The Veil, a Supernatural story

The Veil- Entire and Complete Novel

The Veil

By L.M. Keck

This is a work of fiction. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

ISBN: 1490922016

ISBN-13: 978-1490922010

DEDICATION

To my husband Bob. You have eagerly read every line of this book, and many others, while somehow not allowing our kids to starve in my creative process.

We owe you our lives.

I love you.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to take a moment to acknowledge all of my favorite authors, for teasing me with the idea that creating my own alpha male would be a fun job. You are far more talented than I ever considered possible before.

To my sisters in law, especially Lorrie. Your encouraging words, invaluable editing skills, and support have been my lifeline. Surely, I will keep you around, only so that you can tell future people at my book signings, that I will NOT kiss their sign.

Prologue

"Why Hannah?" His face looked like it was in a battle to express horror or rage. Elijah's breath was coming in angry pants, billowing out around his face in the chilled night air. From my position on the ground, he stood tall and stiff, like a statue of a pantheon god in the throws of action.

"I-" I tried to answer him, but I couldn't make any sounds, mainly due to the lack of air in my lungs. The sensation of something very chilling , something primal, something so basic in me reacted to the lack of oxygen, and I had to fight just to keep my body from thrashing around like a fish out of water.

The next sensation came from a place very deep down, an acknowledgment that it was finally the end, and it was enough just to get to share it with him. "Eli," I rasped, the softest of whispers, and he looked at me again, unsure of what he should do. For a moment, he reached out, only to pull his hands back in swiftly.

I opened my mouth and closed it again, hearing the wheeze that came out instead of words. Speaking was going to be impossible, and the sadness hit me like truck, because there was so much I wanted to say to him.

It was as if he could sense it was impossible for me to talk, and finally scooped me up off the ground. Eli positioned me onto his lap like one would a child, my head securely in his wide shoulder, his fingers holding my arms in place with a gentle but strong touch. My struggling for air must have been visible to him, and I took comfort in the feel of my body locked into his, unable to embarrass myself by fighting the inevitable.

He had been avoiding my eyes for a moment, but once they finally settled on my face I felt a rush of panic ease. My body and it seems my mind, was finally letting go of the fight to keep breathing. It was like a wave of cool water pouring over my hot face. The muscles of my back and chest eased noticeably, and once Eli noticed it he tensed, hard as a rock underneath my languid body. He scanned my face, and while I could see his lips moving I couldn't understand what he was saying. Noises were muted, his voice and tone, so deep and comforting before, was now indistinguishable over my erratic heartbeat that drummed into my ears.

The walls of black that I had been trying to hold starting making their way into my central vision, and, with a shaking hand, I reached up to cup Elijah's face, forcing him to pay attention to the moment.

The beating that rang into my ears was slowing, each thud more labored than the last. Eli had gone still, no longer yelling, but instead gazing down at my face as if he were trying to memorize it. The gentle grip on my arms became almost painful, cutting through the blackness and allowing me one last glimpse of his beautiful profile. As his face faded into blackness, and the weightlessness of death suspended me, I heard him roar my name.

Chapter 1

I woke up, gasping and gagging in horror. There was no way to stop breathing deeply, greedily, as I tried to shake off the lingering effects of my nightmare. The specifics of this dream, unlike so many I had before, always alluded me come morning. Like trying to catch smoke. But even so, it always left me waking up without air, the feeling of death and loss clinging to me like a pungent smell in the summer. I laid back down and tried to breathe through the panic, concentrating on the steady rise and fall of my chest until my hands quit trembling.

Shaking myself off I stood and started my usual routine, which really only consisted of one unwavering element. Coffee. I stretched out in my king size bed, one of the few luxuries I hadn't already sold, letting my arms and legs extend all the way out. Flexing my muscles, and feeling the burning pleasure course through my body, had my mood lifting by the second. My thin blonde hair had come loose from its tie, drooping halfway down my back and looking too sad not to spend a few minutes wrestling it back into place.

Making my way down to the kitchen of my apartment would have been amusing, had anyone been there to see it. I looked like a drunken sailor, bouncing off the walls of the hallway like a pinball in a machine.

As I was using the bathroom, I heard the beep of the coffee maker, and I almost sprinted to the kitchen to make a cup. The running served to highlight the intense pain in my hip, which seemed to be getting worse with each coming dawn. It was becoming plain that I really needed to cut back on my mileage, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Not yet. There were so many of my favorite things I had to cut from my life recently, and I knew there was no way for me to bear losing running, as well. The Times was there waiting for me when I opened up the door, sitting on my welcome mat like an obedient dog.

"I saved that from being snatched by Mr. Grover, Hannah, you owe me some cookies for that one! I had to wrestle him for it this time," Sondra told me when she saw my head pop out. There was many morning, just like this one, that I was glad for her as a neighbor. Mr. Grover was infamous for stealing papers in the morning, and not giving them up without a fight.

"Macadamia nut?" I asked her smiling though the answer was already known to both of us. She nodded, her facing transforming into a beautiful smile.

"Bring them over when Steven takes the kids out to the game Saturday night, maybe I will get some this time," she whispered at me with a wink. She and her husband had three boys, all within four years, and they were well on their way to eating her out of house and home.

"I head that Sond!" Steven bellowed over the high pitched squealing of their children in the background. Sondra and I both rolled our eyes and waved to one another before shutting the doors.

My friends were always teasing me about the affinity I harbored for the newspaper. They usually whipped out their iPad’s to show me the latest app they used to catch up with the news, explaining to me how much easier it was to read on a tablet. I knew they were more likely to read the tabloids than the times, but I let them have their moment to seem worldly. Everyone has a vice, and the steaming cup of caffeine in front of me proved I was no different.

The sun was gaining ground in the sky by the time I was done. Clipping coupons had become not just a habit, but a priority lately. The towering stack was set right next to a pile of unopened mail, which I scowled at in the hopes it would vanish altogether. It did no such thing. Biting the bullet, I spent a few minutes rifling through the pile, ignoring the vast majority of unpleasant looking envelopes, all ones marked ‘urgent’ or ‘requires immediate attention’ were turned face down.

The bank statement pile was sitting right behind the regular mail, collecting dust. There wasn't enough whiskey in the house to deal with that can of worms. My once sizable nest egg was reduced to pennies, causing me to think about the very real probability that working again was going to become necessary. The only job I really enjoyed I had done in college, and I doubted that my current body was going to get me there again. This might just be the time to suck it up and try, I told myself, when I realized I would have to pay either the water or the gas bills for the month, but not both.

As I usually did when my worries threatened to overtake my mind, I got my running clothes from my drawer, filling up a mug of coffee for the road and headed out.

It took me only ten minutes to reach the trailhead in my car. This city park was far off the road, almost nestled in a subdivision, so it was usually only frequented by serious runners and the dedicated group of Asian power walkers. Some of the kids made fun of them, not that they ever seemed to notice, but I held a fond respect for them. One should never underestimate a power walker with the dedication to walking every single day, regardless of the weather.

This morning though it was teeming with cross country runners from the local high school, and I felt the nerves hit my stomach at seeing Gray again. No matter how much time had passed, he brought up so many powerful memories for me that it never got easier to see him. Surviving the divorce from Jameson was one thing, but having to see Grayson, his twin, every time I came out here seemed like a cosmic joke. Somehow I had managed to avoid him for most of this month, but not it was time to pay the piper. Thoughts of ditching were quickly dismissed. Time was now more my enemy than my friend, and I didn’t have the luxury to be turning down runs just because he was there.

The Subaru hatch was sticking again, but some jiggling released it, and I sat on the trunk bed to put my muddy shoes on. The lacing on my shoes was pulled as tight as possible, in the hopes that my hip would get some more stability from the extra pressure. It wasn’t likely to work, but I gave it a shot.

Grayson was sitting at one of the picnic tables near the main trail when I came walking up. He was surrounded by a gaggle of kids, all hanging off his every word. Gray looked in his element, he was laughing and speaking with each kid, an encouraging smile on his lips as he spoke. He was their coach, but all the guys looked up to him like an older brother, and less like a formal teacher. It seemed impossible, but they looked younger every year. It was easier to blame them than face the reality that I was sliding faster into my thirties than I was comfortable with.

Grayson, of course, looked the same as always for immortality, as ever, had its benefits. Unlike his brothers deep brown ones, he had whiskey colored eyes, swirling pools of different light browns and gold, and a dimpled chin, with strong high cheekbones that would make any model envious. He had the same features even as a child, impossibly beautiful on his own, but when he was with his twin, it seemed cruel. It would be like that for an eternity with the two of them, forever unchanging and not aging.

Aware of his eyes tracking me, I came up the paved path to where the gravel began. The best I could manage was a wave and a small smile. Some of his runners were elbowing one another, looking from me to Grayson with suggestive expressions. It was the same scene every summer since I began coming here. Certainly I was a sight for them, for my body did not have a slight and slender build of their female teammates. Two sports bras were a necessity for all of my runs, and no amount of cardio or strict dieting would decrease the size of my ass.

"Hey Hannah, you’re running with us today?" one of the boys asked me. It was one of Gray's seniors named Brian, looking older by the day. It reminded me that I had been running out here with him for nearly four years now. It was clear he was starting to look like a young man, the boyish roundness of his face and cheeks was hardening away. I felt jealous of his youth, of all of the time and opportunity that was laid in front of him. It was one of the reasons I liked coming out here, despite the sadness it often brought me; there is something about the spirit of children that helped to keep things in perspective.

"Yeah, but you have to go easy on this old woman and pass me quietly, so as not to damage my fragile ego!" I said to him, emphasizing a fake southern accent as I placed a hand over my heart, pretending to faint. Even with the joking there was a twinge of reality in my statement. Today, like the last few months, seemed more of a struggle than usual to get going.

"Oh, you're the same age as me Han, stop being dramatic! If you really pushed it you could keep up with the front pack, you have always been a spectacular runner," Gray said as he waved off my attempts at being flippant. The thing was; I couldn't keep up with them, but there was no way to tell him that without telling him everything, and now wasn't the time for that.

"Grayson Yost, I am a whole three months older than you. Plus, I have a fake I.D. somewhere in storage that says I should be about sixty by now,” I said, bending down to fix my laces again as was my typical nervous habit. “That makes me your elder, and I demand respect." It was so easy to banter with him, no matter how long it was since I last saw him, or how sad, it was always an effortless relationship.

After the divorce, it was so painful to see anyone that I shut Grayson out for almost two years. My father had already banished me from the clan that year, so it was easy to distance myself. But coming out here, working out my struggles with my running shoes, gained me enough clarity to allow myself little doses of him when the season brought him to the trails.

He made a face, suggesting he was going to throw another barb my way, but I held up a finger and put my headphones in, blasting some WuTang into my ears. It was another guilty pleasure that I just couldn't resist.

"Can't hear you Gray! I'll see you out there," I yelled out to him dramatically, even though I could hear him just fine. He flipped me a small finger when he thought no one was looking. Laughing I turned and headed for my path, enjoying the familiar pounding of the ground under my feet.

The trail was my favorite, a natural 5K run that the park department built when I was still in high school. I loved every inch of it and knew it like the back of my hand, every turn and hill I had explored, struggled, conquered. Continuing up the hill, I felt some sharper pains down my hip but as I simply changed my pace it seemed to subside. The sun was peeking through the trees, warming my face and soul. The contrast of the techno beats in my ears, and the nature all around me sent my senses into overdrive. It was magical for me out here, and a part of me wondered if I loved it so much because my DNA was trying to make up for what I should have received from my parents.

I didn't want to think about it, about my parents and my past, but I kept waiting to see Gray's face around every turn. The thought of him seeing me, with my slower pace and visible limp, made me pick up my speed so he wouldn't suspect anything was wrong. Just as I reached the top of the hill, the pain in my leg went from manageable to blinding, buckling the joints up and causing me to fall before I even had a hope of stopping.

***

The next thing I remember, Grayson's eyes were hovering a short distance from my own, inspecting me thoroughly. It took a while to blink back the disorientation I was feeling, and events started to come back to me at a frenzied speed. Pinching my leg didn't help, this was no dream.

Grayson went from inspecting my face to grabbing my wrist, and taking my pulse. It was all for show though; he could hear and count my heartbeats just using his supernatural hearing alone. Sometimes the benefits of his wolf were handy in a time like this.

Gray's back was turned, trying to be discreet, but I could hear the whispers of his students behind him. They were keeping a respectable distance but the idea of an audience had me feeling uncomfortable. I wasn't in a position to argue with them to leave, outside of the fact that bring rude to them wouldn't make this situation any better, I knew it was my own fault. My body had been telling me to dial it back for a while now, I just didn't want to listen.

"What the hell Hannah?" Gray asked me, apparently satisfied with my vital signs. Shrugging seemed to make his shoulders set tighter, but I didn't answer him.

He helped me sit up, and when I reached my hand out to him, both of us glanced over and looked over the edge, shuddering at the drop leading down to the creek bed. Realizing what could have happened to me, I let my head drop to land between my legs. Gray pulled off my running shoes off and flexed my feet, feeling the pain that was raiding from my left hip snake its way up and down the battered limb.

"Well at least you know how lucky you are," said the voice of a paramedic as he reached where we were all gathered, gesturing towards the fall I narrowly missed. He was a bit on the chubby side but didn't look terribly winded at having to hike so far to get to us. His partner was a giant of a woman, tall and thin, and she looked at me to the growing crowd with sympathy. Waving her efforts at dispersing the teenagers she raised a brow at me.

"It's fine, they're…friends," I said with hesitation. I didn’t so much want an audience, but for safety it was important for them to know how to act around someone who had an accident like this on the trail. It would be a good lesson for them if they ever encountered it again. She kept her eyebrow raised at my mention of them as friends, and I let out a small laugh, understanding her confusion. Why yes, I do hang out with thirty sixteen year old boys on a regular basis.

She gave up on me and looking for someone in charge, settling her eyes on Grayson.

"How long has she been out?" she asked him.

"I found her," Brian spoke up, interrupting whatever Grayson was about to say. "She's been out going on thirty minutes now," he said checking his watch. Not even my reassuring smile could wipe the stoic look off his face.

The paramedics stepped forward now and did their song and dance, checking my breathing and heart rate. They said my blood pressure was low, but they explained that wasn't terribly unusual for someone who had passed out.

"I didn't pass out.” It seemed like a petty correction, but I had to say it. “I fell. My leg gave out on the hill, and I think I must have hit my head somewhere along the way because I can't remember anything else," I told Mike, the other paramedic, whose name tag was right in my face as he took the blood pressure cuff off.

"Your leg? I thought you just fainted?" Gray asked sounding concerned, and I noticed that Brian had flanked him on the other side with the same look of worry on his face. He was a good kid. Most of the other boys looked terribly out of place, but Brian kept calm.

"Are you on any medications," Mike asked me as he probed my head, looking for cuts and bumps. His partner Claire, so her name badge also indicated, was starting an IV of fluids as he was assessing me. The saline would help, but I didn’t know how to tell them dehydration wasn't my problem. Taking a deep breath, I spent the next two full minutes outlining the medications I was taking.

"Anything for pain?” Claire asked, tenderness leaking out of her voice.

“Yeah, I take the usual pain meds but they made me too fuzzy to use often. There's sleeping pills, only used occasionally and Prozac for...well you know what that’s for." I don't think I had ever heard the forest so silent. No one was talking. I looked to the boys, and to Gray, but they weren't saying much.

"Any pain here?" Claire asked, and I was thankful to break up the tension as she manipulated my hip back and forth. I twitched where she hit a sore spot, a soft hiss escaping my lips. It was a soft protrusion that was coming from the area of my hip socket. I knew what it was, and I didn't need to pay an enormous amount for Dr. Reece to confirm it with tests. Not that I had said money to give him anyhow.

From all of that information, it was impossible not to know what was going on with me, and she left it alone, not pushing me to explain it all out loud.

"Has it been like this for long?" Claire asked me softly as she check my IV bag, squeezing it gently to check the volume.

"It just popped up in the past couple of weeks; it started to hurt significantly the last few days," I told her, as she gave my hand a sympathetic squeeze. It wasn't from pity but understanding, so I accepted it without comment. Pity wasn't something I took well.

Gray looked confused at first and then he reeled back, like someone had struck him. He was shaking his head back and forth, like if he did it enough what he was seeing would change. Brian snaked an arm out, using his hand and grab Gray's elbow making a 'get it together' look, and then turned back to me with a cool expression. Brian was definitely a good kid.

"What's wrong Hannah?" Gray asked, approaching me finally and crouching down to look at me in the eyes. Avoiding this had always been the plan, not that I wanted to lie to him, but I sure as hell wasn't ashamed of what was happening to me, so I tried to say it with as much dignity as possible. When I didn’t answer right away his jaw ticked out, and I could see his eyes start to flash. He was always so careful around humans, never letting his wolf show, but times like these always brought the beast out. It was important for me to do this right for him, blowing his cover wouldn't help anyone.

"The cancer’s back Gray, but this time I’m dying" I told him with a resigned tone, knowing there was no going back now. My voice didn't shake; my eyes didn't water, and it was surprisingly easy to tell him it. Dealing with the look on his face was a different story. I could see the emotions cross his features, and when it settled on rage I cringed.

"I am going to fucking kill Jameson" he hissed to me quietly, reaching over and punching a tree trunk. The woods splintered and cracked with a loud snap, felling the tree and sending it rolling down the hill to land on the ground near a bend in the creek. He took one more look at me and ran off towards the trail, dirt kicking up behind him like storm clouds.

Chapter 2

I knew him, so I understood he didn't mean to offend me by leaving me here; he only needed time to run off his feelings. Same as Jameson, it was in his nature to head out and run when he wanted to think. All the wolves I knew did the same thing, it was a call they felt to connect back into nature and sort things out. The boys all looked from his retreating back to me, exchanges glances that were unsure.

"He'll be back, Grayson just needs a minute.” Brain must have known what I was trying to tell him because he nodded at me, turning to have a conversation with some of the boys in his grade. He was something of their leader so I knew if he felt confident about something, it would trickle down to the rest.

The medics kept tending to me as the rest of the boys relaxed and waited the return of their fearless, or maybe not so fearless, leader to return.

It only took him ten minutes to come running back up to us. I gave him as big a smile as I was capable of, letting him know it didn't bother me that he needed time. Everyone had their way of dealing with things. Gray came back and sat next to me, and while he didn't say anything, he placed a hand at the back of my neck, collaring my throat from behind.

It looked strange to any outsider, but it brought me comfort, and reminded me of a time that he could protect me from everything. He used to do it all the time when we were younger, my status as latent was always confusing for others to understand besides the twins. Most of my old clan assumed that since my wolf had never showed, it meant I couldn't relate to any of the shifter feelings they felt. In truth, it couldn't have been more opposite.

I needed the close connection to Jameson and Grayson; it was always reassuring for me to have moments where they pretended my wolf was still present. They never treated me different, just as Gray was doing now; it brought me right back to those feeling of being looked out for. It felt really nice, I had to admit, being connected to him again in that way.

"Do I need to tell you that you shouldn't be out here running at all, not to mention running alone?" Claire asked me, with a pointed look on her face as she brought me out of my memories and into the present disaster.

"Yeah, I was hoping to sneak another week in before I couldn't anymore," I told her, letting some of the embarrassment and shame at my poor judgment filter through.

"Any other areas bothering you?" she asked back. I sighed a little, knowing I should just say it and get it over with.

"My lower leg, same one, and the shoulder joint on the other side a little, that just started this week though.” It was strange to feel exposed, but it wasn't something I could control. It was supposed to fill me with shame that everyone knew my business, but it didn't bother me really. At some point, shame becomes wasted energy that I just couldn’t afford. Grayson tightened his hold on my neck, and I placed my hand on his, trying to calm him down. Going furry now would be disastrous.

"I am going to suggest you come with us, and I have a feeling you are going to refuse, but I do ask that you get a ride home. Driving after that fall is not a good idea," Mike said, and I returned his knowing smile with one of my own. When they were doing some paperwork, I was forced to explain to them that I had no current insurance. Mike knew what an ambulance ride cost, and he knew I had no choice but to refuse.

Claire removed the IV line, putting a band aid on it with some gauze to stop the bleeding as I made my promises to be careful in the future.

Mike returned a bit later with some paperwork to sign, and when I was done we said goodbye to the medics. To their credit they didn't return my handshakes with looks of pity. I took a deep breath after they left, and closed my eyes for a second enjoying the peaceful sounds of the forest around me. I was so tired, and I felt every bit of what this moment cost me as it settled into my bones.

When I finally opened them, Gray was looking off into the distance, a pensive expression on his face. He jumped up and helped me to my feet. As soon as I felt myself get upright, he had scooped me up and was walking towards the way I came, back to the parking lot. His hoard of teenagers was following dutifully behind him, like some kind of strange processional. I was, at this point, glad it was so early that there was virtually no one else out here but us. We all looked ridiculous.

Once he reached the shelter, Gray put me down at the picnic table and made me drink two full sports drinks that he pulled from a massive cooler. I didn't need any more after the IV, but he didn't look like he wanted to be denied, so I went with it anyway. It was sweet, but it was making me nervous because it looked like he was stalling for time with me. I think he just wanted to spend some more time fussing over me instead of letting me on my way, and for once I was happy to let him.

Brian came over, after retreating to his car, and brought me a sweatshirt and a blanket. I pulled it on gratefully and then spread out a blanket on the grass near the table.

"Everyone carry on," I told them smiling as I curled up in the shade. "Gray won't leave me until practice is over, and I could use a nap so get going." Everyone looked around unsure of what to do.

"Grayson!" I yelled at him noticing his lack of decision, "Stop fussing over me and put them through their workout! I'm not going anywhere, and when you're done you can drive me home." He looked at me skeptically, but he must have seen my serious face and decided to do what I asked.

He began barking orders, grouping them up strategically as he sent them on their way on various trails. I saw Brian hesitate a little, but he went off with this own group, leaving me and Gray alone.

"Stop hanging over me Gray, do what you need to do I'm just going to close my eyes a little," I told him. He knelt next to me, studying my face like it would tell him something that I hadn’t. He must have been appeased nothing else was going to happen to me, because I heard him get up and sit, still very close to me, on the bench to work. I felt myself drift off to the sounds of the woods, the beat of runner’s feet, and the rustling of papers.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a classroom. It looked just like my old high school. A quick survey of my surroundings confirmed it, it was definitely a room I had been in before. I was so confused, but then I realized I must have been dreaming. I felt almost weightless here. It felt so nice to feel light, not weighed down by life.

The room didn't seem to hold anything different than a normal classroom would. A thought hit me and I glanced down, hoping it wasn't one of those horrible dreams where I ended up naked. It was relieving to find myself in a familiar nightgown. Black and silk, trimmed in nude colored lace, the piece had a thigh high slit showing off a daring amount of skin. Unfortunately the slit also exposed my scar, and I ran my finger down the foot and a half deep groove that graced that part of my leg. It was a particularly ugly one, the deep valley punctuated with angry looking suture marks. It was the spot where they had removed part of my femur to cut out the cancer that had invaded my bone. Now most of the leg was a giant metal rod.

I stopped fussing over the scar, and noticed there was no other people here. Slinking out of my seat I made my way towards the hallway. This was also devoid of any people, but what drew my eye was the decoration. There were streamers and banners and balloons covering the ceiling and the walls, not a single part of it was uncovered. Handmade posters littered the lockers, the heavy glitter and confetti crunched under my bare soles as I began walking.

Pretty green and gold balloons dotted in between the streamers. It must be for a dance, I thought to myself, as I followed the decorations down the hall. At the end of the hall were two open doors, propped to each side and remaining that way, with soft sparkly lights casting interesting projections onto the floor. As I got closer to the end the music got louder, deep pulsing beats that seemed too wild for a school dance. I stopped just shy of the opening, feeling suddenly cautious. It became important to be careful, for an unknown reason, but it was a feeling that never left me.

When I leaned it to peek, it seemed the whole gym was packed with people, even the tables and chairs on the side of the dance floor were filled with people. Out of the faces that I scanned, I was surprised to recognize then all. There were some that I didn't recognize, but I felt that for the most part I knew the majority of them, because they were all members of my former clan.

Feeling much better about going in now, even though in the back of my mind I knew I shouldn't, I made my way in. Most of my clan cut me out of their lives when my father did, and some had been downright mean to me over the years, so feeling comfortable here was going to be impossible without having Jameson and Grayson with me.. But no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find them out there to help me this time. Reminding myself it was only a dream, I made my way inside.

Just as I was about to take a step, a man and woman, arms linked at the hands, ran out of the doors. They had startled me so much that I fell down to the ground and I landed with half of me behind a trash can. They didn’t even seem to notice me at all as the man reached back and closed the doors behind him. The woman reached and waved her hands in front of the handles, then grabbed her partners hand and resumed their running down the hall.

Her heels clicked loudly in the silent corridor, drawing to attention that each of them were dressed immaculately, him in an expensive tuxedo, and she in a sparkling gold evening dress. They looked so out of place here, I couldn't take my eyes off them. Her fire red hair was streaming behind her, and his striking dark hair was gleaming in the florescent lights. They rounded the far corner and disappeared from sight.

The feeling they left in their wake was disturbing, with equal parts panic and anxiety running through me like wild fire. It felt as if some were very wrong, so much so that I started looking around, almost afraid of what I would find. But the hallway was empty, no one, and nothing disturbing its silent atmosphere.

Just out of the corner of my eye something caught my attention, and it wasn't long before my brain registered that a strong light was coming from the crack at the base of the double doors. Kneeling, I noticed there was a strong smell permeating the air, and at the same time, smoke began slowly oozing out.

Everything that was happening hit me in an instant, and I jerked back covering my mouth with my hand. The room was on fire, and they were all stuck in there. My pulse was beating a fevered beat, and my breathing was coming out in pants. Need propelled me forward, and I struggled with the doors to open them, but hey seemed to be stuck. Picturing Gray and James, my attempts to open the doors became maniacal, using all of my force and then some to pry them open. None of this worked.

Running up and down the immediate area, I searched for a fire alarm. To my complete dismay nothing happened when I found one and pulled, and jerking it a few more times didn't seem to help any.

Encased in glass, right next to where I was, my eyes landed on an axe, encased all in glass. After a quick survey of my options, my elbow served as the fastest means to get the axe out. The glass shattered and I gripped the axe as tight as I could, making my way towards the doors again with some hope in my sails.

It was impossible for me not to notice the wetness that was dripping of my left arm, the blood looked so brightly red that my head swam for a moment. Hefting the axe, I shut out all thoughts of injury. Swinging again and again on the juncture of the door that held the lock and handles had my hands ripping open in blisters. It was tedious work, seeming to be so slow it was suspending in time, but after a few dozen swings some of the smoke started to escape in the hole I was making. It was then that I could hear their screams.

The pace I kept up before was too slow, so I increased the speed and force until a soft click told me I had broken the lock. Hesitating a moment, I threw the doors open, expecting something gruesome to be staring back at me.

Only, when I pushed through the entrance, it was like stepping into a different world. There was no trace of smoke, or fire, or heat. The gym was clean and pristine, with no traces of anyone having been here. No less a school dance or a massive fire.

I continued walking through the gymnasium, stopping just shy of the middle circle that contained the school emblem. It was a Seminole warrior, outlined by a large graphic of the sun. It looked different than I remembered it, larger, and with brighter colors.

In fact, there was a swell of red color coming from the outside of the circle, inching its way slowly towards the very center. I bent down, mesmerized by the colors as they swirling and mixed together, until a complete circle of red was in its place. I dipped my hand down to touch it and noticed it was wet, the recognition of what it was hit me so hard I fell to my knees. I checked my elbow, but while it was still dripping blood, it wasn't enough to cause that much accumulation at my feet.

As I frantically looked around, I found that the whole floor was now covered in blood, it was rippling and shimmering in the overhead lighting making it seem sentient, almost alive. I tried to half walk, half run back towards the doors but I slipped. My nightgown was covered in blood, and the weight of it was startling. I could feel the panic rising in my body, could feel myself losing a piece of sanity as I struggled here to get away.

My breaths were too shallow, and my thoughts too frantic to last much longer without passing out. I had panic attacks like these before, when I first got diagnosed with cancer, and I knew what would happen. I closed my eyes and tried to ride the wave, and thankfully it pushed me unconscious once more.

***

"When was the last time you talked to her?" I heard Gray ask in a clipped tone.

I was hovering in that state right before you wake up, where it's almost impossible to move but you are aware of what is going on. I remember my dream, in its entirety this time, and shuddered at the memory, trying to shake off the panic feeling that was still sticking with me. It was so absurd, I shouldn't still feel shaken by it, but there was a dangerous and real undertone to it that left me feeling anxious still.

Angry voices brought me fully into the reality at hand. The proper thing to do was to let them know I was awake, but it felt so nice lying here. Plus if I did that, I couldn't snoop on what, or who, had Gray so upset.

"When was the last time you talked to her?" I heard Gray ask in an angrier tone once again.

When I heard the next person talk, my decision to stay fake asleep seemed like the right choice. All the blood in my face drained in an instant, leaving me feeling oddly weightless and heavy at once.

"I'm not sure, it was right before the holidays I think. She asked me to release the last of her retirement fund but we didn't talk much," Jameson said. He sounded a little confused as to why Gray was asking this, and I knew from Gray’s tone he was in for it. It was hard to concentrate still, hearing his voice again was like some kind of exquisite torture.

It wasn't a conscious decision to sneak a peek at my ex-husband, the temptation was too much to bear. At least he didn't disappoint.

Jameson was Gray's twin, they were fraternal, but so similar that most thought the two of them were identical. They shared the same facial features but Jameson's hair was a bit darker than Gray’s blond. It made his eyes seem a little more hazel and brown, more mysterious than the bright ones Gray had. James still played rugby, as he had in high school, and it made his frame broader than Gray's lean runner’s body.

The three of us had grown up together, and it had to be said that they were two of the most well-adjusted shifters our clan had seen in some time. We were inseparable, never spending more than a day apart in our entire lives, until the cancer came. Now, we were more like strangers than friends, and I wasn't the only one doing the avoiding.

"Well, do you ever talk anymore? Did she say anything to you when you spoke last?" Gray asked, getting angrier by the second. I could see his face getting red and that vein in his forehead was popping out. It was hard to stifle an inappropriate giggle, he always was so quick to wind up.

"Why do you care so much all of a sudden Grayson?" Jameson must have seen the look on his brother’s face and stopped antagonizing him to get to the point of why he was so upset. "You know what, it doesn't matter. No, we didn't talk much last time, just like the last ten times I had contact with her, as you well know. Hannah asked to have some funds available to travel, but she kept the conversation short. You know we don't talk at all anymore," Jameson told him, his tone sounding more and more defeated with each sentence.

My eyes closed automatically when footsteps sounded like they were approaching. It didn't seem like they were close, just far enough away so that they didn't disturb me, but close enough Jameson could see me now. His sharp intake of breath was audible at the sight of me curled up on the ground.

"What is she doing out here?" he clipped out, the end of the sentence breaking a moment and causing him to cough roughly.

“She fell out on the trail, her leg gave out,” Gray said, his voice laden with meaning.

“What do you mean her leg…” he began saying and then stopped his thought abruptly. “No.” It almost sounded like he was talking a few steps back. It was hard to lay here and take him looking at me, knowing how he must be viewing everything.

"Yeah, it's back James. How could you not know this? You're divorced but that doesn't mean you have to shut her out. Her parents don't give a shit about her, her friends are gone, and we are all she has." Jameson didn't respond, at least nothing that my ears would pick up. It hurt, to know what he was understanding. I didn't want him to find out like this, but sometimes life just hands you a shitty hand when you least expect it. It was the story of my life.

"We don't talk because I respect her enough not to drag my life out in front of her. But Hannah doesn't talk to me either Gray, it goes both ways." Grayson snorted.

"That may be, but this is different Jameson," Gray said to him soberly.

"How bad?" Jameson blurted out the question, as if he didn't really want to ask. When his brother didn't readily answer I knew he understood.

"Fuck," James said. "Did you just find out, or have you known?" he snapped out, accusation laden with his words.

"She shut me out years ago too and you know it, so don't go acting like we have some secret friendship. She fell and hit her head during her run, my boys found her lying by the trail out cold. She said her leg gave out and she cracked her head." I heard a sharp exhale of a breath as he more gently said, "She told me she's dying Jameson. We need to take her to him, we have no choice." It didn't make sense, I had heard his words clearly. Who the hell were they talking about taking me to?

Jameson was pacing near me, his scent as recognizable to me on this earth as anything.

"You should have taken her to him years ago Jameson, like we talked about," I heard Grayson hiss at his brother. It was barely above a whisper, so they must be standing close to me.

"What do you think would have happened then, you know the clan forbade it..." he trailed off. I could practically feel the anger coming off of James.

Nothing was making sense, they must have wanted to take me to some specialist. Even though I had seen them all, it made me curious who they were talking about. The clan, my parents included, wouldn't have cared what doctor I saw. I was in no danger of being ousted as a wolf.

"And you should have told the clan leaders to fuck off!" Grayson roared back, almost shaking the ground under me.

I sneaked a peek at them to see they were now nose to nose, about ready to fight. Staying silent wasn't an option any longer.

"Take me to whom?" I asked them, sitting up and yawning to make it seem as if I had just awoken.

They each snapped their gazed in my direction, taking a big step back from each other. The only greeting to give Jameson was a small smile, I don't think we had even been in the same room together for almost a year, maybe longer. Neither of us knew what to say. The sensation is so unnerving when you realize the one person you once knew the most, you now know the least.

I had lost a good deal of weight in the last three months, and knew my face showed the signs of all the medication I was taking, so when Jameson gazed at me his eyes widened in alarm. Add to that the lack of sleep I was getting, and I must have been an arresting sight. His eyes traveled down to my wrists, the twin scars made his face set in a grim line. I was waiting for it, so it didn't hurt as much as it did normally when he gazed at them. We had gone through hell together, just one look at me and it was all either of us could do but confront it.

Even though it didn't offend me anymore, I hated that my wrists one of the first things he checked, I hated that the look of pain in his eyes was from something I did. No longer viewing them as a scarlet letter, there was no effort made by me to cover them up with jewelry or makeup, and I had long ago purged my own guilt. Knowing my expiration date had a way of putting things in perspective.

“Take me to whom?" I repeated at them when it was clear no one was going to be talking yet. The shared a glance full of unsaid thoughts, concerns, and questions. It worried me, we never kept things from each other. It was one of the things I loved best about what we once had, even if it hurt, we told each other the truth.

"We are taking you to another...specialist" Grayson said finally, if not slowly, but he offered no explanation other than that. I looked over his shoulder at Jameson who had dropped down to the picnic table, bowing his head and putting it in his hands. Why would seeing another doctor be bad news?

My mouth was just forming the words to ask about who this mysterious person was, but was interrupted by the line of teenage runners that had just made their way back to home base. They almost stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of Jameson here.

Jameson was something of a local hero amongst the kids at school. He was the stuff of legends, played every sport, won every game, and did the things they wished they could. He also dated the best girls, I thought smugly to myself. It was a sick shell now, but once my fire burned bright.

“Hey Jameson," I head Brian shout as he approached. He gave him the same man hug/ handshake that every guy seemed to be born knowing how to do. Brian's older brother and James were still close, so it made sense.

"Hey Brian, it’s been a while since I've seen you. How are the college prospects looking?" Jameson asked him. Brian became suddenly lighted with interest at the turn in conversation.

"So far it's the west coast schools that are showing the most interest in me," Brian said looking proud. And he should be, cross country and track scholarships were hard to come by since they weren't big revenue generating sports for the universities.

"You could look into the Midwest, like your good old coach did. How many NCAA titles did you win when you were there?" I asked Gray, grinning and nudging him as he was now lounging next to me on the blanket. His brows were furrowed and his mouth of set in a firm line, but I didn't understand what he was so upset about.

"What did I say?" Gray looked from Jameson to me, his face paling with each passing second. When the brothers Grimm didn't respond, I had a feeling I had messed up, but I wasn't sure what I had said that was wrong.

"What?" I asked Jameson. He never did like lying to me and I knew he would tell me what was going on.

"We all decided to go to Washington State remember Han?" Gray told me looking at me with so much pity it was a struggle not to slap him.

"Of course we went to Oklahoma.” The instant the words left my mouth I was confused, my eyebrows scrunched together.

"You and James got in but they didn't accept me, remember?" he told me. Shaking my head, Grayson continued.

"When I didn't get in to Oklahoma you waged a formal protest and everything. That was after repeated calls to the dean threatening him bodily harm. When that didn’t work you demanded we all go somewhere were the head of the school wasn't mentally incompetent," Gray said to me, sounding gravely nostalgic. He was fighting a smile and when he looked back to me his face drained of color entirely.

It didn't match up with my memories, I remembered so clearly when I got my acceptance letter to OU, could feel how happy I was to get in, to get to share it with the boys. When I looked again to them, they were looking at me with a more heightened concern. When I realized they were looking at me like Dr. Reece, I sensed that there was something very wrong.

The good doctor had told me at some point my higher faculties would start to go, mainly at first long term memory. Slowly though, as the cancer progressed, it would get worse. It was time to think about moving away, putting some final distance between everyone so they wouldn't have to see my decline. I had always planned to spend my last months in a tropical cabana, fanned by the pool boy. At the rate my bank account was going, I was going to be lucky to secure a weekend at Six Flags.

"I guess I must have hit my head harder than I thought huh?" I said, trying to shake off my mental misstep. The poor kids around us looked like they weren't sure if they should stay or go. Gray and James looked at each other, an alarmed expression gracing their beautiful faces, making my heart hurt to look at.

Eventually, Gray dismissed the boys, setting up their running schedules for the week. Brian came over and said his goodbyes to Jameson, and surprised me by holding out my hand to squeeze. IT was rare to find someone who didn't immediately act like I was contagious or made of glass. If we ever crossed paths again, I would thank him.

Chapter 3

Finally after the area cleared James strode over, dramatically bending down and scooping me up into his arms. I had flashbacks to our wedding; he must have picked me up a dozen times that day. Over time, it became obvious to me that memories were like unannounced visitors. They never came at the right time.

"We did it Hannah," Jameson said to me as he carried me out of the old church we got married in. I gave him a kiss, bracing my hands on either side of his face and drinking in his scent. He returned the favor by breathing in my own. It calmed me down almost as much as it calmed him down, and this week had been far from easy for either of us.

"I would stay away from Henry and Lillian at the reception love; they were shooting daggers at us the whole time," I told him, peppering his face with little kisses. We laughed despite the morose topic. It should have made me upset that my parents weren't happy for us, but we never had much of a relationship to begin with, so for me it was no big loss. It was tough to think that it was affecting Jameson either. My parents were nothing short of assholes.

Something snagged in my veil, but Jameson shook off my attempts at taking it off. “You are going to mess up the crown. I'll sort you out," he said as he untangled the lace of my veil. He smiled as he straightened it, knowing I hated this crown and what it meant, but I wore it for him. Well that and the clan leaders insisted if we did this whole wedding. it would have some traditional elements mixed in.

"Thanks Jameson.” It wasn't just for the veil but for all the times lately he has stuck by me.

"My pleasure Han, trust me I'm getting the better end of this deal," he told me sweetly as he carried me out.

"You're not upset you don't get the full...mating ceremony?" I asked him hesitantly. It was something I had become very worried about. The idea that he was missing out on something that was his right to take part in as a shifter always nagged on the back of my conscious.

"Of course not, I'm just glad they listened to me and allowed us this at least." He had pulled every favor he could, to allow this marriage ceremony to take place. Every last marker was used.

"Well, being appointed the next king does have its benefits does it not?" I asked him suggestively towards the low neckline of my dress. "After you my liege.” My hand was extended, gesturing towards the car. He grinned something feral and threw me in.

Jameson stopped before he closed the door and took the time to buckle me in. He ignored my attempts to help; I think being in charge of making sure I was safe made him feel better.

"You stuck now Han; I'll never let you leave me," he said, leaning in and kissing my forehead.

"Hannah, are you listening to me?" James asked me as we walked towards the parking lot. Grayson's footsteps were clipping at a similar pace just behind us.

"I was just lost in a memory is all, what did you say again?"

A wolfish grin slid into place on his face; it reminded me of when we were dating, and I saw a whole new side to him. "Your place or mine?"

Not wanting to alarm Sondra, or any of the other neighbors in my building by having the double mint twins carrying me into my apartment, I decided we could go to Jameson's. He said he needed some information he had in his office at home, so he thought it would best if we went there. If this doctor's information were there, we could all get in and out quickly, and avoid any additional unpleasantness.

In truth, it was a relief that they weren't coming back to my place. If was honest, I was a little afraid for them to see where I was living. The area was a bit rough, but considering the place I came from, it would be viewed as an unimaginable step down for me.

In retrospect, it was a horrible idea to put me in that position of being at his house. It would be easy to blame the recent head injury, or the fact that being in close proximity to him left me unable to see the logic sometimes.

The reality of it was that Jameson still lived in the house we once shared, the first house we bought as husband and wife. Returning to the house didn't rattle me too much, I had been in there a few times after our divorce was finalized without melting down. I just hoped I could hold onto these feelings when it came time to go in. At least I had a good five more minutes of driving through the neighborhood before having to deal with it.

Jameson's house was close to Gray's, located at the end of the gated community that housed our clan. It was a beautiful and terrible place, full of large houses, large money, large gossips, and even larger secrets. The boys were my only solace, and without them I would have gone crazy, or lost it earlier than when it finally happened.

As we passed my parents’ house, I felt nothing. The apathy should have been replaced with sadness, outrage, anything other than the nothingness that currently ran through me. Gray squeezed my hand from his seat next to me in the back of James' Land Rover. He insisted on sitting with me back here, and I know it was because he understood how loaded coming back here would be.

“You talk to Henry or Lillian at all anymore?" Gray asked me as we approached the house. It took me a moment to remember the last time I had spoken with my parents.

"I called to let them know about the cancer coming back, but they still haven't returned my call.” My voice came out flat, almost lacking. Neither time I called did they deign to answer, or return the multiple messages I had left.

"Henry doesn't like talking to us either if it makes you feel better. He knows his time is coming to an end as king, and he is dragging it out. He should have stepped down by now, but you know Lillian. She won't let it happen." Both of us laughed, it was so typical of them to pull something like that with the clan.

"The clan leaders aren't forcing his hand?" I asked, surprised that they hadn't stepped in by now.

"They will have to soon if he doesn't do anything. People are anxious for a change, living under your father's law for so long has left too many people unhappy for the clan to ignore. I hope he does something really stupid, and we can banish him," Jameson said with a ferocious snarl on his face.

Glancing to my parent’s driveway, it was clear they were home, both of their cars were there. I had fantasies of charging through the front door and demanding answers, but instead I settled for the more realistic option of finding some peace in the fact I was here with Gray and James. Even if the feeling wasn't the same as before, my parents couldn't take everything away from me.

We passed by several other houses, finally turning on Jupiter Ct, where the two of them lived now, where I used to live. Their houses were separated by two others, and I smiled remembering the fuss they made when they couldn't buy out the other houses so they could live next to each other.

My eyes locked on Jameson's house as we crossed over and went down the driveway. A familiar red Porsche was sitting in the garage, and it was hard to hold back the groan. It wasn't bad enough that I was dying; the universe saw fit to kick me while I was down. Christina was home.

There was a flash of horror in Jameson's eyes, his jaw going so hard I could see it tick out from here. It would be easy to speculate, to read into the meaning behind that, but it was I could do now but pull up my reserves of patience.

Jameson looked back at Gray; they shared a glance and a nod as he exited the car to go into the house. A little confused, I turned to Grayson, assuming he wanted to talk to me before heading in. Or, I thought, he wanted to give his brother a head start to deal with his new wife.

“Are you sure you want to talk in there, my inner alarm bells are going off all over the place at the idea of taking you in that house Hannah," he said to me, looking unsure about letting me out of the car.

"My little apartment isn't suitable for you both, and James said he needed to be here. We will be fine Gray; this isn't going to be a picnic for me, but I managed the last couple of holidays without incident, so I should be able to handle this." He looked at me like he was going to sweep me up and take me to his house. I interrupted him, "You said this was important, you said this specialist you know could possibly help me. I can take the rest of the stuff that comes with this, for you and him. I can handle seeing him happy if this means that much to you." It was hard to fight back some tears, but they weren't much and it wasn't from sadness.

It was from realizing that she was holding my place there, with him. It was more mournful over losing the position than from being replaced. If you truly love someone, it's possible to get to the place where you wish only happiness, and I had finally gotten to that place with Jameson.

“I have to tell you though,” I said to Grayson, knowing I needed to reel him in a bit. “I have been to every doctor I could find that specialized in my form of cancer, and no one has ever given me hope, so you should prepare for the same Gray. You should prepare for it to be bad news." It always was, I thought to myself. It was a hard concept for him to grasp, but a necessary one.

He opened his mouth to speak and then shut it closed with an almost audible snap. It startled me a little, and I wondered what he wanted to say to me that he thought he couldn't. When I looked back to him, he was stepping out of the car, and it took a huge effort to convince him not to carry me in. There wasn't much of an option for me; I could go in crawling before I let him take me in there.

He made me forcefully grab his arm, pinning it to the inside of his elbow like he was escorting me to the prom. Smiling at his chivalry, he was always the gentleman, a thought struck me.

"Do you give Lindsay the same kind of treatment?" I asked him, referring to his girlfriend. She was one of the sweetest people I had ever known, and the only one I had ever seen him date that was actually worthy. There was nothing more I wanted than to see him get married before I died, but I found those kind of statements made people uncomfortable, so I kept it to myself.

"Of course, how else could I get her to stick around for me?" he replied smirking.

"Oh hush, you know you always were the twin everyone wanted. While most admitted to lusting after Jameson, they secretly wanted the Gray treatment.” Teasing him was fun, especially when his face flushed red like he was now. Nudging his side, like I used to, we turned and headed towards the door. When I put pressure on my bad leg to take another step, I felt it give way a little and I tripped through the mud room and into the house. The only way to catch myself was to sprawl out on my hands and knees, just beneath two sets of shoes right in front of me. Way to make an entrance Hannah.

"I thought you had her dickwad," Jameson said as he bent down to pick me up off the floor, but I swatted his hands away before he had the opportunity to do so. Stumbling a little to my feet and avoiding their glances, I took a deep breath feeling better once Grayson was at my side.

Carefully leaning in to give Gray some of my weight off the offending limb, I made a pathetic attempt at waving hello to them. Why I was waving like a child at a parade was a mystery really, I just think tripping must have jostled my brain into acting like an idiot.

"Hello Hannah," Christina said with a tight, but warmish, smile. She was never outright mean to me, but things between us were never friendly, and for good reason. I didn't begrudge her feelings towards me; it would be hard not to feel intimidated, and she dealt with it by being passive aggressive in return. It must have been hard for her to find her mate, only to discover he was married to someone else. And the human daughter of the high alpha to boot.

"Hello Christina.” It was followed up by a perfectly executed bow, indicating my respect for her high station. It was something my mother drilled in my brain so often that even now I was doing it. It wasn't meant as a dig, but one look at Jameson and I knew he thought I was taunting him with his position.

"Come and sit then we can talk," Gray said looking between the two of us and ushering me to the living area. To call it a living room would be a disservice. The room had top of the line electronics combined with some of the most comfortable leather sectionals I had ever seen. The crown molding was gorgeous, and the room was outfitted with some astonishingly beautiful oil paintings. We had never gotten around to redoing it after James and I bought the house, and it was nice to see it completed.

The only real option for me was the loveseat, being so small that no one would dare squeeze their body in next to me. Sometimes having someone's hand to hold all the time can be a crutch, and I wanted to do this alone. The need to rely on myself, instead of the guys, was an instinct I was learning to listen to.

The newlyweds chose to sit on the sofa opposite me, and Gray was so close to end of the sectional nearest where I was, that he was practically sitting on the armrest. His playing at bodyguard only pissed me off more. There was no reason on this earth I would attack either of them.

"Can I get you anything Hannah, Jamie here tells me you took quite a fall out on the trail earlier," Christina said to me. Jamie? He always hated that nickname, and I hated hearing her say it. I wasn't sure if she was sincere or not, but playing games were never my thing. She can play them, but I would just take her at her word and let her figure out the rest.

"I'm fine, thank you though," I told her, trying not to make eye contact for too long. Challenging the future queen was not in me today.

There was a pause that held for minute or two, and it seemed that we had no clue how to speak to each other with her in the room. It was a choice now between allowing them to squirm, or I could address the questions that they wanted to ask but were too afraid to voice.

"As I was explaining to Grayson before, the cancer is back. Dr. Reece says it's not treatable. It is spreading, fast, and as you witnessed before, some of my mental abilities are becoming affected. It stands to reason they think I have about a year, but my feeling is it will be less than that, few months at best" I told them, holding my head up high as best I could. "If you think someone can really help me, then great, it's worth a shot at this point. But I must warn you as I told Grayson in the car, it would take a miracle or medical breakthrough to help me. It's not that I am opposed to some experimental treatment, but if my quality of life declines to the point I’m suffering too much, I will quit it in favor of living out my days in peace." The reactions they were each giving me were wide ranging, but none of them looked happy.

Strangely I noticed that my speech had shocked Christina; she looked at me with a bit of sadness at the news. I wondered why James didn't mention it to her when he came in. They still looked unsure of what to say, and it spoke volumes about their idea. They were scared to tell me, and that in turn scared the hell out of me. Not much made the Yost twins back down from something.

"What kind of specialist are you going to take me to anyway?" I asked them, trying to steer the subject in a more hopeful direction than it had been. They still weren't talking. What the hell? Jameson and Grayson were exchanging glances, and avoiding my eyes.

"How hard can this be, just tell me. Is it some jungle doctor who is going to put snake venom in my hair or something?" I asked laughing a little, trying to ease some of the tension. The brothers took a long look at each other and then Jameson spoke.

"I am going to take you to Elijah," he told me clearing his voice when it broke over the name. My jaw dropped, and I was pretty sure I was hallucinating this whole thing when his words sunk in.

"Elijah..." I asked leading him into finishing his statement.

"Elijah Drake," Jameson said, and with noticeable effort he tried to contain the growl that came from his throat. He didn't even like saying his name.

"I am on many drugs James, many different drugs, so I must be imagining this whole thing right now." There was no way I could have heard that right; I knew I had heard him say Elijah Drake, but my brain just wasn’t translating it right.

"Say it again," I demanded of Jameson, looking right into his eyes.

“I am going to take you to Eli Drake, and hopefully his blood will save you, hopefully it isn't too late," he said tears welling up in his eyes. It was so unlike the stoic Jameson that I loved that it physically hurt just to see him cry. It should have been a comfort that he was concerned for me, it should have been heartwarming that he would still feel for me. But the only thing I could think about, was that if I had heard him right, he was going to take me to the vampire king.

Chapter 4

"Let me get this straight,” I said, coughing and trying to fight back a giggle. “You want me, the disgraced human daughter of the king of wolves, to ask Eli Drake to let me have some of his blood to heal me. Did I get that right?" It was a question I posed to all of them, my voice lending an almost hysterical tone. The noises that were escaping me now sounded like a nervous hyena as I tried to contain the laugh that was bubbling up.

"In essence yes," Gray said to me. He had an affronted look on his face, as if my joking and laughter were hurtful, and I knew he was being real with me.

"Are you all on drugs?" I asked the twins. The flinched but looked like they were serious.

"It was not an easy option for us to decide on, but we have no choice. If I had known about this before I would have come to you about it," Gray said to me.

"He is the vampire king of North America Gray, I may not be a wolf but I am as close as it comes without going furry. We are natural enemies, on top of that, he might just kill me on site when he finds out who my father is. This is a horrible idea.” Everyone was looking at me, and it was starting to make me feel like a specimen in a lab.

"It sounds worse when you frame it like that," Gray said holding up a finger.

“Let's just see how bad this really sounds," I said to the brothers, taking a deep breath to begin.

"He has a worse reputation than my father, which should say enough about the kind of man he is.” Gray opened his mouth, but I interrupted him.

"He is rumored to have a harem of women for his personal use, body or blood," I said, pointing to the second finger on my hand.

“It is known that he never drinks from anything but a live source, and only women." My finger was on another digit.

"His hatred for my family is legendary, and his hatred for my father is well known," I said when I got to my ring finger.

"And he has a predisposition towards killing first and asking questions later." Finally reaching my pinky finger I gave it a rest and looked to them. The boys were making a close inspection of their shoes, and Christina was similarly glancing at her hands. When no one said anything else, she broke in.

