Chains of Silver

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Dedication A toast to the city that knows how to live, eat and love. May everyone get to experience the magic of New Orleans.

Chapter One “Someone’s been looking for you,” the caseworker said, her face devoid of expression. She held a file folder containing the secrets of Silver’s life. The world inside the adoption agency lacked color and vitality. Silver ached to snatch the innocent-looking manila folder from Minerva’s hand, but she watched silently as the woman sifted through its contents. “Here, it’s all yours.” The caseworker handed her the file. Considering its importance to her, there wasn’t too much inside her folder: a sad reflection of her unknown life. She reviewed a copy of her original birth certificate with her mother’s name and the father’s space left blank. At least she’d always celebrated the right birthday. “As you can see, there was a notice of inquiry,” Minerva explained. “That means someone wanted to contact you.” Inside was tucked a single sealed letter. The minute Silver picked up the envelope, her heart thudded. Warmth spread from the paper into her palm, as if she were somehow feeling the emotions of the person who had written the note. The envelope felt thicker than a simple sheet of paper, as if it held something firmer. She slipped her finger under the seal and ripped it open. A photograph caught her eye first. A petite blond woman, pregnant, smiled into the camera. Laughter and love danced in her eyes, as she held out a hand as if to shoo away the shooter. Silver flipped the image over. On the back, someone had scrawled: “Gracie, our mom.” The implications sent her mind racing. Our. It meant there might be someone else out there. The other part of the our. Or, maybe she had more than one living relative. Hands trembling, Silver unfolded the worn letter, as if the author had worried over its contents. She skimmed it to see the sender—a brother she never knew she had. Dearest sister,

For so long, I have searched for you. Know that you were always loved, even though we may not have been together. I am hoping that once you’re able, you’ll contact me and we can get to know each other. There’s so much to tell you about our family. May you have had a joyful and loving childhood. All my love, Your brother Trevor Pack He’d included a business card with an address of a store in the French Quarter called Pages. A sense of light-headedness caused her to sway, and she clasped the edge of a nearby desk to steady herself. The words touched her, throwing into question all that she’d known and offering hope for a blood connection to another. “My adoptive parents always told me that my family was dead,” Silver said. Minerva shrugged her shoulders, but didn’t say anything. What was there to say? Silver had grown up knowing that she was adopted. It had been hard to ignore the fact when she looked so different than the rest of her family. She stood a good seven inches taller than her stepmom at 5 feet, 10 inches, with striking silver-blond hair. Many would guess that she’d gotten her name from that physical trait, but in reality her name came from the necklace she had on when she arrived at the hospital: a medallion hanging on a silver chain, engraved with the name Silver. Whenever she questioned her parents about any living “blood” relatives, they’d told her “they’re dead.” Now, she wondered if they thought that to be the truth, or if they were lying to her. No, they weren’t lying. Everything they did was only for her own “good.” For her benefit. In order to teach her right. In fact, she’d spent countless hours in church praying for her salvation, or

on her knees in her bedroom, with her head bent piously, “reflecting” upon the sins they were sure lurked in her heart. She loved them. They were the only family she knew. But, she certainly never belonged. Always the blue fish in a school of yellow ones. And sometimes, she got to thinking that maybe there was something else out there. Someone else. Kinda why as soon as she turned 18 she looked up the adoption agency. Her parents never granted her permission to read her adoption folder, but once she reached that magical age of adulthood, she received automatic authorization. Nothing could stop her. She had to know. “When was this brought in?” Silver asked, holding up the letter. The caseworker lifted a shoulder, and said, “No idea. Sometime in the past few years. But the oddest thing is we don’t have any record of someone dropping off the envelope. No one remembers placing it inside your folder. When you called to ask about seeing your file, we found it inside.” “And no one thought to open it?” “Against policy. It’s your call. If you wanted to know the contents, then you’d eventually show up. Like most do.” Silver bit her lip. Did she want to contact Trevor? The Unknown. Why was she always afraid of what she didn’t know or understand? Part of that fear had been instilled by her adoptive parents: The fear of the Others. Those who were not like us. She held the letter, thinking of those non-humans—the “evil walking on the earth” that her parents and the Church talked about. Silver straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. But to her, just because she didn’t know the sender, it didn’t give her cause to distrust him. “Did he know how to find me? My—the author?” The woman fingered an embroidered flower on the front of her green sweater, as if uncomfortable with Silver’s questions. She shook her head. “No, our policy is non-disclosure. No one remembers talking to the gentleman, but that’s standard procedure. Plus, your parents

didn’t keep us updated on your living situation. The last several postcards we sent requesting address verification either were never returned or bounced back with ‘Addressee Unknown.’” Silver blushed, embarrassed by actions not her own, but unable to stop the feeling of shame. To think that, possibly, her brother lived in New Orleans, too. Either you randomly ran into the same people time after time, or you never saw them. Who could say that she’d recognize her brother if she saw him? Would magical harps begin to play, and the world freeze like a slow motion film if they were in the same room? Would she feel a genetic connection to him? She didn’t know. She’d never met someone with whom she was blood kin. At least, she didn’t think she had. She walked out of the adoption agency, filled with uncertainty about her past, and even more insecure regarding the future than ever before. She decided not to head straight home. There was another unscheduled stop she needed to make: St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, and her mother’s grave. Surely with how religious her adoptive parents were, they would understand the desire to visit the final resting place of her birth-mother, but something inside told her to keep it secret. At least for now. Curiosity was never good, according to father. Even as late afternoon approached, the sun streamed down over her shoulders, and Silver readjusted the satchel slung over her right. Although they’d passed the height of hurricane summer relatively unscathed this year, the heat persisted. As she walked under a weeping willow, Silver hesitated in the cool shadow. There’s no reason to be nervous. It’s not like anyone’s going to know you here. You’re just going to visit a grave. Despite the mini pep talk, another part of her wanted to flee back home, no matter how bad “home” sometimes got. On autopilot, her feet continued on, leading her to the gravesite. A striking bouquet of red roses rested on the grass in front of the mausoleum. Pleasantly tended, Silver wondered who kept it up. Could it be her brother?

Silver knew how hard it was growing up believing she was alone, but always wondering if there were any other blood relatives out there. But what had it been like for Trevor? All this time, he knew family “existed” in the world. The grass crunched beneath her feet as Silver approached the grave. She leaned down and rubbed a petal of the crimson-hued roses between her fingers, luxuriating in the softness. They weren’t even the least bit wilted, which meant that they’d been placed on the grave within the past day or two. Her brother? What would he look like? Would he resemble Silver? She wished that he’d left a photo of himself rather than of their mother in the file folder. She wasn’t quite sure how she knew that he was responsible for the well-tended tomb, but all the facts leaned that way. She knelt before the grave, and curled into a sitting position. Hands open, she placed her palms on the cool granite and listened with her body. It’s not like she possessed special powers or anything. Something compelled her to touch her mother’s grave. “Why did you have to leave me, leave us?” Silver asked the empty cemetery. “How different would my life have been if you had lived?” She traced the birth date and death date with her finger, lingering on the final numbers: her birthday. Something caught within her chest, and a sob erupted in the silence. Her mom died on the same day that Silver was born. She’d killed her own mother. She tried to push the thought aside. How crazy could she be? She certainly couldn’t be held responsible for what happened to her mom during childbirth, right? But, maybe there was something about her physically that had made her mother ill? Leaning over further, she laid her forehead against the cool tomb. How many times had her brother sat here, in this very same spot, and thought about the loss of his mother? Did he blame Silver? The wind picked up, sending the scattered leaves to rustling, and a shiver ran down Silver’s back. A sense of foreboding enveloped her, and she needed to go. Although it was still light out,

and the cemetery was right across the street from a large visitor’s center, a sense of uneasiness overcame her. She was so isolated and alone. If someone attacked her, no one would hear her screams. Just as she stood, gravel crunched on the pathway, and she stilled, listening. Definitely there, another sound cut through her psyche, causing panic to settle into her bones. Fast. She needed to get out of there before it was too late. She turned to leave and saw the shadows approaching. From the look of their shapes, it was two men. The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention, and all her senses came alive. She knew that there was another section of the cemetery, where non-Catholics were buried, but she didn’t know if that way led to an exit. “Hey pretty lady, where do you think you’re going?” one man called out. Momentarily, Silver froze, wishing that she’d waited for another time to come out, or that she hadn’t come alone. The sound of the other man’s laughter, crazy and wild with abandon frightened Silver, and she spun, only to run smack dab into another guy. “Where you running off to?” he asked, grabbing Silver by the shoulders and holding her tight. A dank smell assaulted her senses, and Silver fought against taking deep breaths in her panicked state. “Let go of me,” she yelled, struggling to pull free. “Leave me alone.” She heard more laughter from behind her, and her captor said, “Now what would be the fun in that?” He smelled like stale beer and cigarette smoke. The stench ingrained in his pores, confirming he’d spent way too much time in skanky bars. Stupid of her to have come out here by herself, she thought. With the rumors of robberies spreading, some local tours had stopped coming to this cemetery altogether. In Silver’s mind, though, that meant stupid tourists, not a local. Not her. She should have known better.

As the other two thugs approached, Silver struggled against the man holding her. She kicked against his legs, but her shoes did little against his thick boots. “Well, what do we have here?” The taller man stood in front of her and reached forward, his dirty nails dragged across her face. She cringed, turning her face away. Helpless. How would she get away from them? “Silver!” Another voice rang out, and in relief she strained to see her rescuer. Average height, but muscular. Short spiky blond hair and a goatee. Something about him, reminded her of looking into a mirror. Could this be her brother, Trevor? The man holding her by the arm growled at the intruder. Her attacker yanked her away, twisting her around so she couldn’t see her possible rescuer. Her gut clenched. She needed help, but one man against three drunken fools wasn’t going to do her any good. She might end up losing her brother before she even officially met him. A screaming, screeching noise ripped through the air. Inhuman. She strained to see what was happening. And then she heard a different type of screaming altogether, all too human, and the tall man who had been touching her moments ago went flying through the air, crunching against a nearby tombstone and tumbling to the ground, motionless. “What the fuck?” The man holding her looked over her shoulder. “You’re not worth it.” He dropped her arms, and with one last look at his fallen comrade, took off running. As Silver turned to see what had scared him so badly, she saw a giant, upright wolf-like creature. It stood on its back legs, front paws with razor-sharp nails clawing at the sky. His hooked fingernails grazed the other thug’s arm, ripping flesh and drawing blood. The wolf snarled with anger and bared his teeth. He leaned in as if to take a bite of her attacker. “Please stop,” she screamed. “Don’t eat him.” Jaws glistening over the bared flesh, it paused and cocked its head to one side as if evaluating her and her request. It took a step

toward her with its paw, or was it a hand, outstretched, and then it turned and ran the other way. Breathing hard, Silver waited for her mind to catch up with everything that had taken place, so quickly, mere minutes. What had just happened? She looked at the carnage of bodies around her, and then thought of the attacker who had run off. She should leave before he decided to come back, maybe with other friends. But what had happened to the man who called her name, and where had that massive dog come from? Curiosity overcame her fear, and she headed in the direction the creature had disappeared. For some reason, she didn’t fear it. After all, it had saved her from the men who attacked her. Ever so lightly, she stepped over the uneven territory, wishing that more time had been left in the daylight. Instead, darkness lurked behind every tomb. A tree cast a twisted, eerie shadow onto the ground, and she side-stepped it. Ahead lay a hedge, which seemed to be the most natural spot for the dog—wolf—to have gone. She parted the branches and peered into an alcove formed within the hedge. Inside, the dog hunched over as if it was sick, and its fur undulated as if ruffled by an invisible wind. She squeezed her eyes shut. What the heck? When she dared a peek, the blond man stood where the oversized dog had been. Her mind jumped at the implications, settling on one thought: Werewolf. Then she ran.

Chapter Two “Check out that hot piece of ass,” Louie said, pointing toward a tall streak of woman sauntering into the club. The moment he looked, she moved into the shadows behind the crowd, waiting to order at the bar. Nick shrugged his shoulders. If he’d seen one woman, he’d seen them all. He generally didn’t hang out at the same bar where he worked, but he wanted to get a different perspective, be part of the crowd. He hadn’t come to Club Blood in order to hook up with a wannabe fangbanger, but he certainly could use a good stress reliever after the events of the past week. He took a gulp of his beer. Hell no. He’d come for information on a vamp gang that had been terrorizing the city. Usually the vampires weren’t so blatant about their kills, but this group appeared to be dumb or didn’t care about being discovered. Nick figured it was both. Despite the violence happening in New Orleans, the local police didn’t have a grip on the attacks, and the few killings resulting from them. Most had happened in low-income parishes, where people disappeared on a regular basis. A few stray tourists were bound to disappear every now and then, right? But, after all of his experiences, Nick had learned to watch for the signs. “Mmmm,” Louie grunted from across the booth. He picked up his beer stein, and drowned the contents. “Well, if you’re not into it, then I’m going to welcome her.” For some reason as soon as Louie stepped from the booth, Nick’s heart started to race quickly. Through all of his successful hunts, he’d learned to trust one thing above all: his instinct. Nick watched Louie weave his way through the crowd, and finally saw his friend’s intended target. The purple lights overhead cast her hair in a corresponding color, but in the right lighting, her waist-length hair would appear completely silver. No, not whiteblonde or gray, but a straight, sparkly silver mane of hair. “Oh, hell.” Nick pushed himself up. “I better go stop him before he does something stupid.”

The crowd between here and there pulsed against Nick as he made his way across the club. From the table, it hadn’t looked this packed. He’d come tonight looking for answers about rogue vampires, not to babysit a family friend. What the hell was Silver doing here anyway? Certainly her family didn’t know that she was at a club. Hell, if he had any decency in him, he should escort her all the way home. He snorted. There went his evening. For a few moments, Nick lost sight of both Silver and Louie, and when he next saw them Louie leaned in close, whispering something in her ear, with his hand resting on the bare skin of her lower back. She threw her head back and laughed, and something tightened within Nick: a visceral punch to the gut, conveying that Louie needed to get his slimy hands off her. Where did that thought come from? He’d known Silver for years, and never remotely felt romantic toward her. If anything, she was more like a kid sister: a pain in the ass. Seeing her made him think of his own little sis, and how much he wished that she were still around. Tonight, though, Silver looked like a very grown-up version of herself. Sometime over the last six months the little girl had matured into a gorgeous woman. And, she must have gotten herself a fake id. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have let her into this establishment. A tall guy hit Nick’s shoulder, pushing him back as if he’d run into a brick wall. He looked into dead black eyes. “Watch it, breather,” the guy muttered and continued to move on to his intended destination. This wasn’t another pseudo-vamp in leather and black eyeliner, but the real deal. Nick looked ahead to where Silver stood, and then glanced back at the crowd. He didn’t see where the vamp had gone. With a frustrated sigh, he turned back toward Silver. Maybe he could get her out of there, and make it back before Mr. Vampire grew thirsty. He needed to get Silver out of Club Blood immediately. The question was, would she go willingly? Since there was no chance to get between Louie and Silver, Nick took the other side of her. She’d been drinking some sort of

martini and a line of sugar clung to her full bottom lip. A wide smile broke out on her face as soon as she saw him, and she jumped off the stool and into his arms. “Nicki! What are you doing here?” Over her bouncing head, he caught Louie’s gaze and the other guy shook his head in disgust as if he wanted to hear the answer to that very same question, for another reason. It wasn’t like Nick to move into his friend’s conquest-territory. “Funny, I wanted to ask you the same question,” Nick shouted above the music. “You might have celebrated a birthday recently, but that didn’t put you at drinking age, did it?” Silver jutted out her bottom lip, absentmindedly licking off the leftover sugar. “Aw, don’t ruin all the fun. I just want to have a good time.” She looked to Louie for affirmation. “Does Preacher Sam or your brother know you’re out here tonight?” Nick asked. He was striking a pretty low blow, but they had to move, fast. “I’m guessing that he probably doesn’t.” In response, Silver blanched. “Preacher?” Louie piped up from the other side, and backed up a bit. “How does she know Preacher Sam?” “He’s my daddy,” Silver explained. “Well, my adoptive dad. Don’t know who my actual dad is.” Just as quickly as Louie had arrived, looking for an easy target, he said goodbye, shaking his head at the opportunity lost, and headed back into the club’s crowd. “You really know how to put a damper on the evening, don’t you?” Silver said, flashing her eyelashes. She climbed back on her seat, took another sip of her drink, and placed the glass empty on the bar. She swirled on the stool, away from Nick, as if checking out the offerings of the club. “Come on,” Nick said, putting his hand on her elbow, and guiding her up and off. With her standing, he took in how tall she’d gotten. He stood six feet, two inches, and she gave him quite a run for her money. With her—he looked down—silver heels, she must

have been at least six feet tall. Her full chest threatened to pop out of her tight black tank top. He shook his head, clearing away the images and unwanted thoughts. Where the hell had the little girl gone? “It’s time for you to be going,” he finished. As he led her through the crowd, he kept his eye out for the dark-haired vampire that he’d seen earlier. Too many people had packed inside the club, and he’d probably lost his chance to follow the bloodsucker. Outside, the music muted as soon as the door shut. Even with so many people inside, the small parking lot off the alley remained half-empty. Most of the clientele were locals who walked in. “I’m not ready to leave yet,” Silver whined. She batted off his hand. “Let go of me.” “What were you thinking coming here?” Nick asked. “You know I work there. If you’d been caught, underage, and the boss knew our connection, I could be fired.” She scoffed at his comment. “What are the odds of me getting busted for drinking in the French Quarter? If you didn’t know me, you wouldn’t think I was underage.” She swung her arm in front of her, gesturing at how silly his concerns were, and she ended up throwing herself off balance and against him. Her body instantly molded to his, and just as fast his body reacted. “And who’s to say that I didn’t come purposely looking for you?” He brought both arms around her, holding her steady. Her scent wafted up, and he thought of open fields and wildflowers. One drink, and she already acted tipsy. The head between his legs definitely wanted to take advantage of her. But the more elevated one on his shoulders knew that playing with Silver was dangerous business. Out of respect for Preacher Sam and his best friend, who also happened to be her older foster brother, Nick needed to stay far away. Now that she was technically legal, and definitely all woman— at least physically, that determination might get harder and harder to keep.

“Why would you be looking for me,” he asked, unable to help himself. “I think I might have found my real brother,” Silver said. “And, I think he’s a werewolf.” Nick’s expression didn’t change much with her admission. She liked his strong demeanor and the fact that she still looked up into his eyes. His creamy mocha-toned skin contrasted with his long, blond dreads and pale brown eyes that appeared catlike. He wore a white tank top, and as he turned slightly to the side to check out a disturbance, Silver admired the pointed stake tattooed on his shoulder. The only accessory definitely out of place was the ghastly black fanny pack around his waist. She’d come to the bar, purposely looking for him. Immediately after leaving the cemetery, she’d cleaned up a bit, and headed to Club Blood. The last few months, she’d seen less and less of Nick around the house, and her older brother refused to take her to any more “meetings.” He said that the extracurricular activities had grown too dangerous. She laughed. Why was it fit to bring her when she was barely 16 but now that she’d turned “of age,” suddenly the place was off-limits? If she wanted answers about her brother, Trevor, and his presumed heredity, she knew that the first person to ask was Nick. He knew all about the Others, and hopefully, he wouldn’t immediately act upon the information she had. While they often talked about the scum of the night, vampires, many seemed opened to the possibilities that others existed. Did she now have proof of that Other nature? Werewolves? Her mind flashed to the oversized wolf who had stopped her attackers. He’d done her no harm. He’d saved her from being raped and most likely murdered. She didn’t know for sure if the werewolf was her brother, but all circumstantial evidence pointed to that fact. The noise behind them escalated more. Sounds of fighting. Either unconsciously or purposely, Nick blocked her view. Silver couldn’t ignore it any more, and she leaned forward to look around his massive form. A tall dark-haired man argued with another

smaller man. Between them, a woman gazed from one to the other, as if she was making up her mind about something. The body language of the dark-haired man commanded his orders be followed. The smaller man, obviously, wasn’t paying attention to that signal. “I told you to get the fuck away from her. I don’t know what type of crap you slipped her, but she’s not interested,” he yelled. He grabbed the arm of the woman and physically tried to lead her away. She refused to budge, looking longingly at the taller man. Silver didn’t blame her at all. Compared to the wimp, the woman was with, the other man look hot, built and definitely dangerous. “If you don’t want to get hurt, don’t stand in my way, little human,” he said. “She’s coming with me.” Human? The words registered, just as Nick addressed her. “Silver, I want you to go back into the club and find my friend, Louie—the guy that was hitting on you. Understand me? Tell him I said to keep you safe.” He turned away and started walking toward the altercation. Minutes ago, Silver wanted nothing more than to go back into the club, with Nick. Now, he was giving her orders and walking away. Just another man, giving her orders. Hell, no.

Chapter Three “What do you mean she might not know?” Lily asked. “How could she not know she’s a shifter by this age?” Trevor paced, trying to keep the rage within tampered down. The hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention, and his nails had lengthened into their deadly points. Damn. The last thing Trevor had wanted was for his family reunion to go the way it had. Great, he had saved Silver from being torn to pieces, but hell, did he have to shift within moments of meeting her? When he’d arrived at the cemetery, he hadn’t expect to see Silver. But even more disturbing was the paws of those lowlifes on her precious skin. Anger instantly boiled inside him, and without any forethought, it happened. Afterward, he’d done his best to get away. Any woman’s normal reaction would have been to escape, right? Not come looking for the devil dog that had torn other men to shreds. The look on her face when she saw him, oh man. Confusion. Terror. Way to make a great first impression. “Females in our species are rare,” he explained. “The trait passes from the father in a recessive gene, most often seen in males. Unlike males who begin to shift with puberty, the females who inherit it don’t start to shift until they reach sexual maturity.” Lily’s eyes widened. For someone who had just lost her own virginity at the wise old age of thirty, Trevor knew that she would understand all about psychic and paranormal powers and their ties to sexuality. “You mean as soon as she has sex, she’ll shift?” “That’s it, but I don’t know how quickly after it happens. Think about it, since Silver was adopted, she wouldn’t have anyone to tell her about her heritage. Our mom’s dead, and she was human,” Trevor continued, “and our dad disappeared sometime after my mom got knocked up for the second time. I haven’t heard from him since.”

“You have to find her, you know,” Lily said, “and tell her. She can’t find out about this genetic mutation by going through a transformation on her own.” Even on the surface, Lily was right about what needed to be done, but that didn’t make the situation any easier. He’d rather not imagine that conversation, “Hi, I’m your long-lost brother, and guess what?” “There’s a chance that she might not even possess the shifting gene,” he said. The moment the statement left his mouth, he knew that he was screwed. He didn’t even need to look at Lily to see the disbelief on her face. Odds were, Silver not only possessed it, but that he needed to reach out to her quickly. He paced the room, weighing his options. In the past, he hadn’t much luck in tracking her, or the family that had adopted her. Maybe now that she’d reached 18, and requested for her papers to be unsealed, there would be more information included within her file. After procrastinating for a few more moments, he faced Lily. “Don’t say it,” Trev held his hand up as if to ward off Lily’s opposition. “I need to find her, and warn her that there’s a good chance she’s a werewolf, and as soon as she has sex, she’ll lose her humanity.” He sat at the edge of the sofa, with his head resting on his palms, elbows against his knees. At what point had he lost the power to control what happened to his life. When he was alone, living on the streets, it may not have been the best existence, but only he was truly responsible for his well-being and happiness. Now, so many other factors came into play. Did being with Lawrence and Lily make him happy? Hell yes. Did he sometimes wish that he could escape from it all? Well, to be honest, just a little bit. “Hey,” Lily said, moving closer to him, and running her slender fingers through his hair. “It’s going to be all right. You’ll find her and make all the right decisions. There’s no need to stress about it right this minute. It’s not like she’s in any sort of danger.” ****

The slimy bloodsucker that Nick had seen inside the club had somehow glamoured the woman, and he wasn’t willing to give him his nighttime play toy/meal. Good thing the woman’s mate had seen the entire exchange, and he wasn’t letting her go without a fight. If the vampire truly wanted to abduct the woman, there probably wasn’t anything he or the other guy could do. Hopefully, someone also had called the police. It’s not like they possessed all that much defense-wise for taking on a vampire. Nick counted on that vamp wanting to remain low profile, and not calling too much attention to himself. If the woman went home with him, the vampire knew that her husband would be following. This entire exchange for dominance could play out in a multitude of ways. He sensed, rather than saw, Silver step up behind him. “I thought I told you to go inside,” he mumbled out of the corner of his mouth. “You shouldn’t be out here. This guy’s dangerous.” “I don’t want to,” Silver pouted, “and you can’t make me.” “We’ll have to see about that,” Nick said in return. What the hell had happened to the sweet little girl who used to follow him around? And listen to everything that he said? At the end of the night, he definitely was turning her over to her brother and father, and Nick would wipe his hands of her. The last thing he needed was additional responsibility. He already had his hands full. Legitimately, Nick worked as a bartender at Club Blood on Bourbon Street. He handled the out-of-control tourists and those who hoped to prey on the overly inebriated. Afterhours, though, he hunted down vamps and helped them find an eternal rest. A rest he hoped included burning in hell for an eternity. At too young an age, Nick learned that the creatures of the night failed to possess a soul when they slaughtered his younger sister. At the time, she was only 10 years old, and they had been trick-or-treating on Halloween. Since he was a responsible 14, his parents allowed them to go out in the neighborhood unsupervised. Unfortunately, in his greed, they pushed the boundaries a bit too far. She had wanted to go back home, and had started whining. Nick wanted more candy, and adventures. He didn’t want to be stuck with his little sister. When they came upon one “haunted”

house they took to be decorated for Halloween, their luck of the evening turned. The trick had been on them. Before that, their parents had warned them of the evils of the world, but Nick knew nothing of The Others. Of vampires that ate children. Nick had been tall for his age, but his scrawny build proved to be no match for vampires. He’d escaped, though, and ran for help. Too bad it had been too late for Malena. He’d been forced to return home, alone, without his sister, and face his parents. After that night, his mother never was the same again. Her precious daughter was dead, and her son was at fault. His father couldn’t stand to even look at Nick, as if he feared seeing the ghost of the child that didn’t live. Instead, Nick took up with another family of sorts … an alternative family that taught him faith in the good Lord, and the ways to battle the evil plague of vampires on the earth. He worked out, grew strong and learned the best ways to kill the undead. His heart remained closed, until the day he met Silver. She came to a meeting with her older brother, Jude. He treated her like a pain-in-the-ass little sister. First impression, Silver reminded Nick of Malina. But Silver looked nothing like her. At 12, she was already catching up in height to older brother. She possessed that gangly pre-teen look, but at the same time she moved with an animal-like grace, and he instantly possessed a sense of protectiveness toward her. Now, she’d sprouted and filled out, with plenty of curves he wanted to explore. What he felt now wasn’t quite brotherly. She was the sister of his best friend. Any way he looked at Silver, she only meant one thing: Trouble. “Stay out of the way, then,” he ordered. “Is he a vampire?” she asked, a bit too loudly. And—yes—the vampire in question overheard her question and turned toward them. Beneath the parking lot’s shallow lighting, he flashed his fangs in a show of dominance. With his left hand, Nick pushed Silver behind his back, and readied his stance for an attack.

The vamp sized them up, and for whatever reason—maybe it was simply Nick’s calm demeanor—he decided to flee rather than fight. The vampire took off down the busy Bourbon Street, dashing in and out of the crowds with no regard to whom he pushed or knocked down. Nick attempted to follow, but winded too soon, he stopped. Leaning over, with his hands on his knees and breathing hard, he tried to catch his breath. A blur of silver streaked by him. His mind registered Silver running, with her magnificent hair streaming out behind her. Oh, fuck. Now what the hell was she up to? And how the hell was she running so damn fast in those heels?

