught my attention. His six-foot frame, swimmers body, and movie star looks made women throw themselves at his feet. Tristan was also the poster boy for the phrase, 'looks aint everything'.

In our early seventies, society threw Tristan and me together because of the social standings of both of our families. I was the media's darling, Vampire Princess, and he was the rebellious youngest grandson of the region's Master Vampire. Our fathers thought it would be good PR for both families.

For twenty years, I played the dutiful daughter and stayed with Tristan no matter what type of trouble he got himself into repeatedly. After a while, I began joining him on his escapades. Blood orgies that went overboard and ended up in donor deaths, missing people wherever we went on holidays, the blood rape of lower Vampires, were normal occurrences during the course of our relationship. I overlooked them all because I had grown to love him and some small part of me believed I could change him. I thought if I stayed by his side, some of my decency would rub off on him. Instead, it was the complete opposite.

The final straw came on the night of our engagement party. After all our family and friends had gone home, Tristan brought me a wine glass of blood and a gift box to celebrate. He didn't tell me the blood was from a Human baby, a baby that he had gift-wrapped and given to me so I could finish it later. It broke my heart and took me to a level of self-loathing I never thought possible.

The next day I had all of my things moved into one of the guest homes on my family's estate, and I went out of my way to make sure we never crossed paths again. To my surprise, my father backed me in my decision. Tristan never tried to win me back. That was six years ago. The time I spent with him remains the greatest mistake of my life.

I was so lost in thought I didn't hear Irulan enter my room. Her hands on my shoulders brought me out of my daze. "I thought you were going to sleep.” Irulan looked over my shoulders, reached down, and snatched the file away from me. "You've got plenty of time to deal with this when you get to work," she turned me around in my chair. The look on her face was extremely serious, "You're too close to this mark, Valeria. I want you to turn it down."

Irulan was the only person outside of Valerian that knew the things I'd done while I was with Tristan. I expected her to try to stop me. "Ire you know I can't do that. I took this job knowing that, sooner or later, Tristan's antics were going to cause us to cross paths. I can't run away from this.” I stood and walked over to my bed. No, we don't sleep in coffins...anymore. Maybe playing with the pillows would distract her and she'd drop the subject.

"You can't dismiss me that easily. I was there - remember? I helped pick up the pieces that put Val back together again."

I nodded in agreement, "Yes you did. So you, of all people, should know how important this could be for me. It'll give me closure, Irulan."

She flipped through the folder, "There are things you don't know about Tristan, things your father doesn't have in this neat little file. There've been rumors among the Fae.” She tossed the folder in the trash, "If even half of them are true, then he's changed, Val. He's even more twisted and sadistic, but now he's stronger. He's grown powerful in ways I can't even begin to describe.”

Somehow, that didn't surprise me. Tristan was always power hungry, most vamps were. Irulan cupped my face in her hands and looked into my eyes with her own full of emotions that I couldn't quite read. "If he hurts you again, I'll kill him, Val. don't make me a murderer.” Irulan's bright green eyes began to glow with power. "I don't want you near him. You’re going to have to get closure some other way."

If my assignment was Tristan as a mark, nothing was going to stop me from doing my job. "Innocent people are either dying or being turned against their will. You’re asking me to ignore that. Come on, Ire, you know me better than that."

Irulan dropped her hands, "That's what I thought.”. She turned, headed for the door, and then stopped. She spoke to me with her back turned, "I've been your best friend since you were a child, Val. I've stood by watching you make mistakes knowing that’s what was happening, but I let you make them because that was the only way you would learn - the only way you would become a woman."

Irulan turned to face me with tears in her eyes, "Tristan was different, I knew the moment your father announced his plans for the two of you that he had no place in your life, but I kept my reservations to myself. I kept quiet, and he almost broke you.” Irulan pulled the door open, "I love you, Val, more than you know. I won’t make the same mistake twice when it comes to you. If you're hell bent on taking him as a mark, I'll do what I have to do to keep you safe."

She was gone before my brain could process exactly what she was trying to say, and my body was screaming for rest so I didn't put much thought into it. If this was my morning, I was scared to think about what my night would be like. Unfortunately for me, I found out sooner, rather than later.

******

Why is it that the moment you fall into a good sleep, the phone rings and pulls you out of your happy place?” Valeria speaking. This had better be good, Marcus."

"You can be sure that anytime I call you it's for a damn good reason," Marcus Daniels’ deep voice resonated through the line. Aside from being my Commanding Officer in the Sentinel Division of the CMS, he also happens to be the Alpha of this region’s Werewolf pack and the uncle of one of my closest friends.

"Come on, Marcus, give me a break. It's barely three o'clock in the afternoon. You know I don't get up until eight.” I heard a low growl and smiled. As an Alpha, Marcus wasn’t used to anyone challenging him. He growled a lot around me for some reason.

"Today you get up at three, Valley-girl, the department heads are gathering for an emergency meeting.”

"Shit on top of damn, here it comes."

I barely whispered the words, but Marcus picked up on them, "Here what comes? Do you know what this is?”

Crap. Note to self, Weres have excellent hearing. "No, Marcus, I don't know anything. I'm aggravated because of my interrupted sleep, and if whatever is going on involves the big wigs, then I'm not going to be able to weasel in a few more hours. That's all."

"Are you sure that's all?” The doubt laced through Marcus' voice made me want to slap myself for that slip of the tongue.

"I'm positive. Now would you tell me what's so damn important that you cut my sleep cycle short by five full hours? I'm sure they have meetings all the time. What makes this one an emergency?"

Marcus' growl got even louder as my smile got even wider. I loved pushing his buttons. "You're one of the top Vampire Sentinels we've got. Considering the nature of the mark on this case, you might as well be in on the briefing from jump. Odds are it's going to you anyway."

'Nature of the mark' meant vamp. The CMS usually preferred us to handle our own considering their strained relationship with the Vampire High Council. I guess they figure if you send a vamp to kill a vamp then it wouldn't cause that much of a problem. "What about Priest or Fields, either of them..."

Marcus cut me short, "Neither of them is Lifeborn, much less Pureblood, but you are. Listen, Valeria, I give you a lot of slack because of Thade and the fact that you're good at what you do. Now isn't one of those times. Get showered and dressed. Then get your ass into headquarters."

He had to be joking. As far as he knew it was entirely too early for me to come out. "Come on, Marcus, you're being unreasonable now. The sun..."

"You know that doesn’t mean shit to you at this time of the day, and so do I. Play that card with someone else. You've got two hours, that's it.” Marcus hung up before I could argue any further. How in the hell did Marcus find out about my limits? No one, not even Irulan or Valerian knew the full extent of my sun tolerance.

As far as they knew, I had to be in by nine at the latest and couldn't go out until after six. In truth, I could tolerate the sunlight up until about eleven o'clock and could go out again after three. I just had to increase my blood intake a little.

I keep my limits to myself because if my father knew about them he'd find some way to use them to his advantage. I wanted to stay off his radar, but this case threatened to put me right in the middle of it permanently.

I got up and pulled my work clothes out of the closet - black leather pants, black cotton tee, and a black leather bolero. It might seem ostentatious and stereotypical, but leather holds up in fights. Time to shower.

I made it in and out of the shower and was halfway dressed before Irulan poked her head into the bathroom. "Kinda early for you to be out of bed, don't you think, Valeria? It's barely three forty-five."

I shrugged my shoulders and slipped on my bra. "Really, I thought it was closer to five. Can you fasten this for me?"

She stepped closer, took the ends of the bra in her hands, and just stood there. I looked back into the mirror and frowned. She had this faraway look in her eyes as she stared at my back.

“Are you alright?" I asked her, unsure if I read her face right. I’d seen the look before when she brought home her bimbos, but that couldn’t be right. She had no reason to look at me like that.

Irulan shook her head and reached forward, letting the back of her hand brush against my skin as hooked my bra. Tingles traveled down my spine, but I ignored them. . .

She let the elastic pop my back as she pushed her way by me to take a seat on the edge of my tub. "I’m fine, and don't be a smart ass, Youngster. I hope you're not planning to go out this early."

I pulled my shirt on, tucked it in, and slipped into my jacket before I looked down at her. "If you must know, Ire, I'm heading into the office just a wee bit ahead of schedule,” holding two fingers up to emphasize the word 'wee'.. "Marcus called and didn't leave me much of a choice." I ran my fingers through my damp hair and headed for my ordnance vault with Irulan hot on my heels.

"You've finally lost it, Valeria. You’re going to let this case drive you to a bright, shining grave. You can't go out now, it's too early, and Marcus knows better than to ask you to do such a thing."

I threw open the doors to my vault. "He knew exactly what he was doing, Ire. How, I don't know yet, but I'll find out when I get to the CMS.” I began pulling out an assortment of daggers and strapped them to various body parts. I hate guns, they seem too impersonal to me. "The department heads are convening for an emergency meeting, no doubt to discuss the kill order. Marcus wants me there."

Irulan snatched my katana from my hands before I could secure its sheath to my back. "Enlighten me. Exactly how are you planning to get there, Val?"

Someone once said 'actions speak louder than words', so I went to the nearest window and tore down the heavy black drapes that we kept covering it. Sunlight came beaming into the living room at the exact second Irulan blasted me with an energy bolt sending me flying across the room. .

"Valeria! What the fuck do you think you're trying to prove?" She was on me and had me covered in the drapes so fast she didn't even notice that the sun had no effect on me at all.

I yelled for her to let me up, but the bulky material muffled my voice, so we ended up wrestling across the floor for five minutes before I could finally get free of her. "Damn it Irulan, if you'd stop fussing and trying to protect me you'd see I don't need protection.” I leapt up with agility that far surpassed any cat and darted over to the window before she could hit me again. The look on her face was priceless.

"I don't get it...I mean how...how long have... Shit Val, you're standing in afternoon sunlight."

I straightened my clothes and headed for my car. "That's what I was trying to show you before you blasted my ass halfway to kingdom come. Now I've got less than an hour to find something to eat and make it into the office.” Traffic was a bitch at this time of the day. To make it on time, I was going to have to drive like a madwoman.

Irulan blew by me and slammed my car door, "I told you earlier, don't try to brush me off. Before you leave this house, explain to me what just happened in there."

Looked like the only way I was getting past her was to tell her the truth. "To be honest, I don't know how it happened, Irulan, just when.” The searching look in her eyes edged me on. "That morning I didn't make it home in time, after the burns started healing, I don't know - I just felt different."

Just like Vampires, if they weren't careful, Faeries eyes gave their every emotion away. Irulan's usually bright green eyes clouded over and swirled with hurt and anger. "You knew all this time, and you didn't say a word to me? I thought we were closer than that, Val."

Damn it, I didn't have time for this now. "Listen, Ire, I'm not making light of the situation, and we'll talk about this later, but right now I've really got to go. I think I've pushed it as far as I can with Marcus. I don't want to piss him off by being late."

Irulan walked away without a look back in my direction. "Marcus doesn't have shit on me when I'm pissed. Remember that."

As I've said before, Irulan is one of the Fae, to be more specific she's a Faerie. Irulan is a three hundred and twenty year old Sidhe, cousin of the ruling Seelie king, a member of the royal family and first in the line of succession.

This, in turn, means that she is teaming with untold levels of fey power. If I didn't know better, I might have considered her a threat.

Irulan's family has always held close ties with the Vampire Council and, as far back as I could remember, she's been a close friend of my mother's side of the family.

I'd never looked at her as anything other than that until I watched her walk away. Her rose-colored skin was glowing with the heat of anger, and it caught my eye, as it never had before. Her waist length crimson hair fell in soft curls that swirled around her as she walked, causing my breath to catch in my throat and familiar warmth to settle in the pit of my stomach.

Aw, hell. Now was not the time for soul searching and redefining my sexual identity. I had to get ready for the hunt. I shook off the small thread of whatever and slid into the seat behind the wheel. I backed my car into traffic, popped in a CD, and sang with Muse the entire way to the station.

*****

Even with a stop at McDonalds, I made it with fifteen minutes to spare. Yes, I consume more than blood. A Pureblood Vampire needs both to survive until near our second century of life. I pulled into my spot in front of the CMS and wolfed down my burger before I entered the building.

The CMS existed for three main purposes: to police the Extra community and give them a legal system; to provide healthcare, the building was equipped with a state of the art hospital wing; and last, to provide the Human population with a learning center where they can come to understand their Extra brethren better.

I thought the last was a crock of shit, but hey, who asked for my opinion? I can't remember the last time I saw a Human walk through the front doors that wasn't on the payroll or wasn't making money off us. Most Humans tolerated Extras, but I don't think they are that eager to get any closer than they have to.

The Humans that weren't afraid of us saw dollar signs when we went public. The CMS also houses a lot of Human businesses that cater to the Extras community. We have buying power baby.

No matter how many times I come through the front, I’m always amazed. The majestic marble columns that lined the outside of the building never failed to catch my attention and the construction inside was similar. Two main marble columns split the first floor into two halls running along the sides and coming together in a massive court. At the center of the main floor were three elevators with escalators on either side that led to the second floor that housed the public businesses.

I waved to the receptionist and boarded an elevator. The Sentinel offices were located three levels down from the mainstream, but the boardrooms were on the fourth floor.

Just as the doors were about to slide closed a smoking, blackened, and blistered hand slid in and pried them back open.

"I see being Pureblood means you lack manners, Valeria," Jacob Priest stepped into the elevator fanning the singed collar on his hooded jacket.

Damn. That was the second time in one day that someone had accused me of being rude. "Fly my kite, Priest. OK, my head was somewhere else. Besides, my rudeness should be the least of your worries. Someone's out a tad early, huh? How'd you shake the day sleep anyway? Oh yeah, your little 'roid cocktail."

I looked down at his hands and bit my bottom lip. "Pureblood has its advantages.” I tapped the back of his hand and blackened flakes of skin peeled off, crumbling to ash as they floated towards the floor. "That's gotta hurt, and I'm pretty sure your jacket is ruined.”

Priest pulled his long blonde hair back and gave me a smile that was all fangs as he shrugged out of the jacket and draped it across his arm. "Have I told you lately that I think you're a spoiled little bitch that got her job only because of who her daddy is?"

I grinned and gave him the finger. "Not since we got off duty yesterday."

Priest nodded and leaned against the wall. "Just checking.”

I watched him out of the corner of my eye as the elevator lurched upwards. He was a good Sentinel and a decent guy, just a total asshole to me. I know it's because of the difference in our blood-status, but he'd never admit it.

Priest was a Deadborn vamp, meaning someone drained him to the point of death, and he came back as a Vampire. Deadborns are ten times stronger than Humans are, but even still, they're the weakest of our kind.

The trauma of a quick turning doesn't give their bodies time to adjust to the Vampire genes properly. Deadborns adapt quickly and absorb only the traits most needed for survival - heightened senses, enhanced strength, speed, and fangs of course. They lost out on the mental abilities.

I tried not to pay attention to the way his navy shirt stretched across his wide chest, but it was no use. A bead of pink sweat made its way down his neck, and I followed its path letting my imagination take me somewhere I had no business going.

Priest may be an asshole, but he was a damn fine example of the opposite sex. The man is six-foot four, has royal blue eyes that are so dark that they are almost black, just a hint of mustache, and looks that could put could put Michelangelo's David to shame. Regrettably, for me, he caught me looking and gave me an all-knowing leer.

He closed the space between us and pressed up against my back, throwing his aura against my own. Charged with sexual prowess, it danced along my own in an attempt to excite me. He was impressive, and it might have worked if I didn't think he was a total tool.

I pushed back with my own aura and put a few inches between us. "Sorry, Priest. I'm taken, and therefore, not interested."

He pulled his energy back only to reach out, turn my head to the side, and run a thumb over two small, almost unnoticeable spots on my neck that had healed long ago. "You can't fool me, Trumaine. You aren't marked. These bites are dead ends. I don't even smell a male on you."

I jerked out of Priest’s grip and shoved him into the elevator wall. "I never said I was with another Vampire or a man, did I?” I could tell by the look on his face that he thought I was full of shit. Maybe I was, but my tussle with Irulan would help me make sure he didn't know that. I stood straighter and turned my head to the side, "Take another whiff, her scent is all over me."

Priest leaned into my body and ran his nose along the side of my neck, "No way.” He backed up with a sly smiled on his face. "You're no dyke, not the way you were undressing me a few seconds ago."

Priest pushed me backwards until I was up against the wall of the elevator and slid down inspecting me with his nose. As he got closer to the zipper of my pants, he stopped and looked up with a 'know it all' smirk. "If your mate is a woman why can’t I smell her scent down there? As a matter of fact, I smell her everywhere but there, but I do smell your heat."

OK, he'd gone too far. My knee acted of its own accord and connected with his nose, before I could stop myself. I heard bones break as he fell back on his ass.

"You grimy little cunt, you broke my fucking nose!” Priest cupped his nose, and jumped up in my face just as the elevator chimed and the doors opened.

I shrugged my shoulders and knocked him back on his ass, squelching the hunger that was growing at the smell of Priest’s blood. "So I broke your nose. You'll heal fast enough, and whatever doesn’t heal now, the day sleep will handle."

I was never happier to see Marcus than I was at that moment. He stood there with his hands planted on his hips as he took in the scene of Priest sitting on the floor on top of his charred and now bloody hoody. "What the hell?” Priest jumped up and shoved his disheveled jacket to his broken nose as he shot daggers at me. He could stare all he wanted. The both of us knew he wasn’t a match for me.

To add insult to injury, I turned and slowly slid my palm down the side of his face. As angry as he was with me, he wasn’t strong enough to ignore the ‘come hither look’ that I threw at him. Priest smirked and leaned closer to me. I let my lips graze his before running my tongue across them to taste his blood. He gasped, and I fell away from him with a smirk of my own. "Who I'm with doesn't concern you Priest, just know it'll never be you. You're nice to look at and all, but I couldn't take someone like you home to meet my parents. They expect better of me."

Priest’s face fell, and Marcus snatched both of us out of the elevator and shoved us down the hallway ahead of him. "Now is not the time to try my patience with your Vampire bloodline bullshit. The heads of the three major departments are here, the mayor of the city, police chief and a rep from the Vampire Council."

Marcus stopped long enough to shove Priest into a bathroom. "Get cleaned up and come to number two. Valeria, fall back.”

An Alpha Werewolf didn’t take second place to anyone. I paused and let Marcus take his place in front of me. "I thought the case was going to me. Why is Priest here?"

Marcus growled, "Priest has a good track record, so they want him here, but I make the ultimate decision as to who gets the case. They don't need to know that my mind is already made up.” Marcus squared his shoulders, and we entered the boardroom.

I scanned the faces around the mahogany, crescent-shaped table but the only person I recognized was the mayor (who just so happens to be half Glaistig - long story, maybe I'll tell you later). If a Council rep was supposed to be here, he was late. The only Vampire in the room was yours truly.

Marcus directed me to a chair on the opposite side of the table where we sat and waited in uneasy silence for the briefing to begin. After what seemed like an eternity, the mayor finally stood up as Priest entered the room. He was holding a bloody handkerchief in one hand, and a smug expression plastered on his face.

What the hell he had to be so happy about I'll never know. He was the one sporting a broken nose to a center meeting, a meeting for which he was now over ten minutes late.

Marcus pulled out a chair for him, but Priest walked right by us to the mayor who grabbed his hand. "Nice to finally make your acquaintance, Jacob. Master Meriwether informed me that you'd be the Council's presence on this case."

My face dropped, and for the first time in my knowledge, I believe Marcus was speechless. Oh, shit. I'd just broken the nose of a VC rep. This was not good, not good at all.

CHAPTER TWO

Ever since I was a child, my quick temper has gotten me in trouble. Once when I was eight, I broke my older brother Tamerlane's nose because he tore the head off my favorite porcelain doll. My father rarely raised a hand to us, but I got the belt that night. Later on, he told me how proud he was that I could already defend myself; just don't make my brothers my punching bags.

Right now, all I could do was straighten up in my seat and see what kind of mess it had gotten me into this time. I was almost positive it wouldn’t end in a pep talk.

Priest squared his shoulders and puffed up his chest, reminding me of a rooster on steroids. I guess he was ready to get the ball rolling. "I'm sure you all know the reason we've gathered here today," he said. A quick glance in my direction gave him reason to chuckle, "Well, most of us anyway."

I stuck my tongue out at him and folded my arms over my chest. Ha, ha yourself, freakazoid. I'm not in the dark as you think I am. Blood has its advantages.

Chief Watkins, the only full Human in the room, took a nervous look at the rest of us before he found his resolve to speak. "We're here because your precious leach prince has gone off the fucking deep end," he said, in a thick southern drawl.

Mayor Aldridge shot the chief a look of pure rage obviously fueled by fear. "Watch your tone, Chief Watkins. We don't want to offend anyone here."

Watkins laughed and stood up pointing a shaky finger at Priest. "I don't give a good goddamn about offending a parasite. My grandfather always said that allowing you freaks total access to our city was a mistake."

“How far we've come,” Priest growled at the diss.

Yes indeed, how far we’ve come, I thought as I leaned forward in my chair. "I'm sorry you feel the way that you do, but I can assure you the Vampire community in no way condones Tristan Meriwether's actions," I expressed. It was almost too easy to step into the role of mediator for the Vampire Council. My father had trained me for this.

Aldridge nodded as he spoke, "We have every confidence in that fact, Ms. Trumaine. I'd like to add how honored I am by your presence today. I wasn't expecting a representative from one of The Five."

Upstaged once again, Priest bristled and was quick to set the record straight. "Actually, mayor, Valeria is a Sentinel here within the CMS. She’s here in a working capacity only. I'm the only sanctioned representative present.”

Now it was Marcus' turn to growl. "We're well aware of that Priest. If you'll excuse the interruption, mayor, I'm ready to get down to business. We're not here to discuss vamp politics. People are dying while Tristan's running loose.”

Priest squared his shoulders and tried to get rid of the annoyed look plastered to his face. "Fine then, Marcus, let’s do that. I've got a statement here from Master Meriwether that discusses his feelings and position on the matter."

I almost choked on my own tongue. As far as I knew, I was the only Sentinel with the balls, not to mention the standing, to call Marcus by his first name. This assignment was obviously going to Priest's head.

Marcus stood and sent a wave of Alpha power over the room so intense that it made me shiver. "I'm only going to say this once. I don't care on whose authority you're here, you are still my subordinate, and you will never address me by my first name again, is that clear?"

I swear to god you could see Priest’s spine shrink as he stood there and tried to remember how to talk. It took everything I had not to bust out laughing and piss my pants.

Priest nodded and went into a painful recital of an obviously rehearsed dialog. "The Vampire Council will aid the CMS in every way possible to apprehend and neutralize the threat that Tristan Meriwether has proven to be. Please don't hesitate to ask for anything you need during this time. Our vast resources are at your disposal.” Priest bumbled his way through the remainder of his dialog and finally announced that he would be leading the hunt for Tristan himself.

Marcus laughed and looked to the mayor, "Sir, while I'm sure the VC has faith in Priest and his abilities, I won't have them dictate how I handle my cases. You know as well as I do that Meriwether will rip a Deadborn apart, even one with Priest's service record."

Mayor Aldridge looked like a deer in headlights caught between the rock and the proverbial hard place. "Of course, you're right, commander, but I'm sure if we put our heads together we'll come up with a solution favorable to all parties."

Marcus bobbed his head in my direction. "With all due respect, sir, I already have. As Priest stated before, Ms. Trumaine is a Sentinel in my division. You’re well aware of the fact that she's a Pureblood Vampire. Both of her parents are Vampires, giving her an additional advantage."

Marcus dropped copies of my service file in front of everyone present. "If you doubt her capabilities in handling this case due to any past acquaintance or her standing in Vampire hierarchy, please let her record speak for itself."

Priest shoved the file to the side and snarled in my direction, "The VC elders were clear about their wishes. I'm in charge of this case."

Marcus scoffed and rolled the sleeves up on his shirt, "Your elders can kiss my furry ass. As a matter of fact, I don't believe the Vampire Council wants this mark taken down at all. Why else would they want a Deadborn appointed to lead this case when they know good and damn well he hasn’t a chance in hell of taking Tristan down on his own?"

Priest was so angry he looked like his eyes were about to bug right out of his head and Mayor Aldridge looked positively green around the gills.

Everyone in the room knew that Marcus had hit the nail on the head but was afraid to admit it for fear of pissing off the VC. Chief Watkins jumped up and headed for the door, "Why don't the both of you go after him. Hell, with any luck all three of yah will end up ash."

With those parting words, the chief had consigned my time on this case to hell. Of course, the mayor loved the idea, and in a show of good faith, Marcus agreed to it.

After getting on the phone and discussing it with his contact within the VC, Priest agreed to a partnership. With the matter settled, all unnecessary parties went about their separate ways leaving only Marcus, Priest, and me.

Marcus immediately laid out the contents of another file. "Alright gals and guys, something told me that it was gonna go this way, so I took the liberty of booking a room with double beds. Low Country in South Carolina is your destination. There have been reports from the CMS in Charleston that some root doctors in the Gullah community there have been displaying rather large increases in power. There's also been a decrease in the Lifeborn Vampire population."

Priest took a quick glance at the papers spread out before us, "Shouldn't that be the opposite, Marcus? I mean if Tristan is near Charleston, wouldn't we see an increase in Vampires? And what does the Gullah community have to do with this?"

I saw where he was heading, and it was a reasonable guess, just wrong. "I see where you're going, but that's not possible, Priest.” I ignored the spiteful look he shot me. "It takes time to make a Lifeborn - time and commitment. He's moving from location to location too fast for that. If Tristan has taken up shop in Charleston and pushes the issue then it‘s his territory now. Any Lifeborn vamps are going to clear out to avoid a confrontation with someone that’s clearly stronger than they are."

Marcus shrugged his shoulders and tossed me a picture. "That's our boy, taken just two hours ago. He’s definitely there. As to the connection to the root doctors, if the rumors are true, Tristan has been living up to his bad boy reputation. We believe he's been blood raping different Extras species in an effort to acquire their abilities."

Priest shook his head. "I know Purebloods are able to assume abilities through total consumption, but I thought it had to be from a species that shared a common ancestry with Vampires."

I was completely amazed. This time he got it right. The ape had a brain in his head. Marcus looked equally surprised. "You’re right, Priest, that's where the Gullah come in. Disputed for years, DNA mapping has proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that they are direct descendants of Witches through the Voudoun. The thing is, they also have direct ancestry from another Extras species, but the community is fiercely secretive about it. No one knows what species. The mapping proved it, but without another sample to compare against, it couldn't be determined. As a result, their powers are unique. I believe Tristan is using them to his advantage, trying to find a way to circumvent the need for blood ties in his chosen victims."

This was getting better by the minute. Looked like Irulan was right. You can be damn sure I wasn't about let her know that though. No way she'd ever let me hear the end of it.

We got the car keys to a Center SUV, an expense card, the hotel address and the name of our contact within the local center. After all was said and done, we left the conference room at exactly 7:25 p.m.

Priest followed me to my car. "What do you say I meet you at your place in an hour? That'll give you time to pack and say your goodbyes."

My stomach turned at the thought of him near my personal space, "I say no. I'll meet you back here in two hours."

He opened his mouth to protest but the look on my face stopped him cold. I was not in the mood to argue with him. I drove off with him staring at my taillights as I put distance between us.

The drive back to E City took longer than I expected. My mind raced from one subject to another, all of which revolved around my relationship with Tristan.

A huge part of me wanted to tell Marcus where he could shove it and refuse to accept the case. With the past that Tristan and I shared, I could easily do it, but deep down I had a greater need to push forward. I needed to do this, and Marcus was right. I was the only one capable of even hoping to match whatever Tristan had become. The Vampire Council had Head Hunters to deal with problem situations before the public found out about them. They were falling asleep on the job letting something this big slip through their fingers.

I pulled into our garage and went straight for Irulan’s room where. I found her waiting for me with open arms. Even for an Extra, it's eerie to me how she always knows when I need her. She pulled me into her arms and ran her hands down my hair. "I knew it. This case isn't what you need right now. If you don't wanna tell Marcus and your father to shove it where the sun doesn't shine, I'd be more than willing to do it for you."

I pulled back to shake my head no before burying it into her shoulder just as an onslaught of tears began to fall. She wrapped her arms even tighter around me and let me cry until the tears stopped.

Once I was done, she dried my eyes and pulled me down on the bed to sit beside her. "I'm not going to brow beat you over this case, Valeria, but I told you before, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

Something didn't feel right with the way she said that. I pulled out of her arms and stood up, hurt and pain giving way to suspicion and anger. Turning to look her in the eyes, I demanded, "What, exactly, does that mean? Exactly how are you going to keep me safe? What have you done, Irulan?"

I'll give her credit. Irulan stood her ground. "I'll tell you what I did. I talked to my cousin Fazion. He's given me his blessing to become actively involved on this one, Val. He'll deal with any fallout the VC may have with the Sidhe. I also paid a visit to Mayor Aldridge, caught him right as he was leaving the CMS. He's all about appearances and knowing the right people, isn't he? He fell all over himself to accommodate me, a member of the Tuatha De Danann's royal family. At this moment, he's informing Marcus Daniels that I'm going to be a case-by-case liaison for the Sentinels. I'll be offering advice on cases that deal with the arts arcane, beginning with this one, of course."

I couldn't believe what I heard. In a sense, I had not one partner now, but two. "That's low, Irulan. What in the world were you thinking? This is my job! It's what I do! Jesus! You can't hold my hand for me while I'm out in the field.” Anger boiled beneath my skin tempting to blow. I felt my face burning in an attempt to shift as I tried to hold it back. I didn't need a mirror to see that my eyes had gone entirely black. "And what the hell do you know about police work anyway!"

Irulan jumped up, her own temper spiking fueled by my loss of control, her eyes smoldering with heat, "Up until now, I had no need to hold your hand. I told you to turn this case down. I begged you, didn't I? You wouldn't listen. Tristan has changed, Val! I don't give a flying fuck about how strong you think you are, mighty Pureblood. You are clueless about Tristan and the changes he's put his body through!"

She looked around down at her feet as her mood did a three sixty, she took a tentative step closer and ran a soft finger down the side of my face, "Just for once in your ninety-eight years would you do as I ask? I know it's hard, but I really do have your best interest at heart."

As much as I wanted to hold onto my anger, I couldn't when concern for me was driving her actions. I sighed and looked everywhere around the room trying to avoid looking Irulan in her face. "I know he's blood raping other species, Ire. I know he's trying to cross over from blood tied Extras. But I also know I won't be able to live with myself if I didn't at least try to stop him."

Irulan pushed pass me and went to her walk-in closet. "Hell, I knew the moment I asked you to drop it there wasn't a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening. That's why I did what I did.” She emerged with a suitcase packed and ready to go.

"Your bag is already packed. No need to thank me. I did pack light, though. If we need anything else, we can pick it up when we get there.” Irulan grabbed me with her free hand and dragged me through the kitchen into the living room.

I barely registered the two overnight bags standing there before she snatched me down by one arm to sit next to her on the couch. "There's just one more thing to take care of before we go.” Irulan inched closer to me, and then pulled her waist length hair to one side baring her neck to me.

"Aw, hell no, Ire.” I shoved away from her and was halfway up the wall across the room clinging to it like a deranged gecko before she realized I had moved.

It was too much, too fast. My emotions were already raw. I certainly didn't need the tempting scent of her blood. "I don't know what you're trying to prove by a stunt like that, but you've been around Vampires long enough to know that was totally un-cool, Irulan."

Irulan stood and made a move towards me. I backpedaled farther up the wall until she stopped. "I work too damn hard to maintain. Please don't do this, Irulan. You know how I feel."

Allow me to expound. As I stated before, Purebloods need a regular diet of blood and food for about the first two hundred years of life. Around two hundred, our bodies stop metabolizing solids, that's when we've reached full maturity as far as our bodies are concerned. But, we are Vampires - blood drives us. The hunger for it can get so strong sometimes it sends us into rages.

I try my damnedest to curb my own blood lust before it gets out of control, but the smell of Irulan's blood laid out like that could blow my control to hell.. Human blood sustains, but Extras blood inflames us. It's like pitting ground round against the rarest Kobe beef. The smell, the taste, the power laced throughout the blood. There is no comparison.

Shaking my head to refocus my thoughts, I looked down at Irulan, "Promise me you'll never do that again. You’re my best friend. I can’t feed on you like a common bagger.” Irulan made an unladylike snort in the back of her throat, and a soft breeze began lifting her up until she was eye to eye with me.

"Believe me sweetheart, nothing about me is common." Again, she pulled her hair to one side of her neck and again I tried to run, but this time she held me in place with an invisible barrier. "You need this if you’re going to have any hope of capturing Tristan with you unharmed. As much as I hate to admit it, your father is right. You'd be far stronger than you are if you'd take blood from me.” She brought a sharp manicured nail to her neck and drew it across, a swell of blood bubbled to the surface in its wake.

My fangs dropped, and I had closed the distance between us to a few millimeters before I snapped back into myself. "I can't, and if you make me, it's going to change things between us, Irulan, not in a good way either."

"Besides,” I added on pained breaths, "The power would be fleeting, it wouldn't last. Sidhe and Vampire blood-ties aren't strong enough for the power boost to be permanent."

I searched her face for some sign of what she was going to do. The silence that was hanging in the air was totally sickening by the time she released me from the hold she had on me.

She eased us both to the ground and didn't say a word as she loaded our bags into the trunk of my car giving me the time I needed to compose myself. After she set the alarm, she finally turned and motioned me to get in the car. "I thought you told that clod, Priest, that you were going to meet him at the CMS in two hours. That's clear across town. We’d better hurry."

I usually enjoy driving and take my time getting to work but considering the fact that I'd been to the center once today, and what just happened between Irulan and me, it's no wonder I made it in record time.

Priest was leaning against the side of a Ford Escape when I pulled in next to him. He had a goofy, lopsided sneer plastered to his face until he realized I wasn't in the car alone.

Irulan transferred our bags while Priest looked back and forth between the two of us. I tried to take the few moments of solitude to clear my head, but the clod's banging on my window killed that right quick. I rolled down the window with an exasperated sigh, "What gives, Priest? I'm here. We can get going in few. Gimme a sec, will you?"

He snatched open my door and pointed a thumb in Irulan's direction, "The hell I will. What gives with the broad? It's just supposed to be the two of us working this case. Is she even on the payroll? I've never seen her before."

Irulan was on Priest before I had a chance to respond. "It's bad business to talk about a woman like she's not even in the room.” The air crackled with power as the ground around Priest began to shake, and two ropes of metal flew out of the earth to wrap themselves around him dragging him down until he was up to his knees in the uprooted concrete and dirt.

The flow of profanity that ran out of his mouth didn't relent until Irulan ran her thumb across his lip. In an instant, his voice was gone, his face contorting into a mask of pure rage.

I had to admit to some confusion myself, "Ire I thought your powers were earth based. What gives with the silent treatment?"

With a wave of her wrist, Irulan released Priest from his bindings sans audio. "Ashes to ashes dust to dust, this man's obviously a Deadborn. It gives me some level of control over his faculties, Valeria.” She shrugged her shoulders and glanced at me... "And the earth is a vast place with infinite possibilities. Who knows what the limits to my powers are," she added before turning to Priest.

She looked down at him and winked. "I'm Sidhe, little man, royalty by blood, over three hundred years old, and never once have I been referred to as a 'broad'.” She eased down to rest on her haunches and patted him sarcastically on the side of his face. "If we were in Tir Na Nog I could have your tongue ripped from your head for that offence. Hell, maybe I should do it anyway just for fun."

Priest backed away from her touch and looked up at me for help. Against my better judgment, I grabbed Irulan by both arms and made a production of pulling her away from him, trying to keep from laughing my head off the entire time. "Irulan, be a good girl and give the nice man his voice back. We're going to be around each other until we take Tristan down, so try to get along."

I didn't wait around to see if she'd actually do it. Instead, I hopped into the driver's seat and started the engine. A few seconds later, Irulan slid into the seat beside me, and Priest got into the back looking like he wanted to rip both our heads off. Oh well.

Fortunately, we got underway without any further delays. The three-hour plus drive was surprisingly productive. It gave us time to come up with a game plan for our arrival in Charleston. Irulan and Priest would check out some of the areas local occult chops and Extras clubs to try to get a feel for the Gullah root doctors that we would be trying to find, while I checked in with the local station to see what intel they had for us.

I also wanted to talk to the Sentinels that were currently incapacitated. Apparently, once the locals got wind of a possible location, they sent a team after Tristan - Weres, a few Bear Shifters, and two Lifeborns. Tristan and his brood handed them their asses on a platter. It was only by the grace of God that two of the team survived. I didn't intend on making the same mistakes that they had.

CHAPTER THREE

Irulan’s inclusion into the hunt didn't throw Marcus off his game one bit. Once we got to the hotel, we found a separate room for Priest already arranged. I wish that I could say the same for me, I felt completely off kilter. The ferocity of Irulan’s determination to keep me safe was scaring me. I never expected her to go this far.

It took us no time to check in and meet back in the lobby. No matter what else was going through my mind I had to get on point and deal with my objective. A quick glance at my watch showed 1:45 a.m., the perfect time for hunting. The three of us stepped out into the sultry southern air, eager to get under way.

Priest took in a deep breath and smiled, "I'm scenting twelve different species in this general proximity alone. If this weren't a business trip, a guy like me could have fun in this city."

"Thirteen, one's lingering, maybe a few days old, but good try. You were only off by one.” I took another scent of the area and knew the second time around that a Deadborn had been through here with Tristan's blood in their veins. Funny, the things you remember even when you try to forget.

For a minute, I considered letting Priest know, but if Marcus's hunch was correct, and Priest was here to make sure I didn't take Tristan's head, I didn't want Priest tagging along just yet.

I filed the smell away and tossed Priest the car keys, "Time to get to work. I'm closer and I don't mind walking.” I checked my directions and gave Irulan a quick hug. Weird, who hugs their partner when they're on a manhunt? This is just not realistic.

Priest pulled his black gloves tighter onto his hands as he sneered, "This is nice, ladies. Are we gonna do the manis and pedis before or after Tristan takes down a few more innocent people?"

I was about to come back with a snide remark, but he looked a little flustered. He proved my instinct right when he tugged me away from the car casting an anxious look back at Irulan. "I know she's powerful Trumaine, but does she have the experience to watch my back if things go bad while we're in the field?"

To be honest, I was wondering the same thing myself, but I wasn't gonna tell him that. Being powerful and all was nice, but anyone could freeze in a fight if they don't have the proper training.

During the time that I've known her, Irulan's been a chef, a seamstress, and a teacher. Those professions don't exactly scream 'I’m capable of some awesome ass-kickery', but then again, my life was only a third of hers. When I was a child, she entertained me with tales of her life at court in Tir Na Nog, but that was decades ago and not one of those stories was a war story. Not wanting to put any further doubts in his mind, and not wanting to outright lie either, I gave him the best answer that I could think of. "Marcus wouldn't have agreed to let her work with us otherwise."

Priest accepted my answer and gave me a curt nod of his head. I don't know why he pulled me away from the car; a Sidhe's hearing is almost as keen as a Vampire’s is. Irulan was gonna give him hell when the two of them were alone.

"Text me with each location change. Call me if you come up with anything. I'll meet you as soon as I get done checking in with this Descantes." I waved at Ire, slapped Priest on the back, and started down the palm tree laden street.

Part of me wanted to draw the walk out and make it a nice leisurely stroll, so I could enjoy the sights and sounds of a new city. But my mind was already preparing itself for what lay ahead of me. A big part of what made me a successful Sentinel was my ability to get inside the head of my quarry and anticipate their moves. I had a gift for finding my target. Vampires are natural predators. Just because you could easily kill something, didn't automatically mean you were adept at tracking it down.

As much as I prided myself on my tracking abilities, I equally despised the trip down memory lane, but I knew it was unavoidable if I was to get a better take on Tristan.

I replayed arguments and conversations that we'd had about our dreams and aspirations. I recalled his reactions to specific events and his unease around his father at times. I painfully dredged up anything that might be of some use to me.

Before I knew it, I had arrived at the local CMS. Thanks to the GPS on my phone that I somehow managed to pay attention to, I made it without getting lost. Upon first glance, I thought that I'd put the wrong address into my phone.

The house in front of me was a majestic, pre-civil war plantation house. There was nothing Extras about it. When I walked through the public entrance, I quickly changed my opinion.

Sitting behind a receptionist desk was a seven and a half foot tall Golem. Although I'd never actually seen a Golem before, I recognized him by the Sigilis that were inscribed on his head. The magical symbols were what gave him life.

The Golem looked up from his computer screen and took a quick assessment of me before pointing to a set of double doors off to the left side of his desk. He wiggled his fingers, as if shooing me away, then he promptly went back to his work.

I'd just been dismissed as if I were a gawking tourist trying to get a picture with a Were or something. This was so not the welcome I expected. I went to the desk and knocked on it as hard as I could without doing any damage, earning me a deadly gaze from the Golem whose nametag said 'Stephen'.

The Golem reluctantly pulled his head away from the screen and spoke in a voice that was surprisingly soft coming out of such a large body. "May Stephen help the rude little Vampire?"

Rude?! What? No, he didn't! I'm gonna get a complex if people don't stop it with the rude bit. I honestly didn't have a comeback for the Golem. I mean, it wasn't often I was criticized by a living marionette.

It took me a minute to find my voice, and when I finally told him my name and what I was there for, he looked at me as if I were the biggest moron on the face of the planet.

The Golem, Stephen, rose to his full height, and pulling his long brown hair back, leaned over to stare me in the face, "Stephen is well aware of who you are, daughter of Hadrian and Anya. I served your family for over five hundred years, but that is neither here nor there.”

He motioned his head toward the same set of doors again, "The commander is waiting for you. That is why Stephen pointed to the door in the first place. Are you not only rude but daft as well?"

My eyes blacked over, and I had Stephen by the scruff of his shirt in less than a second. Luckily for his face, the Sentinel Commander caught my fist before it made contact.

Unluckily for me, the commander just so happened to be an extremely irked Djin, if the tattooing down one side of his face was accurate. Well, hell's bells. I had to go and piss off one of the ancients. All just part of my charm I guess.

Before I could even fix my lips to utter an apology, the Djin spun me around and pointed towards the same door I assumed was his office, "That is the door that Stephen directed you to, Ms. Trumaine."

He leaned down from his full height of about 6 ft. 3 to whisper in my ear with a slight African accent, "I've read your service record. I'm not impressed. Therefore, I'm not going to tolerate your antics like Commander Daniels does."

If Golems could smirk, I'd swear that Stephen did. As I matter of fact, his deep, booming laugh followed me all the way down the corridor as I tailed the commander to his office.

As I followed him, I took a quick inventory of his features. He wore pissed remarkably well. His hair was dark brown and medium length. It fell in soft, beautiful curls to the bottom of his neck. His skin tone was a little lighter than my own, almost olive. His lilac eyes had a slight Asian slant to them. All in all, he wasn't a bad looking guy. No, change that, he was downright gorgeous.

A familiar tingling fluttered through my stomach, and my fangs dropped slightly. Not the time to turn into a horny toad, Valeria, I mentally chastised myself. Thoughts of Irulan suddenly popped into my mind chasing away temptation's ugly head. Oh joy, maybe I'll consider therapy once I'm done with this case.

The C.O. smiled as he stood holding his door open for me. "Forgive my gruffness. I had to put on a good show for my Golem," he said as I looked around his office. Some office! I walked into a space furnished with a huge, mahogany desk that took up a fourth of the room.

Tapestries telling tales of the Djin through the ages covered the walls. Two large, brown leather couches and a recliner that looked as if it could swallow me whole completed the room's decor. It didn't look like a cop's office at all.

The commander sat down on one of the couches and motioned for me to do the same. "Ms. Trumaine, my name is Ahmad Jhahule Descantes. You may call me Descantes during your duration here. I won't insist on formalities as you are not one of my Sentinels.” He smoothed the fabric on his pants leg and settled back into the leather.

A shadow danced across his face for a slight second, "I'm also going to insist you refrain from manhandling the staff. Stephen was very hard to attain. His kind is rare in these modern times. It took quite a lot of bartering to attain him from Saragon many years ago."

The frown that creased his forehead smoothed as he saw recognition pop into my eyes. So that's what the Golem was referencing. I hadn't given it a second thought after he pissed me off. "How long did you know my grandfather?"

Descantes smiled and ran his hand through his beard before crossing his legs. "I knew him before his conception. As a matter of fact, I gave his father Kemet the name Saragon, after the ruler who granted me my freedom eons ago."

Oh, this was getting better by the minute. I was ogling a guy who was practically kin and older than Methuselah. If my thoughts of Irulan weren't enough to rein my hormones in, both of my grandfathers' names certainly were.

I cleared my throat and attempted to get on point. "I apologize for what happened earlier. I can assure you, Descantes, it won’t happen again. My primary focus during my time here is Tristan. I won’t have time to beat up on any other of your employees.” I shifted a little to cross my legs, "Speaking of which, the sooner I can talk with your downed Sentinels, the quicker I can get onto his trail."

Descantes narrowed his eyes and the lilac coloring got darker, "What makes you think you can accomplish what my best team could not?" I shrugged my shoulders and didn't give him the answers that were running through my mind.

I didn't think he'd take too kindly to my calling his people unprepared and sloppy, so I kept my opinions to myself. "This is personal for me, Descantes, as I'm sure you're well aware of. I know him. We’ve shared a bed and blood, and that gives me some insight into his mind that your people didn't have."

Descantes shook his head and smoothed out a wrinkle on his couture trousers. "The Lifeborn Sentinel that you requested to see can say the same. Tristan is her Sire, he turned her sixty years ago, but that failed to keep her out of a hospital bed."

He leaned forward to look deeper into my eyes, "She has to have constant transfusions to help her body repair the damage that was done to it, and even still, she may not make a full recovery."

Damn it all to hell, it took a lot to render the regenerative powers of a Vampire null. I'd never heard of one needing more blood than our feedings could provide.

Descantes was obviously trying to scare me off, but it wasn't going to work. It only made me more determined. "The fact that she's his turn makes her more susceptible to him, but you know that. I'm Pureblood. He won't be able to roll me."

Descantes pulled a small box out of his jacket pocket. "You're definitely a Trumaine, so confident you think nothing in the world can stand against you.” He sighed as he absent-mindedly tapped the box. "I'll give you carte blanche of our facilities. Anything you need is at your disposal."

I nodded, "I'm very grateful for your hospitality, Descantes. I'll be sure to let Marcus know how generous you were."

"Be that as it may, because you are not one of my own I'm going to have to insist you wear a standard issue locator.” He tossed me a thin, clear disk the size of a half dollar and chuckled. "I'm told Charlotte's CMS has had to take out extra liability insurance to cover the expense of your collateral damage."

I blanched as I wagged my finger in the air. "That's not entirely true...” Descantes cut me off with a wave of his hand and ran his tongue across his lips in a seductive manner. I felt a small surge of power dance across my skin.

"Commander...um Descantes...I'm not sure what the purpose of..." Then my breath caught in my throat as his powers became more intense. His blanket of power surrounded me and pulled all of my apprehensions and self-doubts right out of my mind.

Once he was done, Descantes took his seat behind the desk. “Your hopes and dreams are very clear and surprisingly pure for a Vampire of your stature. Most of you only aspire to gain power. You may very well survive this after all."

The SOB just used his powers on me. "What in the hell did you just do to me?"

Descantes eyes sparked with power, and he tossed me another disk, this one was quarter-sized, obsidian and covered in writing that I had never seen before. "You know I am Djin. We were once the granters of Humankind’s dreams. Take this. It will help you remain focused."

I turned the disk over in my hand and found the same writing on the other side. "That still doesn't explain what you just did to me."

"I looked into your heart’s mind and saw your dreams. You're very strong Valeria, but your doubts will cloud that strength. I took them away from you to make the path to your hopes clearer. That's all.” He pointed to the small disk, "Keep that with you and it will duplicate the effect to a lesser degree."

I thanked Descantes, who pointed to the locator in my hand. I reluctantly pressed it to the back of my neck and felt the momentary buzz as it hummed to life then was silent.

"There, done," I pouted, and then got directions to the hospital ward. Five minutes later, I was in the sterilized, secured unit three floors below.

CHAPTER FOUR

The moment my foot exited the elevator, the emotions of the floor's occupants slammed into my mind. The sheer amount of pain, longing, and frustration rattled me to my core. I slammed my shields down as tightly as I could and continued to the nearest nurses’ station.

Her nametag said 'Nurse Manning'. She looked up with the required work smile, and asked if she could help me. "Yes, I'm here to see the two Sentinels that were injured in the line of duty," I replied coolly.

It wasn't anything personal, but I hated hospitals. Before the Awakening, Extras avoided Human hospitals like the plague because of the possibility of revelation. I've never been able to shake the years of teaching that my parents ingrained in me.

I guess the nurse didn't like my tone of voice. "Visitation is restricted to staff, family, and law enforcement,” she said, with a slight edge to her voice that wasn't there before. I held up my hand to show her my signet ring that marked me as a Sentinel. She eyed the ring and, with a huff, turned to look back in the charts. "Officer Goings is in room 431," she pointed to a room to the right of her, "And Jones is in room 440.”

She slapped two forms on the counter and held out a pen. "Both patients are in sound proofed, warded rooms, as such they are monitored by video. Please sign the release giving permission for your likeness to be recorded."

I signed the forms and headed for the closest room. I knocked, pushed the door open slightly and waited for a reply, but got nothing. Entering the deathly silent room, I found Goings lying on the hospital bed hooked up to enough hardware to open a small electronics store.

"Officer Goings," I called out softly, but he didn't move. I inched farther into the room and called him again, no answer. Surely, he wasn't dead, I mean nothing was going off or making any funny noises. All the monitors had the up and down valleys that represented life in his body. I called his name once again, this time louder, but still nothing.

I pulled his chart from a nearby wall pocket and thumbed through the pages. A coma. Great, just great. It would have been considerate of Descantes to mention this beforehand. I inched the shield up in my head and met with peace and quiet. Encouraged, I dropped them totally and slipped into his conscious. "Officer Goings, can you hear me?" I nudged softly.

This time around, I heard a deep, gruff voice shakily reply, "I heard you the first time. Sorry, I couldn't answer back. I'm a little indisposed at the moment."

I took a seat in the nearest chair, and focused on Goings' thoughts, so he wouldn't have to work so hard at communication. "No need for apologies, Officer, I completely understand.” Goings thoughts were amazingly strong and focused. He seemed to have a clear understanding of what was going on, not like other comatose minds I'd touched in the past.

He immediately picked up my train of thought, "That's because I'm not in a coma, Officer. My body is in hibernation while it heals.” My eyes glanced over the pages spread out in his chart and found his classification, Bear Shifter. Bear Shifters and Weres adapted to their animal counterpart’s hibernation needs. Over time, it evolved into a type of healing hibernation for a severely traumatized body.

"You're a Bear Shifter. That explains why you look like the Hulk. But how did you know I was a Sentinel? I haven't introduced myself." I replaced the chart and waited for an answer.

"Easy. You don't smell like disinfectant and sickness, so you're not a nurse," he laughed. "And you certainly aren't related to me, so that leaves Sentinel since they're keeping me on restricted visitation."

"My name is Valeria Trumaine. I'm a Sentinel from Charlotte, North Carolina.” Finally making a formal introduction, I forged on, "The CMS has assigned me to locate and apprehend Tristan Meriwether for unnatural crimes against Humanity."

"You and what army?” The playfulness had completely evaporated from his voice. “I'm a strong guy, not much in the way of mentals, but all Ursidaes can shield with the best of them. It just comes naturally with our strength. That thing tore through my shields as if they were made of wet tissue paper."