"Jamie, can I talk to you a second?" Christina asked in a panicked tone, eyes darting from him to me. It should have made me feel good that this rattled her, but I was too busy being shocked by what they were asking.

"Jameson," she said trying to get his attention again. To my complete and total surprise, he ignored her and focused on me.

"Yes Hannah that is exactly what I want you to do. Of course, we will have to conceal your identity, but I was thinking on the way out here, and I have some contacts on the inside of his compound that I believe will help us get you in." My mouth hung open still, and with all the shocking news going around catching files was going to be in my near future. Putting aside all of the improbabilities of pulling this off, I was shocked he had spies in the vampire territory. My father forbade any interference, good or bad, with Elijah Drake.

Part of me, a very big part, still believed they were joking with me. But on a quick glance they looked serious, somber, and almost a little sad, all with no there was no trace of humor. This was no prank.

"You really want me do try this? If you think this is going to work you are out of your minds," I told them, throwing up my hands in surrender.

"Yes, I think it will work. Gray and I have talked about it before, some time ago. Before you-" Jameson said, not mentioning what happened to me. He could never outright talked about it, never address it with me further after I was released from a psychiatric treatment facility.

"Jameson, tricking him for a moment might work, sneaking me into his compound might work, but convincing him to give me some of his blood would take a monumental effort. If memory serves, and the rumors are true, he has not given his blood out to a human in centuries. No less to the daughter of the one person he hates the most." If the looks on their faces were any indication, each was well aware of it too. Jameson, stubborn as ever, forged on.

"Once again, you will not be going there as yourself Hannah. He never has to know who you really are; it's not like he is going to recognize you. It's not like Henry and Lillian ever took you out," he said, eyes going wide when he realized what he flippantly replied. My parents were one subject we all didn't go about discussing, each for our various reasons, but there was truth in what he was saying so I nodded my acknowledgement.

No one outside of this very clan knew that I was alive, and those that did, must have assumed I was a human ward for Henry and Lillian. They told everyone I died when they found out I skipped out on their precious shifter gene, and they kept on pretending. Sure, there were rumors in other clans about a mysterious human that my parents took care of, but humans are of little consequence to shifters. They kept me quiet, and no one asked questions.

"It's okay Jameson, if there is one good thing about my parents, it's that they always pretended like I didn't exist. You’re right; my parents never took me out of the house. Never to any of the clan meetings or the regional councils. I don't think, outside of our clan, that anyone knows for sure of my existence as their blood daughter. Most here think I'm some kind of maid, or charity case." The story didn't come out as bitter as previous retellings. Perhaps making peace with my childhood was possible after all.

"They never took you anywhere?" Christina asked me, sneaking into my thoughts. Her question grated at me a little, she never asked me a question about myself before, and now she wanted to know about how my parents mistreated me. I answered anyway, though the idea of icing her out was childishly appealing.

“Nowhere, they always left me home. When I was an infant, and they figured out I was human and not wolf, they told everyone outside the community I died at birth. I think my mother panicked, and it was the story she came up with to save face in front of her snotty friends. She had to stick to it, not that I believe she minded doing it, but I always wondered what would have happened if they told everyone the truth.”

“Its stories like those that make me want to challenge him and get it over with.” Jameson said it in a rush, exhaling as he tried to calm himself down.

"Jamie," Christina said again, as she pulled on the sleeve of his shirt to get his attention. It went unnoticed, and she lookedmore nervous as the conversation continued.

"Well the ignorance of everyone with you would play to our advantage. You just need to present yourself as a human, which isn't technically a lie, so it should be easier for you to keep your story straight,” Gray said. Jameson looked pleased that there was a silver lining to my parents neglect, but his eyes still held the promise of violence. Shifters.

"So I get my blood, and then what? I just tell him thanks for that, but now I'm leaving. That's going to go over well I'm sure.” My words were accompanied with a snort of my own. They must be high to believe this would all happen.

I forged on when I noticed James was about counter my argument, "I mean, how the hell am I supposed to convince him that he should anyway? I'm not ugly, but I'm not all that remarkable either." Jameson winced at my insinuation of what I would have to be willing to do, in order to put my body in the right situation to share blood.

Jameson knew, like the rest of us did, that blood sharing was only done within the most intimate of relationships. That meant that I was going to have to get him to trust me, maybe get him to love me, or at least like me. At the very least, I was going to have to persuade him to sleep with me. The more I thought about this, the less I was sure that this was going to be possible.

“I think you sell yourself short," Gray said, while smiling a little and waggling his eyebrows suggestively. I couldn't have been more relieved that someone was trying to lighten the mood. This was currently in the running for the day from hell.

"That's nice and all Grayson, but let’s be really honest here for a second," I said to him then turning my gaze towards his brother. Closing my eyes and steeling myself for what I wanted to say was necessary, or I would never get it out.

"I am not opposed to trying, and contrary to what some might think, I do not wish to give up and die. That being said; I have to warn you that I don't have that much time. Assuming you can even get me in, the odds of accomplishing all of this before my health further declines would be slim," I told them grimly. If I were going to agree to this, then everyone should know the odds. No one wants to bet on a lame horse.

"I have faith in you Hannah, the question is, do you have faith in yourself?" Gray asked me; all the humor gone from his face. It was a valid question and one I would have to figure the answer to if I wanted to attempt this.

"How exactly are you planning on getting her in there?" Christina asked tersely,, breaking into the nice moment. I almost gasped in surprise at her tone. It seemed she was quite angry now at being ignored. That and it didn't take a mind reader to imagine she didn't like the idea of her husband putting his neck, and title, on the line for his ex-wife.

"Elijah Drake is having a party, to celebrate his four hundred and fiftieth birthday," Jameson said. The number alone should have grossed me out, but I was just envious of all the time. The sand in my hourglass was about to vanish altogether.

"He has, um, ordered some entertainment for his intimate circle to enjoy during the party. I am thinking we can sneak you in with them. Hopefully she can catch his eye and he will ask her to stay, and she can work it from there." Great, entertainment. What the hell was I going to have to do? Oh, right what else would I be hired to do?

"How are you going to get me in with the strippers?" I asked with a resigned tone rolling my eyes.

"They are not strippers Hannah they are dancers; there is a difference," Jameson told me, fighting a smirk of his own. I noticed that his little comment sent his new wife's eyes to roll similarly back into her head, as well. Men just didn't get it sometimes.

"You certainly have the...shape for it. If Jameson told me correctly, you worked at Hooters for a while," Christina said to me, gesturing to my figure with a sour expression. It wasn't said as a compliment, and I didn't take it as such. I decided to ignore her would piss her off the most, so I turned the other way.

"Grayson, there is no way all of this is going to work.” My eyes were pleading with him not to get his hopes up. I wasn't sure anymore if I was trying to prepare him, or me, for it to fail.

"Hannimal.” He smiled, using a favorite endearment for me, "What do you have to lose?" How right he was.

***

We ate some lunch next; Christina had set the formal dining table, and we all sat in very uncomfortable silence as she got out the food. I couldn't help my roaming eyes as they took in everything she had done in improvements to the house.

It wasn't with a critical eye, but more like a genuine curiousness in how much it had changed. It was much like the feeling of returning to a childhood home after being gone for a while. Everything looks the same and the memories are still there but at the same time everything is different because you are so changed. It was fascinating to be back here, and I found it wasn't nearly as painful as I was expecting it to be. Being here hurt, but the feeling wasn't overwhelming anymore.

"I like what you did with the living room," I told Jameson and by default Christina. She had moved her chair closer to him, so it was almost impossible not to look at both of them when I said it. She smiled at my compliment; it was small but warm.

"I'll take you on a tour when we get done," Jameson said to me, smiling a little. "Wait until you see what we did on the deck, the pool was just finished earlier this month."

He knew how much I loved swimming, and we had chosen the house because the patio in the back would accommodate a pool nicely. Gray and James called me a water rat when we were kids, because if I found even the shallowest pond, I’d find a way to crawl in it.

"I hope you got the industrial filter," I said laughing a little through the comment. They knew what I was talking about and laughed with me.

"We don't go crashing pools in beast form anymore Han," Grayson said a wicked grin splitting his face.

"You went swimming in your wolf?" Christina asked James. She was fighting a smirk as well; it was small, but it was there.

"They used to break in late nearly every night and swim in my pool," I said to her. She didn't look to happy to be reminiscing with me about them, but she still tried to give me a smile.

“I take it this didn't end well?" she asked, this time directing it at her new husband. It was childish, but this was from my time, and I resented her trying to cut me out of telling the story.

Selfishly I decided to cut in. "When the pool started accumulating debris we knew something was wrong. Remember the look on my parents face when the pool tech came out and found their pump clogged with five pounds of wolf fur? We had to lie to the guy and tell him we bred German shepherds. Like that made any sense. Why the hell would all those dogs be in our fancy ass pool?" I was flat out laughing now remembering the look on his face. It was a favorite past time for them to come over to my house and swim in their beast forms. It was a memory that only by revisiting did I realize that I missed terribly.

It was one of the few ways for them to be around me as wolves, as my father forbade it early on. They were both forbidden to shift around me; my father claimed he didn't want to have to punish them for losing control around a fragile human.

"I had to shock the pool after every swim, or the water would smell like a swamp. You two always smelled so bad," I said, a snort escaping my giggles.

Grayson and I were still laughing, but Jameson was just smiling, looking at both of us with an exasperated expression. It reminded of me of the dynamic we had while growing up. Grayson and I were the ones always laughing and scheming, and James was the one who kept us safe, and tried to keep us from doing something too stupid.

I looked around the table to my two former friends, and I couldn't stop the tear that escaped out of my eye. My mind kept wondering how many more of these moments I would have, and how many more I would never have again. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to control my feelings, I could sense the tiredness of the day’s events starting to settle into my bones. It must have showed on my face because the table had sobered into a tense quiet.

"Gray, we need to make a few phone calls and set everything up. Chrissy," he said looking to his wife, "I know you must be anxious to head back into work." Jameson bent to kiss her, her face transforming from ice queen to a much younger and softer looking girl. It was then that I realized I was staring, and I had to force myself to look away before the sight of them sent me deeper.

“I'll see you for dinner?" Christina asked as she rose from the table. I was busy picking around my salad for the last bits of strawberries. Gray's eyes were on me the whole time, but I didn't meet them.

Jameson immediately started to clear the table, and Gray and I joined in to help out. None of us said anything, but we never needed to, it was enough peace just to be around each other.

After the table was clear, the boys took to James' study, and I excused myself to the back patio. The work they had done on the pool was magnificent. It was modern and sleek in a unique almost kidney bean design. It was a bit different for my taste, but it fits with the rest of the house andChristina in extension. I sighed when, with one feel of the water, I realized it was temperature controlled and nice and warm.

I had always loved swimming, but I hardly did it anymore with all the scars I now sported. The staring was something that never got easier for me, so I usually just avoided showing that much skin. Even in the summer I usually kept myself covered.

Roaming around the rest of the area I almost gasped at the sight of the two Adirondack chairs that were nestled up to the small wall that overlooked the wooded property to the south of the house. We had purchased them when we first bought the house, and it was as if two ghosts had reappeared to me.

They were handmade by an older couple that we found selling their wood works in a little shop while we vacationed in South Carolina. It wasn't his type at all, but I begged for him to let me buy them. I loved these chairs but never had room for them after the divorce, and I knew at that moment Jameson kept them around for me.

Nestled in between the two chairs was a large wicker basket, and I found several plush blankets inside. I picked a light blue knit one; it was too soft to be anything besides a cashmere blend, and I rolled my eyes. Who buys cashmere blankets to keep outside?

I decided not be too picky since the blanket did, in fact, feel like heaven, and curled up on one of the chairs draping it around the front of me as I tucked my feet in. Then sun felt warm and inviting on my face, and I closed my eyes, letting my body drink it in. The sound of the pool, with its posh waterfall at the far end, made a soothing, flowing noise, and it calmed me instantly.

Even with all the distractions, it was hard not to go back to the past here. With all the bombs they dropped on me in the beginning; I managed not to get lost in the intense emotions that being in this house brought me. This was supposed to be our home, the home where we raised our kids. My first surgery took that ability away, and it was the catalyst for the rest of us unraveling. If I closed my eyes enough I could hear the shouts and squeals of the kids as they played in the water.

I let myself cry out here, silent tears tracking rivers of salty water down my face. It wasn't sobbing or wailing; I was just quietly allowing my body to feel the sadness. I figured they would take a while inside, so I just let it out. For me, I found no weakness in crying, never understood why I should feel guilty about my emotions. I could no sooner stop them then I could stop the sun from shining on my face just now. When it slowed down I felt the effects of the day seep into me, and I fell blissfully asleep.

Chapter 5

It was the same dream as before, thankfully though, the voices of Jameson and Grayson snapped me out of it before I drowned in my own blood again. Reaching up, my hands stretched as far as I could let them.

"Have a good nap Han?" Gray asked while plopping down in the chair next to me. James sat propped up on the wall in front of us, long legs crossed at the ankles as he leaned his long frame against it.

"I did.” In fact, I felt much better, and by the looks of it, I had been out here a while too. There was another blanket draped around me, and the light was fading down as the sun made its descent. Chilly air was coming in fast, and I had to stuff my hands under the blankets to keep them warm.

"How did your calls go?" I asked Jameson. Grayson and Jameson looked to each other nervousness in their eyes. It worried me.

"Getting you inside isn't going to be much of a problem.” Grayson said.

“Why are you so concerned then?”

It was a few seconds before he answered me. “From what I have gathered about Eli, it looks like you might have some obstacles getting time with him," Jameson said, letting the breath out.

"I could have told you that before you made your calls.” It was said to them under my breath, but they could hear me fine.

"We didn't say it was impossible," Gray said to me while looking to his brother. Jameson gave a nod, signaling him for something.

"It's just that he is recently...engaged.” He said it so softly to me I almost missed it. Just when I thought I had turned a corner something else came along.

"I'm sorry come again?" I asked him, feeling blood rush my face. Every time I got angry I turned a wonderful shade of tomato, and I was sure at this point I was almost purple. The look on Gray's face as he said it told me I had understood him right.

"If it makes you feel any better it was arranged, from my sources it looks to be something that would create an alliance of sorts with her father. There is little affection between the two; I don't know if I have ever heard someone with a worse reputation than his bride." Jameson said to me, chuckling to himself a little at the last part. I didn't find it funny and communicated that with my stare. Their expressions wilted like cut flowers.

“None of that makes me feel better James. She could be the spawn of Satan, and it wouldn't make my life easier. How do I come between them? Arranged or not, the coupling has to have begun," I said standing abruptly from the chair.

My pacing picked up then, something of a habit when I needed to think. When I saw one of them out of the corner of my eye come my way, I held up my hand. Making my way around the near end of the pool, I forced myself to think of all this as rationally as possible.

No matter all the questions that were rolling around in my head, it always came back to the same thing. Could this really work? The rest I could tackle along the way if I knew the end would save me. After a little internal debate, my feet took me back to the boys.

"How sure are you that his blood will heal me?" I asked Jameson directly, standing right in front of him. Only the oldest of vampire blood could heal humans, and it wasn't done very often for obvious reasons. I could count on one hand the number I had heard of Eli consenting give blood as well, and those were all rumors.

"I wouldn't have brought this option to you if I didn't believe it would." He looked confident, but that wasn't terribly unusual for him either.

"I don't want to go back there James, I really want to leave the past behind.” Taking a deep breath, I licked my dry lips before saying what I had been worrying over. "But why didn't you ask me this before?" My voice broke, and could see Gray walking towards the house to give us some privacy. I wasn't sure if that was a good sign, or a bad one.

"Your father would not allow it," he said softly as he grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around me. It was clear that my body was shivering and didn't even notice it. He took a deep breath in and said, "Either way you would have to be sent to Eli with the same plan. I would have lost you then, and it wasn't an option for me."

"You lost me anyway James," I said with a kind and soft voice back. This wasn't the time to rehash everything, but leaving things unsaid wasn't healthy.

"That is true, however, at the time we didn't think your cancer was that aggressive Han. I went to the clan with the proposal, and Henry forbade it. He told me that he would banish us both if we attempted it. He told me he would label us traitors and put Gray away for conspiracy." Jameson took a visible deep breath, his eyes pleading with me for understanding..

"I thought we would have time, and then when the surgeries started, and things went downhill with your treatments your father was already aware of what I was thinking. He kept such close tabs on both of us I had no options." He looked to me to see my reaction. I hoped I was keeping it together on the outside, because, in my head, I was a mess. All of this sounded so logical, but hindsight was always clearer.

"And then you met Christina.” She was the elephant in the room, the one thing we never mentioned. I refused to acknowledge her before because it hurt too much, and now he refused to bring it up because of his own guilt. It was sad cycle that got each of us nowhere in terms of healing.

"And then I met Christina," he mimed back to me, while looking off into the distance. Finding his shifter mate at the time seemed like a cruel irony, like the sickest of all jokes. With everything I was dealing with, it was Christina that broke me, and we both knew it. It was also what took me the longest to get over. I should know I was still paying off the shrink bills.

"I don't begrudge you your choices Jameson; I know none of it was done to harm me intentionally," I said to him in a soft but firm voice. "There was so much going on, and when everything came to a head, when you told me about her, when I..." I couldn't finish the sentence.

It was a time I didn't feel shameful for anymore, but it was one that was so painful I chose not to visit too often. The flashback came anyway. Memories never needed permission to pop up when they wanted.

***

"Hannah," Jameson said frantically trying to shake me out of my stupor. I had driven from my father's in a numb haze, and now I couldn't even remember how it was I got here. It should have frightened me, but I was too out of it. While he was out at lunch, I was sitting in the seat in his office, staring a picture of us on the wall. My father said he was out, with her, so I should go back and wait for him to return to confront him.

"Hannah what's wrong?" he asked me again. I noticed he had bent down and was now eye level with me. His eyes were glowing and swirling their concern. He almost looked afraid. His wolf must have been agitated; he never lost control like that before. Maybe he knew I was coming to confront him.

"I have bad news, and bad news Jameson, which do you want first?" I asked him with dry sarcasm in my tone. I tried to sound bored, but I'm sure he could hear my heart pounding, it was almost deafening in my own ears.

"Just tell me Hannah," he told me.

"The surgery didn't work as well as they wanted, they were not able to get all of what was left in my leg. I start radiation next week. Dr.Reece wants to talk about...alternatives," I said to him. His eyes closed for a second as he bent his forehead to my own. It was what we had both feared. The last round of radiation almost killed me, and I wasn't sure either of us could endure another. I breathed in his cologne; it was so strong he must have just put some on, probably to cover up the smell of her. It reminded me of what else I had to say.

“The other bad news?” he asked, his eyes fully glowing yellow at this point.

"Henry called me into his office today.” We were still connected by our foreheads, and it was the only reason I felt his body completely lock up. I kept sending him the same thought over and over, as if he could pick up on it and act. 'Don't make me say it.' 'Don't make me say it.' 'Don't make me say it.'

He still wasn't talking, and he was sitting so still I was wondering if he was still breathing. In my mind, I knew I should be hitting him. Beating on his chest and demanding answers, but at the moment all I could do was feel broken. I thought about that for a second and got mad enough to press on him.

"You can't imagine how much worse it was coming from Henry. It was so much worse coming from that man," I could feel that I was crying, and my words were garbled a little. Tapping into a little of the anger I was feeling helped, and it sharpened me into calming my tears.

"I met her about a month ago," he said in a choked voice, his own tears audible. All the pain hit me again as he said it. It was so much worse having him confirm it, which was ridiculous considering it is exactly what Henry told me. I tried to keep my mouth shut, it was like ripping of a Band-Aid. I just needed to get this done. It was an effort to keep myself silent so he could finish.

"We were at the regional councils meeting and I happened to meet her. Her father is on the same education board as I am. Hannah, I never thought..." he never finished the sentence, but we both knew what he was talking about. It was always a possibility, one that I never thought would happen. The naivety of love, and it's ability to overcome everything had left us long ago. I guess most humans never think they will get cancer either. How ironic.

"And you waited a month James?" I asked my voice raising. I never wanted it to come this; my screaming at him like some out of control banshee, but I couldn't stop it now. "You had to lie to me long enough that even Henry knew what was going on! Do you know what his face looked like when he told me?" He flinched back at my words and my tone.

"He actually said 'I told you so' to me. He told me that he knew this would happen, he told me the same thing he told me the morning of the wedding. That no future Alpha would be content with a human bride. He told me that the cancer proves how inferior my human blood line really is, and now that you have your wolf mate." I screamed something dangerous, and primal. The temper I had could rival any shifter, and now I was left pacing, hands clenched into painful fists.

"Hannah, I had no control over that. You know we don't have a choice. It just happens. It's so rare for mates to find one another, I never thought it would happen. I just wanted to give you a chance to get better without dealing with it. With everything that we are going..."

I cut him off before he could finish, "With everything we are going through! Jameson I have cancer, I am dying. We may be going through this; I have never made you feel otherwise, but I am the one that is dying. I am your wife, the one you made vows to, the one whom you pledged to be with until the end. The one that I have been with since we were fucking children. You were the first and the only person I have ever loved the only person I have ever given my body and soul to. And now, you have her. So where does that leave me Jameson?" He looked at me, a face full of questions, and he was searching my face like it held the answers.

"I don't know, that's what we were at lunch talking about." He said it so matter of fact like. It was the most telling part of the whole night. He was now, discussing me, and my future, and my illness, with his mate.

I felt the bile rise, and I promptly sprinted to the bathroom. It wasn't the most rational reaction to the idea; it wasn't a betrayal to be talking about me with her, but it sure as hell felt like one. I emptied the contents of my stomach and then sat there for a moment. There was some knocking, but everything seemed to drown into nothingness.

Eventually, I heard him step into the ladies room and make his way to where I was sprawled in the stall. I didn't say anything to him, and he didn't say anything to me. He just picked me up and took me out to his car.

The next thing I knew I woke up in our bed, feeling like a truck had hit me in the face. The last confrontation came rushing back to me, and I felt nauseous all over again. I ran into our bathroom, dry heaves wracking my body as nothing came up. I must have fallen asleep on the floor next to the toilet because I woke up much later on.

Looking to the lack of light coming from the bedroom, I realized it must be night. The realization that not only did Jameson leave me, but all the possibilities of what he could be doing were enough do me in. I stayed inside the small room, pacing back and forth in the bathroom like a caged animal.

My mind was snapping back and forth to images of them together in bed, to images of them laughing and talking, enjoying each other’s company. When was the last time James and I could do that? It was hard to do that while the idea of my cancer always hung over our heads. We could never do that; I was dying. How happy can you be when you know you are dying, when you know the one you love is wasting away in front of your eyes?

I stood pacing there for what seemed like an eternity, and it became clear I was losing sense of time, and it was at that moment I could almost feel my mind unraveling. The realities of what I would be facing were the only things I could see. I couldn't see anyone else’s face; I couldn't focus on anything besides the two of them. They would be living the life I had earned, while I was going to be six feet under fertilizing the plants with my decaying corpse. She would bear his children; she would be the one to run free with his wolf. How could my broken human body compare?

I opened the cabinet, looking for some of the sleeping pills I usually kept for emergencies. I just needed to knock myself out and hope when I woke up I could handle this. Then I glanced up and saw Jameson's razors, and it was like my eyes were glued to them. It was as if I couldn't see anything else; I couldn't think about anything else.

The next thing I know, I am sitting on the floor, propped up against the bathtub. The first thing I noticed was the blood. There was so much blood. I had been given blood samples so often the last few years that I had become immune to the sight of it. In the quantities here though, it made even me a little dizzy.

I looked to my wrists, and noticed that I had two, four inch gashes running lengthwise down my wrists. At that moment, I remembered what I had done. I panicked and tried to move my hands, but I must have hit a nerve because I had no luck at all moving my fingers. I tried to move my arms and legs, but felt a strange heaviness in them. There was a distinct blackness creeping into the corners of my vision. I would only have to wait that void out, and then I would be gone; the pain would be gone.

At some point, my body drifted off because I was suddenly awakened by James and Grayson, who were hovering over me. I could feel someone putting pressure on my wrists.

“You told her today? You knew she was going to get her results today. What the fuck is wrong with you?" Grayson bellowed at his brother, his voice so loud it hurt my head.

"Henry told her today, not me. What kind of person do you think I am?" Jameson asked back.

"She's not going to make it James, there is too much blood," Gray said. I could feel him kiss my forehead as he said it. Was this goodbye?

"She sure as hell is going to fucking make it. You hear me Han, you are tougher than this shit. You are going to make it." Jameson's voice was starting to fade, but I kept anchoring my mind to it. If I had something to focus on, I could stay grounded, and not lose myself to the weightlessness that I felt.

"You have to kick my ass for what I did to you, you know you want to do it Hannah. I'll even pretend to fight back. Like when we were younger, and you said you could challenge me for Alpha even though you were human. You used to get so mad when I would hold back. I'll fight you or let you win; I’ll do whatever you want and then we can figure it out. You will feel better...get better...I love you Hannah.” Those were the last fragments of words I had heard before I succumbed to the darkness.

Chapter 6

It felt impossible to stop the shuddering that came with the feeling of dying. I still carried that night with me, every day I felt the heavy burden of what it feels like to throw your own life away, to ignore every gift I had ever been given because it was all too much. It took a moment of convincing to remember that I wasn't in that bathroom any longer, I wasn't that person any longer.

James for his part was looking at me carefully, his measured glance almost made me feel he was thinking of the same memory.

"When I couldn't deal anymore, when I tried to kill myself, you should have offered this to me," I told him. The guilt that wracked his face told me he knew it too. From what I caught of their conversation earlier, I thought Gray was on board with that plan from the start.

"I should have, but I didn't think you were strong enough to do it. Considering what had happened." He wasn't making eye contact with me, and I moved so that he was forced to. We had nothing to hide from, not anymore.

"You might have been right, I can't deny I wasn't in my right mind, but it still should have been my choice." He flinched, making it hard to continue, but I wanted him so badly to understand.

"It's okay James, I came to peace with most of this a while ago. I just needed to know why you didn't bring this up before." I didn't want this to turn into our divorce litigation again. We already beat that dead horse enough.

"Just tell me one thing," I asked him when he still remained silent, "Does she make you happy?" His eyes were locked with mine, and I finally felt like we had an honest conversation about her.

"She does," he said with a small smile. I knew that a true shifter mating were a rare occurrence, one filled with immense connection and love. I gave a smile back, truly glad to hear that he was happy. Squeezing his hand, a little I led him back into the house. Grayson was peering nervously out of the kitchen windows as we approached the sliding doors.

"It's okay Grayson," I said, giving him a hug and kissing his cheek as I passed by him and headed for the bathroom. I almost caught myself heading upstairs, to our private quarters, and I had to stop at the bottom of the stairs before I made an ass out of myself.

Stepping into the hall bathroom, it was another reminder of where I was, and more importantly where I wasn't anymore.

My lunch decided to make a reappearance then, spattering the toilet with Christina’s fancy salad. The flashback to that night, adding into what had happened today, was just too much for my now frail body. I hugged the toilet a while, pressing my face to the cold porcelain. It was a heavy, uncomfortable feeling, like the ghosts of my past, and the probabilities of my future were weighing me down.

After a polite knock the door opened and Grayson stood on the other side, looking over my face to see if I was okay. I gave him the best smile I could muster though it felt cheap and stiff.

"I'm okay," I told him as I reached up a hand to cup his face. He leaned his head into my hand, and I saw Jameson over his shoulder. I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile and then tried to shoo them out of the bathroom.

"I'm fine stop fussing over me," I told them as I made my way back to the kitchen to get some soda water.

"So who is going to take me back to my apartment?" I asked them as I leaned up against the kitchen island. This day was bad, but a good bath and drink can cure just about anything.

"There is no way in hell I'm letting you go home alone," Gray said to me, looking at me like I was moron for even asking it. "Too much has happened to you today," he told me, shaking his head.

"He is right, it's not a good idea Han. Especially if you hit your head today. You can stay here," Jameson told me gesturing around him. It was my turn to stare at him like he was out of his mind.

"I am not going to stay as a guest in my old home James, I don't mean to be dramatic about it, but that is a horrible idea, and you know it. Christina would have a shit hemorrhage," I said back to him. He shook his head, but I could see him fighting a grin.

"Well you can't go home alone, so I guess it's my place tonight." I saw Jameson glare at him when he suggested it.

"You're on duty tonight ass," James said. I saw Grayson frown when he realized it. The wolves took turns guarding their wooded territory, so I was guessing he was up for the task this evening.

"I could switch with Dmitri," he said.

"He's out for this month because Eleana had the twins last week," James told him back. He said it on an almost whisper, most likely to save me from hearing about it. Eleana had been one of my sort of friends back when I was younger. She was never outright nice, but I think she often felt bad for the position I was put in by my parents. She was the only one outside of the twins that I was friendly with. Eleana, like the rest of them, stopped talking to me when my father banished me following my suicide attempt.

"It's okay Gray, don't change your schedule for me. I'll figure something out."

“I'll tell Christina about it, so she knows ahead of time, but you will stay here where I can watch you. This is not up for discussion." He left to leave, and I interrupted him.

"It's nice you want to watch out for me, I get it. But we're not kids anymore guys. I have responsibilities at home; my computer is there, and I still do some freelance work. On top of that, I have a truckload of medicine I have to take. Shit!" I exclaimed, realizing I was off my med schedule. How the hell was I going to take all of it with me?

"What?" they asked in unison and I couldn't fight the smile I had on my face at the sight of the two of them talking together.

"How the hell am I going to take all that with me when I go?" I asked them, chewing on my bottom lip.

"Can it fit in a backpack? I don't think anyone would think it was odd if you had a bag with you. Just tell them it’s makeup, or tampons. No one will think twice." Gray had a good point, and it settled some of my fears. For the moment.

“Regardless, I have to get home and back on schedule," I told James. Grayson was busy glaring at him from his position on the island stool.

"I'll stay with you there then," Jameson said to me as he strode into his office shutting the large wooden doors behind him. I whirled around to Gray feeling my eyebrows inch their way up my forehead.

"Did I hear him right?" I asked him.

"I wouldn't want to be on the other end of that phone call," he said to me shaking his head.

***

I tried not to notice the clench of his jaw as he pulled his Rover into a parking spot in my apartment complex. My best guess was that he wasn't too happy about how I was living now, but he had enough sense not to confront me about it.

"I'm on the third floor, 8 B," I told him as we started to climb the stairs.

"Did you pay for this with the last of your retirement?" he asked me. I rolled my eyes, knowing it would come up, but I didn't feel like going there.

"No, I do some editing part time that pays for the apartment.” Hoping he would just leave it alone was futile.

"Well, I know you weren't traveling. So what did you drain the accounts for?"

"I had to pay for the medical bills.” It was said fast, on the off chance he would get confused and move on. Today, however, was not my day.

"What do you mean," he asked me, suddenly stopping on the stairs to stare back at me.

"How am I supposed to pay for my medical care without insurance James? We are no longer married; my father cut off all of my accounts I had before. He couldn't touch the retirement and some of the other investments, but the rest he took away. The cancer was preexisting so I can't get private insurance. I pay everything out of pocket.” With that, I started walking again up the stairs. Jameson paused for a beat and then followed me.

"Why didn't you tell me Han?" he asked me when we got to the door of my place. I reached into my bag and grabbed my keys, knowing I wasn't answering him on purpose. It was all I could do but hope he would forget this line of questioning. He was still staring at me as I finally got the key into the door and entered the apartment.

"Hannah," he said to me as he grabbed my arm to turn me around. "Why didn't you tell me you needed money?"

"I don't. I don't live like we used to, but it fits me now. Besides that, I am responsible for myself. I can't rely on you anymore, it's not fair to both of us," I told him as I shrugged out of his grasp and headed for the bathroom. Gathering up everything that was needed I took the plastic container into the kitchen where I had my med schedule taped to the fridge.

I found him pacing the kitchen when I got back, alternately clenching his fists and staring at the pieces of paper that were neatly arranged and taped the front of my fridge. Some were numbers for doctors, some for the scripts I needed filled, and some were articles on holistic pain management for end of life care. It was a gruesome sight. Jameson was finally getting it.

"It's bad," he told me as he looked at me. It sounded like a question and answer at the same time. I nodded my head to him, and I saw his eyes widen at the bin in my hands.

"It's bad," I said back to him as I began placing the pill bottles on the counter that I would need to take. Sneaking a glance sideways, I found Jameson with a confused look on his face. Shifters were immune to human diseases. They could sometimes get a little sick but it was never serious or life threatening. He had little frame of reference for drugs and treatments of this kind. We had a clan doctor, but he was more of a vet than anything else, delivering babies and making sure that injuries were set right before their accelerated healing.

He looked over to me, and the expression on his face made me think of the time I told him what was going on with me. It came back to me at once.

"Jameson, you need to sit down," I told him when he came home from work that evening. He knew I was going to the doctor today, but he could tell by the look on my face it wasn't good news. He seemed confused by my serious tone, and I didn't blame him. It was just some hip pain I had been complaining about, nothing I thought we had to be concerned about.

"It can't be that bad, just tell me," he said and stopped in his tracks when he looked me in the eyes. He dropped his bag and came right to me, a look of concern evident on his face. I hated seeing him like that and I knew it was only going to get worse. Nothing would be the same after this talk.

"What's going on Han?" he asked me as he sat across from me at the kitchen table. I took a deep breath and pulled out the copies of the CT scan they had done on me the previous week. He looked at them quizzically, tilting it this way, and that.

"I have no clue what this is, wait is this one of those sonogram things? Oh Hannah, are you pregnant?" he asked me with a smile spreading across his face. I cringed, how I wished it could be that.

"This is a CT scan baby, I'm not pregnant." I took in a deep breath.

"I don't understand then," he told me. I stood and made my way around the table to lean over his shoulder at the picture. I placed one hand on the back of his neck, rubbing his hair there to calm him as I spoke.

"See this here?" I asked as I pointed to one of the areas near my hip. "See that, and that," I continued as I pointed to a few more void like spots on the scan.

Recognition hit his face as he swiveled his chair around to stare at me.

“Is that...that looks like..." he asked trailing off. I don't think he knew the right word for what it was. I almost laughed at the thought; our community was so untouched by disease that he didn't even know what he was looking at.

"I have cancer Jameson," I said as I felt my voice break, and it took a moment to clear it before continuing. "It's bad," I whispered to him as he gathered me in his arms. I let it all out then, but I wasn’t crying. I was screaming in rage against it all, and Jameson held me through it. He held me until I lost my voice, and I was a melted puddle of woman.

"We'll fix you Han, there's nothing to worry about now. I'm here, and we will get you healthy. I will get you the best doctors and the best treatments, and you will be back in fighting shape in no time at all." He was stroking the side of my hair back and forth, rocking me slightly.

I realized we were now sitting on the floor, with me straddling his lap. I must have collapsed at some point. We sat there for a while, how long I couldn't be sure, but he just held me. It was a silent strength he always brought to me, and I needed it now.

"It's bad," I whispered to him again.

"It's never that bad, not when we are together," he told me bringing my face up to his to kiss me. I lost myself in him, enjoying the feel of him under me. We made love on the cold floor of the kitchen, a heated and consuming exchange. We were demanding and exacting with each other. Neither of us held back, neither of us broke eye contact. I felt something inside of me light up, and it was what I needed. Jameson knew me well enough to understand I didn't want gently and slow, I wanted it strong so I could feel strong.

I stayed on top of him for a moment, panting and sweating. He reached his arms up and swept my long blonde hair away from my face.

"I'm never going to let you leave me," he told me firmly and I could see his eyes were fighting tears, but they held the depths of his determination. It gave me such strength in his conviction, and I anchored my will to it.

"I'm human baby, you know at some point I will leave you," I said speaking of the one think we never often talked about. He was immortal, and I was not. It was something one doesn't think about until the time in front you is shorter than the time you have behind you.

"I will never let you go," he told me again. He believed it then; I believed it too.

Chapter 7

“Hannah are you okay?" James asked me when he noticed I had drifted off.

"Fine just trying to do some math in my head, you know numbers and I don't mix so well," I said to him. He didn't look convinced, but I just kept on with my task.

Setting everything out was easy, and then I went about making a little toast to go with it. My stomach still felt upended, but I needed to take some of the medicine with food. James looked uncomfortable, almost too big for the small kitchen.

"Sit, and I'll make us something," I told him gesturing towards the table. "The paper is still there, have a look if you want." Jameson looked grateful to have something to occupy him.

"Why don't you tell me about how you are going to get me in," I requested as I sat down at my little dinette table. I had made some tea for me and some coffee for him, since I knew he would probably stay up to check on me throughout the night.

James cleared his throat, "I know someone who got me in contact with the owner of the, uh, dance company that Eli is hiring." I rolled my eyes again.

"And you bribed her enough that she will pretend I am one of her girls." I filled in the blanks for him. He had to have thrown some serious money at them in order to keep this all quiet.

"Essentially yes," he said scratching the back of his head and looking tired. "She knows you have a little experience, so she is going to put you in a server uniform, and you will be providing the refreshments while the dancers..." His face flushed as he said it.

"It's perfect for you Han," he said to me after a moment of searching for how to continue. "You made more as a waitress than anyone I had ever seen." I smiled at the memory along with him. It was a blast serving at the restaurant, not to mention I was good at it.

"She knows where she is sending her girls, right? I can only assume she has done this before."

"Yes, she the only one he contracts out for his parties. She did say that he took impeccable care of her girls while in his compound. In fact she had nothing but good things to say about him, I almost couldn't offer her enough money to smuggle you in," he said to me. This surprised me, from what I knew of Eli he was more ruthless than careful with his...women. It made me instantly curious of this madam, as well. I didn't like that she was suspicious already; it would only make more work for me.

“I don't like that you had to convince her of this James, do you think it's safe to be in this plan with her? Can she be trusted?" I asked him seriously.

"I know you are going to take this wrong way, but you sound like your father when you go off like that." He winced along with me, but I knew it wasn't an intentional jab at me.

"Shifting is one of the few things I cannot do, but paranoia is a trait that was still passed on to me. My fear of outsiders could rival your own Jameson.” He sat across from me, tilting his head. It was almost audible, the wheels turning in his head.

“Can I ask you a question?" James gave me the go ahead look. "Even though I seem not to have the shifter gene, or whatever it is that I am missing, how much do I get from them them, from my parents?"

It was a question I often wrestled with as it became apparent that my parents were less than stellar individuals. "It seems like a cruel joke to keep from me the one thing I wish I could have inherited from the two of them." It often caused me to wonder if a person could be born with virtually no luck at all.

"I think you are an impossibility Hannah. If you didn't look like your mother, and act like your father, I would wonder if you weren't abducted as a baby." Jameson stayed sober and serious, but a laugh made its way out of my mouth. "I'm serious Hannah. I don't have the slightest clue how you turned out normal."

"It was because of you and Gray. When we were growing up, the only times that I truly felt complete was around the two of you. It shouldn't have been that way; that feeling of safety that came when you were in your beast from, but it always brought me peace. The only explanation is that my brain was compensating for the lack of my wolf, by enjoying yours." There was always a part of me that never wanted to share this with them, with anyone. It seemed shameful to enjoy something so feral, and so wild. Now there wasn't anything left to lose by sharing, and it felt freeing to speak like this, to remember in a way that didn't hurt.

"I never knew that," he said to me with a shocked expression.

"I think you fill something that Henry and Lillian should have provided for me. Like a lost wolf pup, you took me into your family and nourished me. It's just a theory, but the older I get, the more I can sense what is real, the truth just shines brighter to me." I wanted to say the closer I got to death, the more I could sense the truth, but we had enough of the heavy talk today.

"Never thought about all of us like that, it makes sense when I think back on it. Neither I nor Gray has ever slipped up around you as wolves. We were so volatile to everyone, but with you I can't remember even one time we were too rough," Jameson said looking off thoughtfully. The look in his eyes shook me to the core, and safely turning the conversation towards something else seemed like a good idea.

"Well at least you secured me a serving gig, and I don't have to embarrass myself at the party by getting kicked out for trying to dance like a drunken monkey on a sedative.” It was mumbled, but Jameson heard it and laughed.

"Yeah, I don't think we would have enough time to teach you a routine," he said a humorous smile gracing his face.

"Speaking of which," I said taking a sip of my tea. "When is this whole celebration going to take place?" Jameson's smile vanished, his eyes going black.

"It's Saturday night," he said quietly.

"Which Saturday night?" I asked, reaching up to grab my calendar down from the wall near my house phone. Placing it in front of me, I looked to the upcoming weeks, ready to start planning.

"It's the fifth," he said to me, looking away right after the words left his lips.

"Of which month?" Flipping to the next month the fifth landed on a Tuesday, and month after that it was Monday.

"Of this month," Jameson said, taking a breath in between practically gulping down the coffee.

"That can't be right Jameson, the fifth is only three days away," I told him. The look of apology written all over his face was enough to tell me what I feared.

"So I have essentially two days, if I don't count tonight, to prepare myself."

"Yes Han," Jameson said sounding a bit defeated. He took a long drag from his coffee. There was a buzzing noise, one I had already heard several times tonight, and this time I finally clued into what it was.

"Take the call James, I don't want to give her the wrong impression," I said to him proud of the maturity I had taken. While I had hated her in the beginning, there was always a piece of me that always knew it was misdirected anger. When it came to Christina, I knew it wasn't her fault. It was fate that brought her together with Jameson, and I couldn't blame her for it. There surely wasn't any envy on my end for her new position either, on top of dealing with the presence of me; she had to deal with her impending new status in our clan. Heavy is the furry head that wears the crown.

He got up from the table, sliding the glass and stepping onto the patio to talk, and I took this as my cue to take a much needed shower.

Jameson was still sitting at the table, head in his large hands.

"It went that well huh?" I asked him noticing the change in his demeanor.

"It wasn't Chris," he told me. The tone he used rattled me. It was so serious and grave.

"Want to talk about it?" He offered his cup to me, and I obliged, refilling it from the coffee maker.

"That was your father," he said. It took a supreme amount of willpower to stop me from spilling the coffee all over the floor. I waited for him to expand, at the moment I had a hard time working my vocal cords.

"Someone spotted you yesterday on the deck and called him," he told me. It didn't surprise me. He had little spies all over the clan.

"This going to be trouble for you James?" I asked him with as much seriousness I could put into the statement. If there weren’t a way to shield him from blowback, then I couldn’t drag him into any of my mess.

"I told him you came by to talk about selling some stock. I don't think he suspects anything." Breathing a sigh of relief, my brain went to the next difficult topic.

"I'm going to tell you something you are not going to like at all, but I want you to respect my wishes," I told him as I sat down again in the chair opposite him. "If there is any backlash from this, if you feel like this is going to blow back on you, or if things go bad, you need to get out. You say or do what you have to in order to keep Gray and yourself safe. My father needs to be replaced, and this clan needs to be led by a good man. Let my fate be in my own hands while you take care of your family." He had closed his eyes during his speech, but he nodded his head slightly in agreement. It made me feel exponentially better that he listened to it. What he did with that was out of my hands, but I hoped he listened because I had a bad feeling.

***

I woke up the next morning feeling a bit sore in more spots than normal. The day’s events came rushing back to me in a blur, and it took me a moment to collect myself. Stumbling in the hallway, my usual way to make coffee, I noticed that both Gray and Jameson were fast asleep still, awkwardly situated on my pullout couch in the living room.

After we spoke some more, I had tried in vain to get James to go home. He refused like I knew he would, and I had him help me make up the bed for him to stay.

"You really should go home Jameson," I told him.

"Just stop Han, let me have this with you. Let me have this before..." he didn't finish the sentence, but I knew what he meant. I conceded him the moment with me; I selfishly wanted it, as well.

"I am going to assume Gray will be over when he gets off his shift?" It was more of a rhetorical question than a real one. We both knew he would show up.

"Of course he is, I'll just let him in when he comes up if that's okay?" he asked me as he peeled off his shirt and shimmied out of his jeans. I blushed, and it was such an unexpected reaction that my mind almost froze.

As shifter, and as childhood friends and later lovers, we had spent many moments like these. Sexual and not sexual alike. It had been quite a while since I had been around him like this, and it caught me off guard. He seemed either oblivious to my shyness, or he just didn't care because he slipped without another word under the covers of the sofa bed.

I leaned over and turned off the light on the side table, leaving a small light on in the kitchen in case he needed to use the restroom. I glanced at him again before I left, half in shadows that played over the substantial muscles of his chest and abdomen. He looked untouched by time, like the handsome, strong man I had watched him grow into. It seemed so long ago.

Reaching over I ran a hand through his hair, and in a moment of recklessness I bent down and gave him a chaste kiss on his lips. There was no searching or reaching for something that wasn’t there, I just wanted to feel his lips on mine once more. It was my own version of goodbye; I wouldn't do the long farewell scene before I left. The tears were running down my face, splashing on his skin like salty rain.

"Don't be so dramatic Hannah," he said to me as he wiped my tears off my face. "It isn't a goodbye. I'll never let you leave me," he said to me, as he had many times before. It was the same idea, the same words that applied to so many different times in my life, but this time it rang differently.

I knew he didn't mean to make me feel worse, but that phrase held a different meaning to me than it did to him. By the look on his face, he was trying to remind me that I still meant something to him. Instead, it made me think of how he never quite delivered on that promise. Now it made my tears stream a bit faster, thinking that it might be the very last time he ever said it to me again. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my scattered mind. I stood up and made my way out of the area to walk down the hallway. I turned around right at the mouth of the opening to the hallway, deciding I wasn't going to leave anything unsaid.

"You keep telling me that Jameson, but if you wanted to keep me with you then you should have fought for me.” I took a deep breath, "You should have told Henry to fuck off, and you should have told Christina it was too late for you. I understand now why you didn't, but you don't get to say that shit to me anymore. You lost the chance to make me stay when you chose your title, and her." It was something that I had wanted to say to him for so long, and I was hoping it didn't come off bitchy.

What I saw reflected back in his face was only understanding. It was the one of the most honest moments of our entire relationship. He didn't look hurt by it, shocked a bit but not upset, and I didn't intend it to be taken that way. It was something that I needed to say to him. I didn't wait for, or need a response from him back. I almost turned to go back to my room and then thought for second, and spun to face him again.

It wasn't proper or right, considering the fact that he was mated now, but I felt I earned a little selfish behavior. I grabbed the remote off the table moving towards the sofa and sat down next to him in the bed. A look of shock crossed over his face, but he quickly covered it with a smile as he held his arm for me. I curled up on his side, and I flipped on the T.V. so we could watch something for a while.

Dramatics aside, it might be the last time I had with him. I tried to hide a sigh at the feeling of us together again. It wasn't in a romantic or sexual way, even though those memories were there for me, but it felt more like the way we were together as kids. The refuge and shelter that I took in him at one point in my life got me through some pretty bad spots. I wanted to feel it one more time, and it was definitely the time I needed it the most. One of the most powerful emotions was to feel secure, even if the moment would be fleeting

There was a sense of pride, and accomplishment, for having not burned this bridge with Jameson. Running, now that was something I was good at, but conflict resolution was a new skill.

Once I thought about what I was going to be facing over the next few days, all those good feelings vanished. I knew it was going to be a long night for me, all the questions and plans bouncing around in my head were going to keep me up. Jameson was asleep, his breathing even and deep. Getting up, I tried careful not to rustle the bed too much, but with my bum leg, it didn't go so well, and I saw him stir.

"I have whiskey in the top cabinet above the fridge. Try to get Gray not to drink it all when he comes.” After a quick kiss to his temple, I forced myself to walk back to my bedroom, never once looking back.

Chapter 8

I tried to stop thinking about the night before as I pulled the coffee can out of the fridge and began making a full pot, silently praying they wouldn't drink it all before I got a cup in. Gray was an even bigger coffee fiend than I was.

"Will you quit all that banging? You sound like an elephant stomping around that tiny kitchen," Gray whined at me from the living room as he tried to stuff his head under his pillow. He was never a morning person, and I was guessing that hadn't changed with age.

"Shut your mouth or you get no coffee!" I yelled back at him, leaning in so that he got the full effect of the tone. He cringed at the noise and I chuckled to myself. He was so easy.

"I'm hopping in the shower. If you don't leave me at least one cup I will cut you," I told him sternly, turning and making my way back to my room.

It was a pleasant surprise when I found that they had left me some coffee by the time I came back out dressed. The twins were at the table, my poor little dinette was covered inch to inch in food. It was a miracle that with the weight of it all didn't break it in two.

The kitchen, and by default the rest of my small apartment, smelled wonderful and I grabbed a plate to eat at the counter. I heard Gray protest but I waved him off as I went to grab my pills. Busying myself with my medication didn't take nearly long enough, and now it was time to get down to it.

I had spent the majority of the night coming up with a plan of how to handle the next two days. Some of it was doable, some of it made sense, but most of it was insane. The only thing left for me to do was trust my gut, and hope my body could hold on for the ride.

"James, I need the name and number of the dance company. I can call and set up the rest with the madam, I don't want you two involved in this anymore than you are already. I couldn't forgive myself if anything happened to either of you. That is not negotiable either.” It came out like I had practiced, stern and unyielding. Gray held his hands up in mock surrender while James glared at me.

"Her name is Joy, the studio is called The Joy of Dance. The front of the business is the dance studio, and she recruits some of the dancers for the private parties. I would suggest not leaving a message containing the information for Sat, I have a feeling she tries to keep the two sides separate. I'll leave it on the counter before we head out," James told me in a slightly defeated tone. It was a surprise he gave me the information at all, I had expected more of a fight, since I knew going in he wouldn't be on board with me handling things from here. But we had two different strategies, and this was my journey, not his.

"How was last night?" Gray paused for a moment and took a bite of eggs before answering.

"Boring, I don't even know why we still continue to do patrols. We haven't found an intruder in ages," he answered me with a tired sigh. He sounded like it was the truth, but he threw Jameson a look that said something more was going on. If they wanted to tell me they would, but it was worrisome.

"Did Henry give you any more trouble?" I asked them both.

"No, he hasn't called again, I wouldn't worry about him too much Han," James told me. I nodded my head him, I would try and put my father out of my mind but he had a unique ability to ruin things in my life so it was hard to let go.

We sat and finished our food, making small talk about jobs and life in general. When the natural conversation died down, I knew I had to address the bigger issues we were all politely ignoring. Clearing my throat, I looked each one in the eyes, and by the way they adjusted their posture, they knew we had entered the serious talk phase of the morning.

"I am going to assume you two will keep up my apartment," I told them hoping I was giving off a business like tone. There was an urgency to keep my head this morning and not let the emotions of what I was doing, what I was planning for, mess me up.

"Of course, your landlord tells us you are paid up until the new year, hopefully you will be back by then, but if not we can extend the lease," Gray told me. It was what I had guessed would happen, but hearing them say it took another load off my shoulders.

"If I don't get back, I want you to sell everything and donate it. There is a box in my closet of pictures and mementos, you can do with them what you choose," I told them sitting up a little straighter. They looked like they understood, but I wanted to be clear. The thought of trying to accomplish everything, with things back here hanging on my conscious, was too much to handle.

"If I die, and I need to be clear with you, it is likely.” Taking another deep breath became necessary when the next words wouldn't come out. "If I die, I want you to mourn me and move on. If any of this gets back to Henry or the leaders, I want you to deny all of this ever happened." I held up a hand to stop Gray and James who looked like they were about to protest. "I know it goes against everything you hold as honor, but you cannot protect me anymore. You have your own lives, your own families now.” The last part was directed solely to Jameson. He paled out almost completely across from me at the table, his hands and knuckles stark white against the dark table.

"I know she's pregnant Jameson, it's okay, and I don't blame you for not telling me sooner. Someone ran into me at the market a while back and let it slip, or told me intentionally, either way it doesn't matter. That was the reason she was so distraught at your helping me, and I can understand it. She wouldn't be sticking up for her new family if she wasn't a good person Jameson. And you will be an exceptional father, I have no doubt that this exact moment will be a great example of it. You will let me go right now, and you will continue to let me go even if things go bad with me," I said to him. It was a miracle that there were no tears, on either side of the table, but the importance of getting this right was clear to us all. Crying would be saved for later, safe in the confines of my own room.

"Gray, you have so much ahead of you. You have Lindsay, and your team, and let me tell you those boys love you. They look up to you. It's a gift to earn a child's affection that way, and you are more than worthy of it all.” Somehow speaking to Grayson was harder. He was like a brother, like a father, like an extension of myself.