Chapter Four Lily knelt between her two men, looking up at the long, beautiful lengths of their bodies, enjoying the differences and similarities. While the taller of the two, Lawrence’s muscles were leaner, more tapered. His fair skin in contrast to his dark, curly locks of hair. Trev, on the other hand, was made more compact, bulkier. He continued to workout and build up his muscles. His tan skin highlighted his almost white blond hair. While Law had no facial hair, Trev had taken to sporting a slight goatee. She shivered thinking of the wicked things he could do with it. In unison, their dicks bobbed toward her and she stifled a laugh. And, yes, she marveled over their glorious cocks. Both so talented in giving pleasure. Right now, though, she wanted to shine some of that stimuli upon them. She enclosed each hand around a member, sliding down and then up across the silky shafts. Her men moaned at the touch. “Like that, do you?” she asked, teasing them. She dipped down and sucked the tip of one, and then brought her mouth around the other. “What do you two boys want?” She didn’t wait for an answer. Working up the saliva within her mouth, she stuck her tongue out, running it down the length of one, following it up with the motion of her hand, and then wetting down the other. She’d grown quite talented in her ministrations. “If you two want me to do any more, I want some action between the two of you. Kiss each other for me.” No sooner had she asked, than the men were more than willing to oblige. Their upper bodies turned into each other, Law slipping his arm around Trev’s neck, and then they kissed. Not the soft exchanges that they gave her, but hard, tongues slashing at each other, full of built-up energy. They must have liked the exchange even more because precome seeped out of their cocks, and Lily swiped it up, adding to the slickness and friction. She took each one in her mouth again, testing its fullness. All the while, she watched the action happen-

ing between them. Trev hooked his hand around Law’s back, and kneaded the flesh. They were ready, but would she be able to handle them both within her mouth? She opened wide, taking Law into her first, and then stretching her lips open even more, drawing Trevor in, feeling the two of them slicked together, rub against each other, within her warm mouth. “Oh, baby,” Trev said, placing his hand on the back of her head. “You feel so amazing. I don’t know how much of this I can take.” “You can take it, and more,” Law said. Her hands slick, mouth aching from its fullness, Lily bobbed on her two lover’s cocks, increasing the pumping of her hands. Her own core throbbed with desire. How sucking them off turned her on so much. She more than hoped that they would be returning the favor oh so soon. She turned on her Other senses, feeding into the sensual feelings from their bodies, and further fueling the frenzy. The air crackled around them, and Law gave a final pump into her mouth and then pulled out. “I must have you,” he said. “Keep sucking him off, if you want, but I want to be inside of you.” So easily, the three of their bodies moved and adjusted to accommodate the others. While Trevor backed up, onto the bed, Lily moved with him, never losing the connection with his cock. Lawrence, though, guided two fingers into Lily’s pussy, and she cried out around the member in her mouth. “Not expecting that so soon, my love,” Law said. “Thought you needed a little boost onto the bed. Now lift those pretty hips up for me to fuck you.” With her chest down low, Lily continued to suck on Trevor, and Lawrence moved her hips into place where he wanted her. Her ass hung off the bed, granting him full access. She wanted to look back and see what he was doing, but that would make her lose contact with Trev.

Her vampire lover slid his fingers in and out of her, readying her for his girth. His thumb snaked under her, rubbing her clit, and she bucked with the surprise of his tongue against her ass. To be filled so. He knew how much she wanted it. Two lovers, but triple penetration. Ever so slowly, he brought his dick in alignment with her pussy. As he pushed into her, he used his fingers slicked with her own juices to enter her other hole. She loved to be taken, pleasured. He pushed himself in up to the hilt, and then they all found their rhythm, his fingers sliding out of her backside, with the motion of his hips. He pounded into the center of her being, and Trev raised his hips up, pushing his cock deep until it reached the back of her throat. She took it all, reveling in the sensations, tumbling over the edge into bliss. “Lily, you can’t come until you make Trevor finish, you hear me?” Law said, taking further control. She did her best to nod her head in agreement. At that moment Trev decided to get more into the act and he used a free hand to tweak her forgotten sensitive nipples. She arched away from the shocking touch, only to push Law’s fingers into her ass more. No matter where she pushed, she couldn’t move away from the physical pleasure. Mentally, she pushed against her oncoming orgasm, listening to the warning in Law’s voice. He played ruler a few times already, but Lily sensed that there was more to his play, more she wanted to see but wasn’t quite sure if she was ready for it yet. She braced herself on one elbow, and used the other to cup Trev’s balls, caressing softly. Lily imagined the sensations of pleasure flowing through Trev’s body, fueling his already overloaded senses. He cursed under his breath, and shot hot come into her mouth. She sucked it all up, swallowing, and then releasing his already softening cock. Trevor lay back on the bed, sated.

“Oh, good girl,” Lawrence said. “You did as I told you. Now I won’t have to spank you, will I?” He smacked her bottom with playful love taps. Although she didn’t think it was possible, Lily grew even more excited, fluid pooling between her legs, and Lawrence continued to pound inside of her. “Oh, like that my sweet, do you?” Law said. “Trevor, did you know our innocent little Lily hid a desire to be spanked?” With promises of future passions to be explored in her head, and a pussy filled to the max with glorious cock, Lily jumped over the edge, plummeting into her climax. Those internal tremors pushed Lawrence to his final destination, and he spurted inside of her. Languidly, the threesome crawled up toward the top of the bed, and flopped down wiped out on the pillows. By now, Lily knew that as soon as he thought her asleep, Law would get up—as quietly as he could—and go downstairs to the bookstore. Regular customers of Pages expected odd hours. She snuggled into the bed, enjoying the safety of her lovers. Worries of the world, wiped out by pleasures of the flesh. **** “Silver, wait up.” Nick called out, his voice not as powerful as he would have liked. He told himself to suck-it-up, a stitch in his side reminding him that he needed more training, took a few more deep breaths and then took off after his best friend’s wayward sister. Getting her home in one piece was looking harder and harder. The only good thing about following Silver, though, was that her striking appearance made for a much easier target to follow. Soon enough, they’d made it out of the busy area into a sketchy neighborhood with plenty of abandoned townhouses and “for rent” signs. The echo of footsteps stopped, and as Nick rounded the corner, he saw … nothing. No sign of Silver, and no sign of the vamp. Damn. He’d lost them both. He proceeded down the block with caution. This far from the heart of the French Quarter, no music floated its way down. Inside a few homes, the flickering colors of television screens indicated inhabitants. Other places sported bust-

ed out windows behind bars. A crunching sound alerted him that he’d stepped on broken glass. He froze, listening to see if someone else had heard him. Nothing. Continuing on, Nick passed by a walkway between two houses. “Nick, psst, over here.” Startled, he jumped, and then thanked his lucky stars. Silver, safe. He could return another time, and case out the area for the vampire – preferably during daylight hours. Immediate priority: Getting Silver home. Beneath the light of a porch, with her cheeks flushed red, Silver looked even more beautiful than she had earlier. Her eyes sparkled with the exhilaration of the chase. She looked less winded than he felt, and he filed away that information for future investigation. Where did she get her stamina, and could he have some, too? “What the hell were you thinking?” Immediately, her expression looked crushed, like a young pup that had brought in a treat of a dead bird to its master, only for the owner to smack the dog’s snout. Just as quickly, she hid her disappointment. “I saw where he went in,” she said, flicking her eyes toward one of the townhouses. “That’s great,” Nick said. “I’ll come back later to check it out. Right now, you’re going home.” “I don’t think so,” Silver said. “If you don’t move now, he’ll be gone by the time you get back. He may be dead, but that doesn’t mean he’s stupid.” Nick could reason the opposite: It meant exactly that he no longer had all his “wits” about him. Not everyone agreed about the true nature of the Others, especially the vampire, but everything Nick knew told him they were evil. No exceptions. “It’s not safe,” he said, taking a firm grip on her elbow. She yanked her arm away from him, and headed toward the building in question. “If you won’t, I will,” she said. And bring her home in a body bag? He didn’t think so. “Just wait a minute, will ya,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been running after you all night.”

As if exasperated, she turned around and stalked back, closing the gap between them quickly. “What the hell’s wrong with you?” she said, lips mere inches from his. If he leaned forward at all, they’d be kissing. The heat of her body pulsed out in waves, and Nick used all his self-control to clamp down on the physical reactions. Right now, he wanted to know the answer to that very same question. He wasn’t used to being lead around by his cock. Why now, and why Silver. It’s like she was emitting some sort of pheromone that proved irresistible. Such a strange thought, but it gave him pause. “We can’t simply go charging in there. We need a plan, and we need to be armed.” He turned his waist-pack around to the front, and pulled open the zipper. Silver snickered. “Yeah. Noticed that keen fashion accessory earlier tonight.” “It’s convenient,” Nick said, pulling out a stake and a miniwater gun filled with holy water. He handed over the single-shot to Silver. “Let’s get closer to the house, but stay in the shadows so if anyone is looking out a window, they won’t see us.” “Really, I never would have thought of that,” Silver said. As she began to walk toward the house again, Nick put his arm out, stopping her. “And let me go first,” he said. “You’re the hunter,” she replied, and then mumbled under her breath, “I’m only the one who followed him.” They moved around the house, and Nick checked a few windows, looking for an easy way of entry. The front wouldn’t work because anyone from the street could see them. The vamp may not know they were there, but neighbors might call the cops. He indicated that they head toward the back of the townhouse. The delicate scent of oleanders filled Nick’s nose and he pushed aside some plants. Silver let out a high-pitched sneeze. “Shhh,” he said, automatically. The back offered three steps, leading to a small platform and a door. Only a screen covered the entrance. Too easy? Didn’t the

vamp suspect that he’d been followed, or maybe Silver didn’t see the right house after all? He decided that they’d wait a little bit and stake out the place, before rushing into anything too unknown. What if there were more than one inside? If Nick had been the one to chase the nightwalker to the residence, and seen him enter, he wouldn’t have hesitated to go in. Unfortunately, he couldn’t be 100% sure of Silver’s skills. He motioned for Silver to draw closer, and he squatted down near the side of the stoop. He steadied himself with one hand. The ground felt moist, as if it had been watered recently. “Let’s see his next move, or if anyone else is around,” he explained. “And if he’s draining a late-night snack dry in there?” she asked. “We just wait around to let her die.” “It doesn’t pay to be reckless.” With a sigh louder than he liked, Silver huffed herself down onto the ground, and then muttered, “Oh, gross.” She wiped mud off her hands onto her pants, and grew quiet. The stake within Nick’s hand carried a comfortable weight. He twirled the carved wood between his fingers, and listened for the sounds of his prey. The hunter becoming the hunted. Nick never tired of the irony of the situation. He loved that charge of energy that infused his body while waiting for the kill. At times, he wondered if he was getting close to those he sought to kill. Did he revel too much in the hunt? But, his actions were for the greater good. All they were concerned about was their next meal, and sometimes playing with their victims. The old hunting adage was not to kill what one wasn’t going to eat. Well, it seemed like some vamps liked the chase and playing with their food the best. At the thought of some of the vileness that he’d seen, Nick shuddered. Hell, no way he’d ever let himself get to that point. “How long do we have to stay crouched down like this?” Silver whined-whispered to him in the darkness. “My ass is falling asleep, and I’m cold.”

Once again, Nick hushed her. Neither one of them had dressed for an outdoor excursion. He watched her shiver, and rub her arms for warmth. If the vamp didn’t come out soon, they’d either have to go in after him, or go home. What in the world had possessed him to let her stay? Usually, the last thing he’d do was bring a newbie chick on a hunt with him. If he was being totally honest, part of him wanted to spend more time with her, and let her get a glimpse of him in action. That could only impress, right? He sighed. When did he start worrying about impressing little Silver? “And I’m thirsty. Do you have any water in that stylin’ manpurse of yours?” Grunting and mumbling under his breath, Nick pulled out a water bottle and handed it to Silver, without adding any further conversation. Then, he could literally hear her chugging the water. Did she know anything about being quiet on a stakeout? “If you drink too much, you’re gonna have to pee and there’s no place to go here,” Nick warned. “Too late.” “Shit.” Teach him. “Where are you supposed to be tonight anyway? No way Preacher Sam would let you stay out all night like this.” “Staying the night at a friend’s house,” Silver said. “And does this friend even exist?” he asked, already afraid of what her answer would be. “It depends on whether he’ll let me stay there.” **** Lying between her two favorite men, Lily willed sleep to come to her. Instead, her mind raced with thoughts and plans. There was so much she wanted to do. The possibilities were endless. Now that her life had settled a bit, she wanted to spend some more time with her mother, continue to hone her own powers, and maybe try to broach the subject of her father. She never thought about the possibility, truly, of having her mother in her life, let alone a relationship with her. What if there was a chance to have her father, too? Learning about Silver, and

knowing that she also had grown up thinking all her blood relations had died brought the subject right back to the forefront for Lily. Already, though, too much filled their plates, and although he tried to hide it, Law worried about the pact he had made with the Voodoo Queen. Well, he didn’t exactly make it himself, but Trevor swore to uphold the promise in Law’s honor. None of them knew what would happen if they reneged on the deal. Lawrence and Trevor acted such a dichotomy: One cold, and the other hot. One educated and refined, and the other street smart and fueled by emotions. Just when she thought she had their complicated relationship worked out, something shifted within their dynamic, which wasn’t always a bad thing. It kept them fresh, and growing. How could Lawrence have lived on this earth for as long as he had, and still possess such a wonder for life? She imagined that many Others would grow tired and wearisome of the weight of living. “I can feel your restlessness,” Trev said, groaning and moving away from Lily. “I don’t even have any psychic skills. Stop squirming around.” Right away, she missed his heat. While not as cold as many parts of the east, Louisiana possessed its own cold spells come wintertime. Unless it was right after Lawrence fed, the surface of his skin always remained cool to the touch. “I thought you were tired,” Law chimed in. “I thought we had wiped you out, and left you pleasantly happy.” “You did. I am,” Lily said, feeling the need to apologize. “Then I started thinking. Sometimes I just can’t help it, especially after being physically close to the two of you.” “Is this about a baby again?” Lawrence asked. The question hung in the air, so tangible that Lily imagined herself reaching out and grabbing it, and hiding it. Once Law released it, there was no taking it back. Even from a slight distance away, Trev’s body tensed and a wave of emotion poured forth from him.

“Baby? Who said anything about having a baby?” Trev rolled over and turned on one of the bedside lights. Covering her eyes with her hand, Lily tried to focus on Trev but flashes of light danced through her vision. Trev ran his fingers through his short, spiky blond hair, making it flair askew even more than normal. He looked to Law and then to Lily. Law leaned over, rubbing his hand down Trev’s upper arm, and Lily took in the comfortable, sensual nature of the everyday touch. “Hey, it’s all right,” Lawrence said. “Lily and I have just been talking, and discussing the possibility of starting a family. We didn’t mean to freak you out.” With that comment, Trev turned his attention toward Lily. Of course, because she’d be the baby-carrier, right? Times like this one, where she was situated physically between her two loves, and caught in the middle of a disagreement, her physical presence literally kept them apart. “Lawrence, you don’t talk all that much about your childhood, but I’m guessing that it wasn’t perfect ‘back in the day,’” Nick paused, “but Lily yours sucked, and mine blew ass. I thought we discussed this whole thing before and decided ‘not to bring more children into this world.’” The young were crossed his arms over his chest, and glared at them defiantly, as if they could counter the arguments that he’d made. Even in his anger, with his lower lip stuck out in a pout above his goatee, Lily couldn’t help but think how adorable he looked. “That’s right,” Lawrence said. “We did talk about this, but things have changed now, and we have other facets to take into account.” In exasperation, Trevor got out of bed, threw his arms out and exhaled loudly. “I don’t understand why this relationship has to get so complicated.” He flicked his eyes toward Lily. Within her chest, Lily’s heart ached, and she gritted her teeth against saying something nasty. Something that she’d regret. The implication was that she was the culprit in creating the complication. Before she’d come into their lives, Trev and Law lived a

perfect, uncomplicated lifestyle, without any worries and without the added “complication” of children, and of her. Her powers sizzled at the ends of her nerves. When she grew angry, she had to consciously bind her powers and not lose control. These days, she knew how to focus and re-funnel the energy, or else she’d be back to randomly having things explode around her. As if sensing her anger, Lawrence sized up Lily before continuing to address the situation. “It doesn’t have to be complicated. Our family has grown, and as a woman it’s natural that Lily feels the pull to have children, a child. She wants to be a mother.” “As if you ever had a fine mother figure,” Trevor lashed out at Lily. “And don’t you guys remember that my mom died in child birth! Pregnancy isn’t easy. Delivery isn’t easy. Don’t think I haven’t done the research. Despite all of the wealth, and luxuries that we have in the United States, we still have some of the highest mortality rates related to pregnancy. That’s not right.” She did her best to ignore the hurtful remarks, and focus on allaying his fears. “I’m not your mother, though,” Lily said. “I’m a strong, healthy woman, who also happens to be a witch. Your mom, who knows? All you remember is what you knew as a child. It sounds like your dad was the werewolf, so maybe genetically she couldn’t handle carrying the children …” Her verbal train of thought veered off when Lily realized what she was saying. If his mother as a non-were couldn’t handle carrying the offspring, could she possibly have a problem, too? From the widening of Trevor’s eyes, she figured he was making the same exact connection. “And who would be the father of your child, Lily? Him?” Trevor pointed toward Lawrence. “By my math he’s been infertile for more than 150 years. So that would leave me in this threesome, right?” “Hey, let’s not get personal now,” Law joked. “And just because your mom had a problem, doesn’t mean that Lily will, too.” “I’ve got good control over my body, and Law might even be able to sense if something was wrong, right?”

He looked unsure of her question. “It all depends, we’d have no idea of the abilities of this potential child until it’s created.” Lily pressed a hand to her abdomen, and she almost felt that fluttering of life now. What would it be like to give love to another being, that’s part of herself, and nurture the child, let it grow knowing the love that it was brought into this world with? For so much of her life, she never belonged. She wanted to give that sense of fitting in to another being. Why couldn’t Trevor understand that? Sure, he’d grown up mostly on the streets, like she had. But, she wanted to break that cycle. Trevor simply shook his head. “I just don’t know. It’s too much to take in all at once. It’s too many changes. It’s too much that I can’t control.” She wanted to go hug him, and take him within her arms to comfort him. To tell him that everything would be all right. That they would get through this issue together, but he looked at her as if she was the cause of all the problems, and that the last thing in the world he wanted was to be touched by her. She slid out of bed, wrapping herself in a red silk robe that Lawrence had bought for her. She didn’t want to be nude at this moment. Already her soul laid bare for Trevor to see, and reject. The chasm between them grew more pervasive. He turned away from her, from them, and Lily gave, taking a step backward, and looking to Lawrence for guidance. And then her were-lover did what he usually did best at times like these: he ran. With an arm outstretched in front of her, Lawrence held Lily back. “Let him go,” he said. “Let him get his frustrations out. You know that it has to do with more than you, more than us.” His gray-blue eyes looked clouded over with worry, and again regret swarmed through her stomach. She didn’t mean to bring turmoil into their lives. At first, it was a literal demon hunting her down, and hurting them in the process. This time, she’d brought a different type of demon altogether into their home. Would she be willing to acquiesce on this point in order to be with them? What if Trevor never did “come around?”

“Do you know where he’s going?” Lily asked. “Where he usually goes at times like this … the cemetery. To his mother’s grave. If he doesn’t come back shortly, I’ll go looking for him.”

Chapter Five Sounds of footsteps on the wooden floor grew louder, as someone approached the back of the house. After an hour of waiting, bored out of her mind, and ready to give up the hunt for some warm blankets, Silver flexed her muscles, readying herself for the potential attack. Nick held his finger in front of his lips, signing her to be quiet. As if she’d pick this moment to converse about the latest Selena Gomez song, please! She almost asked him what he was trying to say, just to spite him. Instead, she entertained herself with watching him some more. He’d secured his golden-brown dreads into a band, totally accentuating his high cheekbones. How she wanted to suck on that full lower lip. Oh, baby. The way he’d looked at her earlier, she knew that she had finally overcome the stigma of his seeing her as “the little sister.” He wanted her. She knew it. Physical desire was one thing. Acting upon it something totally different. Now, if she could only convince him that she’d be worth the risk. Sure, her liking of Nick may have started as a teen crush, and officially, yes, she still would be considered a teen, but over the years her infatuation had developed. As Preacher Sam’s daughter, Silver had been used to a strong man who talked a fierce game. Nick did way more than that. He followed his heart, and regularly risked his life to help others. He didn’t preach against the evils of the world, he killed those evils. Something changed in the air, and the hair on Silver’s arms stood at attention. Again, Nick pointed toward her and gestured for her to stay put. Stealthily, he moved on the opposite side of the stairs. Faster than Silver expected, the screen flew open, and a figure came flying down the stairs. Only momentarily, she glimpsed that it wasn’t the same vampire that had entered. This one looked shorter and scrawnier, as if he had been turned before he grew out of adolescence, or was malnourished. The thought saddened her. He also wore an out-of-date acid-washed denim jacket that had seen better days, not the sexy leather coat of the clubbing Other.

The moment Nick moved into the light, the vampire hissed, and attempted to shut the door again. Nick strong-armed himself inside, and Silver followed. The vamp picked up a dining room chair, and flung it across the room at Nick, who simply knocked it aside. Definitely weak, Silver thought. What’s the use of being a vampire if you lack the super strength? “You’re not leaving here alive,” Nick said, stalking the Other. “Or, shall I say undead. When I’m done with you, you’ll be truly dead.” From the front of the house, the sound of a door shutting echoed back. Silver looked at Nick, and their eyes met, sharing in the knowledge. The other vampire had gotten away. He’d used this sad, pathetic creature as a decoy. The reality of the situation also reflected in the vamp’s face because suddenly he, too, looked quite scared, as if he’d been expecting his back-up, his protector, to step up at any time. “Don’t kill me,” he said. “I didn’t do anything. He asked me to meet him here. Said there’d be a payment in it for me. Sustenance. Please, I’m not like him.” Nick advanced. “Save it for your judge and maker. I don’t give a fuck.” He did a round-house kick, the flat of his foot connecting with the middle of the vamp’s chest, and the Other slammed into the wall, busting a hole in the plaster. Silver marveled at Nick’s brute strength, and then she remembered the water gun with holy water in her hand. She moved closer, squeezing at the trigger, drenching the vamp’s face in one, fell swoop. He screamed, his skin bubbling and sizzling. He tried to wipe off the blessed water and removed chunks of his face instead. Silver turned away, gagging at the putrid smell and sight. Her stomach protested, and she forced down the urge to hurl. “Thanks,” Nick said, “I’ve got it from here. Move back.” With one sure, swift movement, Nick buried the stake to its hilt into the rogue vampire’s heart. He looked down, and again a sense of sadness threatened to overwhelm Silver.

He hadn’t asked to be changed into a vampire, and what if he’d been telling the truth? What if he’d been set up to take this fall? Now, they’d never know. “Best part about killing vamps,” Nick said callously. He counted aloud, as the remains disintegrated and eventually self-combusted. “No clean-up. Now what’s this about your brother?”

Chapter Six By the time that they got to Nick’s apartment, Silver walked dead on her feet. He ushered her up the stairs, and through the door. First stop was the bathroom, where he handed her a T-shirt to change into and he waited just outside, in fear that she may pass out. When they go back into the hallway, Louie stuck his head out of his bedroom and let out a low whistle. “Look what the cat dragged in. Thought you weren’t going to be making time with Preacher Sam’s daughter.” Nick heard Silver mumble a barely audible, “fuck you,” and then she stumbled. He wrapped his arm around her waist just in time, steadying her. “I’m not making anything. She needs a place to crash tonight, that’s all. I’ll be sleeping on the couch.” “Surrre.” As they passed by, Nick glared at Louie. The guy could be an ass, and he needed to seriously reconsider the roommate situation. In his room, he thanked the gods that nothing embarrassing like dirty underwear lay out on the floor. He tended to keep his simple belongings clean. It wasn’t a home – just a place to sleep when he needed it. Until tonight, he hadn’t considered his transitory existence. It’s not as though he and Silver had any heart-to-heart talks, but somewhere in the evening, he decided that he wanted something more from life. Something besides hunkering down in the mud, waiting for scumbag vampires to kill. “Thank you for everything,” Silver said, laying down on his bed. He pulled the covers up around her, and smoothed back her hair. With her eyes shut, her long lashes fanned out, barely kissing the tops of her cheeks. If he wanted, he could slip in next to her, and hold her while sleeping. The thought didn’t shock him as much as it would have earlier in the night. Hunting down and killing a vampire together did that. Lil’ Sil wasn’t quite so little anymore. He placed one

gentle kiss on her lips, picked up an extra pillow and throw, and headed for the living room, convinced that he wouldn’t be getting much sleep. Screams. Darkness. “Don’t kill me.” Ashes flying in her hair and her open mouth, sticking to the wetness of her eyes. Silver thrashed against the binds holding her down. She couldn’t move her arms or her legs. A thick coating covered her lids, blinding her. She struggled, mouth wide to scream, and then suddenly, was free. Sunlight streamed into the room lazily, and Silver sat up in bed, tremors from her nightmare continuing to shake her body. She ran her fingers through her hair, adjusting to her surroundings. She remembered Nick saying that he’d take her home, and then not too much afterward. Ugh. What a night. Her head pounded. She knew that she only had one martini so it definitely wasn’t alcohol related. Maybe lack of sleep. Just when she considered rolling over and going back to sleep, the bedroom door thumped open. “Is everything all right?” Nick said. The sight of him barely dressed – only a pair of red boxer shorts, with the fly slightly tented. Silver lost all words. She took in his golden brown skin tone, and the valleys of muscles on his stomach, leading all the way down. She gulped. She never knew he had another tattoo on the side of his abdomen. What else didn’t she know? “I heard a scream,” he explained. “Are you all right?” “Nightmare,” she finally squeaked out. She rubbed her eyes, breaking the naked-hunk trance. “About last night.” “Oh, is that all.” “Is that all? We killed a man.” Nick came over and sat at the foot of the bed, too far away for Silver’s liking. Why’d she have to fall asleep so quickly last night? He seemed to be into her. Today, he was right back to business as usual. “He wasn’t a man. You have to remember that. He’s a vampire. An evil, vile, bloodsucker, and we did a good deed by riding the world of him.”

“If you say so, but he seemed a little scared to me.” Her words trailed off. He looked too good for not getting much sleep. In contrast, she wondered what he thought of her. She glanced down at her sleeping attire: A gray Grumpy T-shirt? “What’s this?” she asked, pulling the material out. “Or should I ask, whose is this?” This time, he almost looked embarrassed. “My mom bought it for me last year. Can’t bear to throw it out …” “So it doesn’t belong to an ex-girlfriend, or someone else who left it here?” “No. No. Nothing like that. Listen, why don’t you put your jeans back on, and I’ll grab us something for breakfast.” “Wait,” Silver said. She swung her long legs out of bed, and moved closer to him, looking at the tattoo on his side. Her bare leg brushed against his, and she shifted a little closer. She traced the outline with one finger. At her touch, Nick sucked in a breath. “What’s this say?” “Little butterfly,” he said. “That’s what I used to call my sister, Malena, because she’d never hold still.” Nick’s expression made Silver want to take him in her arms, and let him grieve for the sister he’d lost. He’d been only a child himself, and he’d carried the blame a long time. “Don’t,” he said, standing up. “I don’t deserve your sympathy. And neither does that vamp that died last night.” Even his anger couldn’t keep Silver from watching his fine ass walk away. Now that she’d felt the firmness of his body, she could more than imagine what it would feel like to run her hands over his backside as he pumped into her. She blushed at the errant thought. Never one to be promiscuous, she wondered where all these sexual thoughts suddenly came from. Hell, she’d never even had a boyfriend. Sure, Billy kissed her at homecoming her sophomore year in high school, and Marcus tried to cop a feel at prom, but she’d quickly put those thoughts to rest. Why was she so horny all of a sudden? Was it being around Nick? Or was it her?

Late afternoon in the Quarter slowed down lazily. Lily stretched her arms up in the waning sunshine. In the background, if she listened closely, she could hear the sounds of cars headed toward unknown destinations. A few birds twittered, and she focused on the sounds of silence, breathing in the vitality of the day. Outside the courtyard, life bustled on. Here, she reigned in the moment. She’d been dismayed at the unkempt brick patio off the back of their building. Just like men. They spent so much time on their bookstore Pages and the interior of the living quarters, but leave the outside sanctuary to neglect. Lawrence, maybe, wouldn’t enjoy the setting quite as much, being a vampire and unable to go out during the daytime and all, but Trevor, with his fondness for outdoor spaces, should have restored the haven. “Not my priority,” he had said in explanation when she brought the subject up. Hell, for the first few months, she didn’t even know the space existed. She thought an alley where the trashcans lived existed outside the side door. It’s not like anyone used the space. Until now. Lily made the men – with their brute strength – discard an unused bookcase that blocked one gorgeous brick wall, and she worked on cultivating the soil in the planters until they revitalized enough to support life. She’d also hired someone to come in to clean and restore the old brick. Now, Lily centered herself in meditation, drawing in the richness and spirit of the new year. Crisp air clung to her exposed skin, and the chill revitalized her soul. She pulled her body out, stretching her tightened limbs, opening up her senses to the world around her and beyond. A humming filled her ears, as she tapped into the Other world’s energy, feeling the strength of numbers flowing through her body. The power sizzled through her synapses, sending a pulse of pure sensual energy to her core. What a high. She’d have to do this technique when her favorite boy toys were available for a play-date. She raised her arms outward, lifting her open palms toward the brightening blue sky and

pushed out her awareness. Inside the house, Lawrence continued his day’s slumber, and Trevor—who had returned at some point, tail between his legs, and crawled into bed with them, without a mention of his outburst—bustled inside the store, readying for its opening. Beyond that, she sensed the cluttered thoughts of passersby on the street. “Gotta remember to pick up milk on the way home.” “If they only realized how hard it was …” “Late, and construction again.” Lily tuned out, exhaling all the negative and inhaling deeply, taking in all the positive. She lifted her right foot, balancing on her left and centering her being. Consciousness tuned toward the universe. “Now that looks complicated.” The jarring comment interrupted Lily’s focus, making her stumble and catch her balance. A stunning woman stood in the back corner of the patio, and Lily was immediately struck by the woman’s striking silver hair. How had she snuck up on Lily, when Lily considered herself at her most open? Her senses at their highest? “Who are you?” she asked, at the same time sending out her probing energy to feel out the young woman. Nothing. She was completely closed, as if she protected her being or was somehow warded against attacks. She’d have to ask Madame Teresa, or her mother, about those who could turn their senses off. The more Lily learned, the more she didn’t know. “So not only bloodsuckers live here?” the woman asked, eyeing their residence. The muscles within Lily’s stomach tightened. How did this woman know about Lawrence, and what else did she know? Placing her hands on either side of her waist, Lily closed her senses and pulled her power into her core. “If you’re wondering, it’s the blackout curtains. Let’s say I’ve been studying the common signs,” she said.