A shiver went down my spine at the steel laced throughout his words. "Go home, Officer. Go home and pray he grows bored with whatever it is he's doing. You can't win this fight.” That was a lot coming from a Bear. His race is relentless when it comes to a fight. They are never ones to admit defeat of any kind. His concession shook me much more than Descantes' attempt to frighten me.

"You made it out alive,” I protested. "You did something right, Officer Goings. I just need to know what, so I'll have a better perspective on what angle to take.”

Goings' voice sounded bleak and hopeless in my mind, "Bear, please call me Bear. That's really my name. My father had a sense of humor.” A hint of pain skimmed over the link between us, this conversation was taking a toll on him.

"I got lucky, Trumaine,” he said in a stony voice. "We had a tip from a Gullah Voudoun that the mark was gonna be at an arcane supply store later on that night." Goings' voice was shaky, but he kept going, "I was posted on a nearby rooftop with a sniper rifle loaded with anti-tank rounds. Amanda Jones, the Lifeborn who made it, was on point in the alley because we thought we could use the fact that he was her sire to our advantage."

He swallowed hard. I could feel both his determination and hesitation to finish his story. “He knew we were there…the entire team…I didn't even get off one round before he leveled me, fried my brain.” He laughed nervously and sighed, "If I was Human, I'd be brain dead, and what really scares me is the fact that I don't know if my shields protected me, or he just got tired of killing."

Bear Goings was exhausted beyond belief, "I'm going to take him down, Bear, whether anyone believes I can do it or not. He gonna pay for everything he's done."

I squeezed his hand as his mind shut down again. From what I could tell, his body was healthy. In terms of sheer brute strength, bears were near the top of the Lycanthrope list. It was unnatural seeing one laid out like Bear Goings was. Seeing Tristan's handiwork so closely nailed home the fact that we needed to move fast before he hurt anyone else.

I just hoped I get more from Officer Jones than I did from Bear. I passed Nurse Ratchet sitting at her station and found room 440. This time when I entered the hospital room, I found its occupant sitting up in her bed watching TV. Blood bags with varying amounts in them hung from at least four IV poles around the head of her bed. Officer Jones gave me the once over and decided her show was more important than I was.

Her attitude didn’t faze me. I held up my signet and wiggled my finger as I moved to stand near the foot of her bed. "Officer Jones, my name is Valeria Trumaine. I need to ask you a few questions about the night you were injured, if you don't mind."

Her eyes closed for a moment as if she were fighting a headache, then she nodded and turned the TV off. "I'm not sure what I can tell you that I haven't already told C.O. Descantes.” She waved a hand by the side of her head as if she were shooing away flies, "At least three Seers have been here to poke around in my head and still nothing, but if you think you can do better."

She sounded damn defensive for someone that didn't have anything to hide. I reached out to her psyche and touched her shields. Considering she had been at ground zero when Tristan went 'postal', her shields were in good shape, nothing at all like Bear's. If I didn't know better, I'd think there was nothing wrong with her at all.

"I understand Tristan is your Sire. The assignment to take him down must have been hard. It goes against everything a Lifeborn is taught while they're transitioning."

She flinched but tried to recover before I saw it, "Of course it was hard, but I took an oath to serve and protect when I became a Sentinel. I don't take my duties lightly.” Jeez, she sounded as though she was reading the cover of the CMS's employee handbook. Jones crossed her legs under the drab hospital blanket with a smug look on her face, "I can't imagine it was any easier for me than it is for you now, Valeria."

I caught the hiss before it left my throat, "To be honest, I'm almost looking forward to the endgame, Amanda.” I leaned forward to rest against the bed frame and watched her eyes carefully, "Tristan is a monster. Vampires like him are the reason the rest of us had to hide for so long." I mused out loud, "He's a lame dog gone rabid and should have been put down when he was a pup."

Her eyes flashed black for less than a second. If I were Human, I would have missed it. In that brief moment of time, I saw something else in her eyes, a look that was almost pleading.

I moved to sit near the head of her bed. "Tell me what happened that night, Amanda. Tell me how he took out your entire team without throwing a single blow."

She stared out the window before shifting her head to look at me with entirely different eyes, "He's not my Tristan anymore," she whimpered softly, "He's become more than Vampire, more than Fae..."

The scream was so unexpected and blood chilling that my back was against the door before I realized it. I flew back to the bed and pulled Amanda's fists away from her hair, chunks of her scalp came away clutched inside of them.

"Amanda! Jesus what's going on?!" I turned expecting to see a group of nurses running in our direction because of the noise, forgetting for a moment that they had these rooms warded and soundproofed. I shook the screaming Vampire until, like a light going off, the screaming stopped. Amanda looked at me with a faraway look plastered on her face, as if she had suddenly checked out and was on her way to la-la land. When she spoke, her voice sounded just as hollow and empty as she looked. "He's here," she moaned almost inaudibly. "He's here, and he knows I want to help you."

Shit! She was either bespelled, or Tristan was using his link as her sire to listen in. Both would explain her standoffish behavior, but neither one should have been possible with the hospital room warded as the nurse claimed.

I went to the doorframe and ran my hands along the smooth surface until I found what I was looking for. I could barely feel the painted over runes carved in the surface of the metal, but they were there. I checked the windowsill and found them in place there as well. Her behavior wasn't making any sense. I considered calling in someone from the arcane arts department but brushed the thought away.

All magic leaves traces, fingerprints of the person wielding it and, from what I learned from Irulan, each species' magic also leaves specific traces. It eventually fades, but before it does, another practitioner can follow the signature, almost like a bloodhound. It takes years of study for a witch's ability to become attuned enough to become a Tracer. If there were anything here to begin with,

In this case, between the wards and the general sterile atmosphere of a hospital, I didn't think there would be anything left to find.

I confirmed the presence of the wards and began searching closer to the bed. All along the sides, I could feel the runes etched into the steel. Hell, underneath the bed, there was even a dream catcher sparkling with its maker's power.

That pretty much squashed the spell theory. Dream catchers are excellent wards against nightmares, but when charged with a true shaman's energy, they offered almost fail-safe protection against dark magic. That’s a bit of information they didn't advertise. Her room seemed locked down tight against magical interference.

That left the sire's link, and the only way to confirm that was to get through her shields. I braced myself and opened a small window to my consciousness, inching around her shields looking for any chink in the armor of her mind that I could exploit. Unfortunately, for me, it was solid as a rock. I cursed my luck and opened my mind farther, putting more pressure into my probe. This time I got through, but my head was pounding with the effort it took. "Amanda, Amanda Jones this is Valeria Trumaine, can you hear me?” I waited for an answer and got nothing. I was just about to increase the force of my probe again, when something shoved me out of her head with enough strength to knock me back into the chair behind me. I had been sitting in.

I was almost certain that Tristan was exploiting the link, but looking into her eyes again, erased any doubts I had. Amanda looked at me with a sinister grin on her face and with eyes that weren't her own. I don't know why I didn't see it when I first walked in the room. "Tristan is that you?" My voice was, surprisingly, stronger than I expected it to be. "I recognize your eyes, Tris. I know it's you.”

Amanda/Tristan cocked her head to the side and looked at me with curious fascination without saying a word. That look made me feel as if I were on display in a cage. "Whatever you've become, whatever you're doing, give it up.” I tried to reason with him. “I’m your best chance to make it out of the mess you've gotten yourself into, Tris. Tell me where you are and let me come get you.”

Focusing on getting Tristan to talk distracted me, and Amanda's skin became more and more flushed. By the time I caught it, there were already small blisters forming on her skin.

"Tristan, talk to me, damn you, don't just sit there with that stupid grin!" More blisters were rapidly forming up and down both of her arms.” You know it takes a coward to pick on a woman, Tristan.” I stood up and let my anger wash over me blacking my eyes. "You wanna fight with a woman, fight me. I'm the one that left your sorry ass high and dry. I'll bet daddy wasn't too happy with you for losing me, was he?"

I know you catch more flies with sugar, but I was at a loss. Whatever he was doing to her, I was helpless to stop it. My best bet was to make him mad enough to lash out at me, but he wasn't taking the bait. A small dip of Amanda's head was all the acknowledgement I got that he heard me. Amanda's eyes phased back to her own, complete with blood tears clinging to her eyelashes.

She cried silently as puss-filled blisters appeared on her face. "It's too late for me," she mumbled as she brushed at her arm, her skin flaking under her fingertips.

"Hold tight Amanda,” I gasped at the sight. "I'm going to get help.”. I flashed to the nurses’ station, grabbed nurse Ratchet, and was back to Amanda's room before another tear had time to hit the covers.

The nurse took in the sight of Amanda's body covered in sores and turned an accusing gaze towards me and demanded, "What did you do to her? You've only been here fifteen or twenty minutes!"

I choked on a cough as I tried to dispute her accusations, "What?! Are you crazy, woman? Look at her!" I pointed to her reddening arm, "She looks like a goddamned sausage getting ready to pop. Exactly how would I accomplish that without magic? This room is warded to high hell and back!"

The bewildered nurse shoved a finger into my chest and started shrieking at me as if she were part howler monkey, "You were the only one in the room with her! She was fine before you got here!"

Her finger snapped like a pencil between my own. She screamed, and I tilted my head towards the bed. "While you're throwing blame, she's getting worse! In case you didn't notice, I'm a Vampire, Bitch! We’re not exactly known for baking people alive.” My assumption of what was going on with Amanda was more on point than even I realized. The blisters and pustules covering her body were now releasing little streams of steam, her complexion akin to a lobster.

Amanda chose that moment to let loose another blood-curling scream that set the hairs on my arm on end. The nurse lost her color and fell back against the door with her eyes so wide that the phrase 'like a deer in headlights' came to mind. She babbled something about help, and tore out of the door as fast as she could, cradling her broken finger as she went.

CHAPTER FIVE

A team of hospital staff rushed into the room, all staring with horror at the sight of Amanda on her bed, her back arched so high it looked as if it would snap at any moment. The staff looked bewildered and frightened. They were entirely unsure which of them should make the first step towards Amanda whose face had locked into a soundless scream.

One brave soul finally pushed through the crowd making her way towards the bed. The temperature in the room had skyrocketed to resemble the interior of an oven on broil and it continued to climb as more steam escaped from Amanda's body. Sweat poured off me, the heat of the room becoming increasingly uncomfortable with every passing second. The nighttime hours were Vampires' natural domain - the cool nighttime hours. I wasn't built for this type of heat.

Everyone watched anxiously as the lone nurse shook off her hesitation and grabbed Amanda by the shoulders. No one expected the intense heat of her body to interact with anything other than the air in the room. If we had, someone would have made a move to stop the nurse from going to that bed. The instant her hands made contact, they began smoldering and burst into flames. The stunned woman tried to let Amanda go, but their flesh fused so quickly all she could do was scream and cry out for help, feet fumbling for enough purchase to pull her away from the nightmarish situation.

I finally came to my senses and tried to reach the brave nurse’s side. As I came within inches of her body, some unseen force hurled me backwards through the air into the group of spectators crowded into the room.

The heat and smoke intensified until the unit's sprinklers sparked to life bathing the room in a blanket of water. We watched too stunned to look away, unable to do anything but witness the horrific ordeal as it unfolded before our eyes. It only took five minutes to burn two women alive, but it felt as if we'd stood there hours watching the flames claim them.

When it was over, the whole room was drenched except for the small area surrounding the bed. The report would later show that the area around the bed had been so intense that the water from the sprinklers evaporated before it even touched the bed.

I noticed the contents of a few stomachs becoming acquainted with the wet tiles as I pushed my way through the mass of bodies to the hallway. The room was now a crime scene. I needed to get a clean-up crew up here before the medical staff contaminated any evidence they might be able to find. In the back of my mind, I knew they wouldn't find anything outside of their charred remains, but my training was finally kicking in.

Descantes was the first Sentinel to get there. He came swirling through the vents as mist, solidifying inside the room just as I was beginning to herd everyone out into the hall. He took one look at the remains and rushed to the window running his hands along the frame. Two more Sentinels joined me in clearing the room. When we were done, we closed the door behind us and turned towards a stony-faced Descantes.

He ran a shaky hand through his hair, looking at us with eyes filled with power and tempered rage. "This should not have been possible! This room should have protected her from Soul Fire."

We blanched at his words. Soul Fire was a weapon typically found in an Elemental’s arsenal. They were almost as old the Djin and even rarer. We learned as children that the Elementals were the replacements for the Djin and the most powerful race the Founders of all life had given birth to - Human, Extras, or Demon.

The Djin were once the favored of the Founders, created to be protectors of Humans, but they abused the privilege, so the Founders removed them as protectors and finally locked them into servitude to the Humans they had grown to envy and abuse. Modern society refers to the legendary Djin as genies. As powerful as the Djin are, the Elementals are stronger. The Founders gifted only Elementals with the ability to create new and unique life forms. They were the true creators of the Extras races.

I was the first one to say anything, "This is Tristan's work, Descantes. He did this using the sire's link."

He scrutinized me with disbelief on his face. "It's impossible. Vampires of old might have been able to do this type of damage, but that gift has been lost to your race for almost four thousand years now."

I heard the truth in his words, but I knew that Tristan was responsible for those deaths. I'd looked into Amanda's face and seen his eyes looking back at me.

Descantes gave orders to his men who whirled into motion taping off the area around the bed. A water nymph came into the room and began clearing the water from the room, evaporating it into mist and taking it into herself. Later she would expel the water and essentially strain it for any traces of magic it may have picked up to pass off to a tracer.

Descantes moved to the doorframe and pressed a glowing hand to the runes within it. His head bowed in concentration mumbling Aramaic to himself as he checked to make sure the wards were intact. He looked up with an even deeper scowl on his face, "This makes no sense whatsoever.” He squatted to look under the bed, finding the dream catcher intact and unharmed, still sparkling with power.

"These rooms are built specifically for Extras inhabitants taking into account any number of situations that may have placed them here.” He looked at Amanda's remains with a glimmer of pain in his eyes. "She was a fine woman and an even better Sentinel." He rolled his signet ring around his finger in circles as he talked.

"She came to me seeking a purpose with her life after Tristan left her to her own devices," he admitted. "She helped me police our people long before the Awakening. She deserved better than this."

I flinched against the pain in his voice, my personal time table for catching Tristan just got impossibly shorter. I knew he didn't believe that Tristan was responsible, but I knew differently. The quicker I brought him down the better. No one involved would have closure until that happened.

I moved to leave the room as more staff from Descantes' division came to do their jobs, but he caught me by the arm and pulled me into a corner. "I realize the higher ups decided to let the Charlotte CMS head the hunt since it's Tristan's home base, but I'm not going to rein my men in just because you're here.” He made eye contact with a short stocky Were standing behind me. The Were nodded and then left the room. He wasn't wasting any time putting teams on the street, and that wasn't necessarily a healthy thing. A bunch of half-cocked Sentinels emotionally charged over the loss of a fellow officer wasn't going to do this hunt any good.

I kept my opinions to myself. Descantes didn't need his line of thinking questioned right now. A quick look at what lay on the bed and his brow came together with a deep furrow. "While I may not believe he is personally responsible for these deaths, I do believe whoever did this act on his orders."

"You find out anything, I want to be the first to know. Do you understand?” He waited for my answer, but I wasn't ready to commit to his command. I had a C.O., and, damn it, I was already wearing the locator. He looked down at me with sparks dancing in his eyes, "I'm dead serious, Ms. Trumaine. You will not engage him without a complete contingency of Sentinels at your back. It that clear?"

I looked past his shoulder to the carnage on the bed and quietly conceded. My cell went off in my pocket giving me the out I needed to leave the room. I moved down the hall and read the text from Irulan. They had the name of a possible informant at a club called Crimson Dawn that was clear across town. She wanted me to meet up with them as soon as I could. Gladly, anything to take me away from here.

I mapped the club on my phone and headed for the closest stairway. I thought I'd made a clean exit when Descantes solidified in front of me. "Leaving in such a hurry? Anything you'd like to share?” He glared at my phone as if he could read the text through the darkened screen. For all I know, he could, but that didn't stop me from lying.

"It's 3:30 in the morning Descantes and, so far, my first night in Charleston has been a bust. I got nothing from either officer that helps me in any way, and, on top of that, I just watched two women, one of them one of those officers, roasted alive.” I waved my phone in front of his face, "That was one of my partners asking if I'd had any better luck than they had. I told her no. So now I'm going to have a few drinks to try and get the sight of that room out of my head.” I ran a finger across my lips and felt a jab of hunger in my stomach. "I also need to feed before the night is out, if that's alright with you."

The look on his face was one of disbelief, but he let me go without any further questions. Once I hit the street level, I checked my directions, memorized them, and headed out. I ran faster than the phone could keep up, so using GPS was out if I was really in a hurry, and I was definitely in a hurry. Running at top speed it only took me five minutes to reach the Crimson Dawn. To give you an idea of how fast I was moving, if I had been in a vehicle doing forty, even with no stops for red lights or stop signs, it would have taken me about fifteen minutes to get there.

The Crimson Dawn didn't look like much from the outside, just a red door under a small, black awning in the side of a dumpy building that looked every bit abandoned. There were no neon signs advertising its existence. That’s what the red moon stitched into the awning was for.

Most Extras clubs were like that. Although the government made us legal and forced the masses to accept us as a whole, the individual mindset was something altogether different. There are now units in traditional police stations designed specifically for catching Humans that hunted us illegally.

The only thing out of place was the bouncer standing outside the door. The bouncer was a Deadborn built like a brick house. He was a little short for my taste, only standing around five six, but he more than made up for it in the looks department. My hyped up senses needed release after all the excitement at the hospital, and he would certainly qualify. Sex was just as good as fighting if you could find the right person. While the Deadborn wasn't quite the right person, he would do to get my blood pumping. I twisted my ring around, so the signet wouldn't show, and sauntered up to the door with my aura radiating my hunger full blast.

CHAPTER SIX

I heard his sharp intake of breath when my aura hit him head on. The poor guy didn't stand a chance. He had reached my side before I was halfway to the door, eyes black and teeth extended in anticipation of what my aura said I was offering. I gave him a smile that was all teeth and ran my hands over the smooth black leather that was covering my ass. "I'm new in town." I hissed the words and circled him slowly, enticing the hunter within him with a challenge. "I was told I could find some fun at the Crimson Dawn. Is that true?"

He smiled and wrung his hands together, "Yeah it's true, hon. I'm gonna give you all the fun you can handle and save you the price of admission all at once. How's that for considerate?" I didn't need to experience the excitement in his aura to know he was aroused. I could smell the blood gathering in his groin, the temptation of a chase building in his veins.

Vampires were hunters first. Time may have evolved us into lawyers and CEO's, but the need for the hunt remained engraved in our DNA. Since the Awakening, blood bars and blood banks have become the standard practice for ‘civilized Vampires’ to obtain the necessary blood needed for feeding. There was also a surplus of Humans lining up to be tapped, some for the money, some hoping to be chosen as a turn.

No matter what methods they concocted to make us seem less frightening to the public, the majority of us still got our blood the old-fashioned way. Why? Because the hunt was about more than the need for food, it was erotic to us. Nothing compares to the long, lean lines of a predator on the prowl. The way a body moves when it exerts itself, sweat running down its lines. The hunt is everything. It fuels us, and right now, I was throwing gas on this Deadborn's fire.

The Deadborn twisted down into a crouch and took a quick swipe at my legs. I easily dodged him and dropped into a crouch of my own, leaning forward onto the tips of my fingers. "Hold it, big boy. No fun until I find out your name at least."

He launched himself at me, arms outstretched trying to pin me. At the last minute, I leaned out of the way. He whizzed right by me without laying as much as a finger on my person. Before he could redirect, I pounced and pinned him face first to the ground. He tried to buck me off, but I was stronger than he was by far despite his girth. I was just about to lean in for a quick bite on his neck when I heard footsteps near the door.

I looked up to find Irulan and Priest standing in the doorway of the club. Irulan didn't look amused, in fact, she looked down right upset, and Priest sported a hard on and a smug expression that just oozed the words 'I told you so'.

I looked down at the Deadborn underneath me and frowned. He was too far gone in his desire to notice we had an audience. Poor guy would be useless for the rest of the night. I can rein my emotions in and keep them in check until I have the opportunity to let go. Deadborns don't have that kind of control. He’d be a walking stiff until he found release, either through sex or through feeding, if he were lucky, both. A large part of me felt sorry for toying with him the way I did, but a small, nagging voice in the back of my mind didn't give a damn one way or another. He’s just a Deadborn, it said.

As I pushed away from my 'would be' one-night stand, I shook my head trying to dislodge the thought. I hated that part of myself, the condescending, pompous ass that most Vampires were. I was better than that. Pushing past Priest and Irulan to get inside, I flashed to the door unable to look back at the outraged Vampire that was now yelling at me, calling me everything but a child of God.

The interior of the club was mostly dance floor. From what I could tell, there were booths lining three walls and a bar taking up the last one. The DJ booth was quite large and fixed into a corner high over the room. An up-tempo R & B song pumped out of giant speakers aimed at the center of the room. Shifters and Weres filled the dance floor with a few other Extras sprinkled here and there.

Since it was almost time for a full moon, it made sense that the Lycanthropes were out in full force. This was the only time Weres and Shifters dropped their mutual animosity and acted like the true blood kin that they were.

Any other time of the month, they were barely amicable towards each other. Up until about six hundred years ago, give or take a decade or two, there was no such thing as Shifters, only Weres. Tired of having their lives controlled by the sway of the moon, one day a group of Weres banded together and sought a way to be free of the lunar cycles.

The group made some sort of pact with a demon, severing their ties to the moon and liberating them from forced change when the moon was full. They also gained the half form that most Humans associate with werewolves. The pact also included all of their future generations. The rest of the lycanthrope population didn't take to kindly to them making a demon pact and declared them blood traitors. The Shifters countered, calling the Weres savages, contented to live their lives as animals. If you ask me, I think it's stupid, but what do I know?

Both Weres and Shifters feel the power of the full moon. It sends the females into heat and the men ramp up with a need to mate. The only difference is that Shifters can choose to shift or not, the Weres have no choice. To be honest most Shifters choose to shift anyway, so why all the fuss?

A lot had happened in a short period of time, and trying to keep all the thoughts at bay were threatening to give me a headache. Swaying with the music, I dropped my shields, so I could see normally in the pulsating strobe lights, and. reached out with my aura to let the sexual rush the Lycanthropes were generating wash over me chasing off both my nagging self-loathing and the weariness that was trying to settle in.

Intending to ask her to dance with me, I turned towards Irulan, but Priest pushed past her and hauled me onto the dance floor by an arm. Any other time, I wouldn't have allowed any degree of familiarity with Priest, but his was a body that knew how to move with the music, so I let it ride.

We shoved our way to the center of the crowded floor, pressed tightly against each other by the sea of bodies gyrating around us and began dancing. Priest wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer, as if we could get any. "I knew I was right about you in that elevator earlier," he said as he ground his hardness against me and opened the floodgate on his desire. I inhaled sharply as it struck me.

As we moved, I threw my arms around his neck. "Why do you have to go and mess everything up by opening your mouth, Jacob?"

I could ignore the blood difference, I honestly could, but the fact that he was a total tool and had no control over what flew out of his mouth was the only reason I hadn't slept with him before. Deadborns were supposed to be insatiable when it came to sex and had legendary staying power. I'd always wanted to see for myself but never allowed myself to get that close to one.

Priest was the only Deadborn I had regular contact with outside of those sired by my family, making him the obvious candidate by default. I've long since come to my senses and realized that some things just weren't worth the aggravation, and sex with Priest was one of them. I'd never admit to Priest that I once considered him a candidate. It’d go straight to his head.

Priest moved in to run his lips down the side of my neck as he talked. "Sorry for stating the obvious, Trumaine. The way you were all over that poor sap outside I'm surprised your carpet munching buddy and I didn't come out the door to find you and him doing anything more than you were."

I hissed and tried to pull away from him, but he held on tightly to my waist. "Don't talk about Irulan like that, Priest. Or do you want me to set her loose on you again?"

His body stiffened, but he didn't let go. He looked around the dance floor and realized that many of the lycanthropes were in various states of undress. A mocking grin spread across his face. "Looks as if they’ve got the right idea, Trumaine.” Just like that, he was kissing me. There was nothing gentle about his assault. His fangs scored my lips, drawing blood and giving the unwanted kiss more heat than I'd care to admit. I came to my senses and pulled away from him, bumping into people as I worked my way out of the crowd.

When I reached the bar, Irulan took in the swollen and bruised condition of my lips with a hurt look on her face. "It figures." She began fumbling in her pocketbook, obviously trying to avoid looking me in the face. "Look, Val, you and Jacob finish up what you were doing. I'm going to head back to the hotel."

My stomach clenched at the thought of her leaving while actually believing I was into Priest, and when Priest came up behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and tried to nuzzle my neck, things only got worse. I twisted out of his hold, and shoved him away from me as fast as I could, but not fast enough. When I turned back, she was gone. "Damn it! Don’t you ever do that again, Priest!" I yelled, socking him in the stomach as I turned to scan the club for Irulan.

Priest chuckled and pointed towards the door, "She went out that way."

Some days it just didn't pay to get out of bed. After the day I'd had, the cuddle bunny, Mr. M., looked mighty sweet. I should have hidden out at his house and stayed in bed the entire day. I don't think he would have made any objections.

I rushed out the door and came to a dead halt. I had no idea where they parked the car. Priest came plowing into my back, and I elbowed him in the stomach. "I told you, Priest, I'm not mood for your shit tonight. You've caused enough trouble already.” I scented the air to find Irulan's trail and ran in that direction. She was leaning up against the SUV, hands folded over her chest and eyes focused on something behind me when I found her.

I looked back to find Priest dead on my heels swinging a set of car keys on one finger. Irulan snatched the keys, "This will be just fine thank you. I can find my way back to the hotel on my own.” She unlocked the door and shook her head at the two of us, "No need to cut your night short because of me, by all means go enjoy yourselves."

I don't know why those words stung, but they did. It was vital for her to know the truth. I reached past her and nudged the car door closed, "You're not walking out on me like this, Irulan, you can't drive upset."

Irulan rounded on me, her eyes clouding over becoming a darker shade with her anger. "Walk out on you? Are you serious?” She shoved me away from her, and then jerked me back to get in my face and whisper in my ear, "Keep on talking like that, Valeria. If you're not careful, someone's going to think there's something going on between us.” I paled at her words and took a step back. Her anger became more potent, and she shoved me back into Priest. "See. That’s what I thought. Why did you even follow me out here?!” She laid both hands on my chest and pushed me again but this time I didn't have anywhere to go.

"Fuck, Val," she cried, "Do you think it’s easy for me to watch you screw anything that moves?" She threw her hands in the air and laughed. "At least any other time you don't throw it in my face.”

Her eyes were radiating so much power by now that they were glowing like miniature twin suns. Even with my films lowered, I couldn't look directly at her, so I talked with my head facing the ground.

"If you'd give me a chance to explain, you'd know that it's not like that between Priest and me, Irulan."

I stomped on Priest's foot, so he'd get the hint, "Oh yeah, sure, what she said."

I stomped his foot again, cringing at his stupidity. Like that half-assed whatever was going to help anything.

And just as I thought, Irulan countered, "The kiss you laid on her while you two were dancing looked like something to me, Jacob."

Priest opened his mouth, but I kicked his shin. I didn’t need anything else to fly out of his mouth and make things worse. "That was his fault, Irulan. He kissed me on purpose while we were sandwiched in the middle of a group of Lycanthropes hyped up on the full moon. I'm a Vampire for crap sake. How else was I supposed to react?"

Irulan's anger wasn't swayed one iota. Actually, I think her eyes began to burn even brighter. "What about the lucky fellow you were practically riding when we found you out front? Explain that. No Lycanthropes to blame that one on."

I'll be damned if she weren't right. So what if my emotions felt as though they were in a blender, sitting on top of a washer during the spin cycle? I pushed past Irulan and banged my head against the hood of the SUV. I needed to get a grip. This was no way for me to be acting, especially on a case.

If this was how I was going to be until I finally took Tristan down, I didn't think I was going to make it. Hell, in the shape I was in, I was more likely to end up staked and baked myself.

"You're right, Irulan,” I quietly admitted. "You're right, and I'm sorry, there is no excuse for my behavior.” I let my films retract and slowly brought my head up to look her in the eyes, hoping she could see the sincerity of my words. "I can only blame it on this case. Yesterday my life was normal, everything was going the way it's supposed to.” I held my hands up and looked at them as if they could talk for me, "So much has happened today I just needed to let some of the emotions out."

My eyes watered blood tears from staring directly into the blinding light of Irulan's own eyes without my films, but I refused to lower them. Irulan relented first, her emotions slowly dampening the light within until I could look at her without experiencing pain, but there was already some damage. It would be morning before my eyes had healed enough for me to lower my films again. I was light blind for the remainder of the night, meaning that unless my surroundings were completely dark, I wouldn't be able to see shit clearly. Everything had become blurry.

Priest was, surprisingly, the one to come to my defense. In spite of his obvious unease around Irulan, he pushed past her, took my hand, and walked me to the SUV, so I could sit down. He then rounded on Irulan. "For someone that's been around Vampires as much as Trumaine says you have, you don't know much about us, do you?” He closed the door. “I could tell the moment we found her on top of that other vamp that she was running on pure emotion. Something big happened today."

I heard footsteps leading away from me, so I assumed he moved closer to Irulan. "And it's not just the fact that we're hunting her ex. She's a better Sentinel than that. Whatever happened, it went down since we got here, and she's not handling it at all.” His voice dropped a level as he reverted to the Priest I knew, "Vampire 101, great lezzy Sidhe. You need a refresher course.”

All I heard was silence for a few minutes then both car doors opened as they got in with me. I smelled the rose scent that surrounded Irulan drifting from the back seat. Priest must have taken point behind the wheel. I think that ride back to the hotel may have been the longest twenty minutes I ever spent in a vehicle. The uncomfortable stillness made it seem like the ride from Charlotte all over again. Once we were back, there was no reason for me not to tell them what had happened, only my unease at replaying the scene.

I swallowed hard and started talking before I lost the nerve. "I went to the CMS as planned and had an interesting conversation with the C.O. who happens to be Djin, named Descantes.” I heard the soft swish of silk against leather telling me that Irulan was leaning up in her seat facing me. "I also talked with the two survivors." My aura spiked in response to the pictures that were running through my mind. "Make that one survivor. I had the unfortunate distinction of watching one Amanda Jones burned alive by what Descantes called Soul Fire."

"That's impossible, Valeria, Soul Fire is..." began Irulan but I cut her off.

I'd had this conversation already. "Elemental territory for the most part, although legend says that ancient vamps also possessed the ability. That's already been established and debated, but Descantes firmly believes that's what it was." Sighing, I let my head fall forward into my hands. "I know he was wrong, but he wouldn't even consider what I believe is a valid explanation.” I was frustrated beyond belief. So much had gone wrong today and, the part that truly stung was, even if I had done things differently, I couldn't have changed the outcome.

"It was Tristan, not some mystical Elemental that no one has seen in at least a millennium." I opened my eyes to see their reactions, but everything was so blurry I couldn't even make out their faces. "I don't know how he got past the wards in that hospital room, but he did. He used the sire's link to kill not only a fellow Sentinel, but a nurse as well."

My damaged eyes burned against the faint light coming through the tinted windows, but I kept going, ignoring the discomfort. "I know how it sounds, but I saw his eyes just as plain as day, staring at me from that woman's face before he killed her."

I felt drained but OK. Once I got everything out, I felt more like myself than I had all day. Emotional baggage was a serious no-no for Vampires. Strong emotions rode us and influenced our behavior and reactions until we found a way to release them. "There's no doubt in my mind now. Tristan is definitely in Charleston. The link wouldn't have been as strong as it was otherwise.”

The newspaper articles and magazine covers questioning the population’s safety didn’t even to begin to describe the threat that Tristan had become. The display of power I'd witnessed in that hospital unit was straight out of Extras fairy tales or nightmares. If I didn't realize before how urgent the situation was, or how much danger I was in by accepting this mark, I did now.

Irulan's insistence that I refuse the case in the first place and Descantes doubt that I could carry through with the kill both served to strengthen my resolve to see this hunt to the end.

Priest accepted my explanation without any doubt. When I was done, I saw the shadowy outline of his head nod. "Get some rest, Trumaine, take a pint from your girlfriend, and let your eyes heal. Since I can't go out until the sun has completely set, it's up to you two to talk to the possible informant we dug up.”

I felt a twinge of guilt over the way I treated him after the kiss. In his own way, he was trying to help, and I gave him hell for his troubles. He'd even defended me against Irulan knowing she could control him as easily as she breathed. As I said before, overall, he was a decent guy, just a prick to me - most of the time.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Thankfully, the rest of the night went off without any more surprises. Irulan was silent when we got to our room, which didn't bother me one bit. Just today, I had done enough soul searching to last me a few months. Whatever was going on with Irulan was one giant tearjerker waiting to happen and I wanted to avoid it as long as I could.

Irulan turned on the harsh florescent lights without realizing what she was doing until she turned and saw the pink tears sliding down my face. She mumbled a quick apology and killed all the lights so I could get some relief and actually see how to dress myself for bed. As exhausted as I was, a shower could wait until morning.

We got about four hours of sleep before we were up and on our way to a local IHOP around nine, giving us about two hours before I had to be back. Thankfully, my eyes felt a whole lot better than they did the night before. They were just a little scratchy, but I had no problem lowering my films so that I could see in the daylight. I was a little worried though, considering I didn't get the opportunity to feed the night before.

Irulan was still unusually quiet as I drove. The events from last night were undoubtedly the elephant in the room. She usually had commentary about how fast I was driving and pointing out how many traffic laws I was breaking. This morning she didn't say more than two complete sentences until we pulled into the restaurant's parking lot. I had my fingers wrapped around the door handle when she put a hand on my shoulder. "Priest was right last night."

I turned around in the seat, so I could see her face as she talked. She pulled her hair back out of her face and continued, "I've been around Vampires my entire life. I know your race almost as well as I know the Sidhe. I should have realized you were going through something last night instead of acting like a jealous girlfriend."

I smiled and waved off her apology. "You don't have to go through an apology, Ire, you're my best friend. The look on your face after you realized what was going on was apology enough.” I hurried out of the car and flashed to the other side to open the door for her, grateful that we had that behind us.” Now put your game face on. It’s time to get to work."

The second we stepped inside, I felt the Mambo's power. Irulan felt it also because I felt her energy dance along my aura as she powered up in response. Whatever the Gullah were, they were far from any Voudoun I had met. The energy I felt was raw and unchecked. There was no telling what this person’s capabilities were.

Just as the hostess greeted us and asked where we wanted to sit, a tall young woman dressed in a pinstriped business suit walked up behind her and tapped her on the arm. "I believe this is the party I was telling you about, Miss. They're the ladies I was waiting for.” She nodded, and the three of us followed her to a private booth. Once we sat down, the teenage girl left us with menus and headed back to her post as fast as her feet would carry her. I had that effect on people sometimes.

The young woman held out her hand to me, "Allow me to begin by introducing myself. My name is Sophie Blackmon.” I shook her hand as I took in her appearance. She didn't look like any Mambo I'd ever met before.

Sophie Blackmon looked as if she were twenty seven or twenty eight years old, and every bit like a lawyer ready to go to trial. Her shoulder length hair was neatly cornrowed into a stylish bob. Her mocha skin looked like it saw the spa on a regular basis. There wasn’t a single blemish on her. She noted the look on my face and folded her hands in front of her on the table before saying anything. "Is there a problem, Sentinel?"

No point in beating around the bush. "I'm sorry; it's just that you're not exactly what I was expecting. You don't look anything like the root doctors or Mambos I've met in the past.”

She laughed softly just before a scolding look settled on her face. "You should know better that to assume things based on appearance or preconceived notions, Vampire." She looked over at the sunlight pouring in through the windows. "A particularly sunny day we're having. I requested a daylight meeting to make sure I didn't have to deal directly with one of you. Imagine my surprise when you walked in."

Touché. Irulan stifled a burst of laughter, and for that, I stomped on her foot. Jesus, this was not how I envisioned this meeting getting started. I fought to keep from blushing as embarrassment washed over me. “I'm sorry if I offended you in any way. I was just... I mean…”

Sophie smiled and patted my hand. “You didn't offend me. To be honest, I get the same reaction from many Humans. Somehow I expect more from my fellow Extras though.”

We gave our orders to the waitress who had been standing there waiting patiently, and Sophie continued, "My grandmother fits the bill of a typical Mambo, but my mother wanted more for our people. She wanted us to move forward and knew a formal education would help me lead more productively."

Sophie settled back into her seat. "Aside from the training I received from her and my grandmother. I had an Ivy League education.” She reached into a pocket and passed me her business card. "I'm a professor of anthropology at the College of Charleston. I want to honor both my mother and grandmother's wishes. The field I chose allows me to do that."

"I know a little about the field. My oldest brother, Constantine Trumaine, is an anthropologist," I blurted out and immediately prayed she didn't want to get into a discussion about anthropology. I don't know why I brought Tino up. I barely paid attention when he went on and on about his job. Irulan cleared her throat to gain our attention.

Irulan offered her hand with a brief introduction, and began a line of questions, "I'm sorry, Ms. Blackmon, I don't know much about the Gullah community, but it would seem you follow a closer path to witches than that of the Voudoun you’re directly descended from. Witches tend to follow a matriarchal society structure, but the Voudoun elevates only the powerful, it's very interesting."

Sophie smiled, "You are correct, Ms. Irulan. The fault lies with the Voudoun. They tried so hard to fit in and convince the world that there was nothing different about them that they lost parts of themselves over the years.” Sophie absentmindedly stroked a pendant around her neck as she talked. The pendant looked oddly familiar to me, but I didn't say anything. I continued listening as she spoke. "The Gullah have never hidden what we were or tried to be anything else. Our forefathers made sure we didn't forget where we came from.”

“Speaking of which...” I used the opportunity to segue into the case at hand. “That's actually what brings us here, Ms. Blackmon. My C.O. believes the Gullah's unique ancestry is the reason behind Tristan Meriwether's appearance in the area."

Her expression darkened at the mention of Tristan’s name. When she spoke again, her voice had taken on a heavy Haitian accent that dripped with her power and anger. "Dat boy come 'ere an' corrupt me people, tryin' to permanently fuse 'de bloodlines, dat's what he's doin.” She pulled a small, thick, time-weathered leather book out of her pocketbook and slapped it onto the table. Irulan gasped and reached for the manuscript pausing briefly for Sophie’s nod of approval before she gingerly picked it up.

Sophie watched as Irulan carefully flipped through the pages looking every bit like a child on Christmas morning. "Me tried to explain 'de severity of him actions to 'dose of me clan dat he's managed to influence but dey too far gone on 'de promise of power." Sophie shook her head as if she were trying to clear her thoughts, and when she spoke again, her voice had gone back to normal. “My family taught me better than that. I should not have let my emotions get the better of me. I apologize for the display ladies.”

“I promise you, Sophie, you're more than alright. The specifics of this case are enough to shake anyone.” I took in the look of awe on Irulan's face and had to admit my confusion, "It would seem Irulan's too wrapped up in your little book to give it a second notice. You see, she's our expert on the arcane arts, so she's not at the same disadvantage that, I hate to admit, I am.” I pointed at the book, "I have no idea what that book is and how it relates to our case."

"That's a book of ancient incantations and spells given to the Gullah by our founding ancestor, written in the old hand and thousands of years old."

I glanced over at Irulan who didn't seem to be having any problems reading the text. "Care to explain how…?"

Irulan looked up from the book and cut me off, "It's written in old Elvish, a dialect that predates the current Fae language by about ten thousand years." She carefully turned another page as she continued, "It's taught in our universities like ancient Latin and Greek are taught in Human ones but only to the royal houses to prevent abuse of ancient powers.” She closed the book and passed it back to Sophie, "Please tell me that Tristan didn't gain access to anything in that book."

Sophie took a deep breath before stating, "I'm afraid I can't do that. It would seem that one of my own made copies of some of the pages for him. He is the one you need to see. Of my people that have been lured away from me, he is closest to the Abomination."

She passed us a slip of paper with a name and address on it along with two amulets on black cords. "I'm truly sorry for my clan's part in these atrocities, and if I could help you more, I would.” We didn't even notice that our food had long arrived.

Irulan pushed the plate aside. "You have first-hand knowledge of the contents of the book, and how Tristan can utilize it." She reached across the table and took Sophie's hand. "You're powerful - I can feel it. Use your knowledge and power to help us contain him."

Sophie put the book into her bag and shook her head no. "I'm afraid that is impossible. My grandmother is positively livid as it is just because I agreed to meet with you in the first place.” She took a few bites of her now cold pancakes and continued, "The Gullah have not survived as long as we have by getting involved in other clans' affairs."

Irulan scoffed, "The minute one of your own handed over the seeds of power to Tristan it became your affair. He's killing people with knowledge he may have gained from your book of shadows."

Sophie's face went blank as she directed a cold stare towards Irulan, "An error I am rectifying at this very moment, Sidhe. This is all I can actively do." She then pointed to the amulets resting on the table. "That, and give you these. They have strong magic in them and should protect you from any magics that the Abomination has derived from my people.”

"Alright, Ms. Blackmon, I accept that, but there is another way that you can help us," I said quickly. She eyed me with a cautious look in her eyes and nodded for me to continue. "As I mentioned earlier my C.O. believes your unique ancestry is key to Tristan’s plans. It would be helpful if we knew what that was."

Sophie slid the amulets closer to me. "I say again, Vampire, this is all I can do. We protect our heritage from those that might abuse us for it.”

I took the amulet and examined it. For some reason, it was familiar to me, but I couldn't quite pinpoint the reason why. It looked almost like the one Sophie was wearing around her neck. I slipped it in my pocket and pulled out money to pay for our forgotten meals. Better to leave on good terms instead of the sour note the mood had taken. "The CMS appreciates all that you have given us. Hopefully, with the information your person has, we'll be able to get Tristan out of your hair sooner than we would have without it."

Irulan and I had scooted out of the bench and turned to walk away when Sophie grabbed my hand. I looked back at her to see what the problem was, saw that her eyes had turned all white, and crackled with energy. The few of the nearby patrons that noticed made a hasty exit.

"Is there a problem?" I reached over to dislodge her hand, and she grabbed that one as well. "Alright, Ms. Blackmon, while I find you a nice enough woman, you're gonna wanna let me go - Now!"

Irulan moved to reach for her arm, but an unseen force held her in place. When we looked back to Sophie, she was quietly chanting, and her amulet was glowing around her neck.

"My magic won’t work long against you Sidhe, your strength is staggering; almost equal to my own, but I have time enough to make you see I mean your woman no harm."

Say what?! "I don't know what you think, but I'm not anybody's woman. She’s my best friend."

She smiled and released my hands, "Your lips and your heart are at odds with each other. Clearly one knows more than the other where it belongs and to whom.”

She stood and placed a hand over both our hearts. "You two are so completely bonded, the ties are almost visible.” I turned to look at Irulan and found her with a goofy lopsided grin plastered to her face. I was so going to hear about this later. I opened my mouth to protest, but Sophie grabbed my face to look directly into my eyes. "You, child, are the culmination. You have the potential to be everything the Abomination strives to be but never will be."

She released me, and sat back down, "Leave now before the sun gets too high in the sky for even one as blessed as you.” I left the meeting with Sophie even more confused than I had been when I woke up that morning. I drove back to hotel lost in thought. It was no use to try to talk to Irulan. She was on the phone with one of her kin that also lived on this plane. They were speaking in an Elvish dialect that was foreign to me, so there was no need for me even to try to follow the conversation.

She talked the entire way up the elevator and didn't hang up until we were back in out room. Once we got there, she opened my laptop and pulled up her email. The loud "YES" was a sure-fire indication that she had found what she had been looking for.

"VAL!” She yelled loud enough to bust my eardrums. Whatever was in that email had better be important! She pulled up a word processing program and opened a file.

"Last night my eyes, now my ears. Are your trying to maim me for some reason?"

She pulled me down to my knees, so I was eye level with the computer screen, "Can the whining, Valeria, this is important. I have a copy of the book Sophie showed us. It’s very rare, protected, kept under guard by our scholars at home.”

She pulled up various pages as she talked, “Luckily, Sayvar is one of the scholars that have access to the vaults. He's chronicling Sidhe life in Tire Nam Beo, that's why he's here now.” She pointed to the pages she had displayed on the screen, "I'm Royal, that's the only reason I gained access to it so quickly."

"These pages are the ones that are most likely to be of interest to Tristan. Let me tell you, this magic has not been practiced or invoked in the gods know how long." I looked at the pages and found the same dialect that was on the one in Sophie's possession. "What am I reading, Ire? I have no idea what I'm looking at."

She winced and shook her head. "Sorry I forgot, and I can’t read it aloud, the power is in the words themselves, not in the speaker. That‘s what makes ancient magic so dangerous.” She tapped the screen again with a huge grin on her face. "Just the knowledge of knowing what incantations are at Tristan’s disposal is important. We have a starting point for protecting ourselves. It also gives us a hint at the Gullah’s ancestry."

Now we were getting somewhere! If we knew what power was running through their veins, we could find the element to counter it. When the founder created the elementals to protect the earth, he gave them one rule to follow for their creations. Each creation must have a specific weakness so that Humans can defend themselves from the stronger creations if need be. Once the demons and the Djin turned out to be such disappointments, the founder believed the Humans needed a failsafe if any of the Elementals turned on them. They didn't have that with the demons and the Djin.

Silver for the Lycanthropes, iron for the Fae, wood for Vampires, blah blah blah, each Extra has a weakness. My hope was fleeting. Irulan’s next words were a shot to the gut. "Demons, Demon Kin, and the Djin.” She connected a printer and began printing out the manuscript. "If what Sayvar says is correct then this book is an Elemental translation of a book from one of those three.”

Everything clicked into place - the familiarity of the amulets, Descantes presence in Charleston, the book in Sophie's possession. I said it aloud without even realizing it. Irulan looked up to watch me pull Sophie's amulet from one pocket and Descantes from another. I dropped them both on the table next to the computer and reached back to pull the locator from my neck.

The writing on both amulets was the same type. "Djin,” I said numbly, "The Gullah are directly descended from the Djin.” Tristan was arming himself with the blood of Descantes' descendants. They had to be his, their people had declined to so few in numbers they didn't frequent this plane any longer. The only other rumors of Djin on this plane that I had heard originated in India and Russia.

The Djin had no weaknesses known to modern Extras, and their power was almost limitless. Their bonds of servitude are what kept them in check. As far as I knew, Descantes was the only free Djin in existence. His descendants would potentially share almost the same level of power he had, and Tristan was trying to acquire that power boost permanently. We were so fucked.

CHAPTER EIGHT

I pulled my iPhone from my pocket and dialed Marcus's number. I had a few choice words for my fearless leader.

He answered on the first ring and I wasted no time laying into him. "Why in the hell did you not tell me that the C.O. here was a Djin, Marcus? A friggin’ Djin!"

Marcus's voice was the epitome of calm when he spoke. "Sentinel C.O.s must maintain their anonymity, Trumaine. And I’m sure you’re aware that divulging that information is against company policy."

By now, I was pacing back and forth in front of the open blinds, oblivious to the stinging light that was coming into the room. "Screw policy, Marcus, the man's a goddamn ancient. I need to know every possible factor when I'm working a case. Maybe if I had known ahead of time, I wouldn't feel so blindsided by the fact that the Gullah that drew Tristan here descended from Descantes."

Silence is far from golden at times. Listening to the quiet line was downright painful. I knew that Marcus was mentally kicking himself right about now, as well he should be. "Does Descantes know you're aware of this?"

See another reason I loved having Marcus as a C.O.. No matter how farfetched my conclusions seemed, he always trusted them without question. "No, I just found out. Irulan and I had an interesting conversation with a Gullah Mambo. She wasn't forthcoming with their origins, but she showed us a nifty little spell book that Irulan informs me could only be of Demon, Demon Kin, or Djin origin."

Marcus huffed on the other line, and I could hear the keys on his keyboard begin to click away. “Spell book, huh. I'm pulling up the regional personnel directory now. Let's find out a little more about Descantes."

I listened to his keyboard until a burning sensation in my arm caught my attention. I looked down and saw sun burns on my arm in neat little rows. I walked over to the window and pressed the button to close the sun blockers. Once I shut the sun out, automatic lighting came on, bathing the room in the darkness of black lights...

"Thanks, Marcus, the lights are a godsend.” I sat down on the edge of a bed, relaxed my control, and listened to the sound of Marcus's keyboard hoping he would find something useful.

"Ahmad Jhahule Descantes, race Djin, purported age six thousand sixty nine, released from the bonds of servitude fifteen hundred years ago by a Persian prince named..."

"Saragon," I interrupted. "Tell me something I don't know. I found all that out talking to the man. He's apparently also very buddy-buddy with the men of my family."

"Yeah, that's in here also. But it looks like that only applies to your grandfather and great-grandfather. Seems your father didn't want anything to do with the man."

More clicks then Marcus started again. "Up until your father became active CEO for Trumaine Enterprises, it looks like Descantes had his hands in a lot of the company's dealings."

That was interesting. My father was a typical Vampire in many ways. He prided himself on the power he possessed. Having a Djin as a business partner would seem to have given him even more supremacy. "This isn't coincidence, Trumaine," Marcus voiced exactly what was on my mind. "I've got half a mind to call your ass back to Charlotte right now. There are too many factors at play for my peace of mind."

"We're cops, Marcus, when you find peace of mind, let me know, and we'll all throw a block party. Until then, I've got a job to do. The more I find out, the more effectively I can do it.”

Marcus was rattled, and that was a hard task to accomplish. There was no way in hell he would have mentioned pulling me off a case unless he was scared for my life. "Get on the phone with your father and find out what you can about Descantes. I'm going to see what I can dig up here. Tell Irulan good work.” I was just about to end the call when I heard him bark one last statement. "Put the locator back on, Trumaine, no sense in letting on we've found out his secret.” Damn, how in the hell did he know I'd taken it off.

Marcus didn't waste time with a goodbye. The click of the line going dead dismissed me. I considered calling my father like Marcus suggested for all of maybe two seconds. Instead, I called my brother Constantine hoping I would catch him with his head out of a book.

I had to let the phone ring like thirty times, but he finally answered, "What's up, wooly-booger?"

God, I hated that name. "I'm ninety-eight years old for Christ sake, please.” My eldest brothers booming laughter ran through the connection and brought a slight smile to my face. "I'm calling in a working capacity, Constantine. I need to pick that big, beautiful brain of yours about your favorite subject."

I could feel the mood shift over the phone. My brother took his work very seriously, any mention of it and he was all business. "How can I help you, Val?"

I stole a glance at Irulan still wrapped up in the pages on the computer. "I'm sure you know by now about the hunt I'm on.”

Constantine's voice had a slight edge when he answered me. "The entire family knows, and a lot of us want to hang that mongrel C.O. of yours up by his balls and use him for a piñata. He had no right placing you in this position.”

Marcus, the one that put me in this position? Yeah, OK. The real reason I didn't turn down this case was our father, but it looked as if he wanted to keep that bit of information to himself. Whatever. "Look brother I don't have time for the blame game, this is my job E.O.D. Now can we get to the reason I called you?”

Some of the bite left Constantine's voice, "As you were saying."

"What do you know about the Djin and their descendants?"

Constantine laughed dryly on the other end of the line, "Well for one thing, little sister, the Djin have no descendants to speak of. They're a dying race because of their jacked up superiority complexes. No other species was good enough to mix with their sainted bloodlines."