They were both sitting stock still, I knew it couldn't be easy to sit there and take all of this. It took some time for me to get used to the idea of dying, but it was much harder for others to reach the point where they could talk about it as well. "I will not allow you throw all of that away for me." They didn't say anything back, I was guessing they saw the cold determination in my stare and wisely decided not to push me on this.

"So," I said looking to Gray, "Jameson tells me I leave tomorrow night for this party. You have any more information for me to go on, or I am going in about as blind as I am now?" He crooked a grin at me, and I almost lost it right there. There was pride in his eyes, tenderness, and sadness that mixed powerfully into something as hard to look at as the sun.

"Most everything we have heard, party or otherwise, has been speculation. There hasn't been many that could say anything firsthand about him, or the seethe," Gray told me grimacing. If all we knew were rumors, then I was going in really blind.

"Gossip and rumors are useless to me. It wouldn't help me once I get in, that part I need to play that part by ear. There are too many variables that I need to address for me to make any firm plans. Thankfully, I have had enough practice dealing with royal games and political bullshit that I should be able to manage once I get in. If I get in," I added in at the end holding up a finger. It still was a long shot to get him to invite me to stay.

"There is a suggestion I could make, but you have to promise not to slug me," James said. Warily, I gestured for him to continue. "I think that when you get there and stay, and I do think you will get there, that if you get into a difficult situation you act like Henry. When it comes to the more, um delicate, areas of question, you should act like Lillian. The combination of the two of them should get you through it. As for the rest, you shouldn't change a fucking thing." Jameson finished with one of his signature wide smiles. It was a good plan, and I appreciated the compliment, but my parents were two people who I actively avoided acting like.

"You're right, that is a horrible thought, not without merit though, which makes it harder to swallow.” In truth, it was a good idea, because if anyone could pull something like this off, it would be one of them. To learn and know the finer points of manipulation, no one needn't look further than my parents.

It was one of my major objections to this whole plan.. Acting like them sounded like selling my soul to the devil, like I was giving up what set me so separate from them. That's when I came up with my plan last night. Not that I was going to share this with them, if I did, they would never let me leave.

"Okay well, what I really need to know, is if the girls that Joy uses for his parties know about what they are getting into? Do you think they know about the vampires?" It was a key question, which would change my approach going in there.

"Joy knows what Elijah is, but from the way she talks about him, she has complete trust in him to take care of the girls. She said that there has never been incident with one of them that has led her to question that. There is some minor memory manipulation upon their return, obviously, but outside of that she says her employees are very fond of his parties," James explained, sounding just as surprised as I was about it. Things weren't matching up, and it was casing me to feel less prepared.

"But she didn't say that they were never bitten, right? It's hard to imagine they weren't at least a little rough with them.” If he bites me, would it taste like wolf, or like human? The looks on their faces mirrored my own concern, but there was no need to share my latest question. We had enough to worry over.

"She said that they always wipe their memories of the feedings, for secrecy purposes, but that it would never get out of hand. Joy emphatically said while there have been visible bite marks, none of her girls have had any permanent damage ever.” It was very surprising, but not illogical. If they wanted to keep the girls coming they would have to keep them healthy, and keep Joy confident she could return them. The thing that had me spinning, was that something didn't seem to match up between the person Eli was supposed to be, and the person Joy was describing. It made me both curious and apprehensive to meet him. It was almost like excitement, but I didn't dare admit that out loud.

"Well can you tell you tell me anything about his new wife?" I asked them, hoping to catch a break somewhere in these talks.

"All we know is that it was arranged as part of a territory deal. It has been whispered that they cannot stand one another, but since I know you don't want to hear any rumors, there is no need to go any further. We do however have the basics on the fiancé. Her name is Marcella LeFevre, her father's side of the family is from the French vampire noble lines, and he is the one that controls most of the seaports in Europe." The coffee I had been sipping flew out of my mouth in a spray. This just got better and better. We were more entering the mountain of shit, versus the former pile I was envisioning before.

"Is it correct to assume it is the very same family that controls the LeFevre seethe in Europe? The seethe that occupies nearly all of Paris?" It was more of a rhetorical question than anything else, we already knew the answer. Everyone in our clan had heard of their name, they were in the higher echelon of society with the vampire realm, and were talked about often. Not to mention they were tentative allies. Gray nodded at my assessment, looking regretful of having to tell me that.

"Well, that could prove to be a problem. We hosted the LeFevre's at our house several times when I was a child. Granted I never attended for dinner, or any of the other events, but they had to have seen me at some point. The chances they could recognize me are slim, since I will be presenting myself as human anyhow." The twins weren't taking the news as well, panic and worry etched each of their brows.

"I almost forgot about that, Han," Gray said as he exchanged a nervous glance at his brother. "We weren't aware that they stayed at in that capacity with you, Henry doesn't seem the type to take in that many strangers into the alpha house." We all processed that information for a second, it was a complication to be sure, but not something that would change my strategy.

"Maybe you should think about changing your... um look," Gray said to me, shaking all of us out of our thoughts. It was something I had contemplated last night, but I wanted him to clarify what he was thinking when he said 'look'.

"What did you have in mind Grayson?” He looked wary, I think men had a permanent fear of insulting a woman if they suggested something about their appearance. Not that we ever did well with those suggestions, so I think their fear was probably warranted.

"The hair is a dead giveaway," he told me, looking to James who had his jaw clenched at the idea. My hair, right down to the color and length, was the exact same pale shade of blonde as Lillian's. If anyone was going to make the family connection it could be started there. The smart thing to do was cut it, or dye it, but both ideas hurt just to think about. It was long, and while not as thick as it was previously, it was a sunny blonde and bright. It set off my violet and brown eyes and gave me a striking contrast. The hair would be easy, but my eye color was something that couldn't shift.

"Well, I guess that settles where I need to go next then huh." Luckily my hairstylist card was posted on the fridge as well, and I made myself promise to call soon before I chickened out.

The twins got up to help me clean, and I knew what I needed to do. It was just a little harder to get the words out than I planned. Each time the words came up, nothing came out. My mouth felt suddenly dry, and I licked my lips a few times. How was I supposed to stand here and say goodbye to them? How was I supposed to let them leave without saying goodbye?

"Don't," I said to them when I saw them start gathering plates. "I'm just going to clean up the kitchen, which by the looks of it will take a while considering you made about fifty pounds of food in here. It is going to be time consuming, so feel free to let yourselves out. I'm sure you all have so much work to catch up on since I took up so much of your time yesterday. If you leave in a timely fashion I might not even notice you've left." I let out a breath after I finished. There I said it. It might have come out better if I wasn't crying the whole time and my voice wasn't breaking. It wasn't strictly sobbing, but I could feel the tears falling down my face and mixing with the soapy water that was already filling the sink.

Grayson looked like he was about to say something, but Jameson put a hand on his chest and shook his head. Gray clenched his jaw, but heeded his brother's request. I don't think I could have been more thankful that Jameson knew what I needed in that moment.

Selfishly I glanced back one last time at both their faces, trying to memorize the details. Turning back I began my assault on the dishes, using the remote to turn up the kitchen radio loudly. The beats took over my senses and I closed my eyes for a second to get a grip. The music made it easier to block everything out, and the dishes allowed me something to focus on. I just took it one plate, one glass at a time, until the noises quieted, and the sounds of talking vanished. I was about to turn around when I felt a presence at my back. A hand hit my hip, and I felt the smooth skin of Gray kiss my cheek for a second. It didn't last but for a blink and then it was gone, just like them.

***

My hand was shaking as I picked up the phone to call the number for Joy that Jameson had left me. It was like realizing the final nails in my coffin were being struck, and my mind was just catching up. The hallway mirror drew me in, and it was all I could do but run my hands through my newly trimmed and strawberry blonde locks. I would have never thought to ask for it, but it couldn't be more perfect, hiding what I wanted but still keeping bits of me in. It took a moment to realize that phone was no longer ringing, because someone had answered it. Startled by the voice, I jumped.

"The Joy of Dance, this is Jackie speaking. How can I help?" The person sounded bored and even a bit angry. Wonderful.

"Can I speak with Joy please?" My bright tone was sure to fix her attitude, but t came out a bit manic because of nerves.

"She just stepped in the back," Jackie said back. There was a smack that sounded like gum, and then silence.

"I can hold," I told her politely, but my own tone was reaching towards the less than friendly realm.

"Oh I'm sure you can, how about you just call back later Mam, or you can leave a message. We have all of our class information up online at our website too," she said with a sigh.

"I'll hold thank you. If you would please tell her that Hannah is on the phone for her, I'm sure she will want to take the call." My patience, and nerves, were fried at this point, and I sounded bitchy.

"Oh, so you're the new girl. You should have led with that, I thought you were another mom calling for the pole fitness classes. If Joy makes me do one more, I'll have to quit, or just end my existence. I'll go tell her you called.” Jackie's tone went from went from unfriendly and annoying, to bright and genuine all within the space of a minute. Clearly, she was more friend than foe at this point.

"Joy speaking," someone cut in a few minutes later. Her tone was so unusually high I was contemplating whether or not it was joke. The picture I had in my head of Joy, the stereotypical older madam, wasn't quite matching up with the voice. Joy sounded like a mix between a call girl and a cartoon. Thankfully I remembered what I was supposed to be doing.

"This is Hannah, Hannah Probst. I'm a friend of Jameson Yost.” Before calling I decided on a fake last name, a kind of weird splitting of my maiden and married names that I was hoping I could remember when called upon.

"Yes," Joy said in an almost skeptical tone, drawing out the word. "I assume he filled you in on our...arrangement so I won't bother with semantics. Did you have any questions about Saturday?" She didn't seem too happy about the idea of me coming this weekend, this was very clear in her attitude. It made me nervous, and now I wanted to be extra careful with her. The idea of drawing attention to myself already wasn't pleasant, but if she was suspicious of me, then Joy could blow this whole plan out of the water before I even got into the party.

"I'll just get this out of the way Joy, since it's clear you are worried about me. I have no intentions of tarnishing your reputation with the Drake seethe, as I am sure Jameson told you once already. But hearing it from me is something I need to do, so if you will indulge me I would appreciate it. My visit to the Drake seethe will in no way harm or damage either the Drake's or the patrons they are hosting there. My goal is to get in, and do what I need to, while making as little noise as possible." My statement was met with silence. It lasted for a good twenty seconds, and I was beginning to wonder if she hung up.

"We leave at 11 from the studio. It's a good two hour drive from here, and you can ride with me. I have to get you in your uniform and fit you. Jameson told me what he thought your size was, but you should try on the outfit first thing. It's very...tailored. My flat is above the studio, just ring the bell outside and I'll buzz you in." Joy hung up after that. Even though she was a bit short with me, I think I managed to assuage her fears about bringing me along. Now if someone could ease my fears, we’d be all set.

Chapter 9

When Joy said tailored, she meant practically painted on. My uniform consisted of a pair of black shorts, not too terribly short but the fit of them on my ass made them just this side of dangerous. The top was a black bustier with no straps or sleeves, and boning that could withstand a bomb blast. Even with my larger breasts I wasn't concerned with falling out, the lacing in the back was so tight there was no way I was getting out the top without a crowbar and some Crisco.

My breasts, the full C's that they were, stood at attention, and threatened to spill over the cups. Joy had left out some simple body makeup for me, just a slight dusting of glittery powder that smelled faintly like lavender. The vamps would like it, I mused, because they loved anything shiny. Adjusting the bustier, it was hard not to admire what it was doing for me; I couldn't breathe, but at least I looked great.

Joy had instructed one of the girls to do my makeup, but I refused politely. I saw their faces, and decided it wasn't really me. They all looked very nice, but I found that men preferred a little highlight instead of the darker shadows that seemed to be popular now. If standing out was my goal, looking like the rest of them wasn't going to cut it tonight.

My eyes, because of their unusual violet color, were always noticed, and I found I didn't need much else other than some liner and mascara. Joy set up a large selection of perfumes, but I passed on those without much thought. Vampires, as well as shifters, favored a woman's natural scent.

It was a surprisingly rookie move. Joy should know by now, vampires were never shy about telling you what they like or want, and I could hardly imagine the vampire king himself not commenting on it.

Joy's condo was so distracting that I found myself looking around me at various interval, taking all of it in. The space was bright and modern, and the bathroom I was currently in was nothing short of divine. It had marbled counter tops, and beautifully tiled floors that were laid in a paisley pattern.

The shower was one of those large, enclosed in glass types, with multiple shower heads and sprays coming from every direction. The sinks were bowls that we set on top of the counter, with elegant fixtures throughout. I was betting that most of this was possible because of her connection to Eli. A vampire of his age would be immeasurably wealthy, and would pay her well for providing both the entertainment and her discretion.

No wonder she was nervous about letting me come, I wouldn't want to lose that bankroll either.

Just as I was putting on some gloss my hands starting shaking, echoing the jumbled mess of anxiety, and even excitement, that ran through me. Thankfully I still had some of my anxiety medication left that I kept around for emergencies. Tonight certainly qualified as one.

While the current outfit wasn't something I would ever normally wear, it was impossible not to admit it suited me well, emphasizing the curves I had. Every run where I had to drag myself out of bed, every time I wanted to walk it out but forced myself to go on, I was now so thankful for. There was muscle on me, my legs, arms, and back were slightly sculpted. I felt strong, which is something I haven't felt in a very long time, and it lent me something extra, something that clothes and makeup could never account for.

I checked over the uniform, bending down and standing back up to make sure nothing ripped or popped out, which judging by the fit was a distinct possibility. When I bent down I felt a rush of pain go up my leg, causing me to wince, and panic. Rubbing the affected limb helped, but it also served to remind me of the scars that littered my body, in full view with tonight’s choice of clothing. If there was one part of this evening I wasn't so confident about, it would be them.

The one that was above my thigh was the worst, and there was no amount of makeup in the world to diminish its looks. It was deep and even a little darker than the skin around it, and I had another on the upper right arm, as well as one right over my throat where they had removed my thyroid. There was a spot from the chemo pump, but that was lighter and not as noticeable, unless someone was staring right at my chest. The effect of them, combined with my suggestive clothing, looked not bad, but definitely noticeable.

They would either greatly help me get noticed, or they would be an instant turn off. I couldn't worry about them too much, they were just as much a part of me as everything else, and something that couldn't be changed.

Cleaning up the vanity I went over to my bag to take my meds, making sure to set out some of my anxiety pills. I laid everything out and crossed them off my mental list, making sure I stayed as close to my usual schedule as possible.

It was at the exact time that Joy came in through the doors to the guest bedroom, which was attached to this bathroom. Speedily my hands tried to put everything back in place, shoving the pill bottles into my bag quickly, but Joy still caught what I was going. She took one look at me and the pills and turned red. I knew what it looked like, and it wasn't good.

"Jameson failed to mention that you were a pill head," Joy said in her cartoon voice as she glared at the bottle of pills in my hand.

"They're all scripts, I have cancer," I told her shrugging, not willing to play any kind of games with her. It was all or everything for me, from here on out. When I looked for her reaction, I got nothing. She treated this statement as if I had told her that the clouds outside were white.

"Well that sucks Hannah, at least you're not a drug addict like I thought there for a second. Grab your stuff and get downstairs. We need to be out the door in ten minutes," she told me. A second later she turned and left the room, no extra questions, and no prying comments. I decided I liked Joy, she didn't get rattled often and wasn't big on bullshit. Joy obviously cared about her business, and wasn't shy about protecting it, so I respected her, even if she scared the living daylights out of me.

I walked downstairs and watched all the activity that was happening in the large living room. There were going to be three girls dancing tonight, and all were currently in silk robes with god knows what under them. At the moment they were sitting on one of the rich gray sofas that surrounded a big wooden and glass coffee table, the three of them chatting and putting on some lotion. From the conversation, I knew one of them was the Jackie I spoke with earlier, but none of them made a move to introduce themselves so the rest were a mystery.

Joy went over the basics of my job as attendant, not server as she corrected, explaining that it was my job to both see to the girl’s needs, as well as the gentleman’s in the private room we were set to work in. I would have my own cart of drinks outside the room, and it was going to be supplied by the kitchens near the main ballroom.

The other server was a young girl, named Leighanne, who seemed friendly enough upon first meeting. She had beautiful skin the color of milk chocolate and long dark hair that was expertly done in a high and chic ponytail. Leighanne came up to introduce herself when I came in, and I was embarrassed to notice I only came up to her chest. She had to be at least five nine, five ten, and who knows how tall once she got her heels on, while in my stilettos I was lucky to make five six.

At the moment, Joy and Leighanne were running around and packing bags, I was assuming with extra outfits and makeup in them. Clearing my throat I approached Joy, feeling still nervous around her, but wanting to be of service.

"Can I help with anything?" I asked as I set my small duffle bag down by the door. She looked from it to me and didn't question my need to take it along, probably helped by my explanation upstairs.

"You can start packing up those bags over there in the back of the van. The black bags have the heavier stuff in them, so put them on the bottom. Anything with an X on the luggage tag goes on the top."

I set about packing everything up, breaking a sweat after the second load. These bags were no joke, and I wondered for the tenth time what was in them. Panting I made my way back inside, the three dancers swept past me as I went in, never even once glancing my way. They were too oblivious to me for me to take it as an insult.

"Don't take it personally," I heard my counterpart say behind me. "They are always like that, I don't think they have said more than one word to me since I started working here. All the memory manipulation, it can't be good for them." Leighanne winked at me, shocking me into realizing what she was saying. Unsure where to go I simply stared at her, trying to read her face.

"Leighanne, you're sitting in the middle with Hannah here," Joy said, cutting off any further discussion I could have with her. I was still standing there, a bit shocked as Joy herded us out the door and into the van. The sliding door clanged shut and I felt the weight of that door as it closed on me. There was no turning back now, just time to hang on for the ride.

***

Everything went in a sort of haze for most of the drive, and I felt like I hung in a suspended state waiting for the ground to hit my feet. That was, until we entered the gates of the seethe. Then I almost jerked as reality slammed into me. To the outside human, the Drake seethe would just look like a gated community, much like the clan I grew up in. This was however smaller than I had imagined it, unless some of the other citizens lived a little out of distance from the rest, it had to be about half the size of my father’s land.

I had picked up from conversation that the party was going to be held in the main house, which would most likely be Eli's residence as well, though I couldn't be sure it worked that way here. There were so many outbuilding, guard posts, and inward roads that my brain was hurting. Taking inventory of these things would be necessary to me if I needed to make a quick exit, but the van was moving so fast that it was hard to keep up.

After some time we pulled up to the house, which was too big to be called anything besides either a mansion or a small castle. It was made in a very traditional style but with some obviously modern touches. The facade was both old and new, which gave it an intimidating feel. The imposing feel and expensive materials lent it an aristocratic air.

There had to be at least four levels of windows that I could see, and I suspected quite a few level below ground as well. The landscape however was sparse, most likely due to the fact that they couldn't be in the sun for long periods of time to tend to it. Vampire in the sun wouldn't go up in flames right away, but after a good hour or two they would be so weak their bodies would start to degenerate and they can die. Then they usually start burning.

I was bumped in the back while staring up at the house, and turning to see who it was, I found Joy. She gave a good glare and it propelled me into motion, and it took me a moment to catch up to her as everyone made their way around the front of the house, presumably to find an alternate entrance.

"What time does all of this start?" I asked with a yawn as we climbed the stairs. We were going all the way up to the top floor. If we were up here, then I was guessing Eli resided either on a different floor or in another building. He wouldn't want us so close to his private quarters, but close enough to keep an eye on. I felt another yawn coming but stuffed it down, not being used to working these hours, even if my sleeping was spotty at best.

"You have time to get some coffee Hannah, we don't go on until after the men go off for their whiskey and port later. If I were a betting woman, I'd say two thirty or three. It depends on Eli, we go on his schedule." Joy didn't wait for a response from me, not that she ever did that before either, as she sauntered away, leaving me dazed in her wake. My bag bounced against my back when I finally snapped out of it and made my way after her.

The twists and turns we were taking made it impossible for me to track where we were going. The feeling of disorientation had my heartbeat racing, and it took some deep breaths to get myself back under control.

After what seemed like an eternity, we reached a large guest room. The way in which everyone started setting up shop let me know they had used this room on a regular basis. I followed in last, and shut the door behind me. Everyone seemed to be doing their own thing so I followed suit and went over to the couch at the far wall. Staying out of everyone's way would be the most helpful thing I could do, plus it gave me time to get my shit together.

The couch was close to a window, and I was hoping to get a chance of scoping things out further. The back window opened out into the back garden space, with a large brick patio, fully outfitted with it's own gardens, benches, and fountain. It looked medieval, like something out of a Shakespeare romance.

Digging up my beloved iPod from my bag I set about plugging myself into some music. Settling for a play list that bordered in between relaxing and energizing, I closed my eyes and let the rhythm take me away.

Leighanne was kind enough to bring me over some coffee, reigniting my interest in her, and why she was so willing to expose the fact that she knew what was going on here. One thing was clear though, her and Joy were close. They spoke to one another about this job, and about other things as well, leading me to believe that they were friends outside of work as well. But what was Leighanne? And what was Joy?

Some angry tones cut through the song I was listening to, and after popping out an ear bud it became obvious Leighanne and Joy were arguing with one another.

"I gave you one job tonight Leighanne, it was next to impossible to mess up. What the hell are we going to do now, ask Evan if he can rustle up some stripper music for us?" Joy's face was an impressive shade of red, so much so that I was expecting some steam to come out of her ears at any moment.

"I have music," I said smiling as I stood up from my perch. Everyone’s eyes snapped to me and I made my way to them, trying my best to hide the limp. The offended leg had been tucked under me, getting fast asleep, and now it was hurting like a bitch. Joy continued to stare at me like I had five heads.

“Some of it is even stripper music.” Winking, I tried to go for levity, and then instantly wondered if I was insulting her.

"Let me see," Joy said, holding her hand out for my MP3 player. It was hard not to notice she was fighting a smile at my comment, and it made me feel better.

"Not a bad selection, mind if I use it for the night?" I was surprised she asked instead of just taking it like I thought she would.

"As long as you treat her right and get her home before curfew.” Now my own smirk was pushing its way forward.

"I like you," Joy said abruptly, just before she walked back to speak with Leighanne. Leighanne for her part mouthed a thank you to me over Joy's shoulder. Yup, she was at least six one with those heels on. If we were wearing the same shoes, I was in for a world of hurt, and I hoped my leg would hold up for the night.

The phone I had brought with me was peeking out of the front pocked of my bag, and it reminded me to turn it off. The past, and all of its secrets, needed to be put away, if only for tonight.

Chapter 10

Joy was right on the money, by about two thirty, we got a call in our room that the 'gentlemen' were ready for us. No one else looked nervous, but I was having a hard time keeping a lid on my anxiety. I focused on breathing and reminding myself that I was dying, that there was no reason to be scared of a little vampire. A vampire that was almost five hundred years old, a vampire that had never lost a challenge, never lost a war. A vampire who hated my family with the fire of a thousand suns. Perhaps overcoming all that was easier said than done.

We walked down to the room, and I was surprised that we were heading downstairs. I had assumed this would be a more private affair, something to keep away from the delicate females and spying wives, but it seemed we would be heading right for the heart of it all. We stopped at the floor above the main one, and the music that was blaring from the ballroom was vibrating the floor under us, shaking my heels.

We entered through a side door, in an adjacent room that was big enough for us all to sit comfortably. The beverage cart was in the corner, and it spared no expense when it came to its contents, all high name labels and expense champagne. Waitress experience had never come in handy before, but I was going to use it tonight.

"What does the room look like?" I asked, stopping in a full length mirror to make sure my outfit and makeup looked good still.

"It's like a mini version of a ballroom. There is an area for more private...sitting," Leighanne said to me at my side, checking her makeup as well. Looking in her face required me to look directly up, we looked almost ridiculous side by side. She continued, not noticing my staring.

"There is a larger area with a dance floor of course. The acoustics are great in there, and the guys are always very...generous." She said it with a wink like I knew what it meant, but Leighanne must have saw the confusion on my face because she graciously explained.

"They tip big.” It was clear from her face that something more was going on, but I let it go.

"What are you?" It seemed to be blurted out, and in truth I didn't mean to call her out so suddenly, but it was bothering me. Leighanne looked startled for a second but remained composed, her own body turning so that we were both facing away from Joy and the rest of the dancers.

"My grandmother is a witch, third generation. I didn't luck out in the gene pool, but I wasn't left as helpless as most of the humans Joy employs. It turns out I am incapable of having my memories manipulated, making my first trip here quite a shock. I didn't know what was happening when he sat me down and looked into my mind. It was, unnatural," she said, visibly shuddering. "Needless to say it didn't work, but Joy had a talk with them about me, and I signed some pretty hefty non-disclosure statements. I've been working these for almost three years now."

Leighanne was just about to say something, but Joy interrupted her. There was the feeling that she was about to ask me the same thing, and I had no good answer for her. Just who the hell was I supposed to be?

"You girls are up, fluff those tits and get out there," Joy said as she handed each of us a pad of paper and pen. I put the pen behind my ear and gave her the paper back, tapping my head to let her know I had it all up here. When it came to memory I was exceptional. At least I used to be.

"If you're not going to take the paper, then what's the pen for?" Leighanne asked as we walked through the doorway.

"For autographs.” Leighanne gave me a look reserved for the certifiable, causing me to laugh. "If they see the pen but not the paper, then they are going to be looking for where I'm keeping it," I explained, wagging my eyebrows. She laughed and we entered the room, it was a clear and honest laugh, loudly echoing off the walls, and it was impossible not to join her.

Our laughing must have been a bit out of place, or it wasn't usual, because every male eye in the room was staring at us. I was expecting the reaction, and it was one of the reasons I had tried to make a joke. It had come to my attention, mainly from the ramblings of the twins growing up, that guys liked a girl who could laugh. It never failed to draw attention, just as it did now.

Standing on my tiptoes I whispered in her ear, "Nice touch Leighanne, your laugh is memorable. If you want to have some fun with them, follow along and I can double your tips tonight." She nodded, and then we spilt as I made my way to one side of the room. The heels were making the trip somewhat perilous, but I managed in the end not to fall on my face.

The room was decorated in candles, all scent free, I noticed. There was low lighting in the room from above, just one step lighter than a good jazz bar. It was enough to see everything, but keep the ambiance, not that the vampires couldn't see perfectly well without it all. The play list I had made was currently playing, it was classy and sexy at the same time, and I was glad Joy stuck with it.

"What can I get you gentlemen to drink tonight?" I asked the first group of guys. They were four vampires, sitting at a small round table in the corner. Due to the location of their seats, I was guessing that they were either visiting or lower ranking. Vampires stuck to order and rank like the military, and with all the fanaticism of a feudal system. It was a sign of status and respect to acknowledge the rank of the others in the room. I was guessing that they were usually served last, but I wanted the head guys to get a good look at both of us before we headed over. Anticipation was a key to foreplay, in the bed or out.

Continuing around the room, the men seemed to be in a good mood, but there was an undercurrent of some wildness just waiting for the right time to come out. For now though, they were courteous, trying to sneak glances when they thought I wasn't looking. It would change later on, I was sure, but for now I let them look. Thinking of Lillian, I knew that showing too much interest would only turn them off, so keeping myself somewhere in the middle would be good. Gods, to think I was actually thinking like my mother.

"How am I doing?" I asked Leighanne softly, just before I finally made my way towards the main seating area. We were each smiling as though we were sharing a fond memory, drawing curious glances.

"Every guy is eating out of our hands, I've never seen them so intrigued and they know me," she said, pulling away and grinning widely.

Turning, I almost faltered when coming upon the main seating arrangement. There were eight men, three on each sofa and one in each wing backed chair that rounded out the rectangle of seats. In all the research we did, there were no pictures available of Elijah, so pointing him out cold was impossible. If he wanted special treatment, he was going to have to earn it.

That was one thing I learned growing up with shifters, that the battle for dominance was a delicate one. It was a subtle skill, but one I knew well.

"What can I do for you all tonight?" Sitting down in an open spot on one of the couches, I crossed my legs over one another and reached down as if to adjust the strap on my heels. They waited, probably thinking that I was going to stand again, but I never did. All of the vampires were looking to one another, and then looking to one person in particular. And there was the man himself.

Elijah sat on the sofa, not in one of the wing backed chairs that I would have guessed he would perch on. He looked tall, though he was sitting so it was hard to tell specifically. His head was crowned in rick chestnut hair, and two of the most onyx colored eyes I had ever seen. They should have been repulsive, being so dark and fathomless, but I found them intriguing.

The king had a subtle amount of stubble on his face, less intentional and more like he couldn't be bothered to shave. His tux, a dark metallic like gray, was tailored to within an inch of its life. It hugged his substantial frame with grace, lending the masculine face some gentle kind of beauty. He looked like a magazine ad in the flesh.

"Would you like to go first Elijah? Everyone seems to be waiting on you?" I asked him holding my eyes to his. They flashed red for the barest of seconds, and then they returned to the black depths they were before. It sent a wave of heat through me, his power palpable from where I was sitting. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Leighanne go a bit still.

"How did you know who I was?" Elijah asked me, looking curious. I crossed my legs again when I noticed him staring at my scars on my wrists. Linking my fingers on my knee, casually, I did my best not to look like I was hiding them.

"Everyone looked to you, because they were looking for your lead. I didn't think you'd me much of a celebrated birthday boy if they did that with anyone else." My words came out neutral and matter of fact, with just the slightest twinge of boredom.

"I'll have a whiskey, neat," Elijah said, but not before pausing for a beat. He turned to continue talking to the one to his right, and I went around the rest of the group, gathering everyone's orders. Catching his gaze on me, I knew I had thrown him, and he didn't know quite what to make of me. It was right where I wanted to be.

When I returned to the side room, everyone was staring back at me, most with their mouths hanging open. All expect Joy of course.

"How the hell did you do that?" Leighanne asked, almost laughing.

"I worked at Hooters when I was a kid to piss off my parents.” It gave me more life lessons than I could count.

"What about all the skills with the guys. You had every one panting by the time you rounded the room, I've never seen anything like her Joy," Leighanne said to a clearly not surprised Joy. I didn't think anything surprised her, and surely nothing as bland as me.

"A long time ago I was married, and when he left me for another woman, I may have...overcompensated for lost time. Men are easy to gauge, if you know what they are looking for from you." It was an understatement of vast proportions, but I vowed never to go back there and feel bad about it. I did what I needed to do to get over Jameson, even if it was self-destructive. That could be my middle name really.

"Knock ‘em dead," Joy said as I filled my first tray with drinks and headed back. If she had any reservations about my strategy she didn't show it. Variety and interest, with a group like this, was crucial to business. If they got bored they got someone else. I liked Joy so I was going to try my best to get her a ten year contract.

Elijah's eyes were on me the second I rounded the corner with the tower of drinks. He tried to hide it quickly, but I knew he was looking for me, if only for a second. I made a random pattern of serving them, trying not to linger too long or too little with any of them, needing them all to think they had a chance with me.

Mid-way through my feet carried me over to the main area, and as I leaned over to hand Eli his drinks, he grabbed one of my wrists and ran a finger down the length of the scar on one hand. It startled me, and it pissed me off that it startled me, which rendered me silent.

If I were truthful, I respected people more when they called me out on them instead of staring. But touching them was another thing altogether, and I wasn't sure what reaction he was looking for. Instead of snatching my hand back, I let him get a good look at it. There was eyes on us, some curious, some dangerous, some cautious, but regardless we were attracting attention.

"It was too much," I said to him, answering the question he was either about to ask, or wanted to ask.

He scrunched up his brows and then smoothed them out in the next breath. It seemed Elijah had a tight control on his mask, and it was nice to see me so readily smash it. He was currently running his finger back and forth over the scar, and I worked with all my might to suppress the shiver that was snaking its way up my spine.

"What was too much?" he asked me, leaning into my personal space an inch. The scent he threw off was like pure honey, sweet and warm, with the hint of wildness.

"Everything," I said quickly, and turned away to grab another tray.

***

I found the dancers were standing now near my drink station and they looked like they wanted to talk to me. Great.

"I've never gotten Eli to notice me before," the blonde said to me, looking like she was going to pout. Handing out advice to them wasn't on my list of priorities, but they seemed like good people, so I caved.

"Then you probably never will. Elijah's the kind of man that goes for what he wants when he wants it," I told her honestly. "Focus on the rest in there, and look for the one guy that is still looking at you when you put clothes back on. He's the one that wants your attention and your time." I turned without waiting for a response and walked back out into the room.

The song that came on next was one of my favorites. She had a haunting quality in her voice, the singer, and it was offset nicely by the semi techno beats behind it. I found myself moving a bit more freely through the crowd, allowing the song to invade my body. This was the reason I loved music, it had its own unique ability to speak to the very base of one's soul.

Every table that I needed to hit was fine, so making my way towards the middle became my next stop. To say I was immune to Elijah by now was out of the question, his stare, and his presence, seemed to heat through me. It rattled in my bones.

"Gentlemen, the main entertainment will be out shortly. Can I get anyone anything else before then?" The request was directed at Elijah, but the man on the couch next to him was also intently looking at me. He had the very same features, though his face was softer, the angles of his face were more rounded, but it couldn't be missed that he was Eli's brother. The look he gave me was boyish, with a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"Nothing for now, Hannah," Eli said to me, watching my face for a reaction from me. I just smiled back. If he was trying to mess with me, but it wasn't going to work with effort. Thanks mom and dad, you did give me something after all.

"Well then Eli, you know where to find me.” Not waiting for anything else, I made my retreat back.

The girls were getting ready to go on in the side room, and my jaw dropped at their outfits. They weren't strippers, they were burlesque dancers, and they were stunning.

"You all look amazing," I told them. Their vintage style outfits fit them to a tee, and their figures were out of this world. Small waists and voluminous curves in all the right places. Joy was leaning against the door frame, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Thanks," they said in unison, flashing me genuine smiles, and left to enter the room. I refilled some of ice in the buckets in the back, and when the music hit for them to preform I went over to Leighanne.

"When do you usually do another round?" I asked Leighanne, looking for something to distract me. Curiosity was burning through me, leaving me wanting to peek in and see what they were doing out there.

"I'll let you know, but I usually play it by ear. Mostly, I go back out after about two songs," she said looking at me intently.

"When we go out there, linger a little by the stage. Just a glance here or there. The lesbian/bisexual card has been played so often it's almost cliché, but if you act innocently curious they will eat it up. Just a subtle move from you should do it.” Leighanne nodded and grinned, looking like she was enjoying this evening.

"What are you going to do?" she asked me.

"I'm going to be a bit less subtle," I told her cryptically.

"I bet you were a favorite at Hooter's, had one of those gold plated pictures up on the wall?" she asked me, which caused my ensuing laughter.

"A plaque and my own bouncer.” The smile of reminiscing was still on my face as my leg demanded to be stretched. It was really starting to hurt by now.

"That's a pretty wicked scar there," Leighanne noted as I bent down.

"Cancer.” It felt better than I had imagined it would with everything I was putting it through. She whistled at my admission but didn't say anything else, which made me grateful to her.

We worked in companionable silence after that, until she motioned to me that we should go back out there. Instantly, it was visible that Elijah was missing, and after plastering a smile on my face I went about my job.

"How are you all doing over here?" I asked the two in the chairs and the ones that were on the sofas. They rattled off their orders and Eli’s brother got my attention by tapping my elbow.

It wasn't necessary to bend down, but men usually liked it, so I decided to go with it at the last second. He looked pleased and intrigued.

"How do you remember everyone's orders like that?" he asked with a grin. Could it be so easy? He just handed me a great opportunity, and I just hoped I was right that Eli was watching me from somewhere else right now.

"Practice.” I let him notice my eyes wandering to the front of the stage where the same blonde as before was working the crowd, and bit my lip slowly, letting it rake through my teeth.

She was down to her garters, thong, and tassels, but even without all that she really move, and I found myself not having to work so hard to act like I was interested in what she was doing. It was an interesting balance between something highbrow and something wild in the way she moved. The two others were talking up some of the other guests, working the crowd like they were a regular Vegas act.

His hard swallow was almost audible. Guys were easy to play sometimes, but I wanted, and needed, to make an impression tonight.

"Anything else...?" I asked him, leaving it open ended so he could provide me his name.

"Evan," he said as I shook his hand firmly. Vampire's hands were colder than the hot blooded wolves and lukewarm humans I was accustomed to. It wasn't disturbing, but enticing, the feel of them was so foreign and strong.

After letting his hand go I stood up, grimacing at the pain in my leg. Evan didn't seem to notice though, he was staring at the blonde in front. It reminded me to pass on that little tidbit to her, and what better time than the present.

Purposefully I made my way towards the front of the room, skirting the tables nearest where she was dancing. It was easy to make eye contact with her as I filled my tables with drinks, but it wasn't until my body was close to hers that she caught on.

Finally, she seemed to catch my drift, and I looked over my shoulder to her, and glanced behind me so she would get what I wanted. She was dancing right in front of the group next to me, and I started moving my own hips to the beat of the song that was playing, glancing over my shoulder at her. My hips moved slowly and deliberately, inviting her to come behind me.

As second or two later she was positioned directly at my back, adjusting her hips to my own pace. She was close, but not close enough to touch me. It was just the right distance to make everyone imagine us touch, and it was right where I wanted it.

It wasn't even a forced laugh that came out when she danced around me, with far more skill than I would ever possess. We could have been two friends dancing in a club at that point, and it was perfect.

The last drinks on my tray was a few shots of tequila, having placed them there when I noticed her staring at them during their last costume change.

Dancing around she came up to stand in front of me, just as I held out a glass in offering. Tipping the drink, she pulled back her head, letting me pour the drink right down her throat. She righted her head, and I reached out with my thumb to stop a drip of the tequila from running down her chin. I leaned in and whispered "Talk to Evan, he can't take his eyes off you.” She giggled and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, kissing my cheek and returning to her dance.

Evan was staring at me when my route towards the back led me right past his table. It was impossible not to stop and speak with him, so I bent down again, looking him straight in his eyes. “Do you think Elijah enjoyed that?”

"I can't imagine how he couldn't," he said to me, as I got up and walked out of the room.

Chapter 11

It was the equivalent of half time here, and I was starting to get nervous. Eli wasn't anywhere to be found, having gone missing for the last hour or so, and things were starting to look bad for what I was hoping to accomplish. Maybe I played it too aggressive, too upfront? No, I thought again, he was the ultimate alpha type. He wanted a challenge, and not just any challenge. I played it the way Lillian would, so why wasn't it working?

The dancers, who at this point I been properly introduced to, thought I was now an unofficial fourth member to their group, and the best thing since sliced bread. The blond was name Luciana, or Luci as she told me to call her, and the other two brunettes were Jackie and Tamara. Luci was having good luck getting attention from Evan, and I was glad to help her out. At least someone was getting attention from them tonight.

I felt my hands sweating a bit, and the feeling of time slipping away was getting to me. Going home empty was inconceivable, to die from a fucking disease I never should have gotten in the first place. The anger helped to ebb away at some of the anxiety, giving me some focus and clarity.

The next phase of the evening was cigars, with large boxes of all varieties strewn out over another tray a servant had brought up to us. Jameson liked his cigars, but I had never paid attention to any of the details about them.

Joy must have saw my hesitation at taking a tray because she took it out of my hands and gave it to Leighanne. She winked at me, and then headed out, looking unconcerned she was going out alone.

"I could have done that," I told Joy, a whining edge tinted my voice. Pacing back here wasn't doing me any good, only getting out there would make me feel better.

"You're better with drinks," she said, shooing me out the door. Joy was right though, so taking a deep breath I braved the room once more.

Elijah was back, it was something I could feel the second I entered the room. His back seemed stiffer than before, but his face was still stoic and gorgeous, an easy smile on his face as he spoke with Evan.

Moving closer it was clear he had brought some people back with him. There was a group of new people now, and they had pulled up some chairs to accommodate everyone. It looked like he had brought a good ten more guys and even a few girls in. The women for their part didn't look to happy to be there but, they came regardless, so my treatment remained the same.

"Ah, Hannah, there you are," Eli said warmly as I approached. I didn't know if these newcomers were friendlier or not, so I stuck with professional for a little while longer, waiting to see how I was received.

"Glad you're back Eli, what can I get for you and your new guests?" My tone came out business like, but it was necessary. These new ones threw off the balance that I had worked hard to establish before.

"I'll have the same as before please," he told me, and then gestured to his side at the two younger looking men.

Feeling out the crowd, my mental list of drinks grew, but lingering questions kept filtering in. Should I amp it up or tone it down? I was so lost in my own ruminations, that I almost didn't see the other woman that was seated just behind Eli.

My breath froze in my throat, and though I tried to remain calm, it didn't quite work. Impossible, I thought to myself, staring at the woman with open horror.

It was the same woman from my dream. I would recognize the hair anywhere, but she was also wearing the same exact golden dress she did then, all sparkly and long, with a bit of a train and a low neckline.

I must have looked like an idiot standing there, but I couldn't help it really, it was like meeting a celebrity or something. Reading into it was involuntary, leading me to question why she was here. Coincidence? Premonition? Insanity?

Maybe one of those tequila shots would do the trick of restarting my brain, or the whole god damn bottle for that matter. Turning towards the back quickly, my bad leg had other ideas, buckling, the instant I placed pressure on it. Before I could hit the deck though, a pair of strong were around me, cradling my body with the precision of a knowing lover.

Eli stood to my side, holding my elbow as I steadied myself to stand. It was as if I could feel the path of heat go from his hand, all the way up my arm, to rest in my chest.

Putting my hand on his, I whispered a quick, “Thank you Elijah,” into his ear. He looked to my face for a moment, his body eerily still, and then bent, getting down on his knee to check out my leg. His hands were large and almost palmed my whole thigh, his large thumb ran up and down the length of the ugly suture mark, careful and light as a breeze.

"Anyone ever tell you it's rude to touch someone's scars like you do?" I asked him, surprised I could keep my voice even and strong with his skin on my own. It was doing things to me that sent my blood pressure up.

"Is this what is bothering you, you seem to favor it?" he asked me, ignoring my previous question. He looked fascinated by it, one hand on my hip and one just above my knee, as if he could feel what was going on in between. Eli probably never had an experience with injuries that didn't heal, he could seal a cut in a matter of minutes.

"Yes and no," I told him. My plan when it came of talking about me was to never outright lie to him, just get enough creative truth out there to appease us both. The thumb of his hand was precariously close to the inside of my thigh, causing a flush of red to heat my face.

His fingers and hands roamed over my leg, beyond what was propitiatory, but it was lost on me. The touch, his hands, sent a whip of arousal straight to my core. Instantly his eyes snapped to mine, probably noticing the delicate change in my scent. My eyes couldn't leave his either, creating some kind of bond that felt endless between us.

Evan coughed lightly, bringing both of us out of our trance, smiling like a cat. It was enough to cause us to separate a bit, and my body was already rebelling against the added distance.

The woman was once again within my peripheral vision, reminding me of why I had gotten into this situation to begin with. She looked right at me, and I got a very bad feeling about her. It sent a shiver through my bones, but not the good kind.

She wasn't so much sneering at me, as she was Eli, like the act of touching a human was repulsive. Call it instinct, or precognition, but I felt that if I didn't do something soon, things were going to get ugly. Keeping my eye on her for now was all I was going to be capable of doing.

"I'm fine Eli, thank you," I told him as he stood in front of me. He didn't respond, but kept looking at me, like he was trying to figure me out. I gave him a smile and then moved to grab my drinks.

When I reached the entrance to the side room, the girls were ready in all new outfits for the next round of dances.

"Ah! I have never made this much here before!" squealed Luci, as she threw herself into my arms for a hug. Her petite frame was deceiving, and I heard several of my vertebra crack from the force of her.

"You’re welcome," I told her warmly, reaching in my bag and grabbing some pain killers. The last thing I needed was for my leg to give out again and spill all the drinks on my tray on someone, so self-medicating was my only option.

"Any chance you will become permanent?" Luci asked me from across the room. She, and everyone else that was listening in the back, looked so hopeful that I hated to do it, but I wanted to be honest.

"I'm dying, cancer, so I’m only here for the night. But thanks for the offer!" I said cheerily back, hoping it seemed sincere. You could have heard a pin drop in the room after that, but I kept my back to them. Joy interrupted someone who was trying to talk to me, and I was reminded of the fact that she was good person.

By the time I turned around, the girls were already back on stage and I breathed a sigh of relief. I mouthed a thank you to Joy, and to my astonishment she smiled nicely back to me. Leighanne wasn't there I realized, but I hadn't heard her leave.

"Where's Leighanne?" I asked Joy, when she hadn't returned by the time it was to get back out there for another round.

"Her mother recently died from cancer, I don't think she took your news well. I suspect she left to get some fresh air," she said to me.

"I'm sorry sometimes I don't have a filter," I explained ruefully, but she waved off my comment.

"You can't control others reactions to what you say Hannah. Let her process and she will be back. In the meantime get your ass in gear," Joy said pointing towards the door. The only left to do was laugh, and follow her orders.

"Be careful Hannah,” Joy cut in before I could leave. “This is the point in the night where their filters start to come off," she said in a more serious tone.

"One question?" I asked her before going out. She nodded for me to continue. "Do I go aggressive or demure?" What I really wanted to know was if I could push them, I think they would like it, but if they would rough me up back, I wasn't going for that strategy. Dominating an alpha male like that would be fun, but only if they would be receptive to it. Otherwise it's just asking for it.

Thinking back on my behavior tonight, it felt good to be so free. This was how I was before everything, before the cancer. I had a craving for life and for living it, hardly ever holding back in anything I did. I felt alive here, and I never wanted this feeling to end.

"With the way Eli has been with you tonight, you can do whatever the hell you want. No one in there is stupid enough to touch you." It made both of us smile, probably each for different reasons.

Entering the room it was obvious immediately that Joy was right, things were in a much higher gear in here now. The room, and the amount of people was much higher than before, bucking the capacity to bursting. It was so striking that I was forced to go back and warn them.

"There is too many in there Joy, I either need backup or I shouldn't serve any of them anymore. I'll never be able to get them all, and it's going to piss off the natives if I ignore some of them." She nodded at my assessment, leaning over her shoulder and barking out some commands.

"I'll go and get some of the servers from the ballroom downstairs. This sometimes happens later on in the night. I'll just call down and send some of them up to help out." She turned and left the room.

The rack of clothes was the only other thing in the room, inviting me to browse the vast selection they had brought with them. An idea instantly hit me.

This corset was killing me, and I needed a fresh dress, something a bit less formal for the rest of the night. I found a dark purple number, loving that it would set off my eyes nicely. It had thin and darkly beaded design on the edges, and it looked like it wouldn't be too short on me, maybe coming down a little above my knee. As I turned the hanger around, I noticed that it was completely backless. Jackpot.

Utilizing the screen Joy had up, my uniform fell to the ground with an audible sigh. Deciding it was still too early, my heels stayed on, in keeping with my shoe rule. I only took them off when I knew I wouldn't be putting them back on, otherwise it made it worse. Stepping around the screen, now fully dressed, I found Leighanne looking at me a bit sheepishly.

"I'm sorry I ran out on you like that.”

"It's okay Leighanne, I understand," I said, trying to give her a reassuring smile.

"I see you've changed.” She returned my smile with one of her own, a sense of relief was ringing through both of us.

"You think Joy will mind? I couldn't work in that outfit anymore." She shook her head and went to peruse the selection of clothing as well. After a few minutes she came out in little black number. It was pretty modest but she was so tall that it was dangerously short. It made her look fabulous, like an Amazonian warrior.

"That's perfect," I heard from behind me, her voice so easily recognizable that I knew the boss lady was back. Joy whistled seeing the both of us changed.

"You don't mind?" It was important she didn't think I was overstepping my bounds. This was still her show.

"No, it's fitting for the mood out there," she said to us. Quick as that she left, screaming out orders to a group of frightened servers.

Everyone started filing out, but I waited for them all to leave before following them out. Elijah needed to be looking for me, maybe even thinking I wasn't coming out.

***

The main seating area was moved a bit closer to the stage, but it was the same crew there as before. I approached, walking slow, and feeling like I could move much better without all of the tightness of the top and shorts I had on earlier. This dress allowed my hips to move more, making my limp less noticeable. I made eye contact with Eli and smiled on approach, and found him looking from my face to my leg. He must have noticed that I was still hurting, and my plan of hiding it further would be futile.

Besides him, everyone did seem to be in a lighter, more playful mood.

"Hannah," Eli said to me, and I had to fight another shiver at his voice.

"Good evening Elijah, how is your birthday treating you so far?" I asked, refreshing everyone's drinks. The old glasses were replaced quickly with new one, and before long the tray was heavily loaded with empty tumblers.

"It's been a good one," he told me cryptically, just as I noticed the woman that was currently draped all over him. She had dark brown, almost black hair, and striking blue eyes. She would have been pretty except for the pout on her face. Why did girls seem to think that doing that made them more attractive? Dismissing that it was Marcy was easy, with everything going on here he would keep her out.

"I see they sent in the cavalry in to help you two out," Evan said, snapping me out of my thoughts. It left me self-consciously hoping Eli didn't catch me glaring at the girl by his side.

"Word got around about all the fun in here and they wanted to see what all the fuss is about,” Evan finessed explaining. Though he was out of my eye line, something told me Elijah was watching the exchange very closely.

"Well they deserve it," I said, gesturing to the stage at the ladies there. Currently there were all three doing a choreographed number, and by the dramatics of it, likely it would be the last one before they went off into the crowd for more private entertainment.

My compliment wasn't a line to get his attention, all of the ladies really were magnificent up there. Luci moved so well that she had to have some formal dance training, her motions were smooth and fluid, like running water.

"It wasn't just them they were talking about," Evan said to me on a whisper, winking and drawing me closer.

"Impossible, I'm just a girl. With no tassels either.” Returning his wink, his eyes seemed to light up, so I knelt down to talk to him on a more personal level.

"Somehow I doubt that," Evan said back to me.

"Oh I can assure you Evan, my body struggles to breathe just like the rest of you.” It was something I had picked up, being the human in a clan full of shifters, that it is often the similarities we try to hide from one another. In the end, we are all mostly the same.

"That's a beautiful way to describe life Hannah.” Evan's gaze turned to something far more serious, as if he was looking upon me for the first real time. Yes I have breasts and a brain, thank you for noticing.

"Life is a beautiful struggle Evan. Mine is no different." Out of the corner of my eye I could notice some movement as Eli disengaged himself from the brunette, and kicked a man out of his seat so he could sit on the other side of me. It started me for many reasons, but it was hope that bloomed in my chest at the sight.

"Your scars tell a different story," Eli said to me, leaning forward on his arms to talk to me. He was close enough to smell again, the deep aroma of his body seeming more spicy than sweet. Evan's eyes looked as if they were threatening to burst out of his face.

"My scars tell my own story Eli. It is no better, or worse, than yours, though you hide them well. Come to think of it, should I feel for them and make it even?" The suggestion was something of a dare, because if I was being honest with myself, the idea of touching him scared me to death.

"If scars are the reminder of the struggle to breathe, as you so eloquently put it, then they are a part of you. Why shouldn't I want to touch yours?" The challenge was clear in his deep eyes, lighting some of the inky blackness with curiosity. My response was so quick it couldn't be anything other than the honest truth.

"Because you are too beautiful to touch something so ugly, and so full of pain.” It wasn't the answer I wanted to give him, but it was the only one I could voice. There was something so magnetic about him, and fact that the was drawing me in, as much as I was trying to draw him in, scared the pants off me.

As he continued to look at me, Evan was looking back and forth between the two of us like we were prize fighters in a ring. The longer this conversation went, the less Evan looked like he was comfortable with me. Suspicion and wariness furrowed his brow.

"Pain can be just as beautiful, when you've had time to look back at it again," Elijah responded in a soft tone. More than soft though, his sentence rang of the understanding of someone who could identify with pain.

"That is true, but time, she's a fickle lover. Often she only serves to chase you away from what you should see.”

"Spoken like someone who has been led astray. But how many lovers, besides time, are you sharing your bed with?" The turn in conversation threw me a bit, had we moved on from talking about life to lovers? I couldn't read his damn face to tell, he was a stone mask of control right now.

"At the moment I court pain and guilt on a regular basis. Sadness and grief are frequent guests, but I think that love is the biggest tease. She never stays in the morning.” It was an honest answer, wrapped in a tone of jest, because I had begun to wonder long ago if a lasting love was ever going to be in the cards for me.

"Sounds like you need to get laid," Evan said crassly, breaking the moment we were having like the skipping of a record. If I was being truthful, I was glad not get off the subject, but a lingering sadness was there when I answered.

"Oh Evan, you have no idea.” It was then I decided to get up and go, noticing that my hands were shaking a bit. Things were getting very real here, and I wanted to keep it a little lighter.