Lily looked up, noticing how their home potentially looked from an outsider’s point of view, something they should think about for the future. “We could have a baby,” she suggested. “You could … but you don’t, do you?” the woman countered. A sense of stalemate hung in the air. “Can I help you with something?” Lily asked. “I’m looking for Trevor Pack,” the woman said. “I think he may be my brother.” Lily sized up the other woman. Interesting way she had of introducing herself. “Do you always visit potential relatives by slipping in through the back, private entrance? Why didn’t you go in through the store?” The other woman smiled. “Let’s just say that I wanted to have the advantage, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. When I came back here, though, I didn’t expect to find someone – you – doing yoga. Are you my brother’s girlfriend or something?” “Or something,” Lily said, stepping forward. Despite her initial uneasiness, she thought she could really like this woman. She seemed uneasy, actually quite jumpy, but Lily sensed that was more because she’d been raised not to trust others, rather than her initial impressions of Lily. She possessed a subtle confidence, as if she could stand on her own. No, Lily didn’t “sense” anything from her still; it was just her impression of the young woman. And from what Trevor had told Lily and Lawrence about Silver, she might have had a hard time growing up. Lily, unfortunately, knew too much about that. She moved toward her, and Silver got a look of wariness in her eyes, as if she wanted to bolt, and run from the situation. Must run in the blood, Lily thought, as she slipped her arm around Silver’s shoulders and guided her toward the house. “It’s all right, I’m Lily,” she soothed. Unsure if it would make any difference, she willed a sense of calmness into the other woman. “And you must be Silver. Trev will be very happy to meet you, finally.” ****

Trevor stared into the storage room. Once again, the room closed in on him. How was he going to cope with confined spaces when his were side wanted to gain dominance? It was daytime, and the full moon was still a week away, yet his body ached for a good run. He wanted to stretch out his limbs and smell the wildness within the air. Growing up, Trevor always ran track, and did quite well. At that time, he had no idea of his true nature. All he did know is that he felt much better when he was outdoors, rather than trapped inside. Only recently had their happy twosome become a threesome. The closeness of their family with Lawrence and Lily made Trevor even more aware of not having anyone of his own. Seeing Lily with her mother, made him think of the death of his mom even more. So he’d decided to visit the adoption agency where Silver had gone once again. Like the time before, he slipped in during the middle of the night, and checked her file. For the first time, all the extra information was gone, which could only mean one thing: She’d received it. He had no idea when. For that, he might have to actually meet with a live person. Instead, all he knew was that she knew – she knew that he existed. Finally, after all these years, a reunion with his sister had become a possibility. After he’d seen her in the cemetery a few days ago, it was all he could think about. He kept returning to his mother’s grave, sometimes a few times a day, hoping to get a glimpse of Silver again. That day, it was like he’d been drawn to the grounds, he absolutely knew something was happening. It was a feeling he’d had a few times over the years, always accompanied by a sense of needing to help another. But he never knew what to attribute it to. And then, when he saw her in the arms of those thugs, he knew instantly who she was, and why he’d been called at that time. From the look on her face, she clearly recognized him, too. How he wished their first encounter hadn’t taken place in such a manner. If they could have met over coffee, or an O’Brian’s Hurricane. No, a freaking cemetery and he hadn’t been able to control his anger in the face of her danger; he’d shifted. Probably scared her more than half to death.

If she knew he was alive, the immediate question was why hadn’t she contacted him yet. Obviously, because he was a werewolf, and she was afraid of him. He picked up a box of books that needed to be unpacked, inventoried and shelved, and headed back into the store. One thing to keep his mind off problems, and that was good, old-fashioned, and backbreaking work. Visibility was tight, so he walked the aisle by memory and using the shelves themselves as a guide. When he reached the end, in his peripheral vision, he saw two women – Lily, and was that Silver? Without thinking, he dropped the box, which landed on his foot. “Shit,” he screamed, grabbing his already throbbing foot and hopping around like an idiot. After slowing to a limping circle, he stopped and looked at his watchers. “Hi.” “Are you all right?” Lily rushed forward, and started to pick up the spilled books. Silver stood there, staring at him. After a lifetime of wondering, here she was right in front of him, and he couldn’t think of a thing to say. He smiled, and hoped it didn’t look like a grimace, and then wrapped his arms around her in a hug. “I’m so glad that you came, little sister.” His heart broke and mended within seconds. So much they missed together, but today started a new day. She continued to hold her body stiff, and he released her. “It was you who saved me in the cemetery, right?” she asked. “The wolf?” He watched her expressions with caution. Or maybe not. The store was empty, the reason he used the downtime to stock shelves. “Yes,” he said. He’d learned the lesson of not offering up information that wasn’t asked. “Are you’re some sort of Other, then?” she glanced at Lily, sizing her up, too. “Do you prey on humans like vampires?” “Not all vampires are evil,” Lily interjected. “Just like not all humans are good.”

Trevor rubbed his forehead, wishing again that he could start the conversation all over. It seemed that nothing would be easy when it came to family, and that included Silver. “Listen, you have a lot of questions and that’s to be expected,” he reasoned, “but let’s not start off wrong, here. I’m not evil, and I don’t ‘prey’ on anybody, and I know some vampires extremely well, and as Lily said, they’re not all the same.” “Do you know anything about how I was raised? By a preacher who hates all Others, especially vampires,” she stopped, and looked a bit uncertain what to say next. Trevor waited, after living with Lily for only a few months, he’d recognized the signs. It looked like Silver was on a roll. “My boyfriend’s a hunter. He rids this city and the world of bloodsuckers.” “Boyfriend? My mate is a vampire,” Trev said, forcefully, stepping forward. “And I know intimately that he’s not evil. He wouldn’t hurt another soul, purposely.” “Your lover is a vampire?” Silver spit the word out like a burnt pumpkin seed. If her tone of voice wasn’t obvious enough, the look of disgust on her face reinforced what she thought of the situation. In a scene reminiscent of the living dead in films or on television, Lawrence stepped out from the darkened aisle from the back of the store. “Did someone say ‘vampire?’” He dropped his fangs and hissed. In all the time that Lily had been with him, she’d never seen him react that way. Partially, she thought he was doing it for effect. Showing off his bad self. “You didn’t tell me that your dear little sister was a vampire slayer,” Law said between gritted teeth. “Do they call you the Silver slayer?” Lily sympathized with Trevor. He stood between the two, with his arms outstretched, one palm gracing the chests of each loved one. “Enough,” he said with enough force to quiet the room. Emotions ran so high that waves of fear, hate, and confusion pulsed at Lily from all sides, and her senses neared the tilt mode. She hadn’t lost control in the past few months either. Once she reached that age of maturity at 30, and fulfilled her sexual identity,

she’d been able to reign in her paranormal powers and keep the electrically charged chaos under control. Now, though, it could be blown apart oh so easily. “I didn’t think that it would be an issue,” Trevor said. He turned to face Silver. “I didn’t know that you killed vamps your spare time. Even if I did, Law has taken out more than his fair share of vampires in his lifetime, too. That’s how we met.” Nodding toward Lawrence. “Remember?” “Yeah, but there’s a difference,” Lawrence retorted. “I only kill the bad ones.” “In my book, they’re all bad, and need to die,” Silver said. The crescendo of emotion built like a tidal wave, and crashed against Lily’s defenses. She heard herself cry out, and then the room went black and she knew no more.

Chapter Seven When Lily woke, she lay in the darkened bedroom. Her head pounded, and she tried to sit up. The pain escalated, and she cried out, holding onto her temples and willing the throbbing to go away. “Lay still, and it shouldn’t hurt as much,” a voice said from the other side of the room. She turned her head in that direction, and the tenderness within her brain rolled with her movement. “Lawrence?” she asked in a voice barely above a whisper. The shadowed figure stood, and came toward her. “Yes, it’s me.” “What happened?” “If I had to guess, I’d say you short-circuited your brain,” he said. “In the past, you might have sent out an electrical surge through the air. This time, you kept it all internal. The power had nowhere to go.” His explanation made sense. “The last thing I remember is everyone fighting and being angry. It was too much.” “You could say that again. Now that you know how to control your powers, we’ll need to find another way for you to channel your energy. You can’t simply suppress it all the time. It’s not working.” She attempted to nod, only to be met with punishment for her actions. “How long was I out for?” “About three hours,” Lawrence said. “Let me help you sit up.” Gently, Law slipped an arm beneath Lily’s back, and then lifted her into a sitting position, propped up with a slew of fluffy pillows. Amazing how her head barely twinged when she wasn’t doing the actions herself. She sighed in contentment. “Get used to your new position. I’ll go heat up some soup for you.” Her stomach rumbled at the mere mention of food, but she wasn’t quite sure of it indicated hunger or nausea. “I’m not sure if I’m hungry right now,” she explained.

“Something light. You’ll need to eat something if you’re going to take a few pain relievers, and something tells me you’re going to want those before the night’s over.” “Right again. Guess I better learn not to argue with a wizened vampire.” He switched on the sconces on the opposite wall, casting a mellow glow to the room that didn’t aggravate her eyes. “Wait,” she called, before he left the room. “Where’s Trevor?” “He’s been talking with Silver, and he should be back soon.” “Your brother’s a werewolf, and his companion is a vampire, and you went to see them without me?” Nick asked. “Nothing happened,” Silver said, crossing her arms over her chest. He shouldn’t make her feel stupid for what she’d done. “Because you were lucky,” he said. “Anything else you want to tell me?” “They also live with a woman named Lily. You know, like the three of them together,” she admitted. Nick narrowed his eyes, creating deep lines between his eyebrows. “Interesting. And is she some sort of creature, too? Let me guess, a goblin?” He waved his hand in a circle, as if performing a magic trick of pulling a rabbit out of hat. “I don’t know. She didn’t say, but she’s not a vampire. That’s for sure. She was outside in full daylight.” “Well good to know that your brother only lives with one creature from hell.” Silver cringed under the venomous nature of his words. After meeting with Trevor, and his unconventional family, she called Nick. She understood where Nick was coming from, but if she was going to be honest with him, Lawrence didn’t seem all that bad, especially for a vampire. OK, sure, he had those pointed teeth and all, but he hadn’t launched himself at her, or tried to hypnotize her. No, he’d made her tea, with honey, and then went to sit next to Lily’s bedside to make sure she was all right. Hardly seemed like the antics of a soulless creature of the night. But, she wasn’t ready to tell Nick all that yet. He really wouldn’t get it.

“Silver, remind me again why it was so important to find your birth family? Couldn’t you be happy with the family that raised you?” Talk about slicing open her jugular. Nick didn’t hold back any punches, and instead went in for the kill. She looked around the wide-open space surrounding Jackson Square. On the other side of the fence lay a gorgeous garden. During the day, anyone was free to explore. At night, they kept it locked to the public. “You know that legend has it that Jackson Square is haunted by a number of ghosts, including cats,” she said. “Ghost cats, please,” he said, the disdain evident in his voice. She looked into the vast darkness, and spied some glowing eyes. “Look, over there,” she pointed. “There’s a cat.” He followed where she indicated. “So, there’s a cat. Of course, a park will have wild cats at night. I’m sure there also are wild mice for them to chase.” “The thing is, though, none of those cats are ever seen during the daytime, only at night.” He looked at her, as if waiting for her to continue on. “And …” “Nothing. Are you always so serious?” She got up from the bench, and crossed the divide between them, placing her hand against his chest. She’d lied when she told Trevor that Nick was her boyfriend. She wanted him to be. But, what to call him, her crush? He laid his hand over hers, and brought it down but he didn’t let go. “Silver, we’re talking about something serious here, that concerns your safety. And then you start talking about haunted parks and ghost cats. I can ask you a similar question, can’t you ever be serious?” The touch of his hand against hers distracted her. She could barely concentrate on his words. She stared at his lips, watching them move but not really taking in what he was saying. She wanted him to kiss her. She wanted to kiss him. Finally, tired of waiting for him to make whatever move was going to happen next, she raised herself up and placed her mouth over his.

He grew still, and she increased the pressure, parting her lips the slightest bit. So cold on this winter night, but the warmth between them increased quickly. Right when she decided she might be doing the wrong thing, he wrapped his other arm around her waist and held her tight against him. His tongue slivered out, teasing her mouth open. She moaned at the contact, almost ticklish and definitely pleasurable. Their breathing intensified, and finally he broke free. “What was that all about?” he asked. “I’ve been wanting that for a long time,” Silver said, “and it seemed like you were never going to shut up.” He dropped her hand, and slid both of his into her thick hair, pulling her in closer. “And I’ve been wanting to do this,” he said. Ravished. As his lips aggressively sought hers, and his fingers massaged the back of her scalp, that’s the only word that she could think of to describe what he was doing. He wanted her, and he was taking her. But, she wasn’t complaining. Oh, no. This moment felt better than any other experience she’d had. The hardness of him pressed against her belly, and she longed to reach between them and caress its length. She knew that his common sense fought against his physical urges, and this chemistry between them had been winning the battle. She didn’t want to scare him off. The thought almost made her laugh aloud. Scare him away? With how powerful he was, what could she ever do to scare him? “We shouldn’t be doing this. Your brother would kill me if he knew.” “No, that would be his vampire lover,” she joked. “I didn’t mean the werewolf brother, I meant Jude…the brother you grew up with.” “Oh,” she said, nipping on his lower lip. “Do we care what he thinks?” She noticed a slight hesitation before he answered her. “I care,” he said.

“The question is, who do you care about more?” Silver asked, figuring go for it, and slipping her hand between their bodies, and grabbing his cock through his jeans. “Who do you want more?” “Oh, fuck,” he moaned, arching his hips away from her. “You don’t know what you’re doing to me.” “Oh, I know. But do you really want me to stop?” “No, but if we keep this up here, we’re just going to end up getting arrested for indecency. It’s getting late,” he said, giving her a kiss on the tip of her nose. “I better get you home before your parents get too worried.” “About that,” Silver replied. “Trevor asked me to move in with him, and I said yes.”

Chapter Eight “Shit, do you always think only of yourself?” Lawrence’s muscles tightened as if he was getting ready to fight. “What’s your problem tonight?” Trevor asked. He stood with his feet outstretched, balanced in a defensive mode. For lovers, he was amazed at how quickly they distrusted each other to protect themselves. Was it habit? “You, you’re my problem. You always think of yourself. Right now, it’s Silver and what you’re going to do with her, and what she’s going to think of you, and the choices you’ve made,” Lawrence lashed out. “Well, what about me and what about Lily? Silver’s with a hunter, who kills vampires! And you’re worried about what she might think?” “I wouldn’t let anything happen to either you or Lily,” Trevor said. “Hopefully, you know that by now, upon my honor.” Lawrence shook his head. The young could be thick-skulled at times. “That isn’t the point. The point is that you’re so focused on what she may think, and you don’t even take into consideration what we may think. Here, we’ve just let Lily into our lives, and you’re off running around with another woman …” “She’s my sister!” Trevor said. “It’s not that I’m fucking her at all hours of the night.” “You just don’t get it.” Lawrence let out an exasperated sigh, and threw up his hands. “Even if you are here physically, you’re not here with us mentally. You are off somewhere else.” A determined look set over Trevor’s face. “Well, I’m sor-ry if I have a life outside of you. I know that’s what you want – for my world to completely revolve around you, but that’s not going to happen. It’s never going to happen.” All of the yelling must have caught Lily’s attention because she came charging into the room like it was on fire, or as if the demon Ari was chasing her once again. As soon as she arrived, though, she stood there momentarily looking around, and then turning to them.

“What’s all the ruckus about?” She stood with her hands on her hips, as if two naughty boys had just interrupted something incredibly important, maybe even a nap. Something tugged within Lawrence’s dead chest – surely it wasn’t his heart, but some phantom pain. The way she looked at them made him think about how she’d be as a mother, as if this moment was foreshadowing the future. With her loving and protective nature, Lawrence knew that she’d make a good one. “Trevor’s being an …” “Lawrence is being an …” “… ass.” They both talked over each other. Trevor’s face turned bright red, and Lawrence wasn’t sure if it was fury or laughter. Giggles erupted from Lily, and she threw a hand up over her mouth to stifle her laughter. “Do you two realize how silly you seem right now?” she asked. “Really. What is this all about?” With a sigh, Trevor set out to explain. “Law said that I’m focusing too much on Silver, and our relationship, and forgetting about other obligations.” “That’s only partially true,” Law interjected. “I said you need to think about other things that may come up. What are we going to do if Nick decides that he’s going to stake me, despite being partnered with his girlfriend’s brother?” “You know I wouldn’t let him do that,” Trevor said, getting riled up again. “True,” Law said, pausing purposely for effect. He sauntered toward the balcony, opening the doors and letting in the New Orleans night. How he loved this temperate climate. He turned back around, flashing his fangs. “But will you let me kill him?” “Lawrence Marcus Justice,” Lily exclaimed, using his full name. “You take that back. There will be no killing going on around here, and no talk about killing either, you got that?” Law cringed beneath the power of her words. Here he had 150 years on her, and she still wielded the power in the household. “I wouldn’t set out to kill him,” he explained. “It would be more like self-preservation, or protecting our family.”

“Well, I’ll hear none of it.” Trevor looked a bit smug at Lily’s outburst. “Guess that’s settled, then,” he said. “So if we’re done here …” “We are not done here,” Law bellowed, pointing his finger at Trev. “He invited Silver to come live with us, and odds are she’ll bring that killer with her.” “Oh, Trevor, you did what?” Lily asked. “We barely know her. How did she go from someone who’s supposed to be an ‘average’ human to someone who hunts the paranormal? I don’t understand the jump. And how can you bring that into the house?” “I’ve got to give her a chance,” Trevor said. “I think it’s something within Silver’s DNA that called out to her – that innate desire to run free, to commune with nature and the Others. She probably has been drawn to the circles of paranormal. That natural curiosity, combined with being raised by her preacher father, twisted her mind first. She doesn’t understand why she’s drawn to Others. The connection scares her.” Slowly, Lawrence began to clap. “Now you’re a closet psychologist? Reading into her subconscious decisions?” “Don’t push me,” Trevor said, and moved to bump his chest against Lawrence’s much taller form. “You’ve had your say. You have no idea what it feels like. I need to watch over her before her first shift. What if something happens without her knowing, when she’s with him? In that case, the hunter may become the hunted. And I can’t lose her again.” “We all know how you handle potential separation, and loss, don’t we? And, if you don’t remember, we have plenty of unfinished business with Madame Teresa, which I have you to thank for.” “For crying out loud. That again?” “What do you mean, ‘that again?’ You don’t owe a favor to a high priestess of Voodoo. You don’t have to dig up a dead Queen’s bones.” “You want some bones? I can find you bones. What else am I good for as a wolf?” Trevor responded.

What the hell? How had a simple conversation get so out of control and escalate to this point? Trevor was about to walk out on them, and this time, Lawrence didn’t feel like chasing after him. He turned back toward the balcony, wishing for a little bit of freedom. Tonight would be a good night to roam the streets and work off some of his excessive anger and energy. Then again, if he was alone he wouldn’t be having it in the first place. A soft warm hand touched his shoulder and Law turned around to see Lily standing there, a concerned look on her face. “Whatever is going on here, we can work this out,” she said, and then she poured herself into his arms, infusing her energy with his. Almost instantly, a sense of peace flowed over Lawrence, and he tucked her head into his chest, looking over the top of her head to Trevor. For a moment, Trevor looked even more forlorn, as if he was being forgotten or left out. “Come join us,” Law invited him. Lily turned from Law, reaching out toward Trevor. He took her hand, and she pulled him closer to them. The three of them stood that way for a few moments, quiet, feeding off each other’s energy, and reminding each other of why they were together. Now that Lily had come into her powers, one of her strengths was this equalization of energy. For living with two hot-headed Others, they needed something to calm them down. Who knew that having her in their lives would have such added benefits? “I’m sorry,” Trevor said. “I didn’t mean to cause any added stress to our lives. I know that Silver is pretty much an unknown entity, a wild card, but she’s also family. I’ve been looking for her my entire life and now that she’s here, I can’t turn her away.” Lily’s wide-open and honest eyes turned toward Law. The ball was now in his court. “I’m not asking for you to shut her out,” Law said, “but you should have thought a bit more before bringing a stranger into our house. Consulted us. Now, Nick knows where we live, and they both know that I’m a vampire.”

“But he doesn’t know I’m a witch,” Lily said, with a wicked smile of her own. “Good,” Law interjected, weighing the options. “And, let’s keep it that way. It’ll be safer for all of us.” “It seems that right now, we don’t have a choice,” Lily continued. “It would be safer to have them here, under our roof, where we knew what they were doing. Don’t you think?” Damn. Again, Lily proved right. “Fine. She moves in.”

Chapter Nine With her bags packed, the sense of leaving became even more final. A lifetime contained within a few duffle bags. She looked around the room that she shared with her younger sister, Liz, and wondered if she’d ever really lived in the house. Being there always felt temporary. Most of the decorations were ones that her parents had approved. They never allowed posters of bands, or teen heartthrobs. They thought that they’d hidden that “side” of life from the kids, but Silver knew that Liz kept a few issues of Tiger Beat tucked between her mattress and box spring just like teen boys hide Playboy and other nudie magazines from their parents. Picking up on her cues, Nick rubbed her back in a reassuring manner and then picked up the bags. From the desk, Silver lifted the crate with odds and ends, the fragile pieces that couldn’t be thrown together. Her father waited out in the hallway. Beyond, in the doorway of the master bedroom, stood her mother sobbing. “So this is it?” her father asked. “You’re just going to move out of here against our wishes, as if you don’t care anymore?” “Sam, I’m always going to be thankful for the home that you and Sue gave me, but we both know that it’s time to move on.” “What? Just because that sick-o brother of yours and his gay partner invite you to live with them, we’re no longer good enough?” “I told you, I want to get to know my brother, Trevor is his name. He’s in a long-term relationship with another man, and they’re both committed to Lily.” If he only knew the true story, that Lawrence was a vampire who’d lived in the city for more than one hundred and fifty years. Preacher Sam probably would lock her in the room, and never let her out again. “Just not natural,” Tom muttered to himself, but obviously loud enough for Silver to hear, too. ‘”Sometimes it’s better not to criticize what you’ll probably never understand,” Silver said. She looked toward her mother,

who only shook her head, and then entered the bedroom and shut the door. A heavy sadness settled in her heart. These were the only parents she had ever known; yet, even they had held her at a distance. She’d been raised to call them by their first names, while her siblings who were their “real” blood called them mom and dad. Always a reminder that she wasn’t really their daughter. Nick stepped up next to Silver, towering over Tom. “I’ll also be around to watch over her Mr. Ashe.” Her father looked Nick over, from toe to the top of his head, as if he were seeing him in a new light. “I had thought better of you, too, Nicholas Stake. Thought you were raised to know better, and to treat a young lady right.” Even in the darkened hallway, Silver saw Nick blush—most likely not from embarrassment but anger. “And sometimes if you love someone, you need to support their choices, despite your own views on the subject,” Nick said. His use of the word “love” sent flutters through Silver’s stomach. Could he possibly mean her when he talked of love, or was he simply referring to the feelings of her father? “Something’s different about you boy,” Sam said. “You’d normally listen to reason.” “Sorry to disappoint you, sir, but right now Silver needs to do this, and I’m supporting her.” With a final look at her father, Silver took Nick’s hand and stepped by him. Downstairs, she hugged her little sister Liz goodbye, and promised to visit soon. Maybe they couldn’t get together here at the house, but Silver could always visit her at school or meet up someplace else. Her older brother Jude stood off to the side, as if warningly listening to the proceedings happening upstairs. “Sounds like they took you moving out well,” he said, coming forward. “Yeah, you know how they are,” Silver said. “As I said, it sounds like they took it well.” His expression took on a more serious note. “So you’ll be all right?”

She nodded her head, yes, and the tears sprung from her eyes. While her parents kept her at a distance, Jude always protected her. He wrapped his arms around her, giving her the hug that she wished she had gotten upstairs. She shifted the box in her arms to one side, and sank into his safety. “Now just because you discovered some long-lost big brother, don’t forget that you have another one, you hear me?” he said. She nodded in agreement. “Never, and you come visit anytime you want.” He let her go, and then directed his attention to Nick. “And, dude, you better treat my sister right or you know that I can kick your ass.” Nick laughed at his best friend’s not-so-subtle threat. “Are you OK with this?” Nick asked. Jude shrugged. “Do I have a say in what happens?” “Not really,” Nick replied. For good measure, Jude threw a punch into Nick’s arm. Moving quickly, Nick side-stepped the punch, and caught Jude’s fist. Jude raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Someone’s been training.” “That I have.” The two shook hands. Nick opened the door, and Silver stepped out, taking in the stillness of the January evening. A sense of freedom and new adventures flowed through her body. Across the street, she caught a silhouette and she turned her head in that direction slightly, taking in the build and posture. Trevor. Just waiting and making sure all was right with her departure. He stepped back into encroaching night, and disappeared.

Chapter Ten Love. The feeling so unique and new, yet a warmth totally enveloped Lily. Her two men loved her, and she couldn’t live without them either. Who knew? For someone who had gone so long in life – almost until the age of 30 – without knowing that feeling, it was totally new. Sometimes she felt like she was experimenting with a new sport, learning how to ride a snowboard or a JetSki, and didn’t have an instructor. That assessment itself wasn’t totally fair. Both Lawrence and Trevor had helped her through the initial “what the fuck is happening” stages. To be honest, Lawrence more so than Trevor. Trevor didn’t vocalize what he was thinking. He didn’t quite know what to do with his emotions. It seemed his gut reaction to adversity was to run, and run he did. At the first sign of disturbance, he was out of there. Well, unless it really counted like saving Lawrence’s life, and taking his dead body to a Voodoo priestess to reanimate. She shuddered at the thought of what had actually happened a few months before when the demon had kidnapped her. Lily sat at her vanity table, brushing her hair and luxuriating at the lush thickness. Had her hair always been so red, and so thick? She didn’t think so. Maybe it was another pleasant side effect of coming into her full witch-dom. It had to be good for something besides tapping into the unwanted feelings of others, and being able to explode items when she grew angry enough. Yes, she was still trying to get it all under control. For the most part, she no longer could be considered a walking danger zone. “Are you in there?” Lawrence called out. He stood in the doorway, watching her at the vanity table, and just his look alone set her loins on fire. Without looking at the clock, she knew what time it must be: Sunset, and Lawrence’s wake-up time. Unlike mythology concerning vampires, Lawrence could stay awake during the daytime. No, he wasn’t his full self with total abilities, and he couldn’t stroll out in the midday sun, but he didn’t fall dead to the world asleep either.

All that said, if Law slept through the day he ended up better off. Recharged. Energized, and more alert when the sun went down. Hormonally, it was almost as if her body clock had started to know instinctively what time it was. Almost like waking up at the same time every morning, or keeping the same circadian rhythms despite how much she preferred to break some old habits. “Silver should be here soon, right?” he said. “Are you worried about what’s going to happen?” Law crossed the room to stand behind her. It was strange to know he was there, but not to see his reflection in the mirror. He dipped his fingers under the silken tendrils of her hair and caressed the back of Lily’s neck. Chills spun liquid gold sensations down her spine, and shot out through her extremities. The hairs on her arm stood alert, each molecule of her body craving physical attention from her vampire lover. Some part of her knew that she’d grown addicted to his touch, but the other, more wild part questioned: what the harm? They belonged together. The only thing that made them even more complete was Trevor, and right now he seemed to be having some sort of crisis within his life. He hadn’t been around much over the past week and something told Lily that if she didn’t reach out shortly, and try to figure out what was happening, he soon would be gone … for good. “Change is always hard,” Lily said. “Most often it works out for the best.” “You don’t sound convinced,” Law said, desire blossoming in his eyes. “I think you need some reassurance before they arrive.” Anticipation trembled through Lily. The past week, there’d been too many distractions, for all of them: Trevor had his sister, Lawrence was worried about the rogue vampires and what Nick might do in their home, and Lily couldn’t stop thinking about her mother. “I’m sure you have some activity in mind,” she teased. A door opened down the hall of their bedroom. “Looks like our wayward lover is back home again,” Lawrence said.