"So you think. I'm looking at proof that at least one Extras race shares bloodlines with the Djin."

I could almost see Constantine jump up and start pacing in his small office, "What proof?"

"A spell book that belongs to an informant. A book that Irulan says is an elemental translation from a text that was originally Djin, Demon, or Demon Kin. My informant claims the book was gifted to her clan by their ancestor."

I heard him come to a stop, "So this informant told you the book was Djin in origin."

"Not in so many words, I told you, Irulan..." I didn't get to finish my sentence before he cut me off.

"So why can't the book be a Demon tome?"

"Because, Doubting Thomas, there is a Djin living in this very city. How coincidental is that?” Total silence. I had him hook, line, and sinker.

"It's not,” he gruffly admitted. "There are not enough Djin on this plane for it to be a chance."

I caught the sound of him tossing books around and unzipping a bag. "Where are you, Valeria? I'm on my way. This could be the break I need in my research.”

"Sorry, Constantine, not gonna happen. I'm on a case. I don't need the eyes of the academic world focused on this right now."

I pulled the phone away from my ear until he finished his tirade of profanity. "I hope you don't kiss mother with that mouth.”

"Fuck you, Val. you can't just drop something like this in my lap and leave me hanging. You know how important my work is to me.”

"Yeah, well you know how important mine is to me. I'm not leaving you hanging, Constantine. When this is over, I'll be more than happy to give you my informant's name, with her permission of course."

He scoffed on the other end, "Not good enough and you know it."

My brother was going to kill me when I got home. "Sorry, it's going to have to be. I will tell you this, the informant is a she, and she happens to be an anthropologist too."

I hung up just as he started cursing again. Irulan finished her conversation just as I did my own, "Constantine just confirmed our thinking, Irulan. There's no way the Gullah aren't Descantes descendants.

"Very razor indeed,” she replied as she waved me back over to the computer and pointed to the screen. "I've got a rough translation of one incantation. Sayvar says speaking it out of the original tongue should prove it powerless, but that's not too important, the real zinger is what it's for."

A few mouse clicks and a colorful mosaic filled the computer screen. "The copy in our archives is much more detailed and illustrated. See the figure in the center, it represents some ancient power, or more precisely the return of an ancient power,” she pointed to what looked like a goblet of blood. "This is the key; ‘The Cup of Many’ down in the corner is the Vessel.” I saw the small shape of another person in one corner.

"So, Tristan is looking for an ancient cup?” I was lost for a moment.

Irulan pressed a finger to my temple and gave it a little shove. "Think, Valeria. The cup of many, filled with blood, the cup holding the many together."

The light bulbs started coming on in my mind. "The Gullah are the cup that binds the many. The many, the blood of different Extras races…Tristan is the Vessel. Jesus, Irulan, he's already got everything he needs."

"I don't think so. He's close, but he's missing something important or he wouldn't still be in Charleston. I'm printing the mosaic blown up in sections, so we can take a closer look at it. Whatever he needs, we'll find it first."

I studied the printouts of the mosaic while Irulan poured over the spell book for three hours before we decided to give it a rest.

My stomach gave a painful lurch reminding me that I had neglected to give it not only the blood it needed last night, but food also. "Alright, Irulan, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. I didn't feed last night, and eating was the last thing on my mind this morning."

Irulan stood and smoothed out the creases in her dark, flower print skirt, "I'm game, what time is it anyway?” I checked the time on my cell phone and surprised her by telling her it was almost three o'clock. “I'll tell you what," she said. "You call down for room service while I get you a quick snack ready.” She got up and headed to the small kitchenette before I could ask her what kind of a snack she had in mind. By the time she returned with a steaming coffee mug, I had put in an order for two steak dinners (one rare), and two slices of cheesecake.

I shook my head, "It's too late in the day for me and coffee, Ire, thanks but..."

She shoved the mug into my hand anyway. "Just drink, Valeria, you need this."

I looked down into the oversized mug and found blood. "Just where did you get this from? I told you before I'm not about to feed from you like a bagger, Irulan."

She turned and went back to the kitchenette and threw open the door of the mini fridge. "Fully stocked with bagged blood, Valeria. I'm assuming you have Daniels to thank for this.” She slammed the door and plopped down on the bed beside me, "I'll take that apology now.” I smiled and kissed her on the cheek before turning the cup up.

Normally, I avoided bagged blood like the plague. It left an aftertaste in my mouth kinda’ like a diet soda does, but this blood tasted wonderful. I must have been either starving or more drained from the night before than I thought. When I was done, she took the empty mug and put it in the sink, watching me out of the corner of her eye the entire time.

"How are your eyes feeling now?" she asked, which I found rather odd. I'd already told her how they were, and she wasn't usually one to repeat herself. . She couldn't hide much of anything when she was trying to be sneaky with me. It showed on her face every time. Irulan had many talents, poker not being among them.

"Where did the blood come from Irulan?" I asked her again, this time with heat behind the question.

She walked back into the room and stood in front of her bed with her hands planted firmly on either hip. "Answer my question first."

I blinked my eyes and found they were no longer irritated. My eyes had healed, one hundred percent, and as I looked down and watched, the sun burns healed on my arm.

I jumped up off the bed, advanced on Irulan, and shoved her onto the opposite bed. "I told you, plain as day, that I didn't want to make a meal out of your blood, didn't I? Doesn't what I want count for anything?" I kicked a nearby nightstand sending it sailing across the room to smash into pieces against the wall. Then I rounded on Irulan again, "You’re so pigheaded and stubborn! Everything has to be your way, doesn't it? First, you bogart your way onto this assignment with me, then you slip me your blood on the sly. You’re no better than my father!"

I walked over to the edge of the bed and looked down at her hoping to find some hint that she realized how wrong she was, but there was no remorse whatsoever on her face. Instead, I found a face etched with determination.

"The game changed the minute we found out what Tristan was after, Valeria.”

That only made me madder. "This isn't a damn game, it's my job. When are you gonna get that through your thick head? You're treating me like a child that can't make decisions for herself.”

She chose that moment to hook her legs around my midriff and pull me onto the bed, quickly rolling with my momentum, and ending up on top of me. She used my momentary distraction against me and pinned my arms over my head. "Believe me, Valeria; I am well aware you're not a child. I've been painfully aware for years, but that's neither here nor there.”

She motioned towards the laptop with her head. "Tristan has upped the level of play, and you need to get on board, or you're going to lose. I can't have that, so, until this is over with, I did what I must, and I will keep doing so. As it stands, one cup of my blood is not nearly enough."

"My safety isn't your responsibility," I ground out through clenched teeth as I squirmed beneath her trying to break her hold on me, but short of hurting her, it wasn't happening. I decided to play dirty. I rolled my hips up into her effectively grinding the front of my denim-covered crotch into the center of her unprotected panties.

"Let me go, Irulan,” I implored softly, taking all traces of anger out of my voice. I looked up into eyes that had become big as saucers and bucked my hips up slowly again, massaging her with the rough fabric. My gamble looked like it was working.

She inhaled her next breath sharply and pushed down, rolling her hips against me. "Not fair, Valeria, and you know it, but no worries."

My strategy backfired. "Two can play this game," she said just as she pushed her excited aura against mine. My eyes blacked over instantly and my sexual frustration from the night before slammed into me causing me to arch up off the bed and press into Irulan’s body even more intimately.

Now it was my turn to protest. "You know my aura is still reeling from last night, this isn't right." This was so true! I'd managed to reel in the sexual energy that rode my aura last night, but I had far from gotten rid of it. Until I found release it would ride my aura waiting for any opportunity and, dummy me, I had just given it a perfect one.

"What's not right about this, Valeria?” She asked as she leaned over and ran her lips across the rise of my right breast. “Is it the way your body is reacting to me and the fact that I'm a woman? Her teeth nipped at the swell of my left breast. “Is that what's so wrong, huh? If that's it, then your mind needs to catch up with the rest of you," she said just as she pressed a knee into my crotch reversing the pressure I tried to use against her.

Her action sent a wave of need rolling through my body that left me panting and fighting for air. Irulan chuckled softly and leaned down to run her tongue across my earlobe before she softly whispered, "You're too new at this to try and play me baby.” Before I could reply, her mouth was on my neck, warm and wet pulling my skin into her mouth softly sucking on it.

I tried to protest. I wanted to jump up and give her a thousand different reasons why what was happening was so wrong, but her mouth felt so good that I couldn't verbalize even one. She took her time and kissed her way from one ear to the other, and I was helpless against her, moaning each time her lips found a new spot to tease. Inwardly, I protested when they left my body if only for the second it took to move half an inch along my skin. Her thick mane of hair fell over us washing me in the scent of pomegranate and roses, drawing me farther into a sexual haze.

My traitorous body moved of its own accord, my legs wrapping around her trying to get the rest of me as close to her as they could. No matter how close I got, it still didn't feel as if I were close enough. The clothes, that's what was wrong. They shouldn't be there. The only purpose they served right now was to keep our bodies farther apart from each other, and the need to get rid of them was becoming paramount in my mind. My mounting desire was waging war with my sense of self, the part of me that was immensely confused with what I wanted and was still trying to pull me back before I went too far.

Just as she kissed her way up the side of my face and was about to move in for my lips there was a loud knock at the door followed by the cry of, "Room service!"

Ding! Ding! Ding! Literally, 'saved by the bell’. I used the distraction to break her hold and flashed to the door to let in the room service attendant before she could stop me. Once he was gone, I pulled the cart to a nearby table and sat down to eat, still breathless from the need Irulan had planted inside me. Unfortunately, Irulan wasn't having it, she was up off of the bed and pushing the cart away from me just as I was about to uncover one dish.

"Is this how you wanna handle this, Valeria? Come on, really, are you actually gonna act like that just didn't happen?" Reaching past her, I tried to snag a piece of broccoli off my plate, but she slapped my hand and pushed me back into my seat. "Are you seriously going to ignore what's going on between us?" she asked again. "Hell, even Sophie could see it, and she'd known us all of what, an hour tops?"

If I could honestly ignore everything, I would, but sadly, that wasn't going to solve anything. That also didn't mean we were going to do this now. I needed time to figure out exactly what was happening to me, to figure out if this were something I really wanted.

Damn her for pushing this on me right now! "No, alright!" I countered. "It's gone too far to ignore, but damn it, it's gonna have to wait until this job is done. I can't afford the distraction of emotions, Irulan. That's why you being here is such a bad idea on so many levels.” I looked around the room towards the covered windows, anything to avoid looking at her. "I should be out there looking for Tristan, not here making out with my best friend, who knows I'm straight, by the way."

"Who are you trying to convince, Valeria? Me, or you,” she asked softly.

Once again, I was at a loss for words. "Still don't think it's a good idea,” I mumbled weakly. Irulan had a smug look on her face as she uncovered her own plate and grabbed a knife and fork from the cart.

"So say you now, Valeria, but just wait, before this is over you'll be thanking me for taking time off of my busy schedule to come with you. I'm wearing you down, Baby. I'm wearing you down," she exclaimed in her best Urkel imitation. Even if I had wanted to, I couldn't have held back my burst of laughter. A three hundred plus year old Sidhe quoting Steven Q. Urkel - who would’ve thought the day would come?

CHAPTER NINE

After we had eaten our food, we both agreed it was time to get down to some serious footwork. The research we'd managed to do was a big step in helping us get a better understanding of what we might be up against, but the real work was waiting for us on the streets. We still had a few hours before Priest could join us and I wanted to make good use of them.

If he really was a plant to hold me back, I needed as much away time away from him as I could get. Though to be honest, I was seriously starting to question the Council's motives for having him accompany me. I mean if they really wanted to keep that close of an eye on me, then they should have known better than to send someone that couldn't cover me during the daylight hours. They would have fared better sending one of Eric's familiars. (As a master Vampire's powers grow, they acquire an affinity for specific animals. Eric's familiars were snakes but extended to other snake-like animals also.)

As I pulled out the body-sized duffle bag that held my weaponry, Irulan went to the bathroom to change into some more appropriate clothing. By the time I'd strapped two kodachis to my back, and various throwing stars and knives to my legs, she had gotten ready. (Couldn't use my arm holsters, I was wearing a vest and had already blown the idea of inconspicuous to hell and back. I didn't want to push it any farther than I already had.)

With her long hair pulled back and braided, Irulan had dressed in a black tank top, red suede pants, and a matching jacket. I gave her a once over and noticed a slight bulge at her waist and calf.

It felt funny to me, but she was armed. I knew it shouldn't be an issue, but outside of the kitchen, I'd never seen her with anything remotely dangerous in her possession. As I said, it just felt wrong to me, but. I shook it off, and we headed out. "We've followed up the Gullah lead as best we can until tonight when we try to catch up with Sophie's lead," I said as we traveled down the elevator. "Now we need to concentrate on territory. If the newborns are as numerous as our seers say they are, then they've got a nest set up somewhere, maybe more than one."

We walked out into the sunlight, and I took a deep breath hoping that I would catch the faint trail I scented the night before. Unfortunately, I got nothing. I motioned with my head, and we set off heading north on Broad St. Inwardly, I prayed we were heading in the right direction, but after fifteen minutes of walking I hadn't scented one Vampire. "Something is off about this place," I murmured and came to a standstill.

"This city has a thriving Extras community, and I haven't scented one vamp, wolf, big cat or anything, not even the hint of one. Impossible." I pulled out my phone and mapped the city’s businesses that marketed to Extras. "We're right in the middle of an Extras district called Lands End, but so far, the only Extras I've seen or sensed are us.”

Irulan walked over to a shop window and looked inside. "As far as I can sense, nothing but Humans." She looked back at the street behind us and closed her eyes. "Reach out with your aura and tell me what you feel, Valeria."

I relaxed the barriers on my mind and felt my awareness ease out of me, searching the area around me. "I feel Humans, that's all. Nothing but Humans."

Irulan frowned, "Exactly. Nothing but Humans. I don't feel any wildlife, or even the murmur of Pixies among the trees.” She headed back in the direction we came from with a determined look on her face. She had an idea of what was going on, I was sure of it, but she wouldn't voice her assumptions until she had conformation.

"Open your shields all the way, Valeria, and tell me if you hear anything."

I reached out and grabbed her arm forcing her to stop, "Are you crazy? I'll catch glimpses of every mind within a mile radius. Do you know what that'll do to me?"

Irulan huffed with exasperation and shot me a look filled with ice. "There are times when I forget how trying the years of youth can be, but you never fail to remind me, Valeria.” The lines of her face changed from exasperated to insistent. "Drop your shielding now," she said with a timbre to her voice I had never heard there before.

I reluctantly closed my eyes, braced myself, and did as she asked. Just like ripping off a Band-Aid, I threw open the floodgates to my mind. What hit me after they were open was just as confusing as the lack of Extras presence around us. "Nothing.” I opened my eyes to find Irulan sporting a look that said, I told you so.

"Tristan knew exactly where you were staying and that one of the first things you would do was try to find a nest.” She grabbed my elbow and pulled me a few feet further back the way we came and knelt to one knee putting her palm flat against the sidewalk. Her glamour faded some as she loosened the hold on the energy within her and directed it into her palm. The rose-colored skin of her hand glowed as she began to speak in her native tongue. "Senauvah nue une," she spoke in an unfamiliar voice.

Foreign languages were never my strong point during my studies. I gravitated towards the more physical subjects. From what little I could remember from her tutoring, I believed she said something close to, 'make yourself known'. Once the words left her lips, she held her head up to look around, frowned, and then dropped it again. "Senauvah nue une,” she repeated this time with even more force. The air around us buzzed with a faint charge as a dampening net appeared around us.

"Fuck me,” I exclaimed as I turned in a slow circle taking in the sheer size of the net surrounding us. As far as I could see, the glimmering haze was everywhere, like a huge umbrella covering the city for blocks.

Irulan stood and ran her hand along the net, "There's a lot of magic in a net this size. It had to take more than one practitioner to do this. The energy feels familiar but uncommon at the same time.” She sent a small burst of her own into the net and smiled, "This is Gullah, tastes the same as Sophie but not as sweet." She jerked her hand away and rubbed it on her pants leg as if she were trying to rub it clean. "It's tainted, twisted with something dark, but I believe I can break it.”

Irulan took off her jacket and passed it to me. "Turn around and move away from me. Close your eyes tightly, and cover your head with my jacket. Am I clear?” For once, I didn't argue, I just locked down my mind and did as she said. Once I was away from her, she explained what she was about to do. "I'm going to overload the net with power and short it out. Hopefully, it'll dissipate and not explode because if it does, every aura sensitive Human and Extras under it are gonna have a hell of a headache once I'm through. To do it, I'm going to have to drop my glamour, and your eyes can't handle that."

I felt it the instant her glamour melted away. The very air I breathed began to burn its way down my windpipe and into my lungs, set afire by the sheer magnitude of power that radiated off her. Irulan was bad assed as hell.

I struggled to breathe the smoldering air for almost ten minutes. Just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, I felt the air begin to cool around me.

"It's OK, Valeria," Irulan called, "You can look now.” I stood and handed her jacket over to her. After she had put it back on, she leaned forward onto her knees and took a deep breath.

"The Gullah are stronger than any Witches I've ever known and their bloodline makes them stronger even than Elves. As far as I know, the arcane division is staffed by only those two races.” She dropped to one knee again. "If I wasn't with you, this dampening net would have been around you the entire time you were here."

She pressed her hand to the ground for an instant then stood up straight again. "All traces are gone. Try scenting the area again."

I took a deep breath, and the air became alive with a variety of smells. "I smell wolves and panthers, can't tell if they're males or female, um, Gullah, so many Gullah.” I headed off, crossing the street and letting my nose guide me. "I smell Vampire, but it's not strong enough to name the house.”

Purebloods alone possess a sense of smell acute enough to differentiate the minute variations in the blood of Vampires. They teach us at a young age to recognize both the taste and smell of the blood of other Pureblood families. If I’m on a hunt and my marks are ‘made Vampires’, the trace of the maker's blood is still within them. A few of my hunts have ended before they started once I informed the appropriate house.

Unpleasant publicity is bad business for the houses, so they usually end up taking care of the problem for me. The ability is extremely useful in my line of work, but I was the only Pureblood I know of working as a Sentinel, and we didn't advertise that bit of information to outsiders. The CMS wasn't going to be using us as bloodhounds anytime soon. Well, except for me. We left that to the huge Were and Shifter population on payroll, their noses were even better than ours were.

The longer I followed the scent trail, the stronger it became, until I was sure at least a dozen Vampires had traveled this same path. The majestic homes and modern storefronts gave way to an oceanfront warehouse district. Huge iron cranes worked, tirelessly loading and unloading trucks and forklifts, manned almost entirely by Humans. This was a perfect spot for a large nest. Most Humans were still scared shitless when it came to us. Although they're all over the place now, I'm sure the night shift would be a different story. If I came back here in four or five hours, I'll bet money that the crews would be mostly Extras.

My nostrils flared as we walked past one abandoned-looking building, "On point, Irulan, this one has potential.” The building was small compared to others around it, three stories, tops, and the loading dock was so dilapidated it might as well be nonexistent. The building sat off in a corner away from the main activity, but even if it didn’t, I’ll bet not one of those guys would come near it. The lonely-looking building oozed ‘stay the hell away’ loud and clear.

We found an entrance secured by a rusted out lock close by. Irulan raised her hand to get rid of the lock, but I beat her to it. I grasped the lock and flexed the muscles in my hand, grinding it to dust. "Show off," huffed Irulan as we slipped in unnoticed.

Once we were inside, the scent of Vampire was so strong I knew we had hit pay dirt. "They're here somewhere," I spoke, with no regards to try to be quiet. Long southern days had to be a bitch during the summertime for made vamps. Priest was lucky. The CMS provided him with a cocktail that he ingested. Whatever was in it allowed him to gain a few more hours of light time. These guys were deep in the throes of the day sleep and wouldn't be able to move around until the sky was completely dark.

The inside of the warehouse was darker than I expected, but when I looked up at the windows I realized that they had been painted over, "I'm going ultraviolet, Irulan, stay close to me.” I relaxed my concentration, retracted my films, and slipped into UV. I didn't have to look far before I saw the cool blue outlines of sleeping vamps huddled into a nearby corner.

Shit! Part of me was hoping I'd come up empty. I had a real problem with killing vamps while they were helpless in the day-sleep. It turned my stomach. To me, it seemed like such a coward’s move. "They've got to be put down, Irulan."

She looked taken aback by my unpleasant revelation. "I thought we were just identifying a possible nest."

I nodded, "We were. Now that we've done that we move on to the next step.” I took a deep breath, found my resolve, and drew one of my kodachis. "Tristan's kill order is an instant death sentence to any Deadborns he may have created. As long as he's still alive, they're the most susceptible to his will."

Irulan quickly moved to block my path. "This is wrong, Valeria, condemning innocents based on the crimes of their sire is murder, not justice". I tried to step around her, but she moved into my path again, "How can you be sure the Vampires here belong to Tristan anyway?” she asked. "Just scenting their blood isn't enough and you know it.” She was right. Scenting wouldn't fly as a means of identification when I turned in my final report, but I knew what would.

"You're right," I said and advanced into the darkness. I reached the closest body, dropped to my knees, and leaned forward searching for his neck.

Irulan pulled at my shoulder just as my fangs dropped. "Just what in the hell are you doing?" she franticly whispered as if they could actually hear us.

I jerked away from her, laid my sword on the ground beside me, and pulled the comatose vamp up to rest against my thigh. "I'm getting the proof you need. If this is Tristan's turn, I'll taste it in the blood.” I was already having a hard time with this, and Irulan wasn't making it any better. I gathered the Vampire closer to me and took a deep breath. My nose knew the truth, but she wanted proof. I'd give it to her.

My anger swelled, and I felt the features of my face melt and rearrange themselves as I brought the boy's neck to my mouth. I bit into his neck with no hesitation or any semblance of gentleness. My emotions had gotten the best of me. Irulan had pissed me off, and I took it out on the Vampire in my arms.

The boy came to screaming and struggling against my hold, but he did little in the way of breaking it. I wrapped my hand around his mouth to quiet his pleas for mercy, took a deep breath, and drew his life from the wound I'd made. The first spurt of blood that hit the back of my throat confirmed what I already knew. They were Tristan's. I should have stopped there, but I didn't. I fed from the Deadborn until there was nothing left for his body to give.

I committed total consumption for the second time in my life, after I'd sworn to myself that I'd never perform it again. I felt like shit inside, but I wasn't about to let it show. I kept my face calm and impassive as I dropped the lifeless husk and picked up my blade. "He was Tristan's, and, from what I can tell, he couldn't have been turned more than a week or so. His sire's blood was still strong inside of him."

I stood and walked over to the next sleeping form without looking back to see if Irulan followed me or not. "If one is Tristan's, that means they all are. Newborns are too territorial to share space with a Vampire of another's blood. But you know that, so am I allowed to carry out my duties now?"

I took Irulan's silence as a ‘yes’ and began dispatching the newborn Vampires. I moved methodically through the expanse of the warehouse separating the heads from the bodies of over sixteen Newborns. . I couldn't allow myself to think of them as people.

Some remained asleep and went quietly into whatever life awaited them, but some broke the chains of the day sleep and tried to run. It shouldn't have been possible, but the will to survive is a powerful thing. Those that tried to run I dispatched with throwing knives through the heart. That alone didn't kill them, but it incapacitated them until I could finish the job.

I pulled the knives out of each one and told them why they got the death sentence. Some accepted their fate as the will of their sire, some pleaded in vain, and some got angry and tried to fight back. I drained the fighters. When I was finally done, a thick layer of blood covered me from head to toe, and I had committed total consumption four times. My body was buzzing with the raw strength their blood provided me. I ran a hand through my hair pulling out the congealed clots of blood then finally turned to look at Irulan.

She looked at me with a horrified expression on her face before turning to walk away. As she headed for the door, she said, "Congratulations, Valeria, Today you proved to me you're every bit the Trumaine your father hoped you would be."

I let her leave without any protest. It was better that way. She forced the issue and wanted to tag along, so she had to deal with it. As much as I hated doing it, the execution of those Deadborns was part of my job, and now, thanks to her meddling, it was part of her job too. I looked around at the bodies littering the floor and let my face shift to normal. My films dropped firmly into place causing the darkness to close in around me, but, right now, I preferred darkness to the scene surrounding me.

I pulled my cell from my pocket, 7:12 P.M. The sun wouldn't set until around nine o'clock, but Priest should be up by now. I dialed his cell and waited for him to pick up. "Priest here," he answered on the fourth ring.

“It's Trumaine. Use your cell to track mine and get a cleanup crew to this location. I found a nest and dispatched the inhabitants."

Priest whistled on the other end of the line, "You work quick, Trumaine. I'll give you that. Anything else?"

I flung another clot of blood onto the ground and groaned, "Yeah, I need you here pronto to help with the locals. I'm in desperate need of a shower, so I'm not too sure how long I'll hang around."

"From what I can tell, you're about eight miles away from me. I can be there in about five minutes if I flash the entire way," he responded.

When Priest found me, I was leaning against the wall just inside the door. Every part of me wanted to step out into the fresh air but until a CMS team got here, going out in broad daylight covered in blood was a bad idea. My sword hung limply from my arm still covered in blood. "Damn, Trumaine, when you said you needed a shower you weren't kidding, were you."

I shrugged my shoulders and fought to keep a nonchalant attitude despite the hurricane that was raging inside of me. "Told you over the phone I'd found a nest. Sixteen total. Some shook the day sleep and gave me a go. Things got a little messy. Got a tissue or something?” Priest handed over a handkerchief, and I promptly cleaned my kodachi and placed it back in its scabbard.

"It's eight o'clock. We’ve got another solid hour before anymore Deadborns start to come out for the night, so let’s see if we can track down another nest."

Priest looked me up and down before shaking his head no. "I'm not going anywhere with you while you look like that. What happened to taking a shower?"

I gave him a half-hearted smile and swept my arms down the length of my body. "I figure we might as well, while I'm still dressed for the occasion.” We heard heavy footsteps, and both turned to face the door as a cleanup team began filing in, followed by Descantes.

He took one look and me and shook his head. "Outside, report now," he barked. The team moved with efficiency that only experience could give. Spotlights were up and running, bathing the abandoned building in a flood of light before we even made it outside. The night air filled my lungs and chased away some of the self-loathing lodging in my chest. "Before you jump down my throat, the kills were clean, Descantes.” I paused to look down at the crud covering me, "Sorta."

Descantes closed the short distance between us and held a hand up to my stained face. His lips moved wordlessly, and I began to feel a light mist dance across my skin. Pink tinged water gathered at my feet as he washed the dried blood away from me. He didn't stop until my face, arms and hands were spotless. "I know the kills were clean, Valeria or we wouldn't be here right now, but I still need your verbal report to enter into the computer," he said once he was done.

I went over what happened, starting with Irulan’s discovery of the dampening net. He immediately cut me off by holding up a hand. "How were the two of you able to discover and break a dampening net? Modern Vampires aren't known for their magics."

It dawned on me that he didn't know Irulan was a Sidhe and a nagging voice inside my head told me to keep it that way. On impulse, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the amulet he gave me the day before. "We didn’t. This started glowing in my pocket. Irulan was the one who noticed it. Once I pulled it out, the dampening net just sort of appeared then disappeared.”

Descantes let out a breath of air, and a look of disappointment that was so brief I almost missed it flashed across his face. "Of course, of course, it clears the path to your heart’s desire.” When a member of the cleanup crew poked their head out of the door and motioned for Descantes, I took the opportunity to set up my exit.

"If you don't mind doing this in the morning, I'm still on the clock, Descantes."

He reluctantly looked at the door before shaking his head yes. "I'll send your partner to join you."

When Priest came out, he had a disappointed look on his face, "With all the fuss you and Rose Red were making, I expected Descantes to be… more.” He noticed the state of my face and started looking around the ground. "How'd you get your face clean? Your clothes are barely wet, so you didn't jump in the ocean."

I shoved the amulet back into my pocket before answering. "The unimpressive Djin waved his magic hands and out came the water, off came the gore."

He nodded. "OK, I'm impressed," then finally took notice that Irulan wasn't with me. "Where is Rose Red, by the way?"

I waved a hand through the air as I started walking in the direction of the hotel, "Who knows? Who cares?"

Priest laughed dryly, "Trouble in lesbo land, huh. At least tell me she didn't let you come out alone. The point of having a partner is so said partner can have your back.”

I huffed and pealed a piece of Vampire off my vest, "One, Priest, you're a pig and two, she saw me at my worst and couldn't handle it. She took off right before I called you."

He put his arm across my shoulders but must have rethought the gesture because he let it drop to his side. "Tough break, Trumaine, but don't dwell on it. You need a clear head, now more than ever. If Tristan is anything like my sire, he feels it when you kill his kids.” He looked around the city taking note of his surroundings, "He's gonna be pissed."

"Yeah, well, he can join the crowd.” I looked up at the setting sun and broke into a run, "Come on Priest, let's hurry up so we can get back out here. This place is about to come alive, and I want to be on the streets when it does."

CHAPTER TEN

When we got back to the hotel, I couldn't bring myself to walk through the lobby for fear of inciting a riot. Instead, I walked around the side of the hotel and looked up at the balconies, searching for one that led to the room I shared with Irulan. Unfortunately, even after staring for a few minutes, I still had no idea what one was ours. I reluctantly dialed Irulan's number and asked her to step out on the balcony. When I spotted her, I crouched down coiling the muscles in my calves, then shot straight up the thirty feet to our room.

I walked by Irulan, careful not to bump into her as I passed so she wouldn't get anything on her. She took in my appearance under the harsh lights and laid into me. "Is what I saw today how you usually handle situations like that?"

I ignored her as I took my weapons off and threw them on the floor next to my bed. Once I was done, I began pealing my sticky clothing off, dropping it on the floor, and leaving a messy trail behind me as I went into the bathroom.

Lucky for me, she didn't follow. I needed the alone time. I held it together until I got behind the closed doors of the bathroom, but the moment the doors closed my hands began to shake uncontrollably. I turned on the water in the shower stall, stepped inside, slid down the cold tiles, and sat huddled in the corner as I dug my nails into my palms and shook. I refused to let one tear fall, but I couldn't hold the cramps back that rolled through my stomach. I leaned out of the shower just in time to hit the toilet as my stomach began emptying its contents.

I hadn't lost it in years, and the thing that worried me was why I was losing it. I honestly don't think the actual killing disturbed me so much, but rather the act of doing something I swore I'd never do again. I'd blood raped another sentient being not once or twice, but four times, and what my conscience was tearing me up now for was the fact that while I was in the throes of blood lust, I enjoyed it.

I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind and hurried through my shower. I came out the bathroom to find Irulan sitting on my bed waiting for me, picking up where she left off and answering her own question. "Apparently it's not," she said, "unless you end every kill by ralphing your guts up."

I pointed towards a dresser drawer, "Could you make yourself useful and pass me some clean underwear?"

She stood there shaking her head, not bothering to try to hide the blatant look of desire that sparkled in her eyes as she raked them up and down my body. I sighed and jerked the towel back around me. “Please,” I sighed in a huff.

She unwillingly tossed me a matching bra and panty set and sat quietly while I put them on, but she didn’t turn away. "Why, Valeria," she asked as she reached over to fasten my bra for me. "Why did you go so far today? Are you intentionally trying to push me away?"

I walked over to the closet and pulled out a pair of white leather pants and a blood red tank top. "If you can't handle all aspects of my job then you should have never offered your services to Marcus."

Irulan stood and pulled her jacket back on, "That's a bullshit answer and you know it. This isn’t about doing your job because what you did went way outside of duty. You committed total consumption on those Newborns. The Valeria I know would have never done such a thing."

I pulled my pants on and rounded on her. "The Valeria you know? Are you even listening to yourself? You've been trying to change me since I took this assignment, so don’t fucking complain when you get what you wanted.” I hastily cleaned my weapons and strapped them back on. "You wanted me to get stronger. I got stronger on my own terms."

I cocked my head to one side and advanced on her until she backed into a wall, "Is that why you're so disgusted with me, Irulan? Huh? You pissed 'cause it wasn't your neck I was all over?”

Smack! Her open palm cracked against my cheek. The actual slap didn’t bother me. She'd come nowhere near hurting me. It was the fact that she did it, because that meant I hit too close to home. When faced with a situation that was out of her control, Irulan always got angry and lashed out.

I stormed over to the sliding doors leading to the balcony and dropped over the edge. Priest was leaning against the black Escape waiting for me when I landed.

"Are we ready to hunt?" he asked as he shoved himself off the car and walked towards me.

I held my hands out for the keys, "We're ready as soon as Irulan makes it down the elevator."

Priest looked up and pointed, "Who said she was taking an elevator?” I looked back over my shoulder to see Irulan setting down softly on the ground. She must have taken a swell of air down.

Irulan took shotgun, regulating Priest to the back seat. I put the address into the G.P.S and pulled into traffic. Priest leaned up between the seats and tapped us both on the shoulder, "I hope tonight's not gonna be all awkward and shit. I can really do without all the girly drama.” I kept silent. It wasn't my place to answer. I wasn't the one who wigged on Irulan.

She finally spoke up to answer, "No, it's not going to be all weird and shit, we're good.” I stole a glance at her out of the corner of my eye and felt some of the tension ease out of my shoulders, but I wasn't going to make it that easy for her. We'd get through the night because we had to, but in some way, I was going to make her pay for that slap. We rode the rest of the way filling Priest in on the meeting with Sophie Blackmon earlier.

When we arrived at our destination we found ourselves at another Extras club, this one called "Dante's Inferno.” Armed to the teeth, no way would the three of us make it into a club, and there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell we would willingly disarm. Priest and I got out contemplating what to do when Irulan motioned for us to gather into a huddle. "I believe I can glamour the two of you and hide your gear as long as you don't make any sharp, sudden movements.” We agreed, and the faint buzz of magic settled over us.

We paid our cover and made it into the club with no problems. I could learn to like this if I weren't careful. Irulan's magic saved our asses twice today. We still had two hours before the time our boy usually arrived so we ordered drinks and found a booth. Priest looked longingly at the dance floor, and I was just about to oblige him when Irulan grasped my hand and pulled me out onto the floor.

She leaned in close, so I could hear her over the rhythmic thump of the techno music that was assaulting my ears. "He got the last dance, it's only proper that this one is mine." I thanked my lucky stars a slower song wasn't playing, then whichever goddess looked down on us decided she needed her laugh for the night. The song changed to a sensual Latin number, and the bodies on the floor got a whole lot closer.

Irulan quietly laughed to herself, and turned away from me so that she could roll her hips into the front of my pants. I briefly froze unsure of where to place my hands, when she reached back, grabbed them and wrapped them around her waist. Her tank top pulled free of her pants as she twisted her hips to the music leaving my hand resting against the soft skin of her stomach. "Do you really think I'm going to forgive you for slapping me that easily?"

"A girl can hope, can't she," she replied.

Any reservations I was holding onto fell away when she leaned back into me and wrapped her hands around my neck. I bent my neck and took a small breath. I expected roses, but this time something new greeted me. "You smell different," I said and leaned in closer trying to identify the intoxicating scent.

Irulan purred and leaned over, slowing reaching for the floor, grinding her soft ass even further into me. My breath caught in my throat as she glided back up my body and turned to face me. "Do you like it?" she asked as she ran her nails down one of my arms.

I gasped as my eyes blackened over and my fangs dropped. "Of course I like it, tell me what it is."

Her hand sliding down my back and cupping one of my cheeks drew another gasp from me. Her other hand wound itself into my hair and pulled my head down towards the mound of her breast. "I'll tell you what," she said, "You tell me exactly where I put it, you can't miss one spot, and I'll tell you what it is.”

Running a finger down the side of my face, she inadvertently reminded me of the slap she'd laid on me and drew me back to myself. "I'm bound to get whiplash from your mood changes woman,” I said as I pulled back from her cleavage. "One minute, you want to ring my neck, the next..."

She cut me off by digging her nails into my back and dragging them down the skin exposed by my tank, effectively drawing a heated hiss from me. "We're past that, Valeria. If I didn't know you better I'd think you were too chicken shit to take me up on my offer.” If she thought I was too scared to take her up on her dare, she was dead wrong.

I smiled, "Am I moving from head to toe or vice versa?"

Irulan shrugged her shoulders, "Your pick."

I inhaled sharply as I dipped my head close enough to run the edge of my fangs across the skin of her exposed breast. Whatever she had on assaulted my senses and sent a thundering wave of desire through my body. "Here," I said and she nodded yes. I ran my fangs along her skin to caress the skin on her neck, "Here.” Again, she nodded yes.

The music changed again, this time to a bass pumping pop song that got the crowd around us moving in a fast-paced rhythm, but the tempo of our dance didn't. We moved against each other slowly, sliding along the other’s body so smoothly it was as if the desire that rode us was tangible as heated body oil. I traveled down her body, my fangs lightly scoring the skin on her stomach as I let my nose lead me to her navel. I said the word 'here' so softly I wasn't sure she'd heard me until she softly moaned the word ‘yes’.

There was no telling how many other places I would have found because Priest chose that exact moment to tap me on the shoulder. I was upright in the blink of an eye, furious at him for the interruption. Then I remembered why we were in the club in the first place. I stepped away from Irulan and turned to give my full attention to Priest. For the first time since I'd met him I looked at Priest and saw his skin flush with color. He was either embarrassed, excited, or both.

Priest smiled and looked at Irulan, then back to me. "I know I've been a little heavy handed with the lesbian jokes but I was seriously just fucking with you. Up until now, I honestly didn't believe it. Sorry about that, Trumaine, no straight woman could have put on the show you two just did.” He looked around in the pulsating lights, and his smile got broader, "I hated interrupting you two, since almost every guy in here is sporting wood now, but it can't be helped.”

He jerked a thumb towards the bartender. "While you two got your swerve on I was doing some actual work. The bartender says Aurieux should show up very soon."

"Aurieux,” I frowned. "That's a Creole surname. Our boy is Gullah, Priest."

Priest lay a finger to the side of his head, "Duh, do you people really believe I lack any intelligence at all?" Before he continued, he shot me a look that dared me to answer his question. "Creole father, Gullah mother, he was raised here on one of the islands.” He looked back at the bar and noticed the bartender pointing in our direction while talking to a young, coffee-skinned man sporting a low-cut fade and a serious expression on his face. We'd just been made.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

I heard the soft click of Priest’s fangs dropping into place, in the blink of an eye. All the playfulness dropped away leaving nothing but Sentinel. "How do you wanna play this, Trumaine?" he asked as he took in the lay of the club, no doubt scouting any possible exits just in case Aurieux decided to bolt.

I thought about it for a moment, and then made my decision. "We'll send Irulan to the bar. If he reads her aura, hopefully, he'll think Elf, that's better than Vampire. If he's running with Tristan, he already knows the locals. We may spook him.” He huffed, and I shook my head. "Besides," I said, "All Irulan's weapons are concealed under her clothes. Remember what she said about sudden movements."

I didn't need to look back at Irulan to know that she'd heard me. She immediately began making her way through the sea of bodies until she got to the bar and took a stool at the farthest end. Good girl, I thought, don't rush him, take your time.

Priest and I watched her talk her way through a throng of men and women until she appeared at Aurieux's side and ran a hand down arm to get his attention. I thought it'd worked until Irulan got a glazed look on her face and our glamour broke. "Not good, Valeria," Priest muttered as we began shoving our way through the crowd to get to the bar.

Aurieux turned and headed for the door, stopping long enough to whisper something to a bouncer and point back at us. Before we knew it, Shifters and Weres surrounded us. A wolf grabbed me from behind and attempted to put me in a full nelson while another foolishly leaned down to grab my legs. I get that the guys were just trying to do their job, but no way was I having it.

I jerked forward as I rammed the hilt of my sword backwards into the throat of the wolf behind me hard enough to send him crashing to his knees and clutching his throat trying to breath. At the same time, I brought my elbow down across the back of the other's neck, catching him at the base, effectively knocking him out cold.

I looked over at Priest and saw him toss a Pantera across the bar and into the bottles lining the wall behind it. We backed into each other, both of our faces gone feral, as we prepared for the next group. "While we're playing footsy with the locals, our boy is getting away, Valeria," Priest said hastily. Another wolf chose that moment to dive at me with his hands changed into a wicked set of claws.

I sided stepped his advance at the last minute and caught him by the throat twisting him in the air and began to shake him like a rag doll. "Do you realize you're interfering with a CMS sanctioned hunt," I yelled before tossing him across the bar to join his buddy.

Priest caught the fist of an Ursidae as he was trying to land a punch, but missed the other one. The bear landed a booming punch to Priest's chin sending an arch of blood spraying from his busted lip. Another blow sent Priest crashing to his knees snarling and cursing bloody murder. I wanted to help, but if I took over, it would be a blow to Priest's ego. Male Vampires are funny that way. The mountainous Ursidae drew his leg back and kicked forward, aiming for Priest's head.

To hell with his ego! I gathered myself preparing to flash into the bear and knock him across the room, when Priest shot me a look that froze me in place. I instinctively reached out and felt the aura of another vamp somewhere in the building. I tried to scent his house, but there were too many bodies for me to ascertain anything.

Shit! I had to let him handle this himself. If I intervened and word of it spread through the Vampire community, then he would lose all the respect that he had earned over the years. I watched helplessly as the bear's booted foot connected with Priest's jaw, sending Priest flying backwards onto his ass. The bear stepped up to Priest and raised his foot above his head. I closed my eyes. I couldn't watch.

Instead of the crunch of broken bones I was expecting, I heard the loud roar of the Ursidae as he screamed in pain. My eyes snapped open to find Priest latched onto the bear’s leg drawing blood from his femoral artery as fast his heart could force it through his body. The Ursidae kicked at Priest frantically with his other foot, but it was no use. Once a made Vampire was in the midst of a feeding you might as well give it up. Short of killing him, the only thing that could break Priest's hold on that bear before he was ready was his sire, and he wasn't anywhere around.

I felt the gaze of every eye in the club bearing down on us like a ton of bricks. The situation had gotten out of hand in a manner of moments. Another wolf charged in my direction. I easily sidestepped his advance, reached out, grabbed him around the neck, and hugged him close to my body with his back to me.

"Call your boys off now or you're next on the menu, is that clear?” I looked back towards the bar and saw Irulan shaking her head as if she were trying to get rid of whatever spell Aurieux had used on her. It was about damn time. We needed the extra set of hands, so we could get after Aurieux, who already had an enormous head start on us. I turned my attention back to the choking wolf in my arm and realized that he couldn't speak because of my grip on him. I eased up my hold and allowed him to catch a few breaths of air before telling him again. "Call off your boys now or you're next. I won't repeat myself again. Am I clear, mutt?"

The rattled wolf bristled at me calling him a mutt, but he nodded as best he could with my arm around his neck. The remainder of his mob warily backed away but kept their eyes locked on me the entire time. On the right of me, I heard the soft thud of a body hitting the floor and then Priest was at my side, his chin covered in the deep red of the bear's blood. To the left of me I heard the shuffle of clothing as the river of club-goers parted to let Irulan through. A quick peek out of the corner of my eye told me why they'd moved out of her way so quickly, her eyes blazed with power, and both hands lit up like Time Square.

"Glamour them, Valeria, and let's get the hell out of here before I do something I'll regret later," she demanded when she'd reached my side. Glamour worked differently for Vampires. Reading minds is one thing, even projecting thoughts, but the ability to control thoughts and minds is something extremely difficult. Instead of causing others to believe that we have taken on a different appearance, as the Sidhe do, we control the mind and modify the memory of our prey. From what I understand, glamour worked the same way in ancient Vampires as it did Elves and the Sidhe but over time it adapted into what we're capable of now. The only Vampires that possess glamour abilities similar to the Sidhe, now, are the Incubi and Succubae.

I looked out over the crowd and drew a deep breath. "I've never tried to glamour this many people at once. I'm not sure if I can do it."

Irulan moved to stand in front of me, so she could look me in the eyes. "You drained four Deadborns today, Valeria. They may not have given you new abilities, but their blood definitely boosted the ones you already have. Now glamour these bastards so we can get out of here. That little shit Aurieux and I have business to attend to."

I opened my shields and pushed my will out across the expanse of the nightclub, smiling inwardly when I felt the multitude of minds give way to my probing. I released my hold on the wolf and let him drop to the floor, so I could concentrate on the task-at-hand. I carefully removed the memories of Priest and me and replaced them with an unruly Were and a pissed-off Shifter. I couldn’t change too much, or I risked damaging their minds. When I was done with my tinkering, the three of us tore out of the front door in search of Aurieux. I tossed Irulan the keys and my phone. "Priest and I are faster on foot, you'll never be able to keep up with us. There's a tracking app on my phone, follow us in the car.”

Irulan nodded and took off for the SUV, while Priest and I both took in a deep breath. Priest shook his head in frustration. "This is no damn good, and you know it. We’re right outside one of our clubs. I'm catching scents from at least thirteen different races."

I took another deep breath and a broad smile graced my lips. "It's not impossible, Priest, you just have to know what you're looking for."

I starting running, not bothering to look back because I knew that Priest was behind me. We were moving so fast that Priest had to shout to make himself heard over the roar of the wind. "How do you know we're on the right trail, Trumaine? I smell Gullah, but it's all over this city."

"His smell is wrong, Priest, the difference is slight, but it's there," I said, pausing long enough to scent the air and confirm that we were going in the right direction. "After spending time with Sophie this morning, I know what Gullah are supposed to smell like.”

I slowed down as we came upon an older section of town. The majestic houses had the look of the plantation homes of old, and they were nestled in groups of towering magnolia trees. The wrongness of Aurieux's scent hung so strongly in the air I felt as if it coated my tongue like a layer of slime. "He's close, Priest," I said as we came to a halt and looked around at the houses.

"Can you tell the difference now?" I asked as I noticed some had smaller cottages off behind them that looked far older than the main houses.

Priest nodded and looked around trying to pinpoint a source for the odor. "Yeah, I can tell now that we're knee-deep in the shit, but the scent is so strong, I can't follow any definite trail.”.

"There are only six houses on the entire street. We can search them all if we have to," I said. "We take them together, flash in and out. If we run into problems with the owners, I'll glamour them.” Priest agreed, and we headed for the first house on the long, palm-lined drive. We searched two homes in a manner of minutes, and the only thing we came up with was a demented Chihuahua that tried to hump Priest's leg with such vigor that I wouldn't be surprised if Priest birthed a litter of puppies in a few months.

When we got to the third house, we came up empty yet again, but this one had a cottage far off at the rear end of the property, so slipping into the densely packed foliage, and using the vegetation for cover, we made our way towards it. As soon as we got within twenty feet of the building, the front door opened with a bang and out strode Aurieux, full of confidence and completely nonplussed by the fact that two Vampires were bearing down on him with fury in their eyes.

Aurieux looked from Priest to me, and then decided to give me his full attention. "Ya'll aren’t welcome here. Best you get off my property," he said as two more men joined him.

I stepped forward relaxing my facial muscles and letting them return to normal while holding up my hand, so they could see my signet ring. "My name is Valeria Trumaine. I'm a Sentinel for the Charlotte, N.C. CMS. This is my partner, Jacob Priest. We need to speak with Eddie Aurieux."

Aurieux patted his chest as he spoke, "I'm Eddie Aurieux, what business ya'll got with me in Charlotte? I ain't been there since I was a young'un."

Priest shifted his foot to move forward, and Aurieux raised a hand, "Nah-uh, boy, just you stay right where you are. Come any closer and I'm gon' see exactly how resilient you Vampires really are."

"I haven't been a boy in over two hundred years, and I'd be careful if I were you. The right person hears what you just said to me, they might take that as a threat against an officer's life." Priest gave him a smile that was all fangs.

Aurieux smiled back, "I'm sure they would, 'cause 'das how I meant it." He motioned towards his two goons, "We don't recognize your laws, Vampire. So again, get off my property.” The air around us took on a metallic taste as it charged with Aurieux's energy.

I drew both my blades and fell back into a defensive position. "We didn't come here for a fight. We just need to ask you some questions. If you choose to pursue this route, I promise you, you will die tonight.” I heard the sound of Priests' two Ruger GP 100s as he slid them from their holsters.

Aurieux smiled, "What kinda question you got for me, woman, that brings you out to my house armed they way ya'll are."

"Questions about the company you've been keeping lately.” The air prickled my skin as I talked. Aurieux wasn't about to back down. Regrettably, I knew that this was going to end in violence, one way, or another.

"Why don't you just go ahead and say his name?" Aurieux taunted me. "We both know it's Tristan Meriwether you're here about."

A low growl escaped from Priest. "Well, since you know so damn much, why don't you tell us where we can find Tristan, and we'll be on our way?"

Aurieux laughed out loud this time. "Now why in the hell would I want to do that, huh? I'm sho' ya'll ain't here to chat with that 'ole boy, and I can't have him getting killed on me until the two of us finish what we started."

"The only thing Tristan is gonna help you with is meeting your maker a lot sooner than expected," I reasoned with him. I didn't want any more casualties while I was in Charleston. "Sophie said he promised you power. Don't you see you've got more power than he does already or he wouldn't need your help? Tristan is using you."

Aurieux frowned and looked back at one of his companions before turning to speak. "Sophie Blackmon had no right bringing ya'll into clan affairs, that girl has no business leading us, but everyone too afraid of her hag grandma, Belisare. I ain't afraid to do what needs to be done for the good of us all! Someone has to before them others run our clan into the ground."

Aurieux moved his hand ever so slightly. If my eyesight weren't as keen as it is, I would have missed it. The two men flanking him charged forward, one for each of us. Priest's revolvers sounded off, and the Gullah charging him fell backwards with two deep red rosettes of blood forming on his shirt. One wound was in his torso and the other directly over his heart. Both were kill shots. He should have been writhing on the ground in agony, but that wasn't the case. The man laughed and reached back over his head with both hands to propel himself upright again.

The goon that was bearing down on me drew two huge Bowies from sheaths strapped to his legs, and threw one directly at my head as he ran. I waited until the knife was inches away from me, then I deflected it with a kodachi, sending it flying into the trunk of a nearby tree. The advancing man let loose a booming yell, and lifting his remaining knife high into the air, prepared for a downward blow.

I tensed my muscles and got better grips on my blades, ready to counter his strike and deliver one of my own, but the strike never came,. At least not in the way I expected. The man actually ran behind me so fast that it resembled a flash and planted the 12-inch blade deep into the small of my back. My mind reeled as it tried to comprehend the mechanics behind a non-Vampire being able to flash. Tristan's blood should never have been able to give him that ability, but it had. I thought Tristan was the only one positioned to come out on top, but the Gullah had just as much to gain from the current arrangement as Tristan did, and they were fighting to hold onto it.

I yowled in pain and dropped to my knees, then I growled through clenched teeth, “I'm gonna take your head for that.” The blow wouldn't kill me, it would heal in a matter of minutes, but I had to get the blade out, it was in a bad place, and I couldn't afford to take my eyes off my opponent for even a fraction of a second.

The Gullah goon danced around me rolling his head around on his neck, like a prizefighter preparing to enter the ring. Then he backed up, squatted down to see my face and taunted, "Come on now, lil' lady, you come here talking all that shit and this best you can do?" Then the bastard got cocky, turned his head to look at Aurieux and laugh. Stupid move. I sprang forward, ignoring the pull of the knife in my back, with both of my arms extended. The blades of my kodachis moved through the muscles and bones of his neck like a hot knife through butter. His head hit the ground with a soft thump as I tucked my body into a ball and landed in a roll. As I rolled, I saw Priest with his face tucked firmly against his opponent's neck, taking blood as quickly as he could, replenishing what he'd lost in their fight.