During one of my runs to refill a table, my mind kept going back to the image of the red headed woman, both from her appearance in my dream, and the sneer she was throwing at Elijah and myself before. A quick survey proved no immediate sightings of her though.

It wasn't until I made my way towards the back that she came into view. She was just casually talking to another woman, probably complaining about being dragged in here but the look of her posture. There was nothing to indicate anything nefarious, and it was causing me to second guess my current mental state. Was paranoia, and hallucinations, another sign of my impending end?

The music stopped for the girls, and everyone erupted in cheers for them. I joined in, tucking my tray in my side and clapping, while putting my fingers up to my lips for an obnoxious whistle. The girls gave me a full smile and I gave them another, more suggestive whistle. They laughed and made their way through the crowd, and much to my surprise, Luci went directly over and sat right in Evan's lap. In the next moment, her fingers were playing with his hair, and fixing the bow tie that was on his tux.

The music, however, was currently MIA, and it was probable that Joy didn't set up anything else to play for after. Luci was the only one that looked like she was available for a quick chat, so I made my way over to her and Evan.

"Where is the hookup for the music?"

"Your iPod is docked in the stereo system. It's on the back wall in the corner," she told me. Her current seat had his eyebrow raised in question.

"That was your music?" Evan asked me, looking impressed.

"Yeah, she has like a million songs on that thing," Luci explained, smiling so bright it was almost blinding.

"I'll be back, I'm going to play DJ for a moment.” My iPod was right where she said it would be, tucked neatly into a rectangular box that was inset near the doorway. It only took me moments to pull it free, and I felt better holding it in my hands. It was always a source of comfort for me when I was going through my treatments.

It was a sober reminder to me of the position I was in now, that I needed to fight for my life. Anything less than that was unacceptable.

When I returned towards the rest of the part, everyone seemed to be good and hammered. The hardcore party section of the evening was in full effect, and I could tell the inhibition level in the room was so low it was practically on the floor. The vamps were having a hard time keeping their others sides hidden, some glances held eyes that were shining bright red, while others looked openly hungry. And not for alcohol.

Luci had managed to get Evan into a semi secluded corner, doing things to him that would make even me blush. But there was no room for me to judge anyone in here, I was trying to seduce the most unavailable man in the room, in the hopes of convincing him to gift me blood.

Gods, it sounded so ridiculous when I put it like that. Here I was, flitting around the party like some sexy hostess, playing games I learned from my mother. She had seduced so many men that getting a certificate from the state wouldn't be absurd in the least.

Now I found myself at this party, playing DJ for a room full of vampires, which I was supposed to pretend were just human. My face felt hot, as if all the blood had rushed there, and my palms were starting to collect sweat. Panic was quickly making itself known to me, when the reality of what I was doing, and the fact that it wasn't really working, settled into my consciousness. What was I expecting to happen? This magical moment where he falls in love with me and I am saved?

Retreating back to the side room Joy was waiting for me, and it only took her one second to evaluate that I was in trouble.

"You okay Hannah?" she asked. My knees felt light, as if any second they would stop holding up my weight.

"I...I think I just need some fresh air. What are the chances of that happening?" My shaking hand reached up and swept the long hair off the back of my neck, and a rush of cooler air helped to ground me.

"Go on, it's fine. I'll call and let them know downstairs that you're going to take a smoke break. Here," she said, pulling a pack out of her purse for me. It seemed like a delicious idea, losing myself for a moment in a cigarette outside.

"Thanks.” Turning, I told her,” Those things will give you cancer. Has anyone ever told you that?" My smile was wide and sarcastic as I made my way out the door, and Joy's laughter followed me all the way down the hallway, until it faded into silence.

Chapter 12

The descent back down towards the way we came was hopeless for me to replicate. There were so many turns, and staircases, each one looking the exact same. The best course of action, I decided judiciously, was to take random turns in the hopes that something would spark my memory. If not, I was going to have to find someone to ask. It seemed like everyone was at the party, either downstairs or up. What really astonished me was that there wasn't a servant in sight.

I finally caught a bit of luck and found a staircase, feeling better that at least I knew to head down. The level seemed to feel right, but looking each direction didn't seem to offer me any options to get outside. It shouldn't have surprised me, with the need to protect themselves from the daylight, the entrances and exits would be small in number, as well as easily guarded.

Perhaps if I followed the floor all the way around, a door or another set of stairs would pop up, and I could find my way outside then. Just as my feet took me around another corner, a large black metal door came into view. Running my hands near the edges, the faintest of air came through, heating my cold hands. Jackpot.

The door came open somewhat easily, though it did seem stuck, but it was more like it was from lack of use than anything else. The warm night air hit me like blanket, thawing the ice that had been locking up my chest. Tears splashed on my chest, and it took a moment to choke back the rest before they fell.

Looking around it seemed the door opened up to the back of the house, next to the square of bushes and the fountain that I saw from the window above when we had first entered. The fountain was calling me, as water usually did, offering me some comfort and peace. The path leading up to the fountain contained rows of shrubbery and flowered bushes, inviting my touch. They were lush and a good balance of soft and rough at the same time.

It was the fountain itself that took my breath away. It was of a man, bent and twisted at an almost unnatural angle, his face looking straight up. The shoulders were slanted to the left, and the spine was twisted, his legs locked into the bottom in different direction. It was equal parts awful and beautiful, with pain and ecstasy in his face. Various point on his hands and around the base of his feet were spraying water, but the twin jets coming out of the eyes stuck me the most. Closing my eyes, I rested against the high wall, and let the flowing water ease my nerves.

The peace lasted for a minute, before I heard the door I came out of snap closed, the heaviness causing a loud bang to echo in the backyard. My body immediately went into a crouch, for a reason that even I wasn't fully aware of. I peeked over one of the hedge bushes, my head just a fraction sticking out, following the sound of clicking heels.

In a complete replica of my dream, I could see a curtain of bright red hair flying as the woman from upstairs fled down another path. A few seconds later, a small sports car rounded the bend and squealed off into the night. The blood froze in my veins, and a sticky, sick feeling went through my limbs. It was too much of a coincidence, it had to mean something.

It might be nothing, I told myself, it was likely it was nothing, but there was a delayed shiver that still lingered. Something, some part of me deep down knew what to do, consequences be damned.

The heels proved to be difficult to run in, but with all the adrenaline running though me I hardly noticed. The front, where the guards were stationed, was where I was headed. If I wanted to go in and warn everyone, wasting time by figuring out where to go was foolish.

"Hey!" I called out to them as I rounded the corner. "What the fastest way to get upstairs to the private party?" The guard looked to my getup, and then to my face, with recognition hitting his features finally. Even if I looked like I was a crazy person at the moment, he must have remembered us coming in before.

"Go straight back the first staircase on the right. Take it up one floor and go left, the music should guide you there." The other guard was eying me up and down, and not in an appraising way.

"Thanks, but I need you to get everyone else out of the main ballroom. Absolutely everyone, no exceptions. Some woman just tore out of here, and it sounds crazy, but I had a really horrible nightmare about her. Something bad is about to happen. Get them as far out of this house as you can," I yelled back over my shoulder, picking up my sprinting towards the direction they had pointed me in. While I was hoping they took me seriously, I had to focus on my new friends and Elijah.

The directions led me right where I needed to go, and after flinging open the side doors dramatically, Joy and Leighanne seemed to be waiting for me. They were staring at me and my obvious frantic state, with mixed expressions of concern on their faces.

"We have to get out now Joy. Leighanne, come with me and get the rest of the girls out of that room. I don't have time to explain, but you need to get them out of here. I'll get to Eli, he should know what to do from then on.” Despite the warning in my voice they stayed where they were, staring at me with open mouths. It was like they were waiting for the joke.

"I'm not kidding, I had a dream, and this lady was in it. She was here tonight, and she ran out just like before," I said brokenly between breaths, still being winded from running. Joy looked at me with pity in her eyes.

"I'm not crazy, please you have to listen to me. Just get out of here, get out of range of the house." As my body swung to get towards the main party, a small hand stopped me. Joy had positioned herself in my way.

"The guards called up here and told me what you said to them. Honey, I think it's just a delusion, a coincidence, nothing bad is happening," Joy said to me, a small hint of sympathy and sadness was in her voice and I hated her for it. My mouth shaped the argument I was about to voice, but Leighanne cut in.

"Hannah, just listen to me. This is very heavily guarded complex. No one is going to be getting in here without being fully searched and vetted. They have constant patrols and checkpoints going on outside. Plus, Elijah could slaughter the lot of us without sweating. Anyone would be out of their minds to try something like that here.” She grabbed my arm gently, and led my dazed body towards the couch, sitting me down gently.

"How about you just take a break, it's been a long night. That and all those pills can't be helping matters.” Joy reached into a cooler and made me drink some water as she explained what happened when she spoke to the guys downstairs. The guards told Joy they didn't see any redhead, or any small sports car leaving the premises. The only conclusion that was left, devastated me. I must be losing my mind.

The next hour went by in a haze. The party was still raging, or at least I thought it was raging judging by the sounds that would come out of the doorway when it opened to let the girls in or out. The carpet pattern was currently holding all of my attention, but the slimy feeling from earlier hadn't left. At this rate, I would be lucky if I made it the next six months. Perhaps the cancer had finally spread to my brain. The good doctor had warned me of the possibility, and what it would mean.

Joy appeared in my field of vision, clearing my thoughts. Bending down, she swept a loose strand of hair from my face, tucking it in my ear and rubbing my cold hands that rested in my lap.

"The cab I called earlier is out front waiting for you. Go home and sleep tonight off and tomorrow you'll feel loads better. This blasted party is going to go on for a while longer anyways. Your earnings are in the front pouch, along with my card. You call me if you run into trouble on the way home okay?" I could only nod at her comment, my head feeling disconnected from the rest of me.

She helped me to my feet and handed me my bag, my shoes dangling off one hand. We continued down the hallway in silence, the kind of quiet between two people when there is nothing left to say. Elijah's voice broke into everything I was holding on to so carefully, shattering the facade.

Joy told me to stay where I was and went to talk to him. I couldn't hear what she said to him, and I couldn't bring myself to turn and see what his reaction was, it was all I could do but waver here, like a reed in a storm. A minute later there was a presence at my side, and was disappointed upon realizing it was Joy, and not Elijah.

"Come on now," she said to me. "Let's get you home."

"What did you tell him about me?" It was an irrational need to know, and one that would only make me feel worse. Any version of this truth was damning.

"I told him you weren't feeling well, that you were on some serious medication that made you go off sometimes but nothing to worry over. And do not bother being embarrassed, he seemed more concerned for you than anything." She kept me walking forward, but through it all I could feel his eyes on my back, never once breaking until we were out of sight.

Joy helped me into the cab, looking at me as she made sure I gave the cabbie the right address to the dance studio.

“If you can't drive, there is a spare key under the planter near the back gate. You can crash anywhere.” The kindness she was showing me hurt more than helped.

"I'm fine now Joy, go back in and take care of the girls okay?" She nodded and shut the door closed to the car. It pulled away from the curb, and I felt a moment of complete despair sweep over me.

The visual of me returning home, to the apartment, to the place I wasn't supposed to go back to, seemed like the ultimate nightmare. Maybe I could just return in the morning and plead for Eli to listen to me. He and I had connected tonight, maybe I could just lay it out there for him, give him the straight truth, and see what he would do. It was the best I was going to get out of this whole mess.

The front of the cab had reached the front gates, now empty of guards, and the first of alarm bells rang.

“Was there a guard out here when you came in?” I asked the driver, holding my hand up to stop him from continuing on.

“No miss.” Turning, he gave me the clear impression that he wanted me to shut up so we could continue on. Before either of us could speak again, the first of three explosions rang in the night air.

***

"What was that?" It was a useless question, there were few things that could generate those sounds.

“It sounded like...explosions," he said to me warily. It was almost too fantastical to even realize, how often did the everyday person hear something like that?

We both turned our heads to look backwards, in slow unison. It was too far away to be able to tell what was happening, but suddenly I remembered the part of my dream about the fire, and my heart went into my throat.

"Turn the car around!" I yelled at him suddenly. He shook his head, trying to fumble with the gear shift to get a move on it. I hit the partition repeatedly, scaring him further.

"Turn the car around right now!" My hand finally found the cell phone I was clutching, but the damn thing was taking way too long to start up.

"I'm not going anywhere near that house, sorry lady," he said and started to pull the car away. My eyes were pleading, and he finally screeched to a halt on the road in front of the entrance. At least he stopped, and I didn't hesitate to start running as I got free.

The screen lit finally, but the options for me to use it didn't exist. If what happened back there was what it sounded like, I couldn't call anyone in, how would I explain to the EMT's that all those burns they saw were now mysteriously gone? We had our own crew to call in when things like this happened, and inviting strangers in would do more harm than good.

The bag became too heavy, slapping painfully against my back in the sprint towards the house, so I threw it deep into a cluster of shrubs. My shoes went the way of the bag, and I could feel my speed pick up. The paved drive was cutting up my feet as I ran, it had to be a least a half of a mile from where we were to the main house. Little pieces of debris were getting lodged and tearing up the soles of my feet. When I got within sight of the main house, the sight stopped my body and my heart.

The entire lower floor was billowing out heavy smoke, with flames beginning to lick the window frames. Running in after them seemed like a good idea, but only if there wasn't anyone left as guard. They could have persons sticking around to make sure no one got out, or in my case, in.

Jameson told me to act like Henry if something like this came up. If it were my father attacking, he would do the explosion and smoke people out, only to have them slaughtered on the lawn. It was a bittersweet feeling to realize paying attention to his battle tactics was actually paying off.

Thankfully the trees and bushes off to one side were tall and thick, providing enough cover for me to approach the house safely. Upon a closer look, I noticed that the two guards out front from before were still there. They were keeping a good distance on the front of the house, and talking with each other about something, but with guns still drawn and ready.

It made sense now, why they would still be here. Each of them must be part of the attack, and they must have called up to tell Joy I was out of my mind to diffuse what I saw, and get me out before I could say anything else. Why didn't I just go right in and talk to Eli? Not that I think it would have made much of a difference. He still might have thought I was crazy.

Pacing, my thoughts seemed scattered. I couldn't get around the guards out front, and unless they moved, I wouldn't be able to sneak around the back without risking being seen. Were there more guards back there? For all I knew there was a whole group of armed guards ready to pick off stragglers.

A minute or two had passed, and I was starting to really panic now. No one was running out, and estimating how much air they had was futile. Too many variables in play.

Why weren't they running out of the rooms, running onto the lawn? It hit me then, they must have locked them in, just as they had before. This was too much like my dream, this couldn't be happening right now.

The two guards out front jumped forward when one of the windows exploded. Thick orange flames crept up the opening, casting shadows and soot on the pristine walls.

They looked at each other and nodded, my guess, deciding that it was safe to leave the house and its occupants to their fate. They ran towards the back, and an agonizingly long minute later a big black pickup truck peeled out and sped down the driveway.

This was the best chance I was going to get, and I wasn't sure I would still have the guts to go in if I waited any longer. Kicking the front door open was my only option, and that proved to be far easier said than done. Wasting time finding my way again seemed impractical, so taking the only route I knew, through the front door, seemed like a good idea.

The front entry was so filled with smoke I wasn't sure it was going to work for me, but forging ahead on my hands and knees seemed to work. I was forced to go much, much, slower than I wanted, but once the staircase became visible the air cleared enough to stand.

There was no music now to guide my way, but I could still find the path by listening to the shouts of the people locked in that room. It was a sound I hoped to never encounter ever again. It spurred me to run towards the doors, smoke be damned, but when my hands hit the handles the heat coming off the metal burned me instantly.

There must be flames in that room, hot enough to heat up the metal out here, which was a very bad sign. The cloudy, harmful air was so thick that looking for an ax, or a fire extinguisher was pointless. Even with the ax, there was no way I was going to be able to break down the door, not with the chains someone had taken care to thread through them.

It was the realization of their likely fate that spurred me on. The vamps might survive for a little while, but Joy, Leighanne, and the girls didn't stand a chance unless I got to them soon.

An idea hit me, and I quickly ran over to the door that led to their private room off the main one. It was around the corner, and unless someone knew what was behind it, I doubted anyone paid attention to it at all.

It wasn't locked with anything abnormal, except for what look like the standard for all the rooms. I kicked and kicked the door, for what seemed like an eternity when the doors came flying open.

Unfortunately, there was no one in this room, but I could hear the yelling that was beginning to turn to screams coming from the entrance to the main one. They had locked the inside door with the same chain as the outside one, and the same metal bar, just in a smaller version. I searched the room again, there was nothing in there that was going to help me, all I could see were the mountainous pile of bags that we brought with us.

The small room was filling up with smoke quickly, and I coughed, making my way slowly over towards them, snagging a stranded shirt to cover my mouth. I searched for Joy's bag, hoping against hope that she had something in her purse to help me. There, like a silvery dream, was a gun.

My father had guns, my father loved guns, but the twins were the ones that insisted I learn to shoot them. Growing up the only human in wolf community required me to know how to protect myself, and thankfully for them, I was a damn good shot.

Checking the magazine, and clicking off the safety, I walked with purpose over towards the chains, spending round after round into the target. Just before reloading, the sudden silence on the other side of the door reminded me that they might be scared about what was going on.

"It's Hannah, I'm trying to get you out, hang on!" The coughing left the words barely audible.

"Get the hell out right now!" Elijah screamed back at me, causing the hair on my arms to stand on end.

"I can't Eli, I'm almost there!" Changing out the magazine quickly, my sights lines up again and fired. A smile slid over my face when my ears heard the glorious click of the chain as it slid free. Then it disappeared when I realized that the metal bar remained there, untouched.

The shouts picked up so fast that it was a pure reaction from me to act. I reached behind me and grabbed one of the thick toweled robes off the rack, wrapping the belt of his around my hand as best I could. My hands reached for the closest end, expecting to be able to just slide it through, and release everyone inside.

The metal was so hot I could still feel it though the material, but I was too afraid that if I stopped, the pain would make it impossible to attempt again. The scream ripped through my mouth, despite the lack of air, as the last of the metal cleared the handle. It clashed to the ground the same time I did.

Chapter 13

In the next moment, the door flew open, with a fury filled Elijah directly on the other side. His eyes were the same color of the fire, bright yet deep red, and flickering with a heat that could rival the inferno beyond.

Evan had Luci with him, they were the next to come through, and I could see Leighanne and Joy making their way in through the doors as well. The other two dancers were coming through right behind, looking visibly shaken but otherwise unharmed.

Eli looked down to me, from my hands to my legs, and then cursed something low, settling on my feet. He bent down and scooped me up, his grip feeling like a healing balm over my hot skin.

"You have to get them out downstairs, the fire looked worse there.” My voice was scratchy so I spoke it to him directly in his ear. He snapped his head up, searching the frightened faces for someone.

"Peter!" Eli bellowed, easily heard over the cries of the forty or so people that were streaming out of the doors with us. "Get to the others downstairs, take whoever is able to help with you. Tear the damn walls down if you have to.” Not two seconds later a group of ten were passing us, making their ways towards the others.

"Is there a way that is still clear?" Eli asked me, as he led the rest of us out at a quick pace through the doors.

"When I came in, the front door was a little clear, but I just barely got through when I got in. It's doubtful to be holding still.” He tucked me tighter to his chest as we stopped still at the hallway that he was intending to go down. It was completely engulfed in flames. He turned and yelled to Evan something, and I realized it sounded like Spanish but not quite. They continued to argue a bit, presumably about what to do, and then we took off.

The heat and smoke was starting to get to me, and I coughed violently into his chest. His pace picked up as he went towards the opposite direction, rounding a corner that looked a bit clearer, but not by much.

"Did you see the back?" he asked me.

"No," I wheezed out, "But there was more damage to the front from what I could see...so the back is the best option."

He yelled something again at Evan, and then went down the hallway. IT was hard with me in his arms, but he managed to get both of us as close to the ground as possible. The coughing that overtook me before got so much worse that it sounded like I was choking. He must have sensed my struggle too, because he was just about flat our running now. His gentle hands pushed my head deeper into his chest.

"Hold on anjinho," he told me, as I heard his footsteps on the stairs. When he came up short suddenly, I was too scared to peek out.

"Evan, a little help with the door," Elijah yelled, and in a few moments later I was taking in huge lung fills of fresh air. The greedy breaths weren't getting any lighter, and Eli held on to me tighter until it passed.

We had walked a good distance from the house, and I looked over Eli's shoulder to see the Joy and her crew were all fussing over one another. When they finally spotted me, regret and guilt were stamped onto their faces. My smile seemed to brighten them up a bit. Out of everything tonight, they were the least to blame. Thinking about that I was reminded of the situation with the guards.

"Have someone do...a perimeter check, the two guards...out front knew what was happening. They could be waiting for us.” The words were painful to say, but it was an important point. I didn't come all this way to be picked off by some cowardly sniper out here. He stared at me, but I held his firmly. His jaw hardened and in that moment I knew he believed me.

"Evan.” The rest of the exchange between them was spoken in what I now realized was Portuguese. Even though I suspected most of the words were angry curses, it was a beautiful language. Evan's face turned murderous at what Eli told him, and then he ran off quickly.

Both of our heads turned when a flood of people, black with soot and some even burnt, came out one of the other back doors.

Vampires were streaming out from another entrance, looking like they were in worse shape than we were. They kept coming and coming, causing me to wonder how many they had packed in down there. We were so isolated upstairs, it was hard to remember that there was another party going on below us.

"Did you call 911?" he asked me, his voice a blend between anger and forced gentleness.

"No time.” My throat hurt just to breathe, and talking was torture at the moment. "I had to get to you...I tried to tell them..."The rest was drowned out when another coughing fit took over.

"I know you did, Joy filled me in.” His teeth were so gritted together that it was a miracle any words escaped him. Elijah eased himself onto the ledge of the fountain, placing me with carefulness into the crook of his lap.

A few guards approached him but he waved them off, barking out different commands. They didn't look to comfortable leaving him sitting here with me, but they obeyed orders and stepped back.

He dipped his hand into the water and then gently placed my feet in his, and dipped it all into the water. I winced when the cool water touched my scrapes, but the overall feeling was so nice my eyes slid shut. He kept washing them and we sat there in peaceful silence, only partially interrupted by some more coughing from me, or by approaching guards.

"Let me see your hands," he asked me softly, done with the ministrations on my feet. I held them out to him and I was relieved to notice they weren't too badly burned. There were spots at the tips of my fingers, as well as on the sides of my palm that were red and angry looking. A couple of blisters here and there, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting.

He gently reached into the water and ran his hands lightly over the worst parts, and I melted into his lap at his touch. He was so soft with me now, he didn't rush it, didn't pry me with questions. He kept working with my hands and I rested my head in the crook of his neck. My small frame fit here as if it were made to.

I heard some heavy footsteps as some more guards, some obviously coming from inside, and some that looked like they had just been awoken, with Evan trailing close behind. In a surprising move, Eli turned his body and sat up straighter, but didn't so much as adjust me an inch.

"No sign of anyone else Eli, the rest of the guard have secured the property."

"Did you call Omar?" Evan nodded his head and then turned his stare on me.

"Hannah, care to fill us all in on what the hell is going on?" Evan was smiling at me and going for reassuring, but I could sense a little suspicion and accusation in his voice.

"You need to mind your voice, brother," Eli said calmly. I didn't sound threatening but I had a feeling he meant otherwise. Evan's eyes bulged at his comment, shock evident on his dirt covered face.

"She comes in here for the first time, covered in scars I might add, and then claims to have seen something that looked like a dream only to be escorted out of the premises moments after someone attempts to blow us the fuck up and burn us alive!" Evan was yelling now, drawing the attention of the crowd nearest us. But the flinch came at his words regardless. When it was put like that, I looked highly suspicious.

Eli opened his mouth and took a deep breath in. Most likely to rip into Evan again, but I wanted to diffuse the situation so I cupped his jaw to get him to stop, turning his head towards me.

"It's okay Elijah, it sounds bad and you all were just attacked. I don't take offense.” If looks could kill, the one he was giving Evan would have caused him to spontaneously burst into flames.

"Let me explain, it might help you figure things out." None made a move to stop me so I continued.

"I've had this recurring nightmare, it was intense, but it didn’t mean anything to me then so dismissing it was easy. Earlier upstairs I saw what looked like the woman from my dream, almost identical to the last detail, though she wasn't doing anything wrong or suspicious, so I tried to put it out of my mind."

"Which woman?" Evan asked me.

"Never caught her name, gold dress, red hair, drank champagne the whole time." The description didn't excite a reaction from anyone but the brothers shared a look.

"Later, I went outside to get some fresh air, and I saw the same woman running out of the back of the house. It was the almost an exact replica from my dream, and that's when I knew something wasn't right. She got in her car and flew down the road. It was a little black sports car, California plates. I can't explain it from there, other than to say I knew something was wrong, it was instinct more than logic. So I tried to alert the front guards, but when I went upstairs and told Joy, they had already called up to tell them I was acting crazy and rambling. They denied ever seeing the car, denied everything I reported. She thought I just needed to rest and go home, that I had overworked myself."

"She said you are on medication, how can I trust the word of someone that needs to be heavily medicated?" Evan asked me, interrupting my story. Elijah went about as still as the fountain, his face a perfect replica of its stony piercing gaze.

I thought it was because of what his brother said, but in the next instant I heard a woman scream out, "Eli?! Elijah, where are you?"

It was my turn to tense up, because I knew it was Marcy. There was no way of knowing for sure it was her, it was just another gut feeling. One look at her running up the path towards us, and I could tell I was right. The face was the same one from my own memories, which should have worried me, but she was so snobby I don't think she ever actually looked at me in the time she spent at my home.

"Here comes your fiancé,” Evan spit out. I wasn't sure if it was a dig at her or a dig at me. Either way I could tell it was misdirected, his vampire was probably screaming to be released. Vampires took their personal security extremely seriously, and since I was betting Evan was the head of said security, he was at his limit. It's not as if his suspicions were unwarranted.

"You can put me down Eli, I'm fine now.” The last thing we all needed was some dramatic scene between the three of us. He looked at me, confused, and I put a hand on his chest. "I don't want to upset your wife at a moment like this, she must be worried about you."

He smiled at me like I had just made a joke. One glance over to Marcy must have told him something, and he gently stood, with me remaining in his arms.

"I will be back for you Hannah," he told me on a whisper, placing the barest of kisses at the base of my ear. Before my head could spin, he held me out to the biggest vampire of the bunch. He was perhaps the biggest vampire I had ever seen. If my memory was correct from the rescue upstairs, his name was Peter, the one Eli had asked to go and rescue the others.

"Please, you can put me down, my feet don't feel so bad now," I told him. In reality I didn't want to put one foot down they ached so bad, but I also didn't want someone to hold me all night like some damn doll.

"You will do no such thing," Eli said to Peter, and a short nod later my vampire chair was locked into position.

"Who is that?" Marcy's voice was high and tight, her nose turning it's familiar upwards motion when she looked me over.

"She is the reason we are all out here, instead of burning alive in there," he said casually as he pointed to the building. Elijah was busy taking off his bow tie and his cufflinks, which looked like they had diamonds encrusted in them.

One of the guards reached out to collect the items. He ran a hand through his hair, and I could see the reality of what just happened were catching up with him.

"Thanks for holding me like this.” I didn't know what to say to Peter, it was kind of an intimate position to be in, and I wasn't going to pretend he wasn't there.

"It's no problem Hannah," he said softly back to me while continuing to scan the surroundings. He seemed very kind, for a vampire so large.

Evan, Eli, and Marcy were all standing close and talking, but they were speaking in a tone too low for me to hear. Evan broke away from the group and approached me.

"How sure are you about your description of the woman?" he asked me, turning his head to the side like he was studying me.

"Without a doubt," I told him confidently. He cursed again and closed his eyes for a moment.

"In the dream there was a man with her, but I didn't see him in the room.” There was too much else that was dead on, for him not to mean something. Helping them seemed important, but what I knew didn't make much sense.

"Describe him.” It came out as a demand, his eyes flashing red for far too long to be considered appropriate around a human. He wasn't supposed to slip up around me, and it was messing with my head.

"Tall, almost as tall as Peter here. Dark black hair that looked violet in my dream. It was a bit long, almost sweeping his collar. I didn't get a shot of his face but he had a very nice tux on. In the nightmare, he and the redhead were running away from a set of locked doors. Just as tonight, they had locked the room in, and everything was on fire.” Evan's struggle for control was evident, his eyes were still red and he was a hairsbreadth away from losing it. Whatever the news meant, it wasn't a good thing.

"What happened at the end of the dream?" Eli asked suddenly. I jumped in Peter's arms. Evan, and his eyes, had entranced me to the point that I never noticed Elijah move over to where we were standing.

"I passed out in a sea of my own blood.” My tone mirrored how grim that outcome was. He let out another stream of curses and then grabbed Marcy, striding off with purpose in the opposite direction.

***

Everyone was mulling around, talking and sharing concerned yet skeptical glances in my direction. The girls, with Joy and Leighanne in tow, came running over to me when they noticed that Eli wasn't hovering over me any longer.

They fussed over me a bit, checking my hands and feet, offering soothing words and apologies. Then came the gratitude’s for saving them, followed quickly by more apologies.

"Oh Hannah, I'm so sorry," Joy said, with uncharacteristic solemn sincerity.

"I wouldn't have listened to me either, don't worry about it.” At some point they all must have changed, and jealousy ran through me. To get out of this dress would be a blessing.

"I grabbed some stuff for you," Leighanne said, placing a suitcase at our feet. It was leopard print, with bright pink stripes and handles. "We usually stash some stuff in the Van, you know for emergencies. I don't know what upstairs looks like, but it’s doubtful we will be getting any of that stuff back." We all grimaced at the thought of all those gorgeous clothes burnt to ashes.

“There is nothing that sounds better than clean clothes. It was so kind of you for thinking of it.” They look proud to have been of some service, but Luci was smiling something knowing at me.

"Most of the clothes in there are mine," Luci said finally. Her eyes were red and puffy, as if she had been crying. Poor girl. "We decided that I was closest to your size, but I have to admit most of my down clothes are still a bit, um...." she trailed off. The right adjective, something tasteful, was somehow eluding us both.

"Slutty," Joy added in with a smirk. It sounded tired, but laughing at it all helped.

"I put in there some other provisions, I have a feeling you might be here for a little while. Eli and Evan just dismissed us, but you call me if you need anything," Leighanne said, reaching out to smudge something off my left cheek. Peter was watching all of us intently, as if it was entertaining, but he kept silent.

"I'm not going with you?" It hit me then what she was saying. This was a goodbye.

"Evan said he's keeping you here to keep an eye on you," Luci said smiling, winking as if she had something to do with it. Poor Luci. She thought Evan was being careful with me, and I didn't want to be the one to tell her he was suspicious of me, so staying here was more like a short trip to jail.

After that everyone came and gave me awkward hugs, since I was still being held by Peter and they had to move around his frame to get close. To his credit he didn't flinch or move a muscle. Joy was the last one to come up and she hugged me with a bit more enthusiasm than I was expecting.

"There is everything you need in the bag," she told me holding my stare. I had no idea what she was talking about, but something told me there might be some surprises in it. Their absence left me feeling alone, far more than I had anticipated as they disappeared into large town car.

Outside of the ones I suspected they kept here for feedings, I was likely the only human among them, and I wasn't even supposed to know it.

After that whole scene, I eventually convinced Peter to let me down. He didn't leave my sight though, insisting that he stay seated right next to me, with my head resting in the crook of his shoulder, his one wide arm firmly around me.

I was so damn tired I couldn't argue with him when he made me lean, and I also couldn't keep my eyes open any more.

“Peter?” I asked, just as my eyes were slowly lowering closed.

“Hannah,” he responded, gently lifting a blanket someone had given us up around my bare shoulder.

“What does anjinho mean?” I asked, a large yawn interrupting the words. Asking Eli seemed like an embarrassment, especially if it meant dumb-ass.

“Little angel,” Peter replied, a smile evident in his voice.

The tiredness, combined with the sound of fountain, lulled me into a fitful sleep. Instead of nightmares, it was Elijah's face that filled my mind as my eyes slid shut.

Waking up later, it was still dark out, making me wonder what they were all going to do when the sun came up. Sitting up took some effort, until Peter understood what I was doing and held my elbow for support. Looking around to the area, I noticed that many had already headed home, leaving just a few people left standing.

There were a few select members of the fire department that were busy trying to contain the fire. Vampires, just like shifters, had allies and friends everywhere in society, quietly living their lives and helping out when they were needed by the local clans or seethes. Some are simply human, some are other supernatural types, and some are shifters and vamps that chose to try to live amongst the general population, instead of the conventional communities.

One of the firefighters noticed I was awake, and came over to where I was sitting. It became a little game from there on in, to see if I could guess what, if anything, he was.

"Hi, I'm Jake. Elijah instructed me not to wake you, but I need to check you out now that you are up, okay?" he asked me, kneeling down by his feet to grab something out of his bag. Here we go again.

Jake dutifully went through the usual checks, blood pressure, heart rate, pupil tests. He didn't say anything to me, so I assumed they were all normal. As he was putting some bandages on my feet and hands, out came the questions.

"Are you on any medications? Any medical conditions I need to know about?" he asked as he reached into his bag, most likely for pain medicine. It hit me then that my bag of fun was still in a bush somewhere near the entrance, with some very necessary items in it.

Before I could answer, Evan came stomping up to throw my bag down at my feet. It looked like it was still zipped, but I had a feeling he went through it. It was what I would do if I were him.

"She on a whole lot, I wouldn't give her anything else Jake. Hannah has a whole pharmacy," Evan said to the firefighter. Jake looked from him to me, confusion obvious on his face. A lightheaded sensation overcame my body. This was one of my biggest fears, my hidden truths coming out at all the wrong moments. Thank the Gods I ripped off the labels that held my name.

"He's right I don't need anything else, I have some hip problems, so I have pain killers already. Thanks though," I told him trying to place a cheery smile on my face. Jake apparently didn't find my privacy worth a dime as he zipped open my bag. He went through a couple of bottles and the closed the bag to stare at me.

The pity in his eyes, which was so easy to spot on someone now, told me he knew what was going on. I shook my head at him, my eyes pleading with him that he wouldn't say anything. In a strict medical sense he couldn't tell anyone a thing, but I didn't know whose rules held the bigger sway with Jake when he was on Drake property.

"Evan, I suggest you leave the pills alone, they're all legit," Jake said as he rose to stand. He even sounded angry at Evan's accusations.

"Thanks for the tip," he said in a clipped tone, but his face looked an inch more relaxed than it had before.

"The fire will be contained by morning Evan, feel free to return home. I'll invoice you and give you some good contractor references," Jake said as he turned and left.

The light, signaling the oncoming dawn, was just touching the edge of the tree line. The sky was just a shade lighter in that area, it was already turning a pretty violet color. Dizziness caused me to look away, mainly from lack of food, coming down from the adrenaline, and the need for me to med up.

"If someone could just call me a cab I would really appreciate it," I said looking up at Evan. He was staring at me again, like if he did it long enough, something might happen.

"Eli has instructed me to escort you back to my house. You will stay the day there and when everyone is rested later, we will discuss what to do next.” The words were said with such bitterness that it was obvious that he wasn't amenable to that particular plan. My heart skipped a beat, and I had the thought that after everything, maybe, just maybe, I could pull this off.

Chapter 14

Insisting on walking had seemed like the honorable thing to do, which in retrospect was a horribly stubborn idea, because now my feet were killing me. Evan needed Peter to go and help secure the house, and with the fast approaching dawn, I knew that we had to make a move on it if we wanted to make it in time. Peter gave the slightest pause when I asked him nicely just to let me down on the ground, and seemed only satisfied when Evan held his arm out for me to steady myself.

"Is this your bag?" he asked me with a look of horror on his face. It practically screamed stripper, and I had to really fight not to laugh at the image of him rolling it down the road to his house.

"Luci lent it to me," I said hoping the mention of her would soften him up a bit. He seemed to be wound so tight since we got out of the fire, not that I could blame him.

"Ah, that makes sense, well let’s get a move on.” He glanced at the sky one more time before resuming walking. Evan had my small bag draped over one shoulder, his hand steadying me at my elbow, while utilizing his free hand to roll the suitcase behind him.

There were fewer than twenty vampires out here now, and every last one of them had their eyes glued to us and we walked past them down the walkway to continue past the now charred house. Elijah, much to my extreme disappointment, didn't show.

Instead of heading towards the houses, Evan made a turn and we ended up near a side parking lot. The relief at not having to walk anymore felt like my first real bit of luck. There was a beep, and second later I had stopped moving, my mouth hanging open.

It was a vintage car, large bodied and long, and a convertible to boot. The color was deep blue, like a moon kissed sky. I loved old cars, though I admittedly knew next to nothing about them. This car had style though, and that went a long way in my book.

He placed the bags in the back seat, and then opened my door for me. The seats on the inside were a light crème leather interior, which was so opulent I was guessing the original model never came with it.

"It will just be a few minutes to drive to my house. In case you have any ideas, it's right next to Eli's, and I can see everything.” His warning only caused my eye roll. It seemed ridiculous to have such a large main house if the king himself didn't live there.

Looking out, I was impressed by both the size of the houses but also at the spacing. They had plenty of land between each house and it made the houses themselves look bigger, almost grander when they were placed like that. It was much more spacious than back where I came from, but wolves needed closer interaction with clan members, so their properties were smaller in comparison. Wolves were so social and it was preferred to be close to one another.

"It's a beautiful car.” My eyes closed as the wind raked my hair back from my head, cooling the sweat that had collected at my neck. The desire to own a convertible had never been something I understood, but with one ride it became clear why so many did.

"She's Eli's. He never lets anyone drive it," he said to me chuckling as only a brother could.

"How did they get home then?" I asked him, confused.

"He took the bike. It's stored at the main house.” Of course he had a motorcycle, because he wasn't hot enough.

"You're more the giant truck kind of guy huh?" I asked guessing. He didn't seem like he fit this car, he was too much of a muscle man for it.

"You a mind reader as well?" he asked with a smirk. It felt like we were getting to a better place, or at least, somewhere less hostile.

"Just good at reading people.” We drove the rest of the way in there in silence. I was left wondering who Eli, and by extension, Evan really were. So far, there had been nothing in their behavior that matched up with all the things I had heard about how the Drake vampires were supposed to be like. Granted I heard said rumors from my own clan, and they weren't big fans of this seethe. The migraine I had been pushing back seemed to have settled for good behind my eyes. Gods, this day needed to end.

"Here we are," he said as we pulled up the drive.

It was long and curved around towards the back of the house. The path curved around the house, almost fading from sight, and leading to a large paved patio in front of a three car garage.

Evan came around and opened my door, and then reached back to grab my suitcase. Snatching my own bag, we headed towards a side door near the first set of garage doors. It was then I caught a glimpse of the backyard and squealed like a child when I saw the pool. My body and mind were so tired that tempering the reaction was useless.

"I take it you like to swim?" he asked me with a raised brow, fighting a smile.

"I love it.” The pool, even at this time, was so lit up that someone could land a plane in the backyard. Of course the vamps wouldn't be able to use the pool during the day, so if they wanted to enjoy it at night, it would have to be well lit.

There was nothing like an evening swim, and I was curious to see if I could sneak in there later. It would feel great on my leg and shoulder.

It was the beeping that brought my mind back around. The sheer amount of deadbolts, as well as keypads, astounded me.

They sure didn't fuck around here with security, I mused, but being vulnerable during the day would make me cautious too. He stepped into the door and I followed, only to be halted by Evan's hand on my shoulder.

"You're not staying in here," he explained, looking to me like I was an idiot. "My brother may want to keep you here, despite several warnings from me, but I don't trust you. This whole thing doesn't feel right to me. Until I feel differently, you will be here," he said to me, giving me more of the gruff Evan. "It's more of a glorified pool house, which I guess by your reaction will suit you just fine."

He pulled out a set of keys, which I was surmising was the reason for him to go into his house. Evan shut the door and swept past me to the entrance to the backyard. He opened the small metal gate and ushered me with a hand inside.

The pool was huge, possibly Olympic sized, with a smoothly paved edge, and loungers all around it. It indeed have a large pool house at the south end of it.

To call it a pool house however would be a gross disservice to the building. It had to have a larger square footage than my apartment did, even though it was done in a ranch style I could tell it was spacious. The front contained floor to ceiling window, with heavy brocade drapes that hung down for privacy.

Turning the key into the front door, I stood frozen as my eyes took it all in. This was no mere pool house, it had too many amenities for it to be anything other than a house for his humans.

Some vampires kept their blood donors on their personal property for longer than the occasional feedings, but it was another thing to see it in person. A quiver ran through me, from either revulsion, or fear, or anticipation, I couldn't tell. It was hard not to see this house as anything other than a pretty cage, and he the predator.

"This is the bedroom," he said as he put down my suitcase in one of the back rooms.

This room, like the rest of the place, didn't disappoint. Evan must really like his humans to put them up here. It was a large room, almost as big as the living room, with a huge four poster bed, complete with pull around drapes. The comforter was huge with a baby blue paisley pattern, and coordinating fluffy pillows everywhere. It looked like heaven to me at the moment.

"The closet is stocked with clothes, some are leftovers people leave here, feel free to use what you want.” He and I both knew they wouldn't be returning for them.

"Thank you Evan.” I tried to infuse the words with gratitude, which I honestly did feel at the moment.

Just as he turned around, I walked two steps to grab his arm, in an effort to give him a hug. I didn't think much about it, my brain felt like a slush at the moment, and with wolves they were always very affectionate. Hugging it out was something I was used to, but he didn't feel the same me.

Once my body was close to him, he moved so fast I couldn't tell you how I ended up against the wall. He had a forearm pressed to my neck and was breathing hard as he looked into my face.

"What the hell was that?" he asked me, and it finally dawned on me that must have thought I was going to attack him.

Even though I understood he was holding back, I knew I was going to have one hell of a bruise there come morning. He wasn't letting up and when my eyes met his, Evan's irises were such a vivid red that my own face lit. My lungs tried to take in enough air to respond, but nothing came out, and he seemed to snap out of it.

Evan dropped me to the ground, and I had to brace myself on my hands and knees, for the second time tonight fighting for enough air. My eyes had filled with tears due to the pressure on my neck, and now the tears were raining down because of something else. For what exactly, I didn't know, but this had been a very long day and I was at my limit.

My mouth formed the word hug, but nothing audible came out. Evan paled, staring at me with wide eyes. He was still a long way from looking like he was sorry, but the hostility wasn't there anymore.

My optimism was declaring the encounter a victory, he could have killed me on the spot if he really thought I was trying to hurt him. Evan gave me one last look and left, and a few seconds later I heard the front door slam closed.

I took a deep breath in to steady myself, and then understood two important things. One, no matter how I got here, I accomplished something I thought was going to be impossible. Two, if I was around Evan when he round out who I really was, he was going to kill me.

There were so many things do before crashing, that peeling myself off the floor a necessary evil. Walking over to the suitcase, I spread it onto the bed, flipping the lid back to look at what they had packed for me. It did contain a nightgown, though the cut and color of it screamed of lingerie.

It looked short, even for me, with a deep v cut into the front that was then covered in a light black lace. At this point, anything would be an improvement over the tattered and torn dress that was currently hanging off me.

The rest of the collection was much the same as the sleepwear. There were several pairs of cut off shorts and tiny shirts, but also included was some makeup and mercifully a pair of flip flops. Outside of a few more 'nightgowns’, as well as plethora of undergarments, that was about the extent of the contents.

Something made me remember what Joy had said, about the suitcase and surprises, and I went about checking the pockets. The ourside and front provided nothing outside of a few receipts and tampons, but upon further inspection of the main portion, I noticed a small compartment in the bottom. Feeling my way under it, something smooth and cool settled into my palm. A gun, a 9mm to be exact. It was identical to the one I had found in her purse. Checking the safety, it went gently back where I found it, leaving me hoping to god that I never had to use it.

A shower and a tooth brushing later, my body felt better, and my mind finally felt quiet. It took me twice as long as normal to decide on what doses of medication to take because I kept having to adjust and make notes for tomorrow. Exiting the bedroom, marginally clean and ready to pass out, I found a pair of black eyes staring back at me.

***

Elijah's tall frame was splayed out on a high backed chair in the corner of the room. I silently cursed Luci and her bag of lingerie, feeling like it would be nice to be standing here in something that covered me a bit more.

He still had on his white dress shirt, it was filthy and yet it still managed to look expensive. I must have looked like a deer in the headlights, stuck just standing there and staring at him. He was not simply handsome, he wasn't even pretty, he was something else altogether. In the back of my head I knew I should be scared, I should be wondering how he got in here, and what he wanted from me. But instead, I just kept drinking him in, like I was starving and he was cake.

The room was dark, they had strategically left windows out of the design in this part of the house, and it left the small lamp struggling to provide adequate light. If I had any questions as to what the purpose of this room was before, I didn't now.

"Hannah," he said, sitting up in his chair a bit. When he caught sight of what I was wearing, his body stilled. I bent and placed my bag on the floor as discreetly as I could, and laid my pathetic looking dress on top.

"Eli," I said back glancing nervously around the room. There wasn't anywhere else to sit, so I moved and sat down on the edge of the bed facing him.

There was a small side table with a stack of magazines and a lamp next to him, and he pulled the string under it. It had a pleasant soft glow to it, and it warmed up the space in conjunction with the other one.

"Thank you, for tonight," he said to me, cutting through any polite talk right to his point. It came out a bit awkward sounding, almost like he didn't have much practice saying that to others, but it made me smile.

"I'm glad I made it back in time. Until I found that beautiful gun, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get you out," I told him honestly.

"You should never have gone back in for us, it was foolhardy," he told me in a chastising tone.

"Foolhardy? Who uses words like that?" It was blurted out without much thought, other than my honest critique of his choice of words. Censorship was never my strong suit, and tonight it felt impossible.

"I do.” He sounded affronted, but that clashed with the grin he was holding back.

"I was a great party.” The moment it left my lips I felt instantly like an idiot. Great party, until someone set off some bombs and tried to burn everyone alive.

"It was...memorable," he said back, holding my gaze for a bit longer than was considered comfortable. There was a couple of seconds of silence, and I wasn't sure what to say now. Here was my golden opportunity to get to know him, get into his world, and I was just sitting here like an idiot.

"Well, I should get back," he said still looking at his shoes.

"To Marcy?" I asked boldly. I wanted to test the waters with him and her. If he was committed to her, I didn't want to be wasting time here.

"Marcy..." he said without finishing this thought. It wasn't enough to gleam how he felt about her, but he wasn't singing her praises either.

"Forget it, you don't have to explain yourself to me Elijah," I said to him feeling a bit bashful at calling him out like that.

"It wasn't planned coming in here, but I just wanted to make sure Evan got you settled in, he can be a bit rough around the edges but you have to cut him some slack. Tonight really rattled him.” As he stood, I rose too, like a southern gentleman on a date. He was going to think I am out of my mind if I keep doing stupid things around him.

It was then the light caught my neck, and I caught him openly staring at it. I thought for a second he was looking at my vein, and desire pooled in regions long left dry. It was unexpected, and not entirely unwanted. The feeling was nice. That was, until I remembered what Evan had done to me earlier.

"What happened Hannah?" he asked in a very calm and scary tone. Closing the distance, he stepped closer and ran a hand over my neck. He could almost wrap his entire hand around it. It felt good, in a very inappropriate way. I didn't think I was going to get away with not answering him, but I gave it the old college try.

"Oh well, I did rush into a burning building to save you, so who knows?" My words were trying to go for humor, but he wasn't having it. Leaning down, he seemed to be taking a closer inspection, and then a moment later he kissed the skin there, just at the center of my collarbone. Every inch of me erupted in gooseflesh. I'd have been surprised if my eyes weren’t' tattooed with a similar pattern.

Eli kissed my forehead and then swept out of the room, his footfalls heavy. A second later the door slammed hard, and it wasn't a guess where he was headed.

I felt immensely glad I didn't have to witness that conversation. It seemed that under this calm and cool Elijah, lied a much more savage and brutal king. The thread count on these sheets had to be astronomical, and sliding into them was an experience. However much he paid for them, they were worth every penny, and soon I feel into a deep and completely dreamless sleep.

Waking up the next morning, I realized my whole body hurt. It seemed like everything from the tips of my fingers, to the bottoms of my feet, were either sore or burnt, or both. Kicking those doors in really did a number on my ankle too.

It was nearly six thirty at night, eliciting a gasp from me. I couldn't remember the last time I had slept this long. Stretching, the next thing to do was to get moving and take my meds before I got too off schedule. After setting everything up, my hunger made itself known. If I didn't get something to eat soon, I was never going to be able to hold down all the pills I needed to take. As if on cue my stomach grumbled again.

I had just stepped back into the bedroom to change when I heard the front door open again. It was a soft click this time, not the same noise as when I heard Evan and Eli coming through it before. The sun wasn't set yet, but there wasn't one person I could think of here that would be up, and wanting to talk with me.

Something in me snapped to attention when I thought about that, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Not breathing, I gently made my way towards the suitcase, palming the gun.

As quietly as I possibly could I crawled back to the bed, going under the covers and taking the gun with me, carefully keeping my finger on the safety and settling my hands into a firm grip. This gun wouldn't kill them, if they were vampires, but it would stop them long enough for me to run.

All of a sudden, footsteps were making their way in the direction of this bedroom. My grip tightened, and after bringing the gun out of the sheets, I placed aim on the door. Just as quickly as the steps came, they retreated, until I could hear another click of the front door shutting closed. It was starting to make me angry now, how was it that Evan's house was like fort Knox, but this little house let anyone in?

Letting a couple of minutes pass, I made my way towards the door, opening it carefully to peek around. Nothing was out of place, except for three small white bags. The aroma from them made my mouth instantly water.

The first bag I grabbed, and violently opened, contained doughnuts in every shape, color, and flavor. The second bag had not only eggs, but bacon, potatoes, and pancakes. I crossed my fingers as I got to the last bag. Please be coffee, please be coffee, please be coffee.

"Coffee!" I yelled aloud like a nerd, fist pumping the air with triumph. Thread count be damned, I thought to myself as I pulled all of the bags into my arms and ate my breakfast in bed.

Chapter 15

After eating everything, down to the very last morsel, I ransacked the house. There wasn't anything scandalous or strange in the space. It could be any ostentatious pool house, near any outrageous pool in America for all my snooping unearthed. The only exception was that this was this pool house lay next to the vampire king, who I was supposed to be seducing into a deal to secure some blood.

That was a fact that I was having a hard time realizing when I looked at him. I still didn't know anything about Eli, and while I had gotten glimpses into who he was the night before, even then he was keeping a tight lid on himself. He seemed to be forever holding back.

Once I was done looting and pacing around the apartment, I figured why the hell not, it was only seven thirty, and I could tell by looking out the windows it wasn't quite sunset yet.

Swimming was one of my guilty pleasures, and tonight was the night to indulge. The vampires wouldn't be fully up yet, so I could get a nice swim in before I had another visit. Much to my chagrin there wasn't a suit in the back Luci packed for me.

Well, I didn't find anything I felt comfortable swimming in I should say. There was something that resembled a bikini, but even that held too little fabric for my comfort. I went to the large closet on the other side of the bedroom, and found a full collection of the past seasons styles. Evan liked his women, and they must like him back, if I was judging by the sheer number of bikinis left behind.

It was, however, unfortunate for me that they were all bikinis. Every last one of them was small, sparkly, or a combination of the two. Some looked so small that Luci might even blush in them. The one that looked the most normal, was small navy blue number, with light pick hearts that were so small I decided they could pass as polka dots.

Dressed, with a towel wrapped tight around me, I made my way out towards the pool. The feeling of someone's eyes on me came up the second I hit the open air, causing me to scan my surroundings wildly. There was no one out, and with the yards around me all effectively lit, I had a hard time believing that my suspicions were anything other than fried nerves. Anyone coming back here would be spotted almost immediately.

The sun was still sitting squat on the horizon, almost to the point where it would vanish completely. It cast an almost pink glow on everything, and in the still pool water was a perfect reflection of the clouds, sunset, and swaying tree branches.

A night time swim like this had me thinking about the twins, James in particular, and what he was doing at this very moment. He was most likely brooding about things, and regrettably, worrying about me. One of the few things that gave me solace was imagining Grayson with him, picking up the slack when needed, and helping his brother keep perspective. Gray was an eternally staunch optimist, never swaying from his belief that good always finds a way to triumph. It was one of the aspect of him that I missed the most, both now, and in hard times past.