Trevor stood in the doorway, watching their exchange. Shadows of worry or lack of sleep lined his eyes, but he was smiling. “Well, Silver’s packed and out of the house.” He looked at his watch. “She might stop off on her way here, but they should be here within an hour.” “Plenty of time,” Lawrence said. He took Lily’s hand and led her over to the loveseat. He sat behind her, holding her firmly against him with one arm around her waist. With the other, he lifted her skirts further up, granting Trevor an unobstructed view of her most-private area. “What do you think, Trev, do we have time for one quick session before we lose the privacy of our home?” Lawrence punctuated his question, with gentle strokes under her skirt, down the inside of her thighs. “Oh, yes,” she sighed, focusing on the here and very much now. “I think we need to teach her a lesson,” Lawrence continued, “One where she won’t soon forget the positive side effects to having two lovers.” “Hmmm, good idea,” Trevor said, stripping himself of his clothes. “What do you say, Lily, you’ve been such a naughty, neglectful girl. Do you give yourself to us, and trust us?” Law asked. His mere words caused her sex to throb, while her mind jumped back to the first time the three of them made love, and how Lawrence had asked something very similar. She nodded her head yes. “Can you help rid her of these blasted underthings?” Law all but growled against her neck, before turning his attentions to her. “Where have you missed us the most, my pretty?” He trailed his teeth along the side of her neck, sending an electric sensation through her body. “Here?” “Yes.” Hands slipped between her legs, pushing her thighs further apart and opening up her pussy. A puff of warm air flowed over her clit, and she opened her eyes in time to see Trevor kneeling on the

floor, about to lap up her increasing fluids. As the coarseness of his tongue rasped over her most sensitive button of nerves, her hips bucked upward. “No escaping from our loving,” Law said, holding her more steady. With her head tilted back, he kissed her, claiming her mouth as Trevor lapped at her nether lips. With the knowledge that she ultimately didn’t have control in this game, the pleasure ratcheted up. God, how she wanted to be filled by them, be fucked by both of them simultaneously, taking them in as much as she possibly could. Feel their cocks rub against each other internally. Her breathing increased, and she drew in air from Lawrence. He didn’t need to breathe in order to live, but he could act as a conduit for her. Just when she meant to break free of his mouth and beg to be entered, a finger slipped inside her wetness, a second one stretched her out even further, and then both removed. Soon, one teased the outer rim of her ass, and she willed herself to open. No matter how many times she’d been taken this way, she always had to accommodate her lovers. She entwined her fingers in Trevor’s hair, and held him against her. She loved her pussy being licked. The thought alone made Lily blush. A proper girl didn’t do such things. Good thing Lily wasn’t raised with a proper family. Her mother ended up off in the depths of hell with a demon, and her foster families weren’t much better off. One of the best things about being with two men—if one tongue got tired, there always was a second one to take over. Not that there ever really was a need to get to that point. Spread her legs, put a hunky man between them, and Lily instantly became ready to go. Trevor’s facial hair caused a bit of an uproar in the household. In all the time he’d been with Lawrence, he hadn’t sported a goatee, but with all the chaos of the past few months, he’d been stretching his claws. And the newfangled hair seemed to be an offshoot of that.

Lily didn’t know what to think about the new addition. Well, outside of the bedroom. Inside, their inner walls, though, it titillated, and that was a good thing. Trevor tucked between her legs, rubbing his chin against her clit. She shivered, giggling, a sound that wasn’t always heard in the boudoir. “Do you like that?” he asked. “You know I do.” He kept his arms propped on her inner legs, so even if she wanted to close them up tight, she had no choice. Lawrence slipped into bed behind her and the headboard, taking her upper body in his arms, so she leaned against his welldefined chest. She tilted her head upward, gazing first into the love of his eyes and then settling in for a kiss. The moment his lips touched hers, his tongue touched hers, Trevor settled his mouth over her clit and began to tease her sex. Law reached around her, cupping a breast and erotically twirling a nipple slowly between his fingers. The sensations set her off, every inch of skin alit as her two lovers focused all their energy on her. Law’s arousal pressed into her back, and she moaned into his mouth. Further down, Trev rested one hand on her mound, pulling back a little on the skin, exposing her delicate hood and he continued to feast. He slipped a few fingers inside of her, and she raised against his hand. So good. The pressure wound tightly inside her body made her tremble with want. She wanted to come, to ride out the pleasure. Hungrily, she sucked at Law’s mouth, willing him to push her further into the abyss. He released her mouth, moving down to lick the lobe of her ear, and then blowing on it, sending quivers throughout the upper part of her body, which joined up with those from below. His mouth grazed her jawline, teasing, knowing what she wanted by the arch of her neck, how she offered her lifeblood for him to take. “Please.” Lily heard herself say. “Take me.” And that’s all it took, before Law sunk his delicious teeth into the sensitive juncture of her neck, drawing his sustenance and replacing it with a feeling of ecstasy.

A rush, like soaring fast over the great Mississippi, swirled through her body, as the first current of orgasm overtook her. Trev continued to stretch out her pleasure, and Law gently lapped at her neck, closing the marks and soothing her soul. She lay limp within their arms, her body, mind and heart filled with satisfaction. Law placed a soft kiss on her lips and Trev shifted his weight to come even with them, lazily trailing his fingers up her stomach, sending more shivers. “Je t’adore,” Law said, smoothing back her hair. She didn’t quite know exactly what he said, but she captured that word, “adore.” Her eyelids drooped, and sleep threatened to overtake her. It had been quite the day. “Looks like we wore someone out,” Trevor purred. “What are we to do?” “Luckily, we know how to entertain ourselves, don’t we love?” Law said, shifting Lily over onto her side, with her head resting on the loveseat’s cushion. “No worries, dearest, our wolf-boy and I may just have some of our own fun.” She curled her legs in, and smiled at the thought. Watching her two men together did something altogether different to her. While with her they tended to be soft and gentle, with each other? Watch out: they liked to play rough. “You don’t mind, do you?” Trevor asked. “Not at all,” Lily said. “Enjoy.” Her two lovers crossed the room, and stretched out on the bed. Part of Lily’s mind thought about how long Trev and Law had been together. She was new, the interloper in this relationship. Still, she didn’t feel threatened. A strong bond existed between the three of them. They hadn’t experienced a power play of roles – well, not outside of the bedroom. The sexual energy level within the bedroom spiked, as the two men lay entwined. Lawrence’s long, lanky body, enveloping Trevor’s more compact one. Light and tan. Cool and warm. She liked looking at the contrasts, and knowing their kind hearts. Law tended to be the dominant lover. The one in charge, between the two. It must be hard to get past his detailed experience

on earth, Lily thought. What would it be like to reverse the tables on him? Suddenly, Lily wasn’t feeling quite so tired anymore. The prospect of watching Trev take Lawrence woke her up, and turned her on anew. She didn’t have to ask. She knew that she could join in at anytime. She approached the bed, moving behind Law, and gliding her hands up his curvaceous ass, kneading it and then pressing her bare breasts against his back. He growled in response, pressing back into her. She reached around his body, touching Trev on the other side, and locking gazes for a moment with the were. Desire flared in his enlarged pupils, and his nostrils widened as he took in the aroma of their mating. “I want you to fuck me Law. I want to feel you inside me, while Trev takes you …” She left her request out there, testing the bedroom waters. His body tensed against hers. Would her vampire lover take a nibble? “I’m game,” Trevor said. He repositioned himself, from under Lawrence. “Pushing my limits now, are you?” Lawrence took a hold of Lily, and brought her down on the bed. He forced her back on the sheets with a predatory look in his eyes. “What do I get if I say yes?” Already slick from her pleasures minutes before, Lily angled herself up, letting Lawrence plunge into her depths. “All that you want,” she said. Behind Lawrence, Trevor positioned himself. Lawrence grunted his agreement, and the next time he stroked upward, Trev sank his cock in. “Oh, so fucking tight. It’s been too long,” Trevor said. The pressure of Trevor slamming into Lawrence sent him further into Lily. Harder. They developed a rhythm of well-known lovers, reading each other’s tell-tale signs. Each fueling the other higher, until bliss.

Chapter Eleven Trevor greeted them at the storefront, jingling his keys as he unlocked the glass doors of Pages. “Welcome, come on in,” he said a bit out of breath, but cheerful. “Excuse me, I’m a little late opening up tonight.” “That’s fine,” Silver said. “I’m sure you were busy.” She stifled a laugh, knowing that if she looked at Nick she’d lose it. By the looks of Trevor’s hair, more like getting busy. The other inhabitants must not have felt like putting out the welcoming wagon. He instructed them to go upstairs, and unpack and he’d be up later. Alone. In her own bedroom. With a man. Silver wasn’t used to having privacy. When she’d been small, she shared a room with her older brother. When he grew a bit older, they moved to a larger place where he could have his own room, and by then her little sister had come along. Such a gorgeous room, with its lush blue bedspread. She opened the curtains, and took in the balcony. The room overhung the main street. After cracking open the doors for some fresh air, she placed her meager belongings into the drawers and on the dresser. Nick sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her as if he knew she was processing everything new. She pulled out her few dresses, and a jacket, and hung them in the closet. On the bottom went her shoes. For good measure, she took off the pair she wore. Extra blankets and pillows stacked on the top shelf, and it looked like the men kept their formal wear in there – tuxedos. She briefly wondered how often they wore them enough to own them, and then shut the slotted-wood door, running her finger along one of the pieces. An inventory of the room showed one more door to be explored. She gasped at the size of the bathroom with its sunken tub and glass shower. And this was the guest room? Toiletries went on the counter, and she went back into the main room. Now what? Pitiful how little time that took.

“Come here,” Nick said, patting the side of the bed. “How come you look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders?” She leaned into him, and he massaged the tenseness from her neck. “Relax,” he said. “Let me make you feel good.” With her eyes shut, she concentrated on the anxiety leaving her body. His hot breath warmed the back of her neck, and he placed a light kiss there. His touch felt nice, but she wanted more. They might have only been courting this new relationship for a few weeks, but they’d known each for a long time. “Off,” she said, yanking at his T-shirt. “I want to see you.” In one swift movement, he lifted it up and over his head. She ran her hands across his muscled chest, languishing in its perfect sculptures. He wasn’t overly muscle bound. His tall frame gifted him with a long shapely curvature that she traced with her fingertips. And his upper arms and shoulder looked even better. He leaned down, kissing her and pushing her back down. He unbuttoned her shirt, leaving it open. All of Silver’s senses tingled. She wanted to remember this moment forever. She hadn’t quite noticed it before, but the room smelled like ripened apples, and she leaned in closer to Nick to get a whiff of his neck. Not him. What was it? He trailed his hand up the inside of her shirt, across her stomach, closer to her sternum, and circled the outer edges of her bra. “Are you sure that you want to do this?” he asked. “More than anything,” Silver replied. “I’ve wanted you for so long. I don’t want to stop now.” His skin was a rich brown, golden almost, and homage to his Creole background. And such a contrast to her own fair skin. Passion pulled down his eyelids – heavy with lust. Their hazel color glowed a magical hue that told her that he wanted her just as much. The bulge in his jeans only accented that point. So much of her life had been spent without anybody, without any real form of love. To gain so much in such a short amount of time. Her mind reeled with the possibilities, and what it could pos-

sibly mean in the long-run. If she didn’t grab this moment, though, she knew that it may not come at a later time. Life didn’t wait for the individual. The individual had to grab the moment when it came by. And, she was holding on with both hands, and all of her strength. He seemed to hesitate, and she’d be having none of that. She scooted down, bringing her knee up to brush against his crotch. Certainly by what he kept constrained within his pants, he wanted her. Now, she had to make sure that he took her. Reaching between them, she ran the palm of her hand over his straining cock. “Come here,” she said, guiding him up by his ready member. As he kissed her, Nick groaned, and Silver began to realize some of the power that she held as a woman. His mind may be telling him one thing, and suggesting that he hold back, but his body certainly wanted something else. As their kiss deepened, she memorized his scent. She never noticed that spicy mixture in the past. Right now, she thought that if he got lost for one reason or another, she could probably find him by his scent alone. That showed how close they’d grown. Their tongues danced a slow waltz. Each rotation built the wanting between the two of them. If she would have known that loving him would have felt this good so long ago, they would have reached this point even sooner. Well, he may have not agreed quite so willingly. That whole thing about being “legal” now seemed to make a difference in his decision-making. As their kisses grew more fevered, his touch became more adventurous. He leaned away to investigate her bra, and unhooked the front closure, letting her breasts free. As they sprung forward, he moaned with anticipated ecstasy, and then leaned in for a nuzzle. “I said it before, but you know your brother’s going to kill me.” “Which one?” Silver asked. A rumbling began low in Nick’s belly, and then he started laughing.

“As they say, touché. Let’s make that, your brothers are going to kill me.” “What are you doing thinking about my brothers when I’m right here, with you?” She leaned up, nipped at his lower lip, and then ran her tongue along the fullness. His dreads hung down, cascading around her face, almost as if they were offering a blanket of protection. She ran her slim hands over his muscled arms, feeling each curve, committing to memory the bumps. She looked deep into his amber eyes, and almost saw the shift of awareness, from playful to sultry as his pupils widened with desire. He leaned into her, kissing her fully, taking her mouth. As their tongues swirled, he captured hers within his lips and sucked. She’d never imagined something so erotic in her life. She fully slipped off her shirt and bra, giving herself more freedom of movement and Nick more access to her body. As he sucked on her nipples, his other hand moved lower, unbuttoning her jeans and attempting to push his hand inside of her waistband. He groaned in frustration; his fingertips barely glancing over her moist folds. She strained upward, wanting him to finally touch her. “Take these off,” Nick said, rising up and tugging on her pants with both hands. She’d do just about anything to get his mouth and hands back on her again. Underneath, she wore a sexy pair of black boy shorts. Nick slipped his hands under her ass, raising her up against him, and then dipped in for another kiss. The lips of her sex swelled with need. She’d been taught her whole life to wait until she met the right person, and that sex should only be between a man and a woman who were married. Yet, they physicality of her desire said something totally different. She wanted. She lusted. As their lips met, he slid his hand into her underwear, and found her wetness. “Is this all for me?” he asked. “For us,” she corrected. “Beautiful.”

He dipped his head down to taste her nether juices. Silver never felt something so intimate, so amazing. His tongue lapped at her most private parts, causing sensations that traveled from her feet to her head. “I want you good and ready for me,” he explained. As he moved up her body, he nibbled the inside of her thigh. “Already there,” she said. His dick probed the opening of her sex, and she helped guide him there. A slight resistance, and she inhaled and the quick burst of pain. He was inside her, stretching her gloriously. As their bodies fully merged, and he could go no deeper, he took her nipple in his mouth and slathered it with his tongue. With each suckle, he lifted up, sliding his cock out of her wetness and then plunged back in. Again. And again. She wrapped her legs around his slender hips, hooking her ankles behind his back. “Have I told you how stunning you are?” he asked, rising up to watch her as his pounding increased. Freedom. Her senses alighted. From the roots of her hair, all the way down to her toes, a sense of wild abandonment took over. She dug her fingernails into his back, and soon met him thrust for thrust. She wanted more. Quicker. Faster. How quickly the physical overtook the senses. He steadied her hips momentarily, grunting “Move with me,” and tumbled onto his back, pulling her down deeper onto him. There. Now she could set the rhythm. She moved against him, rubbing her clit on the soft hair along his groin. Back and forth rather than merely in and out. Deeply penetrated, yet so delicious at the same time. “Ah, yes baby, feel it.” Oh, could she feel it. Her senses burned with awareness. She never knew, and to think that she had a lifetime of this intense pleasure ahead of her. How lucky was she to have found Nick so early within her life, and to share this beauty with him.

She tilted over him, dangling her firm breasts above his face. He greedily took the offering, lapping at one nipple, before moving onto the other. His deft fingers alternately caressing. “Show me how much you like it,” Nick said. “Let yourself go. You can trust me.” He knew her so well. Could look deep within her soul, and understand her fears of the world, and for herself. Abandoned. Her mother never abandoned her. She had no choice. She was loved. Sensation like knowledge built within her. Nick braced her sides, lifting his hips and they joined together. As the climax overtook her, she flung her head back and let out a howl. “That’s it love, oh, yes, baby,” Nick said. Quickly, he pulled out of her, leaving her feeling devoid and empty, and continued to pump his dick, sending his seed spurting over her belly. She looked down at the warmness, touched a drop of the stickiness and then looked at him. “You marking your territory?” she asked. He smiled at her. “Sorry about that. We didn’t really talk birth control, and I’d rather not get you knocked up right off the bat.” “I guess if we’re going to keep doing this, we’re going to have to figure something out,” she said. “It’s not like I’ve been sexually active forever and on the pill.” “If we keep doing this?” he said. “Hell, yeah. I want to hear you ‘howl’ like that again. What was that all about?” Silver started. Heck if she knew. It’s not like she’d ever had sex before. If she didn’t know better, she’d say that it sounded like a dog howling at the full moon. Or a wolf. “That’s how good you made me feel.” “Come here,” Nick guided her off him, and patted the pillow next to him. “You know I have some misgivings about you moving in here, right?” “Yep,” Silver said. “But, it’s really the best way for me to get to know Trevor. If I would have stayed with my parents, they would have tried something to get me to stop seeing him. And, with their influence, they might have succeeded.”

“You just have to be careful. I can’t be here 24/7. I’ve gotta work, and have other things to do. Lily’s a bit strange, and your brother … I don’t know about him. But I don’t trust that bloodsucker. He acts nice, but you never know when they’re going to turn on you.” “Lawrence is all right. I’m sorta starting to believe him that not all vampires are evil…” “Right, because besides Mr. Lawrence Justice, how many other vampires do you associate with on a regular basis?” He knew the answer. None. Neither one of them hung with any other vamps. Nick killed them. One day his “other things” that he did was probably going to end up getting him killed. “Hey, come here,” Nick said, spooning into her backside and wrapping his arms around her. He kissed the back of her head. “Everything’s going to be all right. I didn’t mean to get negative. It’s a habit.” Early evening shadows streamed in through the sheer curtains, highlighting the contrast of their skin tones. A soft snoring reverberated through the room, and Silver snuggled deeper against Nick. For so much of her life, she lived alone. Sure, she had been in the presence of others, but she never quite fit in. Now, in this huge building of misfits, she suddenly belonged. Nowhere more so than in the arms of Nick. Her new lover shuffled in his sleep a bit, and gave out a slight murmuring sound through his lips. Shivers of pleasure passed through Silver, and she wondered what she could do to keep this moment real, forever. She shut her eyes, breathing deeply and thinking about the day behind her and the days that lay ahead. Then, something within the room shifted. She couldn’t quite describe it, but it was like a current flowed through the room and suddenly she didn’t feel like they were alone. Someone else had joined them, and someone else watched them. Fearful of what she might see, Silver opened her eyes slowly. A small girl, about five years old, stood in the corner of the room watching her, and Nick.

Silver startled. How the hell did that child get in here, and in the building itself? Lily had mentioned something about ghosts, but Silver thought it was just to keep her from moving in. The lights of a passing car shone in the window, passing through the little girl, and illuminating her transparency. With a shriek, Silver sat upright, without disrupting Nick’s sleep. Damn him being able to sleep through a haunting. She hoped that she woke him up, and that he was able to do something about Miss-Goody-Shoes-Ghost. The little girl’s eyes grew wide, and she shook her head no, bringing a finger up to her lips in a “hush” gesture. Silver attempted to shake Nick awake, and then the ghost was gone.

Chapter Twelve Tension filled the room. How the hell was he supposed to get along with Silver’s family when they consisted of freaks of nature that he’d rather kill than greet politely. Trev and the hell-beast Lawrence lounged on the chaise across from them. Internally, Nick seethed. First Silver woke him from a deep sleep screaming about ghosts, and now he had to make nice? He wanted to lunge at the sanctimonious Lawrence, who acted all divine and proper. Down below, though, Nick knew that Lawrence was just a killer in a pretty polite disguise. He’d play nice for now, but sometime in the future, he’d make sure that Silver’s family “cleaned up” a bit. Hopefully, none of the freaks could read his mind. Lily walked in with a tray of food. Really, he had no idea what she was doing there with the men. Because she lived with them out in the open, Nick knew that there must be something more to her than what he saw on the surface. She turned to look at him quizzedly, as if she did know exactly what he was thinking, and he did his best to blanket his thoughts. If she knew what he was thinking, he’d be in a hell of a lot of trouble. Silver placed her hand on his thigh, and a shiver of electricity passed between them. He thought about the evening they’d spent between the sheets, and how she felt within his arms and his nerves soothed. When could they leave, and go back to bed? Too bad he had to work the late shift. “Would you like some tea or lemonade?” Lily asked him. “Or maybe something a little stronger?” Beside him, Silver tensed up and her fingernails dug into his leg. “Ouch,” he said, brushing her hand off. What did he do? Silver stood up, knocking over the glass of lemonade that Lily had just placed before her. Nick reached for the glass, catching it before it spilled. Hunched over, Silver’s body shook and Nick thought she might have been crying. Then she stretched out, reaching her arms above

her head. She turned toward him, and he swore that a ripple went through her face as if the skin were bubbling. Horror pooled in his belly, and he got up, moving away from her. “Oh, my god, what the hell’s happening to me?” Silver screeched, slapping her palms over her face. One look at Silver, and Trevor launched himself at Nick. “You asshole. You had sex with her.” The husky werewolf connected with his body, and Nick again wondered what the fuck was going on. They tumbled back, slamming against the wall, but Nick stood his ground. “What the hell?” Trevor threw a punch that luckily Nick dodged. The sound of plaster shattering crunched through the room, and Nick tried to avoid Trevor’s gasp as his lover’s brother withdrew his arm from the wall. “Where do you think you’re going?” A hand grabbed the back of Nick’s shirt, pulling the collar tight around his neck, cutting off his air. The material ripped and Nick took in a big gulp. He turned on his attacker, ready to fight. “Somebody help me.” Silver held her hands out in front of her, watching the fingers elongate and nails expanded and curved under. Her face stretched out, broadening and expanding, and her shirt pulled tight across her shoulders. Pain laced through the backs of her calves, and through her feet and she kicked her shoes off, appalled at the look of her feet. Green nail polish didn’t go with werewolf. Everyone in the room watched Silver. Nick’s gut clenched up, not quite sure what to do. Seeming to make a decision, Trevor let go of Nick’s shirt, and approached his sister. “It’s going to be all right, honey,” Trevor said, coming to her, and putting his arm around her. “You’re shifting, which happens after coming into full maturity.” “Now you tell me.” Her voice sounded more garbled, even to her own ears, and she glared at the two men in her life. “You and me, we’re going to finish this later,” Trevor said to Nick, “but right now I have to take care of Silver. Don’t disappear on me.”

Nick held his hands up in an “I-wouldn’t-think-of-it” pose. A sense of being confined strangled Silver’s senses. She threw her snout up and howled, sending sound waves reverberating against the walls of the loft. She sniffed the air, smelling the sex that she’d shared with Nick. Lusting after more, she turned toward him with an unconscious snarl. She rooted her nose against his shirt, lifting the material. “Watch it,” Nick said. He stepped back, pushing her away, and his denial made her even more anxious and angry. She wanted, and he would give. “Come on, Silver-locks, let’s run off some of that energy,” Trevor said, taking her by the elbow and guiding her away. She wanted Nick, but as soon as she heard what Trevor said, another desire flared up: Freedom. How long had she done what others wanted? How long had she followed the rules of society? Not now, and not tonight. She didn’t need to listen to anybody. She longed to be outside. To run. To be one with nature. And right now, the only person who understood what she was going through was Trev. Her brother. Her blood. Later, she’d be angry with him for not warning her about this. Later. Now. Need pumped through her veins. Freedom. Hunger. She howled once again, no longer caring about what Nick might think, or if others might hear her. Her clothes pulled tight against her expanded body, and she attempted to claw them off her. “Just hold tight,” Trev said. “I get it. We’ll take care of those issues in a few moments. You can’t go running down Bourbon Street butt naked and hairy, no matter how much you want to. Unless it’s Halloween or Mardi Gras time,” he continued to joke and he ushered her along. Good thing night had already fallen, and the streets were relatively quiet. Pausing at the doorway with Silver in tow, Trevor gave one last look over his shoulder, “Don’t wait up, and while we’re gone, don’t kill each other.”

Chapter Thirteen “That went well,” Nick said, running his hands through his already tussled hair and collapsing on the sofa. “You had sex with his sister. Were you expecting anything different?” Lawrence. “I didn’t think he’d outright know,” Nick said. “What the hell was up with that?” “You’re lucky she waited that long to shift,” Lily said. “She could have lost control in bed. Talk about safe sex. Would you have done it if you would have realized the consequences?” Nick pondered the question. He’d known Silver for so long, being with her physically seemed almost second nature. How could he loathe what he automatically already loved? He realized that what she was didn’t really matter. It’s who she was that attracted Nick. Absentmindedly, he rubbed the scar that ran down the side of his cheek, a reminder of the run-in he’d had with the rogue vampires when he was just a teen. A lot had changed since that time period. Maybe he needed to rethink a few things. “If you don’t mind, this all is a lot to handle, and while I’d love to sit and chat … not, I need to get to the bar.” He stood, surveying the room and checking out Lawrence and Lily. Both seemed totally cool with what had just happened in their living room. As if teen girls spontaneously turned into werewolves on a daily basis. “Is there a time when I should expect her to come back?” Nick asked Lawrence directly. “When he shifts during a full moon, Trev usually stays out all night, and comes home in the morning,” Law explained. “Since this is Silver’s first shift, I’d expect the same. He has a few hideouts scattered throughout the city, so they should be safe.” “I’ll plan to be back by then,” he said. Law nodded his consent, and as Nick walked out, he heard Lily’s parting comment. “He never answered my question,” she said.

“Oh, he did,” Law replied. “He’s coming back.” **** After gathering his junk in a duffle bag from Silver’s room, Nick stood there for a moment looking around. How could they have been laying in bed together – legs and bodies entwined – only a few short hours ago and now Silver was a fucking wolf running the streets of New Orleans. He shook his head in disbelief. Only in New Orleans. This city was a breeding ground of the Others. If they weren’t born, or dead, here, they flocked to the town like a safe haven. Part of him wanted to walk away and never look back. His life sucked hardcore up until this point anyway, but he didn’t need this crap on top of it. Just like those fucking non-humans—that PC term Others had to go—the city continued to call to him. He didn’t want to be forced out. He wanted them gone. What he would do with Silver, he had no idea. No matter what, she complicated things. But, he thought he’d only have to deal with her father and Jude. Not this shit. He smoothed back the covers on the bed, and caught her scent, and sighed. She’d already ingrained herself onto his soul. He might want to be tough, and drop her, but realistically, he knew that wasn’t going to happen. Damn. Exactly. He was damned. The only thing that would make him feel better right now was to kill something. He thought of his sister, and the way she used to sing “The itsy bitsy spider” in her high-pitched voice. He thought of his mom, and how she sat rocking herself in her chair, continuously, looking out the window as if she was waiting for the little girl who would never return home. Shoving a stake through the heart of an undead asshole made everything that much clearer. And, if he wanted, he didn’t even have far to go. All he had to do was walk downstairs. Although Lawrence was old, wizened and obviously stronger, Nick would have surprise on his side. He took a wooden stake out of the side pocket of his bag, and transferred it from one palm to another, comforting in its weight.