As my momentum slowed down, I screamed with the pain. I'd felt the hilt of the knife break off with the force of my landing, and, with each turn my body made, the blade traveled farther into my flesh. When I finally stopped rolling, I lay spread eagle on the ground with the tip of the blade poking out of my stomach, and the hard sheath's of my kodachis pressing into my back adding to the discomfort. I looked up towards the stars, and Priest was peering down at my face. "How bad?" he asked. Priest’s eyes darted from me to Aurieux who slowly walked towards us.

"Hurts,” I said softly through clenched teeth, “But I'll do, just get the blade out now."

Priest didn't waste any time trying to prepare me for the serrated blade's exit through my stomach. He just got a grip and pulled in one swift movement. The instant the broken knife hit the ground, Priest was up and standing over my body, ready for a fight with Aurieux. "You can stop where you are, and we can take you into the CMS for interrogation, or I wax your ass up and down your own yard, and then we can take you in," he called out. "The choice is yours, Aurieux."

Aurieux stopped not five feet away from us and began yelling, "You come to my city and start stirring up shit. You come to my house and kill my brothers, then think to give me orders. Fuck you, dead man! The only thing you gonna do is die!"

Priest charged without hesitation. He slammed into an invisible brick wall that knocked him back a few feet. Priest growled, crouched down for a leap, and launched himself into the air in an attempt to try to scale the barrier in his way. I felt the rush of air and a light buzz pass across my skin as a spell slammed into Priest's body. He hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, and began writhing in pain. My body had already started to heal. The bleeding had stopped, and surface layers of skin had knitted back together, but full healing would take at least three more minutes. I was helpless. I focused my ears on the street behind us, and prayed I'd hear the squeal of tires that would signal Irulan's arrival, but I got nothing.

CHAPTER TWELVE

I turned my head towards Priest and saw him with his mouth gaped open in a soundless scream. His body was turning a deep shade of red and little wafts of pink tinged steam were escaping from his pores. "Oh, Jesus," I said with a panicked tone to my voice. I recognized the spell. The same one had killed Amanda Jones and the nurse yesterday, Soul Fire.

Aurieux was pacing back and forth at our feet. "Tristan told me to spare your life if you came calling at my door, woman, but after what you did, I just can’t do that.” He drew his leg back and landed a fierce kick to my ribs, then kicked my swords out of my immediate reach. The bones gave way and cracked under the impact, I bit down on my lip to keep from crying out.

"Your boy there gonna bake nice and slow like a damned potato, but you," He went down to his knees and tore my tattered shirt away from my body leaving me in my bra and sheaths. "You, I'm gonna have a little fun with, gonna see what kind of lay you are before I send you on to glory."

"Touch me and I promise you, instead of a quick and painless death, I'll make sure you die slowly and in excruciating pain," I said, with growing strength in my voice.

Aurieux humped his hips and palmed my left breast, "Making threats? You're in a bad position for threats. You think I don't see your body healing? I want you strong, wanna feel you bucking beneath me while I'm riding you, but don't let that fool you into thinking I can't handle myself against you. Just look at your friend over there.” I snarled and tried to rise, but I hit a wall of heat so intense it forced me back to the ground.

Aurieux jerked back and looked at me with a perplexed look plastered to his face. "You know, that spell was meant for the both of you. Don't know why you're not as bad off as your boy there.” He dipped his fingers under the edge of my bra and tweaked my nipple causing it to harden at the touch against my will. "But it don't make no never mind," Aurieux said. "This way works out better anyway."

I tried again to rise and escape from his touch, but the heat held me down just as securely as the right amount of iron chains could have. "Now, now there,” Aurieux crooned, "I'm about to join you, don't waste any energy that could be best spent one me, baby.” He dropped a quick kiss to the tip of my nose before he stood and began undressing. Articles of clothing began dropping to the ground, first a shirt, then a wife beater. One more minute, I had one more minute before I was fully healed. Hopefully, I was strong enough to break any hold he had on me. Once I did, I was gonna pull his heart from his chest with my bare hands. I looked over to Priest and saw that the same huge blisters as before, were covering his face and arms.

So much happened in so little time, my mind raced to figure out how far we had actually run and subtracted the fifteen minutes I'd guessed we'd been here from that. If Irulan didn't get here soon, Priest would die his final death. That was assuming the spell wasn't broken when I killed Aurieux.

The sound of Aurieux's belt unbuckling and the whir of his pants zipper drew my attention back to him. His pants and underwear soon joined the rest of his clothing and he dropped back to his knees, straddling me, his swollen erection coming to a rest against my thigh. I released a growl from the back of my throat as Aurieux leaned down and began kissing me on my neck. "When I'm done with you, you're gonna curse your mother for giving birth to your sorry ass!" I cried savagely.

I pressed as hard as I could into the cold ground beneath me, as if I could tunnel my way out from under Aurieux by sheer force of will. I concentrated so intensely on everything around me that every blade of grass touching my exposed skin felt as if little knife blades were bearing into my skin. The feel of Aurieux's tongue as it trailed up and down my neck made me close my eyes and grit my teeth. I'd rather be slathered head to toe with dog slobber. I endured the feel of his tongue as it swirled in circles up and down my neck and across the rise of my breast for untold minutes, and then, all of a sudden, his tongue was gone. I opened my eyes and saw nothing but a sprinkling of stars against the night sky above me. I hesitantly lifted my hand into the air and found nothing but cool air above me. As I tried again to get up, I found that I could without any problem.

I rolled over into a low crouch, grabbed my kodachis, and looked back over my shoulder. "You certainly took your sweet, damn time getting here, Irulan."

Irulan walked by me with one arm extended, the fingers on her hands splayed open and she held Aurieux immobilized in midair. "You try keeping one eye on the screen of a phone and one on the road without causing a wreck," she replied. I stood up, and she took note of my state of undress. "You're covered in blood, but that seems to be the norm for today. What did he do to you?" she asked.

I pointed to the headless body with the tip of my sword. "He's the guilty party. He ran a big bowie knife through the small of my back, but as you can see I took care of it."

I sheathed my blades and went to Priest’s side, careful not to touch him for fear of meeting the same fate as the nurse. "I need your help here, Irulan.” I couldn't keep the fear out of my voice as I looked at Priest. Blood bubbled from the corners of his lips, and his skin was dry and flaking off in large patches. Pink tears slid from the corners of his eyes, but the heat emanating from his body evaporated them before they could hit the ground.

He moaned softly and tried to talk but only succeeded in coughing up more steaming blood. "Irulan, now!" I yelled. "He's dying! It’s Soul Fire, and I don't know what to do!"

Irulan came to her knees on the opposite side of Priest and passed a hand over him inches from his body. "This isn't Soul Fire. This feels new, something made to mimic the effects.” She moved to catch him on either side of his face, and I reached out and grabbed her hands. "Don't, you can’t touch him. Remember what I told you about the nurse."

Irulan leaned forward over Priest and frowned, "If this were true Soul Fire, it would have consumed him in under a minute and he wouldn't take others with him. I suspected as much before, but I needed to see for myself. They created Soul Fire to use it as a fast and painless punishment for the condemned. Once the fire hit, it consumed the body almost instantly and cauterized all the nerve endings that deal with pain. This spell is heartless, no better than torture."

Irulan’s voice had taken on a cadence that was reminiscent of Great Britain in the 1800's. If you want to get a feel for the true age of an Extras, then listen to them talk when they're upset. Their accents and dialects become more prominent when their emotions are running high.

Priest moaned out loud, and a thick plume of steam escaped from his opened mouth. His blonde hair was drenched in so much sweat it looked closer to brown. Irulan gasped and turned towards Aurieux, "You will fix this now!" The look of calm on her face couldn't mask the storms that swirled in the depths of her eyes. With a simple wave of her hand, Aurieux moved quickly through the air until he was hovering three feet in the air next to us. Once he was close enough, he looked down at the three of us with contempt in his eyes.

Irulan stood so she could look him in the eye, pointing to Priest as she spoke. "Whatever you did, you will now undo, post haste, before he is too far gone."

Aurieux looked down at Priest and then spat in Irulan’s face, "Fuck you, go ahead, kill me." Irulan’s glamour faded slightly, and I could see glimpses of her true form beneath the ruse as she fought to keep control of her emotions.

The fingers of her hand slowly began to come together to form a fist. As they got closer together, Aurieux began to scream out in pain. Under the shrill cries, I could hear the sounds of bones breaking. Irulan clenched her fist into a tight ball and blood began to run from Aurieux's nose. His body trembled in pain, but he still looked at her with defiance in his eyes, "Go ahead, get it over with, Fairie bitch."

The eerily calm laughter that came from Irulan sent a chill down my back. She looked completely at ease, and she was unafraid of the possibility of failure, although failure would lead to Priest's death. She held her hand out over Priest's body, and as she did so, Aurieux's hand did the same. "It's not often I come up against a magic wielder that can best me, even temporarily, as you did,” she said with a sly look on her face.

"I don't like it. In fact, I view it as a failure on my part. To me, it means I'm lacking in some area, and I don't handle failure very well.” She went to her knees and lowered her hand, bringing his body closer to Priest's, only then did Aurieux's façade of calm break and reveal how nervous he really was.

Irulan's calm settled over her like a blanket as she saw him begin to crack. "Since you're so eager to die, why not share the same fate you've consigned my friend to?" Aurieux was now so close to Priest that he had broken out in a sweat from the heat that was radiating off him. When faced with the prospect of being a victim of his own spell, he broke and began begging for his life. "I'll move you once he's safe," Irulan replied as she moved him even closer.

Aurieux was yelling by this point. "Please, anything you want, just don't let me die like this, please.”

As he realized that Irulan would actually carry out her threats, and he faced the prospect of his own death, all the bravado Aurieux had displayed earlier flew out the window. It was a side of her I had never seen before, but one she was totally at ease with displaying. I briefly wondered what type of life she'd led when she was an active member of court in Tir Na Nog.

Finally, Aurieux relented and agreed to release Priest. He struggled to keep his lips steady as he mouthed the words to the incantation that would end Priest's suffering. Once set free, Priest's complexion quickly returned to normal. He took deep breaths, drawing air into lungs that scarcely need it, the act brought on more out of fear than necessity.

"He's gonna need blood as soon as we can get it, to heal this much damage, Irulan," I said.

Irulan jerked her hand through the air causing Aurieux to drop to the ground beside Priest. "Here, let him be the generous donor. He made this mess, he can help rectify it.” He tried to crawl away from us, but the broken bones in his arms and legs prevented him from getting very far. I dragged him back by one ankle, lifted him over Priest’s body, and bit into his neck.

As Vampires feed, we release small amounts of toxins in our saliva that enter our donor’s bloodstream. The toxins, Combined with our glamour, help induce strong emotional responses from those donors. Most of the time, we choose to induce pleasure, but we can also inflict great amounts of pain. Aurieux got pain in spades. When I pulled away from his neck, he was shrieking at the top of his lungs. I held the bleeding wound over Priest lips, letting the blood run down into his mouth.

The reaction was instantaneous. Priest's arm came up and around Aurieux to hold him tightly against his greedy mouth while he fed. Contrary to what movies may portray, it takes time to drain a Human body of all its blood, two or three minutes just doesn't do it. In reality, it takes about fifteen minutes for a vamp to drain an average sized body, which is yet another reason our Council frowns on total consumption of a Human. The longer you feed from one person while hunting, the greater the chance for being caught, which means exposure.

Priest fed for five minutes then rolled Aurieux's body off him and jumped up stretching his arms and legs. "Next time, super dyke," he said as he flexed his arm, "We all come at once, no splitting up, even if I have to carry you on my back while I run."

As far as Priest went, that was a heartfelt 'thank you for saving my skin'. Irulan and I both stood up with smiles on our faces, grateful to whichever god that watched over us for sparing his life. Irulan patted him softly on the side of his face. "I must admit you're growing on me, dead man, but if you call me dyke, lezzy, carpet muncher or any other derogatory remark concerning my taste in lovers one more time, the next time I take your voice, you won’t get it back."

Priest took a step back with both hands raised in the air in a show of mock surrender. "Whatever you say, Sexy Red, whatever you say.” A low moan of pain from Aurieux drew all our attention back to him. I motioned to Priest, and he hauled him up into the air by the neck. It took a level of control I had no idea I possessed, for me not to sink my hand into his chest and pull out his heart as I threatened. I shifted my face back to normal and ran a hand across my stomach where the knife had been earlier.

"You realize, Aurieux, you attempted to end the life of two Sentinels while they were in the line of duty. One alone is enough to get your mind wiped. Two is a death sentence. But what would you care about that, the laws of the CMS don't apply to you, right?" Aurieux's only response was another moan. I reached out and held his head up, so I could look him in the eyes. "What happened to the big bad man that was all geared up to commit rape a few moments ago?" I asked sarcastically. Aurieux tried to jerk away from my touch, but I held firm, "We came for answers," I said. "Now, you're gonna give them."

Aurieux weakly shook his head no, in protest. "I can't, can't give yah what ya’ll want."

When Irulan spoke, her voice still had a soft English lilt to it. "You're hardly in a position to deny us, Aurieux. Either you answer the lady's questions, or I see what other bones I can break in that fragile body of yours."

A single tear made its way down Aurieux's face, "Do what you have to. Broken bones ain't shit compared to what Tristan will do to me if I dime him out."

Irulan began to draw the fingers of her left hand together to form a fist, but I reached out and touched her arm. "You don't need to do that. I'll go into his head and find what we're looking for," I said.

"You think Tristan hasn't planned for that? He taught us all to shield," said Aurieux on pained breaths.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Then drop them. If Tristan questions you, tell him I broke through them."

Aurieux shook his head in exasperation, "That'll never work. Tristan won't buy that."

"Tristan will buy anything you tell him when it comes to me and my abilities. By now he knows I drained four of his children, so he’ll expect a boost in my power."

Irulan smiled, "Everything she says makes sense, Aurieux. Give us what we want, and we can get you to the CMS to get the medical attention you require."

With a sigh of defeat, Aurieux opened his mind to my probing. I caught flashes of rituals. So much darkness surrounded his mind that I had a hard time focusing. I inched through the turmoil until I saw what he was still trying to hide from me. Tristan had four nests in the city, including a nest of Deadborns created for the sole purpose of food. Young innocents turned against their will, and then kept in line with promises of power when a fictitious new age of the 'Reign of Vampires' began.

I shook my head, trying to make some order out of the clustered images I was receiving. "He's not strong enough to handle the power, so he feeds from his children," I stated quietly to myself. I pushed harder, drawing the scenes from Aurieux's conscious that he begrudgingly allowed me to see. I saw Tristan's frustration as each of his attempts to become the 'Vessel of Ancient Power' failed, and I felt his excitement as he found a way to twist Soul Fire into something it was never intended to be, a horribly painful weapon wielded only in close proximity. I took in glimpses of every atrocity Aurieux helped Tristan commit until I finally hit pay dirt.

"We've got him," I said. "I know where he's making camp." My mind jumped back to what I'd learned about the faux Soul Fire, and then added, "The spell Aurieux used can only be executed by someone close. Someone in the CMS was responsible for those deaths.” Irulan didn't look surprised, and Priest looked down right pissed.

"Irulan, my phone, please.” She passed me my phone, and I called Marcus instead of Descantes as he had directed me to do the night before. Marcus answered on the first ring as always.

"What do you have for me now, Trumaine?"

"There's a rat in the CMS here. The spell used on Amanda Jones is a proximity spell. I was wrong about the sire's link. Someone in that building killed a fellow Sentinel, in cold blood, to keep her quiet.”

Marcus's voice gave no hint as to whether he was surprised or not. He merely replied, "Continue."

I pressed on, "We've got the location of Tristan's primary stronghold, and the reason behind the increase in Deadborns.”

"Put me on speaker, Trumaine," Marcus said when I was done. I did as he asked and his voice filled the muggy southern air with the powerful timbre of an Alpha. "First, let me admit that I was skeptical about the combination of the three of you, but you've done exceptional work. As for this situation, inform Descantes of nothing, string him along anyway you can. I'm calling my superiors and requesting an outside investigation of Charleston's entire operation. If anyone needs medical attention, go to a private doctor. Am I understood?"

Irulan and I cut our eyes to Aurieux. I shrugged my shoulders and mouthed 'lucky guess' as Marcus continued. "If you've got Tristan's location, and feel confident that you can end this, then move on him as soon as possible. Drop the tracker before you do. I'm past caring about what Descantes wants."

I had the tracker off my neck and crushed between my fingers before he'd finished the sentence. "All of you be careful," was his only warning before ending the call. As I looked at Aurieux, his head slumped over and started rolling from side to side on his neck.

"He needs a doctor, guys, he doesn't look so good," I said before I picked his head up, only to have it fall back down into a limp sway.

Priest scoffed and gave him a little shake, "This fucker just tried to kill us, why should we care what happens to him?"

I held up my hand and clicked off on my fingers, "One, we're the good guys, it's our job. Two, we're healed. No harm, no foul, right? And three, there's more information in his head waiting for me, he just passed out before I could get it."

"Speak for yourself," Priest countered as his face shifted and he ripped a hole big enough to put my fist in right out of Aurieux's chest.

"What the fuck!” I yelled. Irulan and I jumped back to avoid the spray of blood that watered the grass beneath us. Priest let the twitching body fall to the ground, and he kicked it aside as if it were nothing more than a discarded bag of trash.

I charged Priest and shoved him backwards. "That was completely uncalled for! I told you he was still useful to us."

Priest planted his heels into the ground and pushed me back. "And I said speak for your damn self, Trumaine. Yeah, you got stabbed, but you were never in any real danger of dying. He damn near killed me! By our laws, his life was mine to do with as I saw fit. Don’t you act all sanctimonious, not after the shit you did at that warehouse.” I drew back and knocked Priest dead across his jaw, sending him flying ten feet through the air. He landed on his ass with a bounce, and I was on him in a flash, picking him up, so I could knock him down again.

"Our laws do not apply when we're on the job, and you know that. It was made clear before you ever put on that signet for the first time.” I turned and stalked back towards Irulan, yelling the entire way. "By Gia, I should have known it would only be a matter of time before you showed your true colors, Priest. I should never have never even considered the thought that you actually planned to help further this operation.” I looked at Irulan, who was kneeling beside Aurieux. She shook her head no, and I knew my hopes of finding out anything else about Tristan's plans had just died with him.

That destroyed any type of camaraderie that had developed between Priest and me these past few days. My suspicions about his true motives were firmly entrenched in my mind again.

Priest silently came up behind us, stopping a few feet away from me. He asked, "What's next, Trumaine?”

I rounded on him, my voice dripping with anger. "Don't talk to me! The only thing you need to do is nod when I give orders, orders that you will follow to the letter, without question.” I turned and headed back towards the main house, jumping the twenty feet over the densely packed trees instead of going through them this time. When I got to the car, I paused to look up at the brightly lit full moon and took a deep breath.

Everything led to this moment - the years of trying to outrun my past with Tristan, all of the horrible things I had done in the name of love and all of the self -loathing I felt because of it. I realized that as long as he was somewhere out there alive, I would never trust myself not to become the monster he tried to make me. Why? As much as I hated him, a part of me would always love him because he was my first real love. I was terrified that my love would be his ticket back into my life. He had to die, because that was the only way I could ever truly live.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Irulan and I made it back to the car ahead of Priest. I slipped into the passenger seat and leaned my head back against the cool leather, content to let Irulan drive so I could concentrate on the task of formulating a game plan. As Priest reached to open the door to get into the back seat, I hurriedly locked it. He could have easily ripped the door clean off the hinges, but he would never do that. "I don't want to share the same space with you right now, Jacob."

Priest looked as if he'd swallowed a cow whole. I hardly ever called him by that name. "This really isn't that serious. We got Meriwether's location. Anything else we could have gotten from Aurieux would have been irrelevant to our case."

To me, those sounded like the words of a man with something to hide. "Remember what I said about orders," I instructed as I motioned Irulan to start the car so we could get going. She reluctantly put the car in gear and backed into the street. I reached over and put the address I had retrieved from Aurieux into the GPS system. According to the GPS, we had a seventeen-minute drive ahead of us.

Irulan checked her rearview mirror to make sure Priest was keeping pace with us before turning up the radio to make sure he couldn't hear what we were saying. "Aren't you being a little harsh, Valeria?" she asked. "I mean, yeah, he's annoying, but up until now he hasn't given us any reason not to trust him. To be honest, I understand his anger. I was ready to kill the bastard myself for that stunt he pulled in the club."

"It's not about whether he was justified or not, because he was, completely. It’s about blatantly disregarding a direct order. I have to be able to trust him and know that we've got the same agenda, especially now."

Irulan pressed the issue farther, "Do you think that maybe you want to doubt him and you're using this as a reason?”

"I don't care what the reason is, the doubt is there now, and that's the end of it. Can we please move on to the situation at hand? We need to be ready when we get to Tristan's base of operation.” We pulled to a stop at a red light, and Priest skidded to a stop behind us.

"Don't all three of us need to be privy to this conversation, Val?” I guessed she had a point, so I reached over with a finger and undid the lock. Priest hopped into the back seat without a sound, and I picked up where I left off.

"As far as I could tell, he's staying in an apartment building. According to Aurieux's memories, it's three stories high. The lower levels are two huge apartments, while two large studios take up the last floor. Apparently he's keeping house above one of his nests, likes to keep the food handy.” The light changed and we sped forward, moving closer and closer to the coming fight with trepidation raging in us all.

We had all seen the horrors that he was capable of, and now sitting in the car, I faced the fact that Irulan was the only one that was capable of defending herself against the power he now possessed. I felt sorely outmatched in one sense but confident in another. He'd gone to the trouble of having the dampening net placed around me when he could have easily tried to have me killed instead. Aurieux had admitted Tristan wanted me alive. I was counting on any feelings he had left for me to allow me to get close enough to deliver a kill strike.

We got within a few blocks of Tristan's location when I had Irulan pull into a convenience store. "This is close enough. If we go any farther, we run the risk of being heard as we pull up.” We got out and went over our entrance plans. Depending on how many Newborns were at the location, we might need Irulan to get rid of some of the opposition before Priest and I entered wherever we could. Irulan tried to give me her jacket, but I declined. I didn’t need the long sleeves hampering my movements.

I raced through paths of approach, trying to map a route that would reduce our chances of someone hearing us, but with a building full of Vampires all possessing enhanced hearing, those chances were slim to none. Irulan and I could shield our auras against detection, and, since Priest was a Deadborn, I was hoping the Newborns would shrug off his approaching aura. But they could hear our footsteps once we got within a block of Tristan's apartment. Irulan and Priest both noted the look on my face, and Irulan questioned the reason behind it. "Are you sure you're ready for this? It's still not too late to turn back if you want to."

"No, it's not that," I said. Then an idea popped into my head. "Irulan, how much can you lift when you're traveling through the air?” I asked because the strength of the spell depended on the strength of the person that cast it. I was almost certain that Irulan could carry us all, but I needed to be sure.

Irulan smiled as she grasped where I was heading with the question. "I can get all three of us there, no problem, but the sight of three people flying through the air is sure to draw attention, that's not exactly stealth."

"It's stealth if you can glamour us into looking like a flock of birds or something.”

Irulan waved us into a tight formation. "Your eyes, Val. I'm gonna have to modify the glamour covering myself, so my eyes are gonna be a lot brighter.” I lowered my films and took a position on one side of her with Priest taking the position on the other. "It'll be a lot easier to maintain the three of us if you two take a lower center of gravity," Irulan said. Priest and I both went down on one knee and leaned forward on the palms of our hands. I felt the tingle of her magic as her glamour settled over us and then we quickly rose through the air on a column of air. The column felt so firm beneath us, I had to look down to make sure we weren't still on the ground.

We moved swiftly through the air, gliding by buildings, and passing over cars entirely unseen. Her glamour was working perfectly. She brought us within fifteen feet of our destination and held us in a position that was level with the top living area.

"You're on, Valeria," she said quietly, trying to avoid the group inside hearing her. She dropped the glamour that surrounded us, so she could restore her own, and I retracted my films. The night came alive to my eyes as I slipped into UV sight. I scanned the building a floor at a time and was shocked at the abundance of cool blue outlines I saw behind the walls.

I hastily gave report. "We've got at least twenty-seven Deadborns on the first floor alone, fifteen on the second,” I said. "Another eight on the top floor. I also see about six warm bloods, but they could be anyone. I won't be able to confirm Tristan's presence until I feel his aura or catch his scent. When I stop shielding, our cover is blown."

Irulan sighed with a grim-looking smile on her face, "I guess I'm up."

She raised her hands in front of her with the palms facing the sky. She then began waving her fingers slowly, as if she were calling someone to her side. The air around us began to stir, raising my hair, causing it to whip around my face. Soon after Irulan began, shrill cries of pain began coming out of the apartment building.

Vampires began pouring out of every available exit they could find. They ran out of doors, and flew through windows, screaming in agony as their flesh shriveled, blackened, and turned to dust before our eyes. She told me she had some control of a Deadborn's faculties, but I never imagined she could accomplish anything like that. "What the hell, Irulan?"

When she looked down at me to answer, her bright green eyes had darkened to a hunter green shade, and they swirled and flashed as if thunderstorms were hiding behind them. "I'm calling them to dirt, Valeria," she replied in a voice laced with strength. "Sending them to their final death, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” I looked over at Priest who watched the ordeal with shock in his eyes. For the first time since we began this, he realized just how dangerous Irulan could be. I swear he was scared shitless by what he saw.

She made quick work of the Deadborns and by the time she was done, she had decimated over half of their numbers single-handedly. I dropped my shield and pushed my conscious ahead of me searching for Tristan. I didn't have to push far to find him, or it. Tristan’s aura slid against mine, sending a shiver down my spine. Once I got confirmation that he was inside, I spared the smallest of nods for Priest, then drew my blades. I sprang forward, sailing through the air, and smashed through the nearest window, landing with a roll.

The harsh, artificial light didn't slow my advance one bit. My films dropped instinctively the moment I crashed through the glass pane. By the time I came to a stop, four more Deadborns had meet their demise at the edge of my swords. I jumped to my feet and spun my body in a circle, raising my knee to catch a charging Gullah in the torso. As he fell, two more Deadborns took his place, but their bodies evaporated to ash even as they ran. Irulan was floating right outside the window, clearing as many of them out of my path as she could.

I ran through the cloud of remains, jumping over overturned furniture, dodging flying fists, and avoiding various other body parts aimed in my direction. I heard the cries of Tristan’s children, paired with grunts from Priest as he fought behind me, but my attention focused on a door at the end of the room. I felt Tristan’s aura behind the closed door, and cut a path through anything that was in front of my trying to get to it.

When I got within feet of the door, it burst open and more Vampires began pouring out. I heard the sound of something cutting through the air and two of them fell dead at my feet with thin stakes protruding from their chest. Then from out of nowhere, a charging vamp caught me in the midsection, sending us both flying backwards.

"Lights!" I yelled, fully frustrated. My eyes were beginning to feel the sting of the florescent lights despite my films. I brought my elbow crashing down into the back of the vamp, trying to break his hold. When that didn't work, I brought both my blades together through his neck. The lights died with a stream of sparks just as the head fell to the ground beside me.

I rolled the body off me and flipped myself upright, finally able to see clearly. There was a line of Wolf Shifters, all in half form, blocking the doorway that lead to where I felt Tristan. Priest came up on my left with two jagged cuts across both of his cheeks. He panted, "Need some help?” I didn't have the luxury of doubt right now and quickly nodded yes. We flashed forward, barreled into two of the Shifters, and sent them flying backwards into the wall. After that, the surprise that our speed offered us was gone.

Razor-like claws dug into my shoulder, raking down my arm, peeling the skin and muscle back until portions of bone were showing. I screamed in pain and my sword hit the ground as my arm immediately became useless. I spun in a flash, pivoting as I turned and caught the Shifter in a headlock. "You stupid son of a bitch!" I yelled, right before I bit into his neck. I didn't have the time for a feeding, but unless I took in a large amount of blood as quick as I could, my arm would take minutes to heal, instead of seconds.

As soon as I felt the skin of my arm begin to knit together, I dropped the unconscious Shifter to the floor. I slipped the sword I still held into its sheath with a small grunt of pain, and retrieved the other from where I had dropped it. The arm was healing fast, but I still needed to give it a short break. I snapped my head up as my ears picked up a sound I never expected to hear coming from the other room.

The telltale cries of children drifted through the air over the sounds of the fighting. I took two steps backward and ran forward, propelling myself up and over the line of opposition. But by the time I finally got into the room, it was too late. Just as I arrived, I saw Tristan jump through an open window carrying two children. "Irulan, Priest, I need you now!” I ran to the window, and looking out into the night, tracked Tristan and two Deadborns running through an alley across the street all holding a child under each arm.

They both ran into the room just as I was preparing to jump out of the window after Tristan and his minions. "Tristan - he's got kids as hostages," I explained as quickly as I could before sliding through the window and launching myself off the fire escape. I hit the ground running, shoving dumpsters and variety of discarded appliances out of my way as I went. I pushed my aura ahead of me and felt the familiar sensation of Tristan’s out in front of me in the moonlit block of buildings. I spared a quick glance upwards and noticed that all the streetlights I'd passed had been broken out. Another sign of nesting.

I pushed myself into a flash and closed the distance between us until I could finally see them ahead of me. Tristan kicked in the door to yet another abandoned building, and the three of them went inside with their screaming hostages. I briefly stopped across the street and leaned against the remains of a rusted old car. For a second I considered waiting for Irulan and Priest, but the thought of those children in danger pushed me forward and into the darkness. I prayed I was right about Tristan not wanting me hurt, if I weren't I'd just committed suicide by going in alone.

I looked around the empty expanse with UV and saw nothing but the red and yellow shapes of the rodents that called it home. I moved farther into the shadows, and put my back against the nearest wall to avoid someone jumping me from behind. Tristan and the Deadborns were in here somewhere. I felt him, but somehow he was masking their heat signatures from me.

When my backup arrived, I took a deep breath and prepared to begin searching the building. The three of us nodded in an unspoken agreement of the need for silence. Together we spread out and carefully began searching, over, under, and behind any obstacle we came upon that could be a hiding place. We searched fruitlessly for five minutes before we finally came upon a half gone Deadborn, lying under a mass of discarded newspapers and trash. I hauled him up by the lapels of his filthy shirt and looked him over, taking in his appalling condition.

The blonde hair on his head was dull and caked with dirt, and his skin had a sickly grey tint to it that was beyond pale, even by a Deadborn's standards, and it was pulled tightly over the sharp lines of his skull. His eyes were sunken so far into his head they were barely visible. Irulan reached forward and held his head up to get a look at his neck. Angry bite marks covered what must have been Tristan's latest meal.

I didn't have long to sympathize for the emaciated creature. I heard a faint click, then the sounds of something ripping through the air heading in our direction. I jerked my head around in time to see the flare of a gun muzzle as it continued to go off. The three of us scattered as a spray of bullets pelted the wall right where we had been. To hell with being quiet, I thought as I sprang upright with a yell and raced through the darkness in the direction of the shooter.

Connected to a row of some sort and rigged to go off on their own, I found a row of sub-machine guns. I felt the bottom drop out of my stomach. "We've been set up!" I mentally kicked myself for my stupidity at not checking the building with my normal night vision. Tristan had counted on me scanning for him using my ultra violet, and he used that against me very effectively.

I picked up a spent shell casing and hurled it into the wall, furious at myself, and terrified for the children that they had. Walking by me, Priest inspected the weapons setup. "He knew you were coming, Trumaine. This setup was just for you, and from the looks of it, he's a patient bastard.” Priest turned and held up one hand covered in dust and another that held an envelope with my name written on it. I took the envelope and pulled out a pulled out a picture. It was one of Tristan and me during one of our seemingly happier moments, taken at one of Trumaine Enterprise's charity functions. Across the bottom Tristan had written, 'My how time flies! See you soon, Tris'.

Anger, frustration, and confusion, so many emotions fought for dominion inside my head. Irulan walked over and took the picture from me. "Suck it up, Valeria. We don't have the time for you to wallow. Those kids don't have time for it. You need to pick up his scent, and you need to do it now!"

I snapped out of my funk and took a deep breath, but I could not find Tristan's base scent anywhere. The weaker scent of his Deadborns was everywhere, along with the cold tang of rusted metal, old denim, and the musky smell of old newspaper. "This isn't right," I mumbled as I quickly began moving through the building, taking small breaths as I went.

Irulan and Priest trailed behind me demanding to know what was wrong, but I was unable to voice what was going through my mind because I didn't understand it myself. Asking Priest for help in locating Tristan's missing scent was useless because they had never met and he would have no idea what Tristan's base scent would smell like. I searched the structure twice before I finally stopped and turned to the both of them, "It doesn't make any sense. I felt his aura, I followed them here, but Tristan's scent is nowhere in this building."

"What are you talking about, Trumaine?" Priest asked, with a frustrated edge in his voice. "If you followed him here, his scent should be here. Either your nose is off or your head is."

Irulan rounded on Priest, "Not the time, Dead Man. we've got more important things to attend to."

Priest stepped forward to stand in her face, "So it's OK for her to treat me like shit when I fuck up, but when she does, no one gets to call her on it? I don't think so.”

Irulan shoved him backwards causing him to stumble, "Do not try my patience.” She turned and asked, "Are you sure it was Tristan? Did you scent him back at the apartment, or was it just his aura?"

"I felt him. There were too many bodies for me to get a definite trace of his scent. Why does that matter? I know his aura almost as well as I know yours."

Irulan cursed and balled up the picture that she still held onto. "One of the spells in that book gives the practitioner the ability to be in two places at once. A person's aura is a representation of the ether that we hold inside of us. Our bodies mold it until it becomes our own, but it can be duplicated in another with the right knowhow. It's not an easy process, but it is possible. A person's scent, however, no matter how much you wash, or cover it up with cologne and perfume, can't be duplicated or faked."

"How the hell was I supposed to know that?" I demanded, my frustration growing in leaps and bounds. As my anger increased, my shields weakened, and I began to feel auras all around us. I scanned the building, "We've got company,” I said as quietly as I could. Irulan's aura brushed against my own as she felt for herself.

"There's no one here, Trumaine," said Priest, "We need to regroup for the night..."

Irulan raised a hand, cutting him off. She pointed her finger towards the skylights high above us. "They're on the roof, asshole, Deadborns, Human children, and someone that may or not be Tristan."

No sooner were the words spoken than we began to hear footsteps above us. From the sounds, we were sorely outnumbered. "Suggestions?" I asked, even as my mind raced to formulate a defense strategy.

Priest looked up towards the roof for any sign of attack, when he yelled a single word, "Move!" I jerked my head upwards to catch a glimpse of Tristan’s face before he backed away and smashed the glass with a foot.

A shower of broken glass rained down on us, and the Deadborns began throwing children through the skylights above us. Priest and I flashed through the building, leaping up into the air to catch as many as we could, but the skylights were spaced far apart, and the children hurtled towards us with Vampire speed. We landed for the third time, each of us carrying two children, when a young teenage boy came barreling through the roof at the other end of the structure. The youngster was screaming bloody murder as the end of his life rushed towards him. At the same moment, they dropped four other children right above us, leaving us with a heartbreaking decision, flash to catch the one, or save the four.

Suddenly, the air got heavy, and wind whipped around us, effectively knocking us down mid-leap. Irulan caught all five children in an air pocket and brought them safely to the ground. In an effort to prepare for whatever was coming next, we hustled the shocked kids into a corner, covered them with discarded clothing, and formed a loose semicircle around them.

A single Deadborn with a twisted leer on his face dropped down through the roof and landed in front of us, “My sire sends me with instructions for your surrender. He says he will spare the rest of the kids if the Elf and the Vampire leave. He wants to speak with Ms. Trumaine alone."

Before I had a chance to answer, Irulan replied, "That's not going to happen, and unless you and yours are dead set on becoming ash in the very near future, I suggest you get the other children and bring them to us, now."

Muffled cries drifted down from the roof as the Vampires scattered. Priest shot upwards and disappeared from sight. I heard the sounds of struggle and then Priest's aura got faint as he moved farther and farther away, no doubt chasing after the kids. I was just about to join him when Vampires began pouring through the roof. I flung my conscious ahead searching for Tristan's aura but came up empty. Despite the rift between us, I got scared for Priest's life.

"I can't feel Tristan anymore,” I called to Irulan as I dodged a charging Deadborn and thrust a sword through the heart of another. Irulan's eyes were blazing as she called Deadborn after Deadborn to dirt, but they just kept coming. She looked and saw the unspoken request written on my face.

"I'm not leaving you," she cried, "they're too many of them!” A female jumped on my back, wrapped her arm and legs around me, and bit into my ear. I yelled, flashed backwards into a wall, and broke her hold causing her to fall to the ground. I drew my leg back to kick her, but when I brought it forward, I met nothing but air and ashes.

"You don't have a choice, Irulan," I said, dodging a fist and countering with a roundhouse, sending the recipient flying. "If we really felt Tristan in there, Priest is as good as dead. He can't save those kids alone, and I can't run the risk of being wrong about Tristan not wanting to hurt me. If I go, and I am, then both of us are toast. Both of us can't go because I refuse to leave these children alone. You're the only one that can take him one on one."

As I cut down two more Newborns, Irulan reluctantly turned to go. I moved into the darkness and rushed the crowd of oncoming newborns. They came at me in two's and three's, but I hacked and slashed my way through anything that stepped in my way. I fought until my shoulders burned from swinging my sword, but I held firm until they finally wised up and rushed me all at once.

As fast and as strong as I am, even I couldn't fight against so many at once. It took five Newborns to capture and hold me. When they finally had me around the neck, arms, and legs, the same vamp that had spoken earlier stood in front of me with a satisfied smirk on his face,. "This could have been avoided, Ms. Trumaine. Now I'm going to have to incapacitate you until his arrival."

The smug little fucker threw a handful of some type powder directly into my face. "Why does everyone keep screwing with my eyes?" I yelped while the group that had latched onto me cried out with surprise and dismay.

The appointed leader snapped quickly, "Quit whining, you're serving Tristan's will, and you know there are rewards in the end for anything you have to endure I'm going to let him know everything went according to plan. Remember, Tristan doesn't want her hurt." My head began to spin, and a wave of nausea rippled through my stomach. My eyes began watering, and everything went black, no night vision, no UV, I tried lowering my films, but they felt welded to my eyelids. I couldn't use my eyes for the time being.

Remember what they say about the mouse while the cat was away? As soon as the lead dipstick was gone, they threw me to the ground and gave me a firm kick in the stomach. A feminine voice laced with contempt rang out in the darkness. "Tristan could have his choice of any one of us. I don't see what's so special about her.”

"He wants and deserves the best. She took down twenty-one of us before we were able to stop her. Can you do that?" Another faceless voice replied. I turned my face towards them, intent on antagonizing them as much as possible. I planned to use their small amount of control against them to try to push them to turn on each other.

"I can take a complement as well as the next girl, but are you sure you're cock blocking for Tristan's sake and not your own? You sound like maybe you think no woman is good enough for Tristan if you know what I mean.”

I balled up in pain after receiving another kick to the midsection. The faceless voice didn't take too kindly to my gay inference I guess. "Did I hit a little too close to home, buddy? That why you're lashing out? I bet, underneath all that black, there's a rainbow waiting to happen.”

The female shrieked just before I heard the sounds of a struggle. One seed of doubt was all it took, and they were on each other kicking and screaming, clawing and snapping, all trying to be the first to draw blood. I heard footsteps on the rooftop, and a voice floated down, "It's just Sheila and Darren again. No, she's fine. She can’t see anything anyway.

I waited until the footsteps moved again then I quietly drew a handful of thin throwing spikes from my leg holster and I let them fly through the darkness, using the sounds from their fighting as my guide. I flung them as fast as I could, and followed every noise until I heard the thump of two bodies hit the floor. The ones that managed to elude me realized I was tracking them by ear and stopped moving. I used the distraction to look for the kids. They were alone with no idea of how to remain unnoticed. I heard the small whimpers of fear they were making and knew if I heard it so did the Newborns.

They could come after the kids or me but they knew the moment they made a sound I was going to send a spike flying in their direction, and I was a lot faster than they were.

For the moment, we were at a standstill, but it wouldn't last for long. The guards above were sure to hear the absence of fighting and would be here in seconds to check out what was going on.

I somehow made it back to the children, through the darkness. The nine kids had the sense to stay huddled together under the covering we had placed over them, but the moment I pulled it back, a little girl saw my bloodied face and fangs, and began screaming her head off. I already had to worry about Deadborns tracking the kids by both sight and scent. I didn't need to add anything else to the list. I pleaded, shushed, and begged her to be quiet but nothing I did or said worked.

The heavy thumps of Deadborns landing began resonating through the air. "I'm done with this shit," said a young male. "She's killed two more of us. Are we just going to stand around while she picks us off and let her get away with it? Instead of fighting with each other let’s teach this bitch a lesson."

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Shit. I felt the aura of another vamp land somewhere out there in the darkness. By my count that made eight. Eight baby-vamps hyped-up by blood lust and the promise of an easy kill - not exactly what I was going for. I was beginning to hate sending Irulan after Priest and the runners, but it was too late.

Tristan knew I wouldn't be able to leave the kids to face their possible deaths at the hands of his flunkies. Dropping them through that skylight and taking off with the others was his ticket to freedom, for the moment. Hopefully, it was a short-lived triumph on his part, especially if Irulan actually caught up with him.

The girl was still crying no matter what I said. The only thing she saw was a monster. As far as she was concerned, I was no different from the one that took her from her mommy and daddy. As much as I hated doing it, I reached inside the terrified girl's mind and simply shut it off.

As her body relaxed, I handed her off to one of the older boys. I quickly weighed my options - stay here, cornered, and try to protect the kids, leaving us open to a potential ambush from all eight vamps, or go on the offensive and try to take them out before they got a pinpoint on our hiding place.

As the boy cradled the sleeping toddler, I slipped inside the boy's mind to let him know what I was about to do. To my surprise, he didn't panic. He simply nodded his head and got a firmer grip on his charge. With that taken care of, I crept out of our hiding place and began my own hunt.

The darkness was both a curse and an advantage. My night vision was coming back, but because of whatever Tristan's flunky threw into my eyes, my UV wasn't responding at all. On the bright side, because it took five of his coven to hold me down, he also got most of his own people. That left three in top form. Those were my first priority.

I drew in a quick stream of air trying to pinpoint a location for each vamp, but the death-stench that saturated every inch of the abandoned factory overloaded my senses. OK, scenting them was definitely out. Another mark in my favor since it reduced my worry that they might still track.

My worries that they'd find the kids by scent ratcheted down a couple of notches. I'd covered them in more clothes from the vamps that I had already killed, praying that that would be enough to throw the rest of them off until I took care of them. If my nose were any indication as to what the others could smell, the kids would be OK on that front.

I felt a slight change in the air to my right. Something was moving at a breakneck speed trying to take position behind me. Not happening, captain. I reached out just as fast, felt the vamp's aura in the darkness, and leapt.

I caught the Deadborn by the back of his head, twisted my body through the air, and used his momentum against him to slam his head through the concrete floor beneath us. Even with the force I had behind the move, I knew he wasn't dead. I crouched over his still form and reached inside myself to touch the feral part of my nature.

My features melted easily into a face that had seen the dark of night more in the past two days, than it had in the past five years. When I shifted, my night vision had returned to normal. I could finally see. With my head cocked to one side, I waited for signs of life from the still vamp. A deep rattle from his chest rewarded my short wait. I rolled him over so he could see the instrument of his death. Apparently Tristan had never shown his flunkies his feral nature, because I was sure the vamp would have peed himself if he could.

The look of terror on his face fueled my rage. I let go of what little control I was desperately holding onto and slammed my fist into his chest cavity. I twisted and turned until I could feel his spine with my fingertips. I pulled my hands free from the corpse and my ears picked up movement on the catwalk above me.

I squinted and looked up at a metal catwalk hanging overhead, and to my surprise, I could see the cool blue outline of three vamps all waiting for me to make the slightest move. My UV had kicked in also, seemed like what they used had no effect on my shifted eyes.

I slowly backed away from the lifeless shell of the vamp and lifted myself to my full height hissing as I straightened up. A direct challenge was the perfect bait to a newborn running mostly on instinct. One of the vamps couldn't resist and dove off the catwalk right into my waiting arms despite his comrade’s protest.

He came at me at a terrifying speed and got a good hit in causing my head to snap back and blood to pour from my nose. "You're gonna pay for that," I spat out along with a tooth. The baby Deadborn twisted my arm into a pretzel as he head-butted me onto my ass.

"Unlikely. My sire was right about you, Trumaine. You’re weak. You deny your true nature, and you will suffer for it.”

I flipped over backwards into a crouching position and eyed the vamp as he began circling me. He was unafraid of my feral appearance, unlike the other one. He was about five foot six and had blonde curly hair, not a bad body, but he looked all of fifteen or sixteen years old. Tristan was turning babies. "You look young. How old are you, boy?"

He sneered and took a swipe at one of my arms. “None of your business. The only thing you need to know about me is that I'm going to be the instrument of your destruction.”

Blah, blah, blah. "You watch too many horror movies. A bit overdramatic, aren't we?” I cast a quick look upward to his buddies. So far, they were staying in place, which was exactly what I didn't want. I needed the fight to come to the lower level. I didn't want to be that far away from the children.

The vamp continued to circle taking pot shots as he went. I ate his crow letting every single blow land and draw blood. The things I did for this job. "You don't have to live like this, cowering in the dark, living in squalor. Vampires are capable of living normal lives. You should know that. I don't know what Tristan told you, but he's only looking out for himself."

The vamp kicked me in the ribs hard enough to fling me ten feet across the filthy concrete floor. "My sire chose us out of all the people in the world. He chose us to be the future of our race.”

'Future of our race?!' He had these kids converted to apostles with his bullshit. I pulled myself to my knees and leaned forward onto my hands. "He chose you because you were convenient, kid, that's it. The only purpose Tristan has for you is in your becoming his late night snack. When a Pureblood really gives a damn about his turn, he takes the time and effort to make him a Lifeborn. Not a weak excuse for a Vampire like you."

That one earned me another trip across the floor. Pain exploded in my side from the force of the blow. I was going to be seriously hurt if those two didn't join in soon. The Deadborn closed the distance between us in one quick leap and hoisted me off the ground by my neck. "I'm the weak one, but you're the one with the busted ribs. I honestly don't see what he ever saw in you. Valeria this, Valeria that, I don't get it. When he finds everything he needs to bring the Founders back, I will sit on his right side, not a pathetic bitch like you."

The Founders, huh? Yeah, OK. I heard the soft thud of the other vamps landing. Looked as if they had decided I wasn't a threat.

I could end this now. "Tristan is insane, child. The only thing he's going to lead you to is your second death. This is your last chance. Come in with me, I can get the CMS to go easy on you. You're young. Your life could be so much more than the delusions he's filled your head with."

One of the new vamps clasped a hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled, "Good job, David! Don’t listen to her. Finish this, and claim your reward when the Founders rise again."

"I thought Tristan wanted me alive," I said, stalling.

He squeezed harder, but the look in his eyes wasn't the look of a killer. He was just a confused kid mixed up in the wrong crowd. His friends egged him on to finish me, but he didn't put any lethal strength behind his grip.

I reached up, gripped his arm with both of my hands, and looked into his eyes slipping inside his conscious, "This isn't you, David, you're not like them. Let me show you another way.” I offered him redemption instead of the death I was duty bound to deliver.

The kid flinched, and his grip faltered. Bingo, I'd cracked his tough guy armor and made him think about what he was doing. This didn't make the other two happy at all. Someone threw David across the room, and another Deadborn quickly tried to take his place. I dropped the pretense of weakness and flashed out of his grip. Before either could turn, I was behind them. Grabbing both their heads, I smashed them together, and, for the time being at least, they were out cold.

The scent of fresh blood assaulted my nose and caused my stomach to roll in hunger. I shook off the feeling and willed my features to melt back into my normal form then wheeled around to check David. My UV sight blinked off again, just as I knelt by his side. Damn it to hell and back again! It looked like I could only use it while I was feral. I blinked my eyes and tried the night vision, but it blinked in and out like a TV on the fritz. I tried dropping my films, so I could at least see normally but had no luck. Hampered by the dark again, I hadn't gotten to see where the bleeding was coming from. I ran my hands across his stomach and felt something poking through the skin, something that was wide enough and had caused enough damage to prove lethal for a Deadborn.

The ‘something’ that was wrapped in David's hands proved to be a jagged, rusted pipe. "I don't wanna die, please help me.” Damn me, and my sense of moral obligation. This boy just tried to kill me, but I saw something that was worth saving.

I gripped the pipe and slipped into his mind again. "I can help you, David, but this is going to hurt. Blood can heal you, but I'm going to have to remove the pipe. You can't heal around it.” David nodded and ground his teeth together in anticipation of the pain. Reaching around the boy to make sure the pipe wasn't attached to anything, I pulled it through his body in one quick tug.

I'll give it to the kid, he didn't scream as loudly as I thought he would. Pipe out, now for the blood. I helped David to his feet and walked him back over to where his two buddies were just beginning to gain consciousness again. Another knock on the head took care of that. "There's your blood.” He looked at me in horror, but dropped to his knees and began feeding from his former friends.

While he fed, I looked around in the darkness and tried willing my UV eyesight to work. No such luck. I sighed and reached out with my mind trying to feel the auras the remaining vamps. The only thing I got were the worried minds of the children I'd left in hiding. I reached out farther but got no feel for the other vamps. What I did get was the taste of blackest aura I had every felt in my life.

A knot of dread settled into the pit of my stomach and a feeling of familiarity wrapped around my brain. I snatched David away from the second body and flashed back to the kids before he could utter a word. I had to get them out of here before whatever was heading our way made its appearance.

I forewent any subtly and uncovered the children in one quick movement. My eyes blinked back on as the air around us took a nosedive into colder climates and the knot in my stomach got even bigger. It was closer and strong as hell. At this rate we weren't all getting out of here alive, and losing any of the children wasn't an outcome I could accept. Giving David a hard look, I reassured, "Alright kids, this is my new friend, David. He's going to get you to the nearest police station, so your mommies and daddies can come and take you home. OK?"

David looked at me with a puzzled look on his face, and I cut him off mentally before he could express his concern out loud. "There's a big nasty heading this way, and I'm gonna stay here to give you guys a chance to make it to safety. I'm trusting you to control yourself, David. One scratch on any of these kids and I'll forget that I'm starting to like you, are we clear?” David nodded, and I turned my attention back to the children.

"David is special just like me. He’s not like the bad men that took you from your homes," I looked around for the nearest exit and got zilch. Luckily, for me, I was a one woman wrecking crew when I needed to be. I took a few steps back and ran forwards as fast and as hard as I could. The old wall didn't stand a chance.

When I looked back, David and the children looked at me with mixed looks of awe and terror. "Alright guys, up and outta here, no time to waste.” I took the unconscious child still huddled in her protector's arms and passed her to David. "Run hard, run fast, and no matter what, don't look back. The first people you find, you bug the fuck outta them until they take you to a Human police station. You got it?”

David signaled 'OK', and rushed the kids out into the night and away from the building as fast as he could. As they ran, I prayed that I was strong enough to hold whatever was heading in my direction off long enough for Irulan and Priest to arrive with backup.

As the icy chill around me settled into my lungs, I seriously doubted it. Whatever was here packed some serious power, and I'll be damned if it didn't know my name.