Surprisingly, turning my thoughts on them wasn't as painful as I was anticipating them to be. Things went so fast yesterday I didn't have much time to think about them until now, but instead of wallowing in the loss, the memories anchored me to purpose. They served as a reminder, conversely of what I had to lose, and what I had already lost.

I laid my towel on the nearest lawn chair and started walking towards the water, dipping in a foot and sighing at the perfect temperature. With no hesitation I dove in, enjoying that brief moment when the cold snaps your body to attention, and then melts into warm oblivion. The burns and cuts singed and then numbed as well.

Laps were the usually one of the first things I did when swimming, but the energy it required seemed like a waste. Spare energy wasn't something my body was churning out much lately, so I settled for doing some water therapy exercises I remembered from my post-surgery physical therapy.

It hurt, but in a good way, in the unique way that pain can often skirt the line of pleasure. My eyes closed, to focus solely on the circular motion my leg was creating.

"Feel good?" My eyes snapped open, startling me so bad that I almost fell backwards. And still, I could feel my traitorous face turn up into genuine smile.

"Heaven," I told him back, still smiling. The invitation for him to join me was close on my lips, until his other two companions came into view. Marcy and Evan were standing just behind him, and I audibly gasped when I saw his brother.

Evan had a black eye, which considering how fast they heal, was saying something about whoever gave him it. It was yellowish now, even a bit green on the edges, most likely it would be gone by morning. He was looking at me, not making direct eye contact, but I thought I saw a hint of smile somewhere in his face when he took in my swimsuit.

Marcy, however, had no problems staring at me with open hostility. "I see you found Evan's lady whore stash," she said to me, a small sneer on her lips. I never did take kindly to passive aggressive comments or threats, but I knew better than to get into it with her at the moment.

Placing my hands on the edge, I slowly made my way out of the water, channeling my inner rap video goddess for the climb. Thankfully the night air was warm, so standing here dripping wet didn't bother me. Staring her down half naked like this was fun, if not childish, but it had been a long 24 hours for me.

After a second, and a blindingly fake smile, I said, "I’m Hannah.” Even with my hand out, clearly wanting to shake hers, she ignored it and continued to glare. Her attitude made little difference to me, so I continued. "I'm sorry that Eli didn't get a chance to introduce us last night.” If it were possible, she looked even more pissed as she weakly took my hand and shook it. It felt like a wet half dead fish.

"Yes well I just couldn't wait to get to Eli, I hardly noticed you there before he dragged me home. I was so worried," she said to me, backing up and shrinking into Elijah's side as she spoke. Her perfectly manicured hand was petting his stomach, the nails glinting bright red against his cream colored shirt. Eli, for his part, looked at her with open surprise.

"I can imagine," I said dryly.

"Do you Hannah? Have you ever been engaged? If you haven't I don't think you can understand how worried I was for him. To be so close to being married to him, only to have that stolen from me, it would be devastating." She pouted like a child who thinks their favorite toy is broken. That was as far from love as one could get, I would know. I was once the broken toy.

"I've been married, so yes I can," I told her plainly, shocking her for a moment before she realized what I had admitted.

"Been?" she asked me, a delighted smile taking over her face.

"Yes.” My chin was raised as well, refusing to bow to this little bitch.

"Widowed?" she asked with feigned interest, like she was sympathetic to my loss. It might have come off better if she didn't have that stupid fake smile plastered on her face still.

"Divorced," I told her with as clear a voice as I could manage. Sometimes, just saying that word still hurt, but I wouldn't give her that satisfaction.

Just as Marcy was about to say something back, Elijah interrupted and stepped forward out of her little hug. Smart man, I was a few seconds from throwing her in the damn pool.

"If you wouldn't mind Hannah, my council and I would like to ask you some questions," Eli said to me. Studying his face was fruitless. He was too damn hard to read, and I didn't know if this would be bad for me.

"Your council?" I asked back with faked innocence, remembering that I wasn't supposed to know about vampires.

His face flushed for a second followed by his eyes, and then his mask slid back into place. I had to be careful, but truths were going to come out no matter what I did. If I could control the information, then I could control the situation. It was one of my father's personal mottos.

"They are like my personal advisers," he said, covering for his slip up, but still not making much sense. The vampires were too far removed from normal society to recognize how unusually they presented themselves.

"You must be a very important man to have personal advisors," I said, stepping towards him and entering some of his space. He tried to hide it, but his eyes discreetly ran over my body, their red depths sneaking out and flaring like candle light.

"I'm just your everyday guy, nothing special here," he said with an exaggerated shrug, mimicking my phrase from the evening before. He was teasing me, but also trying to cover up.

"That's the first lie you've told me Elijah, let's not pretend I'm some idiot," I countered back, stepping further into this personal space.

"I'm sure you of all people understand the need for secrets," he rebutted back, staring at the scar on my shoulder, and then to the ones on my chest.

"Why is that I feel you earned yours in less than gentlemanly fashion?" It was turn to tease, and it seemed like he was enjoying it.

"Because you have good instincts," he said to me, and for just that moment I could see a little of the ruthless leader I had heard so many stories about. He looked big and formidable now, like every bit the dark king so many feared and adored. I could feel the electricity between the two us, as charged as heat lightning.

Elijah's eyes were so bright they entranced me, almost throwing enough attention away from his fangs, which were making a slow descent into his bottom jaw. I was used to feral, to the wild, but he was in another league at the moment.

"Careful your highness, your vampire is showing," I said to him softly, walking over to my chair to grab my towel. My long light red hair was nearly dry, but I decided to give Elijah a moment to think so I took the time to dry it further with my towel.

When I turned around, I found Eli staring a hole through where I was standing. I didn't hear him call off Marcy and Evan but now they were nowhere in sight. This might be bad.

"Have you known the whole time?" he asked me through gritted teeth. His jaw was clenched so hard it looked twice the normal size. The anger was rolling off him in waves, cutting through the warm air and chilling my skin. Maybe this wasn't the most solid plan after all.

"Of course.” A puddle was right near my feet, and slapping my feet around in it seemed like a good distraction.

"So you knowingly went into a burning building to save a couple of strippers and two hundred vampires?" It came out on a yell, and his incredulity of the situation caused me to smile. Out of what I said, this was what he objected to.

"First of all they are dancers Elijah, not strippers, and second, what kind of a person would turn their backs on all of you?"

"I can name many people who would have let that cab haul their asses out without ever looking back," he said with a sarcastic laugh.

"Vampire or stripper, I could never live with myself if I didn't go back there for them...for you.” The moment I said it, the words rang true. Elijah reached out, wiping a stuck strand of hair from my cheek. The shivers started for several reasons, the memories of them screaming, his touching me now, and the blowing breeze all combined into a feeling of deep cold. He reached around and wrapped my shoulders in the towel, his hands resting near my neck and remaining there.

“Joy told me that night you have some kind of issues, is that true?” His honesty, and question startled me, but it didn't feel like teasing, or prying. He deserved to know.

"No more than you," I told him raising my chin. I was struggling a bit to figure out how much to reveal and how much to still keep hidden. Too much or too little could spell disaster for me.

"Medication?" he asked.

"That's not really any of your business," I told him back. This time, the smirk he was holding back broke free, and he smiled.

Elijah's eyes had stayed red this whole time, never once returning to their black depths. They should have grossed me out, but I was oddly enthralled by them, like a bug to a streetlamp. It felt like home.

"I can't figure you out," he said to me, scanning my face as if it held answers.

"Yeah well that makes two of us," I told him. We stayed like that for some time, both locked in some kind of trance.

"Where did your fiancé go?" I asked him when it became obvious we were standing far too close to be appropriate. His arms were on my shoulders, and at some point I had bunched my hands in the sides of his shirt. I didn't even remember putting them there. My plan had been to get close to him, but my body's reaction to him was natural, almost instinctive.

"I sent Marcy and Evan away," he told me not giving me much as to why, or how he felt about it.

"Don’t you get tired of ordering people to obey you?" I teased him knowing full well he did.

"Never.” Gone was the playful tone, and it its place was calculating coldness. Something in him changed at that moment, and all the connection I had felt with him evaporated in an instant.

"The council will meet in my house, tomorrow at midnight. You will attend and you will answer our questions," he told me plainly, disregarding our earlier banter in favor for brute force.

"Yes sir," I told him, throwing in a mock salute for good measure.

"I find you intriguing Hannah, if I didn't, you may be in a different position right now. Don't waste my good favor by being difficult.” He said it sternly, like a disapproving parent.

“If I wasn't who I am, Elijah, you might be in a different position right now too.” Diving into the pool seemed like a good choice. When I came up, I was amused to find him still standing there.

"Care to join me?" I asked him while trying to fight the urge to splash him. What was the point of immortality if he didn't have any fun? He seemed incapable of it.

Eli bent down then, close to the water's edge. He put one hand in the water, skimming the tips of his fingers over the top. I didn't know what he wanted, but I swam the short distance from where I was to the side of the pool right under where he was. The raking of his fingers caused the water to ripple softly, melodically, echoing something he was holding in.

I pushed up on to my tip toes and got as close as I could to him, willing him with my body to make a move to take me. It couldn't tell what, if anything, I wanted him to take. The plain truth of it was that I did it out of need, out of a complete irrational desire to have him. I could tell something inside him was wrestling with what to do, his carefully put upon control was faltering. Initiating things was always something I felt he needed to do, it had to be his judgment that led us further.

Bracing my feet against the edge, I grabbed his shirt tight and pulled. His body fell into the water, the long frame was far too big to land that gracefully without the use of his vampire skills. By the time his feet hit the ground he moved with vampire speed and had my body pinned against the side of the pool.

He was wet from the waist down, with only splashes of water on his top half. Damn super reflexes, it could be so infuriating. I was dying to know what he looked like under it.

We were so close, if I leaned in even an inch we would be touching. His fangs were out, and his eyes were completely red now, not a speck of another color to be seen in them. He looked like he was holding himself back, either from killing me or kissing me, I couldn't tell.

"Don't ever put your hands on me again," he hissed out to me, breaking what seemed like minutes of silence. In reality we were only standing in this position for seconds, but time ran differently with him. Sometimes it came faster, and sometimes slower.

"I'll remember that Eli, but there may come a time when you wish you never asked that of me," I whispered into his ear. His hands under the water gripped my hips, his fingers digging into the sides of the bikini. His left hand was playing with the strings on that side, and I was silently begging him to untie it.

My leg lifted to wrap around his waist, and followed my lead, his large hand sliding deftly up my thigh to cup my ass. I lifted my right leg and did the same, feeling his other arm repeat the motion. He had slunk down a bit on the wall, allowing for me to climb up on his easily, putting his body in a chair like position with his knees bent. The combined with his hands, still firmly on my behind, I felt strangely safe. His strength and height were impressive, even for a vampire. I placed my elbows on his shoulders, careful not to touch him with my hands. He noticed what I was doing and smiled something predatory, something raw and feral that set me on fire.

He kissed me then, the roughest kiss I had ever experienced. It left the taste of blood in my mouth, either his or mine, but it wasn’t something I could have lingered on much. We were running on pure passion, an enthralling exchange of power that had me breathless.

When I had to pull away just to take in air, he stared at me like he couldn’t believe what he had just done. Due to my position in his lap, the lengthening of him in his pants strained against the wet fabric. The reality that his size extended everywhere elicited a small moan from my lips. If he took this just one step forward, I was going to beg him take me right here. Pride be damned.

Some noise must have registered with him before it did me, because Eli spun around in the water, placing me at his back and shielding me from whoever was standing on the pool deck. He moved so fast it gave me a wicked case of vertigo, and I had to steady myself by bracing my hands on his hips to keep from falling over. His hand came down and covered my left one, the thumb rubbing a soothing pattern on my knuckles.

"What is going on here?" I heard a woman ask. It didn't sound like Marcy, and I tensed at not knowing who she was. Eli felt it and reached around, placing me in front of him, his large forearm draped across my shoulders. It was ridiculous to think so, but something in me knew he wouldn't let anyone touch me.

"Ilora, I didn't think you were getting here until tomorrow." His deep voice was vibrating my entire body, and I had to really try not to move against him. I was flush against him now, and both of his arms had wrapped around me.

"I got here faster than I thought darling, hearing what happened last night made me move faster than I was intending. You seem put out by my arriving so soon. Why would that be Elijah, or more importantly who is she?" Her voice held an accent that was impossible to determine, it seemed too old to be from a modern language.

She had long blonde hair, natural blonde hair too, I noted. She was tall, almost as tall as Eli, with a very long and slender frame that was outfitted in a long ice blue dress. It seemed to fit her, she looked like some long lost Norse goddess.

"As you can see I am fine Ilora, thank you for your concern. Feel free to make yourself at home in the guest bedroom," he told her, ignoring her questions about me completely. She looked angry, but something else was working behind her eyes.

"Elijah, are you going to really stand there and ignore the questions of your maker?" she asked, and I stopped breathing for a moment. If he was close to half a millennia old, how old was she? A vampire that age would have more power than I could ever imagine. Even Eli would have hard time stopping her.

"You forget yourself Ilora, I am king here. I can ignore who I wish, including you. Stop being dramatic and get settled in the house. I'll be in a minute.” He had a more teasing tone in his voice now, which made me insanely curious about her.

"I'm Hannah," I told her boldly, deciding to diffuse some of the tension by just getting it over with. After everything I've gone through, I wouldn't be intimidated by anyone. "Apparently Eli has no manners, but I'm the one that saved everyone last night." She smirked at Eli, and I could feel him smile back to her. I had the thought that I liked Ilora, at least for the moment.

"Ah, yes I heard about that," she said to me. It took everything in me not to react when her eyes flashed for a second. They were such a light blue they were almost white, making her look angelic.

"I'll give you two a moment, but I would love to have dinner with you tonight. I've been traveling since last night and I need good company."

"You need a good drink," Eli told her, and they both shared a laugh. Yeah, but a drink of what?

"Yes that too, but I have missed you. I never see you anymore," she said just before giving up and walking towards the house. Abruptly she turned back saying, "bring the girl Elijah."

Ilora then continued across the lawn, and then with a blur of vampire speed was gone from sight. Well, she was gone from my sight..

"You up for dinner?" he asked me, nipping at my ear as he spoke. It short circuited me enough that I forgot to be disappointed in the fact we wouldn't be picking up where we left off.

"Well, it's not like I have much choice. She doesn't look like the type to be denied.” He smiled back knowingly at my comment.

"No, Ilora is used to getting her way. Even I can't deny her much," he said, an affectionate smile on his face.

"Then I would suppose it wouldn't be proper to keep her waiting," I said turning myself so we were facing one another. Standing on my toes, I reached up my mouth to his, enjoying the feel of his lips against my own, the play of his coolness against my fevered skin. It was fire and ice, dueling extremes, each unwilling to give in. All too soon I felt Eli move again, even before I heard the footsteps.

"Ilora is here," Evan said as I saw him approach. Eli had let me go but I was still pressed up into his front like before. He had one hand across my shoulders, his fingers were so close to my breast it caused my nipples to go taut. I tried not to moan, but I think he heard the small noise escape when his finger got too close.

"Yes, she already said hello brother," Eli said to him. "Tell Penny that we will be hosting a small dinner tonight, eleven should do it. There will be five of us, whatever she has on hand will be fine." Evan looked confused for a moment and then his eyes went wide.

"You're going to bring Hannah?" he asked Eli, looking like he wondered if Elijah was out of his mind.

"We can sit out on the patio," he told Evan, as if he didn't hear the question at all.

"We are not bringing her anywhere near your house Eli, I won't even let her in my own home. We can eat out here on my patio," he told his brother in a defiant tone. I knew he was just looking out for Eli, and that's why I didn't mention the fact that he was basically insulting me to my face right now.

"Fine," he told him in a less than friendly tone. Eli had to disengage himself from me for a moment, only to sling off his wet t-shirt onto the pool deck. Evan, and all of his ridiculous accusations, melted completely when I turned to stare at Eli.

His chest was perfect, hard and sculpted with a small spattering of chest hair in all the right places. I could see the beginnings of perfect looking abs from the tops of the water, and it was impossible not to reach out and touch him. Just as I got to his skin, I winked at him, and withdrew my hand, a twinge of honest remorse in my eyes. Evan's voice was louder this time.

"I suggest you don't do that when Marcy is around Eli, she wants Hannah's head as it is," he said, looking like the minute it crossed his lips he could take it back. I turned and arched an eyebrow at Eli, who continued to ignore both of us. He dove under in intervals, each time coming up to smooth the dark hair from his head.

“You know Marcy right brother? The one you are supposed to be marrying soon?” At the mention of Marcy this time, Eli turned away from me and swam to the side of the pool. He reached the steps and climbed out, much to my disappointment. It was hard not to feel alone once again, drifting in the middle of the suddenly cold pool like a dingy out to sea.

"Eleven," Eli reminded me with a smile as he dried off a bit using my towel. He nodded at Evan, and then walked across the lawn to his own house. I sighed remembering how close he was to surrendering a little to me, to us taking things a bit deeper, when Evan pulled me out of my head.

"You are playing with fire Hannah," Evan said in a warning tone, probably noticing the look on my face as I watched him walk away.

"Eli doesn't seem to be stopping me," I told him tipping my chin up with defiance.

"My brother has a weak spot for humans, always has," he said cryptically. I wasn't sure I liked the sound of that, but this was a man with an agenda, and bending the truth to hurt me was part of his game.

"Well, I'm about as fucking human as it gets Evan," I said bitterly, being reminded once again of what I wasn't. I wasn't a werewolf, I wasn't immortal, I wasn't vampire, and I wasn't going to last much longer. The list of my shortcoming always threatened to drown me, but living life through the lens of regret and shame wasn't going to do me any favors. “And don't give me the whole lie about him being attracted to me because I am human. There is probably a story there, maybe even a good one, but he doesn't strike me as a man who blindly follows the same pattern.” Evan plopped down onto one of the deck chairs before responding.

"Listen, I'm not trying to be hard on you for my own entertainment value. I love my brother, and he has entrusted me with protecting what is his, what we have worked very hard to build. I take my job seriously, and it's because of that I can't trust you. Beyond that, I know something isn't right with you, I knew it from the first time I saw you. It didn't matter then, you were a human waitress hired for one night, but that all changed.” Evan looked as if he really didn’t want to keep talking to me about this, but he didn’t stop.

“Now that I know you are aware of us, that you kept that hidden from us, I trust you even less. So now I want to warn you. If you fuck with me, or my brother, there won't be a rock on this earth you can crawl under to hide from me. Eli likes you because his first wife was human, if you can believe that. That's the only reason he is so intrigued by you, it's the only reason he indulges himself with spending time with you. You look just like her, did he tell you that?" he asked me with a sick kind of laugh. “Eli would never mention her, especially to you, but it's true. That's what we were all talking about that night.” I felt my stomach turn, but I knew not to put too much stock in what he was saying. It might be the truth, but he was trying to scare me away. Still it was hard hearing.

"It was one of the first things I noticed about you, that and your scars, but I think we've beaten that horse enough by now," he finished saying, rising from his chair to leave.

"You're a good brother," I said to his back as he was walking away. He whipped around, looking wary but shocked at my compliment. What was more shocking was that I meant them, if I had a brother like him, I might have been saved some beatings.

"You trying to mess with me?"

"No, if I had a brother I would have liked for him to protect me like that. He's lucky to have you, even if you are wrong," I told him, rising myself from the pool and walking towards my chair.

"Alright Hannah, I'll bite. What am I wrong about?" He folded his arms across his chest, hardly looking like someone who wanted to listen to reason, but I obliged heedless to his attitude.

"I don't want to see him hurt any more than you do Evan. You can choose to believe me or not, but it was me who ran into that building to get you all out. I could have let that fucking cab take me to Timbuktu and you might all be a pile full of ashes right now. Sure there are things that I am choosing to keep to myself, but who isn't? My story is my own to tell, as is yours, as is Eli's. So what, I look like his dead human wife? So what if he likes me because I am human? I am human. You're going to have to do better than that Evan to get me to stay away.” He calculated his words before speaking them.

"You going to break up a marriage?"

"What marriage?" I asked him right back.

"He has a fiancé Hannah, you trying to break that up?"

"You're right Evan, he looks so in love with her, how could I?" It sounded more dramatic than I was intending, but a blind man could see there was a lack of something between the two of them.

"She loves him," he told me, turning once again to walk away from the conversation. I guess he didn't like me countering his arguments all that much.

"I think it would be frighteningly easy to love Elijah.” I said out loud, to both myself and Evan. He paused in his steps for a beat after I said that, but continued to walk back, leaving me standing alone, once again.

Chapter 16

When I finally made my way back inside, the sectional that spanned the living room looked so inviting I face planted into its cushy middle to nap, wet bathing suit and all. The biggest surprise was the time, the annoying loud ticking clock mocking me and the short amount of time I now had to get ready for dinner.

Hitting the ground running after a quick shower, I slipped on the hard wood floor, my leg stubbornly refusing to support any weight when turned a particular angle. My arm and the side of my head hit the door frame as I went down, and I could feel the bruise pooling just under my skin in both areas.

They were now just another set of bruises to add to my growling collection. My usual limp was far more pronounced than before, and it would now be impossible to cover up with any accuracy.

Finding something appropriate for dinner was the biggest test of my patience. Dragging everything from the suitcase out, I hung up the items next to some selections from the closet, in the hopes that contained somewhere in this room was a descent outfit. I didn't know what the dress code for dinner was tonight, but I had a feeling daisy dukes and tube tops weren't going to cut it.

Searching through all the other clothes, I managed to find one item I thought would be suitable for dinner. It was a maxi dress, in a light blush color with wide light gray stripes running horizontally throughout. It had thin straps and the top crossed in front like a wrap dress, so hopefully I could keep the girls under control, and a revealing back.

It was a bit long, but being short, I was used to that, so it didn't bother me much. Only one pair of nude wedges looked right with it, and thankfully they were my size.

The only accessory for me tonight was a chain, on which hung my wedding band. I wanted to wear it tonight, not just to remind me of Jameson and give me strength, but to remind me of what I had to lose. It went with the dress nicely. Thankfully, I found some makeup that I could use, and I dabbed a bit on here and there while I set about fixing my hair.

My nerves were running wild, causing me to pace for the remainder of the time, and I had the strangest feeling that I was on the biggest job interview of my life. It was a constant struggle to say the right things, keep the right things secret for now, and all the mental juggling was going to give me a migraine before the night ended.

Clanging dishes and glasses told me that the staff was busy setting up for dinner, but I didn't dare look out. Instead, I tried to come with a game plan for dinner, not that I was getting anywhere with it. Every idea I had depended too much on how everyone was going to act, and there was no sure way of predicting that really. Especially with Eli and his wild swinging moods.

My leg was protesting too much, but thankfully the clock said it was eleven on the dot, so I made my way out the front doors and towards the patio. The distance was so great I almost couldn't make out that everyone was there already, but as I reached closer it was clear they were all there waiting.

The dress turned out to be a good choice, if not a bit on the casual side compared to them. Everyone else was wearing something that looked like an outfit they would wear to cocktail hour. Ilora and Marcy were in short brown and black dresses, while the guys were both in sport coats with dress pants. Compared to them, I looked more like the wait staff than a guest. What could I do?

The alternative was looking like something out of a porn video if I went by Luci's wardrobe. Eli and Evan rose when I approached the table, and I gave everyone tentative smiles, sitting down in my seat with a relieved sigh.

"Good evening.” I was met with not a single word, but they weren’t kicking me out yet, so I considered it a small success. The server came right over when I sat down, like this was some five star restaurant and not Evan’s backyard.

"Can I get you something to drink miss?" he asked me.

"Beer please, whatever you have will be fine, thank you.” I almost heard a snort, but ignored it. The only here that would do that was Marcy, and it was too early to be calling her out. The server scurried off after that, and the table once again was bathed in silence.

"So Ilora, how was your trip in?" I asked Eli's maker. She was the only person who looked at me when I sat down for longer than a blink, so by default she was the friendliest.

"It was uneventful," she said with an exaggerated sigh.

"You wanted there to be?"

"Of course Hannah, but you don't know me well enough to have guessed that already," she said with a wink, putting me at ease with her open friendliness. Marcy looked like she was about to puke, and it made me smile brighter. Two birds, one stone.

The waiter came back with a Stella Artois for me, one of my favorites, and I took a long drag on it before it had even hit the table. I could only have one because of all the medication, but I would enjoy the hell out of it in the meantime. It was possible to push it to two or three drinks if I really wanted to, but I tended to get a bit out of control, so keeping it in moderation was key.

"I'll take another Scotch," Eli ordered, followed up by an audible clicking of Marcy's tongue.

"Elijah, we have that meeting in the morning with the wedding planner," she cooed at him in a reproachful tone. I rolled my eyes at her attempt to bring it up so soon, we hadn't even gotten to dinner yet and she was already at it. We get it, you're getting married.

"You must know how time consuming wedding planning was Hannah. Do you remember what it was like?" she asked me in a voice so sugary sweet I could have poured it on my pancakes. Yes, let's bring up my failed marriage now. I had a feeling this night wasn't going to go well anyways, so why not be truthful?

"We did a small ceremony Marcy, so the reception was small as well," I told her, in the hopes she would just drop it after that.

"You are married?" Ilora asked in a sincere way.

"I am divorced," I told her evenly. Thankfully the servers were coming our way so my body relaxed. They had plates of salad with them, and with any hope Marcy would be too busy eating to keep asking me questions.

"That must have been devastating for you, what happened?" Marcy asked suddenly, reaching across the table to hold my hand. She was too fast, and before I could snatch it away she was holding it like my long lost best friend.

"Marcy," Ilora stated to say, but I put up my free hand indicating it was okay.

"He met someone else," I told them all as I took a bite of my salad. I could feel Eli's eyes snap to me, just as I could see Marcy's eyes light up like Christmas morning.

"Well, I bet they won't last," Ilora said in an obvious attempt to make me feel better. It came out sounding awkward but sincere.

"They got married last Christmas and are expecting a baby now," I told them all. The tears were putting up a good fight, I could feel them welling up in my eyes, and it pissed me off that I was reacting like this. Maybe it was just admitting it all aloud that got to me. Maybe it was the fact that I missed Jameson, not just as a husband but as the one person who always had my back.

Here I was fighting for my life, in the heart of an enemy, and he was playing house with Hannah 2.0 I was always alone, but it seemed to be affecting me more now, now that I was closer to dying.

We finished our salads in silence, with me managing to fight back my feelings, and as the waiters took the plates away, I threw caution to the wind and ordered another beer.

"Is that a good idea for someone like you?" Evan asked me, still clearly pissed about our interaction earlier.

My patience was at a non-existent level, so I asked, "For someone like me? You want to just get down to it and tell me what the hell you mean Evan?" At this Ilora choked a bit on a laugh, wine sputtering to stay in her mouth.

"For someone who obviously has problems with...depression, someone on medication," he said looking at my wrists. Oh great, this was just going swimmingly for me tonight, let’s go for the hat trick shall we?

"Evan," Eli called out in a deep and no nonsense tone. It was one that said he wanted him to shut up.

"Eli, I know you think we owe her something, and perhaps we do, but we need to be honest here. She comes into our lives out of the blue, so I have to bring this stuff up, and I have to ask what everyone else is too scared to. I wouldn't be very good at my job if I didn't.” It was the first time he looked remorseful for his behavior towards me. The reprieve didn't last long.

"I found some anti-depressants in her bag Eli, and I know what those scars are from. I'm not making blind accusations, I'm worried we are letting someone in here we know nothing about. And the things that we do know trouble me.” His eyes were pleading with his brother for understanding. It was like an out of body experience, letting them talk about me while I sat here, staring off to the side at the pool like a scolded child at the adult table.

"Add to that she just comes in here, the same night we are attacked and miraculously saves us. A human? Then she says she knew all about us, what the hell does that sound like to you? It sounds like a whole lot of hard facts masquerading as coincidence.” Marcy couldn't have looked more elated at Evan's words. Ilora didn't say much, but she didn't know or the situation at all, so it was no surprise to me that she stayed silent.

Eli looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there, but as Evan was talking, I could see Eli give me a sidelong glance. Evan was getting to him, which meant I didn't have a prayer of this working in my favor if I let this continue.

All of my extenuating circumstances seemed pretty suspicious, no matter how you looked at the situation. I was going to have to revisit my plan B's later tonight, maybe even think about going home come morning. Gaining trust with this group was an uphill battle, even without what I was currently up against. Is this really how I wanted to spend what little time I had left?

"Eli, I think you should listen to your brother," Marcy decided to chime in then. It was a shock that it took her so long to jump in and agree with Evan, Marcy looked like she was foaming at the mouth earlier. "We don’t have that much time until the wedding, and between that and all the celebrations we are hosting, we can't risk having her here," she said in a sweet voice. I could see Evan agreed with this, but Ilora and Eli still look stone faced. Ilora and Eli seemed very close, so it would be natural for her to want to protect him.

As for Eli, I just had no clue what he was thinking. He wasn't agreeing with them, but he also didn't try to stop them talking about something so personal that it had no business being discussed third hand, and with me at the table.

I cleared my throat and rose, "You'll have to excuse me. I'm not feeling too well, this damn headache just won’t leave.” I felt a hand at my elbow, and Eli was looking between the bruises at my temple and arm.

"What happened?" he asked me softly. His touch seared my skin, and I yanked my arm away hard.

"I fell. Thank you for inviting me to dinner Elijah, Ilora it was a pleasure.” I wanted Eli to come rushing out to me, to come and apologize for allowing them to treat me like that. I wanted to run back there and tell them all off, use the cancer card that I never played just once.

Instead I stormed into the house, slamming the door behind me. This was all my damn fault. Coming out here with this ridiculous idea that he was going to be easy to get to know, that I would seduce him and we would share passionate embraces, until I told him the truth, and he would gift me his blood. In my head, it would all work, and I would be healed. And time would no longer be my own personal grim reaper.

Instead, I walked into a community that already mistrusted me, placed myself in a compromising situation in which I looked guilty, and tried to get in between a man and his fiancé. No matter how horrible she was, this wasn't really me. I had to come up with something better or get the hell out of here before someone found out who I was, and killed me.

***

Laying on the large bed later, it hit me somewhere along the way that there was no dignity here, no way for me to hold onto myself in the process of trying to get what I needed. That was the deal breaker for me, the one problem that I couldn’t get past. I laid there for several hours, nodding off again for a spell. When I came to again, the clock read one in the morning.

My lungs felt as though they weren't getting enough air in here, and it scared me. Breathing problems had never really plagued me much, but since Dr. Reece told me that I could develop new symptoms at any time, I was nervous when something out of the ordinary popped up with me. Maybe it was just a panic attack at the realization I came to earlier. Either way, I felt like I was suffocating being stuck in this room. Changing into some cut off shorts and a large men’s sweatshirt made me feel better.

There was no sign of the earlier dinner party when I swept back the curtains to check, and I couldn't see a light on in Evan's house at all. It didn't look like anything was going on at Eli's either, not that my view was good, but it seemed safe enough to head out for a while. The bedroom had a large stack of magazines at my disposal, as well as a tattered western that looked promising, so after collecting these and a blanket, I headed out. Earlier I had spied a lush seating area, complete with a small fire pit, but the real reason I chose it was because it overlooked the woods.

I put the books and magazines down and sat back in the large chair, looking off into the woods and spreading the blanket I had grabbed at the last second to cover my legs. The woods had always been comforting to me, the trees and the earth and smell of animals felt like they called to something buried deep inside me. Perhaps it spoke to the part of me that never developed, the part of me that never got to experience nature in the same way everyone else in the clan did. I had no wolf form, but I could feel the longing in my body for it.

I had the feeling that being here was a mistake, and that feeling was only getting worse with each passing minute.

A noise echoed into the empty space, such a familiar sound that it took me a minute to remember that hearing a growl out here was abnormal. For the smallest of seconds I saw a flash of two yellow eyes peering back at me from the edge of the trees. I knew instinctively it wasn't the twins, they would never growl and flash their eyes at me, and they had agreed to stay out this mess. If they had sent someone, this wasn't the greeting they would have instructed them to give.

Plus, they knew other wolves in our clan had done that to me as a child, and it scared the ever loving life out of me. I squinted again, but the limbs and branches were too low and thick for me to discern a shape out of the darkness. Despite the lack of visual confirmation, I could still sense it's eyes on me, even if I couldn't see him at the moment, I knew he was there.

Deciding to ignore him was best. I was trying to give the impression that I didn't see anything, didn't hear anything at all. The wolf could be looking to attack, or it could be just be a scout looking for information. Either way I needed to stall and figure out a plan.

Casually taking the blanket off, I set it down next me in case I needed to make a run for it, not that I would go very far before it caught me but still. I shrugged off my flip flops, knowing they would slow me down, and grabbed the paperback from the table to pretend to read.

A few seconds later, all the lights to the outside pool area shut off, and I knew it wasn't by coincidence, he was coming after me. In reaction I got up from my chair and sprinted as fast as I could towards the pool house, thankful that it was close enough I could make it. Locking the door behind me took more time than necessary, due to my shaking hands, but I got it done.

Sprinting back to the bedroom, I dove onto the bed and pulled the gun out from under my pillow. Making my way down the hallway, gun loaded, safety off, my heart seemed to stop beating in my chest.

My hands itched to pull the curtain back, but before I could, a growl emanated from behind the window. Abandoning my plan, I ran towards the back door.

At the same time that the back door closed and locked behind me, the wolf smashed through the front window. I ran around the other side of the pool and made my way, gun in tow, to the side of Evan's house that held the garage. It was the only door I had seen him use, and it was all I could do but hope and pray that he was home.

There were no wolf steps audible following me, so it was now just a battle for time before he figured out that I wasn't in the pool house.

Finally reaching the side door, I started knocking lightly, checking over my shoulder and stopping in intervals to try and listen for noises. When I heard the glass being disturbed again from the front of the pool house, my whole plan changed. Picking up my scent would be easy for him to do on this hot summer night, so I started banging with all my might on the back door.

"Evan!" I screamed out.

"Evan! Evan!" One hand was busy banging, and the other had the gun trained on the driveway before me. A cut had opened up on my hand, most likely from snagging it on part of the metal door, and the harder I knocked the more my hand slid off, leaving tracks of blood in smears. I finally stopped trying to knock on the door, in lieu of preparing for the attack; it was obvious Evan wasn't there and wasn’t going to help me.

Bracing myself for the shot it was rueful that I only had a little bit of moonlight to work with. One shot wouldn't do it this time, maybe not even two or three; I would have to plug enough into this head and neck to sever the spinal cord. Anything short of that and he would heal, then kill me.

The wolf rounded the corner, paws slapping loudly on the concrete. There was no hesitation from me, I fired three successful shots. Unfortunately, one of them missed, and he lunged for me with some accuracy, clamping my bad leg like a vise around my calf.

Scared he was going to snap my leg, my balance was thrown off, and I got knocked to the ground. His sharp teeth sliced through my skin. I kicked him with my other foot right on the snout, knowing it would cause him to release my leg, and falling back gave me just enough room, and time, to aim and fire. I plugged the last rounds of the clip in a tight cluster until he fell down in a heap on the driveway, his twitching turning to complete stillness.

My eyes were stuck on the wolf, waiting and watching for signs that he was regenerating from the injuries. The thick and hot summer air felt wet, the first signs of a storm crackling the air with sticky humidity. Rain was going to be the cherry on this Sunday.

The wolf still hadn't moved, and I took that as a good sign. Combined with the fact that I was a damn good shot, the probability of death was high. It was a cautious guess though, shifters had been known to come back from the most deadly of injuries, much to the dismay of their attackers.

Time seemed to stretch on, freezing in patches, as my eyes continued to stare at the now obviously dead animal. It would never turn back human, though that would be helpful in tracing him back to someone. If a shifter died in their animal form, they remained that way.

It didn't feel as unnatural as one would have thought, being in the presence of a dead beast like that. It was one of the few advantages that came out of my unconventional upbringing, I had seen my fair share of dead shifters.

Outside of a few that liked to terrorize me from time to time, mostly pranks, and the rest of the clan treated me with either mild indifference, or kindness, as one would treat a handicapped child. There was however, a select group that treated my latency with predatory intent. They targeting both my inability to defend myself, as well as my parents unwillingness to protect me as well.

This beast reminded me of them, and it seemed I had no troubles killing them if I had to. After the first time I killed one, with Jameson and Grayson helping me to hide it, my compassion for the bloodthirsty melted to nothing.

It was so dark back here, and I was reminded of the fact that the lights to the street, as well as some of the houses, seemed to not be working. There must have been someone here who was helping the wolf, the backyards were too well lit for anything to get a jump on someone, so cutting them would be necessary.

I briefly thought about getting up and looking for help from one of the neighbors, but there was no way to know if there was another enemy around. The gun was empty, so I was in essence completely defenseless, alone and in the dark, with a hopefully dead werewolf sitting five feet from me.

Those gunshots were loud, surely someone had heard them, so I was sure someone would come out and check on it. It took some effort to drag myself over to the side of the garage door itself, but putting some more distance in between me and the wolf felt like a good idea.

Checking out my leg proved that it was bleeding heavily, mostly from shallow cuts, so I ripped a chunk of the sweatshirt off to bind it up tight.

Thunder clapped loudly in the sky, so violent that my body hummed along with the vibration it caused. Lightning was hitting the ground, in a dueling dance with more thunder, and after a few minutes the rain followed closely behind.

There was a slight lip to the top of the garage, where the gutter stuck out, and I was hoping it would keep a little of the rain off me. It was enough to enjoy about fifteen minutes of dry contemplation when the first of the big rain drops started to plop on the concrete near me. It wasn't long before the rain was coming down in sheets, and the gutter overhead proved to do not a damn thing to stop it.

Chapter 17

The rain continued to fall, but even if it was a slightly less violent kind of downpour, it soaked me to the bone. Suddenly my choice of daisy dukes and sweatshirt seemed inadequate against the forces of nature I was now up against.

With the bottom of my top torn at an odd angle, it provided little warmth for my body against the elements. The only thing I could console myself with was that the wolf didn't move a muscle the whole time. My body was shaking so much that the gun had slid from my grip, landing in between my legs limply.

Closing my eyes, I tried to think of something warm, and happy, but in my life those memories were a little hard to come by. Either from blood loss, or exhaustion I wasn't sure, at some point I passed out.

The lights, as they passed over my body, were so bright they brought me out of my unconscious state, casting a red glow behind my shut eyelids. The only thing strong enough to create that was headlights, I realized, causing my eyes to squint open.

Evan, I thought absently, he must be home now. Thankfully the wolf was still there, surely dead by now, and I sighed in relief. The car skidded to a halt with the door flying open before it even came to a full stop. It wasn't raining any longer, and blissfully my sweatshirt was only damp now, no longer dripping wet. I must have been out for a while for it to air dry that much.

"Eli stay back," Evan bellowed out as he approached me carefully. My eyes didn't feel so heavy, but the dizziness was so crippling that keep my head up wasn't going well for me.

"Werewolf," I said weakly, pointing to the dead animal a few feet from me. "Make sure he's dead.”

As soon as I finished speaking, my dinner made its reappearance spectacularly, right into the small bush that was on the side of me. Elijah’s large hands cupped my lower back and neck, his presence making my head feel grounded once again.

"Dead," Evan confirmed, a confused look on his face as he turned and glared at me again.

"What happened Hannah?" Eli asked me, running a hand over my face. Turning my head against his hand, his touch felt good against my cold cheek so I closed my eyes. It wasn't a good sign that a vampire felt warmer than I did.

"Anjinho," he whispered, dropping my hand and checking my leg, lifting up the flaps of sweatshirt carefully. Evan came up and squatted down next to where Eli was, probably to hear what I had to say.

I went into the most detailed description I could manage, trying to remember every detail in the hopes they could gleam some information out of it. While I was explaining, the brothers commenced arguing in Portuguese with each other at intervals. The end of the story came blissfully to a close.

"The wolf found me, took a chuck out of my leg, so I emptied the whole mag into him and here I am," I said, holding my arms out limply. They continued to argue for a minute or two, and I could guess what part they were talking about.

"Someone cut those lights Eli, I'm sure of it. Right after I spotted the wolf and prepared to run, the lights to Evan's, yours, and two other houses went out. It was planned, I know it." Eli looked over to Evan, who in turn raced back to the car, the light of his cell phone illuminated his worried face.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here, we had to pick some people up from the airport. Red eye flight," he explained, taking off his sport coat and wrapping it around me. It smelled like him, and I could feel his warmth transfer to my own. "I am going to call in a friend of mine, he's a good doctor. He'll check your leg, you may need a few stitches.” Rising then, he scooped me off the ground, placing me in familiar position into his capable arms.

"Make sure to get the gun, it was right by my legs, I put the safety on but there isn't anything left in it," I said weakly to him as we continued to walk. He called out behind him to Evan, ordering him to pick it up.

When we got a few feet away, Eli turned abruptly around, and the garage door I was leaning against opened. He walked me inside, and headed for another inside door that I was hoping led towards somewhere warm, preferably with a bath. He switched on the lights in the kitchen, and I could hear Evan's feet behind us.

"Put her in the bathroom next to the garage," Evan said with a scowl, clearly still not liking the fact that I was in his house to begin with.

“I'm taking her upstairs to the guest bedroom, the one with the attached bathroom. That is where she is going to stay, with me," he said turning towards his brother, an expression so fierce on his face I thought his jaw would crack in two. When Evan looked like he was going to say something else Eli interrupted him.

"Or I can take her home with me," he taunted his brother, raising an eyebrow for a challenge. Evan shook his head and then motioned for him to continue up the stairs, defeat thinning his mouth to a grim line.

"Call Dr. Allman," he instructed Evan.

"I had Ilora call when I ran back to the car, she should be here in a half hour, forty five minutes tops.”

We kept climbing the stairs, it was a huge winding staircase that formed an S in the entryway. The wrought iron bannisters were gorgeously done in organic and flowing shapes, and it contrasted nicely with the more modern aspects of the house.

It was a resolutely bachelor type pad, no great amounts of feminine touches could be found. I had a feeling Evan preferred it that way. We reached the top and walked the long hallway to the far end of the hall. The room must be large because it boasted a set of double doors in front of it.

Evan reached around us to open the doors, and once they were gone I found myself looking at a beautifully done up room. It was still masculine, the walls were painted in a dark gunmetal color, and the floors were all a pretty walnut hard wood. It had a large oriental rug in deep shades of blue, gold, and dark brown that covered up most of the middle of the floor.

There was a large king sized bed, with a navy blue comforter and pillows. We walked past all that too fast to notice anything else, and headed towards the bathroom. It wasn't that I blamed Eli for his speed, I didn't want to bleed all over the room either.

Evan was still behind us, and I could tell by the way Eli was holding me he wasn't a big fan of being hovered over, especially by his brother.

"That should do it Evan, you can let Dr. Allman up when she gets here," he told him with a wave, indicating he wished Evan to leave. He gave Eli one last look and then left the bathroom, shaking his head the whole way.

Eli placed me on the edge of the sink, the counter top was so large and deep I fit nicely upon it. He pulled some supplies out of the medicine cabinet, some tape, gauze, and a washcloth. Wetting the rag under some warm water, he lightly over the cuts on my leg, hand, and dressed everything in soft gauze.

"I shouldn't have left you unprotected," he told me as he wrapped my leg in the gauze. "Evan and I have become complacent here, no one has tried anything on my land for quite a while."

"You couldn't have known," I said back, wanting him to know that I didn't blame him for what happened. It wasn't as if I could have foreseen this happening either. He finished up what he was doing and then looked to my face, heat lighting his eyes freely. There was nothing to hide from me now.

"I'm going to take your clothes off, and get you into something warm.” His voice was deep and husky, not bother to hide what he was feeling, and I was having a hard time not responding to it.

Lifting my arms, he pulled in a gentle and slow move so it wouldn’t hurt, and it felt wonderful when the damp heaviness left my body. Keeping my eyes off him as he undressed me wasn't. It was one of the sexiest things that I had ever experienced. He moved closer to me, and unbuttoned the top of my shorts, pulling down the zipper. He then put his hands under my arms and lifted me to stand.

"Keep off that leg," he instructed, and body followed obediently, leaning on my good foot. Eli knelt down in front of me, and pulled the sides of the shorts down to my knees. It felt as if my body was going to burn up from the inside if he took much longer.

He slid one side over my bad foot, and then picked me up again, placing me on the counter, so he could get them all the way off. It was all I could do not to look like a panting mess in front of him. There was something about the two of us together, it was something primal, something that I couldn't help, or stop, even if I wanted to.

He looked at me in my bra and underwear, and then left the room, leaving me half naked a confused at his sudden turn away. Perhaps he was just as affected by me as I was by him. Eli returned a few seconds later with something wrapped in his hands, a black Ramones t-shirt.

"None of the pants will stay on you, you're much too small, but this should be long enough to cover the important parts.” I took it gladly, feeling overexposed on the counter like this. My shoulder protested loudly when I put the shirt on, the wince on my face impossible for him to miss.

"Did you hurt your shoulder as well?" Eli asked me, picking up on the reaction.

"Not tonight.” After fussing with the ends for a moment, it was a relief to figure out that the shirt was big enough to cover everything.

"I don't think you are going to need stitches, but I have little background on such things, so I want to be sure." He was holding one of my feet, rubbing the insole lightly with his thumb.

"I kicked him a good one before he could do too much damage I think.” There was a proud smile on my face, and though it was slightly inappropriate considering what happened tonight, my mind viewed it as a victory.

"You want to tell me why you knew just how to kill a werewolf Hannah?" He was trying hard to keep his tone gentle, but there was an added seriousness to the words. Well it wasn't like I had much to lose at this point, things were about as hopeless for me now as they were before.

"My parents are wolves, I was raised by them.” He moved at vampire speed to the other side of the bathroom, as if I was the dangerous one.

"What do you mean you were raised by them?" he asked me, looking dumbstruck.

"My parents were werewolves, but it didn't seem to transfer to me. I'm latent." The shrug of my shoulders didn't seem to help.

"Now that is a lie Hannah. If your parents were wolves, than you are as well.” Eli was still backing up from me, his face betraying just how hurt and enraged my words were making him.

"You would have smelled me the minute I walked into the room at your party Eli, so don't go accusing me of something you have no proof of," I told him proudly back.

"Don't you think that's something you should have told me Hannah, preferably before I had my hands all over you in the pool? Before I..." he said, leaving me salivating over just what he was going to say.

"Before you what Eli?" I asked him, unable to sit here and not ask it.

"Before I defiled myself by fucking you," he said plainly, and I couldn't stop the flinch from appearing on my face. Eli looked for a second like he regretted it, but he didn't back down. He was yelling a bit in Portuguese, and I wondered how long it would be before Evan came running up here with all the racket Eli was making.

"That's what has your royal panties in a bunch? Does it make a difference where I came from? Or does it just matter that I came from two werewolves?" I asked him, feeling my own anger rising. It seemed a horrible twist of fate that my whole like I was discriminated against for not being a wolf, and now I was being discriminated against for almost being one.

"They are our natural enemy Hannah, it is ingrained in me to feel that way. We have been fighting wars against each other for millennia. This isn't just some family grudge, its fucking biology. Now I know why Evan dislikes you so much. He must have sensed it.”

"Evan dislikes me because he can't figure me out, and it's the same reason you won't let your guard down around me. Are you will to throw away the connection we have, and don't even think about denying it, all because of who gave me life?" Before I could finish, his vampire speed carried him towards me, pinning me against the mirror. His large hand was wrapped around my neck, with a gentle but knowing pressure. He was staring at me like he would know all of my secrets, if only he just looked hard enough.

"You can't mind control me vampire, I'm immune.” My voice came out raspy, mainly due to the fact that he wasn't letting me get too much air in. He took a deep breath in and spoke in a clear yet terrifying lilt.

"I don't know what you're playing at here, but if I find out you're lying I will kill you myself. I'm sure growing up in that...community you heard stories about me. All of them are true or worse. You will remain in this room until myself and my council have a chance to question you. Any attempts to evade my questions, and I will resort to less than gentlemanly ways to make you talk," he said to me, releasing my throat so quickly that I fell from the counter to land in a heap on the floor. My laughter rang around the bathroom, making it seem hysterical.

"It feels like home here now Eli. You know, my parents used to do the same thing to me when I was younger. They wanted to provoke me into bringing my wolf out, no matter how many times I told them she wasn't there, they kept on baiting and beating me until I couldn't walk.

“They would threaten me, accuse me of lying. I've had my father’s hands on me the same way you just did you judgmental bastard. So you can keep thinking it would be my blood that defiled you. Somehow, I think it might be the other way around.” The first drops of my tears began falling then, their burning too intense to keep in.

Eli was staring at me with an unreadable expression. I couldn't tell for sure, but I thought I saw the smallest amount of sympathy in his face, maybe even regret, but it was gone just as soon as I saw it.

We turned around at the same time and saw Evan standing in the doorway, giving me a pitying look. I thought he would be overjoyed that someone finally figured it out about me, but he looked from his brother back to me with an obvious frown.

"Dr. Allman is here.”

"Compensate her, and then tell her to go home. Hannah is fine, and will heal naturally on her own.” It was an accusation and a test, to see how fast my injuries would dissipate.

"Are you sure?" Evan asked, his brows looking so furrowed that they might collapse in on themselves.

"I dressed her wounds already, she will be fine. Apologize for wasting the good doctor’s time," Eli said dismissively.

"I need my medicine, if someone can grab my bags from the pool house.” Talking to the ground, on top of asking this, was humiliating, but it was better than getting sick here.

"Of course," Eli said. "Evan you go and collect all of Hannah's things for her." Evan hesitated for a second, and then left the room.

Staying silent was more from lack of anything to say, over strategy. Eli had managed to both hurt me deeply, and caused me consider that the common denominator in everything awful in my life, was me. It was the same damn thing that happened with Jameson, which I swore to everything under the sun I would never let happen again.

And now here I was. I wanted a man who didn't want me, who was promised to someone else, who chose to follow what was expected of him, over what he wanted, and over what was right. There wasn't a single worse feeling in the whole world, than realizing I was making the same mistakes again. Laying down on the ground of the bathroom, the cool tile under my face fanned the flames of my skin.

"Hannah," Evan whispered softly, and I turned from my position on the floor to find it was just him standing with my bags at the ground by his feet. He walked over to where I was on the floor and helped me to my feet. My small container of meds was on the counter with a glass of milk. The silent thanks on my face told him what my mouth was incapable of. He moved to walk out, and then stopped, turning to speak with me once more.

"I can tell Eli feels bad, he's pacing around his weight room and throwing shit all over the place," he told me in a kind voice, but self-imposed silent treatment kept me quiet. Evan stood in the doorway the whole time, watching me try to clear my eyes enough to read the labels, and I was too curious why not to address it.

"Why are you still here?" I asked him, in what I hoped didn't come off a bitchy tone.

“I have no clue," he said with a chuckle. His honesty was appreciated, if not terribly confusing.

"It's nearing dawn, so I'm going to head in for the day. I will come and get you when it's time for the meeting, don't take it personally but I'm going to lock you in. When you wake, ring number nine on the phone by the bed and my housekeeper will bring you something up to eat.” Evan left after that, and after hobbling towards the bed, I threw myself at its mercy, dried tears tightening my cheeks.

***

Once my eyes opened again, the scene before me was familiar. The gym was the same as it was before, the ground at my feet filling up fast with blood. It was so much thicker than water, and with the nightgown weighing me down, I was having a hard time moving in the liquid.

The blood was up to my chest now, and soon I would have to tread in it just to keep my head above. My toes scraped the ground, holding on until the last minute when standing would be no longer an option. It was then that I could feel the handle of something on the floor.

There weren't any more choices left to me outside of trying it out. The last dream didn't have a trap door beneath where I was now, but this was different. It had to be different.

Diving down I curled my fingers around the handle, and pulled with all my might. The hole itself must have been bigger than I imagined, because with a surge of the blood behind me, I was thrown through the floor, landing in a wet and bloody heap below.

The second I had gathered myself, horror had seized my mind. I was in the same clothes, now blood free, in the same space as before.

This version was full of people though, no one that I could recognize, certainly no one from my clan. After spending a minute looking at them, it became clear that there was nothing to indicate someone or something familiar. All of the people were all dancing around, oblivious to me sitting on the floor in my nightgown.

Everyone that my eyes rested on seemed to be dressed nicely, elegant but not so formal, in beautiful dresses and suits. I stood up from the floor and looked around again, finally spotting Eli dancing with Marcy, and Evan dancing with myself? The closer my feet brought me to him, the more it seemed that he was dancing with myself. But she had none of my scars.