It would be so easy. But what would be the repercussions? Lily certainly wouldn’t let him get away easily, and while he had no qualms about killing the blood-sucking bastard, he didn’t want to harm Lily. He didn’t believe in “collateral damage.” And Silver? He’d for sure lose Silver forever. With a deep sigh, he shoved the stake back into its casing and slung the duffle over his shoulder. He had plenty of time. The creepy crawlers came out at night, and he worked at the best place to keep his ear to the vein draining the city dry: Club Blood. He pushed open the door, and trudged his way out toward the store. Lily and Lawrence stood behind the counter, as if they were any regular storeowners … A few customers milled around, and he considered warning them. But if people knew that an actual “live” vampire, and werewolf, owned the bookstore Pages, even more would flock to it, and they’d make bank. Screw them. “We’ll see you later,” Lily called out, her voice a pleasant echo as he shoved open the door and hit the street. Why did they have to be so damn nice to him? Didn’t they know how he felt, honestly? Were they that delusional? He walked briskly to work, the warm, golden glow of the gas lamps calming his mood. He breathed in measuredly, and despite the quick 15-minute walk to the club, a sense of sureness took over by the time he reached its doors. Tonight, he entered through the back, and shoved the duffle bag into his locker, before pulling off his T-shirt and changing into his Club Blood black T. As soon as he pushed through to the main club, the music of Pink’s “Fun House” assaulted his senses. For a Thursday night, it wasn’t that busy, yet. His co-worker Sheila, a petite blonde that he bedded once and only once, smiled at him as he slid behind the bar. “What up?” he asked. “Slow tonight,” she responded. “But the tips aren’t bad. Heard that there’s some private party happening elsewhere that’s drawing some of our crowd.” Only here minutes, and already he gained the tip he needed. His blood pumped more quickly, as his heart sped up. Still, he

didn’t want to seem too interested, or else Sheila would shut up out of spite. “That’s shit,” he said. He moved toward his end of the bar, setting up his station and checking the liquor levels for the evening. Everything should have been set up before opening, but if he didn’t check everything himself, he’d learned that he’d be burned at some point in the evening. The other bartenders laughed at him, but he preferred the bottles placed in alphabetical order. This way, he could easily grab and not think about where he was reaching. Every now and then, someone liked to fuck with him and they’d switch out the Barcardi for the vodka. In the next ten minutes, he’d served three customers and all of them seemed to be tourists. Most were more interested in using their bathroom as part of a planned pit stop than ordering drinks. Usually, at this time, service was nonstop. As part of their theme, the bar served several signature drinks, including the Vampire’s Kiss, which consisted of chilled vodka, champagne and Chambord, a black raspberry liquor that added that blood-red tone. In that time period, he mixed three martinis. In the lull, he turned back toward Sheila. “You’re totally right, it’s dead tonight. Who told you about this other party happening?” “I overheard a couple of people talking,” she said while taking the cap off a Crimson Voodoo Lager from the Dixie Brewing Company. After pouring the rich brew into a glass, she handed it over to a customer. “Something about the abandoned amusement park. Creepy. Who’d want to break into there, and at night?” Who indeed? Nick couldn’t believe that he hadn’t thought of the empty Six Flags location himself yet. More than 50 acres of dank, dark grounds to hide in? Think of all the killing that could be done there? No one around to hear the screams. No one to disturb the undead during the day. The possibilities were endless. But if he was going to investigate, it would take more than the one stake he had in his bag to attack. And, no one wanted an uninvited party guest. He could bide his time.

Chapter Fourteen A noticeable breeze brushed past her, and Lily hesitated. All the windows in the room remained closed, and no other source of air had turned on. “Is someone there?” she asked. She hadn’t seen the resident spirits lately, ever since the danger with Arimanius dissipated. If they had returned, she wondered what it could mean? Did they bring some other sort of warning? She tried recreating her movement, lifting the bag of licorice from the table and taking out a piece, and no indoor current happened. She bit the end of the licorice off, and muddled the issue. Next, she tried waving her hand in front of her face. Nothing. “It’s all right if you’re here,” she said. “Is there something you want me to know?” The hairs on the back of her arms stood up, as if someone was standing extremely close, watching her. She turned quickly, looking over her shoulder. No one was there. A footstep sounded on the wood floors outside in the hallway, and Lily froze, anticipating the next squeak. She watched the empty doorway. “If you’re trying to scare me, it’s not working,” she said, not really anticipating an answer, but waiting all the same. “Why would I want to scare you?” Nick asked. Lily gave a little shout, and jumped up from her seat, hand over her chest. “You scared me!” “I thought you just said that I wasn’t scaring you?” he replied, a sly smile breaking out across his face. His dreads hung loosely around the angles of his face, and the lighting highlighted his light brown eyes. At that moment, Lily could definitely see the attraction that Silver held for him. He was a man’s man, on the edge, dangerous. At some point, though, he needed to find himself, his calling and basically grow up. Some might just say that killing vampires was Nick’s forte. Lily hoped not. She liked her vampire-lover to remain intact, and since Trevor wanted Silver around, and Silver obviously

had a thing for Nick … well, that meant that they were all stuck with him. It didn’t mean that she had to like him, or trust him. “Who were you talking to in here?” he asked. “Ah, the resident spirits,” Lily said quickly. “Ghosts?” “Many think this place is haunted,” Lily said. “We’re even featured in a lot of the haunted New Orleans books. Before you came in, I felt something, and thought it may be one of them.” “So you’re all right with it? You don’t want them to leave or anything,” Nick said, taking charge. “It’s not like you can slay a ghost,” Lily replied. “Plus they’re not really doing anything wrong.” “Well, if they’re disturbing you, that means that they’re doing something. And I’m not an imbecile. I know ghosts can’t be killed, but they can be exorcized.” At that moment, something whisked by Lily, brushing against her cheek, and then the metal wastebasket tumbled over. This time, causing Nick to jump. She didn’t know much about spirits, but if she had to guess she would say whoever it was didn’t want to leave this realm quite yet. “What the hell?” he said, moving aside as if someone had physically pushed by him. “Looks like you made someone mad,” Lily said. “If I were you, I’d be careful where I go to sleep tonight. Having a cranky ghost watching over your slumber can’t be good.” Nick shoved his hand in his pocket, leaning back against the wall. Ever so kicked back, he took on a relaxed stance. “You can try that all you want, but I’m not going anywhere. I’m in for the long haul.” “Really?” Lily asked, arching an eyebrow and also sending out her psychic feelers, opening herself up for outside perceptions. “And what exactly does that mean? You plan on being by Silver’s side forever: Death do you part?”

“And then some,” Nick said. “You don’t get it. You’ve all known Silver for what? A few weeks now and suddenly everyone is acting like they know her so well and care about her …” He took a step further into the room, and the dynamic within the air sizzled, shifting to meet and compensate for his energy. Still while he was getting riled up physically, Lily didn’t sense aggression coming off him, only concern. His aura pulsed with a pink light, casting off the shadows that clung to his psyche. Often, the color pink gets associated with love. So he loved Silver. Had he told her that yet? “But I’ve known her for years,” he continued. “Her life hasn’t been all that easy, and right now she’s happy. I don’t know where you all fit within the scheme of things—in her life and my life— but what I do know if that I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here to support her.” “Got it. We’re not trying to muscle you out, but you also should know that when it comes to family, Trevor and Lawrence are mine,” Lily stressed, and making full eye contact. “I’ll do everything within my power to keep them safe, ‘and then some.’” For a moment, Nick remained standing there, watching Lily warily, and then he nodded his head. “Looks like we have something in common there. I wanted to let you know I’m back. I’m going to wait for Silver to return.” When he walked out of the room, again Lily felt the room shift, regaining its balance, and a cool breath of air washed by her, lifting her soul. Behind him, he trailed sparkles of pink contrasting sharply with the blackness that fought for control. He may love Silver, but that may not be enough to save him. Something within him continued to fight for dominance. He may be seeing a new truth about the Others, but that didn’t mean that he had to accept it. Lily pondered the meanings behind that darkness. It could very well be doubt, but it also could foretell something else, and for all of their sakes, she hoped it wasn’t the truth: Death.

Chapter Fifteen Her body floated through a liquid pool of silk, flowing over her hot skin, cooling all the senses. Weightless, Silver swam through the currents toward consciousness. She awoke, nude, laying on a cool bed of damp grass. She sat up, brushing dirt off her elbow, and pulling a twisted twig out of her hair. How in the world had she gotten here? She flashed to a memory of running, the smells of the French Quarter usually so commonplace, now driving her into a frenzy: too overwhelming. She longed for open meadows, for fields and a lack of hard asphalt beneath the soft pads of her feet. Obviously, she found it. She stretched, an early morning breeze sending shivers through her body. It was fricking cold. She’d have to ask Trevor how he handled the whole nude-transformation thing. Where was he anyway? She was sure that he’d be watching over her, but at some point in time they had gotten split up. Well, first things first: She’d have to think about how she would get back home: Naked. Her body tingled with rejuvenation. The taste of freedom soared on her tongue. How could she ever think of going back to live with her adoptive family? They would never understand what she was, and what she would become. Hell, good thing she hadn’t come “of age” earlier, they would have carted her off to a mental institution, nunnery or tried to perform an exorcism. A crunching sound echoed through the bushes, and Silver crouched down in order to hide from the uninvited guest. Something about the scent caught her attention, and she lifted her nose up to focus on the smell. “Hey, sis, are you awake?” a familiar voice called out. “I know you’re out there. I can smell you, and I don’t really want to see you butt-naked in all your glory.” Trevor. Of course, he smelled familiar. She’d have to get used to that, along with everything else. A heightened sense of smell

would probably come in handy, unless she happened to be dealing with people who didn’t like to shower. “Over here,” she called out. She looked around the small clearing, hoping to see something to cover her body, but the area lacked even large leaves. “Good, I’ve found you. I’m going to toss some clothes over in your general vicinity. Get dressed, and then we can go back home.” A pair of underwear, sweatpants and an old Rolling Stones concert T-shirt landed on the ground near her. “Be right back,” Trevor said. Her stomach rumbled. She was so hungry, she could eat a … a memory came to her. “Trevor, did I eat a rabbit last night?” “Yeah,” he yelled out. “You ripped it to shreds. I was proud of you.” Nausea took over. She didn’t eat meat. She was a vegetarian, except for fish. Had been forever. Lately, though, she’d been having cravings and they had nothing to do with seafood. More like red meat. Juicy and dripping with blood. She shuddered. What was happening to her? “When we get back to the flat, you’re going to have some explaining to do,” she called out, totally meaning it. She pulled the clothes on, momentarily feeling a sense of panic as if she was being confined in something unnatural. Great, she’d turned into a hairy carnivore, and now had morphed into an exhibitionist at the same time. “I figured as much,” Trevor said. “Are you decent?” “I that’s what you want to call it.” As Trev came walking out of the bushes, Silver took in his wild, matted hair, butt-ugly brown sweat shorts and the sheepish look he wore on his face. Odd bits of grass and leaves stuck to him, and he didn’t seem to care. “Come here,” she ordered, pulling him by his arm to make him bend down. She pulled out a twig and a few stray pieces of foliage from his hair. “Sheesh, you’re a mess.”

“Feels great, doesn’t it?” Trev asked, “running free and unfettered.” The rush of exhilaration, the wind wild with the smells of nature drifting through its currents and that sense of being one with mother earth came back to Silver. Last night had been a high she’d never experienced before, starting with slipping into bed with Nick, and culminating with waking this morning. She blushed with the memory of Nick’s hard, lean body, and her hormones spiked immediately. “You better tap that down,” Trevor said. “Hormones are one of the aspects that can be tough to control. But you also don’t want to be sending your pheromones out into the wild either.” Silver tried to grasp exactly what he was getting at, but she was afraid she’d be learning pretty quickly. Unfortunately, she was faced with learning about herself from a male were. Just one more time she wished her mom was alive. “Do you think that he’s going to accept me?” Silver asked. “Who? Nick?” Trevor hesitated before answering. “Why don’t we get you home, and find out.”

Chapter Sixteen The moment Silver stepped into the bookstore and saw Nick relief swept through her body. “You’re still here?” she said. She’d been so afraid that he’d be gone. “Where do you think I’d go?” Nick put the box he’d been carrying down onto the register counter, and took Silver within his arms. “Hey, nice threads you have on.” He pulled up the hemline of her oversized T-shirt, trying to get a look at the saggy sweatpants. “Oh, stop,” Silver laughed, smacking his hand away. And as quick as that, everything felt right again. “I normally wouldn’t be caught dead in something this ugly.” “Are you insulting my stash of clothes?” Trevor asked. He held the back of his palm up to his forehead. “Next time, I’ll let you come home butt-naked.” “I wouldn’t mind that,” Nick said. He pressed his lips against hers, and what the sun hadn’t already warmed up now heated. Trevor watched the interplay between the two of them for a few moments more, and then shooed them apart. “That’s enough PDA. I’m having trouble reconciling that Silver’s still my little sister. I’m headed upstairs, and you two…” “I’ve got to go do a few things before work,” Nick interrupted. “But I’ll be back, I promise.” Silver stuck out her lower lip. The last thing she wanted was for Nick to leave now. She couldn’t really ask him to stay, though. “And I’ll go change into something, a little more stylish,” she said. “Trevor, will you tell Lily that I’ll finish moving those stock boxes later?” Nick asked. “Helping out?” Trevor asked. Nick held up his hands as if to fend off criticism. “Hey, just passing the time and earning my keep.” “Are there others like us?”

They had barely been back at the house for an hour, and already Silver had cornered Trevor with questions. “Half-breeds?” Trevor threw back. He’d done his fair share of trying to hook up with other werewolves. Despite the myths, they didn’t seem like the type to travel in packs. Or, at least Trevor didn’t fit in for some reason. When males came of age and wanted to mate, sure they would settle down into bed with any available female, but odds were that the female didn’t have to be another shifter. Most, like their father, copulated with human consorts. He knew, purposely, that the language he was using, even mentally, sounded awful and clinical, but after all these years, the more distance between the man who sired him and himself, the better. Usually after a night like they’d had, he wanted to sleep the whole day. While he certainly was enjoying getting to know his sister better, he sure wasn’t used to living with two females. Lily occasionally wanted to “talk,” and now with the addition of Silver, it seemed like personal feelings flowed all around. Here Trev thought that they would start to go hunting together, running through the night-time streets of New Orleans, embracing that dual-nature of their lives with another creature, but instead Silver wanted to sit around and talk about what-might-be’s, and their feelings. Maybe he should put Silver together with Lily, and they could do all the talking that they wanted. He knew what Silver was getting at. She was puppy-footing around the issue, but sooner or later, the question she’d been building up to would come out. He’d tried to find their father … on numerous occasions. And, despite the resources that he now had available, especially being with Lawrence, he’d never been successful at tracking the bastard down. No, that wasn’t right. Trev guessed that he was the bastard. It had gotten to the point that Trev hoped his father was dead. Better than thinking that he’d gone almost 20 years without contacting his kids. He hadn’t yet enlisted the help of Lily. Maybe her powers could uncover something different, but Trev doubted it. Either their father was dead, or he was at least dead to them.

“You know what I mean,” Silver insisted. “Are there other werewolves out there? Have you come across any? Where do they live, and what are they like?” Trev weighed his words. What exactly should her tell her about their *kind?* He’d met a few over the years, and there was that one female who had caught his scent… “Most don’t take kindly to newcomers,” Trev tried to explain. “I’ve come across some over the years, but there’s a reason why I lived on the streets for as long as I did. There wasn’t a pack, or a commune, that I could join when I found out what I was. Most keep to themselves. They don’t trust others. “Hell, look who I hooked up with: a vampire and a witch. What does that tell you?” “Well, I already know you’re antisocial,” Silver teased. She flipped her hair to the other side, and Trev took in the shimmers of silver. He’d never seen another were with such hair. Even he looked different than the others with his blond hair. Most took on the traditional wolf-like shape and coloring. Was it something special about them that made their appearance different? He worried about Silver trying to join an existing pack? What would they do with a silver wolf? “Do you think our mom knew what we were? What we could be?” “It’s a question that I’ve asked myself quite often,” Trev admitted. “I didn’t start shifting until I was a teenager, and obviously now you know the triggers for a female were. But, maybe it’s not the same for everybody. I’d like to think that she didn’t know, that she was just in love with this flaky guy who came around every now and then, but who knows … another part of me thinks if she didn’t know then she’d have been pretty stupid.” Silver flinched. “I’d rather not think of my mom as being stupid. How about naïve?” “That works,” Trev said. He stood up from the couch, stretching. Sitting for long periods of time made him antsy, and he felt the need to get back to work at Pages. She still hadn’t asked the question that he knew she must have come for. Not really wanting

to know about weres they weren’t related to, or their dead mother. No, she wanted information on their father, who very well could still be alive. He walked toward her, taking in her beauty and strength. She’d gotten many of the tall genes. Again, he thought about their genetic anomalies—what made them who they are, and what they looked like? Touching her shoulders, he turned her around. Instantly taking in the tears streaming down her face. He knew the conversation was affecting her, even without Lily’s powers. He wasn’t that dense. But, he had no idea of why she would be crying. “Silver, whatever I know, you know. I’m not hiding anything from you. If you have a question that I haven’t answered yet, then ask me, and I’ll answer you if I can.” He paused, waiting to see what she said, and already anticipating that question. “How have you done it all these years?” she asked. “Being alone. Not around Others like you. Haven’t you been lonely?” A bit taken back by her question, he hesitated, wondering which way to answer. “I haven’t been alone. I’ve had Lawrence, and while he may not be a werewolf, he knows what it’s like to hold a secret identity.” Shit, now he felt like James Bond. Average man by day, werewolf by night. “Aside from that, well, it hasn’t always been easy. Keep in mind, though, that I’m more of a loaner. I don’t like to follow others, which means I’m rather be on my own than with a groupie.” “Pinky promise,” she said, holding out the little finger on her right hand. “What?” Trev asked, stepping back and looking at her hand like it was a foreign object. “Pinky promise?” she repeated. “You swear that if you ever hear anything about our father, you’ll tell me. “ Ah, it had taken a little bit of a go-round, but they’d finally gotten to the topic he knew she’d been dying to ask. “I will,” he said, flicking his eyes away from hers and thinking about the potential consequences of such a meeting. He knew

better than to trust the man. Since he was seven when their mother died, Trevor remembered things about their father. He was impossibly tall. Then again, as a child he had also been much smaller. Broad, muscular shoulders and Trev mentally pictured him wearing white tank tops. “He had these long sideburns,” Trev said, more than half lost in memory, “and his favorite thing to eat was beef jerky. Kind of amusing now, knowing that he was a werewolf.” In his peripheral vision, he could see Silver wagging her little finger around, a wistful look on her face that punched him right in the gut. He wrapped the little finger on his right hand, around hers, and they faced each other. “Look me in the eye now, and promise,” she ordered. As soon as their hands joined together, a crackle of energy flowed through them from one to the other. It was as if he suddenly knew new things about reality than he had before. As if he’d come under a new perception. Maybe it was simply being with Silver: that combined, collective consciousness of being a pack. “Did you feel that?” Silver asked, the same awe he felt reflected in her voice, “as if we’re invincible?” “Yes,” Trev replied. “I’d be surprised if the others don’t come running in here soon to see if we’re all right.” “Oh, yeah, maybe that girlfriend of yours … the witchy one. Maybe she can read us.” “She doesn’t work that way,” Trev said, “and you two have a lot more in common than you may think. She grew up without a family, too, and only recently found out that her mom’s alive. And her dad? She doesn’t know if her dad’s alive, or even what he is…” Since when did he blab at the mouth? He certainly didn’t mean to tell Silver as much as he did. They dropped hands, and a tingling sensation rang through his hand, as if his body was suddenly missing something. Silver’s wide-open eyes gave the impression that she felt the same way.

“What do you mean, what he is?” Silver asked, grabbing hold at the most vital bit of information. “Probably said enough already,” Trev said. “You might want to ask Lily if you want to know more. Just give her a chance though. You’re not the only one to have lost members of their family, and not everyone has adjusted as well as you.” “So,” Silver started, tapping her fingers on the table, “about your dad.” Everything inside Lily tensed up. Most days, she went through life without thinking about her dad. She was used to not thinking about family at all, and now she not only had Trev and Law in her life, but also her mother. And, she wanted to bring another life into the world. Why the hell was Silver bringing up her dad, and why now? “What about him?” “Well, I was talking to Trevor a little bit ago, and he mentioned that we both have something in common—our absent fathers.” “Do you know who your dad is?” Lily asked. “Yes,” Silver replied. “I mean, Trevor obviously knew him and while I never met him—that I remember—I basically have an idea of who he is. Although I’ve never seen a photo of him and Trevor won’t tell me his name. That’s not fair though because he may not know too much …” “So you’re more lucky than me. I don’t know who my dad is. My mom won’t talk about him, and from what she says, she doesn’t know who he is either.” Silver looked down at the table, and chewed on her bottom lip, seeming to contemplate what Lily had said. Had she been too harsh? Why was Lily feeling confrontational in the first place? Maybe it was because Silver had come into their lives, taken up a lot of not only Trevor’s time but also his thoughts. Even when she wasn’t around physically, he had been acting distracted just thinking about her, and what their new relationship would mean. Already, Lily had grown used to having Trevor in her life, and she saw Silver taking him away.

Rationally, that wasn’t fair. Emotionally, she preferred their nice little family of three, and now it also included Silver and Nick. Nick, the man who wanted to kill Lawrence, or at least vampires like him. Every time she was around him, Lily could feel the hatred literally seeping off Nick. How could Silver be with him with so much hostility coming off his pores? Maybe that’s a reason why she didn’t quite trust Silver. She didn’t know or understand the history. What if she discovered at her age that she had a sibling? And there were “complications” to the relationship? She shuddered at the thought. She took a good look at the woman sitting across from her. The woman that was now living in her home. Maybe Lily hadn’t planned on sharing her life with another woman, but that’s where she ended up. And, if she was thinking along the lines of another sibling, well … if she did marry Trevor that made Silver her sisterin-law. How about looking at it from another perspective: Woman to woman. At eighteen, with her entire life that she’d known torn apart and her view of the world and humanity totally shattered, shouldn’t Lily be more accommodating to Silver? What had she felt like just months ago when she’d truly learned about the world of the Others? Confused? In Silver’s case, she might have been raised with some knowledge, but now it was thrown in her face daily, and she’d learned that she no longer belonged in the mundane world of Normals. Ah, yes, Trevor proved right: They had much more in common than originally thought. Since Lily’s abrupt response, Silver hadn’t said anything else, and the weight of her words hung heavily on Lily’s conscious. “What did you want to know about my father?” she finally asked. Immediately, Silver picked up. “Do you wonder about him? If you could, would you find him? And what if he was nothing like you expected?” Sometimes Lily forgot how young Silver actually was. Here, the other woman only wanted to relate and confide in someone

and right away Lily’s defenses went into high alert. She needed to downplay her emotions, and focus on someone else. “First things first, yes, I think about him often,” Lily admitted. “I hadn’t until I met my mother, and now he seems to dominate my ‘free’ thought. My mom, though, doesn’t seem like she can be much help. Either she doesn’t want to tell me who he is, or she simply doesn’t know.” “If you could, would you find him?” “Hell yes, and I’d have plenty of questions for him, too.” Lily said, a bit too quickly. “What about you? Wouldn’t you track down your absent father if you could?” Silver hesitated, as if not quite sure of the right way to answer. “I’d like to. It’s like, in order to fully know myself, I need to know him and where I came from. He abandoned my mother and our family, so what was it about him? Or about us that made him not want us?” “I don’t think that’s the case,” Lily said. “From what Trev said, he was around most of the time that Trev was young and then he went missing …” “He was around when our mother was alive. He loved her. That doesn’t mean that he really loved us. As soon as she died, even though he was still in the picture, he took off. He could have found an alternative way to watch over us.” “Where does that leave us?” Silver asked. Lily already knew the answer. It’s the reason why she hadn’t actively started looking for her father. Ultimately, there wasn’t a happy ending involved. “It leaves us living our life,” Lily said, realizing exactly how true her words were. “First, what do you think we would gain if we attempted to find them? Truthfully, if they wanted to find us, don’t you think that they would by now? “If I had a child,” Lily continued, “I would do everything in my power to keep that baby safe. My ultimate fear is finding my father, and him still not caring.” Silver opened her mouth as if to say something, and then she stopped.

“What if my father ended up being that bastard Arimanius when he raped my mother? I couldn’t possibly deal with that knowledge, and I’d have to kill him,” Lily said, “and where would that leave me? With the death of my father on my conscience?”

Chapter Seventeen After a few months of living in New Orleans, Lily had learned the madness of the curved and intersecting streets. The heart of the French Quarter wasn’t all that bad once she got used to it. She headed down toward Madame Theresa’s voodoo shop. Once Silver planted that seed about Lily’s father, she couldn’t dig it up. It’s not like she wanted to water it either, but still when she was least expecting it, she’d think about her father and who he could be. Damn, if she wasn’t going to have to go talk to her mom. After a lifetime apart, being together took some work. And— with good reason—Julia didn’t much like to venture out of her comfort zone. She feared being discovered by the demon Arimanius, along with a host of other things that Lily probably had no idea about. She lived within a comfort zone, with the voodoo shop as the center of her universe. Usually, Lily shied away from the raucous nature of Bourbon Street. It contained too much going on, too many jumbled and drunken thoughts, and she didn’t need to pick up all those unwanted emotions. If she were 10 years younger, would it make any difference? A pack of frat boys jostled toward her, and Lily did her best to avoid them. “Hey, pretty lady,” one stumbled into her, sending a breath of half-digested rum into her face. “What’s the hurry?” “Excuse me,” she said, angling her shoulder to squeeze through them. Another guy grabbed at her arm, yanking her backward. “My friend’s talking to you. What’s the matter? You too good for the likes of us.” She let out a sigh of exasperation. “More like too old for the likes of you.” How she didn’t miss this age or stage, or whatever it is with certain men who were jerks. At the twenty-four hour restaurant she’d worked at in California, she dealt regularly with this crowd. Somehow she never could imagine either Lawrence or Trevor act-

ing this way, young or not. Drunk or not. Maybe she should start wearing a ring on her wedding finger to let asses like these know that she wasn’t on the market. Instead, she focused on the jerk’s hand holding her. She imagined it getting hotter and hotter, and finally he yelped. “That’s hot,” he said, waving his hand and doing a little dance. He turned to look at Lily, as if she knew what the hell had just taken place, and while she was aware of his actions, she’d already moved on. She was so done with assholes like them. If they only knew what else the world held. With how much he’d had to drink, he wouldn’t remember their encounter within an hour. She moved onto the sidewalk. The enticing aromas changed with each restaurant she passed. Once past that initial thrill of finally finding her mother, Lily continued to feel distant. She shared the same genetic make-up with her mother, but that didn’t mean that they had a whole lot in common. Guilt tugged at her conscious. How many children really hung out with their parents? And, it wasn’t like her mom had this huge wonderful life to share with Lily. She’d spent most of it trapped in the underworld with demons. Lily recoiled at the idea. If she went the rest of her extended life without coming face to face, or battling, another demon, she’d be happy. How did she ever live for so long without knowing about the existence of the true evil in the universe, and the Others. But if demons existed, certainly that also meant that so did angels and other higher beings … she pushed the thought from her mind. Too much muddying the waters as it was. Julia stood behind the shop’s counter, pouring a fine white powder into small plastic bags. She wore a flowered sundress, and looked like any other aging hippy working in the shops of the French Quarter. As if sensing Lily’s presence, she glanced up, her eyes lighting and a smile broke out. That quickly, a sense of relief of coming to visit washed through Lily. Their relationship was so much easier to discount when they weren’t together. The truth was, she needed this connection. They both did.

Lily angled her way through the crowded store, only aware on her peripheral senses of the desires of the shopping clientele. Such a different crowd than the one that shopped at their bookstore, Pages. A faint sweetness tingled her nose as she reached the counter. She inhaled. It smelled like baked goods, maybe even beignets. She dusted her finger through the fine leavings on the glass, and brought it up for a closer whiff. As her mom looked amused, Lily stuck out the tip of her tongue and tasted it: “Confectioner’s sugar?” “For a sweet life,” Julia explained, turning the bag around to display its labeling. Lily took in the $3.99 price tag. “No misrepresentation in advertising here.” “Indeed,” she said, laughing. “What time do you get a break, or get off tonight?” Julia glanced at her watch, and then surveyed the store. “I can probably go out in a few minutes. I need to wait for Mirabella to come to the front of the store.” The mention of Mirabella made Lily bristle. Even though Teresa’s niece never said anything, the woman made her dislike for Lily more than evident. Likewise, Mirabella’s attraction to both Trev and Lawrence. She was a gorgeous young woman, and no matter how secure she felt in her relationship, there always room for doubt. Plus, some of Mirabella’s blood had been used in the ceremony to bring Law back from the dead. Did that somehow tie him to her? Lily hadn’t seen any difference, or preferential treatment. “Don’t worry, dear, those two men in your life love you, and they wouldn’t do anything to risk your relationship,” her mom said, reading her mind. Well, perhaps she wasn’t actually delving into the far reaches of Lily’s thoughts. More like she knew what Lily was worrying about. “She’s hiding something,” Lily said. “She acts all sweet and innocent, but there’s something more there. Don’t you get this sense of evil from her?”