"Valeria, Valeria, Valeria, you've been a very busy girl. And a very naughty girl. I felt the light of my turns go dark. I'm assuming they were extinguished by you as you're the only one present.” The voice wrapped itself around me like silken butter and turned the knots to butterflies.

Without even the effort of reaching out, I felt an immense aura looming in the darkness, a very familiar aura. Trying to get a feel for what I was up against, I squinted and turned my head in the direction of the voice. I got nothing - no scent, no sounds of a heartbeat, no breathing. I tentatively reached out with my mind and ran right into a solid wall. Whoever this was, he was shielding like a big dog. I couldn't find any cracks whatsoever.

The voice wrapped itself around me again, "Not nice to try and get by my shields, Donnie. You might hurt yourself.” Before my mind could accept the truth of who was out there in the dark, it was plunged into a world of pain.

I screamed, but the only thing I heard was the pounding of blood in my ears as my knees buckled under the onslaught that was attacking me. I writhed in agony for what seemed like hours, but in actuality, was only a few seconds. The voice became louder and clearer, forcing its way through the haze of pain that clouded my mind as its owner made its way to my side and kneeled down, leaning forward till it was inches from my sight, finally allowing me to see its face.

My eyes couldn't let the doubt my mind was trying to grasp hold purchase any longer. I felt this thing was definitely Tristan, but that didn't make any sense to my frazzled brain at all. I had felt Tristan's aura coming from the rooftop, not fifteen minutes ago. I saw his face when he dropped the first child through the skylight. Hell, I heard his voice when he ordered his fledglings to drop the others.

Those two auras were miles apart strength-wise. I don't know how he did it before, but the man in front of me was Tristan, this time there was no doubt in my mind.

The look of understanding on his face spoke volumes, "I understand this is all a bit confusing for you, love. It's nice to know my decoy did his job as well as I'd hoped. I go through great pains spelling my blood for the decoy to consume in order to keep that charade stable. In my line of business, it pays off in the end. Tristan ran his hand down the side of my face to push a stray hair back out of the way. "I'm sorry I had to hurt you, love. Hopefully, you won’t provoke me like that again." I tried to pull away from his touch, but my body wasn't ready to cooperate just yet.

Tristan tsked me and sucked on his teeth before settling back onto his haunches, "Careful there, Donnie. You're going to hurt my feelings, make me think you don't enjoy my company anymore. Oh, incidentally, I've forgiven you for the little misunderstanding that caused our breakup. At first, I was understandably furious, but, over time, I realized that your father drove us apart. He never thought that I was good enough for you, not strong enough."

Tristan ran a cold hand up and down the side of my leg, "But no worries about that now, love. I've got all the strength I need and then some. Both of our fathers will have no choice but to smile upon our union and admit they were wrong about me."

I couldn't believe it, all the deaths, all the forced turns, just to prove to our fathers that he was big enough for his breeches now. I'd hate to see what he was capable of if he had a legitimate cause to advocate.

My body finally decided to come back to the land of the living. I pulled myself up into a sitting position, and a wave of nausea rolled over me. It took a concentrated effort not to hurl as I struggled to talk. "Our breakup was never about either of our fathers, Tristan. It was about you and your lack of a conscience. I didn't need my father to tell me I didn't belong with a monster like you. I came to that realization all on my own."

I know, not a bright move, but it'd been a long time since I bit my tongue for anyone, and I was all about moving forward, not backward.

Apparently, he didn't like what I said. Tristan halted his stroking and gripped my calf like a vice. "I told you, baby, if you're not careful you're going to hurt my feelings.” With that, he flexed his hand barely an inch and crushed the bone in my leg. "You really should be careful with my feelings, Valeria.” Tristan poked at my leg with a finger, moving the broken pieces of bone around under the surface of my leg. "Since you and your friends are so fond of breaking the bones of my associates, let's see how you like the same treatment.”

Everything in me wanted to scream out as the pain shot through me, but I refused to give him the satisfaction. "You're not getting any brownie points breaking bones, Tris," I said through clenched teeth, "and you can't blame everything on our fathers. In fact, my father was the reason our relationship lasted as long as it did. At some point, you’re going to have to admit to yourself that you're nothing more than a demented, spoiled, little brat who never learned how to play with the big boys. "

Tristan flinched and ran his hand down the other leg before he leaned forward and promptly broke the bone in it too. The fragmented bone pierced through the surface of my skin and this time, I couldn't stop the low moan of pain that escaped my lips. If Irulan and Priest didn't get here soon, I wouldn’t have any bones left intact.

Tristan leaned close enough to drop a quick kiss on my lips, "I never had to learn to play with the boys, love. I simply became the biggest boy on the block. Now everyone has to play by my rules.”

Tristan hauled me up by my arms promptly breaking them both and bent his head to nuzzle my neck. "I so had much higher hope for our reunion, Donnie. With things the way they are between us, I'm sure you'll understand that I can't have you down here decimating my plans."

Even though I felt the brush of his fangs, I never thought that he would blood rape me until I felt the skin of my neck give way underneath them.

My features melted into my feral form, and huge leathery wings ripped themselves from my back. He had tapped into my feral side and drew it out of me in a way I never had before.

My mind raced a mile a minute as I tried to find a way out of the situation alive. In the end, the only thing I could do was beg. When my voice came out I could hardly believe my own ears, the low-throaty hiss sounded nothing like me at all. "Please, Tris, don't do this, we've know each other since we were fourteen years old. Damn it! Purebloods don't do this to each other."

Tristan laughed and pulled back a bit, "Haven't you noticed, love? I do whatever the hell I want now. I don't let the gargantuan pile of rules our race lives by govern my actions any longer, and I do believe I'm a better man for it. Don’t you think?”

He tore back into my neck with renewed gusto wrenching a scream from the depths of my core.

I tried to struggle against him, but his grip was unforgiving, "Please, Tris, for God's sake, don't do this.” Nothing I said made any difference to Tristan. He ripped my blood from me, savagely gnawing at my neck as if he were trying to chew it off.

Looks as if I had been mistaken, I was about to lose a lot more than intact bones. Tristan devoured my lifeblood at an insane rate. One of these days, I’ll start listening to Irulan. I should have told Marcus and my father both where they could shove this case, but no, I needed fuckin' closure.

It seemed funny that my thoughts would drift to Irulan at this moment. She's always been there for me even when I tried my damnedest to push her away. Three days ago, she all but admitted she was in love with me, but my silly hang-ups wouldn't allow me to consider a relationship with her as a possibility.

Shit, I love her more than I realized, and I trust her with my life. Isn’t that the basis for a strong relationship? By my reckoning, we might as well be an old, married couple. We certainly behaved like one.

Now, because I was stubborn and hardheaded, we'd never get that chance. I reached out with what little power I had left and tried to find Irulan. If I were to die, I needed her to know how I felt. I couldn't go to my grave without her knowing that I loved her just as much as she loved me. Surprisingly enough I didn't have to reach that far.

Seconds later, the world around me exploded. Flames turned the building's discarded rubble into a sea of fire, and Tristan's hold on me eased up. The cavalry was finally here.

My eyes rolled to the top of my head in time to see a twenty feet long red dragon drop down from the destroyed ceiling and wrap a humongous paw around Tristan's waist effectively pulling him away from me and hurling him into the inferno surrounding us.

The dragon morphed into Irulan sans the glamour she used daily. Flames engulfed her hair and her skin radiated with an otherworldly light from within, adding to the light show that the flames created. If I hadn’t seen it with my own two aching eyes, I would have never believed it.

Irulan spared me a quick glance before turning her attention to Tristan, who didn't have so much as a single burn on him, and with a slight wave of her hand, he was pinned spread eagle to the floor.

Jesus, if I'd known it would be that easy to catch him I would have kept her with me and let Priest run the chase alone. Tristan laughed at Irulan even as he struggled against her hold. "You, you're Tuatha De Danann. Imagine my luck at finding one of you on this plane."

Irulan made a fist and the metal scraps that covered the floor became a red-hot bed of spikes that drove itself through Tristan's body. "I'm afraid the only thing you've found is the means to your end. I warned you, didn't I? Told you to stay away from Valeria, told you your life was forfeit if you hurt her again. Did you think I was talking because I liked the sound of my own voice?"

Tristan's face went blank for a moment, and then the dawn of recognition graced his features, "Is that you, Irulan? I had no idea that you were of royal blood. Maybe I should have set my sights on you instead of Donnie."

Irulan balled her fist even tighter, and the spikes slid further into his body. Considering the shape that he was in, Tristan looked amazingly unconcerned. I don't think I could stare death in the face with a smile on my lips.

Irulan looked back at me, and a pained expression passed through her eyes as she took in my broken condition. Her other hand tightened into a fist, and blood began to pour faster from the wounds on Tristan’s body. She cut her eyes to Tristan and began chanting in her native tongue.

While I didn't know the language, it didn't take a genius to figure out her goal was his destruction. She was out for blood, but this wasn't my Irulan. If I had been able to move, I would have tried to stop her. Even in her fiery Sidhe form, the look of hatred on her glowing face cast it in shadows that had no business being there.

This wasn't right. I didn't want her to make this sacrifice for me. I was the one that should be responsible for his death. It was my job, and I had come to terms long ago with the fact I was a killer. My eyes darted to Tristan and found him perfectly at ease with what was going on. He seemed even more content than before, if that were possible. He looked up, caught Irulan’s gaze and spoke something in Elvish. Irulan's flames flickered, and a pained moan leapt from her throat. I'll be damned if Irulan didn't release Tristan from his bonds.

The intense light around me faded to nothing as Irulan's glamour covered her. As Tristan pulled himself up off the floor, she turned her attention to me, but she directed him with a few parting words, "Get the hell out of here before I change my mind, my family be damned.”

The last thing I remember was seeing Irulan's wet face covered in black streaks leaning over my own, feeling her arms pull me into them while she urged me to hang on just a little longer. Then everything became blessedly silent.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Disinfectant. I tasted disinfectant and the smell of bleach overwhelmed me. That meant hospital. I was in a hospital, and that meant that I was certainly alive! Props for that coup, although how I accomplished it, I couldn't remember. Everything was still a little fuzzy around the edges. I burrowed into the warm covers and reached out with my senses, just a touch.

Five people were in the room with me, but I was still too weak to tell who and what they were. I stretched just a little further to the only mind I could communicate with almost effortlessly, Valerian. "Hey, Vedo, are you here?"

The mental yell from Valerian slammed into me with the force of a small tank. I drew back into myself, reeling from the shock as Valerian inched into my conscious. "I'm sorry, sis, I didn't mean to hit you that hard. I'm so glad to hear your voice. I've been by your side this entire time trying to get a feel for you and got nothing."

If I could see myself I'm sure I would be smiling, "I'm sorry, Vedo, I didn't mean to scare you, I don't know..."

Valerian cut me off, "You don't have shit to apologize for, Valeria. None of this is your fault, if anything it's those damn Seers that Daniels employs. I don't know where they got their intel from, but after I'm done with him he'll make sure he's not sending another Sentinel into a situation unprepared."

I scoffed at his choice of words, "Funny you should phrase it that way, Vedo, I thought that Descantes' Sentinels were unprepared too, but nothing could prepare us for what Tristan has become. If I hadn't felt it myself, I wouldn't have believed it." I shuddered at the thought of his cold, black power running over me. "He's an Abomination that must be destroyed, but I don't think any CMS is equipped to do it."

Valerian's mental shrug rolled through my mind, but it didn't hurt as bad as the yell. "Then what the hell are they gonna do?"

"Not they, Vedo, me - I've got to be the one to do it.” I formed the mental picture in my mind of the plan I would need my father’s permission to set in motion.

My brother’s gasp was audible this time, I felt everyone’s attention turn towards the two of us. My mother Anya’s voice had panic in it as she questioned Valerian about me. "She's fine, Mother, almost ready to come around I believe, give or take a few minutes, but she's fine," he soothed as he tried to mask the quiver in his voice, but Constantine caught it.

"If she's fine little brother, then why the nervousness I hear in your voice? What aren't you telling us?” I felt my oldest brother move to take a position near the foot of my bed.

"It's not my place to tell, Constantine," said Valerian. "Val will tell you if she wants to, when she wakes up."

I felt a flare of anger and knew I was the only one who was going to diffuse the situation. I reached out for Valerian again, "Can you send for a nurse? I'm going to try and sit up now."

I inched my eyes open slowly, expecting the room to be lit up like Times Square, but was surprised to find it dark. I opened them fully and Irulan's tear-stained, smiling face greeted me. "Funny, that's almost the same look you wore the last time I saw you," my voice sounded as if I'd been gargling broken glass.

The minute I spoke, my mother and Irulan burst into tears. “Oh, Jesus, if I knew I sounded that bad, I wouldn't have said anything, guys."

My mother flashed to the opposite side of my bed, and both of them grabbed me in a huge bear hug that threatened to crush me again. Lucky for me, a nurse came into the room and shooed them back from my bed. She looked around the dark room searching for the light switch on the wall behind my head, and flipping it on, flooded the room in brightness. I flinched, but rather than say anything, I just put a hand across my brow to shield my eyes. I didn't have the strength to try to lower my films yet.

"Everyone, I know you're glad to see her awake, but we need to give her a quick once over,” she said as she pulled a small penlight out of her pocket and leaned towards me. That light was an instant headache waiting to happen with all the other lights that were on.

I fumbled over my words, trying to ask her not to shine the light into my eyes, when Irulan snatched it from her hand and shoved the nurse away from me, "What are you trying to do? Kill her with a migraine or blind her?"

The nurse, who appeared to be some type of Elf, looked around the room eager for an explanation. My mother was the first one to speak up, "My daughter has a unique eye condition. In her present state, she can't lower and retract her films so any type of light in her eyes is going to cause her a lot of pain."

Mother pulled a chart from the wall pocket at the head of my bed and tossed it to her, "But if you'd bothered to read her chart first I'm sure you would have known that, wouldn't you?"

I flushed with embarrassment and tried to disappear into the sheets. No one would ever accuse my family of being subtle.

The nurse recognized a losing battle when she saw one. Without any argument, she threw her hands up in the air and, muttering about not making enough money to deal with Vampires, she walked out of the room.

Tino pulled my big toe with a wide grin on his face, "Glad you've decided to grace us with your presence, wooly-booger. I was actually starting to worry about you."

I felt the mental jab he directed at Valerian and kicked at him, "Damn it Tino, that hurt! You're forgetting, neither one of us is shielding too good at the moment. I felt that!"

Valerian looked sheepish and my mother reached over to smack him in the head. "Don't beat up on Vedo, Mama, it's not his fault. Constantine is hounding him for information that's not his to share."

Mama aimed her gaze at Constantine next, and I stuck my tongue out at him. Being the only girl has its advantages. "Neither one of you had better upset your sister in any way, shape, or form. Is that clear boys?" She barely raised her voice, but both of my brothers quickly nodded.

I yawned and pulled myself farther up into the bed, getting a shooting pain in both of my arms for my troubles. At once, everyone in the room moved to help me, but the face that surprised me the most was that of Marcus.

"Hey, Marcus, I didn't expect to see you here,” I said as Irulan and Valerian finally got me situated.

If I didn't know any better, I'd think Marcus looked hurt. I quickly tried to clear up what I meant. "I'm not saying you don't care, Marcus, I just didn't expect you to drop everything and come to Charleston, that's all."

The easy smile faded from Tino's face and an all too serious frown replaced his smile. "You're home, Valeria."

Home? If I were home in North Carolina, I'd lost more time than I could afford. There was no telling what Tristan was up to now. I was just about to ask about the case when Constantine cut me off. "Exactly how long do you think you've been out?"

I shrugged my shoulders and gave my best guess, "I don't know, Tino, two maybe three days tops."

Blood red tears pooled in my mother’s eyes as she sat down on the end of my bed to rub my leg closest to her, "You've been unconscious for almost two weeks now, baby. They finally transferred you to Charlotte nine days ago today. We would have had you here sooner, but they had to get you stable for transport first."

I tried not to absorb the full weight of my mother's words, but they hit home like a Mac truck. I'd almost died. When it came down to the wire, my being a Pureblood hadn't meant shit. I've always looked at my longevity as a given. I mean, we can die, and plenty members of my family have, but most of them had been during times of war or during service to the V.C.

A shudder wracked my body and tears fought to find purchase in my eyes, but somehow I kept them at bay. My mother moved to hug me, but I held up a hand to stop her, "I'm OK, Mama."

My pain took a three sixty to anger at Mach speed. I thought I was done letting Tristan make me cry. I may have not been before, but I was now. I didn’t need a mirror to tell me that my eyes had blacked over.

I looked up to find Marcus and demand information. "Who's been on the hunt, Marcus? Do we have any new information on Tristan’s whereabouts? Before he could reply, my mother and both brothers hissed. My mother warned, "I told you, Daniels, not one word!"

Marcus looked at my family and dismissed them as easily as he would me. I loved my C.O. He had moxy. "Priest has been in charge since you've become incapacitated. He’s leading Waters and a team of Weres and Shifters. We outfitted them with every type of protection amulet the Center’s arcane division could come up with, and they have instructions to follow every lead no matter how crazy it may seem. So far, they've got nothing..."

He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence because my mother caught him by the scruff of his neck and promptly tossed him out of the room onto his ass. If it had been one of my brothers, they would probably have leveled this floor of the hospital with fighting, but his Alpha hardwiring didn't allow Marcus to see a female as a serious threat, even if she were his equal. Women were to be protected and revered. They were the source of pack life.

Instead of the snarling and growling that I expected to hear, I heard a deep chuckle coming from the hallway. "I can tell Anya's your mother, Trumaine. No female outside of my family would have the guts to do that to me, except for maybe you."

Marcus was wrong about that. I might enjoy aggravating him and pushing his buttons, but I wasn't crazy enough to lay an Alpha on his ass without fear of the repercussions.

No, my mother is a class all by herself. I looked around the room finally noticing all the hardware connected to me. There had to be at least four half-empty blood bags hanging from the IV post near my head. I knew I had broken bones, but that shouldn't account for that much blood. I broke my leg twice when I was a kid, two days in bed with an Extra feeding thrown in and my leg was healed, no problem.

"What did Tristan do to me?” The words were out before I could stop them even though I was scared to hear the answer.

Valerian grimaced and started rattling of the list of injuries I'd sustained. "All four of your limbs were shattered, sis, not just broken but ground to dust. There was nothing to knit together, nothing to heal. Your body had to re-grow the sections of bone that he destroyed."

I dropped my head to my hands not wanting to hear the rest, but Valerian continued in spite of Constantine's objections. "He almost drained you to the point of death, Val. There was less than a pint left in your body."

He looked to my mother and brother, "They couldn't transfuse you with Human blood because you were too low to convert it on your own. To guarantee you’d have enough blood, they tapped all of us, and we’ve all been here around the clock. Tam and father were here about two hours ago but their shift ended.

I paled with the weight of his words but he kept on going. He knew I needed to hear it all. “They’ve even been able to tap Irulan. The doctors weren't sure at first that her blood would be able to sustain you, but she raised so much hell, they tried anyway, and it worked! Val, if Irulan hadn't shown up when she did..."

Anything else my brother said fell on deaf ears. My mind raced back to what fuzzy memories I could recall from that night. Irulan coming though the skylight, the fire, she almost had him, but she let him go. She let him go, and I couldn't remember why. Jesus! Why couldn't I remember?

I wanted to, but the 'whys' just didn't seem that important. I'd almost died. I knew I was dying lying there on that decrepit floor, and the only thing I could think of was Irulan, and how much I wanted her to know how I felt. It took me almost losing my life to realize I already had everything I wanted. I was in love with her, and it scared the shit out of me.

"I need to talk with Irulan, everyone,” I said in a small voice. No one made any motion to leave the room assuming that whatever I had to say I could say in front of them. I pleaded to Valerian. "Please Vedo," I called out so only he could hear, "I need to talk to Irulan in private, there're some things...I mean I need...”.”

Even in my thoughts, I was nervous as hell and stuttering like a love-struck teenager. Valerian spared me any more embarrassment and herded my mother and Constantine out of the room.

"It's about time," he called out before he shut the soundproof door to give us some privacy.

I felt apprehension rolling off her in waves. She was just as nervous as I was, but for all the wrong reasons, "I'm sorry, Val, I know what you said about forcing my blood on you, but I didn't have a choice."

She thought I wanted to talk about the blood tap. I couldn't help it I laughed out loud.

"You think after saving my life and then becoming my living Pez dispenser, I want to rag on you about it?" I laughed again, "Now who's dense?"

Irulan got quiet, unsure of where I was going with the conversation. I looked everywhere in the room but at her and tried to find the courage to finish what I'd started.

"I almost died, Ire," I began with a voice that threatened to crack at any minute. I was so nervous that I could taste the bile traveling up the back of my throat.

"I almost died," I started again, "And the only thing, the only person that I could think about while I was lying on that floor was you."

I finally looked into her eyes and saw a glimmer of hope where there had been fear. "You've been a constant my entire life, and the only person besides Valerian that knows me inside and out." I swallowed hard and pressed on, "I know you've always loved me, Irulan. You've told me enough times, but until a few weeks ago, even though I tried to deny it, I didn't realize just how much I meant to you."

Irulan closed the short distance between her and my bed, but she looked afraid to touch me. "I didn't realize until I almost died how much you mean to me, how much I love you,” I reached out and pulled her down to sit beside me.

"How much I'm in love with you," I said and waited for a response. Irulan didn't say a word. She just sat there looking at the tiles on the floor. I had to reach out and pull her long red hair out of her face to see that she was crying.

I pulled myself up a little farther in the bed, and reached over to turn her face towards my own. "Please don't cry, Irulan.” I brushed the tears from her face with the back of my hand, fascinated by the softness of her skin. I don't know why I never noticed that before.

"Please don't cry, baby,” I whispered and pulled her forehead down to rest against my own.

Irulan whispered back even softer, "I never thought I'd hear those words coming from your mouth." I'd caused her this pain, and for God knows how long. Whether I was right or wrong, no matter how big or small the problem had been, she had always been here, and I'd caused her this hurt.

She choked on a sob and my heart clenched with shame and pain. I couldn't hold back my own tears any longer, but I was going to do my damnedest to try to ease hers. "I love you, Irulan, and I'll say it as often as you need me to,” came softly from my mouth before it sought hers out.

The kiss started out gentle and exploring. Her lips grazed my own, softly giving me time to change my mind if I chose to. When I didn't back away, Irulan lips became firmer, and the tip of her tongue lazily drew itself across my bottom lip as if we had all the time in the world.

My head swam with emotions as I dug my hands into her hair to bring her closer. What started out soft and slow escalated with that action. I moaned, but the sound burned away inside the fire given life by Irulan’s lips. I arched up into her trying to get closer, and my tongue sought entrance to her mouth for a taste of my own.

When I got it, I wasn't disappointed. She tasted like strawberries, cream, and so many other sweet flavors all at once. So many that my mind couldn't find the exact words to explain what they were.

So many that, in that moment, I knew I would gladly spend hours kissing her just to try to name them all. I was so lost in the dance that our tongues were doing that I didn't even notice that she had laid me back on the bed and was straddling me supporting herself on one arm.

She broke the kiss to look down into my eyes. When she was obviously satisfied with what she saw in them, her lips came barreling down to crush mine. The emotions behind that kiss traveled down my body and struck the center of my own heat like lightning. I pulled her down trying to get her closer, but nothing seemed close enough to satisfy the ache that was pounding inside of me.

Her lips trailed along my neck, her teeth nipping me here and there leaving small infernos in their wake until they found my lips again. The growing storm that exploded inside of me when her teeth pulled my lips to her left me panting and breathless.

What I didn't know was that I had exploded in truth. When we heard the click of the door, Irulan barely had time to get off the bed and drop down into the chair next to me before Constantine limped into the room with a look of shock and confusion on his face. “What in the dog hell just happened in here?" He nearly shouted. “Valerian was knocked out cold by what came out of this room. Mother's still trying to bring him around.”

Irulan's rose-colored complexion faded to damn near white with embarrassment, and she dropped her head against mine. "Ooops,” she muttered before exploding into giggles.

"Ooops? Ooops is all you can say? You of all people should know better than to practice any magics in a hospital, hell you're older than I am,” Constantine gasped. "Every alarm on this floor is going off now. This room is warded. The security staff has called in Sentinels from the lower levels.” Constantine drew our attention to the flashing lights going off all around the room. "For Christ sake, Irulan, they think she's under attack from something."

I was under attack, just not the way he thought I was. Irulan's kiss assaulted my senses in a way no kiss ever had before. It made me eager to find out just what else her lips were capable of, and a surge of excitement coursed through me at the thought. As much as I wanted to take the situation seriously, the tingling butterflies coursing through my body make it impossible.

I covered my own mouth trying to keep from laughing. Constantine turned beet red, offended that I had the gall to laugh in his face. "I'm glad you find this shit funny, Val..." Constantine's words stumbled to a stop, and he looked at us with a funny expression on his face.

I could tell the moment two and two clicked in his mind because his finger darted between the two of us like a mad hummingbird. "Well I'll be damned,” he chuckled. Constantine pointed to the door and stuck his head out, "Everything's OK, Mother...yeah...no...Trust me. You don't want to know."

I could only imagine the look on my mother’s face right now. A twinge of guilt danced around the edge of my thoughts when I heard a soft moan come from Valerian drift through the cracked door.

Constantine closed the door behind him with the same look on his face he'd sport when I was a girl and he'd caught me in the dessert pantry, "Just promise me one thing, Val."

He waited for me to acknowledge the fact that he'd spoken, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction as long as he had that Cheshire cat grin on his face. I tried to show a good poker face, but a few giggles escaped. I loved all three of my brothers fiercely. One would think, considering the huge age difference between us (Constantine is two hundred and fifty one, and Tamerlane is one hundred and seventy six) that we wouldn't be as close as we are, but we are close, and I couldn't ask for better big brothers.

Constantine shrugged his shoulders, "Hell don't say anything just nod yes. Promise me I get to be there when the two of you tell mother and father.” I threw the closest thing I had at his head, a cup of ice water from a nearby table. He dodged it without even trying and left the room laughing at the top of his lungs.

Hells bells! Oh well.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I would have thought that after the fiasco in the hospital unit they would have been breaking their necks to get me out of their hair. Even my mother couldn't save me from Marcus' wrath when he found out that he'd dragged a battle-ready team of Sentinels tearing through the building for nothing.

Irulan and I spent three hours being interrogated by every Tom, Dick, and Harry, seer, empath, and tracer that Marcus could drag up from the lower levels. After those three hours, they subjected me to every medical test known to man, and then a few that weren't. Everyone wanted to know what happened to cause the power burst that fried every piece of medical equipment within two hundred feet. Irulan and I were just as confused as everyone was. We knew the why, just not the how, and through some small miracle, we were able to keep the 'why' to ourselves.

Three more days had passed before they deemed me recovered enough to go home. I think the doctors were secretly punishing me because they thought I was holding out on them about what happened. The nurses, on the other hand, were overjoyed to see me leave. (Rumor has it that they threw a party the day of my discharge.).

Once I was safe and sound behind my own two doors, it was four more days before Irulan and my mother would even so much as utter Marcus or Tristan's name. Finally, on the fifth day, they allowed Marcus to come for a visit. I was in the gym area sparing with Yosh, one of my father’s Lifeborns and my sensei since childhood, when he arrived.

"Looking better, Valley Girl, definitely an improvement since the last time I was allowed to see you.” Marcus stood with his hands folded over his broad chest. The lines of his face were tense and rigid. He looked eager to talk, but he waited patiently until Yosh bowed to the both of us and left the room.

I mopped the sweat off my face and walked over to him. "Why so serious, Marcus? You look like someone just died or something.”

Marcus grunted and shoved his hands into his pocket. "That's the problem, Trumaine, you almost did! I've spent the last three weeks getting my ass chewed out in every possible way the higher-ups could think of.”

I shrugged my shoulders and twisted the top off a bottle of water. "And? Sentinels get hurt every day in the line of duty. What's the difference?"

Marcus dropped his head slightly, as if he didn't want to continue the conversation but didn't have much of a choice. "There's a difference, Valeria, and it's time we stopped pretending that there isn't.” He rolled his shoulders, the fabric of his jacket stretching over his frame as he steeled himself to continue.

"The media have been camped out all over the city since you were transported home. You're like royalty, a princess! You are a prominent member of both The Fourth and The Fifth. This has been a PR nightmare. You've made the front page of newspapers worldwide on a daily basis since the story first broke that you were in ICU back in Charleston. Hell, you've been the number one trending-topic for two weeks and Twitter crashed for three days after you were hurt. Thanks to all the fuss your mother and brothers have been making, the competency of the CMS has been called into question."

He stopped again and dropped his head down, unable to look me in the eyes. When he began again, his voice sounded hollow and automatic. "It is the Council's decision to remove you, not only from your present assignment, but to place you on inactive duty for an as yet undetermined length of time."

I felt as if he had knocked all of the air out of my chest. For a moment, I couldn't hear anything over the rush of blood in my ears as my pounding heart pushed the liquid through my body. I couldn't believe what I heard, but the only words I could get out were, “Has Priest made any progress?"

"There've been no new leads since you were hurt. It's as if he dropped off the face of the planet. Valeria, I tried to sway their judgment, but everything has gotten out of hand.” I had never seen Marcus look as bewildered as he did while he spoke. If I weren't so damn pissed, I might have tried to spare him some of the anger that rapidly pushed me to my breaking point.

I held my hand up in the air to cut him off and pointed an accusing finger in his direction. “Don't! Don't do that! Spare me both your apologies and the tales of how you fought for me! You, who won't have anyone dictating how you run your cases? I guess that went out the window, huh?!” My temper spiked and I completely shifted without even noticing.

Marcus let out a gasp as he took a few steps away from me. "Trumaine, you need to calm down and realize that the decision wasn‘t mine to make. It's out of my hands."

I hissed and slowly began circling him. "Bullshit, Marcus. You're no better than that bigot of a police chief if you're actually going to bench me."

I could see hurt and confusion dance across his face, then give way to shock as he began to realize exactly how dangerous a situation he was in. "I didn't have a choice," he said as he sent a surge of Alpha energy at me in an attempt to make me back down.

An Alpha has the ability to force shifts upon members of his pack. It comes in handy when training pups, and defusing volatile situations. I guess he was hoping his energy would have the same effect on me, but not so much. I felt the warm charge dance across my skin, but instead of it wrapping around me like an Alpha's energy should, I took it into myself and let the warmth settle deep inside me where my power was stored.

The warm heated my feral nature and pushed it further until I felt my wings spring out of my back. "There are always choices, Marcus, and you just made the wrong one. They can't get close to Tristan, and I can. Everyone you send after him will fail more miserably than I did."

Marcus held up both his hands in a show of submission. "Bringing you in was a mistake, point blank, and there's nothing you, or I can say to change the outcome. If you don't cooperate now, you'll be lucky if you can even keep your job."

My hands shifted into claws as I continued circling, herding Marcus towards a corner and trying to cut off any possible avenue of escape he may have been able to find. I knew in my mind that I was preparing to kill one of the few males that I truly respected, but I was helpless to my nature to stop it.

When Marcus spoke, all traces of the by-the-book C.O. that I knew were gone. The man in front of me was the Alpha of the Black Paw pack, and he was prepared to defend himself. "Stand down, Trumaine. Stand down now, before you push this too far.” The deep timbre of his voice resonated with power. Within his pack, it would have forced everyone to their knees in submission, but here, it did nothing.

I bared my fangs and settled into a crouch, preparing to spring at Marcus, when the sound of broken glass caught both our attention. We both jerked our heads towards the intrusion and found Irulan standing in the doorway, her packages from the store lay in ruins at her feet. "Marcus," she said slowly, "it's time for you to leave."

Marcus began to move slowly towards Irulan with a determined look on his face. "I’m not leaving you here alone with her while she's like this."

I scuttled forward on all fours and stretched my wings to their full ten-foot wingspan earning another gasp from Marcus and yet another burst of power. My knees finally buckled under his prowess, and I was forced, face down, onto the gym mats on my floor. Marcus pressed the advantage and hit me with wave after wave, knocking me down each time I tried to get up. He continued to hit me with the volleys, but their effectiveness was waning. Soon his power was flowing into me, and I was able to stand again.

Irulan rushed to stand in front of Marcus and ordered him again to leave. "Get out of here," she said. "Can't you see you're only making the situation worse?"

Marcus tried to push Irulan aside to take the front position, but she refused to move. "If I leave, you leave with me. I‘m not leaving you alone with her like this," replied Marcus. Irulan immediately went from concerned, to pissed. With a wave of her hand, she sent Marcus sailing through the open door and ran over to latch it behind him.

I watched Irulan through new eyes and was briefly amazed. Whatever was happening to me allowed me to see through her glamour. For the first time in my life, I was able to look upon her true form without pain. In my right mind, I would have found the sight extremely beautiful, but my feral mind saw the swirling fire of her hair and the powerful aura that surrounded her as danger.

With Marcus removed from the picture, I focused on Irulan and the threat I perceived her to be. "You shouldn't have come here," I groaned, trying to fight the urge to attack.

Irulan crouched down and settled on her haunches in an effort to look less threatening. "Valeria, your body's going through a lot of changes. I know that has to be unnerving, but I need you to focus. The only thing you need to concentrate on is me."

"You can count on it," I yelled, just before I launched myself in her direction with both claws poised to make contact with a spot right above her heart. Irulan yelped and dived sideways, moving out of my way at the last second. She'd been holding out on me. I was moving in a full flash, there was no way I should have missed. I hit the wall, knocked some plaster loose, and managed to get tangled in my wings. By the time I set myself right, she sat on a column of air, perched high in a corner, across the room.

She tried to reason with me, "Val, please, you've got to fight it. Focus on my voice, and come back to me.” I hissed and prepared for another attack. "You don't want to do that," she said. "I've got the tactical advantage. You’ll never get close enough to land a single blow. Please just try to...” She never got the chance to finish her sentence because I used my wings to propel myself forward. I didn't get halfway across the room before she hit me dead on with one of her energy bolts.

The blast sent me sailing backwards into the damaged wall, bringing more plaster and drywall down on my head. Irulan was on me before I had a chance to recover. She dropped to her knees and straddled my waist as she held out a palm in an effort to keep me stationary with one of her barriers. That warm place inside me latched onto her barrier and began to draw it into me. I could feel it as it melted away, starting at my head, and slowly working its way down my body. Once my head was free to move I jerked forward, snapping my fangs at any body part within reach of my mouth.

Irulan brought the other hand forward and threw more energy into the barrier. "Please, baby, try to fight the changes. Control them, don't let them control you.” I wasn't sure what changes she was talking about, but I understood what she wanted me to do. As much as I understood, the part of me that was reveling in the strength of my new nature refused to be caged again. I tried to stop myself, but my head once again flew forward seeking a target for my teeth to latch onto.

She pulled her head out of the way and sighed as she came to a decision. "You want me that bad, Valeria, take me," she pulled her hair out of the way and tilted her head giving me access to her neck. "Take all of me.” The image of her in my eyes faded slightly, then, seconds later, became strong and clear again. Focusing on the artery that lay right beneath the skin of her neck, I grabbed her around the waist and rolled, placing her under me. I fought against it, but in the end, lost. I did manage to utter 'Sorry', right before I sank my fangs into her neck.

The first spray of blood that hit my tongue tasted unlike any other. The rich flavor was familiar, bringing to mind the one sample that I had back in Charleston. Even though it came from the same source, it paled in comparison.

I drew in a deep breath, greedily pulling the elixir of Sidhe blood down my throat. The more I took, the more I felt like myself again, until finally my features began to return to normal. I pulled away from her neck, panting as I looked down at her. Blood ran down my face and fell in small puddles across her chin and lips. My eyes focused on the small trails they were making across her skin when I realized that I heard her, in my head.

“Take more Valeria,” she said. "I know you have the ability to drink emotions when you feed. Take more blood and feel what you do to me, what you've been doing to me for years now.” She reached up and guided me back to her neck. This time I was able to make the decision without a lack of control hampering me. When I bit into her neck, it was because we both wanted it, not because I had no other option.

As I took her into me, I saw how I looked through her eyes, and felt the wealth of emotions that she'd fought to ignore. I saw flashes of women that she'd bedded over the years, and felt her disappointment as she compared them to me and they all came up lacking.

I pulled my fangs out of her skin and tenderly pressed my lips to her neck in the gentlest of kisses. She tilted her head - further exposing the flesh of her neck, and I began running my tongue slowly across, lapping up the blood that was smeared there. Irulan's moan was barely audible, even to my ears, but the soft noise sent a rush of desire racing through me that was so strong, I knew that after sharing her emotions, there was no turning back for me.

I backed away from her neck and brought my lips to her chin to claim the blood that had fallen there. I carefully licked the thick crimson liquid from her soft skin until it was gone. A soft purr escaped her lips, and I pulled back to look into her eyes. The green pools danced and swirled beneath me, lit up with desire and happiness.

"I want this, Irulan. I want you…us, and everything that goes with ‘us’. But right now, I just want you.” My chest heaved in and out with the admission. Since we'd kissed that day in the hospital, Irulan had refused to bring it up. Anytime I tried to talk about it or us, she brushed me off and told me to worry about getting better. The only other reference she made to 'us' was that she didn't want the catalyst for our relationship to be what had happened in Charleston. She actually thought that I was ready to fall into her bed because she'd saved my life.

I looked down at the smile on her face and waited anxiously for her to say something but it never came. She just laid there with a goofy lopsided grin plastered to her face. Just as I was beginning to doubt whether we were on the same page or not, she huffed, stretched provocatively, and softly kissed me. "Alright," she said. "I can handle that. I think I've made you suffer enough."

Irulan pushed me backwards so fast I would have fallen if she hadn't reached out and grabbed me by the remains of my tattered tank top. I snapped forward into her waiting arms and settled into the dip her crossed legs created. As she circled her arms around my waist, I wrapped my own around her neck and smiled. "You are just as impossible as I am, so don't put all this on me. You could have told me years ago how you felt."

Irulan's hands trailed down my back until she reached the soft globes of my ass. Her soft fingers were surprisingly firm as they spread out, dug into my hips, and pulled me closer. "I don't think you would have exactly been open to my doing this a year ago."

Before I could protest, Irulan leaned forward and claimed my lips. The kiss was soft and searching, her lips just grazed mine. She pressed them first to my top lip and then my bottom one before she backed just a fraction of an inch away. Her lips hovered there, so close but still too far away.

I whined and dug my hands into her hair trying to bring her back to me, but she refused to budge. I wiggled my behind and slid farther down her legs bringing me even closer. I tightened my grip and again tried to close the distance, but Irulan was still immovable. She was a stone entity that refused to give me any purchase.

I growled my frustrations and hissed when all I got for my troubles was Irulan’s throaty laugh. "I'm glad you're getting a laugh out of this. I thought you were through making me suffer."

"Believe me, baby, I am. That was just to drive home what I've been going through all these years.” She reached up and brushed a few awkward strands of hair from my face. "I want this as much, if not more than you do. But once I have you, I don't think I'll be able to let you go. Are you sure you can handle it?"

I had her up against the wall and pressed into my body before she knew what was happening. I snaked one of my arms around her back to hold her close to me, and the other against the wall to support us. "I can't change the past, but I can try to make up for my blind ignorance...starting right now."

I slammed my mouth into Irulan’s, swallowing her surprise and channeling my lust through the connection. This kiss was the polar opposite of the chaste kiss she laid on me minutes ago. It was hard and demanding where hers had been soft and questioning. Irulan's kiss was a slow rolling wave that drifted me away. Mine was an overwhelming maelstrom that crashed into her defenses and left them rubble.

I captured her lips with such gusto they were sure to be swollen when I pulled away, if I ever did. The kiss was everything I wanted and nothing that I had ever experienced in my life. I moaned into her mouth, deepened the kiss, leaning farther into her as my aura banished my every want and need, except for that of Irulan.

Breathing became a bothersome nuisance because taking a breath meant pulling away from her. I felt Irulan’s arms wrap around me as she abandoned her control and gave in to me. Her lips parted with a moan and her tongue slid past her lips and caressed mine. The intrusion was too tempting to resist. My fangs dropped into place, and I carefully pulled her tongue into my mouth and scored the surface with the tip of one. The small trace of blood was enough to catapult the already volatile kiss past the danger zone and into the stratosphere.

Irulan broke the kiss and pulled back panting. "Not here, Valeria. Our first time won't be in the garage."

I'd barely nodded my head before I was floating backward again. Irulan pushed me up the stairs and into the living area with no more than a thought. I fell back onto the couch and watched her climb the few stairs with rapt attention.

In all my years, I'd never seen anything so erotic as the sight of Irulan, her hips swaying with each deliberate step she took in my direction. The way her hair wrapped itself around her body with each footfall made me jealous of the silken strands. Irulan climbed the few stairs then stopped.

With her head tilted down, her eyes looked up at me blazing with arousal and her lips drew back into a mischievous smile. She ran her hands down the soft denim of her stonewashed hip huggers before reaching up and undoing the five buttons that secured them.

I didn't realize I wasn’t breathing until the jeans slid down her long legs and hit the ground with a soft whoosh. When they pooled around her feet, the breath I was holding exploded from my body. I pushed myself off the couch, intent on going to her, but she slowly shook her head no.

"Stay right where you are, Val. I want you to see what you've been missing out on all these years."

"Irulan, I've seen you naked more times than I can count," I protested as I took a small step towards her.

Irulan purred and threw out her hand. Her shield pushed me back onto the couch. "You've never seen me naked before, not when it counts."

She turned her back towards me and slowly raked her nails up the sides of her legs until she reached the top of her lacy peach tangas. I forgot how to breathe as she began sliding the delicate lace down her legs. She barely leaned over to reach down and take them off but the glimpse of her that I got was enough to set my body in motion. I tried, again, to get up, but I bounced against Irulan's wall.

"This isn't fair," I complained. "Let me up. I want to touch you."

Irulan slowly turned around and toyed with the edge of her tunic. The shirt was just long enough to cover her center, but as she pulled and twisted the delicate fabric, I caught flashes of the soft nest of deep auburn curls underneath.

"I never said this was going to be fair, Valeria. You want me. I'm going to let you have me, but we're going to do this my way.” She took slow, calculated steps in my direction, inching the silk shirt up her torso at an equally painfully rate. One inch and the defined lines of her abs began to peek out from under the shirt. Another inch, another ab, until the end of her shirt was at the bottom of her bra.

The lacy material was the same color as her underwear and clung to the bottom of her breast like a second skin. She pulled the shirt up farther, and the rounded curves of her breasts lay out, tantalizing my eyes. Her strip tease was just as much for her benefit as for mine. Her small grape sized nipples were both straining against the fabric that held them in place.

My breath hung in my chest when she finally dropped the shirt to the floor and stood there in front of me in nothing but the bra and a smile. "Irulan," I whispered. "You are so beautiful.... I never..."

My voice failed me when she reached back and undid the clasp that held the material together. From head to toe, her body was perfect in every way.

Her firm breasts weren't too big or too small. They were melon sized, just right. Her rose-colored skin glowed from within, making the dark aureoles around her nipples appear more maroon than the dark rose that they truly were.

My desire ran undiluted through me, eliminating every want in my body except for the desire to claim Irulan as my own. She took another step forward and stood there, just a few inches away from me. I growled and bucked against her wall, eager for her to close the distance. She looked down at me and smiled.

"I've dreamed about you looking at me the way that you are right now, but my dreams didn't even come close."

I felt it the second her barrier was gone. The faint shimmer of magic dissipated as she climbed into my lap. With both hands clutching the back of the couch, she straddled my legs and leaned forward to kiss me.

I didn't think it was possible for her kisses to get any sweeter. I groaned into her mouth and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer. Irulan arched into me and put more force into the kiss. My head swam with dizziness under the weight of our combined desire.

After weeks of teasing and frustration, I was finally going to have her. "Yes, you are," she breathed against my lips, pulling the thoughts out of my head.

I smiled and flipped her forward onto her back, putting me on top. Irulan gripped a ragged edge of my tattered shirt and began to pull. I grabbed her hand, smiling as I took her lips again. She moaned into my mouth as she tried to rip the fabric away that was between us.

"So you think you get to call the shots huh?" I thought, knowing she could hear me. "I'm not good at following orders. You of all people should know that."

I pulled away from her lips to move down her body and take one of her nipples in my mouth. Her gasp of surprise turned into a moan as her body arched into me, urging it deeper into my mouth. I bathed the tight bud, marveling at the way it rolled on my tongue. If I didn't feel it get harder, I wouldn't have though it was possible. With each stroke of my tongue and pull of my lips, Irulan’s already hard nipple turned to stone in my mouth.

Any apprehension I may have felt, given my inexperience, ripped away when I heard the moans that were coming from Irulan. I don't know how long I paid attention to that nipple, but by the time I moved on to the next one, Irulan’s nails dug firmly into my back.

Her teeth clenched together, and she threw her head back as she tried to contain the moans I was eliciting from her. "Don't," I said, pulling my head back. "I want to hear you. Don't try to hold it in."

Her nod turned into a hiss as I began kissing my way down her body. I pressed my lips to the soft skin of her stomach and smiled when her breath caught in her throat. I traveled farther down her body, tasting and touching my way to her navel. When I reached the dip in her stomach, I swirled my touch around the outer edge before dipping it inside.

She giggled and tried to scoot away from me, but I grabbed her by the thighs and held her tight. I kissed and licked until I was at the short, soft curls at the apex of her thighs. I smiled up at her and slid off the couch, pulling her by the hips until she hung off the edge of the seat at the angle I needed.

I gathered myself on my knees and looked down at her core as I pushed her knees apart. "So beautiful," I murmured as I ran my hands along the inside of her legs. I looked into Irulan’s eyes as my fingers found her for the first time. Her eyes widened and glazed over as I swiped my thumb across her clit.

Her breathing became fast and shallow as I manipulated the hard little ball of nerves between two fingers. She moaned aloud, and her body jerked against my hand as two of my fingers found their way inside of her. "Val," she moaned. "Oh, baby.” Her voice was no more than a whisper. "Please," she begged. It was my undoing. I thought I was going to teach her a lesson on giving me orders. I wanted the seduction to drive her out of her mind until she was screaming my name.

It took much less than a scream to make my plan backfire. Her soft pleas crashed into me and destroyed the sliver of control I was desperately holding. My mind was gone. I couldn't hold back anymore. I had to taste her.

I brought myself down to her legs and kissed the inside of her thigh. Her heart sped up into a fast staccato when my lips made contact. Her legs shook as I traced my way up one thigh, coming within inches of her center. Irulan became deathly silent waiting for my contact. She didn't have long to wait. I couldn't have held out any longer if I wanted to. My own body wouldn't have allowed it. It screamed for Irulan.

In one motion, I picked up Irulan’s legs, wrapped them around my neck, and ran my tongue across her wet folds. Her back arched off the couch pushing her center against my mouth. Her own mouth was locked open in a soundless moan. I ran my tongue up and down in slow strokes, trying to savor the taste of her for as long as I could before my already taxed control shattered.

Her moans were music to my ears. They fueled my own passion, pushing it past my limits into unchartered territory.

My slow caresses became quick swipes, up and down, back and forth across the hard little nub. Her entire body quivered as it raced towards the destination I chartered for it. I wrapped my lips around her clit and sucked it into my mouth. She screamed, and my world came apart. I couldn't think straight, didn't remember anything except the taste of her. My only function in the world was to make her happy and take her where she needed to go. Where we both needed to go.

I pulled away from her for the smallest of moments to make my tongue as rigid as possible and drive it up into her tight center. My reward was a steady flow of her wetness as she cried out my name. As she scraped and clawed at my shoulders, the dam released.

We came together. Irulan bucked and shook against my mouth, and I shook and fell into her. Through the trembling, I sucked at her clit. Each pull of my mouth coaxed another jerk from her body until she was trying to pull away from me.

"No," she moaned, completely out of breath. "I can't...please, baby.” Oh, but she could. I flicked my tongue against her in one long stroke. Everything exploded.

I don't know how long it was before I came to, but if I were woken up by Irulan’s tongue stroking me, every morning...well, never mind. I'd never get anything done.

I arched my back into her mouth unable to lock onto one coherent thought whatsoever. There was only the feel of Irulan’s tongue and the heights my body reached.

I twisted my head to one side and clenched my teeth. I was scared to let the scream building inside me free, but it was so powerful it ripped itself free of the confines of my mouth.

The last thing I remember seeing before giving in to the blessed oblivion of passing out, was our living room table lying in a broken, twisted mound of metal and glass.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

I could feel the sun begin to set, as I lay wrapped in Irulan’s arms. What had happened between us was so much more than I expected. I didn’t know I was capable of the reactions she coaxed from my body. And, despite the beginning hesitation due to my inexperience, her body's reaction to me was just as intense. I was on cloud nine for the first time in a long time, despite the fact that every piece of electronics in our house was fried. We were going to have to get to the bottom of my weird power bursts soon.

I turned and pulled myself up on my elbow, so I could look down at her. My mind raced, trying to process the wealth of emotions I felt. Love, contentment, awe...a touch of sadness. I'd wasted so much time that we could have been spending together, all because I was too blind to realize the depth of her feelings, and the truth of my own. I had been too blind and ignorant to admit there was something there. To top it off there was a deep-rooted fear that was running neck and neck with love for first place in my heart.

What the enormity of our actions truly meant scared the shit out of me. Even as I looked down on Irulan's sleeping form with the hugest smile on my face, I couldn't shake the fears. What would my parents think? How would my brothers react, my grandparents? Hell, how would Irulan's family react? As far as I knew, she and her mother were barely talking now. Her bringing home a Vampire girlfriend one Lammastide wouldn't help matters. As I watched her stir in her sleep, only two things were certain. One, now that I had her, I'd do my damnedest to keep her, no matter what - And two, my stomach hurt like hell.

A gut-wrenching pain exploded in my stomach and doubled me over, causing the bed to shake. Irulan woke with a start and sat straight up. "Baby, what's wrong?” She asked, but I was hurting too badly to form a coherent sentence. I groaned in pain and pointed towards my stomach. Irulan hastily pulled the covers back and pressed her hand into my stomach. The warmth of her power surged through me and intensified the pain.

I slapped her hand away from me and shook my head back and forth, as I barely managed to croak out the word no. Irulan nodded and slowly scooted across the bed. "Listen, baby, I know it hurts, but that's because you're fighting it. Your body...” Her hesitation was totally out of character, but she pushed through it and continued, "Your body is changing, and you're fighting it. Don’t fight. Let go and it won't hurt as much."

The pain eased a little, and I was finally able to talk. "What the hell are you talking about? Changes...how, why?” My mind raced to figure out what she was talking about and exactly how I was supposed to let go of it. It went over major details and settled onto Tristan. I gasped and drew myself into a tighter ball. "It's Tristan, and what he did to me, right? He’s so wrong, and that wrongness has affected me somehow."

Irulan grimaced and reached for me, but I shied away from her. "No, don't touch me it might rub off on you."

Irulan sadly laughed and reached forward again to run her palm down the side if my face. “It's not Tristan, baby. It’s you- who you were born to be. It's finally awakening, and your body's trying to hold it in. Just let go and I promise you, your body will adjust to the transformations.”

Irulan was talking in riddles, and when combined with the pain, it irked me in the worst way. "Quit beating around the bush and tell me what the hell is wrong with me!" I cried as I broke out into a sweat.

Irulan dropped her head and turned away from me. "I'm sorry, Val. I can’t tell you any more than I already have."

Can't tell me?! After everything we'd been through together? After all the things we did to each other last night! Now she wanted to get all shy and non-talkative. I'll be damned!