"Evan?" He either was ignoring me or couldn't see me at all, but regardless no answer came from him. It was the strangest sensation to watch myself dancing away. I looked happy, carefree, and most importantly healthy. My skin was glowing, and I was moving around the dance floor with not a limp in site. Eli and his partner caught my attention next.

Marcy was dressed in an elegant emerald green dress, it was short and had interesting straps that crossed in the front and back. Eli, for his part, looked breathtaking in his suit, all black with a matching thin black tie.

I had the heartbreaking thought that they looked good together, but that they didn't belong together. He belonged to me. A wave of possessiveness ran through me, so powerful that I reached out to remove Marcy from his embrace. She turned at the last second and shoved me back.

"Back off human, he is not yours.” Wait, Marcy could see me? Eli looked from her to me, concerned brows bunching together.

“He is mine, and I challenge you for him," I told her rising to my full height, which still didn't stack up to her.

"Challenge me? You cannot challenge a vampire for a mate," she responded back, but a flicker of unease settled into her eyes.

"The fuck I can.”

"This is ridiculous, I would kill you before you could blink," she said, meeting my stare.

"Perhaps, but it would be worth it. I fight for what is mine, so if I go down in that pursuit, then it will be a good death.” My heartbeat ran like a war drum in my ears, drowning out everything else besides her and me. I was surprisingly unafraid.

"So be it human," Marcy said, and sprang for me.

Chapter 18

Gasping awake, my hand reached up to clutch my throat. The instant my fingers met flesh, the soreness reminded of where I was, and what had happened earlier.

"Hannah!" I heard Eli say. He was perched over my bed, clearly having been shaking me to awake.

"Get off me," I yelled back, startled by both his close proximity, and the idea of what he could be doing in here. Eli sat back onto his heels in the bed, running a hand through his crumpled hair.

"You were screaming so loudly it woke me. I didn't know what I was going to find when I broke the doors in," he said, looking tired and worried still. A huge part of me wished for that reaction from him, and hated him for it.

"I'm fine, it was just a nightmare.” My voice came out cold, but far too shaky for it to be the truth. These dreams were starting to concern me. Eli looked at me like I was being a stubborn idiot, which I was.

"You are not fine, it took me five minutes at least to wake you up. That's not normal Hannah.”

"I'm not normal Eli, remember? I'm latent.” The sarcasm couldn’t be missed.

"No you're not normal," Eli said, reaching out to move a lock of hair from near my eyes. He held his hand by my jaw, and then placed his hand gently over my throat, in the exact same position as before. He held it there for a few instants, but it was such a gentle touch that it didn't scare me, almost as if he could erase one bad memory with this one. After that his hand fell away.

"I'm okay Eli, go back to bed," I told him softly, not wanting him to go, and needing him to leave.

"I don't deal well with surprises Hannah, or breeches of my security," he continued on, clearly ignoring what I said to him about leaving. This seemed like an apology though, so I didn't make a move to stop him.

"That's not good enough Eli.” He was fighting back a smile, and I had to turn away before I did something stupid like smile back at him.

"I don't know what to do with you," he countered then, getting closer to the truth but not close enough.

"That's better, but it's still not enough, and you don't strike me as someone who would settle for anything less than that.” With that his large frame fell back onto the bed, arms extended. Goodness, could he look any more perfect than lying down beneath me?

“Then I don't know what you want me to say.” He sounded frustrated.

"That you're wrong," I told him back quickly.

"Wrong about what?" He rolled onto his side, and my body fell back to mirror his own. Like equals.

“You're wrong in thinking I want to hurt you or your people, or that I had something to do with any of this,” I told him honestly. Outside of Marcy, and even then it was merely annoyance, I didn't have a problem with anyone I had met so far.

"Ilora likes you," he admitted. "She hates everyone, sometimes I think even me, but she likes you. She chided me the whole way to the airport and back about dinner. Ilora would have stopped it herself, but she likes the drama too much to interfere."

"The feeling is mutual, but I'm willing to be that Marcy hates her," I added in, thinking about the way she was looking at her through dinner.

"Yes, it's best to keep them separate if at all possible.”

"Why the hell are you going to marry her?" I asked him abruptly. It was rude of me, but I couldn't hold it in any longer. Eli didn't look too offended but he did close his eyes for a long second before answering.

"Her father runs the coast along most of Europe, and most importantly all of the major ports and shipping vessels. It was a great strategic opportunity to branch out, to have alliances and trade agreements with them will allow this seethe to prosper well into the next century. I couldn't pass it up," he said wearily.

"Is that why you are marrying her but not mating her?" Pressing him for information didn't seem like a bad idea, but I had to be careful.

Mating was a step above marriage, it was a step above everything that a vampire or shifter relationship could aspire to. It was a true union, of all elements involved, merging the two bodies as one, it was the merging of thoughts and souls. In a vampire mating, as well as shifter mating, the couples could procreate naturally, creating perfectly supernatural children who were stronger and more powerful than their turned counterparts. It was rarer now than it was once, but it still happened.

"I made it a condition of the deal," was his only response. The words hung in the air for a moment.

"Tell me about growing up human in a shifter town," he said finally, yawning. Eli snaked a hand out and traced the scar on my shoulder, dipping around the crescent shape in slow motion.

"Oh that isn't a bedtime story for tonight, some other time?" I asked mimicking his earlier yawn earnestly. Now was not the time for all of those memories.

"Tell me another bedtime story then," he asked me, drawing up the comforter around both of us.

"I was dead when I was born." I blurted it out to him, not intending to tell him, and it seemed to have surprised both of us. Eli didn't ask me to continue, but I knew he was interested.

"My mother had a hard time delivering me, I got stuck on the way out. My shoulder was lodged and she couldn't push me out all the way. At that point the cord was around my neck and I lost oxygen to the point my heart stopped beating on their monitor. The doctor, more a glorified vet than anything else, had to use extra force to pull me out, but by the time I entered the world I was already dead.

“They started working on me right away but I stayed flat lined a full two minutes before my heart restarted. Then my mother went into distress, her blood pressure dropped, and she almost died from blood loss. They had to remove her uterus in the end, I was to be their only child.” My bitter laugh echoed my mother's enduring disappointment with that fact.

"Your father must have been frantic," he said, stating what would be the obvious if he didn't know my father.

"He was with his mistress on vacation in the Caribbean. My mother's current boy toy was there though, she said he looked worried," I told him, remembering how she used to tell me the story when I was younger.

"You fought even then.”

"I've had to fight every moment since.” My heart was torn between wanting to tell him more, and having to guard some of my secrets. He reached out and with his super speed, flipped me around so my back was to his front. He pulled his other arm around me, landing on my stomach. Eli scooted me back so I was flush with him, our bodies lining up like a completed puzzle.

I knew what I should be doing, which was kicking him out, but my body wouldn't do it. With his breath hot on my cheek, I feel asleep in the arms of the vampire king.

***

When I woke next, there was someone hovering over the bed we were in. I frantically sat up, and the motion caused Eli to sit up as well, both of us wild eyed. We were met with Evan, who was looking between the two of us and failing to hold back a smirk.

"Evan.” Eli's voice sounded scratchy and gravely.

"I thought I would bring Hannah some food, the housekeeper said she hadn't awoken yet and she was concerned," he told us, looking like a disapproving father.

"I had a bad dream.” It came out childlike, and awkward. Like it made any more sense to why Eli was in bed with me. The guys enjoyed a nice laugh at my comment, and then Evan turned to leave.

"There's food on the table, it's already eight thirty so get a move on it.” No sooner had the door shut behind him than my hands greedily grabbed the familiar paper bags.

"Where is it, where is it?" I chanted, going through each bags so quickly I was in danger of spilling things.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, holding up the coffee cup. Eli was lying in bed and giving me a full megawatt smile, no filter, no mask, and I had to check my nightgown to make sure it didn't explode into flames at the sight of him.

I took all the bags to bed, taking large sips of my coffee as I went along.

"What are you doing?" he asked me when I got closer.

"What does it look like your highness, its breakfast.” He didn't look like he needed more telling, ripping into the bags with equal delight. After he laid out all the food, we began digging in.

"Can I have some coffee?" he asked me, but I pulled the cup protectively towards me.

“You should know something Eli, that coffee for me is a very serious topic. I don't just share it with anyone.” Teasing him with the mug his face lit up again.

"I feel honored then, but just so you know I would take it from you even if you didn't offer it.” The challenge was clear, and I arched my brow at his arrogance.

"You underestimate the power of my love for coffee. I wouldn't just give it up like that, you would have to chase me down, pin me, and force my hand if you wanted to take it from me." The look on his face told me everything he thought about that particular plan. This wasn't some agenda for me any longer, it wasn't part of the game. It was just me and him, and I wasn't going to let it go to waste. Since the moment we spoke at his party, my body had been wanting his.

"You underestimate me then Hannah, I'm the king for a reason. However, I think it's cute you think you can outrun me. Cute but delusional,” he explained with a predatory smile.

"Is that works with all the ladies? Look at how fast and strong I am. I'm the king for a reason...my goodness you must be swimming in them by now, no wonder Evan has all of those bikinis in his pool house. How many of them did you remove yourself?" I asked him, taking a big bite of the pancakes that were in the container nearest me. They were chocolate chip too.

"Oh that's all Evan, he has a softer touch with the ladies than I ever did," he said thoughtfully.

"Then those aren't the women you want," I told him, feeling the heat between us like a palpable entity, like a sentient wave of fire that was bouncing back and forth.

"And what kind of woman do I want," he asked, taking a bite out of a breakfast sandwich. I was stuck watching his powerful jaws make work of the food, so it took me a second to answer.

"You want one that doesn't mind the rougher touch, the kind of woman that wants to make you work for it, the kind of woman who can handle you as much as you handle her.” After that, I forgot all about breakfast, all about food, and all about what I was supposed to be doing here and why. All I knew was that I needed him, I needed to be near him and have him near me. The description of the moment could never have done it justice.

"And where should I find said woman," he asked me, taking another sip of coffee.

"You could try Craig's list. They have people there that will do just about anything," I said snatching back the coffee cup from his hands. He grinned at me, showing a full row of white but slightly imperfect teeth. He looked like he wanted to eat me next, and I couldn't stop the rush of pleasure that shot right to my good bits.

He made a move to drop the sandwich and it was evident he was about to pounce. I mirrored his thoughts and started moving backwards on the bed, so that I ended up standing opposite from him, with the bed in between us.

He moved to go around, so I jumped up instead, landing ungracefully in the middle. Catching me was inevitable, but it still sent a thrill through me.

We tumbled around the bed, him grabbing me gently and me trying to get away. He wasn't using his vampire strength, he was just letting me have some fun, but I knew it would end soon. After a minute he flipped me around and now was hovering on top of me, careful not to put much body weight on mine.

"I'm laying on breakfast," I admonished him gently, wiping a chip of chocolate from his cheek.

"Hannah, you are breakfast," he said, and then kissed me.

It was sweet and rough at the same time, the kind of consuming embrace that fueled the passion between us. Our tongues met in a dueling battle for dominance, and I met him for every stroke. He wouldn't get it easy from me, he had to earn it.

He stopped suddenly and I used the second to turn him on his back so I was straddling him. I could feel the syrup and food that was stuck to the back of my nightgown, and looked to him to see he had some on his chest as well.

Licking it seemed to tempting to ignored, so I made my way down his side, biting gently whenever I saw a scrap of food. He was trying to stay still for me, but I could feel his impatience at the time I was taking.

He reached up and cupped my face, and I grabbed on to his hand with both of mine, closing my eyes. His other hand moved to the strap of my nightgown and pulled it down. Just as he was about to pull it over my breast, I heard a knock at the door.

He must have sensed who it was because he pulled the strap back into place ruefully and yelled, "Come in Evan."

The groan that escaped could not have been contained.

I turned to the door and said, "You have horrible fucking timing Evan. The next time you even think about interrupting us, I want you to know, I will cut you. Vampire or not, you still need your balls.” A piece of bacon was hanging off my shoulder, so I reached over and chomping down on it hard. Eli roared with laughter, it was a sound so infectious that neither Evan nor I could stop watching him.

Astonishment was written all over his brothers face at the sight of us, in all of our sticky morning glory.

"What the hell did you do to my guest bed?" he screeched out finally.

"We are enjoying breakfast brother, I must say Penny really outdid herself today. It's delicious," Eli said looking at me. I giggled and I could feel Evan roll his eyes from here.

"Marcy is downstairs," he said. Just like that the mood in the room was about as low as the sixth ring of hell. "She's raising a holy terror about you not returning home last night. You need to go and talk to her.” With that Evan left the room, door swinging open this time. Eli flopped down and was lying next to me, his face turned to mine.

"Go ahead Eli. I can finish here by myself" I said devilishly to him, stretching out consciously.

He closed his eyes a second and when he opened them they were two bright red rubies. He ran a hand over my breast, and my nipple responded to him in kind. My back arched like a cat, hoping he would keep touching me, but knowing he needed to get moving.

"Eli, it isn't fair to do that to me without the means, or the time, to follow through." The sexual tension could have physically been cut with a knife. In the end, he nodded and rose from the bed to leave. A frown seemed to be stuck on my face, so I turned my head the other way in the hopes he couldn't see my reaction.

"Hannah, this was a mistake," he told me softly, taking in the disappointment and pain on my face. "I'm getting married soon, and you are...I mean you're going to be...you will be gone soon," he said, his mind pathetically trying to grab onto the best excuse he could. If only he knew just how right he was.

"I'm just human," I explained for him, putting all the troubles of this whole situation in a nicely labeled package.

"Yes," he said plainly and turned to leave.

"I am human, but I also could be yours.” It was a statement more honest that perhaps either of us was comfortable with. Fighting for him was one thing, but I couldn't make him stay, I couldn't make him choose me. It was the story of my life.

"That's the problem Hannah, because you are human, you could never be mine.” To survive in my clan, reading people right was essential, and it was the only reason I knew that what he just told me was a lie. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him, I just hoped he would realize that before it was too late.

Chapter 19

The next hour was spent busying myself by cleaning the room, not thinking it was fair to leave this mess to the housekeeper. Most of it was easy to clean up, but the syrup that was stuck to the sheets and the headboard proved the hardest to get off. I had taken a painfully cold shower when Eli left, but it didn't seem to help much. The door knocked just as I was yanking the sheets off the bed, causing me to smile and hope that it was Eli on the other side.

Marcy however was the vampire that was standing before me. And judging by the look on her face, today hadn't been a good one for her. Thankfully most of the mess from this morning was cleaned up.

"Good evening Marcy, what can I do for you?" I asked her as she came in and sat down, uninvited, with dramatic fashion in the chair closest to the bed. There was no other choice but to follow her over and sit in the other one. Steeling myself, she began to talk.

"Let's speak plainly," she told me in an even tone.

"Of course," I said back, holding out my arm in invitation.

"I see the way you look at Elijah, and I see the way he looks at you,.” Not wanting to confirm or deny anything, my mouth stayed shut.

"We spoke at length after he left here, and he has agreed to stay away from you during the duration of your stay.” The sadistic smile on her face let me know she could see my reaction to what she was telling me.

"Elijah knows how important this marriage is, how important I am to his future as king. If he married me, in time he can mate with me, which will provide the first royal born vampire heirs this country has ever seen. He can secure his name, and lineage through me through eternity. Of course Eli obviously recognized these possibilities, and is willing to give it a shot with me, provided that he doesn't so much as breathe in your direction. He agreed.” In one phrase, everything that seemed possible not one hour ago, shattered.

Pinning my hands under my legs to quell the shake was just about all I could manage. This couldn't be happening, what was the point of all this shit only to have it end like this? I looked to her and immediately wished I hadn't. She was grinning like the damned Cheshire cat with a fresh kill hanging from her jaws.

"I'm so sorry it smells like syrup in here, Eli and I made a bit of mess earlier and it doesn't seem to want to clean up so easily," I said sweetly to her, pretending to preen some out of my hair. Going down swinging wasn’t the most mature, but I was beyond that now.

"Yes, he also told me coming in here with you was a mistake.” The look of hurt on my face was undeniable, and plainly visible, eliciting another smile from Marcy.

"You look just like Laney, did Evan tell you that?" she asked me. So that was her name, the wife.

"Yes he did, but say what you want to me Marcy, then get the fuck out.” Game time was over.

"Laney was his human wife. When he was turned and disappeared for a while, he never knew she was pregnant. She died giving birth, and so did his son. He's still haunted by it and it's the reason he still employs so many humans, it's the reason why he takes so many humans in his bed. It's the very reason he's so attracted to you.

“Even I can see it, everyone can. It was one of the reasons everyone was talking about you at the party. I don't think one person could tear their eyes off you that night, you looked so much like her it was unnerving," she told me, continuing to pick at the cracks that were forming on my heart.

"If he wants to mate you so much Marcy, why are you having a marriage ceremony instead of a mating one?" The ensuing flash of her eyes told me everything.

"Mating takes time, it takes earning trust and reaching that place. I have no problems waiting for him," he said looking pleased with herself for her answer. It was at that moment I heard the doors crash open, and Evan stood in the doorway, looking over both of us like he was checking for injuries.

"You better be able to back that up Marcy, because he deserves it. I would wait forever for him if I were in your position, and even then I have a feeling that amount of time would not be enough." Each of us were still staring, not acknowledging Evan who looked stranded in the doorway.

Just as she was about to say something I interrupted her. "Don't worry, I'm not looking for the perfect answer from you, we both know I could never outlast your immortality. In either case I'm dying. I have cancer," I told her shocked face, followed shortly by a small and disturbing laugh.

"It's what all the medication is for Evan, I'm dying. Soon." Wetness dotted my cheeks, spilling onto the ramons shirt like rain drops. They were tears of acceptance, for a fate that was so clearly meant for me.

"Hannah," Evan said, taking a tentative step in my direction. I held up a hand to him to stop.

"Neither of you will tell Eli for good reasons. If you tell him," I said looking to Marcy, "It will only remind him of Laney, and he might want to step up and help me, which we both know you don't want. You want him as far away from me as possible, because let me tell you something, he was two seconds from taking me on this bed no an hour ago." Her jaw clenched up, but her silence told me she agreed.

I turned then to Evan. "If you tell him, it will remind him of Laney, and I know you don't want him to suffer any more than he already is when it comes to humans. Once I answer the council's questions, I'm sure I'll be out of here, and you won't have to think twice about me." Exhaustion marked my face and my voice. At this point everyone couldn't leave soon enough.

"Now, as much as this has been fun, I need a nap. I'll see you both later I'm sure.” My entire body was turned away from either of them, and I felt if my eyes found theirs, the dignity I was holding on two would float away.

The time passed from then on entirely too fast, and when I snapped out of my pity party the clock told me I had about ten minutes until Evan was going to retrieve me for the meeting. Thankfully Luci had a black jumper packed away for me. It was by far the most appropriate thing she had in the whole suitcase. Though it was strapless, the pants were long, highlighting my small waist and making my legs look long. I paired it with the wedges I wore the other day, and my old wedding band around my neck. Makeup I kept light, not caring much about what they thought. If I could get away with flicking them off the whole time, I would consider it.

When it came time, I rose from the bathroom and walked towards the door, crossing my fingers that it would be Evan and not Eli who came to get me. I don't think I would have handled that well. Peter, in all his tall gentle glory was the one they chose to come and get me, and a breath I didn't know I was holding on to exited me in a rush. If I didn't think it would freak out, I could have kissed him.

"Hannah," he said politely to me, holding out his arm for me to grab. Considering how much my legs were shaking, the support was both necessary, and appreciated.

"Where are we going Peter?" I inquired as we descended the stairs. It occurred to me that no one mentioned where this meeting was going to take place.

"We are headed to Eli's private meeting hall. There is one in the basement of his house.” Peter reached out and opened the front door when we reached it, keeping a gentle hand on my elbow the entire way down the front steps. We walked the rest of the way in silence, with my heart beating a steady staccato into the quiet night air.

"Can you hear my heart Peter?" I asked him, needing to know how keenly vampires picked up on signs like that.

"I can girl, best try and tone it down," he said with a slight Scottish accent. It had hardly been noticeable before. Pulling on Peter's arm for a moment, I tried to focus on the little noises all around me, concentrating on blending myself I with them. After a minute I felt much better, and Peter gave me an affectionate squeeze, followed by a proud smile.

"Did you know Laney was my sister?" he asked me, just as I had turned to continue walking. What he said caused me to stop dead in my tracks, until we were face to face, standing in the middle of Evan's lawn.

"I didn't know that Peter, I'm sorry for your loss.” He waved off my concern with a small smile.

"It was too long ago for that but thank ya'. She would have liked you, you're kind but very strong. And even with all that, she would have loved you with Eli.” I took in his information in silence, unsure as to what I should say next.

"I'm not telling you what to do, but I want to tell you what I think," he said and I felt myself nodding him on.

"Of course Peter.”

"I think that no one can take something from you without you lettin’ them. And if he’s what you want, you go down fightin’." It had an odd calming effect on me, the advice, and felt a piece that had once been stranded, snap into place deep inside. Grasping his hand, we continued walking towards Eli's house in a comfortable silence.

Peter stopped as we reached the front doors.

"This is as far as I am instructed to take you," he told me, much to my discomfort. It took me a minute to remember the proper words but they came back to me.

"I request your presence by my side, as my personal guard and counsel," I told him formally, knowing enough about my own clan charters to know I had the right to retain counsel during a hearing.

"I do believe I can agree to that request lassie," he told me with a wink, and my chances for coming out of this meeting in one piece rose exponentially.

He led me into the house and down the first set of stairs. Marcy and another woman were conversing at the entrance to the meeting hall, so deep into the space that passing them without notice was unachievable.

"I'm sorry Hannah, but Peter has to stay upstairs," she said to me, surprising me with her attitude after everything that had happened earlier. She should have had more sense. Peter to my surprise, was the one to put her in place.

“She has retained me as her private counsel, as is allowed for hearings. Step aside Marcella.”

"It's Marcy," she grumbled under her breath as we passed her, moving only an inch out of the way, and causing us to have to awkwardly fit around her. I had to stile a giggle, and noticed Peter was holding back a smile.

As we reached the entrance to the chamber I found every pair of eyes turn and look at me. I could tell, with their hearing, that they were all aware of Peter's presence, and I oddly felt safer with him at my side. We passed by rows and rows of people, making it feel like this was a little bit of a bigger turn out than Eli and Evan were expecting.

He led me up to the front of the room where there were two stand-alone chairs that sat in front of the crowd. I didn't know where the council sat, but I would have to guess they occupied the first rows of chairs we passed earlier. Peter indicated for me to sit in and he took up a spot in the other. While I waited for the rest to claim their seats, keeping my breathing even, and my heart in check became the biggest priority.

Eli and Evan came in next, with Ilora right behind them. They made short work of saying a greeting to everyone, and then took their spots in the front seats, closest to where Peter and I were.

The rest of the seats filled up, occupied by people I didn't know. Ilora gave me a bright smile and Evan was trying his best not to look at me at all. I noticed Eli had is mask firmly in place, which made me want to smack it right off his ridiculously gorgeous head. This robot wasn't the Elijah that I remembered from earlier, and keeping the memory of him in my mind helped to ease some nerves.

"Thank you Hannah for agreeing to speak with us about what happened the other night. If it is okay with you and your...consul, we would like to ask you a few questions.” Elijah didn't seem to take too kindly that Peter was here with me.

"I would be happy to answer any questions you have," I told him, in as calm a voice as possible while still looking at him. "For a price," I injected, before he had a chance to begin.

"What do you mean for a price?” Eli's large arms crossed over his chest, his eyes narrowing to slits.

"Everything has a price Elijah. You want to know what I know, there is a price for that.” Peter stiffened next to me, probably unsure where I was going with this. Hell, I didn't even know where I was going with this, but it felt right.

"Say I am willing to indulge you in this, what is your price?" he asked me, looking so far beyond annoyed now, he was crossing right over into anger. His eyes had been nearly every shade of red over these past few days, but now they were like blood. Deep red, and still as frozen pond.

"Your blood.” A dramatic gasp came from Marcy, who was sitting directly behind Eli in the second row. There were several murmurings from the rest of those present, probably about twenty people in all stayed for the meeting. I looked at Ilora and she was eying me with a new suspicion, possibly also with interest, but I couldn't tell.

"What would you want with that?" he asked me, looking both confused and intrigued.

"To heal me.” It was a vague answer, but it was the only one I was capable of giving at the moment. He swept to my injuries and scars, most likely deducing they were the reason for asking. One could hope.

"Heal you or to retain your youth?" he asked me warily, knowing humans had always been looking to vampire blood for its anti-aging benefits. It was hard trying not to be offended that he assumed my vanity would cause me to ask such a thing.

"Does it matter?" I asked him back. Revealing all of my cards at this point was foolish, I had to retain some kind of advantage over them.

"It is illegal for a vampire to give out their blood Hannah, surely you know that," Ilora corrected me, a glint of amusement in her eyes.

"Not for the king. He can choose to bequeath his blood as a gift to anyone he chooses. Since I have served this seethe well, put myself in harm’s way not just for him, but also his guests, and am willing to share information, I am hoping you will consider it." The level of quiet chatter in the room escalated so quickly that soon I could barely hear my own thoughts. Everyone seemed to have an opinion, and some of them were sympathetic towards me.

"Would you share your information regardless?" Ilora asked me pointedly, her voice raising amongst the others. They all stilled in anticipation of my answer, listening for the signs of deceit.

"I would," I told them honestly, making eye contact with Eli throughout. It was the truth, and everyone could sense it.

If he didn’t take me up on my offer, I would still help him out. The good deed would carry over some favor for me in my next journey. That and I was falling for the damn vampire.

"Of course she's lying," I heard Marcy say behind him, which caused her to be the recipient of a thousand yard stare.

"I would ask you to leave the room, the council will discuss this and..." Ilora started to say but Eli cut her off.

"I accept," he said loudly, locking his stare with me. "If your information leads to the capture of those responsible, I will abide by your request." Marcy gave a small squeak of unbelief, and then she spoke to him.

"Eli, we should all discuss this," she told him quietly, but he didn't seem to pay her any mind.

"This my ruling as king. Now, I would ask only my personal council to stay, and we can begin going over the events of the other night," he told everyone in a very different tone than I think I had ever heard him speak in. It was pure command, and not even Marcy spoke a word of protest, as half of the room emptied itself.

***

"The symbol in the floor during the dream, what was it again?" Ilora asked, frantically taking notes down. I sighed, we had spent the last hour alone on dissecting the contents of my dream. Understanding the necessity we went over things multiple times, even if I did think it was a little exhausting telling it over and over again.

"It was the mascot at my school, a Seminole warrior," I explained again. Ilora scribbled more notes onto her legal pad, looking like a frightened intern, not wanting to miss even a scrap of information.

"There was no sign of anyone else in the room?" a male voice asked. It came from the seat next to Ilora. His name was Nathan, and he seemed to be the only other one in the room that didn't openly look at me like I was vermin. His glances did cross over into something creepy sometimes, but beggars can't be choosers.

"No one, as soon as I got those doors opened I noticed I was alone.” They exchanged some quiet words with each other, as they had so often during this talk. I had yet to even ask a question of my own, one that I had been anxious to know.

"Did you ever find the two guards that were out front?" I asked Evan. He stilled for a second and looked to Eli. He must have seen something in his face that gave him permission to talk to me about it, because he continued.

"Yes, one is being held for questioning.” There was no need to guess where the other one was.

"And the lady?" I asked him hesitantly. Another shared glance between the brothers.

"We did not," he said, continuing to intentionally limit my information.

"But you know who she is? Surely if she was a guest someone must know her.” All conversation stopped and they exchanged some more glances.

"Let's get back to the dream and then we can talk about that later," Ilora said, steering the focus back clearly to areas that she wanted.

At this point my annoyance at being blocked overtook my good sense. "Which one?" I snapped out. Everyone had already locked onto my meaning, there was no point in trying to cover it up now.

"You've had another one?" Eli asked me pointedly, a bit of accusation in his tone.

"I had one after the werewolf attack."

"That's what I woke you from? You should have told me," he said angrily to me, the insinuation of what we had been doing hung in the space.

The brows on Ilora rose considerably, and then she gave me a conspiratorial wink. Eli began talking animatedly with Nathan, and it was the new vampire who spoke to me next. By the look on Eli's face, the good king wasn't happy about what he was about to bring up.

"You are one of the veil," he said in a questioning tone, a bit of a puzzled look on his face. It was question that sounded just like a statement of face.

"The veil?" I asked trying to wrack my brain, but I didn't think I had ever heard of the phrase before.

"Oh Nathan don't bother the girl with your witch lore," a woman, named Daniella, told him sharply, waving a dismissing hand as if she was bored.

"It's not witch lore Dani, my seethe had one of our very own a very long time ago. They are quite rare, I haven't heard of one myself for almost a century or two, but they are very valuable." Nathan's eyes skidded over my frame like a customer would ogle a piece of jewelry. It wasn't malicious but it made me uneasy.

"One dream does not constitute her as veiled," Ilora objected, holding up a finger and eying Nathan speculatively.

"No, but she's had another as well. Sometimes gifts such as that don't present until later in life, or from a specifically stressful event. It's something we need to consider." Eli was looking at Nathan too as he spoke, a squint in his eyes that told me he was trying to discern something.

"There is something special about her Elijah. You can feel it, as if she runs on a separate frequency than the rest of the sheep," Ilora said in a thoughtful tone, tapping her pen on the paper. Being described as sheep made me want to scream, but now was not the time for semantics.

"Would someone like to tell me, you know the person you are talking about, what you mean by veiled?" I didn't mean to sound so caustic but it was starting to give me a headache.

Nathan spoke, much to the dislike of both Eli and Daniella, who rolled their eyes when he began.

"The veil refers to the delicate line between this world and what lies beyond. Every religion, every ancient text speaks of it, and every so often, someone, usually a supernatural being, is gifted with the ability to see through the veil. I have heard of some that can predict death, some that can get glimpses of the future, and some that dream weave. I believe that is what you are, though if we were meant for death, and you dreamed of that, you may be combining some of the traits. Which would be unheard of." He said the last part with a spark of red in his eyes. He seemed very pleased with the idea.

The description seemed to fit, if only when looking back and putting the pieces there. In the next moment Ilora pulled Eli aside, and now they were talking privately with each other about something. I took a deep breath in a felt suddenly light headed, the events of the past couple of days were taking their toll on my already fragile body.

"I'm going to get you some food," Peter said, picking up on my wavering.

"Thanks, the more sugar the better. If you can find chocolate I might even kiss you." He laughed and then left, the loud and low sounds breaking through conversations until everyone was staring at me.

Ilora broke from Eli and turned to face me, "Would it be possible for you to stay around here for a short time?"

"I suppose that would be fine, on the premise I would get my end of the bargain." Because if I don't, I won't be alive much longer to help you. All of this was spoken to them in my head.

"I agreed to it, it will be done," Eli told me looking offended.

"Oh drop it your highness, I'm tired. I didn't mean it like that." Ilora sputtered on another muffled laugh, her face for the first time looking like it had some color in it.

Eli ran his hand down his face and then approached where I was sitting, kneeling down so that his face was close to mine.

"Would you stay on here? We can go over your premonition, if it is one, and I can protect you. That wolf attack worried me, and they may be looking for you now. I will get you the blood at my earliest convenience, if you will stay the next couple of months until the dust clears?" He was using his gentle voice, and I was ashamed to admit I liked it very much.

"I will. For you," I said, pushing a wayward strand of dark hair out of his eyes.

He jerked back at my touch and returned to his seat, leaving a cold breeze in his wake. Peter appeared and sat in his chair, handing me a plate of croissants that were stuffed with chocolate. I sighed and ate all three, devouring the sweet treats with all the enjoyment of a last meal.

Chapter 20

The next week or so was spent alternately meeting with Ilora and Nathan, who had taken a particularly strong interest in me, as we pieced together what had happened. We went over every dream that had run through my brain over the last year with exacting thoroughness.

It was a relief that my sleep schedule seemed to have synched up with the vampires, even though I couldn't shake the exhaustion no matter how well I slept. Reading into that was tricky, it could be any number of things, but the worry that it was from the cancer had me concerned.

Eli was sleeping in Evan's house with me, despite several arguments from Marcy, for 'security' purposes. Marcy, after arguing with Eli for two days straight, consented to staying there as well.

Dreams still plagued my nights, nothing different, just varied versions of the same one as before. After the fourth night Eli stopped coming in to wake me up when I was screaming, and judging by the shouting match I heard that day, Marcy had something to do with it.

The nightmare this night though was different. The dream was especially vivid, and ended in a way that rocked me. I must have screamed quite a bit because Eli came tearing in again, with to my surprise, Evan on his heels.

"Hannah, come on its okay you're safe. It's just a dream," Eli said, scooping me up and putting me in his lap. The tears were falling so fast down my face that the entire front of Eli's shirt was wet within a minute.

"Same one?" he asked as I heard the door close. It was surprising that Evan was going to leave me alone with him.

"Same one, you don't have to run in here every time Eli. It takes me a minute or two but I come out of it fine." He had the hard jaw look again, and a stubborn expression.

"I did that the past two nights, I will not endure it again."

"Tonight was no different Eli. Go back to bed I'm fine, the sun hasn't even set yet," I said with a yawn.

"You were screaming my name," he told me, searching my face for something. Oh wonderful, hiding my red face in his chest seemed like the best idea.

"The dreams are getting worse. It's always the same thing, but it never turns out well in the end," I said shivering in remembrance. He pulled me closer for a second and then placed me back on the bed, choosing to cross the room and sit heavily into the chair by the corner. The loss of his presence felt like a douse of cold water.

"You sure not saying anything is best? Perhaps if you told me about it, your mind would ease, and it would be better?" It didn't sound like a bad idea, but there was too much at stake for me to even consider it.

"It could alter the events, and if you are trying to capture who's behind this, or get information, it might not happen if I interfere. I'll know better when I see it, when something happens I'll let you know. Then you can nail them to the wall and put all of this mess behind you." I didn't say what I wanted, which was that once that occurred, he could put me behind him, and focus on Marcy.

"On Saturday night we are having a formal dinner, it's something of an engagement party I think. I don't know how to explain having you there so I'm going to have you serve us, to join the wait staff for the evening. If anything happens you come get me or Evan, don't hesitate." He said all of this without looking up. Instead he was rubbing his hand over a spot on his palm.

"That's fine, I understand. How many people know I'm here?" It was a question that occurred to me the other day, when a vampire handed me an empty glass, expecting me to go and refill it for him.

"Just my personal council. The rest, I must warn you, will recognize you and assume I have taken you as a lover. Not many humans spend more than one night here." I thought I saw his eyes flash for a second, but he was too far away to tell for sure.

"Sounds plausible, and I don't mind. It's a good cover story, plus Marcy looks at me like she wants to drain me dry as it is." To my enjoyment I saw him hiding a smile, and we enjoyed a small but nervous laugh.

"I'm going to be out of town tomorrow for two days, I come back Saturday. Evan and Marcy are going to join me, I have business to attend to in Mexico and they both refuse to allow me to go alone. I was going to have you come with us, if you choose." That got my attention. Two days in Mexico, where do I sign up?

"I think I can manage two days on the beach Eli, it will be hard though," I said, putting my hand on my forehead, and falling back against the pillows, trying not to giggle at the thought of a real vacation. Had I ever been on one before, besides my honeymoon? My parents sure as hell never took me with them for theirs.

"We leave tomorrow night then, I'll have Evan come and get you when the car comes to take us to the airport."

"Tell me it's a private jet!" I squealed, unable to contain the excitement.

"Of course.” His expression was confused, but amused at the same time.

"I need a good bikini, and tequila!" I said suddenly, jumping up on the bed, getting more excited by the minute for this trip. "If I get tequila then I need a good pair of sunglasses, and a big hat. I could go cheesy and get a sombrero. Can someone take me shopping? I can pay for myself, but a vacation must be done right. If not, I have to choose from Evan's selection, sequins and ruffles aren't exactly me." The last part had me thinking about my finances, trying to mentally calculate how much money I had left to pay for a decent wardrobe.

His attempts at hiding a smile were in vain, it was proudly displayed, transforming his face. He looked impossibly gorgeous.

"Evan has some errands to run later on, he can take you. Don't be late tomorrow, I suggest packing ahead of time." As soon as it graced his face, the smile disappeared, and the stony hard vampire king replaced his features.

"Yes captain sir," I replied, giving him that salute I knew he loved to hate.

"I'm serious Hannah, I have legitimate business to attend to there. We cannot afford to be slowed down by you." The only thing to do was roll my eyes. It must get old having to treat everyone like that.

"Fancy a wager, your highness?" He gave no verbal response but lifted his brows.

"If I'm on time, and get to the car before you do, you're mine for one night. Drinking, dancing, swimming, relaxing, the whole lot. Whatever I want to do, but no business, and no robot Eli." For added emphasis I wagged my brows at him. Eli looked for an instant like he wanted to say something, but clamped his jaws shut, and went for the logical response.

"I don't have time for games Hannah, I have enough responsibilities as it is." He looked at me like a child, like an annoyance.

"You have all this fucking immortality and you want to spend it sullen and contemplative. Life is to be enjoyed, to be savored, and devoured. Otherwise, the point is lost. You can live like that if you want, I'll take the bets, and laughter, and the companionship with pleasure. You drink our blood, I know you can feel it, we are made with the essence of life, and life was meant to be relished.” My voice was near shouting.

"I have drunk enough of you dry to know how it feels Hannah. I don't need a lecture from a human on how to live life. I will circle your human existence several times over, and then do the same to your next generation." It was said by Eli in a tone that was strange, I could swear he didn't want to say it to me. It felt forced.

"That you will Eli, I appreciate the reminder," I told him walking back to the chair and sitting down on it, placing my head into my hands. All of the elation of the trip simply evaporated.

"Hannah," Eli stared to say but I cut him off.

"What do you want from me Eli? You either take what you want, what we both know you want, or stop talking to me. All I can think about is making love to you, to showing you all of me, of taking you inside me, but you make it impossible sometimes. What the hell do you want?" It was a challenge, direct, and as much as my tired brain could handle. I wanted him so badly it hurt.

"Hey there!" Evan said cheerily, entering the room carrying a tray of food.

"Evan!" I screamed out to him in frustration. He looked at me, and then to Eli and blushed. Eli was staring at me open mouthed, shock, and perhaps a blush crossing his proud cheeks.

"You are to take Hannah shopping, she needs to pick up some things for the trip," Eli said, walking over to where I was and smoothing my hair back. He kissed me ever so lightly on the head and then exited the bedroom.

***

"Hannah," Evan whined.

"I just need to find the right hat Evan," I explained, making my way towards the other end of the store. It was an impossibility not to enjoy this little down time, much to the dismay of my counterpart.

"I have to be back at the compound at some point before we leave tomorrow night," he said dryly, following me back down the hall. Evan arranged this shopping trip, flooring me completely. He informed me they had a contact at the local Neiman Marcus store, and that they would often open it after hours for some of the seethe if they needed it.

"I haven't taken that long Evan, and if you really want to know, I could have spent twice as long picking out a good bathing suit if I really wanted. Where's Marcy?" It wasn't as if reuniting with her would be welcome, but she seemed to disappear as soon as we came in.

"Crafting your voodoo doll and searching the dressing room for a lock of hair." At this I burst out laughing, finally feeling like I was getting to a better place with Evan. He could be quite funny when he wished it.

"You give her too much credit. She would much rather just kill me then go through all that trouble.”

"Eli would never let her touch you," he said to me, in a much more serious tone that made me take notice.

“Eli will choose her in the end, it's my fate in life.” It was a mumble, more to myself than to anyone. Marcy finally appeared then, looking around for us. Two large bags, to the point of bursting, hanging from her arms.

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked Evan quickly. "Can you delay Eli when the car comes to pick us up, just a minute will do?" Evan looked at me appraisingly.

"It's harmless Evan. Please?" I begged, looking over his head to see Marcy had spotted us.

“Fine, but only if you grab a hat so we can go," he said, with a petulant tone.

"Deal.” Reaching around my hand snagged on a black wide brimmed hat from the rack next to us. I plopped it on my head and looked at my reflection, adding in the wide sunglasses I plucked from the rack earlier.

"Ready?" Evan asked Marcy, a smirk tipping up one side of his mouth.

"Let's go, I have a meeting tonight with the caterer for the dinner." Marcy was turned and facing Evan, continuing like she had for the entire time into town, as if I wasn't here at all.

"Are you ready Han?" Evan asked with a hopeful expression.

"Han? You shouldn't let people call you that dear, it makes you sound like a German shoe maker," Marcy said with a laugh, turning and walking towards the way we all came in.

Evan and I exited into the cool night air, which felt wonderful on my skin. The high summer was close on our heels, which meant the nights would be getting just as hot as the days.

I climbed into Evan's truck, settling into the back seat as Marcy and Evan took the front two. The in dash navigation made a noise, and it must have meant something because Marcy touched a button on the screen, a smile reflecting in her mirror.

"Are you all done?" I heard Eli's voice fill the cab.

"We just finished love, heading back now. Remember the caterer is coming at eleven to go over everything for Saturday," Marcy reminded him.

"Choose what you want, I'm on my way out now," Eli said, and Marcy's pout was almost audible. She had opened up her mouth to protest something, but it was drowned out by a crash at the back end of the truck.

The large van that was following us had slammed right into our back, and it jerked me forward. Thankfully I had enough brains to put my seat belt on, so my body didn't move much.

"What was that?" I heard Eli snarl.

"Someone just hit us darling. I'm sure it was an accident don't worry," Marcy said calmly, but her voice held a hint of hesitation. At her words the van did another slam into the back, this time much harder. Evan put his foot down, and it was concerning to watch the speedometer hit numbers I wasn't comfortable with.

"Eli, I'm heading home, and you need to turn around and head there as well," Evan said, his red eyes checking the van out from the rear view mirror.

"Where are you?" Eli asked.

"We are about two miles north on Route Nine," Evan advised him, flicking his fingers on the screen to pull up the navigation. "We should be at the seethe gates in ten minutes, maybe nine if I decide to punch it." As soon as the words left his mouth the van had accelerated next to us, using the front end to bump our tail at an angle.

"Don't even think about it," Evan warned, when he heard a sort of growl come from Eli.

"I'm about a mile west of you brother, I should be to you in a minute."

"Gods damn it Eli, get the hell back to the gates. I can handle this." Both his, and Marcy's, fangs were out, turning their faces into something that wouldn’t be out of place in one of my nightmares.

"See you soon brother, I'll swing round the back and see if I can run him off." Eli said, unfazed by his brothers worries.

"It's all your fault," Marcy said looking back and hissing at me, like some kind of pissed of cat. I would have laughed if the situation were any different.

"Leave it alone Marcy, you're not helping," Evan snapped, trying to focus on keeping the vehicle on the road.

"If we didn't have her in this car he wouldn't be coming to help. We can survive a high speed chase," she said with a smugness that made my blood boil. I would love to get into it with her, but the thought of my imminent death at Evan's distraction kept me silent.

The van did another jerk to the side and it took Evan a good couple of tries to keep us on the road. I was beginning to get very concerned at this point, the dash said we were going at least over one hundred and twenty and if we crashed now there was little hope of me coming out unscathed. Marcy and I gasped in unison when we turned to see that the king had arrived.

Eli was standing on the roof of the van behind us, with one clawed hand steadying him in the roof, and the other hand reaching in and pulling the passenger out of the van. He swiftly threw him to the side of the road, and replaced himself into his seat. I couldn't see with my human eyes what he was doing, but less than ten seconds later both the truck and the van were slowing down on the side of the road.

"Stay down, and stay here," Evan instructed me, as he and Marcy left the truck. It didn't even cross my mind to argue with his advice.

After several moments, I carefully peaked through the back window. All three of them were in a heated debate, of which I could hear none of. There was a distinct human body on the ground at the feel of Eli, whose face and hands were covered in blood. It didn't take a genius to figure out who it belonged to. I slumped back down in the seat, feeling like Mexico couldn't come fast enough.

"You okay?" Evan asked, finally climbing back into the truck.

"I'm fine, how's Eli?" I asked him, sitting up straighter now and breathing a sigh when it was clear Marcy wasn't with him.

"Eli? He's fine. How about asking about those two wolves that we caught?" he accused me, turning in his seat and skewering me with his eyes.

"You mean the ones that were clearly here to hurt me? No it wouldn't be anyone I know, they aren't that stupid or careless. If you want I can smell them, I'll know for sure then." He continued his appraisal of me, shaking his head and then starting the truck to head back.

"Do you know who it was?" I asked, jumping to the front seat as he drove away. I didn't like being stuck in the back like a child. Evan gave me a sidelong glance and then shook his head.

"We don't have any dealings with the werewolves in the area, Eli has never been...amiable to discussions, so we have very little contact with them. None of us recognized the men, and the van and its contents were pretty minimal. It's doubtful the vehicle was even theirs but I can run the plates and stuff when we get back. I have to say it Hannah, may the gods help me, but if you are behind any of this I won't give you the pleasure of a quick death." The laugh that escaped me was humorless.

"You know it's not me Evan, but you also don't know who is behind this, so you are sticking with me. Which, you can continue to do if it makes you feel better, but it won't get you closer to answers if you do. I'm no more of a threat than you are." The truck squealed to a halt on the road, and swerved to the side. He pulled the keys out of the ignition and flung the door open, leaving me in the truck alone.

He was noiseless, not so much as whisper, but somehow he had vaulted himself onto the truck bed, feet dangling off the edge. I exited my own door and came around to sit with him, not really knowing if he would allow me to, but I took a chance regardless.

"You show up one night, the same night as the fire. Then you get attacked by wolves the second we leave our premises, you have these dreams...you are a latent wolf, or so you claim. There is nothing about you that makes sense Hannah. I can't ignore the circumstances of you being here when all of this is going down. We haven't had this much action around here in a hundred years or so, yet you show up and it's open season." He laid back on the truck bed, closing his eyes. I mimicked him and laid down to his left, taking a second to enjoy the sky.

"It does sound bad like that," I told him. "Eli's lucky to have you. You would make any beta proud." I said, patting his hand and then putting my arms behind my head. My shoulder hurt so badly that a hiss escaped my lips.

"Your arm bothering you?" Evan asked, taking note of my grimace.

"Yeah, it's okay though. If I can help you get down to the bottom of this, then I get some blood and hopefully I can get better, get whole." It was a quick debate whether or not to tell him, but I saw no real reason not to, he must have figured it out already. Evan whipped his head towards me, resting on one elbow to look down at me.

"I thought you wanted something to ease your pain, or to prolong your life," he said, an ashen pallor on his face.

"Well that would be nice, but I'll settle for a cure," I said with a small laugh, not liking where the conversation was heading.

"That's what you want it for? Hannah it won't work." The implications were so awful that I jumped down from the truck bed to stare at him in complete horror.

"What do you mean?" I asked, almost yelling it at him.

"Vampire blood can cure superficial wounds, even fatal wounds if they were inflicted shortly before the infusion, but it does nothing to disease. It can't cure you, that was a rumor that started back in Europe but it's never been done.”

“A rumor?” I echoed with numb lips, feeling like my voice sounded a million miles away. Evan nodded.

“There was a European lord way from long ago that had a sick mistress. He was so in love with her that he gave her his blood, but she still died. Then he turned her and that's how the rumors got started. Since then in all the times it has been attempted, which hasn't been often, it has never worked." I fell to my knees on the side of the road, feeling the gravel chew up skin. Everything in my stomach emptied onto the ground, pooling into a sick puddle under me.

"Hannah," Evan started to say, but I held out a hand for him to stay back.

"Give me a minute," I said more softly this time, closing my eyes and trying to breathe deeply enough for my head to stop spinning. Despite my protest Evan picked me up and placed me back into the truck bed.

"Hannah, I didn't know you wanted it for that. I would have told you before the other night, it's just..." he trailed off. My body felt so heavy and light at the same time, that laying down was inevitable. Evan did the same.

"Impossible, I know, it seems like the universe is giving me some kind of message," I said staring up at the sky and giving it the middle finger. Evan's silent laugh shook the truck.

"It would prolong your death, how much time you would get I'm not sure." He sounded uncomfortable, and I didn't want him to feel that way about it.

"It's okay Evan, I've been sick for a while. I just need to come to terms with things again, I've had to do it before."

"Wait, your husband...um ex-husband. He left you for another woman when you were sick?" he asked, sounding shocked as he put the pieces together.

"He was a werewolf Evan, he found his mate. We were at a point in our relationship that wasn't good, and then he met her. It was a mess, it was destruction all around, and it took me a long time to get to a place that could understand we would never have worked. Cancer or not. He needed another alpha, not a human."

"You better not tell Eli who he is, or that story, or he'll kill him," Evan said plainly.

"He'll be married and I'll be dead. A blink of the eye in his life." It was a bit dramatic for my taste, but Evan reached out, grasping my hand in his own.

"I think you underestimate him, and what he feels for you.” If he could see my eye roll now, it was a good one.

"There is a difference in what someone feels, and what someone chooses to do, trust me." My further silence let the comment hang in the air for a while, and he made no attempt to speak back.

"You should take me back Evan, before Marcy assumes you have killed me and throws a party," I told him dryly.

"Take you back? You don't want to be taken home? I told you the blood won't work," he explained again, confusion spreading over his face.

"I told you all I would help out, and I don't go back on my word. You are worth helping, vampire or not. Plus there is nothing to go back to, I won't put the people that care about me through seeing me disappear before their eyes. Letting them go is my last act of love for them." Hopping down, a strange kind of peace settled through my bones, giving me clarity where before there was only anger. Evan wasn't moving, just looking at me with a strange expression.

"Stop looking at me like that Evan, I get a trip to Mexico and a vial of bone-fide vampire blood as a souvenir!" I said sarcastically, like a TV spokesperson touting a product.

"I'm serious Hannah, it won't work, so if you’re just sticking..." Evan said but I had heard enough.

"Evan, let it go. He's worth it, I'm not sure how I know that, but I just do. I know I'm meant to be here, even my subconscious is telling me that, the dreams keep coming." This last week my realization of this came at me like a freight train, giving me the feeling like I was just where I needed to be. Evan gave me a tight nod and then came over to look at my knees.

"They look okay, you want a bandage? I think I have one in the truck."

"No, I'm fine. Let's go, what if Marcy needs help with the caterer?" I asked, finally managing to get Evan to crack a smile.

Chapter 21

The slight breeze had carried me over the smaller end of the pool, my back comfortably resting against the plastic float that was stashed under one of the chairs. My fingers were lazily sifting through the water, ripping the water, as I looked up to the sky. The water was cool, and the warm breeze from the air was a nice contrast.

After we had gotten back from our eventful shopping trip, Evan retreated to his rooms and me to mine. I looked over everything I needed to do, and decided to swim, because I hated packing, swimming was just the thing after the night we all had.

It was a conscious decision to put on the most ridiculous suit I could find, a hot pink number with rhinestones and lace, heading out with my chin held high for a little exploration.

The pool house had been boarded up, but the side door was still usable, so I entered through there. I tip toed around the front, looking and looking for the prize. The box on the wall looked like something out of a dream.

A sound system, finally. Of course he had satellite radio, and I perused through the choices until I reached the 90's Rap station. Cranking it up, my feet carried me in a daze towards the pool, the water calling to me on the way.

Evan's words echoes with me through the night. I tried not to dwell on it too much, but everything I had been planning here had been smashed to pieces by his revelation. It was likely the reason why I was taking it so well was because there was a large part of me that knew, in the back of my mind, that this was the probable outcome. Gray and James were trying to help, and perhaps I was trying to help them in letting them convince me of something that was in actuality, impossible. I didn't regret it, I would have certainly regretted it more had I not tried, but the sting of defeat hit me regardless.

Helping out Eli and Evan seemed like an easy decision for me. What happened to them the night of his party was wrong, at least in the wolf clans, challenges were made in the open, allowing for transparency and accountability.

What happened to Eli was deceitful and secretive, and that didn't sit right with me. Plus using my new gift gave me a purpose, and it allowed me to explore things with Eli, who I had to admit intrigued me to no end. We had something, something almost magnetic, I could feel it in my bones when I was near him. I had a feeling he did too, but with his impending marriage, he was likely to explore much with me.

Now, here I was, floating across the water and singing my heart out to some Snoop Dog. Taking another breath was necessary, the hook was coming up, but a noise stopped me in my tracks. When my eyes peeled open, I found Evan, Ilora, and Peter staring down on me, each with suppressed grins.