With a sad look on her face, Julia shook her head no. “Don’t forget that I’ve known true evil. My senses have been flooded with darkness. That girl? She’s a mere blip in the well of bad. Maybe she’s thinking of falling into bed with a sexy man, and that comes off as being ‘wrong’ to her. It doesn’t mean that she’s going to try to run you out of the house.” “Still I’m going to keep an eye out for her, you never know,” Lily said. “And, on that note, why don’t I go save us a spot at Café Fleur de Lis? I can put an order in, and it’ll be ready be the time you arrive.” At that moment, a customer stepped behind Lily, and her mom’s eyes shifted to address the customer. “Welcome to Madame Teresa’s, how can I help you?” “I’d like to buy these items,” the woman said, moving aside Lily and placing a deck of tarot cards and a package of Voodoo magic for a “sweet life” on the counter. “I can help you with that,” Julia said, picking up a few items, and then turned back to Lily. “I’ll see you in a few minutes. Order me a sandwich. Surprise me.” A few more people stepped into line. That’s always how it was. If one person was buying, suddenly it became all right for everyone to pick up a few touristy items. Maybe they should think about expanding the merchandise at Pages. Get people to come in for local trinkets, and maybe they’d buy a book or two at the same time. They certainly had the space. They could consolidate one of the storage rooms … Lily’s mind started to address the issue as she headed to Café Fleur de Lis on Chartres Street. When Lily had first arrived in New Orleans, she became taken with all the images of fleur de lis within the city. She’d always been drawn to the design. After doing some research, its ties to the French, along with the history of the French Quarter, made sense. Some related the delicate three petals to the Holy Trinity, and legend had it that they represented “perfection, light and life.” She equated the symbol to her relationship with Lawrence and Trevor. Of course, one of her favorite dining spots had grown to become Café Fleur de Lis, which was close to the bookstore, and on

the way back. The restaurant focused on breakfast and only stayed open until 3 p.m. Customers ordered at a main counter, and they cooked the meals on a huge grill right behind, and then brought them out. Although it was nearing noon, Lily ordered a spinach, bacon and feta omelet, with a side of hash brown heaven. Her mom got a muffaletta panini, a smorgasbord of smoked ham, genoa salami, melted cheese and olive salad. After whatever constituted food down in the depths of hell, Lily figured her mom got to splurge on calorie-rich meals. Julia arrived just as the order was being served. In the café’s bright sunlight, Lily couldn’t believe how worn and tired her Julia looked. From the woman who appeared to be Lily’s same age just a few short months ago, she’d aged to her natural age, her 50s and worse. Lily wasn’t quite sure how old her mom was. Julia reached one wrinkled hand across the table and patted the top of Lily’s. Its coldness sent a shiver through Lily’s body. “It’s nice of you to invite me out,” Julia said. “I’ve been so busy with the store, and other special projects for Madame Teresa, I rarely get out.” She glanced outside at the glorious day, shut her eyes briefly and then focused again on Lily. “So tell me what you need. I may not have all my powers still, but I can still sense that something’s tugging at you. What is it?” Lily should have known that she couldn’t hide her alternative motives from her witch-mother. If any connection was strong, theirs had to be. Now it was Lily’s turn to feel a bit awkward. “I want to know about my father,” she said. “I spent my whole life thinking that you were dead, and yet here you are sitting across from me … with a chopped olive stuck to your chin, no less.” After brushing off her face with a napkin, Julia weighed her words. “There’s not too much to tell, unfortunately. At the time period that I got pregnant with you there were many ‘suitors.’” “Are you talking sex partners, mom? Were you sleeping with so many different men that you didn’t know who was my father?”

“Yes, and no. It’s not like I was dating five guys at once, and we had regular relationships. It was a different time period, and I was a different person then.” Her mom’s admission confused Lily. She made it sound like she was at a love-in during some hippy convention, but she knew that it had to be something more than that. “Were you with Arimanius at the time?” she asked. “Shhh, don’t say his name,” Julia said, her eyes wide with fright. “Just by saying his name, you give him power, and he can’t find me again. After being out for these past few months, I can never be locked up, without the sun and fresh air again.” Chastised, Lily tried again. “Did the hell-demon hold you hostage as a sex slave, and make you sleep with all his demon friends?” “Now, watch it. You have to remember that as I said, I was a different person then. Yes, I was with him, then, and yes, he loaned me out. But, I also was addicted to the power he supplied me with, and the gifts the others brought with them, and the sex wasn’t all that bad either.” Lily paled at the description—gifts and good sex. Great. Hopefully, none of the other customers in the small restaurant were paying attention to their conversation. She took a bite of her food, making sure to get a sliver of mushroom on the fork, along with all the other ingredients. As she swallowed, a sense of nausea came over her. Must be that image of her mom going at it with all the demons, she thought. She flashed on the memory of seeing Ari’s purple skin and his bulging purple cock that she wished to heaven—no longer hell—that she had never seen. She pushed her plate away, deciding that she wasn’t too hungry after all. “Was there any one special person, mom? A time when after you were with them, you thought that maybe you might have gotten pregnant?” Lily placed a hand on her own stomach, willing its uneasiness to calm down. “Do you mean did I get this ah-ha moment when I knew the demonic conception had taken place?” her mom all but laughed. Lily raised her eyebrows, thinking, “yes, and …”

“No. Nothing like that every happened.” Julia again looked outside, and Lily would swear that she caught something ever-sobriefly … a wistfulness about her mom’s expression. She tried to tap into her mom’s thoughts to see if maybe, she could gleam some information that way. Maybe her mom was thinking about someone, who may be her father, or could lead Lily to some new leads. Nothing. She might as well go try to read a cat for all the information she could gleam from her mom. “From the research that Lawrence and Trev did, it seems like I’m part demon. I know that your powers came from being with … you-know-who … but mine seem to be more genetic. They are not tied to one thing or one person. Does that sound right to you?” Her mom shrugged her shoulders and at that specific moment, Lily didn’t like her very much. Definitely not something a nice daughter would think, and never would say. But, how could she not care about Lily’s feelings? Her mother knew way more than she was letting on. She left it alone, for now. “So how are you, mom? You’re looking a little … tired.” “For so many years, I cheated time, and now it’s catching up with me,” Julia said. “I’m sorry I can’t be of more help to you, but right now I really have to get back to the store. My break’s about over.” Lily left a few dollars’ tip on the table, and walked her mom out. The day hadn’t been wasted, but it certainly couldn’t be called a success. All she’d found out is that her mom had been a willing demon-slut. Until Julia was willing to provide some more information, odds are that Lily’s search for her father had hit a dead end.

Chapter Eighteen “It’s too dangerous for you to go alone.” Silver placed her hand on Nick’s chest, stopping him from leaving. “I want to come with you.” “I was hoping that you’d say that. Having a werewolf on my side can only even the odds,” Nick said. Silver had taken the information about the abandoned amusement park in stride. Since he didn’t know what to expect out at the vampire lair, he’d stocked up on plenty of supplies. The expression on Silver’s face suddenly got very serious. “This doesn’t change how I feel about Lawrence, got it?” she said. “He’s not to be touched.” No, he didn’t “get it,” but he wasn’t about to tell Silver that now. Eventually, Lawrence would show his true face, and when that happened, Nick would be there to put him down. “You’ve made yourself clear, but you also have to know that you can’t trust a vampire. They’re not the same as us humans.” “And you forget that I’m no longer part of that ‘human’ category. You can’t lump us all in together.” Nick pulled Silver close to him, loving how tall she was, how they looked almost eye to eye, and how their bodies molded together. Heat from her body blended into his. “Can you feel that warmth between us? We’re alive. We’re different. They’re dead. They no longer have a soul. Can you feel the difference?” “Oh, I can feel it all right,” Silver said, slipping her hand between Nick’s legs and cupping his already hard cock. She flicked the pad of her thumb over its tip and even through his jeans, the caress set him off. “And if I keep feeling it, I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere tonight.” Nick slid his hands through her silken silver tresses. He always wondered about her hair, and never quite had the courage to ask. Never felt like it was his place, and something about being around Silver always made him unsure of himself. Ironic when he thought

about it. Here he was, this big, strong vampire slayer and what frightened him? How about a slender, quirky orphan? OK, maybe that wasn’t the fairest terminology for her, and as they were learning, she had more of a family than originally anticipated. Although thinking about Trevor and Lawrence, just got his grrr on. And the father who had abandoned her? If Nick ever found out that scum was alive, he’d kill him. Silver tipped her head back to look up into Nick’s eyes, as if she was searching for answers herself. The moonlight cast a shine that made them look silver themselves, and he involuntarily shivered. He’d never seen that before. “Obviously, something’s going on in there, because you’ve stopped kissing me and now you’re just staring at me,” she stated. “What gives?” “Just thinking through a few things,” he replied, running his thumb down her jawline. When it reached the vicinity of her mouth, Silver turned her head, pushing his thumb into her mouth, where she suckled him, teasing her tongue along the outer rides, and raising up and she pulled back to look at him. “Talk to me,” she mumbled around his thumb, and then removed her mouth altogether. “Did something happen to you that caused your hair to turn this color?” She laughed. “You always wanted to ask me about my hair? Nothing happened that I know about. It’s always been this way, for as long as I can remember. Even in my baby pictures.” He stroked her tresses, rubbing the tips against his palm. “My turn. I’ve known you for so long, but I’ve never asked,” Silver trailed the tips of her fingers down his muscled arm. “What’s your heritage? How did you get such striking looks?” “So asks the woman with the Silver hair,” he teased. “I’m serious. I’ve never met your parents.” “I’m pure Creole,” he said, “several generations back. Both of my parents come from ‘mixed’ heritage. My mom’s fair skinned, and has blonde hair. My dad looks mostly like a dark-skinned Af-

rican America, except he’s got these crazy-cool cat eyes—almost yellow, with sparks of green throughout them.” Like yours, Silver thought. Had he ever truly evaluated himself in the mirror? Her mouth came down hard on his, taking his pent-up aggression and meeting it with her own desire. Fevered, they wrestled for control: Each not wanting to give in to the other’s beliefs, and not willing to disagree either. Physically, Silver could take Nick if she wanted. She needed to learn the limits of her strength if she was going to stay with him. She didn’t want to lose him, but she also didn’t want to kill him. They parted, each breathing hard. “I still argue that Lawrence has a soul,” Silver said quickly. “Do you see how he loves Lily and Trev? How can you say that he’s evil?” “He hides it well. I haven’t been convinced of it otherwise.” Mood broken, Silver picked up a dark purple backpack and slung it over one shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.” She pulled a note out of her back pocket and laid it on her pillow. Nick raised his eyebrows in question. “Well, I’m assuming that we’re not going to let anyone know where we’re going. If anything happens, I want them to know where to find us.” “And what if Law decides to warn them?” “Don’t worry, won’t happen. There’s no reason for them to come into my room. Only if I go missing, then they’ll probably come look.” “Trust,” Nick said again. “Why do you believe in them?” “They’ve never given me a reason not to. Even think about Trevor. With his resources, don’t you think if he wanted to find me, physically, he could have? No. He left that note at the adoption agency and left making contact up to me.” “Well, you’re not going to need that note, nothing’s going to happen.” “Shhh,” she said, placing her finger over his lips in a silence command. “What are you thinking? You’re flirting with the fates.

Come on, in every horror movie every time someone says that, someone ends up dying.” Nick laughed. “Tonight, no one’s dying.” “Oh, come on, there you go again.” Without another comment, Silver opened the door and exited the room. She didn’t look back at Nick as she headed toward the main sitting room. All he could do was follow. She stopped at the divider. “Nick and I are heading out for a bit, don’t wait up.” Trevor turned toward her, and stood. “Where are you two going?” “Just out,” she stressed. “You know for a little bit of alone time.” Even from where he was standing, Nick could see Trevor’s face flush red, and he wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or anger. He met Nick’s eyes, and Nick gave a little shrug. “Be careful out there, and don’t do anything stupid,” Trev said. “You know parts of the city aren’t safe at night.” “I thought I didn’t have to worry quite as much anymore,” Silver said. “Listen, I’d be dead if it wasn’t for Lawrence. There are Others out there more powerful than us, and you know it.” Nick wanted to interject, but he resisted the urge. When it came down to it, Trevor was only being protective of his little sister. “Where’s the non-breather?” he asked. “Downstairs, working the store,” Trevor said, bristling even more. “If you would imagine, he tends to take the night shifts.” “Maybe we’ll go out the back way,” Nick said. The last thing he wanted to do was chitchat with the brethren that he was about to slay. Bad form. “You keep an eye out for her,” Trev said as his parting words. “Anything happens to her, and I’m holding you responsible.” As they left through the back courtyard, Silver slipped her hand into his. A sense of connection flowed through them that had only increased more once they had become physical. Trevor’s concern coupled with Silver’s superstitions weighed heavily on him. Some-

thing about the night didn’t feel right and they were just getting started. Part of the problem could be Silver herself. If he had his choice, would he rather go crawling through the mold and mud of a rundown fun-house-from-hell, and stay in bed with her, sunk deep between her thighs? No real choice there. Nick didn’t drive all that often—didn’t have much of a need to in his day-to-day life—but for tonight he’d borrowed one of his roommate’s cars. It was a rundown, piece-of-shit Chevy that had seen better days, but inside it was clean enough, and it ran. He opened up the car door for Silver, letting her slide in before leaning over, kissing her and locking it up. The gesture made the night feel almost like a real date. Too bad they couldn’t get any further from the truth.

Chapter Nineteen The fifteen-mile drive to the now-defunct amusement park passed by quickly. Silver stared out the window, as they traversed Interstate-10. Located in the Ninth Ward, one of the areas hardest hit by Katrina, whose strength devastated the attraction. It was doubtful that it would ever be repaired. They parked on a side street, a few blocks away from the park. The rogue vampires may have taken over the “fun zone,” but once Silver and Nick got inside, they wouldn’t be sure as to their exact location, or what else they may run into. Maybe they’d be having a late-night party— with human treats—and the music would lead them to the group. Ambient moonlight streamed in casting an almost angelic glow on Nick’s strong facial features. His skin shinned a golden brown. Such a handsome man, and he was—she hoped—all hers. She longed to reach out, and run her fingers down the side of his jawline but something about the moment seemed off-limits. “What are you thinking about?” he asked, turning toward her. His eyes glinted yellow, and she saw concern reflected there. “You. Us,” she said, honestly. “I’m afraid that you’re going to see me as a monster, and leave.” There, she’d said it. Now, the rest was up to him. A tear trickled down her cheek. She ignored it, waiting for his response. “Hey now, we’ve been through this. I don’t think any differently about you,” he wiped the tear from her face. “Don’t cry. I’m not going anywhere.” “I don’t want you to die,” she said. He grew quieter, weighing her words. “I’m not planning on dying anytime soon, either.” “But you will. You’re human. You live a much shorter life than I, as a werewolf. I don’t want to be in love with you, and then have you die.” “Then bite me,” he teased. “Turn me into a werewolf, too.” “It doesn’t work that way,” she said. “At least I don’t think it does. I was born a werewolf, don’t you get it. And my brother’s a werewolf. We weren’t bitten. There’s a lot I still don’t know, but

from what I gather, only males carry the gene that can sometimes turn someone into a shifter.” Nick wrinkled his nose up. “I love you, but I don’t want your brother biting me any time soon.” “You love me?” she asked, barely above a whisper. “Of course I do.” He drew nearer, the closeness and warmth of his arms around her lending her comfort. Although she’d been fantasizing about touching him, he was the one to stroke her face, sliding his hands into her thick hair, and drawing her to him for a kiss. The moment his lips touched hers, shivers slid down from the nape of her neck to her tailbone. Desire pulsed through her body, and a wetness pooled between her legs. She leaned over the center console, trying to get into a better position to get nearer. The car didn’t seem to be made for necking in the front seat. “I want you,” she said, “before we go do this. I need to feel you inside of me.” Her words seemed to spur him on, as his kisses took on a greater intensity. Neither one of them knew what to expect into the gates of the amusement park, but right here, right now in each other’s embrace, was safety and comfort. Love. His hand dropped down to her chest, reaching beneath her shirt and tugging down the front of her bra. He flicked his thumb against her nipple and it hardened immediately beneath his touch. She moaned into his mouth, and their kisses continued. He pulled back for air. “In the backseat, now,” he said, “and get rid of those jeans.” She laughed, doing her damnedest to shimmy out of her pants, and crawl into the back as fast as possible. The moment when she was at her most vulnerable, ass raised up in the air, Nick slapped her bottom. “Yowch,” she said, jumping a little bit. “What was that for?” “Couldn’t help myself.” Nick opened the driver’s side door, unlocked the back one and climbed in after her. “Well that was smart,” Silver said.

“Older and wiser. Now come here.” He pulled Silver on top of his lap, seeking for her warm entrance. He pushed aside her underwear, and sank two fingers into her. “Now that’s what I’m talking about,” he said, sealing his mouth over hers once again. She reached down between him, unbuttoning and then unzipping his pants to free his cock. “No underwear,” she murmured in surprise. “I like to hang free sometimes,” he said. He lifted his ass off the seat, allowing her room to slip his pants down further, and sliding her hand under his balls, gently massaging them. “Oh, fuck me,” he said in response. “I plan to.” In the darkness, they met each other’s gaze. She briefly wondered what he saw there, in her. He leaned back, hitting the automatic lock button, and the car sealed with an audible click. That sound acted like the opening of the doors at a horse race. And they were off. “Come sit on me,” he said, attempting to pull her down. “Not so fast,” she teased. She lowered herself until the head of his member barely graced the outside of her entranceway. The pulse of his hotness ready to spear her core. She raised back up, only to have him brace his hands against her hips, bringing her back down again. She moved backward, holding the length of his cock, and sliding down against it, slicking it up with her wetness. He moaned in response. “You’re driving me crazy.” “That’s kind of the idea.” She hovered over the head once more, and he firmly grabbed her hips, pushing into her in one swift motion. She inhaled at the sudden sense of fullness. How quickly she accommodated him. Oh, and that lovely friction of his stomach and love trail against her clit. Yes, it felt so good.

She raised up again, drawing closer to his body, and rubbing herself against him and the base of his cock the whole way down. His hands settled beneath her bottom, and one trailed one finger around the rim of her ass. He didn’t enter her, just kept it there, as their frenzied fucking began. The car rocked, and squeaked as their pace increased. Maybe they should have taken care of this business before leaving the house after all. In part of her mind, Silver found the situation funny but it felt too fucking good to really care. “Oh yes baby,” she said. Hips jerking against him, he guided her movements, pushing her down onto him, until pleasure broke through all barriers, and their climaxes overtook them. She lay slumped against her, and he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her in tighter. “I love you, Silver Ashe. Will you be my girl, always and forever?” “Yes,” she kissed him lightly. “I love you, too.” Over his shoulder, she looked out the steamed over window into the night sky. She couldn’t see anything much beyond, and they had no idea what they were getting themselves into. She thought about his word choice, “forever.” Beyond the safety of the car lurked the unknown. “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked. “We can always go back home, and crawl into bed. Maybe do this deed again, all proper.” He drew back as much as possible in the tight confines, and smoothed her wild hair back. “I need to do this. For my sister, Malena, and for myself. I can’t know about this group of the undead and leave now. If I do, and they kill someone else, they take another member of someone else’s family … I can’t live knowing that.” She knew what he meant, and why he felt the way that he did. Still, after the beauty of this moment, all that remained out there was death. She moved off his lap, instantly feeling the sense of loss of being filled, and coldness clung to her wet parts. His empty cock

thudded against his stomach. She slid over to the other side of the car, Adjusting her panties, and pushing her leg into the pants once again, and arching up to pull them over her ass. “Let’s get this over with.”

Chapter Twenty After Katrina hit, the amusement park flooded. Silver had seen the photos—water completely covering some building and coming stories high on the roller coasters. The entire ground was declared a total loss: It would cost too much to restore it, and it wasn’t worth that much. At least not at this point in time. A few rides had been salvaged and shipped off to other parks across the United States; one ride settling in Los Angeles. One had to wonder how safe those rides could be after being submerged in water—corroded and rusted, and maybe even structurally weakened. Now, there was nothing jazzy left of the once Jazz Land. Weeds and various foliage overgrew the broken-down rides, nature taking back the land that man had tamed. Silver had seen the remnants of times-gone-by during the daytime, but never at night. She followed Nick steadfastly, a darkness in her heart. Especially now, after meeting Lawrence, could she look at vampires as continuing to be evil creatures? Certainly they all weren’t the same. Lawrence didn’t prey upon the weak. He didn’t hunt for the thrill of the chase. And, after her own change, she knew that internal, hormonal lust that came along with running free, following a scent and tracking down a target. She stood still, listening to her senses, and trying to pick up the scent of the rogue vampire from the club. Silver picked up the fresh fragrance of spilled blood. From what Nick had overheard, earlier in the week the fang-gang had brought back club-goers for some private parties. “Give me some light,” Nick said, reaching into his bag and bringing out a set of wire cutters. Silver shined the flashlight onto the fencing that surrounded the amusement park, while Nick grunted as he tried to cut through the thick metal. Impatiently, she waited. Their relationship still tenuous, she feared letting him know too much about her “condition.” Right now, he seemed accepting enough, but that could change. What if he suddenly saw her as different, as non-human? That continued to be his argument right now: she was still human, just slightly

changed. Vampires, though, were a totally different creature. Dead. Soulless. Again, how did that explain Lawrence, and the love that he shared with her brother Trevor and Lily? All one had to do was see the three of them together, and they could see it: They were meant to be together, even if it was for eternity, give or take a few hundred years. A crackling sound filled the still air, as Nick continued to clip through the metal. With an exasperated sigh, Silver reached past him. “Here, let me,” she said, handing over the flashlight. With an easy grip on the clippers, she snipped through the remaining sections and then pulled back the fence so they could slip inside. “Why didn’t you help sooner?” Nick asked, flexing his fingers. “That hurt my hand.” “Because you’re the big macho man, and I wanted you to do it,” Silver teased. “Sorry, next time I won’t leave you struggling.” He grunted a response, lifting his bag of weapons and goodies over his shoulder, and ducked through their makeshift gate. They trailed the flashlights around the grounds and a sense of overwhelming unease came over Silver. “How are we going to find them in all these buildings? This place reeks. My senses are on overload.” she said. “I don’t know where to start. This adventure may not be the best idea.” “These are sick fucks, remember. I say we start with the fun house,” Nick said, “They’ve got a twisted sense of humor.” Images of contorted figures dashed through Silver’s mind. Of course they’d be headed into the fun house. Even during a regular Halloween season, she tended to avoid haunted houses. Life itself held too much horror for her. She lived the macabre. They headed out, the sound of their feet squishing through the mud. The wet sucking noise repulsed Silver. Imagine the damage being done to her soft leather boots. Why did vampire hunting have to be such a messy affair?

“Nick, can you wait a moment,” Silver called out. “Not that I haven’t enjoyed the times we’ve been together, but do you think we’ll ever get a chance to simply lay together afterward?” Nick stopped at her question, and returned to her side. He cupped his hand on the side of her face, and looked directly into her eyes. “Yes, I promise you. We’ll have a lifetime of cuddling together. After tonight, it’ll be different.” Although meant to soothe her, for some reason Nick’s comments made Silver’s heart ache. Stupid superstitions. He lightly kissed her, and for a moment, it felt like they were sharing essences. Part of her energy flowed into him, and likewise. A joining together of their souls. “Now, let’s go do this,” Nick said, automatically switching into high gear. They wound their way through the grounds. Deep shadows lurked everywhere, behind knocked-over trashcans, ticket booths, entrances to rides. In Silver’s peripheral vision, she watched for movement. An eerie quiet hung over the park, as if all wildlife had vacated along with the human inhabitants. The only remains being the overgrown foliage and inhuman creatures of the night. And yet, here she was, prowling as a hunter. Momentarily, she thought of Lawrence. She didn’t want to think of the implications. A shape off to the side caught her attention, and she stopped to get a better look. The closer she got, the more dread took over. Was it a body? Ahead of her, she was slightly aware that Nick continued on. She wanted to call out to him to wait up for her, but she also didn’t want to draw attention to themselves. She turned her flashlight on low to illuminate the figure, and her heart jumped: only a dummy. It must have been used as a decoration, and now lay tattered. “When we run into them, don’t shift if you don’t have to,” Nick whispered. “They don’t take kindly to weres. Keep ’em guessing.” Finally, after walking for a few minutes, they reached their destination. On top of the deserted fun house, a paint-chipped and worn-out joker lay on its side, looking down at all who dared to

enter the establishment. His horrific grin took on an extra creepy interpretation: All who enter won’t exit alive. A scream shattered the quiet. Her senses on alert, Silver jumped at the piercing nature of horror. Heart roaring, she moved forward to reach for Nick but he already was on the move, looking for the best entrance into the house of horrors. It looked like their only choice would be to go through the giant-sized doors that once welcomed riders into the funhouse. Now, they lay partially closed with the cars stopped mid-track. Something scurried across her foot, and Silver jumped. It took all her willpower not to scream out herself. “Maybe it’s best if you stay out here,” Nick said, holding out his arm as if to stop her physically. “You gotta be kidding me. And what? Fall victim to one of the ultimate horror conventions out there? We split up and they we’re each picked off like prey? Did you ever watch any horror films? Even Scream made fun of it. Even us talking about it makes it cliché.” She shook her head in disbelief. What the hell was he thinking? Was he that macho that he didn’t want her to come along? Or did he not think that she could handle herself? “OK, stay close, but not too close because I might need to react quickly.” Silver scoffed at the idea of him moving fast. If only he’d seen how fast she could move these days. Some day, soon. She should have listened to her sixth sense. In her gut, she knew that coming out here was the wrong thing to do, but she didn’t feel confident enough in her convictions. Uneasiness fluttered in the center of her chest, right beneath the breastbone. Her heart beat faster. She wanted to run. Just as they entered the mouth of the tunnel, an explosion rocked them, knocking Silver on her ass. The cement foundation caved around the gaping opening, trapping them inside. If they continued to walk around the pathway, eventually they’d make

their way out. Silver coughed, and waited for the debris to clear. She surveyed the area. Nick was nowhere to be seen. “Don’t be an ass. You don’t need to do all this on your own, you know that, right?” Trev said, grabbing Law by the sleeve. It wasn’t like he could keep him there if Law insisted upon leaving, but he could at least try. “I know that I’m not the only one responsible for this mess.” Law yanked him arm away, eyes flashing with anger. Trev tilted backward, compensating for the force and knocked over a stack of books that rested on the counter. Law turned around, pacing and then came back. “You’re the one that got me into it, and I’m the one who’ll have to get me out.” “Are we back to that again? Really?” Trev said. “Would you have rather died? Should I have let you bleed out, shrivel up to nothing but dust and poof, you’re gone, just like that?” Law bared his fangs in frustration. “What do you want me to do? My life isn’t my life until this debt is paid. And I want it done with before that Voodoo priestess changes her mind. It’s not something you mess with.” “So you keep saying. What can happen?” Trev said. “It’s not like she’s coming after you, and cursing you, is it? She wants your help.” “She wants the bones of Marie Laveau. Do you understand the implications to that action? Cause I sure the hell do. And when I talk repercussions, I don’t necessarily mean from Teresa. There are other forces at work here. Elements that you don’t get, and that even I don’t fully understand.” Trev wanted to argue further. Teresa seemed to be on their side. She was harboring Lily’s mom, protecting her from the demon and she certainly didn’t seem to be making any threatening remarks. So they gave her the bones of some dead chick—voodoo priestess or not—what could it harm? And, what could she possibly do with the bones anyway? He suppressed a shudder, remembering the scene of being in Madame Teresa’s healing room, and the pale body of Lawrence stretched out on the table. The feel of other forces at work, and the life shocking back into Law’s body. As a member

of the paranormal Others, Trev understood that there were many things within life that not everyone knew about, and he didn’t get what Teresa did, and how she healed when all hope seemed to be loss. But she did, heal. She didn’t curse, and she didn’t kill. She’d brought Law back from the dead. Could there be bad in that deed? “I could hear you two all the way from upstairs,” Lily said, interrupting them. “This type of chaos certainly can’t be good for business. Customers can probably feel the anger vibrations seeping from in here out on the sidewalk.” She walked over to the front, looked outside and then turned toward them with her arms crossed over her chest. Trev looked around the store. It was empty, and not quite at the time when the after-dinner crowd poured in or those looking to shop while burning off a buzz. “What are you two fighting about now?” she asked. “Lawrence wants to go out grave-digging, alone.” “And you don’t think that’s a good idea?” she said, catching up quickly. “What makes you think it’s what you need to do, Law, and why now? I know you don’t just jump into things.” “It’s time,” Law said. “I can feel it, somehow. We’ve been playing house, and I got distracted. Before we move any further, I need to take care of this cloud hanging over my soul.” The way Law responded, and how he looked at Lily, made Trev think about their conversation about potentially having a child. What would the three of them be like, as parents? He now had the responsibility of watching over his sister, too. While the subject hadn’t come up again, he knew it lurked there beneath the surface, and whenever he now made love with Lily, Trev thought of the possibility of the act having additional meaning. Even better reason not to face potential danger alone. He’d almost lost Law a couple times now, either from stupidity or threat. He didn’t want to face it again. “We can either close up the shop, or Lily can take over the cash register for a little while,” Trev tried once more. “Don’t go out on your own.”