"Can't, Irulan, or won't. Because from where I'm standing it looks a hell of a lot like won't.” She reached for me, and I jerked away from her and slid off the bed. My body was in so much pain that it was damn near impossible to straighten up, so I had to stand hunched over. "No, don't touch me, not until you answer my questions and answer them truthfully. I swear to God, Irulan, as much as I love you and want this to work, I won’t have a relationship where we make it a habit of keeping secrets from each other."

I fought against the pain, and forced myself to stand upright. I remained silent long enough to see that she wasn't going to say anything. "Alright then, fine. If you won’t volunteer the information, then at least answer my questions. Where's Tristan? I know you have some idea."

She weakly nodded yes before she reluctantly began talking. "Yeah, I have a pretty good idea of where he is. I received word that Tristan is in Tir Na Nog. He's been there since I injured him while saving you."

I knew. Deep down, I knew that she was aware of his whereabouts, but I wanted to believe that she would have told me. Even if she were keeping quiet to keep me safe, she could have at least told Marcus, so he wouldn't have wasted the resources. "Why, why haven't you said anything and why would he go there, to your home of all places?"

Irulan's eyes filled with tears as she spoke. "I can't answer all that, believe me, baby, I want to, Goddess knows I do, but I can't. What I can tell you is that he's there searching for the last puzzle piece that he needs to become the Vessel of Power."

My voice caught in my throat and I choked on the fury that enveloped every corner of my body. Her silence had given him valuable time to accomplish the very thing we were trying to prevent. I turned and stalked out of the room with Irulan hot on my heels begging me to stop and talk. "Talk?" I said. "What's the use in talking if I'm only going to get half-assed answers?" I slipped into a flash and pulled ahead of her to make it into my bathroom and slam the door in her face.

I had every intention of sitting in the bathroom and stewing for a while, and give Irulan time to think about the ramifications of her holding out on me, but it didn't exactly go the way I planned.

Once I flipped the light on, I leaned forward onto the counter top and looked at my reflection in the mirror. The sight that met me was enough to take my breath away. The ice blue of my irises had bled out to the whites until both eyes were glowing. It was almost as if they were feral, but instead of the all-encompassing black they normally were, blue had taken its place. In addition to that, my skin was glowing. I looked like a fucking Christmas tree.

Another pain shot through me, and my knees threatened to buckle under the assault. Sheer determination was the only thing that kept me from falling flat on my ass. My breathing was heavy and labored, every breath resonating through me causing the pain to intensify.

I tried to relax and let go as Irulan had suggested, but let go of what? I had no idea what she meant. The muffled sounds of her voice demanding entrance and the loud banging on the door were enough to draw my attention away from the pain. As mad as I was, she seemed to know how to help me, and I needed her.

I tried to right myself enough to move the few feet between me and the doorknob, but my feet refused to cooperate with my will. The pain hammered my body in excruciating waves. One after another, they slammed into me until my knees refused to hold me any longer. My body pitched forward into the mirror. Broken glass rained down around me, and jagged little pieces embedded themselves in my skin as I slid off the counter and fell to the floor.

The pain was now constant and so intense that I felt as if it were tearing away at the very fabric of my being. I held up a shaking hand and unimaginable panic filled me when I saw that description of the pain wasn't far off base. Right in front of my eyes, my hand was flickering, losing its solidness, and becoming see-through.

I was so distracted with my new ghostly status that I didn't even hear the heavy iron door ripping right off the wall. I realized it was gone when Irulan dropped to her knees beside me gripping her head with blood pouring out of her nose.

The scent of the blood was what caught my attention and drew my focus onto something other than hurt. Irulan leaned forward and began picking the glass out of my skin. "It's OK, baby," she crooned. "I'm going to make this right.” I felt my center of gravity sway as she gingerly picked me up, cradled me in her arms and carried me back to the bed. She lay me down as softly as she could and pressed her wrist to my lips. "Here, baby, my blood will help, but I need to get you to Mag Mell soon."

I looked up into Irulan's eyes and the wealth of concern that I saw in them chased away any lingering anger that I felt. I took her wrist in my hands, but before I bit into the skin, I had to ask one more time. "Why, Ire, why is this happening to me? Please..."

She wiped away some of the blood on her face with a thumb and looked down at me with a defeated looking smile. "I'll tell you everything. I've been released from my vow.” She pressed her wrist back against my mouth and waited until I was feeding, to start talking again.

She talked as I fed, and continued talking even when I was done. She spoke of Faerie vows and illicit love affairs, Dark High Kings and the mixing of bloodlines that evidently allowed me to change by consuming her Sidhe blood. She told me about my great-grandfather Kemet. How, with his meticulous arranging of the marriages in my family, he had played us all for fools.

She talked and explained for over an hour, topping it off by showing me a family crest that came from my mother's grandfather. When she was done, I felt halfway normal again, but despite the physical improvement, I felt empty and hollow.

I tried to pull away from her, but she pulled me even tighter into her arms and unsurprisingly, was able to hold me there. "No, I won’t let you go, I can’t. Baby, you don't know how many times I've wanted to tell you, to tell Anya, but I couldn't. Mikilos, your other great-grandfather, made sure of that by making me vow."

I realized she had no choice, but I couldn't stop my feeling of betrayal. Everything I'd believed about myself was a lie…my mother…my brothers, all of us freaks. We were all part Sidhe, UnSeelie Fomorians. A Fomori Prince fathered my grandmother, which in turn made us part of the royal family. Moreover, as members of the royal family, targets for the Dark Court's enemies if they learned of our origins.

It was too much and too fast. First Tristan, and now this. I was knee deep in Faerie drama, and it was coming at me from all sides. "I need some space, Irulan, I'm not mad at you. I realize you didn't have a choice, but still...please...just a little space, please.” She reluctantly released me, and I snatched on some sweats and hurried out of the room.

I flashed out of the garage bay doors into the side alley and leapt up onto the rooftop. The rooftop was my sanctuary, my escape under the stars when my mind became too crowded to deal with. An awning covered a small section of the roof keeping my mini-fridge and recliner safe from the elements. I flopped down into the plush leather of my chair and pulled a blood bag and bottle of sangria from the mini. With one long swallow, I had a fourth of the bottle gone. Replacing the contents with the cold blood, a quick shake and I had the perfect cocktail for drowning my sorrows.

I looked up at the stars in all their glory. When my world was going so wrong, how could anything have the right to be so beautiful? Secrets, lies, and Faeries had made my life a nightmare when it should be so wonderful right now. I took a long draw from the bottle and dropped my head down into my hand. "So much is so right...how can everything be so wrong? Too much happening, too fast.” I mumbled to myself as I tried to make sense of everything that was happening. I looked towards the heavens again and flipped the stars off. Take that beauty!

I drained the bottle and settled back to wait for the deadening oblivion that a bottle of mixed sangria should bring, but it never came. Instead of an alcohol-induced haze, I got Irulan. "That's not going to work anymore, Val, I'm sorry. Sidhe don't feel the effects of the spirits of man."

"That's just peachy.” I hurled the empty bottle into a nearby wall and screamed at the top of my lungs. I screamed until pink tears were streaming down my face and. I didn't have the voice to scream anymore. Only then, did Irulan take me into her arms and pull me to her.

"Feel better, love?" She asked. I pulled away from her and walked over to lean on the ledge and look out at the darkness of the city as it came alive with Extras.

"No, not really. I mean, physically, I feel halfway normal, whatever constitutes normal. I can't explain it, but on the inside, I feel different. I do know this, everything. I've been going through is connected. Some of the pieces of the puzzle are still hidden from me, but I'm going to find them.” I turned back around, so I could look at Irulan as I talked.

"I'll go with you to Mag Mell if you believe it's necessary. But after we're done I’m going to Tir Na Nog to end this thing with Tristan once and for all.” Irulan closed the distance between us and grabbed me by the shoulders.

"Over my cold, dead body! Do you hear me?" She didn't yell, but power laced her voice and underneath that, fear. "I almost lost you once, and now my hands are tied. He has the sworn protection of my family. If I go against him, they'll ban me from the FaeLands. Do you understand what that means? It means I’ll die. I'll die without being able to go home to renew. There's no way I'm letting you near him."

I pushed her arms away from me and pulled her into my own. "Baby, I love the fact that you want to protect me, but you can't, not from this." Kissing the tears away that had formed in her eyes, I pulled her even tighter against me. "He's in the FaeLands closing in on the missing pieces he needs to become the Vessel. I can't allow that to happen. I'm changing now. According to you, I'm only going to get stronger when I reach the FaeLands."

Irulan tried to pull away, but I held firm. "No, running isn't an option. Not for me, and not for you. I'm going after Tristan, period. I'm not asking you to fight alongside me, just lead me to Tir Na Nog after we leave Mag Mell."

The impregnated silence that followed drowned out the familiar sounds of the city at night. I waited, expecting her to explode in anger and frustration, but it never came. Instead, she pulled me tighter. "I don't want you to do it, but if you're bound and determined, I'll take you to him."

I sighed and pulled her chin up. The sight of the tears running down her face was like daggers to my heart. I wished that I could ease her worries and assure her everything was going to be all right. But I couldn't.

I refused to lie to her and offer empty promises of a safe return, so in the end the only thing I could so was apologize. "I'm sorry for putting you in this position, Irulan, but this is something I have to do. I'm just grateful you agreed to be my guide. Can you imagine me bumbling my way through the FaeLands on my own?"

Irulan laughed and pulled away from me. "Honestly? No. You've got a terrible sense of direction, baby. If it weren't for Google Earth on your phone, you'd be lost, and there're definitely no 3G networks in the FaeLands."

She walked over to the mini-fridge and looked inside. "What's your poison sweetheart?"

She pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels, the half-empty blood bag and began mixing me a shot. "I thought you said alcohol wasn't going to work on me anymore." I said with a touch of confusion.

She shrugged her shoulders and held the shot glass out, "Doesn't mean you still can't enjoy the taste.” I took the shot and downed it in one quick swallow. The warmth was still there minus the buzz. I guess I could deal with my newfound imperviousness to alcohol. Maybe. Irulan laughed again and refilled my glass. "Don't worry, Valeria, we can pick up a few bottles of Fae spirits while we're there, OK?" Now she was talking.

I turned the glass up and let the alcohol-heated blood roll in my mouth. I flopped down in my recliner and held out my arms. Irulan wasted no time settling into my lap and making herself a home. "How can everything seem so right and be so screwed up at the same time?" I asked, not really wanting an answer.

Irulan pulled my head down to her level and captured my lips between her teeth. "Don't. Don't worry about anything else tonight. Today was so perfect, let's end our night that way.” She twisted her body to straddle my lap and claimed my lips.

There was no slow buildup, no stroking the embers to get the fire going, just instant conflagration. We made love under the stars for hours (there‘s something to be said for our Extras stamina). The only thing that put a damper on our night was the coming morning. The new day would pull us out of the safe little bubble of our new relationship and snap us back into harsh reality.

We were heading to the FaeLands to meet my long lost Fomori family, and I was going to kill Tristan. Before I did any of that, I'd have to tell my parents I was leaving for a while and why. Not only that, we were going to have to tell them the why and how behind my little trip. That part in itself wasn't going to bother me.

In a few hours, I was going to have to stand in front of my mother and tell her I was bopping one of her best friends. Lord help me. I felt as if I were going to hurl at the very thought. How in the world was I going to make it through the actual ordeal without throwing up on my father’s loafers?

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The ride to my parents’ estate felt more as if I were walking the green mile instead of going home. I leaned my head against the window, willing myself to relax and stared at the foliage as it flew by my window in a blur. I'd rather face an army of Extras, with one arm broken and body full of lead slugs than stand in front of my mother and father and tell them that I'm in a lesbian relationship with a woman my mother had known almost her entire life.. See, when I say it like that it sounds wrong on so many levels, but I've never felt more right in my life.

I reached across the armrest, took Irulan’s hand in my own, and pressed it to the center of my chest. "Feel that, my heart’s going to jump out of my chest if I don't get a grip, but the thought of them not..." I dropped my head as I searched for the words to convey what I was feeling. "I know my father and I have had our moments, but he's never let me down, Irulan. I don't know what I'll do if they don't approve of our relationship."

Irulan held my hand up and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "I'm not worried about them having problems with the relationship, your parents respect courage and honesty, and it's going to take both for you to get through this, if you’re still dead set on saying everything yourself."

She cut her eyes in my direction and waited for a response. I nodded my head yes, in reply. She sighed, "If that's what you want I'll respect your wishes, but telling Anya about Kemet’s manipulations is an entirely different ballgame."

My stomach took a turn for the worse at the thought of telling mother about her true birthright, and the danger I was now in because of it. Less than a month ago, I was an ordinary Vampire, well, with the exception of my eyes, but now I was changing into something new, something no one had ever seen before. Too much was happening too quick.

Irulan drove up the long driveway that lead to the main house and pulled around the back to park. We barely made it through the kitchen door when my mother flew down the back stairs, grabbed me in her arms, and began spinning me in a circle. "My baby, my precious girl, it's so good to see you out and about," she cried. She eased me to my feet, grabbed me by the hand, and pulled me through the house and into the family room where my father was sitting.

My father took one look at me and scowled, "Is this a social call, or business?” Damn that man, I could never get anything past him.

Mother reached over and slapped him across the shoulder. "What does it matter, Hadrian? Really, you need to take that stick out of your ass every once and awhile.” Irulan burst out laughing.

Me on the other hand, I dropped my gaze to the floor. "Actually, daddy, it's a bit of both.” My father looked at my mother with a 'told-you-so' look on his face, which earned him another slap, this time to the head.

"Anya love, would you refrain from hitting me in front of company, it doesn't go well with the image I strive to project," my father said with a slight smile on his lips. My mother was the only person that could break through my father’s tough guy persona and make him act Human every once in a while.

Mother laughed and motioned for us to take a seat as she sat down beside my father. "Tell us ladies, what does bring you here?"

I took a deep breath and started speaking, hoping I could get everything out at once. "Um, about that day in the hospital, when the power surge went through the building..." They both sat straight up in their seats while I pressed on.

"Well, Irulan and I know what caused it, we knew then, but were too embarrassed to tell anyone. You see it was us, or rather me. The blast happened while Irulan and I were...it happened because my emotions were out of control from making out with Irulan. We, I...Mama and Daddy, Irulan and I are together now.” I said the words in one big mash-up of syllables as fast as I could.

My mother fell back into the leather loveseat, her face clouded and unreadable. My father, on the other hand, his reaction was one for the record-books. The unflappable Hadrian Trumaine burst out laughing in a booming roar. My father was laughing so hard, he clutched his side and fell over into my mother’s lap. "Pay up, Anya," he said as he fought to catch his breath. "I told you there was no way in hell the two of them have shacked up for as long as they have and not getting it on!"

My jaw dropped open as I watched my mother reach into her pocket, draw out a fist full of bills, and slap in into my father's upturned palm. He sat up and popped a quick kiss on her nose. "Never bet against a sure winner, love. There isn't a woman alive that can resist a Fae, once they've got them in their sights.” My mother pushed my father away from her, thoroughly irked at having lost a bet to him.

“I know the two of you didn’t seriously bet money on whether or not we were sleeping together!”

My father just chuckled and shoved the wadded up bills into his pocket. My mother scowled at him and folded her arms across her chest. “It’s not about the money, darling, it’s about being right. I hate being wrong.”

I heard the shuffle of feet and turned to see a group of household staff, hurrying away from the door, some with broad smiles on their faces and fists full of money. I looked over to Irulan, who simply shrugged then leaned over to give me a reassuring kiss. "I told you, Val, you were worried for all the wrong reasons."

My father’s laughter faded and his demeanor became serious. "What should she have been worried about, Irulan?"

Irulan turned her attention to my father. "The reason behind the blast, or should I say, how she was able to accomplish it in the first place," she answered. My mother and father both looked at us with worried expressions.

I took Irulan's hand before I spoke up. "Something's happening to me, I'm changing, developing new powers, powers unnatural to a Vampire."

I looked directly into my father eyes as I spoke. "It seems the blood Irulan gave me while I was in the hospital gave me a power boost."

My father stood and walked over to a window, while my mother looked from Irulan to me, totally confused. "That's not possible unless you're blood kin, Vampires and Sidhe don't mix," she said.

Irulan squeezed my hand as she spoke, "No, Anya, Vampires and Sidhe don't mix, but Sidhe calls to Sidhe, and that's what my blood did when it was introduced to her body.” She turned to my father, "Isn't that right, Hadrian?"

My mother stood and looked between my father and Irulan with hurt in her every movement. "What's she talking about, Hadrian? And don't dare give me some bullshit answer to placate me. I want the truth."

My father turned and took both my mother’s hands. The wild look of fear in his eyes was so foreign to him, that for an instant I didn't recognize him. "You've got to believe me when I say, I had no idea until after Constantine was born and grandfather came to see him for the first time."

My mother jerked her hands away from him and slowly backed away. "Tell me what's wrong and stop procrastinating!" My mother's eyes went black, and her nails began to elongate and harden into a wicked set of claws. My mother has always been fiercely protective of us, but I never thought that I would see that day that she'd draw on my father.

My father took a step back and squared his shoulders. "Sweetheart, your mother's not a full Vampire. Kemet knew, and he and my father arranged our marriage when we were both still children. They hoped that our children would benefit from the combined bloodlines. My grandfather has been manipulating the entire family for hundreds of years. I'm just as much a victim as you are, that's why I severed all ties with that damn Djin years ago."

My mother's head cocked to one side as she flashed to my father, hoisted him up off the ground, and threw him into a nearby bookshelf sending an entire row of books careening to the floor. "The same Djin that almost got my daughter killed with the half-assed job that he did? I love you, Hadrian, but I love my children more. If something you..."

Irulan walked over to my mother and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Let him down, Anya. If you hurt him, you'll hate yourself for it later. Hadrian had no control over your grandmother. She made the decision to consort with a Sidhe prince long before Hadrian was ever born.”

My mother dropped my father, and then turned on Irulan, "What are you talking about?"

Irulan held her ground as she pulled the same crest from her pocket that she showed me yesterday. "Your mother is half Sidhe, the daughter of the Fomori prince, Mikilos, which in turn makes you and your children part Fomori. The Fomori blood within you is dormant for the most part, but my blood awakened it in Valeria."

Mother looked at the crest as if she were staring at a shrunken head, instead of an ornate piece of metal. She turned it over and over in her hands as she shook her head in disbelief. "Does my mother know this?"

"No, only Valeria, and now you, but she and the boys will need to be told along with your siblings. They need to know the potential danger this poses to them," said Irulan.

Mother’s nails shrunk and her eyes returned to normal. "What danger?"

Irulan cast a quick look back at me before she continued. "One of the things that's unique about all Extras is, when we reproduce with different races, none of the power of the parents is lost. The attributes combine and instead of diluting, they become stronger, like the strands of a rope. We may have to access the power differently, but it’s there. If the wrong person finds out about this, you, your children, your mother, any offspring connected to Mikilos, could be hunted for the potential power within your veins."

At that moment, a sharp pain cut through my body and I doubled over, crying out in pain. Mother gasped and flew to my side. Irulan knelt on one knee in front of me. "Is it the same feeling, baby?” she asked.

I nodded yes as best as I could, as another wave rocked me. I held my hand up in front of my face and saw that I could see right through it. It was even worse than last night. "What's happening to me, Irulan? This is different than last night." I hated feeling so weak and dependent someone else. I bit my lip trying to hold in the cries of pain that were desperate for release. If I could face it, that meant I was strong, right?

“I can’t let you feed from me so soon but this should help.” Irulan quickly grabbed my face and crushed my lips to hers, forcing her tongue into my mouth as she fed me her power. The charge spread through me, filling me completely until I thought I would burst. Once she was satisfied, Irulan pulled away, leaving me gasping for air but solid once again.

My father jerked Irulan up by the arm. "What the hell just happened to her and what did you do?"

Irulan pulled away from my father and pushed him back with a regal air about her. "I just saved her life, Hadrian. Don't you ever put your hands on me like that again. Familiarity has made you forget who I am."

Daddy huffed, "don't play that card with me," and prepared to step forward when mother stood, and pushed them both apart.

"Now is not the time!” She turned to Irulan and pointed at me. “ What's happening to her, Irulan?"

"The Fomori blood inside her is awake, but it's starving. Anya, you know I have to go home on a yearly basis or I'll fade. That's what's happening to Valeria. That, and the fact that her powers are developing all at once. She's gaining the powers of an adult Sidhe, but her body isn't adjusting."

Mama came, took my sweaty palm, and rubbed her hand across my forehead, "So what can we do to stop these changes?"

Irulan sat down, and dragged a hand through her hair, "Nothing can stop them, it's a part of who she is. I have to take her to the FaeLands to renew her powers. Once we're there, she'll stop fading, and her powers will grow to what they should be but it won’t be enough. A power transfer is a temporary patch. Because she’s a Vampire she needs an influx of blood to stabilize her. Strong Fomori blood. I'm taking her to the UnSeelie High King. Your great-grandfather, FaeVar."

My mother nodded, "Ok, so when do we leave?"

Irulan shook her head softly. "I'm sorry, Anya, you can't go.” Mother jumped up and began protesting.

"The hell I can't, that's my daughter! Just because you wormed your way into her pants doesn't mean you call the shots now."

Irulan sighed, "That's not fair, and you know it, Anya. I'm a Seelie Princess walking into the court of the High King of the UnSeelie with a Vampire. It's going to take every trick I learned at court to not to get us killed by the royal guards before we get to talk with FaeVar."

My father moved to lay his hands on Mother’s shoulders, but she slapped his hands away. "Keep your hands off me, Hadrian. You knew, you knew this entire time, and you never said a word. You need to leave...I can't be around you right now.” The look on my father’s face as he walked away caused my heart to clench in my chest.

After he was gone, mother focused her gaze on Irulan. "How long have you known?" She asked solemnly. Irulan ran her palms down the front of her face and cut her eyes towards me. Faeries are unable to lie without repercussions but she could skirt the truth with the best of them. We both knew that she wouldn’t though, even as she realized that her answer could be the end of a two hundred year friendship. She knew my mother deserved the truth.

"I knew before I ever came to Tire Nam Beo. Your grandfather came to me the day I was preparing to leave home and asked me to watch over his children here.” Irulan pointed to the crest that was still in my mother’s trembling hand. "Mikilos gave me that crest as proof of your family’s Sidhe heritage, should you ever have to look for help from the Dark Court.”

"If you've only been here for two hundred years, what about the memories I have of you from my childhood?" mother asked quietly.

"A spell." Irulan admitted. "One crafted by Mikilos so your family would accept my presence without question, but I swear the love I feel for the Gregorys is true."

My mother looked defeated as she handed the crest back to Irulan. "Then I guess you'll need this back if you're going to get anywhere with FaeVar."

Irulan accepted the crest and put in back into her pocket. My mother brushed by Irulan to take me into her arms. "Are you sure this is what you want? Irulan and all that comes with her?"

As I tried to fight the tears that were pooling in my eyes, I nodded yes. "I've never wanted anything more, mama."

My mother nodded and brushed the tears away from her eyes that were threatening to fall. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you, Irulan. You kept this from me all this time. You pretended to be my friend."

Irulan gently pulled my mother away from my arms, "Anya, I never once had to pretend to be your friend. I love you. Please believe I never had a choice. If I could have, I would have told you years ago. Mikilos made me give him my word that I wouldn't tell unless it was a life or death situation. You know a Faerie's word isn't just for show. Once I made the vow, it was iron clad. Every time I tried to find a way around it, I got headaches that lasted for days. Valeria's illness is what broke my vow."

I could see my mother fighting to hold onto her anger, and the slump that settled into her posture when she accepted Irulan’s explanation. "It's still going to take time for me to forgive you, no matter what the reason. I'm sorry.” The friendship was sound, shaken, but ok nonetheless. They had known each other for so long, I can't think of a pair of sisters that were closer.

My mother walked to a window and pressed her hand against the glass. "How soon will you leave?” She asked, too hurt to turn and face us.

Irulan closed her eyes and tilted her head upwards. I felt her aura wash over me for the tiniest of seconds, and then it was gone. "The doorways to the FaeLands change locations according to need. I feel the pull of one not far from here, a mile, if that. If it's alright with you, we'll leave the car here and walk."

Mama came to me and began straightening my clothes the way she used to when I was a child. "Come back to me, baby girl, OK?" I threw my arms around my mother and crushed her to me as if it were the last time I'd ever see her. Who knows, if the blood infusion didn't work, it very well may be. My mother kissed me on the forehead and turned to leave the room. "Take care of my daughter.”

Irulan and I made our way back through the house to the kitchen. When we got there, my father was waiting for us holding an ornately jeweled, Scottish claymore. "I see you don't have your usual set with you. I thought that maybe you could take this. It belonged to my father. He won it in a game of chance long before I was born."

As I took the long sword from my father’s hand, he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "The sword’s name is Bas, it means death in Gaelic. You're a Trumaine first. Remember that. Use any weapon you have to your advantage if you need to.” He pressed his hand over my heart as he spoke. "Even if it scares you, use it anyway. It doesn't change who you are right here."

I threw my arms around my father and for the first time, I didn't complain when he used his aura to pull me into a partial shift. We looked at each through darkened eyes and he smiled at me. "See. Still my Valeria, no matter what.” My father released me and waved goodbye as he walked away from us. Stunned by his unusual show of emotion, I was at a loss for words.

"I guess it's time," I said as I strapped the heavy sword to my waist. We crossed the driveway and entered the woods to the side of the house. Irulan paused once more and checked to make sure we were going in the right direction. I stopped beside her, closed my eyes in an imitation of Irulan, and pushed my aura ahead of me. The rush of magic that met me took my breath away, and. I felt the purest contentment I had ever known settled into a place within me that I never knew existed. "Is that...?" I couldn't find the words to express what I was feeling.

Irulan smiled, took my hand, and led me on. "Yes, that's the call of the FaeLands. They always lead their children home.” I smiled and hooked my arm through Irulan’s as we followed the pull of the FaeLands as it called to the Sidhe within us.

Everything was going to be all right. My grandfather would fix me and I could finally take care of Tristan. For once, since this whole thing began, I believed my own hype. I felt too good inside not to.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

It didn't take us long to reach the source of the pull that I felt. Dead in the center of the sprawling forest, I saw a large shimmering haze that blocked out everything behind it. It was almost as if the world behind it didn't exist, and in a way it didn't, at least it didn't exist in the world that I knew. Irulan came up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist. "It's not too late to change your mind," she said, mistaking my quietness for hesitation.

I turned in her arms and gave her a quick peck on the nose. "You'd like that wouldn't you.” I pulled away from her and walked over to the doorway. "You keep me out of the FaeLands, and you keep me away from Tristan. It's not gonna happen. I need to face him now more than ever.”

Irulan exhaled slowly and stepped forward to press a hand to the shimmering pool. "I don't want to keep you out of the FaeLands, just modify the length of your stay.” The moment she made contact, the doorway caved in on itself in a flash of brilliant green light. When the flash settled, I could see a long rolling field dotted with majestic trees on the far side of a glistening arc.

Irulan laughed and ran through to the other side. Every move she made showed the joy she felt at being home. I smiled as she passed her hand over a patch of wildflowers, as she quietly talked to herself. As I watched her, I felt a quiet trepidation I couldn't explain. The flowers seemed to stretch towards Irulan as if they were aching for her touch. Trying to squelch the feeling, I stepped through the arc and watched her walk to a tree and knock on the thick trunk. A group of Pixies flew out of an opening in the trunk and flitted around her head. A few settled onto her shoulders and up-turned hands and began franticly chattering Elvish in high-pitched voices.

Irulan's laughter had a light ring to it that floated through the air and brought a smile to my face. She patiently answered their questions, pointing in my direction a few times during the course of the inquisition. Once they finished speaking, a lone Pixie darted over to hover in front of my face. The little man was as green as the grass beneath my feet, and had iridescent wings more lovely than any butterfly I'd ever seen. He leaned forward in a deep bow and came up with a very determined look on his face. "The Pixies of Moon Hollow owe allegiance to neither Light nor Dark Court, as such, you are welcome here young Fomori Princess."

I smiled and dipped my head at the prim little Pixie and looked past him to mouth the word 'Princess' to Irulan. "By right and by blood, you are a princess, Valeria.” Irulan held out her hand for me to take it and she pulled me to her side. "Valeria, may I introduce Danzie, Queen of the Moon Hollow, and the best source of information this side of Faerie."

The portly little pearl-colored woman smiled and slightly nodded from her throne that was sitting on a nearby tree branch. "Welcome home, Dark Princess," she said in a light airy voice. "My Irulan tells me you've come to deliver death to the visitor of King Fazion."

I smiled and nodded back, "That's one way to phrase it, I guess."

"Make haste then young one. Word across the lands says the key is here.” Danzie tapped a finger against her chin as she spoke. "Your man is growing stronger every day."

"So am I," I replied. "He's not going to get away from me again, I promise you that."

Danzie focused her intense little gaze on me for the tiniest of moments, and then smiled to herself. "Yes, your powers are growing, very impressive.” She grinned and waved a Pixie forward. "This is Kether. He will guide you to Mag Mell, and then travel with you on to Tir Na Nog. He's tasked with bringing me the eyes of Fazion's friend."

I coughed and looked to Irulan, surprised by what I'd heard. Danzie frowned slightly, "You heard correctly. The day he arrived he tore through my woods and killed an entire family of my Pixies.” She pressed her palms together as she spoke, "After his demise, I'd like a trophy for my halls. His eyes should do nicely."

I agreed to Danzie's request and looked at her in a new light. Beneath the innocent-looking guise, I saw a shadow of darkness just beneath the surface. I had the distinct feeling that, despite her small stature, Danzie was not someone to take lightly.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Irulan nod approvingly before she made a request of her own. "If it would please you, Queen Danzie, I have a request to ask of you.” Danzie motioned for her to continue. "As you can see, we're not exactly dressed for adventure in the FaeLands. If you have some available, we are in need of covering. Maybe some cloaks? I need to refrain from using my magic until we are closer to our goal."

"Yes, of course," said Danzie. At the slight tilt of her head, a group of Pixies disappeared into the thick gnarled tree trunk. "While they find something suitable, let me get a closer look at our little princess here.” The diminutive monarch rose from her dais, on transparent blue wings similar to those of a dragonfly, to fly over and land on my shoulder.

"You were a child of two worlds and equally divided when you faced that demon before. Once the old king's blood makes you whole, the demon won't be able to stand against you.” She took a glance down and pointed, "Or that lovely dwarf-forged sword you have at your waist.” She blew me a kiss laced with Pixie dust. It swirled around my head for few seconds before settling into my skin. Danzie looked quite proud of herself as she floated back to her throne where she sat with an eager expression on her face. I was just about to question the look when my eyes began itching and watering.

I rubbed my hands over my eyes as my anger spiked. Irulan hurriedly put a hand on my shoulder to stop me before I let my mouth dig us into a hole. The Pixie queen laughed and clapped her hands. "What a delightful youngling you are, such fire. I have given you a gift, child. One expects thanks."

I rubbed at my itching eyes and scowled, "I'll hold my thanks until I get some Benadryl, if you don't mind.” Danzie looked to Irulan with a confused look on her face. When Irulan explained to her in Elvish what I said, she burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry, child, there is nothing to cure The Vision, once your eyes are awakened they'll stay as such," she said. My eyes stopped itching, and I opened them. I saw Danzie in an entirely new light. Upon her head sat the most brilliant little crown I had ever seen. Topped with glowing stars on its spiked points, it was inlaid with jewels that seemed to glow with a light of their own. I turned my head and saw Irulan sans the glamour, but I also saw a similar crown atop her head. I spun in a slow circle and gasped at all the different types of Fae gathered around us. "Where did they come from?" I asked in awe.

"They've been here the entire time, Val, you just couldn't see them.” Irulan smiled as a dour faced hobgoblin drew the back of his hand across his nose and wiggled his fat little fingers in hello. "Danzie has gifted you with the ability to see all the denizens of the FaeLands.” The Pixies arrived carrying with them two velvet cloaks as black as midnight.

As we put the cloaks on, Danzie giggled, "And your eyes will no longer suffer for it." Irulan's earlier murmuring made more sense to me now. Danzie waved a hand, and a throng of Pixies darted to her throne and lifted the dais it was resting on. "Be at peace, youngling. I will meet with you when you return.”

I smiled at the little queen and turned my attention to the throng of Fae gathered around my legs vying for my attention. Dryads and Ghillie Dhu's dropped down from the trees and Limniades floated through the air radiating their dazzling lights.

Kether flitted over and made himself at home on my shoulder. "If you want to reach Mag Mell by nightfall, I suggest we get going," he said, in a tone that was bordering on condescending.

Before he could fly away, I reached over and grabbed him by the scruff of his stiff, high collar. "Do you have a problem with me, little man?"

Kether rolled his eyes and sighed, "Of course not, my lady, simply stating the obvious, unless the implied urgency...” He let his voice drift as he swatted at the fingers that held him.

Irulan ran her hand down the small of my back. "Let the Pixie go, baby, he's right. We really do need to get going.” I set Kether free with a quick flick of my wrist as Irulan placed two fingers in between her lips and let loose a shrill whistle.

The Fae surrounding us scattered at the noise, taking cover in the safety of the forest. I felt a subtle change in the air around us and looked up to see a pair of imposing horses galloping towards us, seemingly from out of nowhere.

The horses were both the purest white with thick, golden manes. They were larger than any horse I'd ever seen. The thick cording of their muscles rippled beneath their shining coats as they came to a stop in front of us. I had heard tales of the steeds of the Tuatha De Danann, but I never imagined them to be such noble-looking creatures. I stepped towards the closest steed and raised my hand slowly in an unspoken request for permission to touch him.

The majestic animal nodded his head, and I ran my hands along his side. His coat was softer than anything I’d felt before, and I told him so. The stallion neighed his thanks at the compliment and dropped down on his two front knees. I looked over at Irulan, and she was crooning softly to her horse telling him how much she'd missed him. When she looked up at me, she laughed softly. "May I introduce Frost and Blaze, gifted to me by my father and uncle when I turned ten."

She mounted Blaze and motioned for me to do the same. I gingerly climbed aboard Frost's back and settled into the smooth leather saddle. In a movement that put my flashes to shame, we were up and racing through the forest at an incredible pace. My ability to flash was the only way I could grab Frost's thick mane in time to stay on his back.

The horse's hooves thundered over the ground as he raced behind Irulan, darting around trees and jumping over small creeks with almost no effort at all. I called out to Irulan. "I had no idea we'd be moving this fast. How long will it take us to reach Mag Mell at this pace?"

Irulan conferred with Kether, who was hiding in the breast pocket of her cloak. "Kether says an hour at best if the horses can keep this pace and we aren't detained."

"An hour?" I balked. "The way the little runt went on about getting started, you'd think it was farther away than that."

Irulan laughed as we came upon a road forged by feet and hooves. "Kether had no idea we were going to be traveling by horseback. Tuatha steeds are faster than any other horses in existence.” She brought her horse to a halt, drew the heavy cloak over her head, and motioned for me to do the same. "We're not far from a village. We're in the Dark Court's lands, and they don't take kindly to Sidhe from the Light Court showing up unexpectedly."

She looked at me for a moment, "No, come to think of it, you ride uncovered. They should be able to tell you share their court. If they stop us, slip into my mind, and I'll help you with what to say.” She fell back and allowed me to take the lead as we sauntered into the village.

The beaten earth gave way to a cobbled path and a collection of buildings and homes that looked as if they were straight from the pages of a Dickens’ novel. We moved as quietly as the horses would allow through the narrow street, past an outside market and various businesses. All around us various Fae either turned up their noses in disgust or outright cursed us under their breaths. Shopkeepers closed their doors, and I heard more than one clunk of wood against wood.

Irulan cautiously looked around us and sneered. "Looks like your presence isn't going to be enough, let’s pray we don't get stopped."

Get stopped? She was making the FaeLands sound like the southern U.S. before the Civil Rights Movement. “I thought the Fae were more enlightened than the rest of us, or at least that's what they like to tout. As far as I can see they’re nothing more than a bunch of bigots.”

A woman darted out of our path clutching her packages to her chest as if we were about to jump off the horses and mug her. Irulan pulled the cloak father over her face and leaned down close to Blazes mane. "Old prejudices die hard, Valeria. Don't take it personally. You would receive the same treatment if we were traveling through Light Court lands."

I scowled at an old man who was waving his cane at us as we passed by. I got no reaction, but the minute Irulan cut her eyes in his direction, the old codger hissed and spit on the ground at his feet. Irulan kept her eyes straight ahead and didn't utter a word. "Are you just going to let that go?" I demanded, incensed on her behalf.

Irulan didn't even look back. She just shrugged her shoulders and kept riding. "Giving in to them would only draw unwanted attention."

"Who cares about unwanted attention?" My anger was skyrocketing with every sideways glance and snide remark the villagers threw in our direction.

Irulan's head darted back and forth, as she scanned our surrounding for possible threats. "I do, Valeria, OK? I'm royalty of the Light Court in Dark Court lands, unannounced and unsanctioned, I could be killed for this."

OK, now she had my attention. It was definitely time for me to shut up and play mime. As a group of three armed soldiers strode up and motioned for us to dismount, I cursed my rotten luck under my breath. They all wore deep purple tunics over their armor with a huge golden panther centered on the chest.

Never one to follow orders, I pulled myself straighter in the saddle and smiled. "Is there a problem, gentlemen? My friend and I were just passing through. I'm sure we haven't broken any laws by doing so, have we?"

The head asshole stepped forward with one hand already gripping the hilt of his sword. "You may pass, sister, but your friend will come with us.” I shot a quick glance at Irulan, and should have at least consulted her about what course of action she would propose, but my temper flared and burned any ability I might have had to reason away.

"Sister?” I shook my head as I weighed my options. "I've got three brothers, and I can assure you, you aren't one of them."

I slid down from my mount, took the reins in one hand, and grabbed the bit in Blaze's mouth. "If you don't mind, we'll pass through as quickly as possible. We don't want any trouble."

All three men drew their swords and stood in front of us. "We do mind, sister. As I said before, you may pass, but the Seelie will come with us, one way, or another."

Irulan dismounted and came to stand beside me. "I believe this is all a misunderstanding. We've only been in the FaeLands for an hour at most. I’m sure you've got me confused with someone else."

A guard that had previously remained silent edged forward and spit. His aim was dead on, the sputter landed on the side of her face. "We don't have you confused with anyone, Seelie bitch.”

I moved so fast Irulan’s fingers caught nothing but air as she reached out to grab me. I had the offending guard on the ground and was pounding on his face in less than a second. "Apologize!" I bellowed as his face quickly began to resemble ground round.

Irulan tried to pull me away from him, but it was no use. "No!" I yelled as I continued to drive my fist into his face. "I refuse to stand here and let them disrespect you like that!" The beaten guard's buddies snapped out of the daze my attack had put them in, and rushed us.

I jumped up, shoved Irulan back out of the fray, and drew my grandfather’s sword. The two men moved as fast as any Vampire in full flash. One swung his sword low forcing me to dodge and roll. As I rolled, the other guard reared back and placed a firm kick in the small of my back. The kick, along with my forward motion, slammed me into the brick wall of a nearby building.

My fangs dropped as my face shifted and I hurled my sword at the closest target. The huge claymore found its mark pinning one man through his stomach to a nearby post. As I turned to face the other, a sharp pain brought me to my knees blowing my focus to hell.

I couldn't concentrate on anything other than the pain. Luckily for me, Irulan wasn't as distracted. The clang of metal against metal rang in my ears as Irulan took up Bas and used it against the last soldier. I tried to get up, but my body rebelled and refused to move an inch. I tried to turn my head so that I could see what was going on, but my neck felt locked in place.

All I could do was lay there helplessly and listen to the sounds of their fight, and pray that Irulan came out on top. I winced at each grunt and yell until I finally heard the hard thud of a body hitting the ground. Tears filled my eyes, out of pain and intense worry. I tried to call out for Irulan, but the only sounds I could make were moans of pain.

My body was trying to rip itself apart and rearrange itself. I managed to hold up a hand and saw that it was almost invisible. I screamed as another pain took hold of me. Warm arms slid under me, and I looked up into Irulan's face as she cradled me to her chest. "Don't worry baby, we're not far from Mag Mell. I'll have you there in less than ten minutes."

Irulan hoisted me up into the saddle and settled in behind me. I sagged against her as the horse shot off through the narrow street. Each pound of the horse’s hooves against the ground sent a new ache though my already tormented body.

Somewhere along the way, I lost consciousness and came to when someone shook me like a rag doll. I coughed and yet another pain took me in its grip. "Hurts...hurts so bad."

Irulan shushed me, and pulling me tighter against her, crooned, “I know it hurts, baby, but we're almost there.” She pulled the sleeve on her jacket back and offered me her arm. "Here, baby, feed from me. It should be enough to hold you together until we reach the palace.” She jammed her wrist into my mouth and urged Blaze to move even faster.

After a few more minutes of hard riding, we began to slow down. I dropped Irulan's wrist and sighed in relief. I was still hurting like a son of a bitch, but at least I didn't feel as if I were fading anymore. "Are we there yet?" I asked softly.

Irulan uncovered her face. "Yeah baby, we're here alright," she said as she slowly drew Bas from the saddle and eased it to the ground. She clutched me tighter and quickly raised her free hand high into the air above her head.

I managed to hold my head up and look around. We were at the foot of a massive staircase that led to the largest set of doors I had ever seen. Doors that were currently open and pouring a couple of dozen armed soldiers out of them.

"Help me down," I said with as much force as I could muster. Instead of doing what I asked, she tried to pull me even closer. "Jesus! If you hold me any tighter, I'll be in danger of suffocating."

Irulan released me long enough to cuff me on the back of my head. "Please just let me handle this, Val. Those men are the personal guards of your great-grandfather. To ensure the King's safety, they act first and ask questions later. We don't need to provoke them."

This time I did as she asked. I figured I could give her that much - make her feel as if she were in charge of the situation. But hurting or not, if they laid as much as one finger on her, I could guarantee an explosion.

One guard stepped forward to address us. "I see the crown, but I don't recognize you, female. State your name and house."

When Irulan spoke, her voice had that powerful lilt to it that I was beginning to love. "I am Princess Irulan Delphine Nightingale of the Tuatha De Danann. I am the sole daughter of Jesob Bloodglove Nightingale and Niece of High King Kent. I request an audience with High King FaeVar."

The guard laughed and pointed at me. "Well, my lady, I don't give a rat’s ass who you are. You've got nerve, waltzing in here with our injured sister and making demands.” He came down a few steps and began tapping the flat of his blade against his leg. "How do we know you aren't the one who injured her in the first place?"

"Because I'm telling you myself that she didn't hurt me...ah...I didn't catch your name.” I awkwardly struggled to sit upright in the crowded saddle and not push Irulan off at the same time.

The guard considered me for a moment before answering. "My name is Garrison. I am head of the King’s Chimeras."

OK, whatever. "Listen, Garrison, since everyone here seems so comfy cozy with calling me sister, how about doing me a brotherly favor, and do as the lady asks."

The pain was getting stronger and it caused me to wobble a little. Irulan's arm snaked around my waist to steady me. I damn sure didn't want to let these clowns see me sweat. I slipped inside Irulan's head. "We need to hurry this process along, Irulan. The pain is coming back faster and stronger with every breath I take."

Irulan slid off the horse and took his reins. "Gentlemen, I understand your caution. My cousin's own Manticores would be just as vigilant if Valeria showed up on his doorstep. But as you noticed, she is injured and needs immediate attention. Attention only FaeVar can give her."

A line of guards moved forward as one, with swords drawn and murderous looks in their eyes. Garrison hopped down a few more steps and leveled his sword at Irulan. "I'll be the judge of that. Move no closer or you risk losing life or limb."

My temper spiked, and I was off the horse in a flash. Hunched over, but standing protectively in front of Irulan. "You're messing up, boys. Point that sword away from my girlfriend or we're going to have issues."

The guards looked puzzled, and I slipped inside Irulan's mind for an explanation. "Do I have spinach in my teeth or something? They're looking at me like they don't understand a word I'm saying."

Irulan giggled in spite of the situation. "Baby, they don't understand the concept of girlfriend and boyfriend. Here, you're either pledged, married or a consort."

While we were carrying on our little inside conversation, the guards had moved closer. I held up my hand and surprisingly enough they stopped. "If I didn't want you to point swords at my..."

My mind went blank. What was she? I mean, we'd just started this new phase in our relationship, but it wasn't as if we were strangers or anything. Shit! What the hell were we? In the end, I called her the only thing that felt right to me. "...My mate, then what makes you think I want you moving any closer to her? Back the hell up and give us some space."

Irulan's voice floated into my head. “Val, let's not antagonize them. We are outnumbered."

My anger overcame me, and I snapped at her. “We left my mother at home. I don't need you to tell me how to act!" As soon as the words flew out of my mouth, I regretted them, but I felt powerless completely unable to control my emotions. I turned towards the guards and let my face shift. "I'm asking one last time. Lower your weapons, and take us to FaeVar."

The guards let out a collective gasp and took fighting stances. Garrison shook his head in disbelief. "It's not possible," he said. "You are our own, I can feel it within you, but you're Vampire. It's not..."

"Anything's possible, big boy. I'm proof. Now, about FaeVar.” I quickly counted the number of guards that were poised and waiting for the signal to begin an assault. If they decided to attack, we were outnumbered twelve to one. Odds were not looking so good for us.

Garrison raised the tip of his sword and the group sprang into action. Irulan snatched Bas from the ground and flipped it towards me. I grabbed it out of the air, mid-spin and brought it up in front of me just in time to block an oncoming strike. "Gotta be a little bit faster than that, fella," I said with a smirk on my face. To my utter surprise, he nodded and spun around me in a move so quick, I'd swear he teleported. I mean totally 'beam me up, Scotty'.

Before I knew it, he had landed a hard kick to the small of my back that careened me into the staircase. The cold stone bit into my skin and tore it apart as my head bounced against it. That was so going to leave a mark. I barely had time to flip over before he was on me. I made it onto my back just in time to parry the first of a set of powerful blows aimed directly at my head. I was at a total disadvantage, unable to do anything but defend.

One of these days, my mouth was going to write a check that my ass couldn't cash. If the Fates were at work, then today just might be that day. The monster sized guard looked down at me and smiled. "Was that fast enough Kaeo'le?" He asked in guttural, broken English as he brought the sword down again. If I weren't mistaken, he'd just called me a bitch in Fae.

As fast as the strikes were coming at me, you'd think they would lose some power, but no. Every strike had just as much power in it as the one before. If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn the bastard was hitting me harder with every swing. He didn't give me any time to counter or do anything other than block. He was trying to wear me down, and if I hadn't heard Irulan cry out my name, it might have worked.

All that pain and anger that was building inside of me boiled over, and I mean literally. My body shifted faster than it ever had in my life. Those few seconds were enough to stun the guard, and gave me the break I needed to go on the offensive. I whipped my wings forward and enveloped him inside them. His sword slipped from his grasp as he yelled in surprise at the quick turn of events. I held Bas up in front of me and used my wings to pull him towards me, until the upturned blade impaled him through the stomach.

I stared at the sword where it entered his body, and my stomach rolled with hunger. The strong Sidhe blood ran down the blade and coated my hands. Right now, I wanted nothing more than to reach into his chest, pull out his heart, and eat it like the juiciest of peaches. What was wrong with me? Trying to clear my thoughts so I could focus, I shook my head, but while I was in this form, the blood filled body held too much interest for me. Something wild and primitive within me wanted to take time and enjoy the fruits of the kill.

Greater than the instinct to kill, was the one to protect my mate. Irulan screamed my name again and jerked me out of my daze. I tossed the body aside and jumped up to find Irulan surrounded by no less than ten guards. Apparently, every single Chimera, except for the one that I killed, saw her as the threat that needed neutralizing. Irulan could hold her own in a fight. I'd seen it for myself. There were bodies all around her. She'd decreased their numbers by at least twelve, but the ones still standing were blasting her all at once. The only thing that kept her from being fried was her shield, and from the decibel of her screams, it wasn't going to hold that much longer.

I propelled myself towards Irulan without a moment's thought and passed right through her shield. I phased back and snatched her into my arms. She shook from the effort it was talking to maintain her shields under the heavy magical assault. I took a quick assessment of her, found she was bleeding, and began bellowing at the guards who hurt her.

"You're dead! Do you hear me?" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "All of your lives are over!” My heart pumped harder with every word. The fury I felt over Irulan being hurt drowned out all the pain I was in, and left nothing but an all-encompassing rage that pushed me to protect my mate at any cost.

She whimpered, and I came apart at the seams. My world ended in a white-hot explosion that blinded me briefly. It was reborn in blood and screams. When my vision cleared, one very pissed-off looking Sidhe was holding me up in the air by my throat. I grabbed the fist around my throat and tried to pry his fingers loose, but they felt like corded steel.

"You have finally gone too far, Bright One," he said as he looked at Irulan. "An open assault on my home won't be overlooked.” The Sidhe reached down with his free hand and picked Bas up. "I'm going to send you back to your king, skewered like a roast pig on your own blade right after I kill this traitor.” He drew back to land the kill strike when Irulan shouted at the top of her lungs.

"No, FaeVar! Please, this is all a misunderstanding!” Irulan scrambled to her feet and rushed to my side.

FaeVar looked down at Irulan as if she were nothing more than an annoying pest. "A misunderstanding, Princess? Not many misunderstandings leave my entire guard dead in a matter of seconds.” I cut my eyes to the ground and saw that was accurate. Surrounding us was a sea of bodies, and most of them looked as if they had been roasted, apparent victims of Soul Fire.

FaeVar's grip tightened around my throat as he continued. "A misunderstanding doesn't leave my entire court unconscious and bleeding from every orifice on their body. Even the pores of their skin weep blood. They were all leveled by a blast that originated here, and you two are the only ones left standing, so, by default..."

I looked down and saw light glint off the sword as it moved forward. I was almost unconscious from lack of air anyway so the most I could do was close my eyes and wait for the strike to land. The blow never came. I inched one eye open, saw the blade frozen in air, millimeters from my skin, and knew that one of Irulan's shields was holding it at bay.

FaeVar looked down with a scowl on his face and his feature morphed from those of a face in anger, to those of shock. He threw the sword and me to the ground and grabbed at Irulan. I would have put myself between them if I could have, but another pain slammed into me, tearing me apart.

"Oh sweet Jesus," Irulan cried and dropped down to her knees beside me, only to be jerked upright by FaeVar.

"Explain this to me now!" he cried, angrily shaking his fist at her. If I were able to focus my vision, I would have seen the crest clenched in his hand.

Irulan shoved him away from her, dropped back to her knees, and gathered me close to her. "She's your granddaughter, you foolish old man. Her line was sired by Mikilos through a Pureblood Vampire, three generations ago.” She softly ran her hands down the side of my face and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "She fed from me and awakened the Sidhe blood within her. Her body isn't adjusting to the change, and without your blood, she's going to die. I swear to you if you let her die I will rain death and destruction on every inch of Dark Lands in Faerie."

"Brave words, little Princess. I see she means a lot to you. Does Kent know about your love of my child, I wonder?" said FaeVar as he reached down to scoop me up in his arms. "Come with me, we need privacy. We'll go to my chambers.” FaeVar raced up the stairs and through the front doors. Instead of the foyer I was expecting, we were inside of a richly furnished bedroom.

He sat me down in a chair, and my head flopped forward on my neck as if my bones were made of jello. A scream ripped from my mouth as another pain slammed into me. "Irulan, I can't take anymore.” Blood tears rolled down my face as I struggled to focus on Irulan through the pain. She stood behind FaeVar looking anxious as he waved a chair to him and sat down.