"We apologize for interrupting your concert, but I was on my way over to discuss some things with the council. You are welcome to come or stay, it's up to you." I had never been invited over to Eli's house before, not once this past week, everyone that wished to speak with me came here, so I was tempted to take him up on the offer.

"No, I'm going to stay out here for a while and then pack. Don't worry I'll guard your property while you're gone. I'm a good shot," I told him, wagging my eyebrows and making a gun draw motion like the Wild West.

"How did a little thing like you learn to shoot so well, by the way,” Ilora asked. I wasn't sure if this was an interrogation or just friendly chatter, but there was not much left to lose anymore, and I wanted to get back to being my old self. The one that grabbed life by the horns, and didn't apologize or calculate every last thing.

"I had two friends who wanted to make sure I could defend myself, which was a good judgment call. It's come in handy," I said, thinking back to those times without fondness.

"Why would you have to shoot people?" Ilora asked, horrified.

"Oh my parents were werewolves, I grew up with my wolf clan. That wouldn't have been so bad normally, but I'm latent." I explained, waving my hand and singing about gin and juice.

"Evan," Ilora spat out through clenched teeth.

"Oh not you too Ilora, I'm just a regular old human. A pure latent. Nothing to worry about, I couldn't shoot you all fast enough to do real damage. It works on the wolves because I know just where to shoot, see precision is the key. It was a hard lesson, but a necessary one." It was the memory that had me rubbing the spot on the back of my shoulder where my father's whip mark still felt hot to the touch.

"Your clan attacked you?" Evan asked. I closed my eyes and gave it to them straight.

"No I just had a few of the older males that thought they could use me as a chew toy. The ones that didn't want me for that, wanted me for...other reasons. It was fortunate that my friends helped when they could, but they couldn't be with me every night, especially when my parents forbade me to leave. They usually locked me in part of the house, but everyone in our community knew that, so all that did was telegraph my location.

"One night I missed my shot, and leaned what happens when you miss your mark. Kyle, he was an especially nasty thing, I could barely hold him off even with the gun. He told my father we were seeing one another, and I had attacked him for taking another female to bed. The attack got me ten lashes, and missing the shot got me another twenty. I learned to hit my mark after that night, the dead can't tell lies." I was just about to open my eyes and talk when a thought came to me.

"You know, all these years I was told you were the vicious ones, the unnatural necromantic slime of the night. Pardon the bad analogy, my mother had a flair for the dramatic. My father told us you preyed on the innocent, slaying people for their blood and leaving them to die in the streets. Those aren't my words mind you, but now I'm thinking daddy dearest was lying again. I see some real good amongst you, you've taken me in and offered me protection, and it is more than I could have hoped for." It wasn't until I had hummed through the next line that my brain registered that the music had turned off.

"They did that kind of thing to you often?" Eli asked, and I snapped my eyes open, almost falling off the float his voice startled me so much.

"My gods, you scared the living hell out of me Elijah. Your brother was nice enough to splash me and tell me he was standing there." I got down off the float, less gracefully than I may have wanted, and saw him standing in all his royal glory in front of Evan, Ilora, and Peter, who all looked at me with serious expressions.

"I asked you a question," he spat out, looking furious.

"Did my parents let them, or did they really whip me?" I asked rhetorically. Eli didn't elaborate so I just kept talking.

"Yes on all counts." Eli was still standing there, dressed in a suit, and I was curious when and why he changed.

"Why are you so dressed up?" I asked him, swimming a bit over to where they were standing.

"I have guests in the house," he said mysteriously. I didn't get a chance to say more as Evan pulled him aside and talked with him towards the side of the pool.

"Care to join me?" Peter shook his head, an amused smile greeting me back.

"I will," Ilora said, surprising the hell out of me by agreeing.

"Really?" This had to be some kind of trick.

"I can't stand it over there. Marcella going on and on about wedding plans. Those bloody friends of her fussing around her like she's some celebrity. Can I bring a few friends over here? They are about at their limit as well.” I’m sure I looked stupid with my mouth hanging open, but thankfully I managed to catch it in time to answer.

"That's fine, I could use some good times around here." Ilora didn't even acknowledge me, or ask for a suit to borrow, she just strolled off towards Eli's house with nary a word.

"Where did Ilora go?" Evan asked, as the brothers made their way towards me.

"She was looking for some friends, I may have invited them to my pool party?" I half answered, half asked in reply. Evan laughed out loud and shook his head, which I took as a bad sign.

"Oh now I have to stay, there's not missing a party with Ilora," he said smiling, something boyish tinting his features.

"And you, your majesty. Will you be gracing us with your presence?" I asked Eli teasingly.

"I have to get back," he said, with little inflection or emotion.

"Ilora said Marcy is over there with her friends, you should leave the women to it. Come on, just for a while?" I asked, looking over my shoulder and trying to get Evan to see the hint and push him in. Evan just kept eying me, and his brother, with an interesting look gleam in his eye.

"I'll go get Hilda to bring the roll bar out, we can make a real party of it. She's right it's been too long," Evan said, strolling off towards his house, with Peter in tow. I looked around and realized it was just me and Eli left.

"There are some suits in the pool house, hey how did you turn off the radio? I was jamming.” His smile tipped up just the smallest bit on one side. It felt like winning some kind of prize when he did that.

"I have some things to do, perhaps later," he said, turning abruptly towards his house.

"The radio!" I called out to him, and like a miracle it picked up right where it left off.

***

There was no doubt about it at this point, we had a full on vampire party going on here. Almost everyone, except for Marcy and her friends, were all crowded into the pool at Evan's. It was quite the sight, everyone that could borrow a suit did, and when we ran out the rest went in their underwear with little hesitation.

"And this is the plains representative, Jeremy, he has Cherokee blood in him. He's delicious looking, yeah?" Ilora asked, as she and Evan were taking me around to meet everyone.

I'm sure I was being talking about quite a bit, those that didn't think I was Evan's mistress, were sure I was Eli's, though he made no attempt to come over this way at all yet.

"Jer, it's so great to see you. Thanks for coming," Ilora said with a sweet voice as we reached where he was standing. She kissed each of his cheeks, a martini perfectly balanced on her other hand.

"Anytime Ilora, I have always been loyal to his highness. When you need me, I come when called," Jeremy explained with a strange accent. Cherokee blood or pure Cherokee, I wondered?

"And who is this?" he asked, leaning forward to grasp my hand.

"Hannah," I said a little breathless, mainly from the three drinks I had consumed, and denying completely it was because he was a gorgeous, almost unbelievably, handsome man. I heard an odd noise and then Evan stepped in front of me.

"She is not on the menu, sad to say she is taken. Would you like some blood, we have some in the walk in downstairs, or I can have someone brought up." After that he led Jeremy away, though several times I caught him looking back wistfully to me.

"It's the rhinestones," Ilora whispered to me, pointing towards my swimsuit. I threw my head back and laughed, feeling my eyes well up with tears as I couldn't stop.

"Yours isn't' much better," I said to her, gesturing towards her own. It was turquoise and had waves in very strategic places all over it. She looked like the queen of the ocean in it with her striking Nordic features.

"That's the third person to do that Ilora, maybe I should go inside. I don't want to cause a problem." The old insecurities of being unprotected in my clan were coming back to me, even if this time the situation was different.

"No, once Eli comes here it will stop. Most here think you are his, so they are just waiting for him to show." Ilora flagged down a passing server and grabbed two more drinks from the top.

"He won't come," I told her shaking my head, knowing he would stay away from me.

"Oh he will, or I'll drag him here myself," she said through a clenched jaw.

"No, Marcy told me she threw down the gauntlet. She said if he wanted to marry her he had to stay away from me, and he said he would." I took a long sip of my drink and noticed I couldn't quite feel my teeth. We were walking along at that point but when I said that I noticed that Ilora had stopped walking.

"She said that to you?" she asked me, a confused expression making her seem angry.

"Yup, she's really a piece of work you know. Eli needs someone who lets him free, what's the point of mating if you hold the other one back. Eternity is long time with someone who wants to change you, make you less than what you are.” A snort escaped at the thought. “Eli couldn't be less if someone cut him in half." I blushed a little at my inappropriate rant, and looked to find my new found friend smiling back at me.

"Too right Hannah," she said, looking a bit lost in thought.

"Ilora?"

"Sorry love, let's keep showing you off to everyone." She pulled me towards the water then, ignoring my sigh.

"Let's swim.” If I had to meet another vampire I was going to scream.

"I don't swim, I have a reputation to uphold after all," Ilora said, standing straight and fixing her hair.

"Hey is that your earring down there? It must have fallen into the gutter there." When she bent over I pushed her in. She splashed in the water and looked up to me with a devious expression.

"You little twat! You get in here this instant with me!" she yelled out to me. I thought, what the hell, and did a cannonball in near her. Expecting her to be ready for me, when my eyes found Ilora she was staring off into the distance. Something, or someone, had caused her to smile wide.

Spinning around, Eli was at the edge of the pool, clad in nothing but a deep blue swimsuit. My feet slipped on the bottom of the pool, but thankfully Ilora was there to steady me from behind, adding in a pinch to my ass for good measure.

"Only you Ilora, could pull this off," he said with a slight smile gesturing around. I kicked Ilora's foot and made a pushing motion under the water, and before I could see her move I felt the splash of Eli as he was pushed into the water.

He came up out of the water, scowling behind him, and made his way over to me. I noticed that oddly Ilora hadn't joined us in the pool, and suspected that was by design. There was chatter everywhere, people were swimming or standing on the side and talking, but I had the odd sense that everyone's eyes were on us.

"She's something huh?" I said, meaning his maker.

"Yes, she is one of a kind," he said, coming to rest near me but not too close. The urge to reach out and touch him was so strong I almost couldn't help myself.

"How are you?" I asked, getting a feeling from him that something was bothering him.

"Why do you always ask about me? It's you that someone should be worried about, running around this party like a hog at a hunt." He made a noise that sounded like a chuckle but with all the passing conversations around us, it was too loud to discern.

"Hardly. Between your maker and your brother, I was well protected. In fact Evan was just escorting Jeremy off after clicking his fangs at me." As soon as the omission came I winced. It was probably the wrong time to bring it up, but my liquid courage had my mouth running unchecked.

"Yes, perhaps I should go and see how he's doing," he hissed, making a move to go around me. My hand reached out and gripped his arm just as he was about to pass me. Eli stopped and stared at me, looking from my hand to my face like I had shocked him.

"Don't go, just stay here with me." He turned to me, not advancing towards the house, and I released the breath I didn't know I was holding.

"I can't stay long, I have to get back.” Despite the words he came closer to me. His eyes were different again, as they usually were, but this time they echoed lust and pain, which seemed to be the undertone of our whole relationship.

"Yes I know, but just this is enough for now," I said, allowing some of the alcohol to speak for me what I wouldn't normally. My hand found his under the water, and he gripped my own back, running his thumb over my knuckles. He pushed us through the water, towards a set of unoccupied stairs at the back edge. We sat side by side for a little, his leg touching my own, and it didn't seem like enough.

A few moments later he picked me up and placed me in front of him, placing my lap onto the step below his, and I relaxed my back into his front. My body fit snugly into the place between his knees, my hands reaching up and draping themselves over his knees. He placed his head on top of my own, his chin resting on the crown of my head. I weaved my hands through the back of his knees and felt a steady calm come over me. It felt like home here, or like home is supposed to feel, safe and content and protected.

We sat like that for a while, occasionally he would kiss my cheek or the top of my head, and I would place one to his knee or to his hand. It was intimate, and I was trying to save up the memories of this for when I would really need them. I had a feeling lately of the end coming, of the steady decline of both my life here, and my life in general.

After a little while, Eli started playing with my hair. It started out simply, he would gather it all in a bunch and then let it down, threading his fingers through the length. He said it looked like sun dried wheat under the water.

Then, he started braiding it, or plaiting it, as he corrected me when I asked him what he was doing. His fingers were surprisingly deft as they weaved my hair in and out, doing one side, and then the other before finally shaking it all out.

At the moment my own fingers were running up and down the length of his calves, from heel to knee, when I felt his whole body tense. I had a good feeling who it was, and I did what I thought was needed, moving to stand a few feet away from him.

Eli gave me a look, it was raw and lustful, it caused me to look away from it before I did something really stupid, like jump him right there. It was easier than watching him walk away, so with a lingering kiss to his cheek, I forced myself to swim away. The vampires were clearing a space for me, some even giving me what looked to be genuine greetings. Whatever they thought of me, the presence of Eli here had sharpened their manners.

As I passed through a large group, I saw Ilora in a heated exchange with Evan. I didn't even see him get back from the house, but I was in my own bubble with Eli, so I doubted that I would have noticed much. They must have sensed me because they stopped talking when I got close.

"I'm heading in," I said with a really big yawn the first signs of fatigue making my eyes heavy. Everything tonight collided with the drinks in my system, and I was crashing hard. They exchanged a glance and then Evan nodded to me.

"Goodnight Hannah, and have fun on your trip. I'm sure it will be memorable," Ilora whispered with a mysterious wink.

"Okay..." I said cautiously, waving to them as I swam towards the steps. I walked to my chair and grabbed my towel, running it over my legs and arms so I wouldn't drip all over Evan's floor. Wrapping it over my arm, wanting to wait until later to throw it around me, someone stepped into my path. Jeremy.

"I wanted to apologize for earlier, it was bad manners and I wasn't aware the Drake's had already claimed you. Well, I guess with Ilora flaunting you around, and that fact the Evan never took his eyes off you, it should have been clear. I just wanted to let you know if you ever feel like not wasting your time on them, I would love to offer my own seethe as a possible home for you," he told me, appraising my body with unabashed hope.

"Oh...well that's very nice, but I'm afraid I'm happy where I am at the moment," I stammered out, feeling a little cornered.

"Happy? To be a blood slave to the Drake's? Eli is about to be married, and Evan will never settle down long enough to consider him as a long term solution," Jeremy explained, stepping in closer to where I was standing, a look of confusion on his face. My inner alarm bells were ringing off in quick succession with each comment.

"I'm not staying for long, I'll be leaving soon. But I really am flattered.” He wasn't advancing on me now, just standing there like he was examining me.

"Oh Hannah. They aren't just going to let you leave child. There are whispers, rumors if you will, that say you are veiled, and if that is true, you will remain here until your last days. Eli and Evan would never let a gift like that go, you’re foolish to think otherwise." It wasn't said with malicious intent, but it offended me all the same. Vampires held such control over things, and it often extended towards the people they kept, blood slaves or servants.

"I choose what to do Jeremy, and I choose to stay here, for however long that is. For you, or anyone else, to suggest I would be foolish in this, does not know me or my character. I appreciate your sentiment but it's wasted, and if you want to remain intact I would suggest stepping back." I tried to infuse every ounce of confidence I possessed into the phrase, hoping it would have an effect on him. He took a few steps back, almost shaking himself out of a sort of trance. He held his hands up in peace, regret plain on his features.

"My offer, and warning, was not meant to offend you Hannah, I simply wanted to give you options." I was surprised to find he seemed to be sincere, and I had to remember that they spoke and acted far outside of what I was familiar with. What they considered appropriate, could be vastly different than what my experience was.

"That's okay it's been a hell of a week."

"It can't be easy with Marcella here, on top of everything," he continued, grimacing for me. The earlier tension I felt around Jeremy seemed to dissipate as we shared a bitter laugh.

"It is true she is not my biggest fan," I admitted redundantly. Anyone with two eyes could see she openly hated me.

"Well, she finally got Eli to agree to this engagement, so I suppose she isn't too happy about someone coming in and garnering his attentions. Marcy always has been a cruel woman, I hate to see this put upon him," Jeremy said, echoing the concerns of not only myself, but I suspected many others here as well.

"How long has she been chasing him?" I asked, curious for more information.

"Oh a good century. Her father has known Eli even before he first immigrated to the US. They were rivals in Europe, tentative allies for a spell, and later became entangled with their mutual holdings in South America. But with the distance in current territories, they are allies, if not reluctant ones." I found this very interesting, and since my companion was so willing to share I tried to dig for more gold.

"Isn't her family close with the shifters? I heard a rumor that they often visited the Porter clan, the current wolf king, that doesn't seem to match up with most vampire temperaments around here." My tone was causal, but the importance of his words had my breath coming in faster with each word.

"Oh no, they despise the wolves as well as the rest of us. I haven't heard that rumor, but with Marcy's charming personality there are bound to be ridiculous theories circulating. I know he wouldn't marry her if she was in dealings with the wolves, especially in this area. You mentioned the Porter clan runs a territory a little ways from here, and I can tell you that there is no love lost between them and the Drake's.” At this Jeremy leaned in some more, and I let him, thinking these words might be better if kept discreet.

“He tried to kill Eli some time ago, something about a territory dispute a good century ago. Henry Porter killed a good number of Eli's personal guard, and I heard Evan's mate was also killed. They weren't fully mated yet, it was new, but he's never been the same." I had to sit down, the blood I could feel drained from my face and my head felt suddenly disengaged from the rest of my body. This couldn't be, surely the universe wasn't that cruel. Sins of the father, huh?

"Are you okay?" Jeremy asked, sitting swiftly next to me and putting a hand under my chin to get a good look at me.

"It's just awful to hear, I can't imagine it." It was the truth, but not from the angle he was thinking.

"We, well, those of us blessed with this long life, can become vicious the longer we remain here. Grudges and family feuds take on a new meaning, and exacting revenge becomes a call we feel we must answer. It has led to many innocents caught in the fray, and if you want to know, I would never expose you to the dangers you have faced here already. If you were mine, no one would touch you," he said, once again regaining his slightly creepy vibe. It was flattering and concerning in equal parts, but the attention was making me far from comfortable.

"I appreciate your concern." I said noncommittally. I didn't want to encourage him but I was also fearful of rejecting him as well.

"I'll be here until the wedding, if you change your mind and want to talk to me, even just to get to know one another, feel free to contact me. Ilora can reach me if I'm not in the compound." He took another step back clearing the path for me to pass. I carefully stepped into the pocket he created for me and walked past him. At the same second someone was very close to my side, and without glancing my body recognized him. Eli.

"Jeremy, I see you have met Hannah." Eli's voice sounded like a calm kind of scary, just edging this side of polite.

"Yes, she is quite interesting my liege. We were just discussing your upcoming wedding. What's the countdown now?" Jeremy asked with a jovial air about him. It was a jab, and one that was barely concealed.

"Next month." Eli was standing right next to me, close enough for most of our bodies to be touching. I had a feeling he was going to just piss on me next to make his point clear.

"Well, it was nice to meet you Hannah. Care to join me for a meal when you wake?" he asked boldly. If it was possible for Eli to stiffen any more, he sure gave it a go.

"Hannah and I are going to Mexico for a few days, we leave first thing," he said, causing me to whip my head around towards him.

"He means that Marcy, Evan, and I will be accompanying him on a business trip. I have never been there, so they are being kind in letting me come along." It was a poor attempt at diffusing Eli's insinuation, and I wasn't entirely sure why I was going to such the trouble.

"Actually, Ilora has informed Marcy of some setbacks in the wedding planning that need her immediate attention. Evan has agreed to stay and guard her here." I had to rest my back against Eli's side when I realized what he was saying. Gods, how was I going to get through this in one piece?

"Well, perhaps when you get back. You know where to reach me Hannah. Have a nice trip. I'm sure it will be an exciting first time to Mexico," Jeremy said, kissing my hand for a second long than was necessary. My rage turned on the king.

"This is the point, Elijah, were I deliver my line about not appreciating being treated like a play thing. You either want me, or you choose not to act on what we both know is there, and leave me the hell alone. I won't go back and forth, and I won’t pant after you. My life is finite, unlike yours, and I will live it with everything I have, with every part of me, soul and body. Keep up or leave me here, I won't allow your petty jealousy control who I talk to, unless you want to make a stronger claim that would make it inappropriate for me to do so." I raised my chin and met his gaze, willing him with my eyes to do something.

"Don't be late Hannah, the car will be waiting for us by eight." With a wry smirk he left, leaving me staring after his retreating form and thinking I was in for one hell of a trip.

Chapter 22

My headache was stubbornly hanging on, refusing to relinquish its hold on my brain, no matter how much ibuprofen I shoved down. Only sheer determination kept me going enough to get to the car service on time. Packing was another stellar challenge, and when my head started throbbing, I went with the less than precise method of throwing things into the bag at random. Opening it back up again would be interesting, because either I would have everything I need, or find a bag full of Luci's stripper clothes. It was that kind of day for me.

The windows were tinted to such a degree that Eli must not have seen me yet. He and Evan were speaking in front of the back doors, giving me a nice opportunity to watch them.

"Have a good trip," Evan said, the slightest of winks directed to where I was slumped in the back seat. Evan must have come through for me, I realized, and distracted Eli enough for me to get to the car before him.

"Have you seen Hannah?” Eli asked, looking around. “We need to leave within the next ten minutes. It's no matter, I'll just go in and get her." This, being my cue, caused me to roll down the window in dramatic movie fashion.

"I'm here your highness, right on time. You must have had a rough night Eli, but that doesn't excuse holding me up. I've been sitting here for a whole fifteen minutes already." A fake scowl marked my face. When Eli wasn't looking I sent a wink back at Evan, who was holding back a laugh.

"How did you get here before me? You little punk," he said, lunging for his brother abruptly. "You were supposed to detain her, not help her get out here before me! I'm your brother, isn't it supposed to be bro's before-"

"You finish that sentence Elijah, and you might find something other than a worm in your tequila," I warned, trying for menacing, but unable to contain my smile. The two of them gave each other a hug, and then Evan stepped back, allowing Eli to open the door and come in.

"Have fun kids, but not too much fun," Evan amended, and we pulled away into the night.

Almost as soon as the door closed behind him, all the warm memories of watching him joke with his brother were gone. I saw his mask slip back into place as the car drove away from the curb, it was like watching a shadow take over his features, obscuring the bright light I knew he kept contained.

"Are you worried about leaving them here?" I asked, trying to guess what had him changing gears so quickly.

"I have too many worries at the moment, listing them would take a while.” With that Eli rested his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. I felt the sudden need and desire to comfort him, but my hand wavered as it reached out for his. He could run so hot and cold at times, and I wasn't at all sure what kind of mood he was in now.

"Would you like to tell me what this trip is all about?" Perhaps if I could get him talking he would open up a little, and this seemed like a safe topic.

"Oh it's formality really. Diego, the new Mexican vampire leader, took the throne about two months ago, and I have been putting off the official visit. He sent word he would not be attending the wedding, and insisted I visit so he could give me his regards in person." There wasn’t any hint in his voice, or attitude, for me to gleam how Eli felt about the vampire, or the visit.

"Well that seems kind of him, if not a bit rude to demand you see him so close to the wedding.” Eli gave this a good chuckle.

"Diego is nothing if not oblivious to timing. He is impulsive but kind, for the most part he comes off rude because he can be socially awkward to the point it gets insulting. He means no offense it's just the way he is. We knew each other when we were newly made." He gave a small smile in the description of Diego, so I was going under the assumption he had some fond feelings for him at least. We lapsed into silence for a while as we drove, and I wasn't sure how long it was going to be until we reached the airspace.

It didn't take long, a scarce ten minutes, before we reached the small airfield. The tarmac was light up like Christmas, and combining that with the lights of the plane, made it look like she was a show horse on display. Was this for me?

"You don't like it?" Eli asked me, noticing the grimace on my face.

"It's a bit small, no?" I responded, swallowing the lump down that was rising in my throat. Flying never bothered me, at least for the one time I had flown, but this brought on some of my claustrophobic tendencies.

"It's safe, and it's fast," he said, smiling away at me like men do when discussing their toys. I took another long swallow, adjusting the large hat I was wearing, and clutching my bag tighter to me.

The anxiety meds that were sitting in the bottom of my purse game me some comfort, but I knew it would draw attention to the fact I still had to take them, so they would be a last resort. An alternative, however, to not taking it was me throwing up on Eli, not a very promising start to the trip.

"I promise you, I will safely get us there," he said, bringing me back to reality as he placed his hand on my cheek. Eli turned my face away from the plane and towards him, tenderness crinkling the sides of his eyes.

"Wait, you? You're flying the plane?" I asked, feeling oddly better about it.

"Yes, and it's a safe bet that I have more flight hours than anyone on planet earth. So you are in safe hands, I'll never let anything happen to you," he told me, turning and getting our bags from the driver. I had the odd wonderment of wanting to believe him, and the realization that I was going to have to tell him about the cancer soon. It was starting not to feel right keeping him in the dark, especially about something so important.

Upon entering the plane, a bit dazed, a young woman who was impeccably dressed was standing at the rear of the plane. She was so pretty it seemed out of place. Wherever Eli dug her up from should be the recruiting grounds for the major airline. Ticket sales would skyrocket.

"This is Natalie, she is going to be your attendant for the flight. It will only take us a few hours to get there, so make yourself comfortable," Eli said, bending down to kiss my forehead. He went directly to the cockpit, nosily checking things and speaking into the radio. I looked back to Natalie, who was sneering at me already. Great, what were the odds Marcy placed her here on purpose?

Natalie stood at the back, alternately staring at me and getting things ready. After a good half hour, of which I sat back and closed my eyes trying to imagine myself in a larger plane, she approached me again.

"Sit and buckle, it's time for takeoff," she snapped, closing the door to the plane and sitting once again in the back. I gave her a blinding smile and a thank you in return, knowing it would piss her off more, and hoping she wasn't here to throw me off the plane at thirty thousand feet.

After takeoff, the sounds of everything, combined with the pills, sent me into a fitful sleep. Every so often my brain would wake up, and flashes of a nightmare would surface behind my eyelids. After the third time Marcy's face settled clearly, I decided to get up, not wanting to start the screaming section of the dreams.

Natalie was sitting in the back, a fancy thick magazine steady on her lap. Talking with her was to be avoided so I headed towards the cockpit, hoping that Eli would let me stay with him for a little.

"You doing okay Hannah?" Eli asked after telling me to come in. To my surprise, he guided me with his free hand for me into the seat next to him.

"I'm fine," I said, smiling when he kept my hand. My small body curled up easily into the large captain's seat, like a cat in the sun. It was so different up here than I had been anticipating. This area of the plane looked so foreign, like a spaceship, with its large glass windows and blinking instruments all around us.

"You slept then?" Eli asked when he caught me yawning. I nodded, nestling further into the chair and looking at his strong profile, adeptly flying the plane like he had been doing it forever. Which could be true really.

"I should have sat here earlier, it would have made me feel better. You look so commanding up here like this, so competent and handsome. Some people are born to be king, and you are one of them," I said with another yawn. He looked at me, surprise gracing his eyes at my compliment.

"We have a clear night ahead of us, stay up here," he offered, touching some buttons so that he could release his hands, and strap me into the seat. He leaned down after he was done, throwing a blanket over me, and brushing a kiss over my head before making his way back to his own chair. His protective and soft nature would have made him such a catch, and the thought of him as a husband sent a powerful feeling of sadness run through me. Sadness for everyone, but especially Laney.

"Tell me about her," I asked softly, wondering if he would open up enough to talk about it. His jaw clenched but didn't say a word. "You know everyone tells me I look like her, I'm not looking for your story with her. That's been handled and dissected by enough people I'm sure. So tell me about her.” It was a distinct difference between wanting to know what happened, and wanting to know about his wife. After waiting a very long minute, Eli continued, his face too still be anything but forcefully holding itself guarded.

"Laney was spectacularly beautiful and uncommonly shy," Eli began saying, his tone and mood seemed far from angry, and I relaxed back to listen. "Her father and my mother knew one another through the marketplace. My mother used to make the most envious soaps, and had taken to selling them at this small market close to town. Her father held land, too much for his small family to possible consume themselves, and would sell some butchered meat in the same space.

“Mother would bring Evan and me along with her sometimes, only if we had been good, and through those trips I got to know Laney and Peter. We were so very young.” Eli paused then, only to take a breath. The look on his face made my heart hurt. “I fell in love with Laney as a child, in that unique way that children do, and then grew to love her over the years differently. We would meet at night, in the fields, and make love, or figure out how to make love. Her father caught us and demanded we get married, naturally, or else risk her ruined reputation. I agreed." he finished. There were so many questions I had, but the idea of breaking this beautiful moment kept me as silent as the grave.

“She was different, I was different then. It's hard to remember it all, but it was to be my undoing.” Eli stayed quiet for a while then, and I was fearing that he would talk anymore, so I tried to keep engaging him.

"So you met her when you weren't yet a vampire," I said, knowing that already, but not wanting Peter to get into any trouble for speaking with me about her.

"No, I wasn't turned until Ilora found me close to death shortly before my seventeenth year, not two months after I had married Laney. We had just built a small house on her father’s land, and I was outside working on the properties water mill that was stuck. Ilora was traveling through to visit some friends, and came upon me in the field behind my house. I had gotten caught under one of the wheel spokes, the splintered wood had gone straight through my stomach," he explained, pulling up his shirt only for me to notice the small silvery skin. I smiled at it, reaching out and tracing the circle with my finger.

"You do have scars then.” It came out breathy and awestruck. Perhaps we were more alike than either of us wanted to admit.

"Ilora heard me screaming and came to my aid. She said later there was something in my eyes that she couldn't let go of, something that had her unable not to stay and try to turn me. She asked me then, quickly summing up what she was, and what she wanted to make me. It was a choice, one I doubt she would have truly honored, but she made me decide before she did anything. You have to understand, I was a penniless child really, with a new wife, and all these responsibilities. Laney and I weren't the right fit. She loved me, and I loved her, but it was in a way that isn't suited for a life of marriage. It took me less than two seconds to decide.” Eli's hands clamped down so hard on mine that it almost hurt.

"You don't have to tell me any more if you don't want Elijah. If there is anyone on this planet that understand the power of ghosts, you’re flying her.” My attempts at humor didn't quite work, but his hand relaxed in my own.

"Ilora and I spent the next three years running around the countryside, eating and learning, and living a life that should have shamed me had I known what Laney was going through at home. Newly made vampires have a hard time with memories, with old connections. The change takes over so much of the brain that many have trouble adjusting. It's not the blood-lust, though that takes a while to get over, it is the sudden openness of door you never knew existed. I was an adventurer, the world was there for me to take. It was heaven and hell, and there was time that the name Laney would have meant nothing to me. Nothing at all.

“So while I was drinking blood and pretending to be fucking Columbus, Laney was stuck on the farm, with a missing husband. She died giving birth to my son, and I wasn’t even there for it. I wasn’t there to help her. Ilora and I went back to my family home finding three sisters and my mother dead from a disease that had swept through. Evan was the only one remaining, and I changed him myself shortly after, no choices given.”

“Evan would have chosen to be with you, I know that with everything I am. He would follow you anywhere.” It was meant as a comfort but something I had said struck a chord, and his brows creased. “Where was Peter?” I asked, remembering suddenly about the big man. Laney must have been tall, I thought.

“When I went to visit Laney's grave I found Peter close to death, drunk off his ass, and changed him as well. They are the only two people I have ever changed, and ever will make vampire. I almost lost Peter as it was," he said, choking up on his words a bit during the description.

"Peter is a good man, so is Evan, and so are you," I told him, finding him looking at me once again, just a little of his mask lowered.

"Hannah, I don't know what's going to happen with you, or me, but I'm glad you're here.” His words found me wrapping my arms around his arm from my seat, leaning into his warmth. I felt my breasts push up on his arm, my nipples responding to even his indirect touch. He moved his hand, and I almost gasped as it reached downwards.

After a tense second I heard a click, and when I looked to Eli he winked, throwing me out of my seat and into his lap. I was straddling him, smiling down at his face, wonderment and happiness shining through my eyes. He kissed me then, tasting of the deep and slow burn of lust that was barely held in check. It was slow, like we could both sense the time slipping away from us.

After a while, he reached down and lifted the edges of my shirt up, peeling it off in slow motion. I had on some of Luci's lingerie, and was suddenly thankful for her taste in undergarments. He hungrily licked his lips, placing his mouth over each covered breast to nip and play at them. I reached back and undid the bra, lucky that I could manage it, as he was driving me crazy.

My breasts came free, the bra slumping off my shoulders to land in our laps. He threw it aside and leaned back to examine me, the scars from my chemo port the darkest and most angry looking of the marks. I doubted he knew what it was, but he kissed it in turn, sending a shot of wetness that I was sure he could feel. Reaching down I did the same thing to his shirt, taking the time to kiss and lick his own scar as he had done mine.

"Don't stop," I whispered, when he looked about ready to let his conscious take over. "Just be with me," I pleaded, kissing him again each time he looked ready to speak. His eyes were flashing in succession, black then red, black then red, black then red. It was a fierce debate put to rest as I unzipped his pants. He sprung free, hard and large and blazing hot in my hand, despite the normal vampire temperature.

I ran my thumb over the top, never losing eye contact with him, as I stoked him softly. His eyes fluttered briefly as he bent his head back, the pulse on his neck a staccato beat against the thick column of muscle. He lifted his head, ripping my thong off from under the skirt I was wearing, looking like it took no effort at all.

"Neat trick, your majesty," I rasped out, squirming on his lap at the thought of what we were about to do. He was now staring at my own neck, and the blood red intensity of his eyes was too glaring not to mistake the meaning.

Nodding my head I offered my neck to him, like I was with my body. It was trust, blind trust, but it was easily given. He licked his lips, pausing before bending his head to my own.

"I would love give you time Hannah, to know your body, to map out your curves and triggers so I could visit them over and over again until you knew only my name. At twenty thousand feet, I have no such luxuries, so I will take you as I like, as you like. Yeah?" he asked, and I was left breathless at the intensity in his eyes. When I nodded, he lifted me up, impaling me onto his own body in tandem with his bite.

***

When I woke up again, it was a familiar scene, with me in his arms. "Shhh," he said, kissing my forehead as we entered the stale and hot night air. Blissfully, I must have slept through the landing.

"I'm okay you can put me down.”

"After what I did to you, I doubt that you can walk," he explained, smiling roguishly at me and looking far from sorry.

"Well, it was a bit fast, your highness. I bet I'm fine by now," I teased back and enjoyed the flash of red that flew to his eyes. Just as he was about to come back with something, a man stepped into view, seeming to my eyes as if he came out of thin air. Vampires.

"Sir, your car awaits," the man said, bowing respectfully and gesturing behind him towards the sleek black Mercedes.

"That looks like a big backseat," I whispered to Elijah, winking suggestively. He swallowed slowly and then shook his head at me.

"Behave," he gently chided me, kissing me lightly and placing me on my feet next to him.

"Thank you Eddie, I take it Diego would like me to stop by before going to rest for the day?" Eli asked, seeming resigned to the idea despite the lack of reply yet.

"Of course, I'll take you over there directly. He has placed you and Mademoiselle LeFevre in the guest house for your stay," he explained and I could help but laugh at his assumption.

"I'm the food, not the fiancé," I said winking, threading my arm through Eli's.

"My apologies..." Eddie stammered a bit, holding his hand out to me to shake.

"Hannah," I finished for him, smiling at his genuine greeting in return. Eli let out a low growl and I chuckled, pulling him along to get into the car as the assistant scrambled back to the plane to get our luggage. Thankfully he could hold it in two hands. Considering we were only staying for two days, it wasn't much. I smiled at him again and thanked him for helping, which caused another growl from Eli.

"Don't even ruin it by opening your mouth Eli.” It only took a moment to relax into the lush leather seat. The air conditioning blew appreciatively on my hot legs, reminding me that I needed to watch how I was sitting. "And those panties came as a matching set with the bra you know, you've ruined them.” The look on his face told me he wasn't sorry, as did my own expression.

"It's worth it, now I can do this," he intoned, running his hand up my thigh to a dangerous level. On cue Eddie came and interrupted the moment, entering the driver’s seat and chatting with us nonstop until we reached Diego's. Of course Eli teased me the entire ride, grazing my lady bits every so often as he spoke in Spanish to the driver.

Exiting the car it felt as if my limit had been reached some time ago. Luckily for Eli the house in front of me was so beautiful that there wasn't much else to do but stare up in wonder at it. It was a traditional Spanish villa, but blown up to mansion scale. The house felt luxurious and yet somehow seemed to fit into the surroundings with a natural ease. The perfect blend of money and nature.

"Elijah," I head a booming manly voice echo from the dark. My eyes sought the frame out but nothing came, causing gooseflesh to erupt on my arms.

"Diego I have a friend with me, one that cannot see through the night such as we can. I'm afraid you are going to startle her if you stay hidden much longer," Eli said, a hint of teasing in his tone. It was clear he was amused by Diego, and I was beginning to think he was a character.

As if by pure magic Diego was suddenly in front of me, holding my hand to kiss the top. I gasped, truly startled at his lack of restraint in showing off his power. It was so fast my feet felt disengaged from the ground.

Upon further inspection, Diego looked more like Hemingway, than the vampire king of Mexico. He had the air of a haggard sea farer, instead of the wealthy owner of the mansion before us. He had a deep and bushy beard, tall but sturdy in build, and inspecting eyes that were alight with interest and mischief. "My apologies to the lady," he said, more to Eli than me, bowing and shaking Elijah's hand with a smile.

"Then you can apologize to the lady herself," I interjected, teasing back when he wouldn't look at me. Diego laughed, turning my way and holding a hand over his chest in mock horror.

"Of course Senorita, I apologize.” This time when he kissed my hand, Eli stepped a bit more in front, interrupting the moment.

"This is Hannah, and she is mine," Eli said proudly, if not a bit awkwardly, to Diego. His friend raised an eyebrow, hiding a smirk under his ostentatious looking beard.

"Please let's go in," Diego said after a moment, walking towards the house with Eli and I in tow. I looked to my companion, who seemed to be at ease here, and I decided to go with it. Even if Diego seemed a little eccentric, I sensed nothing dodgy here.

The inside of the house was even more opulent than the outside, with lush rich tapestries and old world charm. It contrasted so sharply to the modern electronics that it somehow worked with astonishing balance.

Our host led us down the long entryway and into a large sun room, well it would have been a sun room if the windows above hadn't been blacked out and replaced with sun mimicking bulbs. I sat on a small loveseat, with Eli next to me, and Diego took up a position across from us on the sofa. There was a rich and intricately carved coffee table between us, upon which sat a silver tray with various drinks.

"Please, help yourselves," Diego said, gesturing to the table for us to take what we liked. After smelling a decanter, it was obvious it was water, and I poured myself a much needed tall glass. The men grabbed typical manly drinks, squat and wide glasses filled with an amber liquid that I could smell even from where I was sitting.

"How have you been Diego? It's been too long since we visited," Eli said, leaning back and crossing his ankle over his knee.

"It's been an adjustment, but most of my subjects were so glad to be rid of Soze they haven't complained much," he explained, looking pleased with himself.

"Challenges?" Eli asked, and I was starting to have to concentrate to pick up on the nuances of their conversations. The vampires had their own lingo, and I had to remind myself it wasn’t the same as with the wolves.

"Two, quickly resolved, which was good for me. Other than that, it's Eliza that I'm worried about. She likes the attention a bit too much for my taste, and with her penchant for parties, it's been nonstop for me. Thankfully her sister is getting married soon, so she's off arranging their joining ceremony." Diego took a long drink and an even longer breath out, closing his eyes for the moment in what looked like relief.

"I told you not to mate her, but you didn't listen Diego, you never did," Eli said smiling, shaking his head.

"Back then we didn't have much, and they never let you know what they are really like before they snare you," Diego said scratching his beard with vigor.

"With a good woman it won't matter," Eli said, smiling at me, and it was glaring the traitorous blush that crept up my neck at his unexpected comment.

"Too true, mate," Diego said, scratching his beard once more and looking deep in thought. "So, tell me why you brought your mistress instead of your fiancé for this visit. I'm intrigued by her," he explained, pointing in my direction and taking another drink from his glass. I was starting to see why Diego was described as socially aloof, and somewhat insulting.

"Just a heads up Diego, it's not polite to either call me his mistress, or speak of me as if I'm not here. That aside, who warms his bed is his decision, as it is his decision to share with you his reasons. But if you want a short answer, I've never been to Mexico," I said winking, teasing him a little, but meaning the rest. Insulting him wasn't on my agenda, but neither was allowing him to speak of me that way to my face. Diego, to my relief, threw his head back and laughed, his rich and deep tones reverberating through the room like waves.

"Oh Eli, we have much to discuss," Diego said when the bellows faded, wiping the tears from his eyes as he calmed down. "Though she is entertaining, perhaps it is best to continue our conversation while I get Hannah settled into your guest room." He then turned and spoke aloud in Spanish, calling out for someone in the house.

I looked to Eli and scowled, but after a brief shake of his head I gave it up. There wasn't anything to gain from what they were going to talk about anyway, and I probably wouldn't want to sit through to much more of Diego's jabs, intended or not.

"I'll be in shortly," Eli said, standing when I did as a maid came up looking over me anxiously. He kissed my cheek and I followed the maid out of the room, feeling a bit uneasy of being in the strange place without Eli. At least I got my gun back, I mused. It was tucked firmly into my bag, and I had no intentions of letting it out of my sight.

As we weaved our way through the house, I determined that it was nearly as long as it was wide and tall, meandering hallways leading here and there with little sense to the why of it all. Just as we turned another corner, I found myself in the courtyard behind the house. It had a wide open middle, circling bushes and flowers, complete with benches, surrounded a grandiose fountain the middle. So similar was it to Eli's that I had to wonder the appeal of these waterworks to the vampires that commissioned them. I had little time to admire much else, as my lead was continuing to walk at a brusque pace towards the smaller house at the far end of the lawn.

Done in the same style as the main house, the guest quarters were almost a miniature, down to the arches and small courtyard I could see peeking around the back of the house. The inside was a copy also, with the same old world charm and modern opulence that the other villa had. We stopped in the entryway, and the maid looked around, like she was waiting for someone to come out and jump her.

"Is everything okay?" I asked her, noticing her sweat stains, and the fact that her hands seemed to be shaking. She ignored my comment, choosing to pace a little around the small entryway, the clicking of her house shoes on the tile was starting to get to me.

"Um, are you alright?" I asked, thinking I might have better luck speaking about her, instead of what was going on.

"Me, I fine. Just tired," she said brokenly to me, shrugging her neck with a jerk. I was relieved she spoke enough English to be able to converse with me.

The housekeeper decided to busy herself in the kitchen, pulling out ingredients to feed me, despite my protests that I wasn't hungry. Having little options, I walked around the large living area, noticing that unlike the other place, this one seemed to be teeming with pictures. The large wall opposite the entertainment center was like a shrine. Each picture was of Diego and who I assumed was Eliza, thinking if it she wasn’t her, it would be strange.

All the shots were from various decades, like a homage to the art and progress that the camera had gone through over the years. The only constant, was that their faces, they of course never changed. It was oddly wrong seeing everything else change except for the two of them. The thought of it being unnatural passed my mind, but when I equated that to Eli's age, it didn't matter as much to me. I got to what looked like the most recent pictures, noticing the clothing, and the world stopped around me.

"Um Senora?" I asked, hearing my voice shake a little. The maid looked up and came over to where I was standing. "Is this Eliza?" I asked, pointing to the woman in the bright green dress. The maid nodded, looking at me strangely and then walked away to finish her kitchen preparations.

I swung my gaze back to the picture, hoping that the second time I glanced at it would be different. It wasn't. Eliza was wearing the same dress from my dream, strange straps and green material glinting against the night scene behind them. Even the same hairstyle was the same, though now it graced Eliza's face instead of Marcy. I tried to keep calm, thoughtfully analyzing what this could mean before acting harshly.

"Senora?" I asked again, making my way casually towards her. "Is Eliza here? I was so hoping to meet her. I hear she throws the best parties," I asked, trying to sound like I was almost disappointed. The maid looked me over, shaking her head after a while.

"She with sister, planning mating," she explained, the same nervous glances returning. Prying was out of the question, surely it would only make her less inclined to speak with me at all. This bird was skittish as it was.

The best thing to do seemed to be plopping onto the couch, closing my eyes and trying to recall everything I could about my dream. I had challenged Marcy that night, but outside of that there wasn't much else going on. Eli would know what to do when he returned for the night, and I had little to fear of telling him what I thought about what was happening. The maid called me over, and when I reached the island I noticed that there was only a plate for one.

"Will the gentlemen be wrapping up their talk soon? I can wait for Eli for dinner," I said, wanting to eat with him and not alone with this weird woman.

"No, not done for a while. Long time, eat," she said, pushing the plate my way and staring me down. After shuffling the plate back in her direction, my head shook at her.

"No it's okay," I stated hesitantly, puzzled at her insistence.

"You must eat," she said again, her face going from insistent to angry. The mood in here changed too quickly to mean good things for me.

"No thank you, if you will show me my room I would love to freshen up.” Perhaps giving her another outlet to fuss over me would help.

"Eat!" she shouted out to me again, not moving, and going from angry to desperate looking. There was no way I was eating that now, it was too suspicious. Though when I analyzed things further, I had no clue why she would want to poison me. I shook my head, feeling like being closer to my gun wouldn't be such a bad thing, and so my feet started backing up towards the couches again, carefully moving so that I could snatch it if I need to. The maid followed, a close creeping motion that mimicked each step I took.

"He told me you need to eat food, and stay here," she said, cryptically not letting me out of her sight. I felt the edge loop of my bag hit the back of my knees, and I took a deep breath. It took an effort to remind myself that it was a last resort, and not to break it out right now. Something was wrong here.

"Who's he Senora?" It came out in the gentlest tone my body could manage. The housekeeper was now panting, hot tears running down her face as her eyes darted around.

"He has my son," she told me, sitting down on the floor and putting her head in her hands.

"Is he like Diego, or is he different?" I asked, wondering if she knew more about her employer than she let on. The woman shook her head, either because she didn't know, or that person that held her son wasn't vampire.

I had a suspicion it was wolves again, but I couldn't be sure. The sound of smashing glass interrupted the tense quiet, a far off warning that things weren't right over there either.

It took me less than a second to decide what to do, as I grabbed the gun from my bag, locked and loaded it, and ran to the back door, sprinting into the night towards Eli.

Chapter 23

The hot and stale air felt thick in my lungs, as if it were more water than oxygen. My leg was worse, each hurried step I took sent a sharp pain down the side, the angry joint seeming ready to lock up. The cancer was obviously spreading, but how fast?

I meandered down the side slowly, gun drawn and ready. How the police did this all the time I had no clue, as it was my nerves were shot, and I was jumping at the slightest noise. Half way through, the windows still looked covered as before, giving me little information as to what was going on inside at all.

When we had met with Diego, it was towards the front of the house so I forced myself to continue the walk, checking every so often for more noises, and glancing behind me to make sure I wasn't followed.

The broken window came into view after a little, its scattered remains glinting in the moonlight. Carefully I approached the side, inching my face closer to the gap in the outer wall. It was pure darkness on the other side, with no sign of persons anywhere that I could see.

There wasn't a guaranteed way outside of this to get into the house, so I gingerly made my way through the broken window opening, landing with a soft thud on the other side. The room looked like a study or office, and with the size of the house, it would be foolish to assume it was Diego’s off the bat.

A few low deep noises lit my ears next, low and deep sounds that sent gooseflesh up my arms and neck. Checking the gun for what seemed like the thousandth time, I inched my way towards the door way, peeking around the corner before I exited.

My best plan was to follow the noises I was hearing, my senses weren't as sharp as most of the supernatural creatures in my life, but it was better than a humans. I heard a hiss, a definite male vampire sound, an angry noise that erased the gooseflesh to become the cold chill of fear.

My gun would fare well with werewolves, given the right circumstances, but I was going to be toast if I ran into vamps alone.

As my shaking legs took me down the corridor, every noise sent me jumping and checking around me. It took me three times as long to get down the long hallway, but I knew I was getting closer because the noises were louder and sharper to my ears. The end of the hallway went to an open area, I didn't know the house well enough to discern where it led, or how secure it would be for me, and so my options were limited.

The walls shook for a moment, and it took my brain a while to realize it was from the sound of someone screaming deeply. It reverberated around the area, the deep sounding waves were almost too much for my eardrums. The thought, and the likelihood of it coming from Eli, had me throwing caution to the wind.

I ran in a crouch down the small length leading to the opening, and after a quick check around the corner I sprinted down the next hallway I encountered as well. More things sounded like they were breaking, the sounds of a violent struggle evident. Such deep echoing crashed told me it was probably bodies. Then I heard Eli's voice, clear and cold as I had once remembered it.

"You think it will be that easy?" Eli taunted, his voice sharp as a knifes edge. Strange noises came from the space now, and it was becoming hard to distinguish anything over the thunderous beat of my heart. It pounded in my ears like a hammer.

A shadow crossed my line of sight, followed shortly by a body, which flew into the air and landed into a heap. Eli, bloodied and sluggish, appeared a few feet from me, the end of a wooden steak lodged mere inches from its intended target. Without thinking, I ran to him, pulling the shard of wood out before someone got a chance to try it again.

"Eli, Eli," I whispered to him urgently, trying to wake him up. My hands were stroking his face and pushing his hair out of his eyes. "Eli its Hannah, you need to get up. Get up!" I said again with a violent desperation as I shook his arm.

My blood ran cold when I heard the approaching footsteps, and with Eli lying unconscious beneath me I had no choice. Picking up and pocketing the steak in the waistband of my skirt, I stood up, shaking myself off and lifting the safety on the gun as I got into a defensive stance over his body.

The shadow grew closer, until Diego stepped into my view, eyes looking wild as he spotted me. He was covered in blood as well, but the intent in his eyes told me which side of the encounter he was on. I shivered as he stood before us, looking curiously from me and my gun, then to the body that was beneath me.

"You are protecting him?" he asked me, giving me a look usually reserved for the mentally unstable.

"With my life," I said succinctly, feeling the fear slip back somehow. It was a sense of purpose, of determination that had steeled my mind.

"Little human you are interesting, it's too bad that you and your future maker won't survive tonight," he said, licking some blood off the knife he held in his hand.

“He's not my maker, and that isn't the only part of that sentence you got wrong," I said, gripping the handle of the gun tighter as I mapped out my shot. I would have to do it fast if we had a chance of surviving.

"Oh if you think he'll leave you human, it won't happen. In fact we were just talking about the possibility of changing you, until the drink kicked in," Diego said smirking, and it was almost too much information to process. The more I kept him talking, the longer Eli had to snap out of it.

"It won't work anyway, I have cancer. My body would never survive it, I'm dying," I told him, knowing already that the possibility of him changing me wouldn't work. The virus that vampire transformation was preempted by couldn’t cure diseases, or so Evan believed.

"Oh how tragic, and to think Eli is missing this dramatic turn. I would have loved to tell him to his face that his little mistress will go the way of his first wife," he said, feigning horror in his expression, and opening his mouth to respond again before I interrupted him.

"Let me guess, I look a whole lot like her?" The eye roll was inescapable. These people needed new lines.

"Yes, you do. But you're different aren't you Ms. Porter," Diego said, raising his eyebrow and looking every bit the villain he was playing at. The blood drained for my face, and it was a struggle to remain upright. It could only mean one thing if he knew who I really was.

"Working with my father now Diego? That's a bit low, even for a vampire like you.” Keeping him distracted meant talking, which sounded better in theory than it was in reality.

"Heaven's no child. I have a different partner in this little venture, but I did know your mother once. She was a beauty, and you are almost a copy of her, outside of all the obvious...flaws," he said, sneering at my scars. Damn stuck up immortals, this was one kill I was going to enjoy.

"My mother never told anyone about me, so how do you know?" I asked, needing to get some more answers out of him.

"Lillian told me once, we used to be very close," he explained, letting the innuendo hang in the air. It did and didn't surprise me, my mother couldn't keep her legs closed to anyone, and now I was being punished for it. "Don't mistake me though Hannah, she wasn't proud of you. She was quite liquored up when she spilled the beans, going on and on about how you turned out so deficient," he rambled on, aiming to hurt me. “A latent, such a waste.” It was too bad for Diego that she told me those things to my face so often, it had little effect on me now.

"Well it makes sense, killing an old friend is a move only my mother would dare make. So tell me, why Eli?" I asked, noticing my vampire's leg twitch a bit more. Time was my friend and enemy now, I just needed to stall long enough for Eli to awaken.

"Territory my dear, simple as that. The America's are teeming with vampires but running out of room. You all on that blasted land are keeping spaces open, keeping seethe numbers low, when we could take everything over and make room for the next generation. Humans, and the self-righteous elite stand in our way. We all want power, and it so happens I have a partner that shares my desire to expand." Diego said it with no inflection, no remorse in his tone.

"Taking on a partner is not without risks Diego. If you and your compatriots are so willing to get rid of Eli, who's to say they won't just as easily replace you when the time comes. The pawn is always the first sacrifice.” Diego was watching me with a startling intensity, but the only thing I was concerned with was getting myself into the best position to take my shot.

"Oh he wouldn't dare, sweet Hannah, not after tonight. Look what I did to your proud, infallible Drake." He gestured out proudly to Eli, still laying prostrate on the ground and looking pretty comfortable there too.

"You had to drug him, you lousy coward. What does that say?" I countered, feeling my anger rise and trying in vain to push it down. Eli had made the smallest noise, similar to a sigh or a grunt, but there was no way to be sure. If he was listening, Diego may not be the only one I had to worry about killing me.

"That my dear says I play it smart, unlike your scum of wolf father. Henry tried to take Eli and his brother out by outright attacking them, like an idiot brute. It didn't work out so well for him, I'm sure you can remember the story," Diego explained with dramatics. It wasn't his words that were troubling me, it was the fact that he was moving into a fighting stance as he said it. There was a slow lick of his lips, the emphatic flexing of his hands, all done, I suspected, to unnerve me. His claws had sprung forth, and the fangs lengthened in his mouth, their yellow color mirroring his oddly mustard colored irises.

"Oh we can agree on that Diego, my father is an idiot. Unfortunately for you, I am not.” He lunged for me then, and squaring my shoulder for a moment, I fired half a dozen bullets into a tight cluster, aimed directly for the back part of his brain. Hopefully it was enough to shut off his nervous system for a few minutes.

It was all I could do for the moment, either I did enough to put him down for a second, or he was going to rip my head off by the time he reached me. In the next instant a thick body hit my own, the absurd hope it was Eli's was squashed when I felt Diego’s blood soaked beard hit my chest and neck. In a shudder, he convulsed on top of me, sliding off my body to land next to me on the floor. His last act of violence.

I jumped up, thanking my old friends for all the shooting lessons, and rolled Diego onto his back. With shaking hands I grabbed the steak out of my skirt. Taking a deep breath was a necessary step.

To pierce someone's rib cage was difficult, it would have to take a good amount of force to find its mark. I screamed for some extra effort as the steak came down, rocking my body with a shock of pain as it his is thick chest. When it slid into place, I could feel the shot reverberate up my arm, the slight clicking noises were the only indication that I aimed true.

Before my eyes his body went rigid, forcing his limbs into a tight line with the rest of his body, as stony as the outside fountain. His visage seemed to shimmer a bit, like an oasis in the desert, and before long the shaking was clearly coming from his body as well. The seizures continued, gaining speed and becoming more violent, until his broken and bloody body began erupting into flames. Diego was engulfed now, and his dwindling mass was burning away, until a mere two minutes later it was a pile of ashes on the floor. My eyes were unable not to watch it all.

When my gaze turned back towards Eli, he was barely managing to sit up against the wall, yet his eyes were wide as he stared at me.

"Eli," I said, putting my hands up and speaking to him gently. He didn't do anything to indicate he had heard Diego and I speaking, but there was a hardness in his black eyes that warned me

"Hannah.” His jaw was so clenched, the words scarcely came out at all. "What's your real last name?" he asked, eyes fluttering open and closed, his struggle for consciousness telling me how much trouble I was in now.

"My married name was Yost, and my maiden name was Porter," I explained, trying to get my voice to sound steady. He reached into his phone, his hands so uncoordinated that it slipped from his fingers to hit the floor. When I reached down to grab it, Eli growled at me, a harsh sound that made me jump back. It was like having an animal you loved your whole suddenly bite you.

"Eli, I couldn't tell you everything, you would have killed me," I explained, backing up when I could see his eyes flash in anger at me. He was fumbling with the phone, finally dialing the number he wanted, his hand reaching up limply to hold it in place. He spoke in successive tones into the receiver, hiding his words behind the Portuguese I didn't understand. When he was done, he simply dropped the phone into his lap, not bothering with it any longer. My mouth started forming the words, a phrase that never left my mouth as Eli held up a flash of his hand to stop me.

"Do not speak to me," he spat, turning his head and using the wall to brace himself as he stood up. After another growl, for me trying to help him up, I decided it was safer for me to keep my distance. He faced me, rock hard jaw and body told me I was in for something unpleasant.

"Eli, it doesn't matter who my father is, I'm nothing like him. Explaining to you this convoluted story of my parentage wouldn't have helped either of us. There is no contact between my parents and myself, and I have done nothing to you but try and help. Please Eli, you have to understand," I said, almost begging. He gave me no expression, the same stone cold resolve etched on his face as before. His eyes no longer saw me, but the sum of my parts.

"You latency was forgiven, and I could forgive your deception in how you came to my house, but you lied about so much more Hannah. You father isn't just some rival wolf, we have been feuding on and off for centuries. He is someone that I often dream of killing, someone that slaughtered Evan's mate deserves only the slowest of scenarios that lead to death. And if there was a time that you could erase all of that, which I have doubt you are skilled in doing, one thing remains. Watching someone that I care about die, is a pain never ebbed away with time, and that is exactly what you are doing aren't you?" he accused. The only thing my stunned body could do was nod, swallowing thickly back the foreboding feeling rising in my stomach to meet his eyes.

"Is that what you wanted the blood for? That's why you came to me at my party, you tried to get me to give you some then. Fuck me, then feed from me, and be on your way. It's a good plan, but it won't work," he hissed, the hard planes of his face in stark relief as headlights illuminated them. The shock of his reaction was rendering me speechless, which wasn't serving my story very well.

"Let's go, the ride is here.” Eli grabbed my arm roughly, dragging me out of the house. We stepped over an alarmingly large pile of dead vampires, and I couldn't help but marvel at the destruction he wrought, even drugged. Diego must really trust whoever he is working with to risk his life in this attempt. I tripped over one of the lingering arms, and was jerked promptly up by Eli, who didn't even bother to turn around. Lingering here wasn't wise anyways.

We entered the open air, and I got a good view of the taxi Eli must have hired. Looking down, it couldn’t be missed I was covered in blood, both from Diego and from Eli. He must have noticed it as well, because next he took off his dress shirt and handed it out for me to slip on.

"Our bags," I blurted out to him, but he just motioned for me to get into the car.

"Fuck the bags, get into the car," he repeated when my feet stayed in the same spot.

"I don't care about my clothes but I need my bag, it has my meds in it," I said, not wanting to bring up the subject of my cancer, but seeing no choice really. His face showed no emotion, but after a beat he jogged off towards the back of the house, and returning a minute later to throw my bag at me. Thankfully I caught it, and he shoved me off towards the back of the cab, opening the front door to sit with the driver.

***

After a good hour drive, the cab pulled up into the curved entryway of a swank looking hotel. How Eli managed to find a five star resort this deep in Mexico was beyond my understanding, but here we were, standing in their grand lobby. My legs were stubbornly refusing to hold my weight any longer, and I found myself a small chair in the lobby to crash into, heavy head resting in my hands. I should be seeing Diego's face when I closed my eyes, I should have been thinking about who was after Eli, and I should be figuring out the odd coincidence that Diego knew who I was. Instead, I saw his face, Eli's refection looking at me with the wide sad eyes of a man who knows the loss and pain of human existence.

"Let's go," he clipped out to me, dragging me to my feet again and heading towards the elevator. I stood behind him, covered in his dress shirt and cowering like a sullen child. We looked like the honeymooners from hell.

The elevator dinged at the last possible floor, incurring an eye roll from me. Of course they had a penthouse, it was probably the only available space that had two separate bedrooms. We made the silent and tense walk down the corridor, and he moved me towards a set of double doors at the far end. Eli got the card key to work, and with little fanfare he entered, not bothering to hold the door for me. My mouth spoke before my brain could prevent it.

"I get that you're mad Eli, but I just want to remind you that I killed Diego, and probably saved your life. Again," I snapped out, starting to get mad myself at the way he was handling things, and how I was choosing to react to them. When he threw me a look so filled of astonished hate, I shut my mouth on instinct.

"I wasn't aware that Alpha Porter had any living children," he said casually changing the subject, sitting down on the edge of the bed and unlacing his shoes. As if this were polite bedtime chatter.

"My latency, the person I am now, is not what they consider a viable child, and to keep up appearances of strength, they decided to tell everyone I died at birth.” He was still going about undressing, still staying eerily calm.

"And it was your parents that informed you of your best option. To come to me and get some of my blood. Or was it your ex-husband?" he asked, letting a little of his mask slip by having to grit out the sentence through clenched teeth.

"My parents could care less what happens to me, and yes it was Jameson that suggested the idea," I said, trying to sum it up as simply as I could manage. The truth was the only thing left I had to give him.

"The same Jameson that divorced you when you were sick. The same one that is in line for the throne?" It was all I could do but shrug and nod, my options for making this look better were dwindling by the second. "So I am looking at the all human, ex- would have been, queen of wolves?" he asked with a layer of incredulity so thick it could have kept me warm.

Having striped down to his pants and undershirt, he was now staring at me, eyes full of contempt and fury that were swirling in their pit like depths. I gave another nod and shrug, choosing the option of revealing as little else as possible now. He wasn't in a state to listen to reason.

"Well to be honest, my father would never have let me reign in any large capacity. It was a ceremonial title Jameson demanded on when we married," I explained, trying to downplay my would-be status.

"This would be the same man who tried to kill me about eighty years ago, and then fifty years before that. The same one that killed many of my friends, guards, and Evan's mate as well. Your father strung her up to die in the middle of your own lawn, chaining her with metal when the sun came up. We didn't even know he had taken her until nightfall, of course it was too late.” The deep pits his eyes were before, had transformed into something like looked like liquid blood. Taking a step away seemed a good move, I was unsure where this was going.

"Now his daughter, who lied about who she really was, comes into my house the same night it's burned to a crisp with me locked inside. The same daughter who was with my brother and fiancé when they were attacked by a van of wolves. You are the same woman who was with me tonight, on a visit to an old friend when I am attacked by twenty vampires and the king as well. You are connected to it all, claiming the dreams told you of what was to happen," he said scoffing, running a hand through this hair.

"I saved you on two of those occasions, don't lose sight of that in your crusade to try me for the sins of my father," I spat back, not allowing to turn into some convoluted wolf hunt.

We were interrupted by a knock at the door, a disheveled looking bellman came in and handed Eli a package. He waved him off, walking over to the desk and opening it even before the hotel staffer had closed the door behind him. The package contained a cell phone, money clip, and some clothes. Eli had shaken them out violently, scattering it all on the table like dice. He continued talking to me while inspecting the items, never once looking to my face for the answers.

“How do I know this isn't a setup from your father Hannah? With all the wolf involvement, I have a hard time imagining he can't be connected in some way," Eli said, sitting in the desk chair and leaning back.

"My father wouldn't be that stupid, and when I said we had no contact before, I meant it. They haven't spoken to me directly in years. Not since my suicide attempt," I admitted absently, running my hand over the scar. "Besides, Jameson and Grayson are good people, they would never attack you like that. They were the ones that suggested this as a last ditch effort, to help me, not send me in here after orchestrating an attack. You know it doesn't feel right either, there is something else going on here Elijah." He stayed in the same position on the other side of the room, and when he swung to look at me, I tried to convey my sincerity.

He turned away from me then, picking up his phone and starting it up. After a few seconds he was dialing numbers, and so began an hour long trail of non-English conversations that had me both intrigued, and concerned, for what was going to happen from here. I took this time to wash my face and thread my hair through with my fingers in an attempt to control it. The outfit I was wearing earlier smelled so awful that I slipped it off under Eli's shirt. It wasn't an ideal situation, with no undergarments, but it smelled like him. Somewhere into the fourth call, I plopped onto the bed, stretching my sore shoulder out above my head to release some pressure.

After inspecting the ceiling for answers, which I gleamed none, surfing some TV sounded like heaven. My budget didn't allow for the luxury of cable, and The History Channel was calling me. The strange and sometimes tragic stories offered me the comfort that someone, at some point, had it worse than I did.

Eli had been silent, snapping me out of my day dream. I looked back to Eli, who was staring at my backside with marked interest. A blush rushed to my cheeks as I popped up onto my knees to cover it, recalling the fact that I didn't have on anything underneath the shirt.

"See something you like, your majesty?" I asked sharply back to him, tucking my legs underneath me neatly.

"What we shared on the plane was a mistake Hannah, your lack of panties was just a reminder," he said bitterly back to me. A different kind of color hit my cheeks then, anger instantly rising at his flippant remark.

"So you can sleep with me when I'm a latent wolf, but now that you know who sired me, you find me unappealing? Gods, what a stuck up immortal way to approach this. I'm the same person you ass-hat, and your commanding performance up there in the plane before tells me what you won't admit. What we did, shared, was incredible," I told him plainly, my chin raised, daring him to contradict it all.

"What we did on the plane was great sex Hannah, surely some wolf showed you what that was like long ago," he sneered back to me, face slipping a little as the lie came out of his mouth.

"It's more than that, so don't you dare diminish it by shrugging it off. What we have is the promise of the kind of love that changes people, you can feel it just like I can. I don't have time, very little in fact, but we can fill the time with so much...so much feeling, so much love. Why can't you just love me Elijah? I'm not dead yet," I said, rising to stand on the bed. His eyes were riveted on me, inching down to my hands as I removed the first of the buttons from the shirt.

"I'll remove another button as soon as you admit it," I said, jutting my chin up and challenging him to lie to me again. "Admit to me you feel the same way when you touch me," I teased, running my fingers over the buttons.

"I'm getting married Hannah," he said, swallowing and running his hand through his hair again.

"Bullshit excuse, it's for the arrangement, and being big bad king Drake should allow you some wiggle room to negotiate," I countered, yawning and stretching some so that the end of the shirt went almost to my waist.

"You are human," he said, looking it was getting increasingly harder for him to restrain himself.

"That's not an excuse but a simple reality, and I think you like the fact that you can feed from me," I said, getting down off the bed and landing on the ground next to the chair. His long frame was gracefully balanced on the chair, with a tension that let me know he was ready to spring. He looked like the predator he truly was. "You like my blood running hot down your throat, coating you while you fill me up," I told him, leaning and exposing my neck to him.

"You're dying.” His eyes flashed a warning before his fangs started to grow in his mouth. Gods his iron will was usually a commendable trait, but it was driving me crazy now.

"Aren't we all your highness? I just have a better idea of my expiration date. And I'm not dead yet Eli, so show me what your immortality feels like," I said, bending down between his knees to look up at him. "Love me Eli, it can be so simple," I said, running my hand up to cup his face. It was easy to get lost in those eyes for a moment, watching the colors violently mesh and flash his intensity.

"It isn't that simple.” He was getting frustrated, rising to his feet as I did my own.

"Give yourself over to me," I demanded. "Surrender yourself, and I will do the same," I told him again as I pushed his chest gently with my hands. He took a step back, with a warning growl escaping his throat.

"Don't do that again," he said, rising to stand.

"Then surrender yourself," I explained simply, reaching out and pulling his belt towards me. He allowed me to touch him, his body following his pants, and coming to a stop just a few inches from where I was standing. He was still looking down on me, a small smile was the only crack in his solid mask of calm.

"I cannot," Eli said in response to my demand.

"You can, but you won't. You'll cite your duty to the seethe, perhaps the complication of your engagement, but we both know it's just an excuse. So submit to me, and I will give you my submission in return. We can take from each other, not to lesson ourselves but to make us more. Isn't that what living is supposed to be? It's supposed to fill you up, so fill me up your majesty," I said, raising my arms to the side in invitation.

In the next moment, Eli had ripped the shirt clean open, exposing my bare lower half and bra. It was so forceful, and so fast, that I was still marveling at what he did as the sides of the shirt flapped behind me. In another second he had my bra ripped in half, now lying limply on the floor like a twisted piece of road kill.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling me closer by my hips so I rested in between his legs. He looked up to my face, pure lust and tenderness that had my heart beating out of my chest. Eli cupped each hip, staring and licking his lips as he roamed his gaze over my breasts. I could feel his fingers digging into the flesh, liking the rough touch combined with his soft expression. We stood like that for a while, it was as if he was searing the memory of how I looked into his mind.

"Don't do that," I tensed up, realizing what this was. "You can't give me you, and then take it away.” The first drop of tears I was desperately holding back, finally streamed out of my eyes. He wasn't the first one to treat me like this, and it was the same devastating feeling I had remembered.

"Hannah," he said, bringing me close and crushing me to him. He put his hands on each side of my face, wiping away each tear with his large thumbs. "Don't do that, it’s okay love, I'm here," he told me in an attempt to beat back the sadness. I took a deep breath, blinking back the larger drops that were starting to abate.

"Sweet brave woman. I submit to you." Eli had a sheen to his eyes, and if I didn't know his icy countenance, I would have thought it was from tears.

He threw me under him, a synchronized move that left him hovering over me, and licking his lips in anticipation of going lower. His large hand crept up my thigh, running lovingly over the scar on my leg and finding purchase deep within me. I arched my back, finding the sensation too intense to stay still. He thrust his fingers inside of me, lowering his mouth and biting deep into the femoral vein as he circled my clit with his thumb. I came instantly, throwing my head back and screaming his name.

My body collapsed in his arms when we were done, the reality of myself slipping into sleep had me clutching his chest fiercely. Eli held me in kind, holding me with a mix of gentleness and longing that bloomed something deep in my chest.

We had made love in a different kind of way that I had ever experienced before. It was feverish, our bodies seeming to act separately from our consciousness, as if we had lain with one another since the beginning of time.

Just as my eyes closed, he went to get up, the phone buzzing its vibrations against the desk top.

“Don't go,” I whispered, wanting the feel of him against me while I slept. Eli said something back, too low for my sleepy ears to hear, and after a brushing kiss to my cheek, he got up, and I fell into my nightmares once again.

***

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the former main house of the Drake seethe, untouched by the fire that consumed it not too long ago. I couldn't see anyone around me, and quick scan of the hall left not a soul in sight. Eli's shirt still hung off my body, but my brain couldn't comprehend why I had on his shirt to begin with. If I tried to remember what happened to me before now, I came up with nothing. Everything seemed so confusing.

A deep and haunting noise drew me closer to staircase ahead of me. I kept climbing towards the noise, unable to veer my course at all but to follow the sound. The music was so clean and crisp it reminded me of a recording, but the farther down the hall I got, it registered to me as live bagpipes.

How strange, I thought, that typically isn't a normal soundtrack to an evening. When I came upon the open double door, it was identical to the one that I had served Eli in the first night I came here. The inside wasn't quite what I was expecting, there was a full orchestra and stage ahead of me. The bagpiper, who turned out to be Peter, was playing away to the crowd surrounding the stage. I looked to the left and right of me, finding large aisles all around, packed seat to seat with vampires.

Ilora was visible at the end of one aisle, and my feet founding themselves running towards her, my hands moving to shake her shoulder. The fingers went right through her, and bending down to her level in an attempt to get her attention proved not to help either.

"Ilora, its Hannah," I said to her, finally looking to her left and rocking back when I saw an image of myself next to her. My face looked awful, I had to admit, pale yellowish in color, cheekbones so sunken that it was apparent I had lost weight. Ilora had her arm around my shoulders, crushing me tight to her as blood red tears streamed down my face.

"Shhh Hannah dear, it will be over soon," she told me, stroking the side of my head as I sobbed into her chest. The clang of the double door behind me snapped me out of my trance. I ran towards them, pounding on each door in an attempt to get them open again. The claustrophobic feeling itched my skin when I realized it was the only door of the room.

"Let me out," I screamed, feeling panicked at the thought of being stuck here. As if on command they opened, with Marcy in full bridal dress appearing in front of me. I shook my head, knowing what I was in store for.

"No I won't let you," I told Marcy, but my body floated right through her own. She gave a brief sneeze, but continued on, and my eyes followed her form as she made her way down the aisle. Everyone, including Marcy, looking down towards the front, to get a sneak at the groom. It was unfortunate for me that my eyes did the same.

When I focused in on Elijah, my breath left my body in a rush. He was so regal, so majestic looking in his wedding finery that he didn't look real. His dark hair and eyes were set in stark relief to the pearl like tones of his crisp white shirt. He was every childhood fantasy come to life, surely a king like no other.

Since no one could see me, I had little left to lose by chasing Marcy down. My form passed the same way as before, right through her, coming to a stop in from of Eli. All the waving and shouting did nothing to him, he didn't so much as flinch with all of my ministrations.

"Eli," I yelled again, throwing my face in front of him and reaching out towards his face, stopping just short of his jawline. If my hand right through him, I didn't know if I could handle that.

"Don't do this, it isn't right. Eli," I implored, as Marcy reached where I was standing. It must have been in the exact location she was supposed to be in, because I felt my body slide into her own and lock for a second with mine. Her thoughts became my own, an intense streaming of her consciousness clashed with my brain and made me instantly feel sick. After hastily stepping back, and tripping on my own feet, I landed on the ground behind the two of them, legs spread out awkwardly in front of me.

When I tried to get back up, there was a hand holding my shoulder down. I spun on my behind, craning my neck to see who was above me. Diego hovered right there, knife pointed deliberately at my neck.

"Interesting human, I didn't think you had it in you.” At this his hands reached up and rubbed at his chest, wide circular motions that left his hand coming back soaked in blood. Then the steak appeared suddenly, blood streaming from the wound and onto the floor around us. I tried backing up, but the blood was making the floor so slippery that I couldn't get any traction. He threw the knife he was holding, and it was all I could but watch it spin its way towards me. The blade lodged squarely in my chest, and Diego laughed fiendishly at my shocked face.

"I would have gone for the kill but I wanted you to watch while I kill Elijah," Diego told me, slowly his way over to where the two were standing. My lungs, though working feverishly for air, didn't seem to be taking in any.

"I don't have much time, so if you could do Marcy first I'd appreciate it," I rasped out, fighting to stay sitting until I gave in and slumped down to the floor, laying now with my head turned in their direction. Oddly I didn't feel pain, and that was the most alarming part of it all.

"She always was a nasty thing, but as much as I would love to grant you a last wish I cannot," he said, and some of the clicks began forming in my head.

"Is your partner...LeFevre?" The words came out gravelly as I was trying to fight the electric feeling that was sweeping my body. This was what dying feels like, it was the same sensation I encountered when I slit my wrists so long ago. It was my body’s last defense, the last of my nerves firing and trying to work a body that was unworkable.

"Interesting human," he replied just as the black veil covered my eyes, and the world melted into dark stillness.

Chapter 24

Gasping and screaming, I was now sitting straight up in bed, and noticed a large body holding me from behind, touching my hair soothingly. My nose could still smell the blood on me, my blood, and my closed eyes could still see Diego's expression as he uttered those last haunting words at me. My hands were balled up in the sheets, the thin cotton stretched so tight I had ripped a hole.

"Shhh, Hannah, it's just a dream. Take a deep breath babe," I heard him say through the fog of my brain. Trying to acclimate in this reality had my head spinning. I rubbed my chest absently, feeling no blood or knife still lodged there, and some of my muscles relaxed. The beat of my frantic heart was pounding in my ears, and I couldn't yet intake a good amount of air.

"Hannah babe, you need to take a breath before you pass out," I heard the voice say again, and at the realization of who it was, I snapped my eyes open, jumping back on the bed and shaking my head. The tears were already pouring over my bottom eyelids, dropping in fat splashes down the front of Eli's dress shirt.

"He wouldn't," I chanted out, clenching my fists and staring back at Jameson. I saw Grayson just behind him, sitting in the desk chair, eyes downcast as he held his head in his hands. "Tell me...tell me he didn't call you here to come and get me.” My voice was desperate and pleading. When I received no response from either brother, my legs gave way, dropping to my knees on the carpet at the head of the bed in utter defeat.

"Hannah," Jameson said, his hand touching my shoulder to coax me up.

"Don't touch me," I spat back. My elbows were resting on my thighs, and I was watching the hot salty rain pour off my cheeks to hit my knees and carpet. I kept shaking my head, desperately trying to understand how I gotten myself here. How everything was unraveling around me.

Flashes of last night came to me like a highlight reel, but it felt more like a memorial service to me at this point.

"I remember when I left, thinking that I didn't have anything to lose by trying. Nothing that happened could make it worse," I explained in a broken voice. I had the oddest feeling, of being adrift, a boat in a sea with no sails. My body was now just coursing through the ocean, letting each wave buck me, threatening to tip me at every turn.

"I was wrong.” My traitorous mind kept replaying the events of the previous night in my head, each touch and kiss and whisper flowed through my blood like sharp needles.

"I should have never pushed it for you to go," Grayson said, breaking the silence of the hotel room with his low mumble. He began arguing with Jameson now, and I couldn't muster up enough energy to listen to what they were saying. I just curled up and fell back asleep on the floor, the rough carpet wet under my cheek.

***

When I awoke again later, my head was throbbing, but blissfully without the hang on effects of my nightmares. One of them must have taken me to bed, tucking me with the care of someone that loved me still. Even though I was awake I stayed still, eyes closed against the reality I knew was waiting for me.

My chest felt cracked in two, as much for the loss of what I hoped would save me, as for the lack of Elijah here this morning. I couldn't run from this, this wasn't something that I could ignore and push back. My mind may be trapped in a dying body, but I still had a choice. My heard turned on the pillow, now pointing towers where I could sense they were sitting.

Jameson and Grayson were sitting on the couch in the other area of the room, a phone plastered to each ear as they spoke in hurried and low tones. They were too far away for me to hear what they were saying. Sitting up, I could smell my detergent, creating a pain so powerful I had to reach up and rub my aching chest.

"She's up," I heard Grayson say as he turned his shoulder to look over to where I was. I gave him a small smile, it was a bit pathetic looking but it was progress. They guys ended their calls, coming over to sit on the bed with me.

"How many times did your parents scream at me for sneaking in and getting in bed with you guys when we were younger?" I asked, closing my eyes and settling back into the headboard. Gray was laughing, he never got the worst of it since I tended to gravitate towards Jameson, even then. "Life comes full circle sometimes, the events in our lives have a way of cropping back up in different ways, letting us see things from a new angle."

The guys were looking at me like I was either crazy, or about to have a breakdown. I didn't blame them, my reaction to what happened before scared me too. They looked to one another and then to me, pain and anger laced into their expressions.

"Just tell me," I said taking a deep breath out. In my life, I got kicked in the teeth enough that I could take the hits now.

"We were going to give you some time here, but we have to get back. There has been an uptick in wolf activity home, and it's getting serious enough we need James there." Gray didn't look to happy about something.

"Wolves, in my father's territory? That doesn't sound right," I said, feeling uneasy about the thought. My father had run that land for over one hundred and fifty years. It wasn't the kind of land you accidentally happened upon, trespassing wouldn't be seen as unintentional.

"Yeah, it's been happening on and off since a little before you left. They don't seem interested in doing anything stupid yet, but the pattern suggests they are assembling," James explained, jaw clenched tight. A trespass on a wolf's territory isn't something to take lightly, it's a direct insult.

"Bring one in for questioning." It was a wonder why that hadn't been their first step.

"Henry thinks they wouldn't dare attack and has ordered us to leave them be. He thinks they are searching for some new land and just passing through." Jameson said it with as much incredulity as he could pack into his tone.

"This isn't some band of gypsies, something more is going on here," I said, feeling certain I was on to something. "Did you speak with Eli at all?" I asked, proud of myself that I could speak about him while maintaining my dignity.

"No, he just told me he was attacked and you killed a vampire, and that I needed to come and get you," Gray said, looking nervously to James at the same time.

"What?" I asked with marked hesitation. To know or not to know?

"Well he had some words with Jameson about what he did to you, though the bastard has little fucking room to talk, considering he did the same," Gray said. His face changed from one of anger to complete disbelief. I'm sure he didn't mean to say it out loud, which meant Eli must have really gave it to Jameson.

"But he said nothing about what had been going on at his seethe, anything about how I came to stay there?" I asked, wondering if I should, or could, share what I thought was possibly happening. The question had me stuck for so long, and now the answers were coming to me, almost too fast to process.

"He told me you saved him at his party from someone, and you stayed there for a while. Then he asked us to come and get you, he had to return for some party." Grayson didn't look like he was too pleased with King Drake at the moment.

"His engagement party," I explained to them, too lost in thought to realize the state they must have found me in. Wolves have such a keen sense of smell, I knew that they understood what had transpired between the two of us.

"I'm going to share with you what has happened, and what I think with me to figure some things out. But before that, I want to tell you first is that I love you both. You have saved me more times than I can count, been there for me when I had no one. I do not regret one single thing I ever shared with either of you, just as I do not regret Elijah." I smiled at them, holding each of their hands in my own. "Now, I want to know if you feel the same way," I asked their stunned faces.

"Of course we do," James said, speaking for Gray who seemed to be getting too choked up to respond.

"Great, now I'm going to ask you for a favor," I explained, squeezing their hands as I spoke. "I want every scrap of information you two can get on Marcy LeFevre and her father."

***

It had been almost three weeks since I was home, well not home, but installed in one of Gray's guest rooms. Emotionally I was holding up, but physically, that was another story. The decline of my heath was steadier than I had experienced before, and with everything going on over at the vampire seethe, it wasn't surprising that I kept busy enough not to notice the small signs before.

When I first got back to the house after Mexico, most of my clothes weren't quite fitting right, and it was a good bet that I was a whole dress size smaller. The headaches were more frequent, and I was getting fatigued easier than I had ever before. It wasn't alarming me just yet, but it had James and Gray starting to fuss over me to the point I banned them from my room.

I hadn't heard a thing from Eli, but Ilora surprisingly sent me some of my stuff back that I had left before the trip. It contained a note, handwritten in what could only be described as perfect calligraphy. She told me it was boring without me, and that she couldn't stand being stuck there until the wedding. Most of it made me laugh, and I had to admit I missed her as well.

"Hannah?" I heard James say, which made me guess that my mind had spaced out again. Touching my hand to my head it came back hot, and the ache in my body signaled I was probably coming down with something. The last thing I needed at this point was the flu.

"I'm sorry, can you say it again?" Pressing my hands to my eyes, a shot of pain went through my head.

"You asked me a question, remember?" Jameson corrected me, concerned eyes crinkling with stress.

"Right, did you get that information back from the January pack?" I asked again, sitting up with interest. Gray had mentioned to me this morning at breakfast that I should come over here and talk with James, because there had been some contact made with a wolf named Beard, who was a former member of the pack nearest the one Marcy came from.

"There isn't a shred of evidence that links the LeFevre's to the attacks Hannah, and without any proof I can't go to your father or to Eli with your theories. It sounds like it makes sense, looking back and making it fit, but we may just be searching for something that isn't there," he said softly, trying to ease the disappointment I could feel all over my face.

"She's in every dream, she is connected to this all, I can feel it," I said, wringing my hands back and forth.

"We've been over and over this.” If it were possible Jameson looked as tired as I felt. "Hannah, I don't know why you can't let it go. Why chase after a man that doesn't want you?" he asked me bluntly.

"I can't explain it, but I just can't let it go," I said, blushing a little and feeling like a teenager with an impossible crush.

"What about what Diego said? He was backed by someone, he told me clearly he had a partner. In my last dream, he told me he couldn't hurt Marcy, even you have to admit that seems suspect," I told him, going back to the whole reason I started suspecting Marcy in the first place.

"A fact that Eli denies hearing at all, he told me so. And I know you are going to tell me that he was passed out then, but it's only your word and a weird dream that links him to anything or anyone else. Eli told me Diego was becoming more unstable, he doesn’t believe anything else was going on other than that. I have to agree with him Han, he is capable of also setting the fire at the party as well," he explained, mimicking my earlier motion and rubbing his own head.

"And the wolves? The attack on me at the seethe and in the car?" I asked, daring him to say something against those two events.

"Diego doesn't eschew our kind like the Drake's do, he has regular contact with his wolf community. I'm sure they came from him. Hannah, you have to let this go, just because you don't like Marcy, and just because she is marrying Eli, doesn't mean her whole family is in some kind of conspiracy to take over the America's." I felt a hot flush take my face, the anger and embarrassment fighting for the top spot in my head. That theory was one I had told Grayson in confidence. Even if I did believe it, it was my fantastical theory to explain to him.

"It's a little more than coincidence Jameson," I said, standing quickly to leave.

"I think it's time to bring Dr. Reece in again, to make sure your medication is still...adequate." The look I sent him had me fully expecting him to be sliced in two. When he still sat there, breathing, I was sorely disappointed.

"It's not the cancer, don't you even dare bring that up again. I'm not losing my mind, I'm just not afraid of going after what I want. You never did get that James. You never had to fight for what you wanted, it was all handed to you.” Gripping the chair in front of me became essential when I got a little lightheaded.

"That may be, but you never know when to give up. It's always tackling things head on or nothing at all, life isn't always linear like that Hannah." Jameson looked older in that moment, face etched with worry and looking as tired as I had ever seen him.

"When was the last time you hunted?" I asked him, softening my tone and showing some concern of my own. He flinched in response and I got my answer.

"Henry isn't doing a damn thing about the wolves, they are still passing through the land here and there. Never close enough to constitute any real trespassing, but I've taken to running the perimeter at night. Grayson gave me a new night camera so I could take stock of the faces, see which people keep coming in, and who may be legitimate travelers." He shook his head an indicated towards the desk. It was full of pictures, somewhat grainy, but it was enough for a good hound, as we called them, to track down who they were affiliated with.

"Jameson," I heard Christina call as she appeared in the doorway of his office. She had her hand placed on her tiny baby bump, it looked much more pronounceable in comparison to her tall and waif like frame. "Are you coming up for lunch? You promised me these meetings would stop, you're stretched too thin as it is," she said, barely containing her dislike for my presence.

"I'll be right there Chris, just give me a moment." She pursed her lips but continued up the stairs, heels clicking in what sounded like agitation the entire way.

"Let me know what the hound says, I want to know where those wolves are coming from." Just as I turned to leave, Jameson spoke.

"We can't meet like this again Hannah, it's not healthy. This obsession-" he started, but I whipped around to interrupt him.

"It's not an obsession. You think it's just Eli I'm trying to protect? What if those wolves are part of the same plan huh?" I asked, not wanting to share this with him considering his attitude, but if his mate was going to ban me form seeing him, I was going to go down fighting.

"You think the wolves are part of the plan to take out Eli? Diego is dead Han, he can't send any more."

"And if his partner still keeps to the plan? What if they are here to take you out, the same time the vamps take out Eli? My last dream..." It was all I could get out before Eli rose, pounding his fists on the desk.

"Goddammit Hannah, enough with the dreams! They all end up in you dying, have you noticed that? Every last one you describe to me you're drowning in blood, or being sliced up, or being beaten to death. These are just dreams. The vampires may call it Veiled, but I call it an active imagination. My duties require me to concentrate on what your father wants me to, and I can't let this clan down by chasing after what your...impaired mind creates for itself. You loved him, and you lost him Han. It's time to move on," he said, standing and reaching out to touch me. I shook my head, willing back the tears that were threatening to spill.

"Is this you talking or her?" I asked bitterly. When I get hurt I aim for the jugular, and Christina was his.

"That," he said pointing up the stairs, "Is the woman pregnant with my child. She's not some mistress I chose over you, she's my mate. You cannot know how much that pains me, every time I see your face, see your pain, I want to take it all away. But I can't Hannah, no matter how many times I try.” His own eyes were misty. Through the harsh words he had slung at me, my heart was too hurt to see he didn't wish any of this on me, or on him. All I could see was pain, and everything I had in me hurt.

Grayson came down, barreling through the door. It only took a second to look at my face, as well as his brothers, to make it clear that we were fighting.

"If you could get me the number of the hound I would appreciate it. I can contact him directly, should I need to satisfy the whims of, what did you call it? Oh, yes my impaired mind. Gray if you could give me a hand up the stairs," I asked, pleading with him through tear filled eyes. Jameson wrote a number down and stuck it in my numb hand, I couldn't even look at him in that moment.

"Hannah, I'm just concerned for you. You should be spending your time relaxing," Jameson said, but I was already pulling his brother towards the door.

"You don't need to make it worse Jameson," Grayson said, body rigid and tight as I strained to reign him in.

"I'm the only one willing to tell her the truth, you can't baby her forever."

"She won't be around forever," he told Jameson soberly, turning and taking my arm. His next words were whispers.

"He's under pressure, you know he would never talk you like that unless something was going on with him," Gray said, depositing me onto the bed back at his house and collapsing next to me.

"I know, its okay." I closed my eyes, another headache looming on my conscious, making my whole body ache.

"It's not okay. But I think it great you still stick up for him. You always did, you two could be screaming at one another, and the next moment you would be defending him. I never understood it, but I think you two just knew each other too well. You are so alike, it scary." He was right, as he usually was about Jameson and me.

"Jameson's not taking your sickness well, he can't do anything about it but sit and watch you go," he said, turning his head and facing me. He swallowed slowly, and it left me wondering if he had ever talked so openly about my cancer.

"There is always the option to try and turn you," he told me nervously, probably knowing the idea was dead in the water.

"I would die, they always die, plus turning a latent has never worked before. Besides, I'm in no shape to withstand the change, I'd die instantly," I said, knowing full well the mortality rate that came along with those that tried.

"But with your DNA, it could work," he said, pleading with me an old argument we had before.

"Let me die with dignity, not bitten but too weak to change. I'd go down in a half form, not like the stunning beauty I am now," I told him jokingly, playing with my hair.

"Last resort?" he pleaded, eyes begging me to agree.

"Gray, it won't work. How many survive the change, one in ten thousand? And that's with the most fit, most virile males. Women are one in twenty five thousand, and I'm on my way out.” The reality was too hard to let his optimism get into my head.

"Get going, I know you have a big date planned. Lindsay told me all about when she saw me yesterday," I said waving him off and yawning.

"I'm proposing to her," he said, a blush creeping up his neck.

"She'll be ecstatic. Save me a seat at breakfast and tell me all about it?" I asked, reaching out and grasping his hand. He rolled off the bed, wiping his hand across my forehead before kissing it.

"You feel warm, do you think it's a fever?" he asked me. His poor brows were drawn in tight.

“It'll pass I'm sure," I explained, feeling my eyelids increase in weight with each passing second.

"If it's not broken by the time we come back I'm calling Dr. Reece," he warned, shaking his finger at me as he retreated from the room. With a nod, my body feel into a deep sleep.

Chapter 25

When I finally came up from the dark, someone's hands were on my face, a swiping motion of something cool and wet made me sigh. It felt so good against the inferno that seemed to be baking me from the inside out.

"Give her some rest, it's the best thing until the medicine kicks in and helps her fight it off," I heard a female voice say from somewhere near me. My eyes didn't seem to be responding at all, they wouldn't open.

"Dr. Reece said she should have woken up by now, how long until we need to really worry," I heard Jameson ask, his voice tight and full of anxiety.

"I can ask, but I think she just needs time. You said she was under stress, well that affects her health, perhaps more so because her body's working so hard to keep going. She should be fine soon, I have a good feeling about her, and she’s a fighter I can tell. Most that come in as far into an infection as she did, don't make it. It's a good sign she's stable.” Before I could catch anything else, the darkness reached for me again.

"Hey there," I heard Gray say as I opened my eyes later, blinking back the pain that the overhead lights brought me.

"Hey.” My mouth felt like it had been packed with cotton.

"You scared the ever loving hell out of me Hanimal," he said, sweeping the hair from my face and tucking it behind my ear.

"Let me guess, my fever wasn't normal?" I asked rhetorically, attempting a smile.

"You were unresponsive. I came home because Lindsay insisted on checking on you, and you wouldn't wake up. I took your temperature like Dr. Reece told me to and it was off the charts, he told me to get you in as fast as I could. I had to call an ambulance," he told me, hanging his head after the explanation.

"Hey pretty girl," Lindsay said, as she moved to sit on Gray's lap, stroking his head in comfort. Her bright red hair was like a shot of wake up that I needed. She was so cheery and nice, it was infectious.

"I'm sorry I ruined your night.” My eyes drifted off to her left hand, which was regrettably bare and clean of any new hardware.

“How do you feel? Gray hit the call nurse button, they told us to let them know when you woke up," she said, turning and walking to the chair that held their things when her cell phone rang. "I'm sorry I forgot to turn it off," she explained, picking up the pace and hurrying towards her bag.

"How long was I out for?" I asked, wondering what day it was. The confusion and disorientation were worse than normal, I felt like someone had pulled me out of my own skin and didn't set me back right.

"Almost five days." He ran a hand through his hair, large bags took the place of his usual bright eyed look.

"I heard Jameson for a little, I kind of was in and out of it though," I said, curious if he visited me or if I was imagining things again.

"He blames himself for what happened, he thinks he was too hard on you."

"He'll come around, it's not anyone's fault, least of all his. I was over the line, bringing Christina into it isn't fair." Just as he was about to talk, Lindsay called out his name.

"Grayson, it’s your brother, he’s on his way now," she said, a strange look on her face as she handed him the phone. She moved to sit next to me, stroking my hair into something that was presentable.

"Thank you for checking on me. I should take Dr. Reece's advice and check into hospice, I can't do this to them. Can you help me do it, they never have to know, but I can't let them watch me waste away," I said hoarsely, coughing towards the end as my voice barely came out.

"I can't do that to them, they want to be around. Give them the gift of time, if not for you, then for them," she said, patting my hand and looking to Gray. His whole face had paled, hands balled into fists at his side. She looked to me, eyes strained with the same worry that mine held. He noticed his audience and strolled out of the room, abruptly closing the door behind him.

"He's been getting calls the past two days, non-stop. Henry is blindly ignoring all their warnings, and I hope everyone knows who is to blame if there is an attack." I almost forgot Lindsay was a wolf, she was normally so passive, until it came to the protection of the clan.

Every shifter felt a particular sensitivity to their community, and for most it was a fierce protective instinct to keep everyone safe. Her predatory side was at the front now, eyes gleaming against the prospect of someone intruding into her family, into her clan. Just as I was about to wax something poetic in an attempt to make her laugh, Grayson came barreling into the room. He flung the door open so fast it hit the rubber stop and slammed closed.

"That was Milo, the hound. He traced 80% of the wolves to the northern French territories, the rest are from Mexico," Gray said, staring at me with an open mouth.

"I tried to tell you," I said, the medicine and weakness from the fever not allowing me the victory dance I deserved.

"I bet they were all recently exiled, all rogues from the surrounding wolf clans that border the LeFevre seethe?" I asked, knowing the answer already. Gray nodded, staring at me like I was a fortune teller.

"I don't understand," Lindsay said, standing and looking between the two of us.

"The LeFevre's are planning to take out Eli and my father. If they planned it right, they could have control of the America's in one fell swoop," I explained, feeling lightheaded with all the adrenaline that was weakly trying to course through my blood. "Her father has the wolves do most of the dirty work, keeping his hands as clean as possible. If they don't succeed, example Diego, it can be explained away. They still have the marriage as a backup, with plenty of opportunities to take Eli out later, or convince him to get rid of my father once and for all. Either way, the wolves help take out this clan and throw the heat our way for the attacks on the seethe. It's genius really, even their backup plans have backup plans."

The room was spinning a bit, and I had to dig my nails into my leg to keep myself from passing out. Something was wrong with me, and I knew the beeping coming from behind me was speeding up.

"They want to take out our clan they have to get through us. Henry might be losing it, but the rest of us won't go down without a fight. It's been to long since we have properly hunted Gray, I can't wait," Lindsay said, cracking her fingers and licking her lips. I never wanted to be on her bad side, she was one mean bitch when she was provoked.

“Eli, I have to warn him," I said, noticing that there was a few more alarm like noises coming from the machines behind me. Gray's cellphone hit the deck, cracking and breaking with harsh sounds on the tile floor.

"You need to calm down love," Gray said, pounding his large finger into the emergency button on the bed frame. "Breathe for me Hannah," he said, grasping my face and pinning it with his hands. "Hannah, don't you dare leave me now," he said, tears streaming down his face.

Something felt very wrong, something central and deep within me. The fever never broke, and I could sense the delirium coming for me.

"Tell Jameson I love him, and don't let him name is kid something weird like your parents did. Keep running and teaching, you're doing good work and propose to that woman before she leaves you," I told him smiling. My breaths were coming in short pants, and my vision was blinking in and out.

"Hannah, no, it's...you can't. I'll call Eli okay, I'll tell him all about how you were right and he can come and give you some blood. I know you said it would only prolong things but we can figure something out. I'll get him to come, you just have to hold on until he gets here," he said, voice breaking with emotion as he gulped back the sobs and fumbled with his phone

"Don't call him, he was worth every second but I can't let him see me die. He has had enough death in his life," I said, feeling the little black lines encroach on my vision.

"Let her go Gray," Lindsay said, pulling Gray towards her and locking her arms around him. It took me a moment to realize she was restraining him, not embracing him like I first thought. The nurses and doctors came streaming in when the machines behind me kept a frantic pace of noises.

"Call Reece in here, she's coding," I heard a nurse say. It was a painless feeling now, a disconnected and disjointed sensation of my brain leaving my body. Someone sounded like they were whispering my name, a low tone of desperation that shook my resolve.

"You can't do that. We have humans here and she doesn't want it," I heard Lindsay hiss as she struggled to contain Gray. Jameson and Christina entered the room, surprisingly both faces looking horrified at what they were walking into.

"No," I heard Jameson say near me, but my vision was so blurry I couldn't make out where he was standing. "No, no, we had more time. Dr. Reece said a year," he repeated a few times, like it would fix me.

"We can try, you know we can," Gray begged his brother.

"No," I whispered out, knowing it was so low only they could hear it. "You have to warn him," I said, feeling my heart stutter and give out. My body felt heavy, as if the earth itself was reaching up to return me home. Then, I died.

Epilogue

I awoke in what I instantly knew wasn't a normal dimension. There was no way to begin to explain how I knew that, but the sensation wasn't something I could easily ignore. There was a lack of something where I was standing, like the natural laws that my body was familiar with, simply didn't exist here.

I did, however, instantly realize where I was. It was my family's house, the place that I grew up in, and I was currently standing on the deck, overlooking the wooded lot behind the house. Everything looked like I had remembered it, even the deck chairs looked the same. A noise came from behind me, and I spun around, hoping against hope that it wasn't going to be my parents staring back at me.

My eyes met two complete strangers. They looked in their late teens and obviously twins, with long chocolate brown hair and long black dresses that swept the floor. They were smiling at me, both of the women had almost giddy expressions on their faces. I looked around again, assuming I had to be in some sort of nightmare. But I had died, I was dead now, so why the dreams?

"Welcome to the Veil," I heard one of them say, her voice echoing and singsong, but as she delivered her words she seemed to sputter and chortle back a laugh.

"You told me you weren't going to go dramatic Evaline, it's so been done before. We have to be original," the other one said to her sister.

"You take all the fun out of it Madeline, why can't I play it up? She's our first real charge, I don't want to short her the full Veil experience," she said, winking at me and coughing to continue her speech.

"Welcome Hannah Katherine Porter, again," Evaline said, holding out her arms for, a hug?

"If I'm in the Veil, doesn't that mean I'm dead?" Shifting from one foot to the other, I wrung my hands and scanned the woods. Someone, something, was watching me from out there. If I stood still long enough I could catch the stream of yellow light their eyes left behind.

"You must die to reach this place, as you have once before," Madeline said, looking at me with open curiosity.

"You mean when I was born?"

"Yes, and now you have returned. Unlike then, this time you come to us not of your own will." She looked slightly affronted about this fact, as if I had gravely wounded her.

"I was an infant the first time, how could I have traveled her of my own will?" I asked, swaying where I stood. There was something watching me from the woods, I could the other trees shaking in agitation of something.

"You were strong even then, I remember looking at you when you popped into the circle. Usually the babies scream something awful, but you looked my sister and I, and cooed, reaching out your chubby hands for us. A selection like that hasn't occurred in over a millennia, no less from a baby. We've become something of a celebrity amongst the other Guards," Madeline told me, making no more sense than she had earlier, but standing proud as a parent would.

"I'm sorry I must be hallucinating. I should be dead, I died," I said like a moron, stuck on the fact that I should be at peace. All those stories and movies describe this wonderful place, with angels and clouds and no pain. Yet here I stood, talking to two certifiable women with a shooting pain going through my chest.

"Yes you did, and that is how we come to you. This has never been successfully done, it's a good thing you picked us those thirty years ago Hannah. We are strong enough to come to you, isn't that awesome!" Madeline said, getting a poke in the ribs from Evaline when she finished.

"Don't say awesome, it makes you look old," she chided, winking at me and then smiling gracefully at her sister.

"What do you mean? I think I need to sit down," I exclaimed, feeling like my legs were going to give out at any second. Evaline rushed forward and caught me before I fell, cradling my head to her like I would break. Even though she looked far smaller than me, she lifted me right up in her arms and the three of us walked towards the deck chairs. She placed me in my own, sitting with her sister on the far side.

"I do not think we have much time here Hannah, so I will be brief. We are Guards of the Veil, we maintain the balance from this world to the next. Sometimes, when the fates allow it, those that die come to us to be reborn. When you were a baby, you came to us, and we saved you from your intended fate. It is a rare thing to be saved, and not reborn. We saw something in you, my sister Evaline gets glimpses of the future, and your role to play in it will bring honor to your house as well as us.

“You were meant for great things Hannah, great and sometimes terrible things, but you are strong enough to endure it all. This time, we came to you, knowing you were not strong enough to remember our part in your life, and return to us on your own. So now, dear sweet child, we traveled a long way to offer you a chance to make yourself whole," she said as a strange dark light grew under their skins. Glimpses of their true form were sneaking out, they were two large black wolves, with blood red eyes and thick flowing coats. I almost fell out of my seat when they dropped their glamor for a moment. I had never in all my days seen wolves so large.

"Whole?" I asked, swallowing hard when I noticed the third large black wolf slowly making its way towards us. The sisters exchanged worried glances and then leaned in to speak to me.

"You must decide, we can make you whole, or we can send you to Valhalla. You deserve the rest, the peace it can bring is unparalleled. But you also deserve a chance to live life as you should," Evaline said as he sister stood, changing suddenly fully into her wolf. They exchanged a glance which ended in a nod, and Madeline advanced towards the end of the deck.

What kind of a choice is that? If this was all in head, if it was just a dream, maybe my brain was trying to tell me something. Maybe it was my body trying to tell me to fight, or to give up and finally stop fighting. I heard another noise as Madeline and the other larger wolf growled at each other, fur standing on end as they began circling.

"Hannah, we don't have much time, my sister cannot hold him off much longer. You must decide," Evaline said, nervously glancing behind her every so often to her sister.

"What does my future look like?" I asked, stalling for more time. The sensation of pain was spreading, running hot pricks down my arms and legs.

"Oh Hannah, it could be glorious. Full of everything you wanted, everything a woman such as you deserves. But it will be a continuous fight, with nothing handed to you. You alone are the one strong enough to take what is yours, you alone are the one brave enough to stand for what you want to claim. I do not begrudge you some peace, you have earned that through your struggles. But you can have more, I can make you strong enough to take whatever you want. We can't hold him back for long Hannah, just choose darling girl and know I am proud of you.” The escalating fighting and snarling noises overcame my ears.

I felt my arm going numb, and when I tried to shake it, nothing happened. My eyes closed to glimpse Eli's face, so strong and capable. And there I was, standing next to him proud and tall and healthy, holding my own by his side. When I opened them, I realized the image came from Evaline, and she held her finger up to her mouth, letting me know it was for me alone to experience. It was an easy choice, even without the vision.

"I choose to be whole, and accept what comes with that. If this is real, then I chose well that night thirty years ago," I said as the wolves behind us stopped fighting. They stared at me, a wolfish grin still visible on Madeline's face.

"Robsin, she has chosen you," Evaline said, standing tall with a tear rolling down the side of her face. A look of pity crossed her beautiful visage as she looked back to me. The monster was making his way towards me, a recognizable expression of pure hunger in his beady eyes.

"Wait, what is going on?" I asked, standing and falling backwards as I tried to retreat away from the menacing wolf that was advancing in my direction.

"Robsin is here to deliver you back to your world, though we will miss you, we will not be far from you. We guide your dreams, to steer you true, and if you look hard enough you'll see us smiling and cheering you on. Keep close to Elijah, he alone is your equal, and don't back down for anything. The fates made you so that others would bend to your will, and now they will. As it should have been all along," Evaline said, just as the wolf took his first bite.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

L.M. Keck is a wife and mother, hailing from southwest Ohio. This is her first published, full length novel, and the first book in the Veiled series. You can find more information about her books, and what she has in store for the future, at her Facebook page-

https://www.facebook.com/pages/LM-Keck/358544127601155

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