“Whatever you need,” Lily said, as she looked from one of them to the other. “You really don’t get it, do you,” Law said, moving closer to Trev, and laying his cool palm against Trev’s face. Law trailed his fingers against the roughness of his beard, and those deep feelings of love flowed throughout Trev’s body. “It’s not safe to leave Lily alone here at night … even with her powers. And it’s not safe to bring either of you with me. I don’t know what I’m going to find, and I don’t want to have to worry about either one of you, either.” “So bring Nick,” Trev joked. “Great, so I’d have to watch my back from him, too?” Law said. “I promise not to take any extraordinary risks, and if it looks dangerous, then I’ll come back and plan something else. I need to face this alone.” With those final words, Law leaned in, his lips brushing Trev’s and sending waves of sensation and worry throughout. He looked deeply into Trev’s eyes, and whispered, “Take care of our girl here. I’ll be home to you both soon enough.” As he walked out, Lily stepped next to Trev taking Lawrence’s place, and slipping her hand into his. She rested her head against his shoulder, and Trev took comfort in the heat of her body seamed against his. “He’ll be all right, you know,” she said. “He is a vampire.” Doubt continued to churn within his gut. He didn’t get premonitions about something bad happening, but a feeling persisted that he felt like he shouldn’t ignore. Maybe the feelings were misguided. He hadn’t heard from Silver all day. Maybe he should try calling her to see if everything was all right. He hoped to hell that Lily was right about Lawrence. He moved to the windows, and looked outside into the night. Usually, when he got into a fight, he was the one who ended up leaving. Is this what it felt like to be on the other side? “He’s also not invincible,” Trev said. The fear of what may happen cleaved to him. He failed to shake it. “But unfortunately bringing him back from the final death probably didn’t help that notion.”

Chapter Twenty-One The hunt had turned terribly wrong. Somehow, she separated from Nick. In the chaos, he went left and she went right and when the smoke cleared she found herself alone, in the murky darkness. The flashlight refused to cut through the interior haze, and by the way the hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention, Silver figured she wasn’t alone. Something else lurked in the darkness, with her, stalking her. Panic threatened to take over, and she struggled to keep her fears under control. Torn between getting the hell out of the deserted house of horrors and finding Nick first, Silver stumbled with one hand holding onto the flashlight with dear life, and the other one clutching her T-shirt around her mouth. She breathed through the material as a semi-mask in order to cut back on smoke inhalation. Ahead, she made out a shape, and she dropped her shirt. “Nick? Nick is that you?” “Guess again,” a voice said from behind her. This time, nothing stopped her scream. But no one was around to hear it. Forcibly, the vampire holding her dragged her down the corridor, and opened a side door into the bowels of the ride. Silver looked around for something that might help her, and only saw rotted out electrical wires. The room smelled like mold and rotten blood. Another vampire with strawberry blond hair entered after them. “Look at the pretty fem-were. Think anyone’s gonna come looking for her?” “Get your hands off me,” Silver struggled against the strong grip of the vampire that held her hostage. She hadn’t seen him yet. She brought the heel of her boot down hard against the guy’s shin and top of his foot, and he laughed at the “tickle” of the feeling. The vamp looked down at her feet. “Oh, no, not you, too?” he said, laughing. Silver followed his line of sight. “Not me, what?” “Style whore.”

She looked down at her ankle-high soft-leather boots. Definitely not hunting attire, but she liked to look good. At least she had when she’d set out that night. Now, with the mud and oil caked into them? Not so much. “I have friends and family in high places, and if you don’t let me go this instant you’ll be sorry.” “You came here to kill me, to kill all of us. How much more sorry would I be if I let you leave and live?” Silver thought about the reasoning, and in a sense she didn’t blame him. She had come to the park with one objective: Hunt, and slay. As he twisted her around, to look at her directly, she recognized him: The vampire from Club Blood. The one that she and Nick had chased, who had then gotten away. He must be the leader of the rogue gang. “Still, I think we should keep you alive for a little while at least,” he ran his finger down her cheek, and Silver shied away at the coolness of his touch. Something dark flashed in his eyes, and she feared what he could be thinking. “And who knows who might coming looking for you. Those family and friends that you mentioned. It could be fun.” “You’re going to regret this,” she said through gritted teeth. “Maybe, but something tells me that you’re going to regret coming here even more.” He half dragged, half pulled her toward the wall. Chains hung from the ceiling, and he held her arms up, looping the metal around her wrists, before next binding her ankles into cuffs fixed in the floor. “You’re a strong little fem-were aren’t you?” he said, not waiting for an answer. “You might think you can break through these chains, but guess what? Silver.” He stroked her hair, as if for emphasis. “Such a pretty thing, Silver. Isn’t that ironic? Being chained up with your namesake?” So he knew her, or of her obviously. She thought about what else he could possibly know about her. “You know who I am, but what’s your name?”

“Who I am doesn’t matter. If you must know, my given name was Lucas, but these days everyone calls me Lucky.” With a final yank on the bindings to check their sturdiness, he stepped back and surveyed his handiwork. “So what do you say? Shall I gag you to keep you quiet? Hmmm. I think not. No one’s really going to hear you out here, unless they’re looking for you. You can scream all you want.” Where the hell had Nick gone? If they had her, he surely must have been in trouble. There’s no way he would have left her there, alone. Right? Unless, he was hurt or worse, dead. Or, maybe he thought that he couldn’t do anything to save her, and he needed to go for help. She knew that he was only one human, vs. at least three vamps. She wished she knew. Mud caked underneath Lawrence’s fingernails, and the skin began to peel away. He worked in darkness. His vampire-enhanced eyes adjusting to the dim lighting. With a grim realization, he thought about all those vampires buried alive who tried to dig themselves out of a grave before they starved to death, and here he was attempting to crawl into one as if his life depended upon it. Sure, it would be easier to break through the outside of the tomb but then others would know that someone had desecrated the grave. There would be questions, and he didn’t want to be the one to provide the answers. Instead, he wanted to find what he was looking for, get the hell out of there and take control back of his life. Right now, he remained indebted to Madame Teresa, the Grand Dame of Voodoo in the French Quarter, descendent of the great Marie Laveau, and the last thing he wanted to do was owe her any favors. If it wasn’t for Teresa’s knowledge, Lawrence would be dead right now, and odds were that Trevor and Lily would have been, too, or worse. Lily could have become the eternal sex slave of that hell demon Ari. So the hindsight of the payoff for his small debt shouldn’t be that much, considering. Hell, he should be grateful to Trevor for saving his life by bringing him to Madame Teresa. Too bad Trevor couldn’t sacrifice himself.

He didn’t like the darkness invading his thoughts. He didn’t like to think of death, and he hated messing around with Voodoo. That balance within life. For every death, there was a life, and for every life there was a death. Over his many years, Lawrence had seen it played out over and over. He wasn’t quite sure what Teresa wanted Marie Laveau’s bones for, but he was sure it couldn’t be good. While his debt may be paid off with this act, what would come in return? Some have said that Marie Laveau cursed her grave against would-be gravediggers, and controversy abounds about where she’s actually buried. Of all people, Madame Teresa should know where she’s located, or perhaps she does but just didn’t want to suffer the wrath of the unknown herself. Lawrence switched to the handheld shovel, digging deeper, beneath the flooring of the crypt. Maybe he should have let Trevor come with him. After all these years on earth, and all that he’s learned, he couldn’t believe how human emotions continued to take over. He was pouting dammit, and if he dug his fingers raw and bloody, guess the hell what? They’d heal. They always did. Some things he could still count on. The metal of the shovel clanged as it hit something solid—cement. Once he got inside the tomb, he wondered how he’d recognize Laveau’s bones. Like being cooked for too long in a fiery pizza oven, after this much time in the naturally heated vault, they had to be ashes. That’s what the purpose of the mausoleums were—after a certain amount of time passed, they could shove one person’s remains to the back and then add in another relative. Eventually, they were all tumbled together. The loneliness of the deed invaded his psyche. He needed to focus on pleasant memories or nothing at all. Maybe the feel of Lily’s lush lips, or the way Trevor looked up at him with wide, open eyes while he sucked Lawrence’s cock. Fuck. Not proper grave-digging fare. Cursed already.

Over the course of the last hour, he’d created a big-ass hole, and he was hoping that his luck would continue to hold. He reached up to the top, grabbing onto the side of the dirt and launched himself upward. Surveying the areas with his senses, he felt confident that no one lurked nearby. The local hoodlums and gangs may prey upon unsuspecting tourists during the daylight hours, but not many wanted to play tag among the tombstones with the dead. Which was he? More dead or alive? Satisfied that he remained alone, he returned to the depths below the secret Laveau family tomb, and got ready to break through the inner sanctum. He muscled upward with the shovel, hearing the cement crack and rain down upon him. He looked away at the last moment, saving his eyes from shards of shattered rock. With a cry filled with aggravation and aggression, he raised the shovel up again, breaking through the barrier. He reached through, scrapping more skin off his wrists, and feeling the blood flow down his arm, and pulled chunks of the flooring off. Maybe busting a hole through the sidewall would have been a better idea after all. Instead, he was going to bust the entire floor out and unfortuitously end up burying himself alive. With one final heave, he broke through the barrier and pushed himself through into the tomb. While most of the bones in other areas would disintegrate into dust that everything mingled together over the decades, Lawrence knew that the Queen had been treated with more reverence. After her time period, the overseers of her estate placed her remains in a small wooden box. He ran the bloody pad of one finger over the inscription plate. The container possessed a weight much heavier than what Law expected, but maybe instead it was the weight upon his soul. By raiding Marie Laveau’s grave, had he added another black mark on his own soul? With a heavy heart, Lawrence tucked the box under his arm, and returned to the hole. So little time to cause destruction and fortunately—in this case—such a shorter amount to restore some order. Once he’d re-filled the hole, he covered it with debris and

branches. Anyone could see that the earth had been disturbed, but hopefully they’d first consider a wild animal before a thief. He looked down at his mangled appearance. In order to heal more quickly, he’d need to feed. He longed for a shower, and for the comfort of his own home. Instead, he trudged on toward the second unwanted duty of the night: visiting Madame Teresa. Perhaps, she’d have a tasty morsel he could eat from at her establishment. An image of her delicate niece Mirabella came to mind. She’d work perfectly. Teresa wouldn’t want her guests to go hungry would she? He chased the bitter thoughts from his mind, and focused on matters much more civil like the new opera he wanted to take both Lily and Trevor. With his disheveled attire, Lawrence kept to the back alleys. As a creature of the night, he knew all too well how easily it was to slip through the shadows, unseen by most. Soon enough, he arrived at Madame Teresa’s where a sense of joviality gave him pause. Such chaos happening throughout the city, and the world, yet the party continued somewhere. For the first time, in a long while, he sensed how much he remained on the outskirts of humanity. That thought needed to be left for another day. Instead, he nodded at the guard sitting vigil at the backdoor, pushed through beaded entrance with a twinkle of sound and went to make good on his debt. Madame Teresa sat on her self-made throne, as if waiting for Lawrence to walk into the room. “I had a feeling I’d be seeing you tonight,” she said. “Psychic feeling?” he asked, removing the box from under his arm and holding it out to Teresa. “Inside here are the answers you seek.” “You’re free from me with this delivery,” Teresa said, taking the chest, and running her hand over its edges. A clump of dirt exploded on the floor, and Lawrence thought about what a mess it had all literally become. “Why so gloomy?” “I have a healthy respect for the religion, and for practitioners of it,” Lawrence said. “Good, so do I,” Teresa cackled.

“It doesn’t feel right to dig up those bones, and I didn’t want to give them to you.” Teresa didn’t reply to his statement. “So do you think that this is going to help your niece Mirabella?” “If she was sick, it would,” Teresa said, cryptically. “You lied,” Law said, standing to his full height. His anger level cranked up incredibly fast. It had been a long night, and he needed to recharge. He took a step forward. “Then what’s this all about anyway?” “It doesn’t concern you,” Teresa said, holding her ground. “Consider your debt to me now paid. We’re even.” “I don’t think so. You had me dig up the bones of the most revered Voodoo priestess of all time, and now you’re telling me to forget about it? I can’t do that.” The escalation of their voices drew attention, and Julia peeked through the curtains separating the back quarters from the storefront. “Is everything all right back here?” she asked. Despite his anger, Law took in Julia’s appearance. She looked different than the last time he saw her. Smaller, somehow. More pale. Less vibrant. He helped rescue her from the depths of hell, and now she was worse for wear? He would have to consult with Lily. “Everything’s fine, dear,” Teresa said. “Mr. Justice was just about to leave.” “Not until I get some answers,” he said. Intimidation wasn’t working. If there was one thing that Law possessed, that was time. He crossed the room, and sat down in a chair, propping one foot onto the opposite knee. “You didn’t have any plans for tonight, did you?” he asked Teresa. Julia looked back at her proprietor once again. “Please go help the customers. I’ve got everything handled back here,” Teresa said. “What’s wrong with her?” Law asked, gesturing toward the swaying drapery that Julia had shut. “She doesn’t seem…right.” “Always so perceptive, aren’t you?” Teresa said. “It’s being away from that demon, Ari. Being with him was killing her, and now being away from him is draining her power. She’s aging.

Unlike your female mate, Lily, her mother’s power seems to be demon-given. Without that demon in her life, well…” “Any sign of him?” “No, I’m keeping her safe. I can cloak her. He should have no clue as to where she’s gone. And, if he ever digs his way out of that hell-cave, he should know better than to go after the three of you again.” “So are you going to talk to me about these bones, or shall I return them to where I found them?” He looked at his watch for emphasis. “I still have a few hours before sunrise.” Teresa sighed, and came to stand closer to Lawrence. “Whomever possesses these bones has access to so much more power, more than one could possibly dream about.” “And that’s what this is all about,” Law said, distaste spreading within his mouth. “You want power? Haven’t we played this game before?” “No, you idiot, I don’t want power,” Teresa smiled wanly. “Well, everyone is tempted by a little bit of power. But, lately, I’ve been hearing things, whispers through the channels of The Other worlds. Someone’s been looking for the bones, and I figured that sooner or later, that someone was going to find them. What better way to keep them safe than to take them for myself.” “But you didn’t take them. You had me steal them.” “Ah, semantics. It’s all the same: I end up with them, right?” “She’s been buried in that tomb for more than 130 years…what makes you think that you’re going to be able to keep them safer?” “Because I have to.” “And if something happens to you?” “Then you know where they are, right?”

Chapter Twenty-Two “Silver’s missing,” Lily said as soon as Lawrence crossed into the house. Although one weight had just been lifted, another one piled on top of Law’s shoulders. “What?” he asked, knowing the minute the word left his mouth, it was useless. He knew what she had said. “Where’s Trevor?” “Upstairs, getting ready. He’s going looking for her.” She stood before him, arms crossed over her chest, accusatory and totally closed off. How could he have left to do an errand that would bring peace into their lives to return to another mess? “He shouldn’t go,” Lawrence said. “I’ll handle it.” “What? You think he’s going to listen? Like you did? Maybe if you wouldn’t continue to be as hard headed and stubborn as all that, and let someone else help you, he wouldn’t want to gallivant alone, looking for a vampire hunter.” The power of her words hit him. So many times over the night, he had thought of Trevor, and his thirst for life. His desire to help Law. After all this time, he continued to keep those walls up around his emotions, and his heart. What good was it doing him? The emotions existed, whether he wanted to acknowledge them or not. “And what were your plans in all this?” She gave him a complete once-over and Law became even more aware of his appearance. The caked in mud, broken and bloody fingernails. He curled his hands into fists, and resisted the urge to swipe the mud off his pants. Lily exhaled with an audible “Pffft” in response. “It’s safer for me here. It’s always safer for me to remain locked up. I can be of help, you know?” “I know it, but at the same time it’s good for someone to stay at home base, in case she returns.” “Exactly what Trevor said, too. You two have been together for too long.” Not long enough, Lawrence thought. Not nearly long enough. “Yeah, but I don’t want Trevor going anywhere either.”

At that statement, the were walked into the sitting room, and stilled at the sight of Lawrence. “Well, you’ve seen better days,” Trev said, looking Lawrence over from head to toe. “Should I assume that the situation with the Voodoo Queen has been taken care of?” “Yes, my debt’s been paid.” Trev nodded, and readjusted the bag on his shoulder. He looked anxious to take off. “Going somewhere?” Lawrence asked, baiting his lover. “I’m going to find Silver. She took off with Nick, and they’ve been gone too long.” “She went out with Nick earlier,” Lily interjected. “They said they wanted some alone time, but when they didn’t come back Trevor went to her room and found a note.” “The note said that Nick got a hot tip on a community of rogue vampires staying out at the abandoned amusement park,” Trevor explained. “It’s getting closer to daytime, and they haven’t come back, so I gotta go.” Lawrence moved closer to his lover. Now came the hard part, convincing him to—once again—stay home. He took Trevor’s hands in his own, and made him stop for a moment. “Listen, I need you to stay here,” Lawrence started. “We don’t know what to expect out there, but you went head to head with some rogue vampires a few years back and didn’t fair very well.” “But she’s my …” “Sister, yes I know, and I understand. But getting yourself killed isn’t going to help her,” Lawrence said. “Let me go, alone. These are my kind. I know what to expect, and I’ve been battling them a lot longer than you.” “And what do I do? Stay here with Lily twiddling my thumbs?” “Why don’t we all go?” Lily interrupted. “Combined, we’re more powerful.” Lawrence gave her a look that said he didn’t agree. “And what happens if Lily calls and they didn’t head out to the Ninth Ward, and went somewhere else instead?” Lawrence asked. “Plus, the truth is that I move faster alone.”

“And we stay here,” Lily said, “and do nothing.” Beneath Lawrence’s hands, he could feel Trevor trembling. “I promise you, I’ll bring her home,” he said. The werewolf dropped the bag from his shoulder. “If you’re not back by daylight, I’m coming out,” he said. “Nothing like a deadline to motivate,” Lawrence said. “Well, here I go again.” With a sigh, Lily sat down on the chaise lounge and picked up her book. Law caught a glimpse of naked skin and two people kissing on the cover. Such the hopeless romantic, she loved her “love” novels. He kissed her inviting lips, and then headed out the door. Fury built inside Silver. She wanted to kill the vamp assholes now more than ever. Why the hell couldn’t she change? She pulled at the silver chains binding her wrists. Could it be that the myth about silver bullets being able to kill werewolves also had something to do with her not being able to change with these wrapped around her body? When she got out of here, her first priority would be to learn more about her new nature. If Trevor couldn’t help her, she’d find someone who would. If it was regular metal, she should be able to break free. With every bit of strength she possessed, she yanked on the chains, straining and praying to any god that would listen. No use. Nothing. Maybe Trevor and Lawrence would come to their rescue. The vamps had moved to another exterior room where she couldn’t see them, but she could hear them. And, from what she could hear, it didn’t sound good. “What should we do with the female?” one asked. “Pretty little were-girl like that?” another one answered. Without seeing him, Silver recognized his voice as the redheaded vampire. “Someone’s gotta come looking for her eventually. I say we wait to see who shows up, and then we can have our fun.”

The first speaker broke out in laughter. Evil. Like he enjoyed watching someone in pain. Like he tortured puppies for the fun of it. Her stomach turned at being left alone with the misfit. How strikingly different Lawrence now seemed in comparison. None of these guys would be able to hide their psychotic natures. More proof that with Lawrence, what one saw was the real person. Hopefully, that was a lesson that Nick would learn soon too, before he got himself in such a hopeless situation. She tried to keep herself from thinking it, but her mind already went there: Like this one. The room swam before her eyes, and Silver placed her hand against the wall for leverage. First priority for Silver was to get the hell out of this hellhole, and then she’d find Nick—and kick his ass for bringing her—and then go shopping. She knew the last part didn’t make much sense, but she needed to have some inappropriate goal to work toward. The more she worked at the silver chain, the more it gave. Actually, it was more like her skin was giving. Blood coated the metal, slicking its surface, and making her progress easier. The tenor of the voices in the other room changed, and grew louder and angry. The conversation seemed to be coming to some sort of conclusion. The thought made her frantic. If they came back and caught her escaping, what would they do? Would it make any difference at all? Damn, could they smell her blood? She worked at her bindings, tugging until one hand finally slipped loose. Then, it was much easier to free her other hand, and unchain her feet. Once she removed the silver from her body, her fury took over. She needed to stay focused, but shifting brought another sort of strength, and she’d be more likely able to escape as a werewolf than as a mere human. Her bones elongated, stretching her skin. She smelled the salty coppery metallic nature of her own blood, and she lifted a wrist up to her mouth to lick it away. She didn’t heal quite the way a vampire did, but the blood pooled and stopped flowing. She resisted the urge to howl in anger. The element of surprise on her side was one of her advantages.

Nick. She raised her snout in the air, testing the currents to see if she could smell her lover. Nothing. Perhaps they didn’t have him held capture. But then where was he? Did he know that they held her? “What the hell?” Time was up. A vampire stood in the doorway, watching her. He started to turn to warn the others, and she pounced on him, knocking him to the floor. Her claws ripped through his clothing, into the flesh of his back. She batted him over. He opened his mouth to yell, and she sunk her teeth into the thin skin of his neck and bit threw. Blood filled her mouth and she pulled back at its bitter, dead taste. He tasted like the difference between fresh, running water, and a stagnant, diseased pool. She spit out the god-awful taste. The vamp beneath her stopped moving, and she got up. Time to hunt her other captors. In the next room, another vamp watched some show on an iPad. Such modern conveniences in a vampire lair, she thought. He must be a young one, which would only work in her favor. It’s not like she was the most experienced werewolf, either. She leapt through the air, connecting her front paws against his chest, and knocking him backward. As the chair hit the cement floor, his head thudded. He recovered quickly, hissing at her and baring his teeth. She snarled in return, swiping her front claws against the side of his cheek. He held it, as if shocked by the dripping blood. She lunged for the kill, taking out his throat and nearly decapitating him. One more stood between her and freedom. And Nick. She wiped a paw across her mouth, getting rid of the wet blood that covered her snout. Maybe a shower before shopping would be in order. As she neared the door, she contemplated the knob. When she morphed, she didn’t turn into a dog-like creature, but more half-human and half-wolf. Her hands though stretched out and grew long nails. Try as she might, she couldn’t grasp the fuckin’ door knob. Great, felled by not having an opposable thumb. After fumbling

with the knob a few times, she attempted to bite it off. No luck. Now, she did throw her head back and howl in frustration. She had to get out, and get out now. Every minute that went by meant one more moment that Nick could be killed, and by damn, he wasn’t going to die on her watch. Centering her breathing, she concentrated on shifting back into her human form. The change seemed to be the only alternative to getting the hell out of this back office. Once back, the cold air assaulted her body, and she returned to the vampire she’d killed to take his jacket. It hung to a little past her waist, barely covering her ass. It would have to do. She returned to the door, easily opening it. Now to find Nick. She quickly moved through the area of the tunnel that hadn’t been destroyed, heading toward the open air. Outside, sounds of a fight echoed off the abandoned amusement park, and Silver ran in that direction. Nick was fighting the leader of the vamps. And although Nick seemed to be skilled in combat, Silver immediately knew he was losing the war. He was protecting himself, rather than battling the vampire. He held a stake in his right hand, waiting for the moment to strike. Both the vampire and Nick looked at her as she came running in their direction. She caught the surprised looked on Nick’s face, and saw the vampire smile. Nick raised the stake, going in for the kill and the vamp moved at lightning speed, grabbing Nick’s wrist, twisting it with an audible crack and then slamming the stake into Nick’s chest. “Noooo,” Silver screamed. Nick looked down, in awe at the wood protruding with his chest, and then back at Silver and then he fell. “Now isn’t this interesting. The vampire hunter was fucking a little were girl.” The bloodsucker’s chuckle sent chills down Silver’s spine. “Oh, sorry about that, baby-were. Did I hurt your boyfriend?” the vampire baited Silver. “You shouldn’t have done that,” Silver said, immediately going into attack mode herself. If she shifted at this moment, though, it would leave her vulnerable.

“Silver, duck,” a voice from behind her yelled out. She didn’t question it. She simply reacted. The moment she lowered her head, a whizzing sound cut through the air, and a dagger slammed into the vampire’s chest, directly where his heart once beat. “Oh shit,” he said, and then slumped. His body immediately began to disintegrate. “Look’s like your luck ran out,” she said. She remembered the other two. “Lawrence, two more inside. They didn’t go poof, so they might not be dead.” “Got it,” he said, already moving fast. “Anyone else here?” “No, I never saw anyone else, alive or dead.” Silver ran to where Nick lay slumped on the floor. For having a wooden stake stuck in his chest, the wound barely bled. She cradled his head in her lap, and stroked his hair back. “Hold on, baby. I’m so sorry I didn’t make it out here in time,” she said. His eyes fluttered open. “My fault. Stupid. Should never have come.” Tears streaked down her face. She wanted to remove the foreign object from his body, but she didn’t think that was a good idea. Every show she’d ever seen on television, once the item was removed, blood poured forth. She waited for Lawrence, and wondered if Trevor were near, too. She needed her big brother. When Lawrence returned, his eyes reflected the gravity of the situation. “I’m not sure if we should move him,” he said, “but there’s not much we can do for him here. We need to get him back to the house.” Not knowing what else she could say, she nodded her head in agreement. “Let me carry him,” Law said. “I’m stronger, and can run with him. Can you shift, and try to keep up with me?” “Even better, we have a car nearby.” She leaned over, and placed a kiss on Nick’s forehead, explaining what they were going to do. As gently as possible, she laid his head down, and went to remove the stolen coat. Law turned his head to grant her some pri-

vacy. The cool night air battered her bare skin, until quickly long silver hair covered her body. She sniffed Nick’s body. He didn’t smell good—her mind registered “almost dead,” and she whined at the prospect. “We’ll do what we can,” Law said, moving to pick up Nick. The moment Law raised him, Nick let out a blood-chilling scream of pain, and then blessedly he passed out.

Chapter Twenty-Three Time stalled on the way back to the city. How such a short expanse can both feel like it took so long, and that it had passed quickly at the same time scared the hell out of Silver. She sat in the backseat of the car, with Nick’s head resting on her lap, and her hands pressed over his chest, applying pressure to his wound. Fuck, wound. The piece of wood protruding from his chest. She thought about how they spent their time back here hours earlier, and she began to cry. Cold, silent tears streamed down her face, and she did her best to wipe them off, without smearing Nick’s blood across her face. “Wouldn’t a hospital be quicker?” Silver asked. Everything on her body burned, and she was doing everything possible to keep her nausea in control. The last thing they needed right now was for her to start vomiting in the backseat. “If we take him to the hospital, he won’t live,” Lawrence said, “and they’ll ask questions. Lots of them.” All the implications came to Silver. What would they tell them? He fell on a stick? “Will he live?” she asked again. For some reason, asking the question gave her hope. At the next stop, Lawrence turned to look back at Silver and her charge. “I’ll do what I can, but it doesn’t look good.” Talk about an understatement. No, it certainly didn’t look good. It looked bad. Fuckin’ bad. As bad as it could get. They pulled up behind the building, and she gave thanks that her lover still breathed. Shallow, but under her hands, she continued to feel that rise and fall of his chest. All that mattered is that they were back, and hopefully, they could do something in order to save Nick. “Where the hell have you been?” Trevor asked the minute she walked into the store. As soon as he saw Nick in Lawrence’s arms, all anger disappeared. “Come, bring him inside,” Lily said, directly them to a sitting room in the residence.