FaeVar leaned toward me and studied my face for a few moments before smiling. "I can see my son in you, young one. I can feel our power running strong within your veins, just waiting for release.. Vampire and Fomori make an interesting combination, who would have thought it?" He pulled his waist length, snow white hair, to the side and bared his neck to me. "Come my child, drink, and be made whole."

CHAPTER TWENTY

He pulled me forward and urged my head to his neck in an effort to feed me. As hungry as I was moments ago, now I couldn't even get my fangs to drop. I shook my head and mumbled, "Can't...no fangs...can't drop.” He looked back at Irulan for an explanation.

"She's too weak. Her body has been rebelling against the changes for days now, weeks even. Maybe if you forced to feral. She seems to have more power in that form.”

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?" He asked. I gasped as I felt my body fade again on a wave of pain. FaeVar's head jerked around and his eyes widened in horror as he took in my current state. "Goddess preserve me! She fades, as you said, even here in Faerie where all is renewed.” He turned to Irulan with a look of fear in his eyes that looked thoroughly unnatural on his majestic face.

Irulan pulled my grandfather to his feet and spun him around to face her. "Attack me," she demanded, and braced herself for a blow.

It was enough to motivate me into raising my head. "You'd do best to ignore her," I said with as much force as I could put into my failing voice.

FaeVar looked at her as if she had two heads. "Excuse me?! I'm not sure I heard you right."

"Put your hands on her and you'll regret it," I hissed, as I struggled to get up.

Irulan looked down at me with a desperate look in her eyes then growled at FaeVar. "You asked us what happened to your Chimera's, well it was Valeria. She took them out all by herself with one strike because they attacked ME.” In a last-ditch effort, Irulan dropped her glamour and blasted my grandfather across the room, sending him skidding across the floor on his ass. "Do it, old man! Give her a reason to fight!"

“Don't do it fella,” I thought, as I forced myself to my feet, in a final burst. "I don't care if she brings the whole damn house down on your head. You'd better not..."

With that, he up and did just what he shouldn't have done. A blinding blot of energy hit Irulan head-on and sent her careening into a wall. I was on him like flies on shit.

FaeVar never tried to block my blows. He let me land each one until I had him down on the ground. When he stilled, I shifted back, heavily breathing and barely able to hold myself up. FaeVar jerked himself upright and pulled me to his neck before my teeth had a chance to retract. My teeth slid home and sank deep into his neck.

The head rush that came along with the spray of blood was undeniably the quickest high I had ever experienced in my life. Strong hands held me firm as I fed, so the rush wouldn’t sweep me away. Each mouthful of blood was the tonic that my ailing body desperately needed. Power didn’t just lace through FaeVar's blood, it was liquid power in itself. It ran through me like lava, igniting parts of my body, incinerating them and reforming them into something new. Something infinitely powerful and more dangerous than any Vampire had ever been.

He let me feed until I fell away from him on my own, fully sated and tingling with power. Vampires aren't a weak race by any means, but compared to the Sidhe, we were lightweights. I pulled away from my grandfather and was on my feet in a move so utterly fast, it made my former flashes look like turtle speed.

I scanned the room searching for Irulan and found her standing in a corner sporting a fat lip and a bloody nose. I was by her side before I finished the thought to move. "You...never again do you hear me.” I grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a firm shake. "Don't you ever put yourself in danger like that again, do you hear me?"

Tears pooled in her eyes as she slowly shook her head yes and brought her hands up to draw my face to hers. "I promise baby, as long as you never almost die on me again.” She closed the space between us and slowly ran her lips across mine before claiming them.

The kiss was slow and tender. It conveyed so many emotions, so many words. I'm sorry. I’m glad to see you...grateful you're alive. I love you. I broke the kiss and trailed my lips down her chin. My destination - her neck, my goal - marking her as mine. I trailed small kisses along her neck until I dropped my fangs and drew back my lips to strike.

Irulan caught my train of thought and pulled back at the last moment to put some space between us. "What in the hell are you thinking, Valeria?"

I hissed and flashed forward to pin her against the wall. "I'm thinking you're mine and I want to make it known.” I grabbed her by the chin and forced her head to the side. "I'm not sure if it will work on you, but it's worth a try."

Irulan tried to shove me away from her, but I refused to move, instead I slipped into her mind. ”I can see what you're thinking. You want this as much as I do. Why are you pushing me away?”

"Because," she replied aloud. "I've loved you for years, but this is still new for you, Val. I don't want you to have any regrets. Mating is permanent, it's not like marriage, and it can't be undone.”

“Duh, no shit. Tell me something I don't know, Obi-Wan," I said sarcastically. "Since you know so much, then you also know it's out of my control. My body has chosen you. It was the rest of me that took a while to catch up. I'm just grateful my heart finally agrees with my biology."

Irulan squashed her doubts and pulled her hair away from her neck. I bit into her neck and deliberately released a minute amount of toxins into her blood. Once I was done, I bared my neck to her. "Complete the circle, Irulan. Drink from me."

Small fangs dropped from Irulan’s gums and her hand flew to her mouth in shock. "Told you it would work," I said proudly.

"You never told me I would sprout fangs," she shrieked, her voice off, as she drew back her lips and felt the new additions to her mouth.

I shrugged my shoulders and laughed. "I didn't know you would. Mated couples aren't that common anymore. Nowadays everyone is content with marriage. And the few mated couples I do know had fangs to begin with.” I tweaked her on the nose. "Besides, you look cute with your little baby fangs."

She stuck her tongue out and leaned into my neck. I was prepared for her teeth, but I wasn't prepared for the slow strokes of her tongue up and down my neck. She pulled and sucked at my neck, teasing me, knowing full well I couldn't do anything about it in our current situation. I was ready to wring her neck when she finally bit into my neck.

She may not have been a Vampire, but she inherently knew how to make the bite pleasurable. When she pulled away, I was inches from climax. "Baby," she said, firmly inside my mind. "Pull it together. I think your grandfather is getting impatient over there."

I winced and stood up straight. Of all the things I'd envisioned myself doing when I finally came face to face with my grandfather, making out with my mate in his bedroom wasn't one of the first things that came to mind. I straightened my torn cloak and turned around finally laying clear eyes on my great-great grandfather.

If he weren’t my grandfather, I’d say the man was straight up gorgeous. FaeVar didn't look a day over thirty and the first thing that I noticed was his eyes. They were ice blue with silver pupils just like mine. Tears sprang to my eyes and a sob threatened to escape my lips.

He took a step in my direction but I held up a hand and asked him to stop. "Please, just give me a minute.” He stood patiently while I took in the rest of him. His hair was as white as new fallen snow, and he had Constantine's nose. FaeVar wasn't a built like a powerhouse. He had the long lean lines of a runner or a swimmer but everything about his six-foot plus frame screamed strength.

You would have thought the High King of the Dark Court would be partial to black or maybe navy blue or something. FaeVar was dressed in a rich purple long coat with deep golden accents. In a show that mirrored mind reading, he smiled deeply. "What can I say, youngling, I like the Lakers."

I burst out laughing and he took the moment to cross the room and engulf me in his arms. "I'll tell you what, girl," he said against the top of my head. "I can tell that you’re of my ilk. You certainly know how to make an entrance."

He lifted his head to look at Irulan, "I'm quite certain Kent won’t look upon this union with favor," he said. "But as the mate of my own, you are now a member of my court. Welcome, protected, and entitled to all befitting the station of a princess."

Irulan curtsied. She Curtsied - like medieval, Arthur and Guinevere, Camelot, curtsied! Then, thinking about all the things that I was going to have to get accustomed to, I thought, “Jeez, hope they never expect me to curtsy to anyone – it’ll never happen.

My grandfather grabbed my hand and led me to the door. "Come, we have much to talk about. And there many arrangements to be made, this occasion calls for a celebration."

We followed him through the grand halls of his palace and for the first time I noticed the absence of Kether. I looked to my side at Irulan. "Where's Kether, he didn't..."

"No, it's nothing like that," she said, cutting me off. "I sent him into the forest and away from the action when I saw we were in for a fight.” She brought her lips together and whistled. A few moments later, he flew in through a window.

"FaeVar," he said as he bowed. "It's been awhile, Majesty."

My grandfather held his palm up for the Pixie to light on. "A long time indeed, Kether. How is your Monarch?"

"Queen Danzie eagerly awaits the return of your granddaughter. I've been tasked with returning the Abomination’s eyes after she dispatches him."

FaeVar came to a stop and turned around. "What's he talking about, child?"

"I'm here in a working capacity, sort of. I'm hunting a fugitive from the CMS."

He looked from me to Irulan. "She's here for the Abomination that your court harbors?"

Irulan nodded. "She is."

"And you support her, knowing full well the consequences if you move against him?"

"She doesn't have to worry about that," I said before she could answer. "I'm going to take care of Tristan on my own. Irulan isn't in any danger of banishment."

FaeVar laughed and continued down the hall, talking as he went. "You are going to be an exciting addition to the family, child. Just the thought of a Fomori Princess bringing battle to the heart of Tir Na Nog is enough to keep me in good spirits for weeks to come."

I looked at Irulan and shrugged my shoulders. How was I supposed to respond to that? "Glad I could help," I said, not knowing what else to say.

We followed FaeVar through the palace until we reached his throne room. The room was huge, larger than the lobby of the CMS. Tapestries hung from the high walls and thousands of candles floated in the air, bathing the room below in a soft glow. Objects made from every precious metal, stone and jewel imaginable decorated the impressive room. Bronze shields bearing FaeVar's crest and gleaming swords were strategically spaced in easy reach should someone need them.

I was so busy taking in the lay of the chamber that I didn't even notice the hundreds of Sidhe that had gathered inside. By the time I did see them, it was too late. FaeVar hauled us to the dais in front of everyone and pulled me to his side.

"People of Mag Mell," he called out, his voice a boom that carried across the immense room. "What once was lost has found its way home. I give you a Child of the Lands, my granddaughter, and your Princess, Valeria."

The bottom dropped out of my stomach, but I don't know why. I was used to attention. The paparazzi have hounded me for years, but this was different. Celebrity hunters didn't look at me as if I was the second coming. These people looked at me as if I was the center of their universe, and that made me uncomfortable.

I wiggled a few fingers and moved closer to Irulan so I could grasp her hand. That caused more than a few eyebrows to twitch. My grandfather smiled, caught our joined hands, and raised them in the air. "Today is a day to celebrate not only the return of my granddaughter to me, but her union as well."

The collective gasp that came from the crowd sounded anything but positive. FaeVar ignored it and kept talking. "By taking Princess Irulan Nightingale as her mate, my granddaughter has brought the two great houses of Light and Dark together, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since the days of the Nemedians.” He dropped our hands and pushed us ahead of him. "This isn't a time to let old grievances cloud our reveling. Nightingale is a child of my own now."

As we stood there, the gasp turned to shouts and cheers. Irulan giggled and leaned towards my ear. "This is why I don't look down on the Dark Court like other Seelie. They definitely have their prejudices, but if you win the king over, then you've won them all."

"It's good I had an advantage then.” I nodded at a face here and there but after a few moments, I'd had enough of being the center of attention. I waved at the masses, and then turned to face my grandfather. "As much as I appreciate the applause, FaeVar, I need to speak with you privately. There's a lot I need to know before we leave for Tir Na Nog."

He nodded and spared another look towards the celebration that was beginning before turning and leading us down another corridor. This time he led us to a small library. Once we were inside, he waved his hand across the door and I felt the unmistakable hum of magic engulf us. I raised my eyebrows as I looked at him.

"I assure you it's just a precautionary measure. This old palace has ears.” He pointed at three plush chairs before sitting down himself. "So, child, tell me what you need to know."

"Well for one, do you have any idea of what's happening to me? What changes can I expect?"

FaeVar frowned. "No, Valeria, you're the first such child that I have come across. I have no idea how the Sidhe and Vampire will combine, but I can tell you this. Our family is gifted with the power of mind over matter."

I looked between him and Irulan, "You mean like telekinesis?"

"Exactly," said Irulan. OK that's definitely cool.

FaeVar held out his hand and an old, worn book floated from its resting spot and into his hand. "This book holds the history of our family.” He opened the large tome to a page containing a family tree. I gasped when I saw that my name was already on its own neat little branch.

"The Land knew you the moment you set foot here. Your name appeared in the book over an hour ago. I just wasn't expecting to find a Vampire at my door."

I shrugged. "I'd apologize, but I can’t help what I am."

"No, child, that's not what I meant. I would have held my guards at bay if I had known.” He turned to Irulan and smiled. "I owe you a debt of gratitude for returning her to the Lands before it was too late, and for watching over my progeny all these years. It seems my son and I have a lot to discuss."

Irulan dipped her head and smiled. "There's no need for thanks, FaeVar, but there is something that I might ask of you."

"Just name it. If it is within my power, you'll have it."

"Once I return home with Valeria, my court isn't going to recognize a Vampire mating. We're going to need a proper Sidhe ceremony, or I can't guarantee her safety once we get there."

FaeVar laughed and clasped his hands. "Is that all? It would be my honor to preside over the union. I'll begin the preparations immediately.” He stood, rushed over to a shelf, and pulled down a small bowl filled with an iridescent liquid. "We will hold the ceremony at Avalon and call all the lower kings to bring their entire courts..."

I jumped up and threw my hands out. "Hold up, slow your roll, gramps.” I looked back and forth between the two of them, not knowing exactly where to start.

"You," I said as I pointed at Irulan. "You know we don't have time for a wedding, or whatever it is you're asking for.” I pointed to FaeVar, "And you, I know you mean well, but I don't want to be the center of attention for the entire UnSeelie population. I've lived the last fifty years in front of the media's cameras. If I have a wedding, I want it to be mine, not everyone else's."

FaeVar sat the bowl on a nearby table and closed the space between us so he could take my hand. "Anything you like, Valeria, but your Irulan is right. You need to be joined in a Sidhe ceremony before you leave my kingdom."

"So go ahead, let’s do it right here, right now."

My grandfather frowned. "My word, you aren't a typical princess, are you? Your aunts would have never been satisfied with such meager settings."

I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. "What can I say?"

He laughed and pulled me to his side. "It's rather refreshing. I'll tell you what. Give me half an hour to prepare."

I warily eyed him, and looked out a window at the darkened sky. Another hour or so shouldn’t hurt our travel time by too much. I had at least four more hours of night left before I had to take cover from the sun. "OK, thirty minutes, then we do this ceremony. After that we need to get on the move or I'm going to lose the cover of night."

FaeVar kissed me on the forehead and headed for the door. "Take the time to familiarize yourself with our history. You might find something in the book that could be of service to you."

He left and I sat down on the floor pulling Irulan and the huge book with me. "Come on, study buddy," I said. "If I've got to spend this time with my head stuck in a book, then so do you."

Irulan stuck her tongue out at me as she flipped the book open. "Unlike you, Valeria, I don't look at the pursuit of knowledge as punishment."

"Oh no, you didn't," I giggled as I poked her in the rib.

"Oh yes, I did," she laughed as she tackled me. We rolled across the floor, giggling as we each tried to best the other and land on top.

After a little struggling, I came out on top and pinned Irulan's arms to the floor over her head. I was going in for a kiss when she flipped me over her head and crawled away from me. "Uh-uh, no. We aren't going to accomplish anything at this rate.” She held up the book and waved it at me.

"I don't remember you being such a spoil-sport with your other girlfriends," I said as I crawled to her side and took the book from her."

"You're not my girlfriend, and you need to at least look at a few of the pages. You just might actually learn something."

I took the book and opened it. As I started to read, I was pleasantly surprised that it held my attention. Usually if the book didn't have Marvel or classified stamped on the front, I didn't give it the time of day. Before I knew it, FaeVar was looking down on us with a broad smile.

"I trust the book proved helpful."

"Actually, yeah, it was."

He looked puzzled by my skepticism. "You didn't expect it to be?"

Irulan laughed and kissed me on the cheek. "Your Highness, we're dealing with someone who doesn't read books unless they come with pictures in them, so please overlook her for the moment."

I shoved her away from me, "You fucker.” I held out the book for my grandfather to take. "I'm not much of a reader, but it's not bad."

FaeVar frowned ever so slightly. Great, now the man thinks I'm a dunce. "Ok, well then. If you're ready I can perform the ceremony now."

I grabbed Irulan’s hand and nodded. "If it's necessary, then yes, we're ready."

"Very well," he turned his head towards the opened door as he talked. "The one element that we were missing was one that couldn't be overlooked. A Sidhe wedding needs two kings present, one to represent each party involved.” He spared Irulan a glance before turning back to the door. "Since Kent can’t be here, I required the time to await an appropriate substitute."

Irulan smiled as a man who was the spitting image of my grandmother Caroline walked in. "Mikilos, it's good to see you after all these years."

He slowly walked into the room. "Father," he said with a nod before he came over and took Irulan’s hand. "Thank you for everything you've done.” He looked at me out of the corner of his eye before frowning. "Although, I must admit, I wasn't expecting you to bed one of my daughters. Nevertheless, I daresay, she's lucky to have you. Your father would have smiled upon the union."

Irulan smiled and turned away so we wouldn't see the tears that had pooled in her eyes slide down her face. Mikilos let Irulan’s hands go and turned to me, giving her the privacy she needed. He looked me over, his face unreadable the entire time, until he got to my face.

"Child, you have my father’s eyes.” He looked at FaeVar and smiled.

"So I've noticed," I said, rather sarcastically. "So, it's your fault I almost died before I finally found out what was wrong with me."

He looked back at FaeVar and frowned. "What's she talking about, Father?"

"Don't ask him, I'm the one who's talking.” I waved a hand in front of his face to draw his attention back to me. "I'm talking about that damn vow you made Irulan take. My ass almost faded to nothing before she could tell me what was going on."

Again, he looked back at FaeVar, who in a carbon copy of me, shrugged his shoulders and copped a nonchalant look. "She's rather spirited, Mikilos. She’s your child after all."

After explaining to yet another grandfather the circumstances that brought me to the FaeLands, I was sick of talking. There was too much of it going on and not enough action. "I know you've probably got tons of questions for me, Mikilos"

"Call me, Grandfather."

"OK, whatever. Grandfather. This ceremony that Irulan and grandfather FaeVar are talking about, we need to get on with it. I need to get to the Tuatha court."

At the mention of the Tuatha lands, Mikilos rounded on FaeVar. "Father, tell me you didn't agree to this. She can't face that aberration the Tuatha's harbor."

"Excuse me.” I almost didn't believe what I was hearing. "I don't need permission to do anything. You've known me for what, a few minutes? You don't have the right to act all parental."

Mikilos frowned and started pacing back and forth. "You don't understand, child. That thing is all part of the Djin’s plans for you."

OK, now he had my attention. "What do you know about the Djin?"

Mikilos laughed, drew a small leather journal out of a pocket, and handed it to FaeVar. "I know that your foolish grandfather, Kemet, put targets on all of your backs. That's why I required Irulan’s help in keeping an eye on you."

Irulan looked at me and threw her hands in the air, "I swear to the Goddess, Val, I had no idea about the Djin."

I turned to Mikilos. "What do you know about my grandfather?"

FaeVar's face fell as he flipped through the journal. I stomped my foot on the ground and growled. "Sometime today."

Mikilos frowned. "Believe me, I don't know nearly enough. But I do know that Kemet has a deal for power with Ahmad. Your grandfather wasn't born into a powerful family, but with that Djin’s machinations, the Trumaines have risen to become one of the Five. Am I right?"

He held out his hand and FaeVar passed him the book. "I haven't been able to ascertain for certain what the Djin wants in exchange for his help, but I do know that Kemet has systematically married his offspring to powerful families. I don't know how the Djin found out about Catherine's bloodlines, but once he did, he waited until the line was entrenched in every powerful Pureblood family."

He passed me the book and pointed out the familial connections. I traced the lines until I came to my own name. There beside it was Tristan’s name, with a line converging between the two of us. A black circle surrounded the blank area where the name of a possible child would be.

I passed him the book and shook my head. "Please tell me that's not what I think it is."

Mikilos shook his head as he frowned. "I'm afraid I can’t. I am sure that the Djin’s price, whatever it hinges on your union with the Abomination."

I had butterflies break dancing in my stomach at the thought. I moved closer to Irulan and didn't even realize it until she had her arms wrapped around me.

"Well, at least I can say there's little chance of that happening now.” I leaned into Irulan, grateful for her presence. At that moment, I think she was the only thing keeping me sane.

FaeVar growled. "Do you really believe your mating is going to stop the Abomination? He'll have no qualms about taking what he wants. The Djin has obviously made a deal with him also. He couldn't have come into all that power on his own."

Mikilos frowned. "The Djin more than likely has required a child of your union as payment."

I sagged farther into Irulan as tears welled in my eyes. "That's why Tris didn't kill me," I mumbled.

Irulan spun me around so she could look in my eyes. "No, Val, he would have killed you if I hadn't gotten there in time.” She waved at the journal. "Don't give that musty old book any credit where it isn't due."

I wanted to believe her, but we both knew she didn't even believe it herself. I pulled away from her as I sadly smiled. "No, baby, we both know they're right."

My smile turned to a smirk as I tightened my grip on her hand. "We need you to do whatever you're going to do so I can put an end to this."

FaeVar looked at me as if I was speaking gibberish. "Under the circumstances, I don't think that's a prudent idea, Valeria."

I laughed and shook my head, "I don't believe this. Listen, I'll take into account the fact that you don't know me, so I'll be as nice about this as I can, but with or without this stupid ceremony that you and Irulan claim is so important, I'm going after Tristan."

FaeVar's lips parted but I held up a finger. "Not so fast, I'm not done.” He looked offended that someone had the nerve to hush him, but he stayed quiet. Mikilos stifled the laughter that was threatening to erupt. One look from FaeVar and he got quiet.

"Now then," I started. "If everything you're saying is true, then I've got three other reasons to go after Tristan - Valerian, Tamerlane, and Constantine. I won’t let my brothers get caught up in my grandfather’s schemes. If Ahmad can’t get what he wants from me, then he could go after them next. If I catch Tristan, maybe he can give me a heads up as to what the Djin really wants with my family."

Irulan looked back and forth between my ancestors and me before sighing. "I realize you're only trying to protect her, but you don't know her. She's serious. She’ll go without the ceremony. If she does that, then my chances of protecting her drop dramatically."

She raised my hand and kissed the back of it. "As much as it worries me, she's got to do this. And injury to her in my family's lands now means war between the courts, am I right?” She looked back and forth between the two as they solemnly nodded. “Do you really want to risk the possibility of war, when it can so easily be prevented?"

Both men looked defeated as they stepped forward and raised their hands. "Raise your joined hands," FaeVar said.

When we raised them, both men laid their own over ours. I immediately felt the tingle of power dance over us. When I looked down, both of our hands were glowing. A ribbon of dancing lights slipped in and out of the crevices in our hands, tracing an intricate path on our flesh, until it faded into our skin.

Mikilos smiled as he dropped his hand. "There, the joining is complete. All of Faerie will recognize the bond that was made today."

"Three minutes,” I shook my head and hissed at FaeVar. "You were going on about preparations and ceremonies and it took all of three minutes."

Irulan laughed and drew me into a kiss. My ranting died the moment her soft lips met my own. "There now," she said as she pulled away from me. "What was all the fuss about?"

I pushed her away from me, "Heathen."

"It's not the first time someone's accused me of being a heathen."

A ping of jealousy struck me and as hard as I tried to ignore it, I couldn't push it aside. "Somehow I'm not surprised."

Mikilos noted the change in my voice and quickly pulled me to his side. "Come, granddaughter, I know you have to leave soon, but give me a few moments of your time. I'd like to get to know you a little."

As Mikilos led me away, he cut his eyes towards FaeVar. Something was going on, but jealousy had so invaded my mind, I didn't give it a second thought.

I let him lead me away without a glance backwards. When we were well out of earshot, Mikilos rounded on me with a very pissed off expression gracing his features. "Princess Irulan doesn't deserve your callous attitude. She's done our family a great service."

"What in the world are you talking about?” I knew he was talking about my small streak of jealousy, I just didn't expect him to call me on it.

"Don't play dumb, Valeria. It doesn't look good on a princess."

"Listen, I don't need you to tell me how to act with Irulan. I've known her my entire life."

"And I hers.” He grabbed me by the elbow and pulled me behind him. It’s a good thing they raised me to respect my elders I thought as I fumbled along behind him, fighting to maintain my composure. My mother would kill me if I went off on him.

We finally came to a stop well outside of the castle walls. If my nose was right, we were close to the stables.

Mikilos waved a hand, the ground beneath me began churning, twisting and groaning until a fissure appeared, and a huge rock rose from the darkness. "Sit," he said very pointedly.

"Listen, I don't have the time..."

"SIT," his voice was void of the pretense of Humanity. His powerful bass, rumbled through me like a sonic boom.

I frowned at him as I reluctantly sat down. "It's really not that serious," I mumbled.

"Valeria, before you leave for Tir Na Nog, there is something you must understand about your Irulan.” He paused and waited for me to acknowledge him.

I rolled my fingers urging him to continue. "When Princess Irulan asked for an official Sidhe ceremony, it was just as much for her benefit, as yours."

"What are you talking about?"

"How much do you know about Irulan and her family?"

"I know that she and her mother don't talk much so she left the FaeLands to live in the Human realm."

Mikilos scratched his forehead in a move reminiscent of my brother, Tam. "I see. Well, that's the short version, and she must have had her reasons for not divulging everything so I will only reveal what's pertinent."

"Will you please get to the point?” My patience was wearing thin.

"When the princess was a youngling, she fell in love with her chambermaid. The object of Irulan’s affections was half Fomori.” The pang of jealousy spiked, drawing a growl from my lips but he ignored me and kept talking.

"Her family refused to let her join with an UnSeelie. They didn't want one placed in a position to gain access to the Tuatha throne. Irulan's mother and uncle condemned the child to death."

That bomb certainly knocked the wind out of my body. It evaporated the jealousy and replaced it with shock. My hand flew to my mouth, and tears sprang into my eyes. My grandfather gingerly wiped the tears away with the back of a knuckle before he continued.

"By taking you as her mate, her wife, she could possibly face banishment from Tir Na Nog for the remainder of her existence. That's why she needed the ceremony. Oh, believe me, it was also to keep you safe. But now that she's been officially accepted by the Dark Court, she'll need not worry about being banished from Faerie all together if King Fazion presses the issue."

I didn't know what to say. "She should have told me," I murmured as I got up and slowly began walking in circles. "I would have made do with a simple wedding. We could have waited until we were back home."

"I told you these things so you would see the true depth of her love for you.” Mikilos took my hand and led me down a worn path toward the stables. "Irulan risked everything for you. You've got to make sure she does not act against the Abomination or her risk will be in vain."

"You don't have to worry about that. I'll keep her safe if it's the last thing I do," I said with my head bowed.

We walked in silence the remainder of the way. When we reached the immense stables, Irulan and FaeVar were already there. They two had their heads together like two girlfriends sharing their most private secrets as they watched the stable hands prepare Frost and Blaze.

I squeezed Mikilos' hand before I let it go to hurry to Irulan’s side. "Am I allowed in on the secret?" I asked, poking her in the side.

Irulan yelped and jumped. "Will you please not do that," she said with her face lit up in a smile.

I wrapped my arms around her and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. "Are we ready?"

Irulan briefly looked at FaeVar before she sighed. "Are you sure this is what you want to do, Val?"

I let her go and took a small step backwards. "We're not going over this again. If I don't stop him then who's next? My mother - maybe grandmother Caroline? Hum, what about Tino, Vedo, and Tam? I won’t let anything hurt my family."

Irulan grabbed my hand, brought it to her lips, and kissed the back of it. "I had to ask."

FaeVar stepped forward and pulled me into his arms. "As a princess of this court you have a full contingency of soldiers at your call. All you need do is saying the words and I can have them ready in an instant."

I threw my arms around him and laughed into his chest before pulling away. "Thank you Fa...Grandfather. You'll never know how much your acceptance, means to me. But I can’t ask your men to fight in a battle that's not theirs."

"The reasoning doesn't matter. You are a princess and your orders are to be followed."

"It matters to me."

FaeVar frowned. He wasn't very happy with my decision, but he didn't press the issue any farther. I turned to Mikilos with tears in my eyes.

Damn it, I was turning into the biggest wuss. I'd cried more since I'd been on this case then I had in the last two years, but I couldn't help it.

Once they found out the truth, FaeVar didn't hesitate claiming me, and Mikilos actions so long ago had possibly saved me from whatever plans my grandfather Kemet and Descantes had in store for me. Most importantly, he was responsible for Irulan’s presence in my life. I owed him so much.

My grandfather pulled me into his arms and kissed me on top of my head. "I've always watched after my children. I stood quietly in the shadows making sure you, your grandmother, mother, brothers, uncles and cousins were safe. Do you know what this is doing to me, allowing you to walk into the Tuatha court unprotected to face that monster?"

Mikilos’ voice cracked and I felt a drop of moisture hit my cheek. I backed out of his arms and wiped the tears from his face.

"No fair, both of us can’t be blubbering idiots. What kind of goodbye is that?"

Mikilos sadly smiled and let me go. He went to Irulan and squeezed her to his chest. "Jesob would be proud of you Irulan. You've grown into a remarkable woman. One I'm proud to call a daughter of my court."

Irulan clenched her teeth to keep the tears in her eyes from falling. We said our final goodbyes and called for Kether. The Pixie came flitting from out of nowhere and landed on Mikilos' shoulder.

"Have no worries, Monarchs. I will keep both of the princesses out of harm’s way."

Both FaeVar and Mikilos bowed to the little man, before turning and heading back towards the palace.

After we mounted our horses, Irulan reached over and took my hand. "I know what Mikilos talked with you about. I'd rather he hadn't, but now that you know, I hope you realize that if it came down to you or Tir Na Nog, I choose you, Valeria."

She let go of my hands and took her reins. "I won’t let him hurt you. If for one minute it looks like..."

I laughed and urged my steed forward, leaving her behind me. "Oh ye of little faith!” I called out to her. “Believe me, Ire. It's not going to come to that."

I felt her doubt racing through her, but she put on a brave face for me anyway.

I had to be strong enough. There wasn't any other option. I had to take down Tristan by myself, because I didn't want Irulan to give up her home for me. Tir Na Nog meant too much to her.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

We rode hard for the remainder of the night, keeping to the forest, and avoiding the numerous small villages that we came across. For the most part, we rode in silence with the exception of Kether's input here and there, directing us where and when to turn. By the time the sun was high in the sky, I was tired of riding and desperately in need of cover from the daylight.

Irulan brought Frost to a stop a few moments later. We were in a small clearing, nestled in a group of trees. As I looked around, I saw the faint glow of lights through the trees, and wondered where it was coming from. "We're right outside of Storm’s Keep, about half hour’s ride away. The palace is in the center of the town that's why the city is larger than the others," said Irulan unexpectedly. "And why you can see the lights, even from this distance."

"What in the..." I began, but she cut me off.

"I can hear your thoughts as easily as I draw breath.” She slid off her horse and looked up at me. "That's why we're camping on the outskirts until tonight," she said, as she pulled a thick, bound roll from the horses pack. "I've been able to slip inside your mind for a few seconds at a time since you first took blood from me. But this...” She paused to collect her thoughts and consider her words as she spread the heavy material out. "Since we mated, I've have a constant connection, and as much as I love you, Valeria, it's quite unnerving."

I slid off Blaze, walked over to her and took both of her hands in mine. "You should have told me sooner," I said as I brought her hands up and kissed each one. "You need to learn how to shield, baby, that's all."

She brushed a stray hair out of her face and nodded. "I need to be perfect at it by morning,” she said quickly.

OK, she didn't have unrealistic expectations at all. "Baby, I'm not sure if..."

"I don't care how impossible you think it is,” she huffed. "It's got to happen and before we reach the palace.” I was just about to ask why, but she started talking again. "When I go home with you at my side, there's going to be a million and one questions. If they ask me anything about you, I won't be able to lie. It's going to be hard enough evading their questions without lying. I don't need a direct line to your thoughts."

OK, that made sense, but it still didn't make the current task any easier to accomplish. In addition, the thought of me teaching anybody anything was daunting. I didn't see myself as the teacher type, but. I guess there's a first time for everything.

Irulan smiled as she passed a hand over the heavy cloth. It began to stretch and rise from the ground, filling out and proving to be not a bedroll, but a tent. "Don't worry, baby, you'll be a great teacher, especially if you have the right motivation.” She passed a hand over her jacket, it and the shirt beneath vanished into thin air, leaving her in a red lace bra, her hip hugger jeans, and boots. With a mischievous smile on her face, she sauntered inside the tent. "The faster I get shielding down, the faster you get me out of the rest of my clothes."

I spent half the morning teaching Irulan how to shield her mind, and the other half, collecting my reward for being such a wonderful teacher. By the time nightfall came, I hadn't gotten any sleep, but it didn't matter much. I was too wired to sleep anyway.

I crept out of the tent before the moon was high in the sky, careful not to wake Irulan. Frost and Blaze, both keeping watch over our campsite, came over and nuzzled my hair. "Hey, fellas, everything good on the home front?"

The pair looked at me, nodded, and then trotted off into the woods. I followed them along an overgrown path through the trees and came to a small stream. It was a good place to try out my newly combined strength, and maybe experiment with some of my new abilities while I was alone. I flexed my muscles, stepped up to a tree, and unleashed a roundhouse kick against the trunk. Part of the tree exploded into millions of splinters before the rest came crashing towards the ground. I easily caught it before it hit and eased it to the ground.

My heart jumped into my chest, and my shoulders froze as I looked around me expecting an army of angry Pixies to descend upon me at any moment. I don’t know what I was expecting when I kicked the tree, but the explosion of wood was not it. I didn’t even put that much force into the kick. Maybe I should switch gears before I inadvertently caused some real trouble.

My next target was a car-sized boulder on the other side of the stream. FaeVar said telekinesis was an inherent ability that all members of his family shared. I really wanted to see how to use this new ability. Focusing on the boulder, I envisioned it floating in the air and then threw all of that thought at the rock. Nothing. I didn't even get it an inch off the ground. OK, different approach, maybe I needed to direct it.

This time, I imagined the rock lifting off the ground and held out my hand, as if I were helping it up off the ground. Still nothing. I was getting thoroughly frustrated when I felt Irulan behind me.

She walked up to my back and wrapped her arms around my waist. "You're trying too hard. If you walked over and tried to pick it up, would you have to put this much thought into it?" I shook my head no and kicked a stray rock into the water. "Alright then," she said as she took a few steps away from me. "Don't think about it, just do it."

Just like that. Just reach out and pick the thing up. She made it sound so easy. I looked up, and I'll be damned if the boulder weren't floating five feet off the ground. "If I hear 'I told you so' even one time," I said. Eager to cut her off before the gloating started. I released the huge stone and turned towards Irulan with a smile on my face. "What else can I do?"

Irulan gave the question some thought before answering, "To be honest, I'm not sure what the limits to your powers are. You're something entirely new, Val."

"Well, that's good to know," I said sarcastically. "It's nice to know that, in a world of monsters, my family’s the freak." I turned towards the boulder and in a fit of frustration, absentmindedly swung my hand towards it. To both my and Irulan's surprise, a black bolt of energy shot out from my hand to blow the boulder into a cloud of dust.

"Well," said Irulan, "it's not exactly the lightning that the Light Courts can call to arm, but it's definitely effective."

I felt the power coursing through me, and turned towards more boulders. I practiced with varying levels of energy and was soon confident that I could control the blast. "Yes, it's effective," I whispered, more so to myself than Irulan. "But will it be enough?"

Irulan signed and shook her head, "In the words of Paul Autredies, 'Fear is the mind killer'. Against my better judgment, I agreed to let you go after Tristan once you were OK. It's too late to start having second thoughts."

"Let me!" I snarled, and backed away from her. "I don't have to ask your permission to do anything.” The look of shock on her face egged me on, and a sneer darkened my face. "It's too early in our relationship to start acting like a ball and chain, don't you think?"

Irulan threw up her hands, turned and stalked off through the woods, heading back in the direction that she came from. "If you want to push me away because you're scared, then fine," she called back. "But I won't stand here and let you twist the meaning of my words around."

Damnit! Open mouth, insert foot. Again. I didn't mean to lash out at Irulan. It was much harder to get a hold on my senses than I thought it would be. I pounded my fist against my hands and took off after her. "Ire, wait a minute," I called. "I didn't mean it. I'm sorry.” I flashed to the tent and burst inside hoping to plead my case, but Irulan wasn't there.

Kether flitted inside and hovered in front of my face. "Silly little Darkling, must you feed from your mate? Did the Dark King teach you no manners at all?"

"What I do with Irulan is none of your concern, Pixie, but if you must know, I haven't gone near her this morning, so how can I have fed from her?

Kether was one bold little Pixie, I'll give him that. He zipped forward and thumped me in the nose with enough energy to give me a decent shock. "Such beauty, a shame it didn't come with a brain.” I growled and swatted at him, but he darted out of the way. "You're not just Vampire any longer, so you must not think like one. You are just as much Fomori as you are Vampire now, and you can feed like either one."

For all his babbling, I still had no idea what the irritating little man was talking about. I guess from the look of confusion I was wearing he guessed as much, because he slumped against my shoulder and patted me sympathetically. "I see it's the Dark King that is lacking in the brains department. My apologies, Princess," he said.

I picked him up by the collar of his jacket and placed him in my palm. "What in the world are you talking about, Kether, and where is Irulan?” I was so frustrated. I felt like I was going to blow.

"Don't let your emotions get the better of you, Princess," exclaimed Kether. "I'm only so big. I wouldn't survive if you fed from me.” He held up a tiny finger and shushed me. "I'm about to explain if you will allow," he said. "But first…” Kether put a little space between the two of us. "Nothing personal." he said. "Now, you are of the Dark Court, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The Dark Court welcomes the misfits that the Light shuns, so because of that, there are many falsehoods that people believe to be true."

Kether looked around the tent, flew over to a bedroll and sat down, then motioned for me to do the same. "No thanks, I'll stand," I said, "Now, where's Irulan?"

"In due time, Princess," he said. "First, you must understand your nature, so you won't repeat the problem. Now, to shorten a long story, you are able to feed off strong emotions. The more you feed, the stronger your own emotions get, and, for the person you feed from, a cold and hollow sadness settles into their heart. This is what you did to your mate."

Kether's revelation appalled me. Yet my shorter than usual temper made sense now, and it had been that way since I'd arrived in the FaeLands. Apparently, my emotions must have taken a nosedive into more agreeable climates because Kether came and patted me on the cheek.

"The Dark Court thrives on the emotions that the Light Court deems unfit for civilized people," said Kether sympathetically. "You couldn't help yourself, so don't beat yourself up about it. Now that you know, you can work to control it."

"I can't believe Fae...Grandfather, didn't tell me," I said as my mind raced to come up with an acceptable reason why he failed to mention that little tidbit of information to me.

Kether shrugged his shoulders and frowned. "Not to take up for the old fool, but I can think of many reasons.” He began taping fingers as he listed them, most of which I must admit, were very plausible. "And the last one," he said. "The last is the most important. You're a Fomori Princess, about to walk into the court of the Tuatha De Danann, unattended save for a princess who, because she is your mate, could soon be outcast. You have no control over when you feed, so I'm assuming he'd rather you stay open, so to speak, so that you'd have another source of power, than closed and potentially not know how to open if you need to.” He looked at me sideways and scratched his head. "Am I making sense, Princess?" he asked.

Surprisingly enough, he made perfect sense. "Yes, Kether," I replied. "You're making perfect sense. Now will you please tell me where Irulan is?"

Kether bowed slightly. "As you wish, Highness," he said with a flourish. I tapped my foot and waited for him to spill it, but he never said a single word. Instead, he flew over to a corner and showered it with Pixie dust. Irulan became visible right before my eyes.

I couldn't believe it. She'd been here the entire time and didn't say a single word. I didn't hear, or scent her, which would have been near impossible even before my senses got a significant boost from my Sidhe heritage.

My first instinct was to get mad and rant and rave, but I ate crow, swallowed my anger, and held my arms open for Irulan. She looked at me as if she wasn't impressed and didn’t move and inch. "Please, baby," I pleaded and took a step closer.

Irulan looked past me to Kether and folded her hands over her chest. "I'm 'baby' now, Kether," she said with contempt in her voice. "But the last time we spoke I was the 'ball and chain'."

"OK, I deserve that," I muttered and took another hesitant step closer. "I deserve that and so much more.” I took another step and reached out to take her hand, but she slipped out of my grasp. "Please, Ire, you heard everything we talked about. Now I'm not using that as an excuse, but please cut me some slack."

I reached out for her hand again and held my breath, waiting to see if she'd take it. Ordinarily I was the last person you'd catch begging for something, but if she didn't come to me, I'd be more than willing to drop to my knees.

I was seconds from doing just that, when she reached out and took my hand, and in a move reminiscent of my mother, she reached out, quicker than I could follow, and slapped me on the back of the head. "If you ever in your lifetime refer to me as a 'ball and chain' again, you'll get more than the silent treatment for a few minutes."

I smiled and pulled her into my arms. "Whatever you say, baby," I said, right before I leaned forward and planted one on her. I intended to give her a thorough, but brief kiss, but it didn't work out that way. She bit my bottom lip when I tried to pull away, and drew me right back to her. Her tongue ran across my lips then pushed through to stroke my tongue.

I moaned into her mouth and ran my hands under her shirt to loosen her bra when I heard a nagging buzz going off in my ear. I swatted at the noise and pulled Irulan closer, only to have the buzzing return. Except this time, the buzzing sounded an awful lot like Kether, an angry Kether.

I pulled away from Irulan and turned around to find him inches from my nose. "This is unacceptable," he snapped, as he turned a deep shade of red. "You are both Princesses of Faerie. To behave in such a manner outside of the confines of a secure bedchamber is totally unacceptable."

I looked back at Irulan, and it took all of two seconds for both of us to burst out laughing. Kether's head looked as if it were going to explode at any minute. I stifled another giggle and took a huge step away from Irulan with both hands in the air. Kether harrumphed and zipped over to each of us and gave us both one of those electric punches.

I had to bite the inside of my mouth to keep from laughing again. Kether pointed at me with an accusing finger, "From you, this is no surprise.” He shook his finger in Irulan’s direction. "But from you..." he shook his head in one final condemnation and promptly flew out of the tent.

I turned back to Irulan and shrugged my shoulders, "I have to say, my time in the FaeLands has been anything but boring."

Irulan laughed so hard I thought she was going to pass out from lack of oxygen. "I know," she managed to say in between laughs. "Where else are you going to get reprimanded by a two inch Pixie for making out with your wife?"

I could feel the smile creep up the edges of my face and lock in place. I was grinning so damn hard I must have looked like the Joker's kid sister. I couldn't help it. Hell, I didn't want to. It felt good to hear her call herself my wife. I hoisted her up by the waist and spun her around in a fast circle. Irulan grabbed me around the neck and squealed. "Say it again.” I managed to get in, in between her fits of laughter. I eased her to her feet and ran my hands into her soft mane. "Say it again, Ire."

Irulan kissed me and pulled away to giggle again. "What in the world are you talking about, Val?"

I laid three quick kisses on her and let my hands fall to her waist. "Wife," I said softer than a whisper. "Call yourself my wife again."

Irulan's mood turned somber like the flip of a switch. "It sounds too good to be true, Valeria. This...us. We happened so fast."

"Don't do this.” I didn't want to hear her worries and uncertainties. I had enough of my own, but no matter what doubts I had, I was sure of us. Of what we already were to each other, and of what we would grow into. "It's too late to be getting cold feet, Ire. The wedding's over."

I dropped my shields and felt the sum of Irulan's growing anxieties. The mounting tightness that was growing in her chest as each minute passed. "You're worried about what your family will think when they find out we're mated."

Irulan nodded and pulled away from me. "I know I act like it doesn't bother me what they think but..."

"Fazion and Francesca," I said, and she smiled even as she locked her mind down tight.

"My cousins are the brother and sister of my heart.” She placed a hand over her heart, and her eyes got a faraway look in them as she talked. "I may not agree with the direction Fazion has taken the monarchy, but there's no one in the FaeLands I'm closer to."

"If they love you as half as much as you love them, then they'll only care about whether or not you're happy.” I took her hand in mine and led her out of the tent. Frost and Blaze were waiting outside. They looked at me with an eagerness to get going in their eyes. "Come on." I nudged her with my shoulder and pointed to the tent, as I waved my hands through the air. "Do your hocus pocus and let’s get this show on the road, baby. We might as well get this over with, so you can see you didn't have anything to worry about."

Just two days ago, Irulan said almost the same thing to me as I spazed over what my parents would think about our relationship. Looks as if we'd come full circle. It's funny, Irulan had been comfortable in her skin for so long that I never thought she'd be the one to have insecurities about us as a couple.

"It's not the fact that you're a woman that has me worried.” She packed the tent roll into Frost's saddlebag and thumped me on the nose. "It's the fact that you're Fomori. How many times do I have to tell you that?" Irulan had become such an integral part of me over the last few weeks, that my natural instinct to shield was becoming lax. Her shields didn't have to be down to read me. I was projecting like a damn movie. I went on lockdown as I walked over to Blaze.

"I'm a Trumaine first," I said, echoing my father parting words. "That's the part of me they need to worry about.” As we mounted our horses, I looked at her and frowned. Tristan aside, our little excursion to the Tuatha court had the potential to go very badly. If anyone caused Irulan to shed so much as one tear, I didn’t think I would be able to control my reaction. As if I needed any more worries. "If they hurt you, I can’t make any promises, Irulan. Please don't hold it against me if I end up slapping them around a little."

"Yeah, OK, Val," she said sarcastically with the touch of a grin on her face. With my shields firmly in place, Irulan had no idea that I was dead serious. I didn't say a thing to make her believe otherwise. It was best that way.

A shrill whistle from Irulan and we were off. As we rode, Irulan did her quick-change mojo. She transformed her jeans and shirt into a crimson silk, wide-legged pants suit. Complete with an ankle length duster that trailed behind her in the wind, like a regal cape. "So, when are you gonna teach me that trick?" I called out.

Irulan tsked and urged Frost to run faster. "This is Fae magic, Valeria, accomplished by manipulating the ether surrounding Faerie. A huge step up from the abilities we're born with. You've got to walk before you can fly, baby. Right now, you've just managed to crawl."

So much for a vote of confidence. We rode through the forest until I could see a paved road between the trees. I was about to lead Blaze out into the open when Irulan called for me to stop. "Wait," she said and waved a hand in front of me. "You're royalty. You need to look the part."

I was almost too scared to look down. If she had me decked out in some frilly froufrou dress and tiara, I was going to flip my lid. "It's OK, Val, you're gonna like it.” I took a deep breath and looked down at my clothes. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised. For the most part, she didn't stray far from what I like to wear when I'm on a hunt. I was in black leather - a motocross-type suit that had a thick, golden band with a purple one inside it crisscrossing my stomach to break-up the black of the jacket. The same band ran down either pants leg.

I held up both hands to admire the leather gloves. On the back of each glove was the same family crest that had been enough proof to give FaeVar a reason to save my life.

"There's also a scabbard for Bas that bears the same crest,” Irulan said, with just a note of smugness.

I pulled Bas from the holster in the saddle and smiled. As I reached back and slid one grandfather's sword into the scabbard bearing the mark of another grandfather, I saw the significance of the act. The two were a perfect fit, just like the joining of my two distinct natures. We were ready.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The ride into Storm's Keep wasn't what I was expecting. To start with, the houses we passed were nothing like the houses in the smaller villages I'd seen since arriving. These houses looked like any cottage I'd find on my side of the divide. "What gives?" I asked Irulan as we passed more and more of the updated houses.

Irulan looked around with a dissatisfied frown and urged Frost to pick up his pace. "My cousin's doing.” She said it as if the words put a bad taste in her mouth. "When Fazion took the throne, he decided he wanted Storm’s Keep to become a model of the future for the Fae. But instead of forging a path of our own, he looked at Tir Nam Beo and decided that we needed to follow in their footsteps."

We rode past the grouping of cottages and found ourselves on a street lined with shops and what I thought must be apartment buildings. "Are you shitting me?” I asked as I looked over at a shop that appeared to be the Fae version of Starbucks. I focused my eyes through the window and saw a familiar coffee house setup. I smiled to myself until I noticed the shopkeeper frowning at me from behind the counter.

She looked at me with pure disdain and hurried to the front of the shop to lower a curtain to block my view. "Well I'll be damned.” I turned to look at a nearby bookstore and received the same treatment. In shop after shop, business after business it was the same, first dirty looks, then curtains were drawn. . Some people even went so far as to lock their doors and place 'closed' signs in the windows.

Irulan sighed and patted Frost on the side of his neck. The negative vibes the townies were throwing in our direction visibly agitated the horse. "I told you what to expect, Val. Being the Light Court doesn't make these high and mighty Tuathas better that your grandfather's Fomori. It just makes them hypocrites."

We rode out of the shopping district of Storm’s Keep and into what appeared to be an upscale, suburban neighborhood. I looked at some of the immense houses and saw that a few of them reminded me of my own parents’ house minus the acreage. "Nice houses, but I don't think I'd want all that house five feet up someone else's ass."

Irulan looked over at me and smiled. "The homes are just a façade Val. Most of the living quarters are underneath in Faerie mounds. Believe me, they've got plenty of space."

We rode through the sub-division and came to a fork in the road. In one direction, there was a wide, two-lane road. In the other, a narrow, overgrown path that was no better than a walkway. "Please tell me we don't have to go traipsing through these weeds and thorns."

Irulan shrugged her shoulders. "Fine," she said as she directed Frost onto the footpath. "I won’t tell you. Just make sure you stay directly behind me."

I pulled Blaze's reins, and he headed into the brush behind Irulan and Frost. It was slow going through the vegetation, but after fifteen minutes, Irulan brought her horse to a stop.

Thick, gnarled, thorny vines covered the ground. The wicked looking vines were so dense that I couldn't see the ground beneath. "Do you think maybe you could have stopped us somewhere a little more foot friendly?”

Irulan shot me a look of total annoyance as she moved to dismount her steed. I started to follow her, but she held up a hand to stop me. "Don't. Stay on Blaze until I tell you it's OK."

I took another look at the vines and saw that they were actually moving as if they were more than just plants. The vines twisted and undulated, as they seemed to stretch towards Irulan.

"Exactly what are these things, Irulan?" I asked as I drew my legs up farther away from the ground. For the moment, they didn't seem interested in me, but I didn't want to take any chances.

"It's Witches' Weed, Valeria."

"That's a name. It doesn't tell me what it is."

"What does it look like, smart ass? It's a vine, a very deadly vine. You wouldn't live over a day if one of those thorns pierced your skin."

My unease spiked, and I leaned forward in the saddle looking at Irulan as if she'd lost her mind. "If it's so damn deadly then why are you standing in the middle of it like you don't have a care in the world?"

"Witches’ Weed is deadly to everyone but the person that cultivated it. You see, witches used it in olden days as a security system of sorts. If a witch wanted something protected, they'd hide it and cover the entrance with Witches’ Weed."

"Let me guess. You planted all this lovely foliage that we're ass deep in."

Irulan poked her tongue out at me as she reached down and thrust her hand into the mess of vines. "You guessed right."

"So, what are you trying to keep safe?"

I felt the unmistakable shimmer of magic and Irulan straightened up with a smile on her face. The carpet of vines slowly receded into the earth revealing an old wooden door laid into the ground.

"My back door into the royal mound.” Irulan released a small burst of energy and the door evaporated. I watched as she slowly descended into the earth before stopping to look back at me.

"Well, are you coming, or what?"

I dismounted from Blaze and followed Irulan into the ground. As I descended a set of earthen stairs, I was surprised at what I found. Instead of the cold dampness that I was expecting, I found myself in a wide stone hallway. There were torches of green fire lining walls covered in mosaics.

I walked over to a wall and ran a hand across the intricate pattern of a man's bearded face. "These are amazing, Irulan. I've never seen anything quite like it."

Irulan reached past me and laid her hand over mine, pressing it into the wall. "Hi, Daddy," she said. "It's me. I know it's been awhile since I talked to you but I haven't been in the tunnels in decades. I want you to meet Valeria. She's someone special, and I'm sure you'd love her. She's my wife, Daddy."

She pulled away and moved farther down the corridor before I could question her. I spared one look back at Jesob's likeness before I followed her. She talked about her father even less than she did her mother, but the tone she used when she talked to his picture was void of the venom she reserved for Fredonia.

As much as I wanted to question her, I left it alone. It was a conversation for another time and place. "How far do we have to go before we reach the throne room?"

"That's a hard question to answer," Irulan said. "Remember when I said the door to Faerie changes according to need? Well, it's the same thing here in the mound. It anticipates and changes accordingly."

"Well that seems easy enough. Why don't we just stand still and wish for a door?"

Irulan frowned and took my hand as she stood up straighter and dropped her glamour. "It's not quite that easy, Valeria," she said in a rushed whisper. "Stand directly by my side and don't say a word."

I didn't have time to ask her what was going on. The wall beside us began to groan as the stone parted. When the opening was big enough, a single Tuatha male came through and cut off our path.

In spite of the nervousness, I felt coming off her, Irulan smiled. She let my hand go to hurry to his side. The intruding male frowned at me before turning his attention to her. The moment he laid his eyes on her, they lit up with familiarity and a broad smile erupted on his face.

"Fazion!" Irulan cried as she flung herself into his outstretched arms.

"Sister," he laughed, as he spun her around in a circle. He eased her to the ground and pulled her to his side. "It's been too long since I laid eyes on you, Irulan."

Irulan looked slightly embarrassed. "It's been less than ten months since I was here, Fazion."

"I don't care," he said in a voice that sounded straight out of the Tudors. "I'll never become accustomed to you living in Tir Nam Beo. I miss not seeing you every day. I have no one to chase girls with me, and Francesca's head is so far up her husband’s ass that she barely gets to spend more than two hours a day with me."

Irulan poked him in the side and laughed. "You are a grown man and the King of the Tuatha De Danann. One would think you could survive without us by now."

The family reunion was touching, and I hated to be rude, but I had places to go and people to see. Over five minutes had passed before I cleared my throat hoping to gain their attention. Caught up in their conversation, Irulan didn't hear me, but Fazion did, loud and clear.

I'll be damned if the obnoxious jerk didn't angle his body, so that both he and Irulan's backs were turned to me. To top it off, he looked back at me and curled his lip as if he was knee deep in cow manure and the smell was about to make him heave. I closed the distance between us, grabbed him by the shoulder, and spun him around. "Hold up, asshole!"

Irulan's face lit up with shock and anger. Good, she was about to let her tool of a cousin have it. To my utter amazement, she tightened her arm around Fazion's waist and scowled at me.

"Val, what in the hell is wrong with you? Do you not realize you just broke about fifteen rules of etiquette? Fazion's guards could lock you up for what you just did."

I couldn't believe my ears. This S.O.B was egging me on, and I'm the one chewed out for it? "Are you serious?" I demanded as I pointed an accusing finger in his direction. "He deliberately turned you away from me, so you couldn't see I was trying to get your attention, and then he looked at me as if I were a leper or something worse. He had it coming."

Through the years, I never had any reason to doubt Irulan's willingness to stand up for me, until now. She looked between her cousin and me and didn't say a single word in my defense. I was angry, but most of all, I was hurt.

Fazion looked down his nose at me and sneered. "You need to remember your place, Fomori dog.” He turned around and began leading Irulan down the hall away from me. "Honestly, Irulan," he said. "I would have thought you would have learned your lesson by now. You need to find different stock to pick your chambermaids from."

This jerk actually thought I was the hired help. Fazion's statement swept the hurt of Irulan's silence away. She might not be willing to stand up to him for us, but I was damn sure going to stand up for myself.

I felt something inside of me snap as I strode forward and gripped Fazion's arm. This time when I spun him around, his eyes widened in disbelief. For the briefest of moments, I saw my reflection in his eyes. My face had shifted, but that wasn't news to me. What did catch me off guard was the glowing tiara that sat atop my head. The blue of my eyes had also bled out and entirely filled my eyes again, but this time they swirled with thunderstorm-like clouds.

I growled as I pulled him out of Irulan's arm and hoisted him into the air by his throat.

"I don't give a damn who you are. You have no idea who you're dealing with. I will kick your ass up one side of Faerie and down the other. Then I'll let my brothers come and kick your ass, then my father, and then both of my grandfathers. I'm sure they'd love an excuse to bring their guards and beat down your door."

I shook him once more for good measure before tossing him to the ground. This time I looked down my nose at him. "And furthermore, not only am I a member of the Fourth and Fifth great Vampire houses, I'm a Princess. I will not be spoken to with disrespect!"

Irulan reached to take my hand, but I batted it away from her. "Don't! You should have taken my hand five minutes ago. It's too late now. Just show me where I need to go so I can end this, and then, I will be more than happy to go home. I've had enough of this god-awful place to last me a lifetime."

I took off down the hall without waiting for her. In the back of my head, I heard Kether admonishing Irulan, but I was too riled up to pay them any attention. The need to get away from her was winning over the need to find Tristan. At this moment, I couldn't have cared less.

I kept going, ignoring Irulan's pleas for me to stop and Fazion's incessant drivel about her not following after something so beneath her. I didn't even notice the fact that Kether had come to sit on my shoulder until I heard his shrill scream for me to stop.

"They're coming, Princess, do you hear me? You've got to stop NOW!!” He was hovering in front of me waving his arms back and forth when I looked up.

I stopped, refusing to look back at Irulan for even a second. "Who, Kether? Who's coming? Tristan?"

I felt my hands shift, and the door inside me keeping in check my newfound powers opened wide. I heard Fazion gasp behind me, but I continued to ignore him and Irulan.

"No, Princess, don't show your hand yet," barked Kether. "You have to control yourself. The King's Manticores are coming to intercept you.” He looked back at Irulan and shook his head with disappointment.

"I understand your fears, Highness," he said to her. "But your continued silence is not recommended. The Manticores will alert the Abomination to Valeria's presence, and she can't have that. She needs the element of surprise."

I saw the pain of internal conflict mar every inch of Irulan's face, but for the life of me, I couldn't bring myself to sympathize with her. As I struggled to gain control of my emotions, I dropped my shields enough to let Irulan feel the hurt that was coursing through me.

She flinched as my emotions bombarded her. I know I shouldn't have done it. Irulan was so new at being able to tap into another person's thoughts that it had to hurt, but part of me wanted her to hurt just as much as my heart did.

Kether looked towards the empty hall before us and buzzed over to her face. "You must make a decision, Nightingale, before it is made for you."

No sooner had Irulan taken a step in my direction than Fazion jerked her back behind him. "I will not see you cower to vermin!” He yelled right before the air around me became too thick to breathe. My hands flew to my throat as I dropped to my knees struggling to draw air into my lungs. OK, lack of oxygen was one way to take me out quickly. You can't fight if you can’t breathe.

I felt my features shift to normal as I became lightheaded from the lack of oxygen. Irulan shrieked and tried to come to me, but Fazion refused to let her go. "NO! You will let this happen! It is not a request, but an order from your King!"

A part of me heard Kether's cries, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. I was well on my way to la-la land if something didn't give. I was just about to slide into oblivion when a rush of air filled my chest.

I fell forward onto my arms, my chest rapidly heaving in and out trying to make up for the moments of suffocation.

"Stop the Manticores, Fazion," Irulan said as she gripped my shoulders and pulled me to my feet. I looked down and saw Fazion sprawled across the ground. About damn time. I was too dizzy to be mad at her. I just stood there and listened as Fazion balked.

"I don't believe this. You would turn against your family for that thing?"

"No," said Irulan, "I'm not turning against my family. I'm protecting one member of it from another."

"What in the goddess are you talking about?” Fazion asked as he picked himself up off the floor.

Irulan answered his question by reaching down and threading her fingers through mine. When she held our hands up, the blowing ribbons of the bonding were dancing around our hands.

"What have you done?" Fazion whispered as he backed away from us.

"What does it look like? Aren't you going to congratulate me, cousin? I'm married now.” Irulan took a small step in Fazion’s direction and pulled me with her.

Fazion looked completely mortified. "You can't, this is not possible. You're next in line for the throne."

"I can and I did, Fazion."

"Well, bonds were made to be broken," he countered. "You live in Tir Nam Beo, aren't they quite fond of divorce there? You have to fix this before your mother finds out."

Irulan scowled. "One, I couldn't care less what my mother thinks. Two, you can't undo a Vampire mating."

She drew her lips back and showed Fazion her small fangs. His face became blank and unreadable as he stared at her.

"I should have done this from the start, but I was too much of a coward.” She turned to me and cupped my chin in her hand. "Please forgive me, Valeria. I am sorry, very sorry. It's as if my brain froze for a minute."

"It did more than freeze," I said. "I understand your fear of losing your family, but you can't shut down on me like that again. Not here, when so much is at stake."

Kether flitted over, waving his hand and pointing behind us. "The King's guards are almost here. You can't be seen, Princess."

Irulan walked over to Fazion and took his hand. "I know how you were raised to feel about the Dark Court, but Uncle Kent was wrong. Valeria is my wife, and nothing you can do will change that. An attack against her will bring war to the courts. I'm asking you, as your cousin, as your sister. Please call off the Manticores."

Fazion looked at me with disgust in his eyes.

"You know what, Irulan, fuck him. Let his guards come, and I'll destroy them just like I did my grandfather's Chimeras."

Fazion looked back and forth between Irulan, Kether, and me before the color drained from his face. "Wait a minute," he said, as his brain scrambled to put two and two together.

"Fourth and Fifth Vampire houses...Princess...grandfather’s guards...Chimera's...war to the courts.” He looked at Irulan with pure, undiluted terror plastered across his face. "Please tell me she isn't the granddaughter of Mikilos and FaeVar."

"Are you being obtuse intentionally? That's exactly what she's saying!" I looked at Irulan and smirked. "He's not too bright, is he?"

Irulan shrugged her shoulders and looked at Fazion. He rubbed a hand down his face and I swear it looked like the weight of the world came crashing down on him.

"You're here for Tristan Meriwether, aren't you? Of course you are.” He looked past us before motioning for Kether.

"Here, Pixie," he said as he pointed to me. "Hide my cousin's wife and I'll get rid of my guards."

Kether nodded and motioned towards the wall. "Up against the wall, stand as still as possible, and don't make a sound."

I did as he asked and he flew over and stood on my head. I saw the shower of Pixie dust as it covered me but I didn't feel one bit different. I was beginning to doubt Pixie dust's effectiveness when it came to Vampires, but just as I opened my mouth to speak, the hall began to shake with the steady cadence of heavy footsteps.

A group of eight armed guards came marching up the hall and walked up to Fazion. The leader stepped forward and bowed at the waist before dropping to one knee.

"Forgive the intrusion, Highness. We felt a breach of the mound and began searching for intruders. We had no idea Princess Irulan had returned."

Fazion frowned and looked to where I was standing before addressing his soldier. "No need for apologies, Stryfe. You were only doing your duty."

He clasped the guard on the shoulder, turned him away from me, and began leading him back in the direction from which he came. "As you can see, my sister is home earlier than usual. I have much to discuss with Princess Irulan. Please see to it that our guest does not disturb us for the next hour."

The guard nodded and bowed before motioning to his troops to follow him. Once they were a safe distance away, Kether doused me in another cloud of Pixie dust.

Fazion motioned for us to follow him as he turned down a narrower passageway.

"Come with me, we don't have that much time."

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

We followed Fazion to a small room, situated on what looked to be a rarely used hallway. Once we were safely inside, he spelled the door and leaned against it as if the act drained him of any energy he had left.

"I can’t be too sure in these times. Tristan has won the loyalty of many members of my court, and there's little I can do about it."

Irulan frowned and stepped farther into the room. "What is he doing here Fazion? Why in the world would you grant him asylum?"

Fazion laughed weakly as he walked over to a chair to sit down. He motioned for us to do the same as he began talking.

"Do you think I had a choice in the matter, Irulan? My father damned me when he began dealings with that accursed Djin."

More Djin, or I should say the same one. I'd stake my life that Descantes was the Djin behind everything that was going on. "Why does that not surprise me?"

Fazion looked between us with a slight frown. "What are you talking about?"

"My great-grandfather Kemet Trumaine also made a deal with a Djin over a thousand years ago."

"Of course he did. That's why you're here. You've been manipulated your entire life, and now that the wool has been removed from your eyes, you're out for vengeance."

"It's not that cut and dry. Tristan has committed horrible crimes back home. It's my job to see that he's brought to justice."

Fazion leaned back in his chair and clasped his fingers in front of his face. "How much do you know about Tristan and his plans?"

Irulan leaned forward and rested her elbows against her knees. "We know he's trying to become the Vessel of the Founders’ powers and he has almost everything he needs."

Fazion looked surprised. "Very well, cousin. Do you know why he wants to become the Vessel?"

"He wants me," I said.

"Well, in a way yes," said Fazion. "Now, can you tell me why he wants you?"

"Because of my bloodlines."

"Yes," Fazion answered. "That's a part of the reason, but not the whole story."

I shot Irulan a quick glance before looking back to Fazion. "Can you please stop answering our questions with more questions?"

He looked at Irulan. "Impatient one, your mate."

"Just cut the crap, Fazion, and answer her," Irulan countered.

"Alright then. You know the Djin is a dying race. They have been for thousands of years because they refused to take companions outside of their species. No other species was worthy of their power."

"Almost no others," said Irulan, cutting him off. "We've found one race that is directly descended from the Djin."

Fazion looked surprised. "Interesting, I didn't know that.” He waved his hand and continued.

"What was I saying...Yes, one Djin who had been given his freedom, took it upon himself to solve the problem of extinction for his people.” Fazion looked at me and laughed as he talked. “He’s growing his own companion. One he feels will be powerful enough to be the mother of a new race of Djin. A race of Djin free from the bonds of servitude, able to exist with total free will."

I felt as if I were going to be sick as Fazion kept explaining.

"You are the result of his picking and pairing, Valeria. And Tristan, once he becomes the Vessel, will be strong enough to claim you. The Djin wants the first female child from your union as his bride. A child born of the new species of Vampire and the Vessel of the Founders' powers."

Mikilos was right. My world shifted on its axis. I didn't know how I was supposed to feel. Scared, angry, hurt, I just didn't know. Right now, all I felt was numb.

Irulan began asking the questions I was too shocked to voice.

"Why Tristan? There's nothing special about him."

"Because, only a vampire can acquire powers from blood. Tristan was not only a spoiled brat, but he was also already half mad. Loosing Valeria was the last blow for his father. He planned to disinherit the lad, and Tristan knew it. He had to get her back at any cost. Even make a deal with a devil."

Irulan laughed. "Get her back? That's not going to happen anytime soon. Why did he come here, Fazion? What deal did Kent make with him?"

"I'm surprised you haven’t already figured that out? It was what cost you your father."

I heard Irulan’s heart skip a beat. "What are you talking about? Demons killed my father. He was protecting Uncle Kent when he foolishly tried a spell from an ancient tome."

"I'm sure it would look like that to a child, but believe me, it was a Djin that took Uncle Jesob."

Irulan didn't know what to say. Fazion sighed and took Irulan’s hand.

"My father was fooling with powers that were beyond him. When the Djin appeared, he was going to take father as punishment and destroy the Tuatha for the arrogance of their prince, but Uncle Jesob petitioned to go in his place. He was always protecting his brother."

Tears began sliding down Irulan’s face as Fazion continued talking. "But Jesob's sacrifice wasn't enough. As thanks for sparing the Tuatha, the Djin required a child from the royal line as a mate for another Vessel of his choosing."

Fazion looked broken as he talked. "Your father saved you that day, Irulan. His only requirement was that you were not part of the deal. You're free. Francesca and I, on the other hand, are bound to perform, as he demands. Our children and their children's children are bound to him until he gets what he wants."

He stood up and walked over to the door. "That is why Tristan came to me. I had no choice, just as I don't have a choice now."

Fazion grabbed both sides of his head and squeezed it as if he were in terrible pain. When he looked at us, his eyes were completely bloodshot.

Irulan gasped and hurried to his side. "Fight it Fazion, you're stronger than that."

"I'm so sorry," he moaned. "I'm surprised I lasted this long. “ I don't have a choice," he groaned as he jerked the door open and ran into the hall. "I'm vowed to protect him," he said. "I pray you destroy him," he whispered before powering up.

That’s when it hit me. Irulan had said she got headaches when she tried to go against Mikilos' vow.

Just as I realized he was about to rat us out, Fazion began shouting…

."Manticores! To me, my Manticores! I have found the intruder you seek!"

Well, I'll be damned, so much for the element of surprise!

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

I didn't bother putting up a fight. Fazion and his guards weren't my enemies. He honestly didn't have any other option. With Irulan hot on their tails making sure they didn’t rough me up, the Manticores seized me and dragged me, bound and gagged, through the hallways of the mound until we reached Fazion's throne room.

Decorated with stunning coats of arms and huge tapestries that hung from rafters at least 50 feet in the air and obviously meant to impress, the immense space easily held hundreds of people. The most dazzling parts of the throne room were the mosaics. Laid into the walls were stunning pictures, some three stories high, some scenes depicted battles while others seemed to be portraits of Tuatha heroes.

I took it all in before looking towards the dais, set at the far end of the space. Sitting there on Fazion's right side was Tristan.

I hissed and moved towards him, but the guards that were holding me held firm and refused to let me go. Fazion rose from his throne and came forward to whisper in Irulan's ear. "While you are free from the bond of the Djin, you are bound by the oath of your King as a member of the royal family to protect our visitor. Take your throne, Irulan."

When she refused to move, Fazion took a deep breath and shook his head. "Very well then.” He looked back at Tristan before taking a few steps backwards. When he spoke, it was loud enough for the entire audience to hear. "Princess Irulan returns to us a bonded woman. Her wife is the granddaughter of the Dark King FaeVar, a Princess of the Fomori!"

There was a collective gasp among the crowd, but Fazion ignored them and turned to face Tristan as he spoke. "My cousin has accomplished a joining of the courts by taking Mikilos' offspring as her mate. As a Princess of the Light Court, my vow to protect you binds her, and she cannot harm you. However, I will not require her to take up arms against her beloved for your sake, monster."

“She is to be revered for her feat by all who witness this today,” Fazion sneered. “Furthermore, I change the nature of our commitment due to these unforeseen circumstances. No member of this court will move against Irulan’s mate. To do harm to her beloved is to do harm to her. We will not move against one of our own."

He turned back to Irulan with a sad smile on his face. "You cannot interfere, Irulan. This is the best I can do. Now, take your place at my side."

Irulan removed my chains and gag. Then she took my hand and refused to let it go saying. "My place is with Valeria."

"Don't be foolish, Irulan. To go against him is banishment. You'll die. Take your place on the dais, now!"

Irulan turned to look at me. "It's OK, baby," I said, "We knew how this would have to be. Go."

Irulan reluctantly let me go, and together they walked back to the dais. The moment she sat down on her throne the crown on top of her head became solid.

Tristan leaned forward and smiled at her. "Nice to see you again."

"You won’t have long to gloat, Tristan. My wife is going to kick your ass."

Tristan snarled, and his face shifted when Irulan called me her wife. Irulan took the opportunity to goad him even farther.

"What, does it bother you to hear me call her my wife?" She smiled and drew her lips back, so Tristan could see her fangs. "My mate. Does it pain you to know you lost her to a woman? What kind of man are you?"

Tristan hissed and gripped the sides of the throne he was sitting in. "Shut your mouth, dyke, before I shut it for you."

Fazion turned to face him. "You may be important to the Djin for the moment, but he has a contingency plan. I don't care what she says. Be assured, if you lay a finger on my cousin the vow is null. Every Sidhe in the room will attack you as one."

Irulan laughed and kept throwing barbs. "How does it make you feel to know that it's my bed she'll sleep in every night…my waist her legs will be wrapped around as we make love?"

Irulan leaned back in her throne as Tristan jumped up and began pacing back and forth between us, cussing bloody murder.

"You bitch!" He yelled as he closed the spaced between us. "You'd choose a god-damned dyke over me? You actually mated with her?!! She's not even a Vampire. Do you know what my father is going to say? What my grandfather will think about me?"

He pointed a shaky finger at me as he talked. "You don't mean it. You can't. She’s just got you confused with her Faerie glamour."

I laughed. "I'm part Sidhe. She can’t glamour me, Tristan. I-LOVE-HER," I said slowly putting emphasis on each word. "God, you're pathetic. Face it, you aren't good enough for me. You never were."

Tristan dropped his head. "No," he countered. "You were never good enough for me.” He flashed forward and pulled me free of the Manticores that were holding me. With no more than a flick of his wrist, he sent me sailing across the room to land in a heavy suit of armor.

The metal caved as the force of my body slammed into it. It hurt like hell, but at least I was away from the guards. I was working on freeing myself from the twisted sheets of metal, when Tristan was there hauling me onto my feet.

"Your family thinks it's so much better than the Meriwethers. My father was so happy when Hadrian agreed to our dating. If only he could see you now, he'd see how wrong he was."

Another flick of his wrist sent me sailing back in the direction I came from. This time I barreled into the floor, sliding across it, until the lowest step of the dais stopped me. Irulan hurried to help me up. "Please tell me this is part of your strategy," she said.

"Actually no, the fucker is that strong." Obviously, I wasn't going to win this fight on sheer strength alone. I didn’t need to throw a single punch to know that. I had to draw him into a power struggle and just pray that I stronger than he was.

When he charged me this time, I was ready. I reached out with my mind and grabbed him right out of the air, freezing him in place. "You didn't honestly think I would come after you without a few tricks of my own, did you?"

I powered up, and laughed at the shocked expression on Tristan's face when he realized how much I'd changed.

"Yeah, I know, right. You did me favor by almost killing me, Tristan. I might have never known all I was capable of if Irulan had never given me her blood."

Tristan growled and let his body complete the shift to feral. "You're not the only one that's changed, Valeria. I told you in Charleston, be careful. Don't hurt my feelings." He released his power. The sheer magnitude of it not only knocked the wind out of me, but also had every onlooker and spectator in the hall scrambling for cover.

His magic felt like cold fingers reaching out for me, not at all like the feel of the Fae magic that was so new to me. Tristan laughed and began feeding power into my hold bombarding my mind with wave after wave of his twisted energy. Tainted and colored with hurt, pain, and death, his powers were wrong on every level. I knew why they called him an Abomination. This went against everything that nature planned for us.

I let go of him and wiped my hands on my pants as if I could get rid of his taint that way. "What's the matter, Val? Am I too much for you to handle?"

As I settled into a defensive crouch and cleared my mind, I prepared myself for the fight of my life. "Abomination," I hissed, as he came closer. "I don't know what you've done to yourself, but I will stop you."

"One last chance, Valeria. Are you going to stop this silliness and come back to me?"

"Go fuck yourself!"

I caught the first ball of fire in the palm of my hand and held it there for a few seconds. "Is this the best you've got?” I tossed the flaming orb back at him and watched as it dissipated before it even made contact.

"No, it's not.” His hand shot forward and a crackling bolt of power arched through the air towards me. I yelped and dodged out of the way just in time, but that's what he wanted. As I moved, he moved with me, and we both ended up in the same place.

While I had been paying attention to the energy bolt, he was watching me. He caught me completely off guard with a booming fist to my midriff. I doubled over in pain. Then his elbow to the back of my head drove me to my knees.

As I went down, I reached out and pulled his leg out from under him. We both ended up on the ground, tangled together as each of us fought to come out on top.

I somehow managed to straddle him and draw my arm back for a blow. He reached up and pressed his palm into the center of my chest.

I screamed as a burning sensation crawled over my skin. Behind me, I heard Irulan gasp as she realized what he was trying to do. He was using his warped Soul Fire spell on me.

I fell back and stumbled away from him, clutching my hands to my chest as if I could hold the burning still and will it not to travel any farther through my body.

I heard Irulan scream and Fazion grunt as he fought to hold onto her. In my mind, I saw Amanda burning to death on her bed. I saw Priest rolling on the ground as his face puckered and blistered and I decided I wasn't going to die like that.

I reached inside, and latching on to the part of me that had acquired the ability to form invisible barriers, I tried to make one of my own. The burning got hotter as the invisible lava spread over me. I wanted to scream, but I wasn’t about to give Tristan the satisfaction. I tried again to form a shield in front of me, but I wasn’t grasping the mechanics. Tristan laughed as I struggled with myself. The sound irritated me more than the burning did and I tried one more time to push the burn away from me.

The third time was the charm. I felt the magic cover me for the briefest of moments, but it was more than enough to block Tristan’s spell. The burning disappeared. When I pulled my hands away, you could clearly see the scorch mark his hand had burned into the fabric of my shirt, but my skin was unmarred, tingling with the magic residue that saved me.

Tristan didn't know what to think. Before he had a chance to regroup, I hurled a massive bolt of black lightning at him. The onyx lighting was easy to manipulate. Fed by the whirlwind of emotions around me, I welcomed every one of them. I knew they’d help keep my ass out of a grave. The bolt caught him in the center of his chest and blew him through the air and into one of thrones.

Tristan and the chair fell backwards off the dais, but he recovered and was on his feet before they hit the ground. "I don't know how you managed to shake off my fire, but it won’t do you any good."

Tristan clenched his teeth, and I felt the surge of power building inside of him. I yelled, "Get out, Irulan!" He was willing to risk everyone in the building just to kill me. I flashed forward and plowed into him with my elbow but it was like hitting a titanium wall. He tossed me aside as if it were nothing.

"Even without the missing piece I need to become the Vessel, you'll never beat me.” He drew his knee up and snapped his foot forward lifting me off my feet and throwing me to the ground. His foot connected with my side shattering bones and sinew with the force.

I rolled over, clutching my side and pulled myself upright. I looked past Tristan and saw Irulan struggling to break free of Fazion and the two Manticores that had her. I pointed at Fazion and yelled, "Whatever you do, don't let her go!"

Dragging the back of a hand across his mouth, Tristan laughed, "Well isn't that sweet. Too bad she'll become a widow so soon after becoming a wife.” He balled his fist up, and blue flames engulfed them. His arm snapped forward aimed directly at my head. It took everything I had to stay still and let his blow land.

Hand-to-hand combat was good. As long as he wasn't powering up, everyone else was safe. The biting flames tore into the side my face, searing my flesh to the bone. I could feel the flow of cool air on the inside of my jaw and knew there was nothing but bone left on that side of my face.

I drowned out Irulan’s desperate yells and focused on Tristan’s cocky swagger as he walked over to me and grabbed me by the throat. "You have got to be the biggest glutton for punishment I have ever seen."

He lifted me straight up into the air and slammed me down into the cool tiles covering the floor. The marble tiles splintered and broke as my body tore through them. It felt like every bone in my body was broken, but I didn't feel a thing. Either I was in shock or another ability was rearing its head inside me, and it wanted desperately to come out and play.

I lay there in the crater and started laughing. The laugh was a gurgling, choking sound, but it was a laugh nonetheless. As my body shook from the chuckles, I thought, "This is so cool!” Even without the fresh blood I would normally need to jumpstart my body’s healing process, I could feel the bones beginning to knit themselves back together. Tristan looked down at me as if I'd lost my sanity. The entire room got quiet as they wondered what in the hell was wrong with me.

As I lay there looking up at the ceiling, it dawned on me. I needed Tristan to blow his cool. I wanted an explosion. As long as Irulan and her people could contain the blast, I was sure of what I had to do.

I lowered my shields long enough to tell Irulan what I wanted, then climbed out of the hole I was in. When I got up, Tristan actually looked scared.

"What the hell is going on…?” he mumbled, taking a small step away from me.

"I'll tell you what's going on.” I visualized myself standing behind him and there I was. I grabbed him in a full nelson and leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "You're about to die, Tristan."

Whipping my head forward, I head-butted him to the ground. Tristan rolled over onto his back and looked up at me as if he were seeing me for the first time. "That's not possible," he muttered as he watched the muscles and skin of my face knit together.

"Anything's possible, Tris, you should know that.” I hurled a glowing orb of black energy at him. This time he couldn't brush it away. It hit him dead on, knocking the wind out of him.

I smiled as he struggled to climb to his feet. "No, see it's not going down like this," he blustered with a hand pressed to his burned chest. "I refuse to let you win!" I felt it when Tristan began powering up again. His energy was growing by leaps and bounds at an impossibly fast rate. I should have been running for cover, but I was completely at ease with the situation, confident that what I was doing was the right thing. I glanced at Irulan and Fazion. Both of them nodded their heads and I braced myself.

Tristan was so enthralled in stockpiling his energy that he didn't even notice the exchange. "You can’t win, Tristan," I said, needling him farther. "Power down and give it up. If I talk with my C.O., I might be able to get them to spare your lifeblood."

Tristan scoffed at me and spat a mouthful of blood on the ground. "Fuck you, Val. If I can't have you, no one can."

"Oh my god, I know you just didn't go there," I said in a fit of laughter. "Dude, that was so cliché. I mean, come on."

If a scientist was there and could have measured the blast, they would have found out it was ten times stronger than the blast that leveled Nagasaki and Hiroshima combined.

As the white-hot power rolled over me, I looked around the room. Over three hundred Sidhe had their arms held out using everything they had to contain the massive amounts of energy that he was generating. Some had blood running from their noses from the sheer pressure of fighting to maintain the barrier they had cocooned around us.

But me, I stood there getting hammered by Tristan's energy as if it were nothing. Even if I stood there all day, it wouldn't have made so much as a scratch on me. The Tuathas didn't have all day. If I didn't do something, their barrier was going to buckle. I don't know how it happened, but my body began absorbing the massive amounts of power. Just like that day in my garage with Marcus, my body was channeling the excess energy, funneling it inside of me to my own internal storeroom. Looks like I was a Vampire in more than one-way now.

Once Tristan's spent his energy, he fell to his knees, looking at me with disbelief. "It's not possible, you should be dead."

"I'm hard to kill, Tristan," I said as I pulled him up and drew him close to me.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

My fangs dropped, and my face shifted as I pulled his head to the side. "I'm not going to kill you, Tris. I'm going to drain you to within an inch of your life. Do you know what that means?"

I ran my tongue down the side of his neck, and tsked when he tried to shy away from me. "I'll have all your power. You'll live as a weak, pathetic excuse for a Vampire for the rest of your life. Even Deadborns will look down on you."

I tore into his neck, oblivious to his screams and pleas for death. I fed from him until his skin began to shrived and crack. When I let him fall to the ground, he looked like a living corpse. Actually, I'd seen corpses that looked better that he did.

I stepped over his body and called Kether. The Pixie darted forward with a broad smile that looked bigger than his face, the Pixie dust that surrounded him allowing him to slip easily through the shield around me. "Yes, Highness?"

I pointed at Tristan. "Take the prize that you've been tasked to collect."

He bowed at the waist and clucked at me. "I never doubted you for one minute, Darkling."

I returned the gesture and began scanning the sidelines looking for Irulan. When I saw her, she was still struggling to get away from Fazion and his goons.

"What's the problem, guys? Tristan is harmless. You can let her go now."

I headed toward them and walked straight into a barrier. "What gives, Fazion? Tristan looks like a slab of beef jerky. Why haven't they lowered the shield?"

Irulan looked at her cousin and pleaded. "Fazion, you've got to trust me. She's not going to hurt anyone."

What the hell? I just saved all of them, and now I'm the bad guy? I growled my discontent. "Listen to her, Fazion. You don't want to be on my bad side."

Just to show him I was fully capable of destroying their shield, I held out my hand and directed a small bit of energy into it. Everyone in the room flinched with the backlash of power.

"Val, not helping," Irulan called. "Fazion, let me go!” She finally pulled free of their grip and slowly crossed the floor.

When she got to me, she waved her hand in front of the barrier, and it took on a metallic sheen. I looked at my reflection and couldn't believe my eyes. "Is that me?" I asked.

Irulan nodded softly. "Yes, baby, it's you. That's why everyone's still on edge."

The blue flames that covered Tristan's hands had engulfed my entire body. Bolts of energy crackled and hissed as they swirled around me. I waved a hand past my face and laughed as the flames trailed behind. "This is so cool!"

"Yes it is," Irulan agreed, "But you've got to power down. Everyone is scared."

"Oh, yeah sure.” I looked inside me for the off switch, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to get rid of the flames. "Um, baby, a little help?"

"You're the tub, and the place where your power is stored is the drain, just reach in and pull the stopper, Valeria."

What the...oh well, it was worth a try. I stood there and imagined drains and faucets, not even noticing the flames were gone. I looked up as Irulan pulled me into her arms. "I am so proud of you, baby," she cooed right before she attacked me with her lips.

We spent two more days in the FaeLands. We took the first day so I could get to know Francesca. She was a lot more accepting than her brother was. The other we spent celebrating in Mag Mell. The Light and Dark courts called a tenuous truce. Not all of the Fae were happy about it. Something tells me it’s not going to last for long.

Before we left, both Mikilos and FaeVar reminded me that I would have to make yearly visits to Faerie, or I might start to fade again. Changes, changes and more changes. I was starting to worry that with all the changes I was going through that the things that made me Valeria were going to get lost in the shuffle.

"Don't worry, baby," Irulan said as we walked through the doorway that led home. "I'll never let that happen.” My mother and father were there waiting as we walked out of the woods dragging Tristan behind us. His stay in the dungeons of Tir Na Nog was less than pleasant, but they did allow him to feed from livestock. He didn't resemble a Slim Jim anymore, but he still looked terrible.

My mother pulled me into her arms, oblivious to my load. My father, on the other hand, walked right by us and shoved Tristan with his foot, never flinching when he saw his lack of eyes. "Looks like you had quite a trip, Valeria," he said.

"You have no idea, Daddy."

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Pulling into the parking lot of the CMS wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I expected all the feelings of hurt and anger over how they fired me to resurface. I anticipated longing for a job that I'd used to help redefine who I was as a person after I'd hit rock bottom. Surprisingly enough, I felt nothing but the need to be done with this task, so I could move on with my life.

I backed my car up to the main entrance, right between two of the majestic columns that I'd always admired, ignoring the growing number of auras I felt gathering on the inside of the reflective glass that made up the walls, and popped the trunk. Gasps of surprise rang in my ears as the onlookers saw exactly what I had in the rear. I shook my head and bit back a laugh as I hauled Tristan from the trunk and dragged his unconscious body through the lobby.

Onlookers of various races silently parted to let me through with my load, only to huddle together in speculation as I passed. I threw my free hand up at the receptionist as I walked by and offered a quick hello. If it had been under previous circumstances, she would have called me over for a quick chat before I headed down to the Sentinel's levels, but today the best she could offer me was a nervous wiggle of a few fingers.

I had made it all the way onto the elevator before I heard the high-pitched alarm go off signaling a hostel loose in the building. “You're getting slack boys,” I thought. “I should have never made it across the lobby without tripping those alarms.” Marcus was clear the last time we talked that I would be unwelcome at the CMS from now on. If I had any correspondence for him, I could send it through his nephew, Thade. Part of me was sad that it had come to this, but it couldn't be helped.

The security camera whined as it began to rotate in my direction but I fried it with a small bolt of the energy that was stored in me. No fair peeking. I wanted my present for Marcus to be a total surprise. The intercom crackled as a deep voice came through. "Ms. Trumaine, the elevator is about to come to a halt. Please cooperate with security as they escort you to a holding cell."

I closed my eyes and let my head drop back against the wall as the car came lurching to a halt. "A holding cell, really Wallace, is all that necessary? I just came to drop a present off to Marcus.”

Wallace's surprise was evident in the tone of his voice. "How'd you...nevermind...Listen, Valeria, a dead body ain't much of a present and you're not allowed on the grounds anymore. I'm sorry, kiddo.” Wallace was the rare Human that worked security to make extra money. Even though I was older that him by thirty some odd years, he still insisted on calling me kiddo.

"Believe me, Wallace, Marcus wants what I've got. Please stay out of my way. I'd hate for you to get hurt.” The crackling stopped, and the intercom died. Maybe I could have gone about this in a better way, but it was too late for regrets now. Everything was almost over. I just had to make the drop off, and I would finally have the closure that almost cost me my life.

I trained my ears on the hallways beyond the doors and heard the thunder of footsteps as the guards ran to take up position outside. Despite the numerous clicks that signaled the presence of weapons, I didn't want anyone harmed. I had worked with these people for years. They were good people, and they were only doing their jobs. Time to see if I could perform the same trick twice.

I focused on the energy within, searching for the part that was Irulan’s, and drew from that. I gathered everything that was hers and focused it in the palm of my hand much easier than I had in the FaeLands. The moment the doors slid open, I threw it ahead of me, praying that it formed the shield I had seen her create so many times.

Forcing the group back into the walls with the shield cleared the wide hallway for me to pass. “Sorry, fellas, it's nothing personal," I said as I walked by. I paused long enough to break off the bit of energy, leaving the men frozen in place. Oh yeah, I thought, I'm gonna have some fun with this when I see my brothers.

I made it to Marcus' office without any more incidents. When I walked through the door, he was standing with both arms folded across his chest, and he was sporting a look hard enough to cut stone. "I thought I made myself clear five days ago that you were no longer allowed in this building."

I shrugged a shoulder. "Well...I was never one for rules. You know that.” He raised a finger in protest but I quickly cut him off by hauling Tristan from behind my back and tossing him onto a nearby couch. "Just wanted to drop him off. Now you can call off the hunt and save the taxpayers the cost of all the overtime."

Marcus jumped back as a low growl escaped his lips at the sight of the man who had caused us so much trouble. "I don't understand. We’ve had hundreds of Sentinels out searching night and day for weeks now. A few days out of the hospital after he almost killed you and you come waltzing in here, dragging him along like a harmless pup."

The Sentinels had quietly gathered at his door, so he motioned for them to come inside. "Take him to a warded cell and get someone from the Arcane Arts Division to add extra protection.” He looked down at Tristan and ran a hand through his hair. "Lock him down with mahogany spikes embedded into the skin just above his heart, but not deep enough to make contact. He needs to be alive when the VC gets here."

I didn't bother telling him that Tristan was harmless now. They'd figure it out on their own…eventually. Once the room was clear, he rounded on me and began bombarding me with questions. Where did I find him? How did I take him down? Why this? How that...I shrugged my shoulders at every single question.

Marcus was so infuriated at my refusal to answer his questions, that I could see his wolf rolling beneath his skin begging to come out and put me in my place. "Damn it, Valeria, when I ask a question, I expect an answer!" He roared as his energy pushed against me.

"I'm not a Sentinel for you to boss around anymore, Marcus, and I'm not one of your wolves.” I let my own power build inside me until it pushed back at the power of the Alpha before me. It was no contest. Marcus looked completely stunned before he reined his energy in and gazed at me with an almost sad expression. After a few moments of thought, he held out his hand. We clasped each other around the elbow and shook, his way of acknowledging me as an equal. "I've never left a hunt without catching my mark. I wasn't going to let something as small as losing my job stop me."

Marcus sighed and took a few steps away from me, "For what it's worth, Trumaine...I didn't expect you to. I knew you'd end this one way or another.” He took a seat at his desk. "I don't have anything against you, Valley Girl, but don't come here again unless we call. I can't let you cost me my job."

I nodded and turned to leave, "See you around, Marcus.” I pulled the door shut and stood there fighting to contain my composure before anyone saw me with tears in my eyes. For so long, Marcus and the CMS had been such a huge part of my life that. I wasn't sure what I was going to do now without my job to give me a purpose.

The sound of footsteps pulled me out of my stupor. I flashed the entire way out of the building and to my car. Just as I was about to open the door, Priest came barreling out of the building. "Wait up, Trumaine. I need to talk with you.” I hadn't seen him since Charleston when Irulan and he went running off into the night to save those kids. So much had happened since then. I'd changed in ways that my mind was having a hard time believing.

The bear hug Priest gave me caught me completely off guard. He crushed me so tight against him I could swear I heard a rib break. He spun me around in a few circles before finally putting me down. "When I saw them carry you out on that stretcher, I thought you were dead.”

I ran my hands down the length of my body with a smile on my face and began wiggling my fingers. "Nope, sorry to disappoint. I've even got all ten fingers and ten toes attached."

Priest frowned and looked completely blind-sided by my statement. "You still don't get it, do you? They didn't send me to stop you from killing Meriwether. I was sent to make sure you didn't get all nostalgic and spare the mother-fucker."

This time, I was blind-sided. "Wha...huh...what are you talking about, Jacob?” If they sent him, then Eric and Thomas were the ones that did the sending, and it didn't make sense for them to want their progeny dead.

Priest pulled a letter from his back pocket and passed it to me. "Read it for yourself. The young master became too much of an embarrassment for the family, but they couldn't bring themselves to put him down, so they used you to do it."

I read the letter written in Thomas' handwriting confirming everything Priest just said. As I read, Priest ran over, bought a Charlotte Observer from a vending machine, and brought it back so I could see the front page. A picture of both elder Meriwethers was staring back at me. The headline read, ’Family Mourns the Pending Loss of Son, but Condones the CMS's Actions for the Good of the Public'.

Priest tucked the paper under his arm and shielded his eyes as he looked up at the first few rays of sunlight peeking over the horizon. "Thomas' wife is pregnant. They're hoping for a boy, but if not, they've got plenty of girls to fill Tristan's shoes as heir apparent.”

“Well, Daddy,” I thought, “looks like they just played the player.” My father's going to have to wait a little while longer before he's going to be able to unseat Thomas.

"That's harsh, even for the Meriwethers,” I said before I slapped Priest across the arm. "You could have told me, would have saved us a lot of trouble."

He shrugged and shot me a sloppy smile, "I couldn't, I was ordered not to.” He dropped his head and paused before looking up at me. "I know you got canned, and I know I haven't exactly been the nicest of guys to you, but you're a good Sentinel and I'm gonna miss working with you.”

He held out his hand, but I pushed it aside and stepped forward to give him a kiss on the cheek. "You're not a total asshole yourself, Jacob Priest."

Priest leaned into me and took a long breath, "For old times’ sake," he said, right before his face froze. "Well, I'll be damned. I see the rumors are true. You've taken Sexy Red as your mate."

I laughed and nodded, "Yes, that's just one of the things I did when I was in the FaeLands, but it's the best one."

Priest nodded and opened my door for me. "Well you'd best get going before your new wife has a fit because you're not home yet. I need to get on the phone with Master Thomas and try to explain to him why his son is still alive."

We both laughed and shook our heads. "You know," I said. "It sounds even more fucked up when you say it aloud."

Priest laughed, "I know, right.” He stood in the door as long as the sun allowed, and watched me drive away.

I was heading home on Tryon Street frowning at my reflection in the rearview mirror. I was sporting a few bruises that would have healed by now before my change. My phone began belting out the latest SWV song. I ran a finger across the face, to answer the call, "It's me, baby, talk."

Irulan huffed, "We have so got to work on your manners. There's no way I'm taking you anywhere important until you get some proper home-training.” I held the phone away from my mouth and did my best imitation of a snorting pig. She was not amused. "That's down right disgusting, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, well, now all the bad habits start to show themselves. Now's the time to back out before things get too deep." I said playfully.

"I think we passed 'too deep' a while ago, hon," she said. "I was just calling to make sure you were on the way home."

Some things never change. That's a good thing. "Yeah, Ma. I'm three minutes away, see you in....” The line went dead. Looks as if we were going to be in that etiquette class together. I pulled into the back of our building and slid my car next to Irulan’s. As I opened my door to get out, an incredible feeling of déjà vu washed over me. I stopped short of the stairs, and sent my aura ahead of me. I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt no one but David and Irulan.

Did I mention that David, the teenage vamp who helped rescue the children from the warehouse in Charleston is living with us now? I skipped up the stairs, shedding my boots along the way, as I went in search of the two. I found David in the spare room rearranging furniture. "Hey kiddo, how're you liking the room?"

David dropped the mattress in his hands, flashed to my side, and planted a quick kiss on my cheek. "Thanks for everything, Val. I'd be dead if it weren't for you.” I smiled and wrestled with the conflicting emotions the kiss invoked. Never once had I thought about what my life would be like with a child. Even though he was a teenager, David's presence in my life was jump-starting the maternal instinct inside of me. Although it felt natural to me, it also scared the shit out of me. David's addition to our household meant that we were responsible for the type of man he would grow into over the long years to come. It was daunting, to say the least.

I enveloped him in a quick hug and returned the kiss. "Let me know if you need anything else. I want you to be happy. Remember if this room isn‘t big enough we‘ve got the entire top floor to work with.” He nodded and went back to his work.

I bypassed Irulan's bedroom and went to my own, knowing she'd be there waiting for me. I pushed the door open a hair and peeked inside. Sure enough, draped across the bed and watching TV was Irulan.

As I stood watching her, I couldn't help but smile. She looked so innocent and unassuming lying there, when she was anything but. I had learned more about her the past few weeks than I had the entire time I'd known her. For one, she was a lot faster and stronger than she let on. Watching her lying there sparked the mischievous streak in me.

In a stroke of what I considered pure genius, I decided to flash into the room, pounce on her, and initiate a wrestling match. Now that I knew she possibly matched me in strength and speed, I had to find out just how close we were. I moved so fast through the room that it was impossible to track me by eyesight alone. My feet barely made a sound as I moved across the carpet. I was right on her, and prepared to jump onto the bed, when she reached out and caught my shirt at the last possible second. She used my momentum to throw me over the bed effortlessly and into the mess that was my closet.

If I weren't so damn surprised, I might have been embarrassed, but the only feeling I could muster was one of disgust at the dirty socks that were under my head. As I lay upside down in a pile of clothing and listened to her throaty laugh herald her victory, I couldn't help but feel a rush of pride.

All that strength wrapped up inside such a beautiful package. She was capable of so much, and she was mine. Irulan hopped off the bed and sauntering over to the closet offered me a hand. "Care to try that again, Val? Next time, maybe a little more effort.” I took her outstretched palm and jerked her down on top of me.

"Not necessarily that, but I can think of a few things I'd like to try again.” I wiggled and squirmed in an effort to set myself right beside Irulan. Her body shook with laughter as I clumsily struggled to maneuver my way on top of her. When I was finally right side up, I thumped her on the nose and planted a quick peck on her. "You don't have to laugh at me."

She returned my kiss amidst a fit of giggles. "And you didn't have to jump me as if your name were Kung-Fu-Joe. See, that's why I never told you how strong or fast I really was. I knew you wouldn't be able to help yourself."

She looked into my eyes with such intensity it made me feel as if I were the center of her universe. I felt like all the shit that we had been through in our lives was in preparation for us. Heartbreaks, victories, and tragedies had shaped and formed us so we'd be ready for each other. She was the other half of me, and I, her.

"What, baby?” She asked as she looked up to see the serious expression I was wearing.

"Nothing, love, just counting my many blessings, that's all."

EPILOGUE

I shot a quick glance at the clock on the wall. It read 6:15 pm. If I had a job to go to I'd get up, but seeing as how I didn't, I yawned and burrowed farther into the covers trying to get closer to Irulan. She moved her arm so I could rest my head on it and I draped my own across her side. Jesus, she smelled so good. I couldn't think of anything better than waking up next to her first thing at night.

In the last month and a half, my life had taken so many twists and turns, pointing me in directions I'd never thought I'd be taking, but this was one I would be eternally grateful for.

Irulan reached over with her free hands and ran a finger across my lips. Her wrist being so close to my mouth caused my teeth to drop. My stomach rumbled at the act, anticipating a feeding. Irulan's face took on a faraway expression all of a sudden and I had to snap my fingers to get her attention.

"Hey, what's wrong," I asked, "Where did you go just now, baby?” I pulled myself up to rest on my elbow, so I could look directly into her eyes. Irulan shook her head and mumbled that it was nothing, but I could see that there was something in her eyes. After a lot of coaxing, consisting of little bites here and kisses here and there, she finally relented in a fit of laughter.

"I realize that asking you to refrain from any type of contact with anyone else is unrealistic, Valeria, but I don't think I can handle you sleeping with anyone else while you're feeding," she admitted in one long breath. My heart melted. I could hear the insecurity in her voice, and it was so out of place. Irulan was one of the strongest women I know. I was determined to live up to the honor of having her love.

See, what many people don't realize is when you truly love someone and give yourself over to that love, you give that person power over you. That's why trust is so important in a relationship. I see that now, more clearly than I ever have in my life. I loved this woman in ways I never thought were possible. I flipped over so that I straddled her hips and leaned down to plant a not so chaste kiss on her lips.

"I don't think you're going to have to worry about me wanting anyone but you for a long time to come, baby. We're mated remember. I don't see anyone but you. Anyone I feed from will be the equivalent of cattle in my eyes. “Don't even ask,” I thought as I went in for another kiss and opened the door to my power. “Cow's blood tastes like shit. I couldn't live like that.”

The heat of the kiss intensified, and the cache of energy expanded until it rolled out of me. It thundered through the air, and filled the entire house with energy. As I rolled off her, both of us were breathless, "See, I'm too dangerous to sleep with anyone else but you, Irulan, as if I'd even want to."

This time I pulled her into my arms trying to make her see that her place in my life was as secure as my hold was. She jabbed me playfully in my side before letting her weight rest on me. "You could have just told me. Showing me probably just cost us every piece of electronics in the house. That's three times, Valeria."

I stifled a laugh and wrestled her on top of me, running my hand up her tank top to take her left breast in my hand, "Let's see if we can knock out the neighbor's TV next."

"OH MY GOD, PLEASE DON'T!” David shouted from his room. I froze. If I looked in a mirror, I'm sure my complexion would have closely resembled the outside of an apple.

"Having a teenage Vampire in the house is going to take some getting used to," Irulan said, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

I brought my fingers to my lips and whispered, "We'll be really quiet, and he won’t hear a thing."

"DON'T COUNT ON IT!"

Irulan rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the wall. "First thing in the morning I'm looking into soundproofing our bedrooms."

"Good idea," I said huskily. "But for now, David will just have to turn his radio up.” Before I knew it, Ludacris was blasting through the house, proving that I hadn‘t quite destroyed everything.

"Eh," said Irulan. "It'll do in a pinch."

"Yeah, it will," I agreed as I wrapped my free hand into her hair urging her face down to mine, so I could capture her lips and... Well, you know the rest.

*****

One would think that I'd have loads of extra time on my hands since I’m not working at the CMS. I have more than enough to keep me occupied - new powers to master, an entire branch of family to get acquainted with, Fomori court etiquette to learn, not to mention a ward to take care of now. The V.C. has permanently placed David under my tutelage against their better judgment.

To no one's surprise, Descantes abandoned his position in Charleston. No one had seen hide nor hair of him for days. My father had Trumaine Enterprises security teams stretched thin following every possible lead to his whereabouts. So far, they'd only run into dead ends, but I know we haven't seen the last of him.

Yeah, I had more than enough going on to keep me on my toes, but I wasn't going to get anything accomplished if Irulan and I couldn't find our way out of bed. I could certainly think of worse ways to be held up.

Till next time…