Behind them, Trevor locked the front door and turned the sign to “Closed.” Silver knew—in her heart, in her mind and in her soul—that the situation was bad. Still, she didn’t want to give up hope. Lily brought her an oversized robe, and Silver barely registered it as she slipped her arms through it. The other woman tied the belt closed around Silver, and when she met her eyes, she recognized the pity there. She wanted to tell Lily not to feel sorry for her, and that everything would be all right, but was that true? What did she know? She was barely 18, and here she’d been playing life as an adult. Playing house. If she would have stayed home with her adoptive parents, and not gone looking for her “real” family, then Nick wouldn’t be here right now. Almost dead. Lily patted her hand. “You can’t blame yourself, sweetheart. None of this is your fault.” Taken aback, Silver looked at Lily wearily. “No, I can’t read your thoughts directly,” Lily explained, “anybody could figure out what you’re thinking right now.” “I don’t want him to die,” Silver said. “I don’t want to lose him.” “I know, honey, and your brother and Lawrence are going to do everything possible in order to save him.” She looked at her hands, covered in blood—Nick’s blood and her own, most likely. Suddenly, she felt the need to get cleaned. She wanted to wash the events of the night off her. “I’ll be back,” she said. She dashed to the bathroom, and as soon as she closed the door, she dropped to her knees and got sick in the toilet. Stomach empty, but still churning, she washed her hands, and went out to see what she could do to help. “You’ve got to save him,” Silver pleaded with Lawrence. “I can’t lose him.” Lawrence shut his eyes. In all of his years of living on this earth, he’d never turned another into a vampire. He wasn’t one of those stereotypical vamps who despised his life and wished for it

all to end. Hell, he’d fought hard to live all these years. In fact, life was good, but it hadn’t all been good. Turning another came with an extreme responsibility and every now and then, things went bad, as evidence by the vamps Nick had been hunting. Not all vamps were the same. He’d never do it without the person’s consent, though, and Nick despised everything to do with the undead Others. What would he do when he found that he’d become one himself? And that Lawrence was the one who had changed him. Nick was fading fast, though, and soon enough he wouldn’t be up for making any type of decision. It’s not like people took out an “undead will” rather than the traditional living will. They didn’t plan in case of an emergency such as this. He first looked toward Trevor, meeting his eyes and silently asking if he wanted this to take place. Trevor slightly lifted his shoulders in a “whatever-you-want” gesture, and then he glanced to his grief-stricken sister. What would happen to her if Nick died? For someone who’d lost and then gained so much in her life, how would this death set her back? Nick lay on the floor, his head resting on his lover’s lap and his life force spilling out of his body. Ever so gently, Silver stroked his slick hair back, whispering for him to hold on, while making her case with Lawrence through her eyes. Unnoticed, tears slid down the side of her nose, past her pretty mouth and dripped off her chin into Nick’s hair, further wetting it. Lawrence knelt by Nick’s side, laid a hand across the young man’s chest and then drew closer to his ear. “Do you want this?” Lawrence asked. The wounded man opened his mouth to speak, and a bubble of blood flowed out over his lips. He clasped Lawrence’s hand, nodded his head in the affirmative and then closed his eyes with a barely audible sigh. Mind made up, it was time to move fast before it was too late. “Silver, get out of here,” Lawrence said. “I can’t do this with you around.” “But …” she started to protest.

“If you want to argue with me about it, we can. Just know that we don’t have much time left and if he actually dies, he dies.” With a last kiss on Nick’s forehead, Silver scooted over, and placed a pillow beneath his head. As soon as she stood, she took a tissue from the coffee table and wiped the tears from her face, and blew her nose with a loud honking. Nick strained to open his eyes again, his eyelids fluttering. “Lily, please, help Silver out,” Lawrence instructed. “But don’t you need me?” Lily said. She already had bloodstains on her peach-colored shirt from where she’d uselessly tried to stop the bleeding. Lawrence shook his head no. “I need you to watch over Silver more. I know you’re strong, and you could help but I have to balance all sides right now.” A shadow of uncertainty passed over Lily’s face and then she nodded in agreement. “If that’s what you think is best.” She put her arm around Silver, and attempted to escort her out, but the young were pulled away and dropped down on her knees next to Nick once again. A wall of her hair fell over them, offering a sort of privacy they didn’t have. “I love you,” Silver murmured, “and will love you no matter what happens after this.” Nick reached up, caressing her hair before his usually strong arm came crashing back down. “Love you.” His response was so quiet that regular human hears wouldn’t be able to hear it. The beat of his heart grew even more faint. “It’s past time,” Law said, insistent. “Get out.” With a last, longing look back, Silver left the room, and Lily shut the door. Lawrence moved into position. Many years had passed since he’d actually taken the life of a human. The final moments induce panic, and he’d get a glimpse into Nick’s innermost thoughts. A flash of his lifetime. He readied himself for the experience, and at the same time knew that no one could ever be ready for the unknown. “If you can assist me, Trevor,” Lawrence instructed. “Not all go gently into the night.”

His own were-lover came to his side, and helped support Nick. Lawrence gently lifted Nick’s upper body into his arms, ever mindful that the wounds had stopped bleeding quite so much. That meant that he didn’t have much left to give. “Will it hurt?” Nick asked, fear and pain clouding his eyes. “Will dying hurt?” Law’s teeth slid out, automatically releasing in anticipation of feeding. “Doesn’t it hurt already?” he asked. “Dying hurts, but then it’ll be over, and you’ll have a new life.” The answer seemed to satisfy Nick because he gave a little sigh, and bared his neck even more. Lawrence sunk his teeth into the man who hunted his kind, and drew in deeply. Despite what he had just said, he willed a sense of ease and comfort into Nick. He need not be in excessive pain. On the other side of him, Trevor soothed back the man’s hair, telling him that everything would be all right, and that it would soon be over. And then the memories attacked Lawrence: Nick finding his sister slaughtered by the rogue vampires. Her rising from the dead, only to come back to hunt his family. Lawrence had no idea that the young man’s sister had been turned. His first kill. The fear pounding through his body when he first realized what Lawrence and Trevor were. Silver’s smile. Her touch. And love. Yes, the young man truly loved Trevor’s sister, and that powerful emotion would most likely carry with him throughout his afterlife. With his body convulsing, Nick reached up, trying to grab Lawrence and pull away. No matter how close to death, the body self-preserved. Trevor easily grabbed onto Nick’s arm, and held him back. If Lawrence didn’t care about this kill, he could have taken care of it himself, but despite himself and Nick’s best efforts to kill Others, he did care. The young man had only been taught one thing about vampires, and he’d experienced the worse of the worst. Now, he’d learn another. Right when Lawrence sensed the stopping of the heart, he stopped drinking, sealing the wounds. He then bit into his own

wrist, and let the blood flow into Nick’s mouth. Trevor looked away, his face growing pale. “Since when did a little blood bother you?” Law asked. “This isn’t some cheap horror movie. I’m still seeing a loved one hurt, and it makes me remember when you almost died for real.” Nick reared back up, latching onto Law’s wrist and sucking deeply. “Look at him go,” Trevor said. “Can he take too much?” Lawrence shook his head no. Ah, when was the last time that someone drank from him. Fifty years? Seventy-five? He hadn’t had a vampire lover in a long time, and that’s the only Other he’d allow to take his blood. Despite the macabre circumstances, his cock grew hard from the erotic sensations. His entire body tingled, and a connection between him and Nick expanded. From now on, they’d share a psychic bond that would only grow stronger as Nick matured. As the maker, Lawrence would forever be the dominant of the two. Good thing, two lovers already filled his life, and Nick’s heart belonged to another. But, still, they had become family. Through blood. “That’s enough, young one,” Lawrence said, pulling back. He watched the skin over his arm seal and deftly smooth over. Exhaustion set into his soul. It had been a hell of a night for him, and it wasn’t over yet. Nick laid back on the pillow, eyes closed. He looked absolutely peaceful. Lawrence grabbed hold of the wooden stake, readying himself, and yanked upward in one smooth movement. Nick opened his eyes and his mouth in a scream without sound. As the wound healed, the young vampire stilled again. “Now what?” Trevor asked. He sat back on his heels, surveying the situation. “Now we wait for the transformation to take place,” Lawrence said. He’d only witnessed a few within his lifetime, and the process usually passed quickly. “Things could get a little messy.”

At that mention, Nick’s body commenced convulsing, and he made a gagging sound. Lawrence moved to turn Nick’s head to the side, before he started releasing all of his body’s waste. “Oh, for crying out loud, will this night never end?” Trevor said, retching himself at the sight. “Almost over,” Lawrence said. “His body needs to move on. That’s not all of it, but the rest will come in time, as he continues to live.” “Or not live,” Trevor said. “This transition won’t be easy for him, Trev. We’ll have to work with him and be patient…” “And you said that you wouldn’t make a good father,” Trev teased. “Look at you already.” Lawrence’s face flushed. He may not be filled to the brim with blood, but he obviously still had enough. Before he could answer, Nick sat up again, alert. He looked around the room, as if he was ready to defend himself of attackers again, and when his gaze focused on Lawrence, his eyes grew wide and he startled. “It’s all right, it’s all right,” Lawrence soothed. “We mean you no harm. Now, try to remember why you are here, and who you are.” Confusion spread across Nick’s face, and then suddenly, he looked down, feeling his chest. He pulled open his shirt, and Law could see that the former wounds had fully healed, leaving a few nasty scars. He looked back at Lawrence, questioning. “Where’s Silver?” “She’s waiting outside for you.” He went to push himself up, and then faltered, falling back down again. “Steady there,” Trevor said. “I can’t imagine what you’ve just gone through but you gotta give your body time to adjust.” Nick stood tall, and he pushed the dreads out of his face, securing it with a leather tie that he pulled out of a pocket. He surveyed the room, and Lawrence watched him. His skin tone had evened out, and took on a polished, finished quality.

“Well, these clothes are trashed,” he said, looking down at the bloody, dirty remnants. “How do you feel?” Lawrence asked. “Great. Like a new man.” Nick stretched up, flexing his muscles and testing out the soundness of his body. “Hungry.” “Dude, first you need to clean up or else no one will want to be near you,” Trevor said. Nick looked down at himself again, taking in his appearance. He pulled off his shirt completely, and then started on his pants. “I’ve seen enough tonight,” Trevor said, holding up his hands. “Use the bathroom through there.”

Chapter Twenty-Four As soon as Nick opened the door, Silver rushed him. The force with which she hit him would normally have knocked him off his feet. Instead, she bounced backward and he reached out to steady her. “Solid,” she said, placing her hand against his naked chest, and flexing her fingers over his pecs. Drops of water dripped off his dreads, and he smelled fresh. “How do you feel?” “Why does everyone keep asking me that?” “Because you were dead minutes ago, dufas,” Trevor said, walking into the room. After checking out the logistics, Trevor ambled over to where Lily sat, and he leaned against the arm of the couch. Arms crossed over his chest, taking in the situation before him. “The change didn’t make him any smarter, did it?” he addressed to Lawrence as he entered. Splotches of blood marred his entire shirt. This time, Lily got up to inspect the health of her lover. “Are you hurt? Do you need anything?” “His blood, not mine,” Law said, looking down. “Actually, it’s a mixture of too many. We’ll need to feed. Hey lover-boy … ready for your first hunting trip?” “Can I come with you?” Silver asked. “Maybe next time,” Law said. “For now, I need to start training him on a few things, and I think you might end up being a distraction.” As if to emphasize the point, Nick pulled her hips closer to his and ground his pelvis against her. Through the sweats he wore, his thick, solid cock pressed into her belly, and Silver inhaled with the desire to ditch them all, strip off their clothes and get down to business. He leaned into her neck, nuzzling her, and shivers flowed through her body. Instinctively, she leaned her neck to the side, granting him access. He took in a deep breath, as if he was drawing in her essence for the first time. Perhaps, with his heightened

senses, he was. She knew that feeling of experiencing the world differently, within a short expanse of time. “Ah-ah-ah,” Law said, grabbing hold of the back of Nick’s head and pulling him back. “No biting the girlfriend or anyone else you know and love until you learn how much you can drink, and how to control your blood lust. Got it.” Nick groaned in frustration. “But she smells so good.” “Sure she does,” Law explained, “she’s your mate. But, she’s also not a walking Happy Meal.” Lily watched the proceedings before her, and suddenly she felt left out. The fifth wheel. Silver’s question was so innocent and yet now they were two vampires and two werewolves. They could do things she never could. They would hunt together. Run through the wild unincorporated areas. Experience nature on a different level. And, she’d remain the witch back at the house. Alone. Different. For some reason, being with Trev and Law never highlighted those differences between them. They were hunters, and she? She possessed magical powers, and senses that they didn’t, but her anatomy—her make-up—seemed so unalike. She shook off the feelings, reminding herself that’s one aspect she loved about her two men: Their raw power. The addition of Silver and Nick to the fold didn’t change their relationship at all. In fact, Trev appeared to be so much more at ease with his sister around. It was like a piece of his psyche had been missing, and now he was whole. Would she feel the same way if she found her father? Suddenly remembering the darkness that had clouded Nick’s aura previously, Lily wondered what it would appear like now that he had become undead. She honed in on her senses and looked beyond the physical aspects of reality, concentrating on the energy surrounding his body. Surprisingly, he’d taken on a thin, murky gray, often associated with confusion or illness. Small sparks of silver ran throughout, signifying strength and intuition. Amazed at the transformation, Lily continued to stare. “Are you all right, hon?” Lawrence said, touching her shoulder.

Lily jumped. As she focused on Law, a thick brilliance of violet enriched her vision. Her vampire lover’s aura contained pure lightning bolts of silver, combined, both colors highlight his knowledge—he was old—and power. She blinked her eyes. Fantastic. She’d never looked at Law’s aura before. It always seemed a bit too private, but now that her senses were open, it became even easier to glance around the room. Trev and Silver shared the same hue of forest green, which made perfect sense. It meant that they were of the earth, with nature and animals. Their dual nature automatically lent themselves to that interpretation. “Lily?” Law said again, concern in his voice. She re-focused on the here and now, rather than the other-sensory. Her eyes cleared. “Sorry, I’m here.” “Where did you go there?” Trev asked. “You were totally zoned out, and staring like you were looking into another dimension.” “Just thinking,” she said. “You know, lost in thought.” Law shook his head, as if not sure about what she was saying, and then reigned his attention back to his new ward, Nick. “That’s enough with the grinding against your girlfriend,” Law said. He grabbed hold of the back of Nick’s neck, and physically moved him away from Silver. “Now, go finish getting dressed, and then we’ll hunt.” Silver went to follow the retreating Nick, and Trev stopped her. “Not you. I’m gathering it’s not safe to be around him right now, and we’re not taking any chances.” She looked forlornly at Nick as he walked away, and then shrugged her shoulders and went to sit back down. “Now, we’ll have a lifetime together,” she said. Ah, the resilience of youth, Lily thought. Would she have handled all this information and changes at Silver’s age? The young women had done a lot of growing up in the past few weeks: from moving out of her family’s home, to finding out that she was a werewolf to watching her boyfriend die and then come back to

life. The foundations of her beliefs hadn’t been challenged; they’d been shattered. So far, she’d come out intact. “You holding up?” Lily asked, patting Silver on the knee. “Yep. Seems like everything’s going to be all right,” she said with a sigh. “Lawrence, I can’t thank you enough for what you did tonight. Not only did you save us, but you saved Nick, even knowing how he feels, I mean felt, about your kind.” Lawrence looked down at the blood covering his clothing, and then his battered hands. Lily knew he’d been through much more this evening. First, his encounter with Madame Teresa, and whatever had happened in that graveyard, and then the rescue. He’d heal physically while he slept, but the residual effects from the night’s events would stay with him for a long time, if not forever. “I can’t say, ‘it was nothing,’ Silver, because we both know what was at stake,” he finally got around to saying. “But, he needed saving and I was the one who could do it. Nick’s experienced some bad things with vampires in his life, and I’m sorry for that. But hopefully, he’s going to be able to learn that we’re not all the same, and we’re not all evil. Some may see the events of tonight as an opportunity or an excuse to embrace the darker side of humanity. But you seem to think more highly of your Nick.” “I do. You’ll see. He won’t go rogue,” she interrupted. Law held up his hand. “We’ll see. I seriously hope not, because if he does, I won’t be able to let him live, and that’ll be harder on us all.” “How long before we know,” Trevor asked. “Is there a 24-hour transition period? Ten days?” “We know when it happens, or when it doesn’t happen,” Law replied. “It’s as easy of that. Some can be bad right from the go, and others slide into their deviant culture after years pass by. So we must all be extra vigilant.” The meaning behind Law’s comments weighed heavily upon Lily. A vampire could turn away from basic morality “at any time.” It would be almost impossible being with someone in that situation when you never know if you’re going to wake up next to them, and

they’re a new person. But after 150 years as a vampire, Lawrence had to be “set,” right? “Now if you excuse me, I better get cleaned up, too.” With a sly smile on his face, Trevor followed Lawrence out of the room. “And I just want to make sure that everything’s all right. Lily, will you stay with Silver.” He didn’t wait for an answer. “You know, I don’t need a babysitter,” Silver admonished. Always need to keep that tough exterior, Lily thought. She knew well what it was like, but life’s challenges didn’t need to be tackled alone. “I know that, but you may need a friend.” “I don’t know how you do it,” Silver said glancing over at where Lawrence and Trevor had just made their exit. “Do what?” Lily asked. “Be with two men.” A blush spread up Lily’s face. “Well, ummm.” She looked down at her folded hands in her lap. “Oh, I don’t mean literally be with them,” Silver said. Now it was her turn to blush. “I mean how do you love two men. Aren’t you ever jealous? Aren’t they?” “It doesn’t really work that way,” Lily said. “Each one of us brings something different to the relationship, and we all understand each other’s feelings about the other. Physically, there’s nothing like it. It’s like if you think of the ultimate fantasy, or wanting to be touched in a certain way, it just happens.” “One man’s enough for me,” Silver said. “I don’t know what to do with him by myself half the time.” As if he sensed that they were talking about him, them, Nick stepped into the room, immediately sweeping his gaze over all of them, until landing upon Silver. And then his face lit up. “Watch out, your one man’s coming for you, and he looks like he means business.” Simply the fact of knowing she had Nick in her life filled a gaping hole within Silver’s psyche. Trevor, Lily and even Lawrence now took possession of other once-empty spots within her

soul. How could she have not known how much she’d been missing within life? She thought about her adoptive parents, and siblings, wondering if she’d eventually miss them more and more over time. They’d protected her and raised her, even if all of their choices weren’t necessarily the best. Maybe one day she’d be able to show them the goodness that The Others possessed. Maybe one day they’d understand. She doubted it. If Preacher Sam knew, he’d never be able to handle it. A vampire being able to enter the house of the Lord, and a werewolf for a daughter. Lord have mercy, the foundations of his belief would be shattered. Maybe, someday, she’d try to have a relationship with them again, but not today. Today, she’d be happy for what she now possessed. The realness, no matter how unreal it felt or seemed to others, now, this was her life.

Chapter Twenty-Five “Usually these cakes are made during Mardi Gras, or for special events. We thought it would be good to celebrate your re-birth,” Silver explained, carrying out a platter with a slightly lopsided cake. “Did you make this?” Nick asked. He inspected the brightly colored purple, green and gold King Cake. “I helped,” Silver said. At her comment, Trevor raised his eyebrows. “What?” Silver said. “The concept of ‘helping’ can be interpreted any way a person wants. Did I shift the flour and make the colored icing from scratch? Hell no. All right, Trev mostly made it.” Nick covered a smile behind the palm of his hand. She lied horribly. The way her cheeks turned red when she blushed from embarrassment, or when satisfied in bed, was awfully cute. “I appreciate all the trouble,” he said, totally meaning it. He’d come into this awkward family with some preconceived ideas, and they’d proved them all wrong. Not only was he physically a new man, the new knowledge and gaining acceptance of Others also shook his convictions. Lily picked up one of the knives on the table and started slicing through the oversized donut-shaped cake. Once a piece was cut, she used the flat side of the blade to transfer it onto a small plate and served it up. “Did you know,” Lily said, looking at Nick while she talked. “If you receive the little baby while eating a piece of King Cake that you’re supposed to receive good luck, and you’re supposed to host the next party?” She served him—the guest of honor—the first piece of cake. “We didn’t have much King Cake when I was a child,” Nick said. His stomach rumbled and he wondered about this transformed body he’d found himself in. All of his senses were obviously heightened, and he’d developed a fondness for blood—the fresher the better. Past that, though, he didn’t feel much different. He still

loved Silver, that’s for sure, and he didn’t feel like striking out on any sort of bloody rampage any time soon. Maybe all the information about “every vamp being different” was correct after all. He figured he owed both Trev and Lawrence an apology, and Law even more than that. He owed Law his life. “Can I eat this?” he asked Lawrence, pushing his fork into the spongy slice of cake. “Or is it going to make me ill?” “In all of my time on earth, I’ve found that I can still eat,” Lawrence said. “But like anything—human or Other—the key is moderation. If you sat at the table and chowed down on that entire cake, by yourself, would you get sick? Hell yes. Have a small portion, and savor it. Then, you should be perfectly fine without any sort of ill effects.” “Good to know.” The fork slid easily into the moist cake, and he brought the first bite to his lips. Even this food smelled different, more sugary, pure sweetness. What would the purple frosting look like spread across Silver’s chest? What would it taste like hardened on her pointed nipples? He looked at her next to him, and ran his hand down her taut thigh. As she turned toward him, laughter sparkling in her eyes, his own groin tightened. Oblivious to his physical needs, she patted his hand, and gave him a smile. “Like it?” she asked. “You know that I do,” he replied, raising his eyebrows. She seemed to gather his meaning because she slapped his hand away, muttering “behave.” With a chuckle, he sunk his fork in for another bite and clanked against something hard. A glimmer of purple peeked out from the cake. The baby. He picked it up, marveling at the way his luck had changed in such a short amount of time. Who would have known? “You planted this,” he said, holding it up for Lily to see. “Hmmm, imagine that,” she replied, looking pretty smug with herself. “And how did I know that the baby would be right in your piece when I served the cake?” “That magic of yours,” Nick said.

“Don’t you think I have anything better to do with my magical powers?” “Probably. Now that I won this little item, that means I’m supposed to host the next party?” He asked the question, and then the implications dawned on him. While this situation continued to be fun, it’s not like he lived with them. In fact, he officially lived in a rundown apartment with a few other members of the church, all vampire hunters. How would they now view him? Would they notice the difference? Would they now try to kill him. Well, there went his hard-on. Damn. The sound of Lawrence clearing his throat caught Nick’s attention. He was looking at Trev in a manner that said he wanted the werewolf to say something. “We’ve been talking about it, and officially we’d like you to move in here, too,” Trevor said. “For now, it’ll probably be safer for all of us. Lawrence can keep an eye on you and your training, and Silver probably would enjoy having you around, too.” “That’s generous. Let me talk it over with Silver, and see what she thinks,” Nick said. “What do you mean ‘talk it over with Silver?’ I’m right here, and I love the idea.” She hauled back and socked him in the arm. He brushed her off as if he didn’t feel anything. “Ouch,” she complained, holding her hand. “You’re as hard as a rock now.” “Not quite, but I’m sure I could be,” he responded. She followed up with another sock to his arm. “What do you all think of me continuing to work at Club Blood?” he asked. “Good? Bad? Ugly?” “Ironic,” Lawrence added. “The night-time hours certainly will fit into your schedule. You may need to take a few weeks off and make sure that you’re in control of your thirst, so you don’t decide to dine on a customer rather than serving them.” “I’m sure that I can find something to do with my time,” Nick said. He put his arm around Silver, and pulled her in closer to him, nuzzling her hair.

“Like help us rebuild one of the storage rooms into a trinket shop?” Lily asked. “We even have one with window space that’s not utilized.” “Yes, that, too,” he replied. Now that he was a vampire, the allure of Silver’s warmth called to Nick even more. Every spot on his body where she touched, like the length of his leg, sizzled with the knowledge that she was right there. What would it feel like to sink his cock into her now? He looked at Lawrence, seeing him in another new light. No wonder he preferred the warm-blooded lovers of Trevor and Lily, compared to a vampire companion. They made him feel alive. Absentmindedly, he ran his hand up Silver’s inner thigh, and she giggled, squirming in her seat. “Come on now,” Trevor said, “get a room already.” “I think we already have one,” Nick said, standing up, and bringing Silver along with him. “And I think we may go use it.” “No more adventures,” Lily warned. “If you two are headed upstairs, I don’t want to hear you slipping out to go hunt some dangerous Other, got it? I can’t take any more excitement around here.” “Yes mom,” Silver said over her shoulder. She’d decided to lead the way, and Nick definitely would follow.

Chapter Twenty-Six “Well, that went well,” Lily said, leaning back against the plush pillows, and crossing her arms over her chest. Her lower back ached, and suddenly the traumatic events over the past few days— damn, past few months—had left her exhausted. Maybe she’d turn in early tonight, too. “Well enough,” Trevor replied. He leaned his head into his hands and let out a big sigh. “God, they’re so young. What do you think their odds of making it?” Lily ruffled his hair, and when he looked up, she saw the very real concern reflected there. “As well as anyone else,” Lawrence said. “They may be young, but they’ve been though some serious bonding, and I don’t just mean the type that happens between the sheets.” “Don’t say it,” Trevor said. “She’s my little sister. I only just met her and now I’m contributing to her delinquency?” “How? By giving her shelter, comfort and family?” Lily asked. “What’s all this melodramatic nonsense happening anyway?” “Age is relative,” Lawrence said. “I’ve learned that over the years. She may be young in her years on earth, but she’s got an old soul, and she deserves happiness. Tell me, Cher loup, how old were you when we got together?” “That’s different,” Trev said. “I was more mature than she is. I lived on the streets for a while. She’s been home, with a family.” “I don’t think it’s fair to judge. She’s her own person,” Lawrence reflected, “and it seems like they need this relationship, both of them. They’re not dumb. They’ve got their eyes wide open, and they’re aware of the consequences.” “Time will tell. I’ve got something to say. Being with Silver has made me realize how much I’ve missed having a close family, and I very much like what we’ve created among the three of us,” Trev said. “I know that I acted scared before, and I am still a bit, but about what you two talked to me about a few weeks ago … I’m ready for it.”

Lily stilled, sizing up Trevor and exploring the implications of his words. “Are you saying that it’s ‘all right’ if I get pregnant, or that you ‘want’ me to get pregnant?” Lily asked. “Because there is a difference.” “I want it. I’m ready for it. We already have a full house, what’s adding one more? “Cause this isn’t a game, you know that right?” Lily asked. “Once we bring a new little person into our lives, he or she will be there forever. There’s no going back.” The room grew quiet at the seriousness of her tone, and the implications of what she was saying. Lawrence looked from her to Trevor, as if trying to read them individually and the situation as a whole. “I’m sorry for the way I acted. I’m sorry for running,” Trevor said, “and I promise not to run away again.” Tears sprung from her eyes, and Lily wiped them away. Look at her getting all blubbery and emotional already. “Well that’s a good thing because I think I’m already pregnant.” “What?” both Trev and Law said in unison, physically rushing Lily. Lawrence dropped down onto his knees on the floor next to her, and held her hand. “Chère sorcière. Are you saying that we’re having a baby? How? When?” “Yes, it looks like it,” Lily said, laughing at their reaction. “It looks like Mr. Virile over there, got me good and knocked up, and right away. As for the how and when, well you both should know how babies are made by now. As for the when, in around seven months.” Trev smirked as if feeling a sense of pride. “Can I get you something, or do anything for you?” he asked. “It’s all right. I’m not fragile,” Lily said. “Everything is going along smoothly. I don’t need anything, except for a little patience as I get used to all of this. I’m also more tired, and will probably be sleeping more.”

“Does everything feel right?” Trevor asked. Potentially, there were so many aspects to that question. Physically? Mentally? Emotionally? Lily continued to be a bit freaked about not knowing her heritage, about who her father was. What if he was some psychotic demon, and would come back looking for his offspring? Would she be able to protect her child? With the help of her two men, she figured all would be safe. “Well, I am a little worried about that. What will he or she be? Half witch and half werewolf? And, what about my demon side? Will my offspring acquire those genes? How can I protect someone who’s going to be so vulnerable?” A look of concern crossed Law’s face. “What is it?” Lily asked. “We need to get married. Before the baby’s born,” he said. Lily could just about see the inner workings of his mind going. She tried to push him away with a wave of her hand, but neither of them would hear of it. Since Lawrence already was on his knees, he raised one up, and took Lily’s hand in his. “Lily, my love, would you do us the honor of marrying us.” No hesitation on her part. “I do.” “Now what states have legalized same-sex marriage?”

Acknowledgements How much research goes into an erotic paranormal? Plenty. Special “grazies” go out to Brady MacDonald for his insight on the now-defunct Six Flags New Orleans; to psychic medium Kathryn Wilson, who humored me with listening to questions about the auras of vampires; to Bren Aubrey for her mastery of the French language; to Dave Montero for his knowledge of the local beers in the Big Easy; and to the Preternaturals at Savvy Authors, thanks for all the support; and to my dear hubby, who has shared so much of his love for the city of New Orleans. Finally, thanks to all my friends and family who continue to support me in my writing.

About the Author Louisa Bacio started reading A. N. Roquelaure’s Sleeping Beauty series at an impressionable age, and has been hooked on erotica ever since. She believes that everyone should have a little love, and a lot of pleasure, in their lives. Bacio lives in Long Beach, CA, with her adoring husband, two wonderful and challenging daughters and a houseful of pets. In addition to writing, Bacio teaches college classes in English and journalism. Drop in for a visit at http://louisabacio.blogspot.com/. Her story “Two’s Company” can be found in I Kissed a Girl: A Virgin Lesbian Anthology, and “The Wait” can be read in Rekindled Fire: An Anthology of Reunited Lovers.

Copyright Information A Ravenous Romance© Original Publication www.ravenousromance.com The Vampire, The Witch, & The Werewolf: Chains of Silver Copyright 2011 by Louisa Bacio Ravenous Romance 100 Cummings Center Suite 123A Beverly, MA All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher, except by reviewers who may quote brief excerpts in connection with a review. ISBN-13: 978-1-60777-462-4 This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental..