Dark Promise

Dark Promise A Promises Story

By Gwendolyn Cease

Resplendence Publishing, LLC http://www.resplendencepublishing.com

Resplendence Publishing, LLC 2665 N Atlantic Avenue, #349 Daytona Beach, FL 32118 Dark Promise Copyright © 2012 Gwendolyn Cease Edited by Jessica Bimberg and Venus Cahill Cover art by Les Byerley, www.les3photo8.com Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-476-5 Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Electronic Release: February 2012 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

For my Mom, Shirley. You were always there for me. I love and miss you.

Chapter One

Fourteen Years Ago

Joelle Quinn slid quietly out the backdoor and closed it behind her. Today was her fourteenth birthday. Fourteen. She’d always thought it sounded like such a great age, as if everything would change when she became fourteen. Nothing had changed. Oh wait, it had. If it were possible, everything had gotten worse. They had moved. Again. Her mother still drank constantly and, because she did, she couldn’t pay rent. Again. They’d had to move out of their apartment. Again. And move in with one of Darla’s boyfriends. Again. Of course, it was never the same boyfriend. She changed those as frequently as she lost jobs. Even though her mother had promised things would be different. Again. When would Joelle learn? Oh wait, she had. She had learned her lesson today on her fourteenth birthday. The birthday her incredible mother had forgotten. The birthday the boyfriend hadn’t forgotten. In fact, he had promised to come back with a present for her. Then he’d patted her on the butt and tried to kiss her. Unfortunately, that hadn’t changed. She hoped he’d forget. She hoped he got so totally faced at the bar that they wouldn’t make it back. Ever. But if they did, when they did, she’d deal with it, just like she dealt with everything else. This wasn’t the first boyfriend who thought Joelle was part of the package, and it wouldn’t be the last. She made sure she wore jeans to bed, slept near an open window and carried a knife. Another lesson she’d had to learn the hard way, but she had learned. And she had survived. Now, one way or the other, she’d get away. No matter what.

Joelle dismissed the memories and tromped through the last of the day’s light heading into the woods across the street. Street? Gravel road was more like it. Darla Quinn had talked the place up as if they were moving to this cute little house. Whatever. Joelle had known better since she’d been through it all before and wasn’t surprised to find the place was a one room hovel with holes in the roof and even bigger ones in the walls. Oh yeah, they were moving up all right. Darla said all it would take is some paint and it would be wonderful. More like paint and a box of matches. She ducked under some branches and climbed over a fallen tree. A woods person she wasn’t, but the roof and chimneys she could see over the trees intrigued her. Besides, investigating what type of house it was and who lived there was way more exciting than waiting for night to fall and Darla to come home. Or more specifically, waiting for Darla’s boyfriend to get home. Even worse, she could hear mice running in the walls and wouldn’t be able to sleep. She always imagined them coming out to run over her. She shivered. Darla had moved them into some pretty crappy places, but this one won the award for the worst. Only a couple more years, she told herself. Only a couple more years and she could get a job. Once she did that she could save up enough money to leave when she hit eighteen. Four years, she could do this for four more years. Even to herself she didn’t sound convincing. But what choice did she have? Foster care? Yeah, she didn’t see that working out any better than staying with her mother did. Joelle pushed through an enormous set of bushes and found herself on an overgrown lawn. The house was huge with an impressive wraparound porch and massive front doors. Most of the first story windows were shuttered, but the few she could see were broken with the glass littering the ground. She sighed. Okay, not as great as it’d looked through the trees. She thought maybe it was occupied with a family or something, but no such luck. Shrugging, she crossed through the tall grass and headed to the porch. She might as well snoop around as long as she was here. If it was halfway sound, she could use it as a place to escape to. That would come in handy if the boyfriend couldn’t take no and the knife for an answer. The sun wouldn’t go down for another hour or so, and she really didn’t want to go back. She stepped up onto the porch and tried the doors. Locked. She moved around the porch, trying to look in windows, but due to the shutters, she couldn’t see a thing. By the time she had circled the house, she had checked all the windows and found them either locked or too high to get into.

She huffed out a breath, refusing to give up. Part of her was glad the house was as secure as it was. If she had to hide, it would be perfect, but she had to find a way in first. Joelle looked up to the second floor and smiled. There were no shutters on those windows. She moved around to the side of the house and began to test the trees. Once she found a fairly sturdy one, she jumped up to catch a branch and began to climb. Joelle was small for her age and was very thankful of this fact as she began her aerial feat. If she was any heavier, she doubted the tree would be able to hold her. Okay, don’t think about that, she told herself. Just concentrate on getting to the roof. She found a good solid branch and inched along it, keeping her eyes focused on the roof. She refused to look down because down was a bad place she didn’t want to go. As the branch began to dip under her weight, she held on tight and swung out with her legs. The sudden movement forced the branch low, and she was able to drop easily onto the gently pitched roof. Yeah, okay, probably not easily, since she landed hard on her butt, but she didn’t fall off. She counted that as a positive. Another positive was a full-sized adult man would never be able to do what she had just done. He would be way too heavy. Joelle scooted along the shingles on her hands and knees until she could inch her way onto the roof of the porch. She eased down, not putting her full weight on until she was absolutely sure it would support her. She didn’t want to drop through and fall to the porch below, especially since no one knew where she was and she doubted Darla would care enough to come looking for her. She ignored the thought as she shoved at the first window she found. It moved up about an inch and stopped. Joelle worked at it, jiggling the sash up and down until she opened it enough to squeeze through. Joelle went in head first and wiggled around until she found herself lying on the dusty floor of a big open room. She stood, brushing herself off as she headed towards the open door. A long hallway led past a series of empty rooms to a large grand staircase. She wondered why the place had been abandoned since it looked to be in better shape than the place she was currently forced to call home. There didn’t look to be any holes in the walls nor in the ceiling and, as she stood in the quiet, she didn’t hear a peep from a mouse. Shouldn’t there have been mice, or worse rats, since the house had obviously been sitting empty? Joelle stared down to the dark entry hall and hesitated. Maybe she should leave. There was something not quite right about the place. She wasn’t sure if it was due to the absolute

silence or just because it was an empty house that shouldn’t be empty. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was, but even though she couldn’t hear anything, she didn’t feel alone. It was as if something was out there, watching her, just beyond her vision. Yeah, and maybe she’d watched too many horror movies, too. Shrugging off the creeps, she walked down the dusty steps to explore the first floor. Every room was empty, but Joelle could imagine how pretty the house had been with everything clean and decorated. The house must have been something, but now it sat empty and abandoned. After touring the entire first floor, she ended back at the front hall and that’s when she noticed the door under the stairs. What caught her attention was that it looked new or at least the knob did since it was all shiny. Without thinking, she checked around as if someone was lurking and watching. Catching herself, she started laughing. There wasn’t anyone in the house other than her; she’d checked. As long as she was quick, she could take a peek behind the door. After that, she was leaving. If someone did live here or was planning to live here, she didn’t want to get caught. Before touching the knob, she listened at the door to see if she could hear anything. Totally quiet. Slowly, she turned the knob and eased the door open. A set of stairs greeted her gaze, and she hesitated. Go down or leave? Quickly, she made up her mind and began to descend into the dark. As she went, she felt for a light switch or cord, but found nothing until she reached what she assumed was the bottom. Her hand landed on what felt like a switch, but once again, she hesitated. What if she turned it on and found something horrible? Dead body? Guy in a crazy clown costume? She listened hard, but couldn’t hear anything beyond her own breathing. Come on, she told herself, get it over with. Joelle flipped the switch, and the room was dimly illuminated by a low watt bulb hanging from the ceiling. The floors were dirt and the walls were solid concrete, except for one that resembled a row of cells, like in a jail. She gasped, staring at them. What were they doing in an old abandoned house? And, even more importantly, what were they being used for? The light from the bulb didn’t light every corner, but she hoped they were all empty. No one had said anything or screamed for help, but then what if someone was hurt or even worse? Joelle clamped her teeth together to stop them from rattling. What had she gotten herself into? She had to get out before someone came. But before she could move up the steps, a movement within one of the cages froze her. There was someone there.

“Who are you?” a low male voice asked harshly from the darkness. “My name is Joelle,” she whispered in a quivery voice. “You’re human.” “What?” She was confused. “What are you doing here?” He didn’t sound scary to her ears now. His voice had softened, and he sounded tired. “I live around here. I saw the roof and came to see the house. What are you doing in there?” She took a step toward his voice. “You have to leave. They’ll be back soon and they can’t find you.” “Are you trapped? I can help you,” she said, looking around. Across the room, hanging on a peg was a set of keys. Joelle ran over and grabbed them up. “I can let you out.” “How old are you?” She blinked at the change in subjects. “Fourteen. Today’s my birthday.” She began to try each key in the lock of the cell he was in. She couldn’t see him, but knew he was in the darkness watching her. She wondered what was wrong with him, why he hid from her. “Fourteen? You should be home with your family, not here.” She thrust a key hard into the lock and made a sound of disgust. “I don’t have a family. Darla is out drinking with her boyfriend so it’s just me at home.” She didn’t know why she told him this, but it just came out. She’d heard somewhere that it was easier to talk to a stranger and guessed it was true. Maybe it was even easier when you didn’t have to look at someone. The key turned in the lock, and Joelle stepped back as the door swung open. A flicker of unease ran up her spine, and she wondered if she’d done the right thing. She had no idea why someone would have locked this man up, and now, she let him go. She couldn’t very well have left him, and slamming the door and running wasn’t an option either. “You can come out now,” she said, shaking off her fear. “I can’t,” he said. “I’m chained.” “What?” Joelle asked, stepping toward the cell. “Don’t,” he commanded. “Toss the keys. I’ll see if one fits.” “How can I toss them if I don’t know where you are?” She asked. “Stubborn girl,” he said wearily. “Yeah and I’ve been called worse.” Joelle said, as she began to inch her way into the cell.

She found him chained down to some kind of flat surface, arms and legs spread wide. For a moment, she was stunned, unable to process what was before her eyes. Who could do this to another person? And what would have happened to him if she wouldn’t have found him? Even worse, what had happened to him already? Did someone do to him what someone had done to her? Tears welled in her eyes, and she blinked to clear them. Never again, she told herself. “Why are you crying?” He asked roughly. She froze. How did he know? She hadn’t made any sound. At least she didn’t think she had. She decided to lie. “I’m not.” He grunted, but said nothing as she stepped up to one of his legs. It was hard to see in the dim light, but she began to fit keys into the large cuff around his ankle. The second one fit, and the cuff dropped away. Quickly, she moved to his other leg and released that as well. When she moved up to his arm, she concentrated on the lock and didn’t look at him. She knew if she were in his position she wouldn’t want anyone looking at her either. When she released his wrist, his free hand shot out and grabbed her arm. She gasped at his tight grip, but didn’t try to jerk away. A million thoughts ran through her head, but she was certain he wouldn’t hurt her. She didn’t know why she believed this, but clung to the knowledge and stood still. Waiting. Finally, the hold he had on her arm loosened. “I will unlock my other hand.” She handed him the key and left the cell without a backwards glance. She heard quiet rattling as the last chain hit the floor, but refused to leave. She wasn’t going until he left. She couldn’t leave. She didn’t understand the feelings she had, but just knew she couldn’t abandon him. Maybe because she had been left so often she wouldn’t do it to someone else. Whatever it was, she was staying. No sound issued from the cell, but Joelle backed up all the same. Some part of her was screaming to run as if a T-Rex were going to emerge from the cell. Instead, she stopped and held her ground to wait. She wasn’t sure if it was bravery or stupidity, but she refused to run away. Between one moment and the next, a large man appeared in the doorway of the cell. Lying down, he looked smaller, but standing, he resembled a giant with wide shoulders and a mass of thick black hair that tumbled down his back. A naked back since he wore nothing but a ragged pair of pants. He held onto the bars to steady himself and stared at her. Even at fourteen, she wouldn’t say he was handsome, but he was arresting to look at with his high, sharp

cheekbones and exotically tilted aqua eyes. Not much more was visible since he sported an overgrown beard and mustache. She wondered if he always wore it like that or it had grown because of being held for so long. She hoped it was the former. They stared at one another until Joelle finally broke the stare and looked away. He made her uncomfortable and not in an icky flasher way either. He reminded her of a predator off one of those wildlife shows. When she looked back, she jumped, since he now stood right in front of her. She hadn’t heard him move and she certainly hadn’t felt him, but there he stood not more than a foot from her. He wasn’t human, the thought whispered through her brain. He couldn’t be. No one could move that quickly and quietly. “You’re right,” he muttered. “I’m not.” “How?” Joelle asked, sounding so much calmer than she actually was. “There is much in this world that humans are unaware of.” “Oh.” Joelle said, unsure of what else to say. Could she ask him what he was? Or was that rude? As he slowly moved away from her she realized he had numerous bite marks on his arms. She must have made some sound since he turned around to face her. “What did they do to you?” She pointed at his wrist. He looked down at the marks for a long moment. “Drank. But that is the least of what they did.” Drank. The word fell in middle of the room like a bomb. Someone drank his blood. Joelle shook her head. People drank this man’s blood. She tried to force her mind around the idea, but it fought her like a recalcitrant dog. It just wasn’t possible. Was it? People didn’t drink blood. Not normal people. People who thought they were vampires… The word trailed off in her mind. Vampires? She looked at him. “I see you’ve figured it out,” he said in an unsteady voice. “Leave. They will come soon.” No matter what he was, she still wouldn’t leave him. She didn’t know where the resolve came from but she wasn’t leaving until he did. “You’re right. We need to leave. Let’s go.” “The sun has yet to set and I am…weak.” He ground out the last word as if gritting his teeth. “So, what do you need? What do we do?” Joelle took a hesitant step toward him.

Once again, he stood before her as if by magic. She looked up at him as fangs extended from his mouth and he growled. She wrapped her arms around herself, but didn’t run. What would be the point? As fast as he was, he would catch her. Besides, turning your back on a dangerous animal wasn’t smart. She knew this from watching nature shows. And if he was nothing else, he was dangerous. “Blood,” he growled out. “I need blood.” Tears of fear welled up in her eyes, but she blinked them back. Crying was for babies, and she wasn’t a baby. She’d been through too much. If she were to die here then fine, but she wouldn’t cry. “Fine,” she said in a low voice. She held out her wrist. “Can you do it from here?” He jerked back as if she had struck him. “How old are you?” “I told you, fourteen. What difference does it make?” she asked coldly. He slowly sank to one knee before her. “What has been done to you in your short life that you do not fear death?” “Can you drink from my wrist or not?” She ignored the question. At his slow nod, she once again offered her wrist. “Okay, let’s do this so you can get out of here.” “Understand that when I drink your blood, I will know you. I am not strong enough to block your life from my mind.” Joelle nodded, not sure of what he was saying, but wanting it to be over with. Fine, he would know her. Whatever. She jumped when he took her small wrist in his large hands. The two of them locked eyes as he slowly pierced her skin. There was a tiny stick, just like in the doctor’s office, but no real pain. The odd sensation came when she felt him suck on her wrist. She watched him swallow the first mouthful, and his whole body jerked as if he’d been plugged into a socket. His eyes, which had closed, flew open, and he stared at her with some kind of emotion. She couldn’t say what though, but his gaze never left her again. He swallowed a few more times and pulled his mouth from her wrist. He licked at her skin, and she could see two small puncture wounds that were already beginning to heal. He stayed on his knee before her a moment more, her hand held within his own. She wondered if she was supposed to say something or do something. Before she could figure out, his head came up, and he looked toward the stairs. Someone was coming. He rose slowly and gently took her arm leading her to the cell he had been kept in. “You will be safe in here. I will let nothing hurt you.”

“Can’t we just go?” She looked around for a way out. “I will deal with them. Do not come out until I call you.” Joelle nodded and pressed her back against the cold stone of the cell. Who were these people? Obviously they were vampires like him. She couldn’t even believe she was thinking words like vampires. If she hadn’t seen him drink from her wrist, she would think she’d fallen, hit her head, and this was all a dream. Multiple footsteps on the stairs told her that whoever held him captive had arrived. She leaned out just enough so she could see him, standing tall waiting. The rest of the room was veiled from her view, and she wasn’t going to step out far enough to see more. She certainly didn’t want them to know there was someone else there. “Tell your human to come out,” a female said. “We’d like to meet her.” “There’s no use in hiding, human. We can smell you,” a man said. “If you come out, we’ll let you go on your way.” Joelle pressed her back against the stone and didn’t move. Crap, these people were for real and they were for real scary. They could smell her? They knew she was human? No matter what, she was staying right where she was. The man had told her not to come out until he said, and that was exactly what she was going to do. “Get back in the cell, and we won’t hurt the human,” a different man said. Joelle couldn’t see him, but there was an undercurrent in his voice. Was it fear? Yeah, she couldn’t see him, but would bet the guy was scared spitless. No matter what kind of shape the man was in, Joelle would bet on her guy any day. He was way big and way scary looking. Besides they had chained him head to foot and held him in a cell. She doubted they did that for affect. She heard scuffling, some grunting, and light footsteps running up the steps. The woman maybe? A scream, fists hitting flesh, something heavy hit the floor, more footsteps running, and a dragging sound. Joelle covered her ears, not wanting to hear anything else. She kept her gaze pinned to the ground and prayed that her guy was winning. No matter what, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. She doubted she could say the same for the other people. A light touch on her arm made her jump. She took her hands away from her ears and looked up. He was standing before her, and she sagged in relief. Okay, he was okay, and by extension, so was she. They were both going to be okay.

“We will leave now.” He spoke softly. “I ask that you close your eyes. I will take you from this place.” Joelle began to ask why she should close her eyes, but thought better of it. Whoever they were had obviously held him captive and done horrible things to him. The bad guys refused to let them go, and now, the two of them were leaving. He had probably killed them. Beyond that, she didn’t want to know. She didn’t care if that made her a baby or whatever, but she didn’t want to see. She lived with enough already. She didn’t want anything else to cause her nightmares. She closed her eyes. “I’m ready.” She thought he would take her hand, but instead, she felt herself being picked up. She squeezed her eyes shut as air rushed past her. Was he running? She didn’t know and she wouldn’t open her eyes to find out. Whatever they were doing, it was happening fast, or at least it seemed that way. One moment, she was closing her eyes, and the next, Joelle found herself on her feet. She was standing outside the house in the overgrown front yard. The sun had set, and stars twinkled in the sky overhead. She breathed deeply, catching the fragrances of night blooming flowers. “I will walk you to your house,” he said from behind her. “You don’t need to,” Joelle said. “I’ll be okay.” “I will walk you all the same.” “You’re very bossy,” she said, as she began walking across the grass. “And you are stubborn.” “What will you do now?” she asked, as they entered the woods. “Do you have some place to go?” “I will be well. I have safe places I can stay. What about you?” “What about me?” She pushed through the bushes and stepped onto the gravel road. The house sat across the road, and in the light from the moon, she realized it leaned to one side. As if it was constantly sitting in a strong breeze. Jeez, she hoped the place didn’t collapse on her. “Where will you go?” She turned to where she heard his voice. He was a faint shadow among the trees, but she felt safe. “This is where I live, for now anyway. I only have four more years until I turn eighteen. Then I can leave.”

“For what you have done this day for me, Joelle, know that you will be safe no matter where you go.” “Thanks,” she said, not really sure what he meant. “You be careful and take care of yourself.” When she didn’t hear anything, she searched the darkness and found nothing. He was gone. Slowly, she looked all around and saw trees and shrubs. Nothing more. She had just had the most amazing experience of her life—had met someone out of legend—and she didn’t even know his name.

Chapter Two

Present Day

“Last call.” The announcement was made throughout the bar. The music eased from a driving rhythm to something slow and sweet, signaling the dancers that the evening was ending. Behind the bar, Joelle could have done a jig. In less than an hour, she could start her mini-vacation. She had three glorious days off and planned to sleep through all of them. With a spring in her step, she began taking last orders and closing out tabs. She couldn’t believe it was already three-thirty in the morning. For a Thursday, the night had been busy. Along with the regulars a huge group had come in to celebrate someone’s birthday. Amie, one of the waitresses, carried a tray of glasses behind the bar and began to unload them. “I’m going to take the first load of trash out to the dumpster. Do you need anything before I go?” “There shouldn’t be that much,” Joelle replied. “We emptied the trash twice this evening already.” “Yes.” Amie did a fist pump. “The last time I had to take it out the bag burst on me.” Joelle waved to her regulars as they left and began wiping down the bar. She talked to straggling patrons as security slowly moved them towards the exit. No matter how many times some people were told they just didn’t want to leave. Joelle could understand or, at least, she could have understood if she still lived in her old apartment. She and her friend Cassie had shared a place until Brad had moved in. Brad was Cassie’s deadbeat boyfriend. She hadn’t talked

to Joelle about the change in living situation. Joelle had just come home one night and Brad had been there. If she had liked the guy, she wouldn’t have minded, but Joelle couldn’t stand him. He treated Cassie like shit and Joelle as if she was someone who had visited for too long. So, she did the only thing she could: She moved into her own place. The apartment was small, only a studio, but she loved it. Coming home to an empty apartment had been a little weird in the beginning, but it hadn’t taken her long to adjust. She could come and go whenever she wanted and didn’t have to worry about waking someone. She could also sit and watch whatever she wanted on television or not watch it. Most evenings, she listened to music and read while having a glass of wine. Of course, those evenings were infrequent since she worked two jobs, but she really didn’t mind. And it wouldn’t matter for the next few days since she planned on becoming a total slug. She’d already been to the grocery and had a new book to read. There was no reason to leave the house until she had to go back to work. The thought almost brought a tear to her eye. Jackie, another waitress, approached, dragging a black garbage bag. “Hey, where’s Amie? She’s supposed to help me clean the dance floor.” “I don’t know,” Joelle said. “She went to take the trash out. Maybe she’s having problems. I’ll haul that bag out for you and check on her.” “Thanks, the party group left the place a total mess.” “Of course they did,” Joelle said as she grabbed the bag. She carried it out the side door where the dumpster stood. The night was cool, giving just a hint of the change in seasons. If the temps kept dropping, she’d have to drag out her cold weather clothes. That thought really didn’t make her sad since the summer had been brutally hot. Thoughts on the weather petered out as she looked around. No Amie. What the hell? “Amie,” she called, moving toward a gate set in a tall wooden fence. The area was normally used in the warmer months to host bands, but if the club got too crowded, people could sit outside and cool off. As a rule, the gate was always locked because the patio could be accessed from inside the bar, but now, Joelle found it open. She reached into her pocket to pull out the mace she always carried. The stuff was wicked since it wasn’t normal pepper spray, but a gel that would stick to her attacker like glue. She eased the gate open and stepped through, scanning what she could see of the area. Slowly, she moved around a large potted tree, and two figures huddled in a darkened corner

came into view. Something told Joelle to leave as quickly as possible, but instead she stopped and stared into the darkness. A man held a woman tightly in his arms with his face buried in her neck, but instead of being sexy, the sight caused Joelle’s stomach to turn. She knew the woman. It was Amie. “Amie?” Joelle called as she moved toward the pair. The man glanced over his shoulder and scowled. He held Amie in his arms, but something was definitely wrong. Amie was wobbly on her feet and wasn’t answering. “Get away from her,” Joelle ordered. “Go back inside.” He hissed. “You see nothing. You will remember nothing.” “Yeah, gosh, I don’t think so. I can see you holding her. And I’m pretty sure I’ll remember it. Now back off.” He let Amie go, and she sagged against the wall. Turning, he faced Joelle and smiled, exposing two large blood-covered fangs. Fangs? She was suddenly tumbled back to the summer of her fourteenth birthday. But this wasn’t the man she’d rescued, not by a long shot. This guy was much shorter and didn’t radiate power. Other than the fancy dental work, he seemed rather ordinary. He stepped in front of her and hissed like a snake. She wasn’t sure if it was supposed to scare her, but it didn’t. In fact, she almost rolled her eyes. Instead of wasting her pepper gel, she kicked him as hard as she could right between the legs. Squealing, he went down, clutching himself. Vampire he may be, but he was still a male. Rushing around him, she went to the woman. Amie sat on the ground with her back to the wall. Blood oozed from two puncture wounds on her neck. Cursing, Joelle pulled a clean handkerchief from her other pocket and pressed it to Amie’s neck. She blinked dully, but beyond that said nothing. A slight noise behind her brought Joelle’s head and her mace can up. She found a handsome dark-haired man standing over the whimpering attacker. “I guess you didn’t need to call for backup.” He smiled, exposing the tips of his fangs. “Damn, you must have kicked his balls up into his mouth.” Joelle really didn’t know what to say to him so chose to stay silent. Once he left she could concentrate on Amie. Though she wasn’t bleeding badly, it wasn’t clotting and putting pressure on the wound didn’t help.

“Have you called this in yet?” The man moved to squat beside her. “They’ll send someone out to take care of her.” Joelle shook her head. “Mister, if you don’t want a face full of pepper, I’d advise you to back off.” He quickly stepped away, but pulled out some kind of badge. “Hey it’s okay. I’m PIA just like you.” She jerked back. “Look, I don’t know you. I don’t know what you’re talking about. This woman is someone I work with and that idiot attacked her. If you want to help, go away.” Joelle was aware of him backing away and hoped like hell he would just leave. She didn’t know what PIA was and really didn’t care. All she cared about was getting the bleeding to stop and leaving this place. “Let me help you.” He was back. “The bleeding won’t stop on its own.” “What? Why?” “It’s hard to explain, but when we bite a human, an anti-coagulant is injected into the wound. This lets the blood flow more easily. Once a vampire stops feeding, the wound is licked, which seals the wound. Don’t ask me how it works. I’m not a doctor.” She watched as he struggled with the explanation. Something told her he was telling her the truth, but she was not going to let the jerk currently clutching his balls touch her friend. He’d already done enough damage. “What do you suggest?” She asked. “Let me seal her wound.” She laughed sarcastically. “Like I’m going to let you at her throat? Think again.” He ran a hand through his hair. “First, this is the only way to stop the bleeding. Like I said, it won’t stop on its own. Second, vampires don’t drink from humans anymore, we don’t need to.” “Really? So what was he doing? Giving her a hickey?” “He’s a rogue and will be punished. The only other group that still feeds that way is… Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Just know that he’s going to face punishment.” Joelle watched the stranger for a long moment. His hair was tousled from his fingers, and his brown eyes were soft. The crease between his brows spoke of worry, or maybe he was developing a headache. If so, he could join the club because she already had one.

Finally, she nodded at him and hoped she wasn’t making a huge mistake. She didn’t know him, and of the two run-ins she’d had with his species, only fifty percent had been fairly positive. “Just know I’m watching you. If you make one wrong move, I’ll let you have a face full of this stuff.” He nodded and moved forward to kneel by Amie. Joelle gently pulled the cloth away from the woman’s neck. The wound, just as he said, was still bleeding. Gently, he tilted the girl’s head to the side and ran his tongue over the bite marks. He sat back, and Joelle was surprised to see the wounds already closing. But she shouldn’t have been. The puncture wounds in her wrist had closed that quickly too. “She should be okay since she didn’t lose that much blood.” He sat back and locked eyes with Joelle. “You will have no memory of anything that you have seen or heard here. If anyone asks, you will tell them that you found her passed out here on the patio.” Joelle raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to use some kind of Jedi mind trick on me or something?” “Who the hell are you?” he asked with a surprised laugh. “Joelle.” He shook his head and dug in his pocket. He pulled out a business card and handed it to her. “Come to this address tomorrow. I know some people who’ll want to talk to you.” She handed the card back without looking at it. “I don’t think so. All I want to do is forget any of this ever happened.” Standing, she helped Amie to her feet. The woman swayed a bit but, with Joelle’s help, stayed on her feet. They slowly walked toward the gate to return to the bar, and Joelle didn’t look back. Not once. **** Joelle walked home every night. The fact that her new apartment was only three blocks from where she worked had excited her. But now, after the events of the evening, she should have accepted someone’s offer of a ride home. She huffed out a breath, refusing to be afraid. She’d handled things on her own, always had, this time was no different. She had her mace and took self-defense classes. She’d promised herself she would never be helpless again, and she’d kept that promise. Now wasn’t the time to go all girly.

She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and knew someone was following her. She turned to find the man—vampire—behind her. He held his hands up and backed up a pace. “I just want to make sure you make it home okay,” he said. “I don’t need you to walk me. I’m a big girl.” “I’m Tomas.” “No offense, but I don’t care.” She turned and began walking again. He fell into step beside her. “I kind of figured that.” “Do you not have any friends?” she asked him. “Is that why you’re following me?” He laughed. “You’re mean. I like that.” “Uh, thanks. I think.” She glanced at him and kept walking. She wasn’t sure what he wanted, but did she really want him to know where she lived? She stopped. He walked a few more paces then back-tracked to stand next to her. “What?” “I don’t want you to know where I live. So just tell me what you want and then I can go home. I’m exhausted and just want to go to bed.” Before he could reply, another man stepped out of the darkness. He wasn’t large or intimidating, but he was a vampire. Joelle knew that right away. Other than that, he looked rather ordinary. But he didn’t feel ordinary. He felt…wrong. His hair was a soft blond and hung lifelessly to his shoulders. He was dressed in black from head to toe, and his face was white in the moonlight. The wrongness caused a frisson of fear to ease up her spine, and it pissed her off. Tomas turned to him. “What do you want?” Joelle could hear the suspicion in his voice. As he spoke, Tomas put himself between Joelle and the newcomer. She was glad; although she wasn’t sure what it was about the man that scared her. She just knew that she wanted to get away from him. The man smiled, baring fangs. No matter what, Joelle would never call the smile friendly. “Run along, little agent. I wish to speak with the human.” “I don’t think so,” Tomas said, easing his hand to a small black device on his belt. Joelle hoped it was some kind of fantastic weapon, but beyond touching it, he did nothing else. She pulled her mace out to be ready. The man hadn’t made a move, but the longer he stood, the more uneasy she felt.

“Please don’t be difficult,” he said pleasantly. “If I have to, I’ll kill you, but I truly don’t want that.” He turned his attention to Joelle. “Come to me, human.” She shook her head. What was up with these people thinking she would do what they wanted? “No, don’t think so.” “So it’s like that, is it? I was told you were special, but didn’t believe it. I can see why he wants you,” he said absently. In an instant, he rushed Tomas, who met him head-on. Joelle backed up as the two men grappled. “Run!” Tomas shouted at her as the other man got him in a headlock and began to choke him. Joelle turned to run when another man appeared out of thin air. He was big and had the exact overwhelming quality as the man she’d rescued when she was fourteen. He was dressed all in black too, but it looked less like a costume on him. Either that or the fact that he easily topped six foot made it seem more natural on him. His hair, which tumbled in careless waves over his stunning face, was ice white and shone like a beacon. He took in the fight and smiled wide, revealing huge fangs. He started to move forward until Joelle blocked him, holding the mace. If he was coming in to help the other guy she wouldn’t allow it. Tomas was just trying to protect her, and she knew this guy would kill him. He cocked his head at her. “Go away.” “No, Tomas is trying to protect me. If you’re here to help the other guy, you can forget it.” She wasn’t sure where the courage came from, but rolled with it. He quirked an eyebrow and started to speak, but took a deep breath instead. “What the hell?” He took a step toward her and breathed in again. “Your scent… Sit. Let me help Tomas, and then you and I need to talk.” She nodded and stepped aside as he moved forward to pluck the bad guy off Tomas. “You picked the wrong guy to mess with,” he said, cheerfully. Without waiting or another look, Joelle ran. She wouldn’t wait for him or talk to him. She wanted to put all of this behind her. She wanted to go home, lock herself in, and hope like hell no one could find her.

Grimm cursed under his breath as the human ran. He wanted to grab her and ask her who she was, but he didn’t have time. The vampire he had a hold of fought like a rapid dog. He knew

it was a vampire, all his senses told him, but there was something wrong. The man was too fast, too strong. Grimm actually had to concentrate on fighting, which was something new. Usually, vamps were the easiest to take down, unless they were like him. But the only ones like him were the men he worked with. The vampire in his grasp pulled loose. Instead of running, he turned and attacked. Grimm dodged as the man snapped his teeth at him, trying to bite. What the fuck? The guy had to be nuts since Grimm’s blood was sure poison to another vampire. What was he thinking? Leaping into the air, Grimm caught him in a headlock as he came back down. The vampire screamed, twisting and turning until Grimm had to crank his arms tighter to hold him. A crack sounded and the man slumped in his hold. Grimm allowed him to slump to the ground. Dead. Fuck, this wasn’t what he’d wanted to happen. Hands on his hips, he scowled down at the body. Now he’d never find out where this guy had come from and what he wanted. Tomas limped forward and checked the body. “His neck is broken.” “You think?” Grimm shot back. “It’s not your fault.” The other agent slowly rose to his feet. “Where’d the woman go?” Grimm asked, ignoring the reply. “Ran. Do you blame her? Her name is Joelle Quinn. I know she lives around here someplace. I plan on talking to the Director about her.” Grimm nodded as PIA personnel arrived to take care of the body. He decided to talk to Talon before anyone else did. If he and the woman were involved—and he would bet they were. Why else did she carry Talon’s scent?—Grimm wanted to be the one to tell him what went down. No use him finding out from someone else. With a nod to Tomas, he vanished. A moment later, he reappeared in his and his partners’ main living area. Though, he was fairly certain, most of them would deny they were anything more than guys who happened to live in the same complex. Vampires weren’t known to be real chummy, but his group was even less so. Or they would be, if the agency let them. Charon, one of his roommates, looked up from his laptop. The guy was dressed in his perpetual outfit of jeans and black t-shirt. If he actually owned anything else, Grimm had never seen it. “You look like you’ve been in a fight. What happened?” Grimm shook his head. “Can’t get into it now. Where’s Talon?” “I think in his room. Why? You’re not going to try and talk to him are you?”

“I was thinking about it, yeah. Why?” Charon slowly shook his head. “I wouldn’t if I were you. I saw him earlier and he looked totally ragged out. He’s getting worse.” Grimm blew out a breath and ran his hands through his hair. Fuck, he didn’t want to think about it. If something were truly wrong with Talon, could the rest of them end up that way? Grimm really didn’t know how old the man was, but he knew Talon was older than the rest of them. What if going insane was just something that happened? Grimm couldn’t imagine what it was like to slowly lose touch with reality one moment at a time. Would he know when it started happening or would he wake up one day unable to think? “Don’t,” Charon said, harshly, “don’t think about it.” “But what if we all—?” “Then we do. We are what we are. There’s nothing any of us can do about it.” “Fuck that,” Grimm said. He left the room, but instead of going in search of Talon, he headed to the library. If there was an answer, it would reside there. One way or the other, he was going to figure out what was going on and fix it. Before all of them slowly lost their minds.

Chapter Three

Joelle stared blankly at the papers in front of her. The scenes from the night before played in her mind. Over the years, she had tucked the events of her fourteenth birthday away. She’d never shared them with anyone, not even Cassie, who she’d once considered her best friend. How long would anyone stay around if she’d come off sounding like a candidate for a padded cell? Not long. If she hadn’t experienced things herself, she wouldn’t have believed it either. So she’d said nothing. Through the years, though, she’d caught hints in the people around her. Never during the day, of course. Only at night. It wasn’t that she could pinpoint why she thought they were vampires, but it was that strange gut instinct. Some small voice that told her certain people weren’t like her. All this time, though, she had shoved those thoughts away and gone on with her life. If they were actually vampires, they hadn’t hurt anyone. They had been doing normal things like reading a book in a bookstore or walking through a store late at night. The ones the night before had been the exception. The first had purposely attacked Amie. Joelle wondered what would have happened if she hadn’t gone looking for her. Or she’d decided to not check out the fenced area. Damn, she didn’t want to think about it. Would he have killed Amie? Taken her? The other guy was definitely worse. He had wanted Joelle. He’d said as much to Tomas. She prayed like hell none of them knew where to find her. She rubbed her hand over her face. Okay, these thoughts didn’t lead to getting work done. She did the books for a number of small businesses around the area to make extra money, but tonight, her head just wasn’t into it. Mostly, she’d spent her time staring at the page. She’d gotten really good at doing that. In fact, she was a champ now. Go her.

Enough, she told herself. Work, she had to work. Picking up a pencil, she began to put figures into the calculator. After entering figures incorrectly twice, she tossed down the pencil. She needed coffee or something before she totally screwed things up. She headed to the small kitchen and pulled out her precious supply of expensive ground coffee. This was her one indulgence, and some days, she didn’t think she could function without it. Quickly, she scooped the coffee into her tiny coffee maker and dumped in the right amount of bottled water. She discovered that filtered water made the coffee taste that much better so she’d started keeping a few bottles in the pantry. Flipping the switch, she stared at the machine and waited. She wondered if this made her an addict. It wasn’t as if she would rob someone or kill for a cup. Okay, some days it was close, but it hadn’t come to that yet. Joelle poured herself a cup of the golden brew as soon as there was enough in the carafe. She took a sip and sighed. Damn, the stuff was so good. She moved back out to the living room and eased onto the couch. She kicked her feet up and used her stomach as a rest for the cup. She thought briefly about watching television, but cut that thought off. No, she had to work. The books would not magically get done on their own. A knock at the front door brought her head up. What the hell? She glanced at the clock and found it was already eleven, too late for any of her friends to come visiting. She decided to ignore whoever it was. As long as she stayed quiet, they would hopefully go away. Unfortunately, the person at the door did not get the message since the knocking persisted. Cursing, she went to the door and peered through the peephole. The man on the other side was Asian, and she’d never seen him before in her life. There was nothing about him that said vampire, but she knew he was all the same. He had that other quality she could never put a finger on to definitely explain. Whatever it was, she didn’t want it in the apartment. She wondered what would happen if she just ignored him. “I would find a way in,” he said. “I really do need to speak with you, Ms. Quinn.” Fuck, how the hell did he know her name? How did he know what she was thinking? Did he read her mind? “Your thoughts are rather open. Truly, I’m not reading your mind, but your emotions. It is totally unintentional.” “What do you want?” she demanded.

“To talk, that is all. Tomas told me about meeting you last night, and I wish to discuss a proposition with you.” “Tomas is alive?” “Yes, he’s a bit banged up but none the worse for wear.” Joelle leaned her head against the door and mentally cursed, hoping he could feel that too. “I can tell you’re angry,” he said. “Good.” She slowly unlocked the door and opened it wide. The man on the other side was dressed impeccably, in a gorgeous black suit and crisp red shirt. He was around her height, at about five-nine, but seemed much bigger because of the power he exuded. He stood, waiting until Joelle stepped aside and ushered him into her home. He moved into the tiny living space and took a seat on the couch. Joelle wasn’t quite sure what the etiquette was for having a vampire in one’s home, so decided to treat him as everyone else. “Would you like something to drink? I have cold tea, coffee, water, or juice.” “Tea would be nice, thank you.” She moved to the kitchen and fixed the vampire tea. She wondered briefly if he’d really drink it or just pretend, then decided she really didn’t care. The faster he said his piece and got out, the happier she’d be. Handing him the glass, she sat on the opposite end of the couch and watched him sip. He was quite handsome—she’d have to give him that—with high, sculpted cheekbones, a thin blade of a nose, and beautiful brown eyes. She bet he rarely got turned down for anything he asked for. “You said you wanted to talk to me.” She jumped in, figuring the faster this was over the faster he would leave. “Direct, I like that.” He placed his glass on a coaster on the small table in front of the couch. “My name is Kenshin. I am the director of the Paranormal Investigative Agency. We monitor, assist, and police any and all Parakind to ensure that all interactions follow the rules that govern us.” “The guy that attacked Amie last night?” “Is being dealt with. We do not allow vampires to attack humans. That would call attention to our kind.”

“So what about the other guy? The one that attacked Tomas? And the blond that showed up?” “Unfortunately, the man who attacked Tomas did not survive. We aren’t sure who he is or what he wanted. Perhaps you can explain.” “I have no clue. He just came out of nowhere and wanted me to go with him. He knew Tomas was an agent. They fought, and then this other guy shows up and jumps in. I left.” He nodded slowly, but said nothing. Joelle watched him as he drank tea and waited. Finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer. “So what do you want? I don’t understand why you’re here.” “Ms. Quinn, you have a unique ability.” “I do?” He smiled. “Most certainly. From what Tomas told me, neither vampire was able to influence you in any way. In fact, you don’t seem surprised at all that vampires exist. Obviously, you’ve run across our kind before.” She had the feeling he would have added and survived, but didn’t want to scare her. Joelle wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say. He knew the vamps couldn’t influence her, but didn’t act worried about it. How much to say? Since she didn’t know a lot, she decided the best course was to stay quiet. He studied her closely, and Joelle found herself shifting uncomfortably. Kenshin gave a small smile and spoke. “Why don’t you tell me about your fourteenth birthday?” Though it was framed as a question, she knew it wasn’t. The tone of command was all over the statement. He wasn’t using some kind of vampire trick; it was pure force of personality and will. And he expected an answer. Since the event in question was over ten years ago, she decided to talk, but cautiously. “I don’t know what you want me to say. I turned fourteen. My mother went out partying with her boyfriend of the day, and I stayed home.” She shrugged. “I decided to explore an old house and found one of your kind in the cellar. We talked; he left.” He burst out laughing, revealing a pair of fangs. “I deserved that I suppose. You did exactly what I asked. How about we go into detail of what happened that day?” “Mr. Kenshin, I’m not sure what you want to hear.” She sighed wearily. “I found him being held in a cell. He was chained hand and foot. I found the key and let him go.”

“Amazing,” he murmured. “Why did you let him go?” She stared at him in surprise. “Why? Because they were holding him against his will. Because they had done horrible things to him. I know they drank from him since he had bite marks all over his body. He told me to leave, and I wouldn’t. I couldn’t leave him.” “Did he bite you?” “Yes, because I offered. He took a little from my wrist.” “He killed the people who held him.” He framed it as a statement, but she wondered if he really knew what happened. Since he wasn’t one of the two who walked out of the basement, she figured he was guessing. Joelle shrugged. “I think. I don’t know. I hid when they came down the stairs. He told me he would protect me. They knew I was there, but I didn’t trust them. They just felt wrong. I don’t know. I heard fighting, and I covered my ears. He told me to close my eyes, and he carried me out of there. He made sure I got home.” Kenshin watched her again with his probing stare. She watched him right back. She didn’t know what he wanted or expected, but she’d told him all she knew. “I would like you to work for the PIA.” “Excuse me? You’re offering me a job? I already have too many as it is.” Now, she really was confused. “Whatever your current pay is, I can easily give you double or triple. I can ensure the job I offer is the only one you will ever need.” She blinked, not sure she heard what he said. Double or triple her current pay? And only one job? She imagined what she could do with the money, and then imagined what she’d have to do to earn it. “If that isn’t enough, believe me I could pay you more. Whatever is it you want, you are more than worth it.” “I don’t understand.” “What I tell you can go no farther than this room. You cannot discuss this conversation with anyone.” She laughed. “Who would I tell? No one would believe any of this.” “This includes anyone in PIA other than the group you would be working with.” When she nodded, he continued. “As I said earlier, the PIA handles everything that has to do with

Parakind. We are the line between the human world and our world. The beings we deal with on a daily basis, for the most part, just want to live their lives. But, unfortunately, there are those individuals who want nothing more than to wreak havoc. They are incredibly dangerous and must be hunted down before the body count becomes too high.” “They sound like serial killers.” He nodded. “Very good analogy. But these beings are so much worse. Thankfully, there are vampires who are especially good at handling them. They are… Some people call them throw backs. I prefer the term Ancients. Think of them like a separate species of vampire. They are bigger, stronger, faster, and have abilities that the regular population doesn’t.” “So they’re really old?” “No, they don’t have to be. An Ancient can be born at any time, but because of a quirk of DNA, the individual develops these abilities. No one understands how or why.” “And so these people hunt down the really dangerous Parakind?” “Exactly.” She shook her head. “I still don’t get what I have to do with any of this. I’m a human. I don’t have any special abilities or whatever.” “But you do. No vampire can control you, and my kind is the only one that I know of with this ability. That ability is highly prized in the PIA. In fact, there are a number of humans who already work for the agency. They carry the title of Liaison and work with an agent as a partner, because you can often go places that we cannot.” “What does this have to do with Ancients?” “There are currently five Ancients or Hunters that work for the PIA. They are separate from the regular agents because the cases they handle are much more dangerous. Because of what they are, they have certain limitations that a regular vampire doesn’t. They can’t handle any sunlight at all, they are often difficult to work with because of their temperament, and they have certain needs—” “Quit beating around the bush and just tell me what you want.” Joelle finally cut him off. She wanted him to rip the Band-Aid off instead of just tugging it off a tiny bit at a time. “You will fit right in,” he said. “Vampires do not drink from humans, and we haven’t for a very long time. These Ancients though cannot handle the blood substitute and must drink directly from the vein. I want you to take the true role of Liaison to one of the Ancients. His

name is Talon, and I can find no one who will offer. If he does not get blood soon, he will die, but before that, he will become too dangerous and will have to be put down.” He stopped talking and stared at her. This was the offer? No wonder he would pay whatever since it didn’t sound like she would last long in the job. Job? To be a human gas station for some crazy vampire throwback? She didn’t think so. No amount of money would be worth the possibility of dying. “Wow, as tempting as the offer sounds, I’m going to have to turn it down.” She stood, indicating it was time for him to go. “I am not going to offer my vein to someone who will probably kill me the first time out.” “But, Ms. Quinn, you already did. Talon is the man you released from captivity on your fourteenth birthday.” **** Joelle studied Kenshin as he drove them through the dark streets. The whole way she called herself ten kinds of fool. Talking about the events of her fourteenth birthday had brought everything back to her and made the day crystal clear in her mind. As an adult, looking back, she called her fourteen-year-old self a total idiot. She’d gone into an abandoned house and found a man, a vampire, held there and let him go. He could have very well killed her and no one would have known the difference. Not that she would have cared. At the time, her life was a train wreck waiting to happen. Death might have been preferable to the things she’d suffered. Now here she was again. Going to meet the same man. She wasn’t an idiot, she was crazy. Kenshin glanced over at her and smiled. Bastard had to be reading her mind or emotions or something again. Whatever, she added him into the pot of crazy too. She’d gotten into a vehicle with him and allowed him to take her to a nondescript warehouse downtown. Hell, she was crazy. She had to be, since she’d willingly gone with him. Oh, she’d called Cassie and left a message on her voice mail to let her know she had left, but that wouldn’t help her. If this man decided to kill her, there wasn’t a thing anyone could do about it. “The Hunters live on the premises,” he said. “We find it safer that way.” “Safer for whom? Them or everyone else?” “Ah, that is the question, isn’t it?” he replied, but didn’t elaborate. He pulled around to the back of the building and pressed a button on the steering wheel. A door slowly rolled up and closed behind them once he’d driven through. What looked broken

and abandoned from the outside was well lit and reinforced on the inside. He pulled into a spot and stopped the car. “We find having our headquarters in this area of the city a plus. The high fences and rundown appearance of the building leave most people with the impression that there isn’t anything here.” “And if someone decides to come in and make themselves at home?” “We deal with them,” he said simply, and climbed out of the car. She rolled her eyes and climbed out too, hoping he was joking. Finding human remains would cause an already bad situation to go south fast. She doubted they ran around killing indiscriminately though. If people started disappearing in the area, it would bring the cops in and that was probably the last thing they wanted or needed. He directed her to an elevator tucked into a corner. They entered and descended deep into the Earth. She wasn’t sure how deep, but knew it had to be well below the sewers since the ride lasted for a bit. This whole ride totally summed up her life. She wasn’t sure why she wanted to screw herself. She’d escaped the shithole of her childhood with only slightly less than serious injury. She should be moving forward, but this situation put her right back into her childhood. A therapist would probably say that she was attempting to deal with deep-seated issues through this adventure. Yeah, whatever. She supposed it would depend on whether she survived or not. Her thoughts turned to the man. Talon. All this time and she’d never known his name. She doubted he would remember her. Even though he was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to her, she was sure she wasn’t even a blip on his radar. And if he didn’t remember, who cared? It was a moment in time that wouldn’t happen again. She had been a child. She wasn’t anymore. She was an adult. A woman who had obviously lost her freaking mind. “Why do you keep worrying?” Kenshin asked, pleasantly. “First, quit reading my mind.” “I told you, I can’t read your mind. I’m reading your emotions.” “Fine, quit doing that then. Second, don’t you think I’m nuts? You have to think I’m nuts. I willingly go with a man who I know is a vampire. The situation is insane in and of itself, but I still go. And why do I go? To meet another vampire. If that isn’t crazy, I don’t know what is.” He only smiled as the doors opened into a large room that resembled a game room in a frat house. One wall was taken up with a huge flat panel television as well as numerous

electronic components. A pool table dominated the other side of the room. Arranged throughout were large sofas, tables scattered with glasses, empty pizza boxes, and clothes. Yeah, if they thought she would be cleaning up, someone had another thing coming. Before she could say anything, a huge man stepped into the room from a door behind a long bar. He was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, but his hair was the attention getter. It was a spectacular color of blood. He smiled, displaying a pair of long dagger-like fangs. Unlike the vampire from the bar and the one on the street, this man’s fangs were much longer, much sharper. He was dangerous. Extremely dangerous. In fact, he reminded her of the blond that had shown up. Joelle’s heart kicked up a notch, and she clenched her fists at her sides, trying to force herself to calm down. “You brought us food,” he said. Joelle crossed her arms over her chest and tried to ignore him. He wasn’t the one she was here to see, thank goodness. She guessed that no matter the species there were assholes everywhere. “Reaper, enough,” Kenshin spoke. “It took me long enough to get her here. I don’t want you scaring her into leaving.” “I’m not scared.” Joelle said, keeping her eyes on the red-head. “But I don’t want him near me.” Like within a million miles, she thought. The man named Reaper moved faster than Joelle could track, and in a blink, he was standing in front of her. “You should be afraid.” Another huge man emerged from a door across the room. He was dressed head-to-toe in black, which contrasted sharply with his ice white hair and cold gray eyes. Upon seeing Joelle, he smiled, revealing the same huge fangs. “Hey, there you are. How are you? You ran off before we had the chance to talk. I’m Grimm.” He then took a deep breath as if scenting the air. “I wouldn’t get near her, Reaper.” “Maybe you wouldn’t, but I’m feeling very hungry, and she looks good enough to eat,” Reaper said. “Not in this lifetime.” Joelle spoke slowly, never taking her eyes off of him. “Reaper,” the blond spoke again. “Get away from her. She’s already marked.” “What do you mean?” He looked toward the man named Grimm. “Is she yours?” “You can’t smell him on her?” Grimm questioned.

Joelle lifted her arm and took a deep breath. She couldn’t smell anything but body lotion and fabric softener so had no clue what anyone was talking about. The one named Reaper obviously didn’t understand either since he leaned over and smelled Joelle. He wrinkled his brow as if thinking and smelled again, this time with his eyes closed. Before he could say anything, though, a low growl issued from behind him, and Reaper spun to face the possible threat. He caught Joelle when he turned, and she staggered back into the elevator. The doors closed as Kenshin shouted and something shattered. Joelle leaned against the wall, not sure what to do next. If she opened the doors would bodies fly in and squash her flat? Should she just leave? All she’d have to do is push the up button, but then what? She didn’t have a way home and she certainly didn’t want to try to find a cab in this neighborhood at night. Between one blink and the next, the white haired man named Grimm was standing in the elevator with her. She didn’t know how he’d done it, but it just added one more thing to the totally bizarre and scared shitless list. Not only could they smell her, they could pop around like some kind of magic act. He gave her a tight-lipped smile, most probably to hide the fangs. “Look, I know all this is overwhelming, but I wish you’d come back down before Talon kills Reaper. As much as Reap is a total asshole, we need him, and Talon doesn’t need this kind of shit on his conscience.” “What do I have to do with it?” she asked. “You’re the reason Talon attacked him. You have to know that. I smell his scent on you, faint though it is, and I saw his face. He didn’t understand the reaction, but his instinct was to protect you.” Grimm ran a hand through his hair. “Talon is my friend, as much as he allows them, and I want him to be okay. Right now, he’s riding a line, and it’ll only take a small event to knock him over. I don’t want to lose him. We can’t afford that.” “Why would Talon attack anyone? I don’t understand why or how you imagine you smell him on me. I haven’t seen him in over fourteen years.” Grimm frowned. “I thought…you and he…whatever. Could you just go back?” “Look, I want to help Talon. But I don’t want to die doing it. I like my life, as ordinary as it is.” “I know, and I will not let anyone hurt you. I understand and I pledge to you that I will protect you with my life.” Saying this, he placed his hand over his heart and bowed low. “You will come to no harm.”

She nodded without thinking, feeling like tens kinds of a fool. The man Talon was the one good memory from her childhood, and if she could help him, she wanted to. She wasn’t sure why, wasn’t sure when he’d gotten that important, but he was, so she’d have to deal with it. Grimm pushed a button on the car, and the doors opened onto a chaotic scene. The once fairly pleasant room was now a place of destruction as Reaper and Talon battled one another. Neither Kenshin nor Grimm moved. Once she’d shoved the fear down, what replaced it was anger. She didn’t have time to piss around anymore, not with being afraid and certainly not with all these people. She had a few days off and wanted to spend it relaxing before she had to go back to work. Joelle stepped forward and whistled as loud as she could. The combatants froze and turned to face her. Joelle’s gaze zeroed in on Talon, the man she remembered from her fourteenth birthday. The black tangle of hair was the same, but it was longer, falling to the middle of his back. The beard and mustache were gone, exposing sharp high cheekbones and a strong square jaw. The eyes though… Those aqua eyes were still the same. They met her eyes and held, but she didn’t see any recognition in them. Something in Joelle, something she didn’t know existed, broke apart. Looking away, she took a step back and bumped into Grimm, who placed his hand on her arm. A growl started that drew Joelle’s attention back to Talon. He stared at Grimm, fangs bared, making that horrible sound. The man at her side slid away from her as Talon approached. He never took his eyes from Grimm, as if knowing he was the danger. The other man continued to back up, giving Talon a wide path to Joelle. She stood, eyes downcast. She’d seen on some show that meeting a predator in the eyes was a sign of challenge, and she didn’t want to do anything to set the man off any more than he already was.

Talon approached the woman who smelled familiar, bearing his fangs at the male who dared touch her. He didn’t understand his reaction; hell, most days he didn’t understand much, but this came from the very heart of the animal he was. The woman belonged to him. He didn’t question it, and he wanted the world to know it. He placed himself between her and everyone else in the room. When he felt her shift and brush against his back, he instantly calmed. The scramble in his head was still there, but he didn’t feel as if he was one short breath away from killing. He wanted the other people in the

room gone, only then could he relax and look at her. He had to know why she was important to him, why she was familiar. He knew her. Or at least, he thought he did. Didn’t he? He wasn’t sure. The Asian man motioned the other two men out. They hesitated, but did what he said. Talon knew him too. His name was… It eluded him, but Talon was sure he knew him. Damn, he hated when things became jumbled in his head. It was as if static took up permanent residence, and he couldn’t grasp the simplest thought. The woman appeared in front of him, and it was then he realized the others had left. Where had they gone? It shook him more than he cared to speculate since in that instant something could have happened to her and he possibly couldn’t have stopped it. Inattention could get her killed. He had to stay focused, had to stay in the now. She sat on the couch and dug in her huge bag, pulling out a tube. She opened the cap and brushed whatever it was over her lips. Satisfied, or at least it seemed so, she recapped it and tossed it back in her purse. “How are you?” He spoke slowly, his voice rough from disuse. “I’ve had better days.” Her voice, he knew her voice. He squatted in front of her so he could see her face more clearly. He studied her closely, noting her wide green eyes, shoulder-length mahogany hair, and soft, round face. Her complexion was pale, like snow in the moonlight, and he found it fascinating. She was so delicate, so female, so small and young. Young. She was young. “Joelle,” he whispered. Her head shot up as shock registered across her face. He leaned forward and breathed deep, pulling her scent into his body. Images flirted through his mind. A dark place, pain, blood, chains…a young girl with a key. Joelle. She had released him. Freed him from darkness. “You saved me,” he murmured. “Gave me blood.” She nodded. “It was my birthday. You were the most exciting gift I’d ever gotten.” She shrugged, coloring. “Anyway, you needed the blood so you could escape.” The jumble in his mind tried to clear as she spoke. The more he focused on her, the calmer his mind became. Why? What was it about her, only her, that allowed his body to settle? Had they brought him others? He couldn’t remember, but he thought so. He scrubbed his hands over his face. Damn, why couldn’t he remember? “Maybe you’re trying too hard,” she said, and he realized he’d spoken aloud.

“Perhaps.” He shook his head. “How did you get here?” “Kenshin brought me here.” “Why?” Talon narrowed his eyes in suspicion. If some other male thought he was going to touch her, Talon would kill him. She blushed a deep red. “I think for you.” She tucked a strand of hair behind an ear. “Something about being your Liaison or something like that.” Talon’s fangs elongated as he imagined her blood sliding down his throat. He almost moaned with need. He forced the urge down and tried to speak calmly to her. At least he hoped he sounded that way. “Do you know what this means?” She nodded. “He told me that I would be your partner of a sort. I would supply you with blood and go places and do things you might not be able to.” His fangs once again punched forward into his mouth. He was so hungry. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he’d fed. A week? A Month? Time ran together and often had no meaning anymore. He blinked, eyes focusing on the slender wrist held out to him. Saliva pooled in his mouth. God, was he such an animal that he was drooling? “I know you can drink from my wrist,” she said, simply. “You did before.” He did? When? Confusion washed in again, but her wrist hovered at his mouth. He wasn’t so confused that he couldn’t feed. He took in a deep breath, enjoying her fragrance. Mine. The thought vibrated through his very soul. She was his. Gently, he took her wrist in his hands and brought his mouth to her delicate skin. She was so soft against his lips. He licked and hummed in appreciation. Her taste was…right. Opening his mouth, he slid his fangs into her skin and began to draw her blood into his mouth. **** “I told you to stay away from her,” Grimm said, eyeing Reaper’s bruised face and busted lip. Reaper rolled his eyes. “I still didn’t smell what you did.” “From what I understand, Ancients will often develop different abilities,” Kenshin said absently as they all walked down a hallway. “Grimm’s sense of smell must be far superior to scent Talon on her.” “He won’t hurt her, will he?” Reaper asked, rubbing at his jaw. “No,” Kenshin said, slowly. “I think she is the perfect Liaison for him.”

“If they haven’t seen one another in years,” Grimm said, “then why is she carrying his scent? And I don’t get why she carries it anyway?” “What do you mean?” Reaper asked. “What does it matter?” Kenshin stopped walking and turned to Grimm. “Go on.” “Okay, so the rest of us feed all the time, but none of the humans we feed from carry our scent. So why her?” Grimm said. “That’s an excellent question.” Kenshin tucked his hands in his pockets. “And we certainly aren’t territorial about any of them,” Reaper added. “Perhaps Quenton has answers,” Kenshin said, “or knows where to find them.” “That’s where I’m heading,” Grimm said. “Let me know if you find anything,” Kenshin said as the three men started to go their separate ways. Unfortunately, all of their cell phones went off at the same time. “Fuck, not now.” Grimm said pulling his out first. Reaper leaned over to look at the screen. “Yes, now. You want to interrupt him or should I?” “I’ll go,” Grimm said, sliding the device back into his pocket. “We’ll meet you at the location.” **** It took everything she had not to shudder at the feel of Talon sucking softly at her wrist. Joelle didn’t remember it being so erotic. The gentle pulls raced through her body and she shivered, unable to stop herself. Hells bells, he was drinking her blood. Get ahold of yourself, she thought. You’re an adult, not some little girl who thinks vampires are mopey and wonderful. Really had she ever been a little girl? She didn’t think so. One of her egg donor’s numerous boyfriends had killed that child long before her fourteenth birthday. Joelle blinked, trying to force away the memory of groping hands and hot, panting breath. She didn’t want to remember—there was no use since there was nothing to be done about it. The memories were just that, memories, and she couldn’t do anything to help the poor child she’d been. Talon pulled away and licked gently at the wounds on her wrist. “You may not have been able to do anything, but I could. I did.”

She wrinkled her brow in confusion. “What?” He looked up at her with those beautiful aqua eyes, and she realized he was a handsome man. Vampire? Okay, whatever, but he was still handsome. And she needed to not think about that. She was his Liaison, whatever that meant, and whether he was handsome or not didn’t mean squat. Grimm stepped in the door, and Talon spun to face him. Joelle laid a hand on Talon’s arm, and she could see his muscles visibly relax. Perhaps this is what a Liaison did for an Ancient, beyond the blood. Mr. Kenshin acted as if they were fairly volatile, and nothing she’d seen so far had changed that idea. “Sorry, but we got a call. Some kind of domestic that went wrong.” Talon turned back to Joelle. “I have to go, but I’ll return. Soon. Then we’ll talk.” She opened her mouth to tell him she had to leave, but saw Grimm shaking his head. Perhaps it would be better to stay quiet since the man was riding an edge. She nodded, not wanting to outright lie to Talon. He would probably be gone quite a while anyway and, no matter what he said, he had to have more important things to do than sit talking to her. Talon stared at her a moment more, and in a blink, both men were gone. What the hell? How did they do that? Shaking her head, she stood as Kenshin entered the room. The man looked at her closely and gave a small smile. Joelle grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder. She hoped he didn’t want to talk because she truly didn’t feel like it. She wanted to go back to the apartment. The evening had been a roller coaster, and she wanted—no, needed—to take a hot shower and fall into bed. “I will take you home,” he said, obviously reading her thoughts. “We will discuss your schedule, but the full list of duties can wait. I think we’ve both had enough excitement for one evening.” Yeah, that was an understatement. She followed him into the elevator. **** Talon eased into the darkness behind Grimm. Now that he had fed, his mind was clearer. Not entirely, but the lapses weren’t as profound. There was no way he could tell anyone that his grip on sanity was tenuous at best. Who would want to go out in the field with someone who often couldn’t tell the difference between what was real and what his mind conjured? The only thing that held him in the here and now was his iron will. He refused to allow the animal inside

to have free rein, but it so wanted. Wanted to fight and bite and fuck. He pulled an image of Joelle into the front of his mind, and he instantly calmed. She was his anchor, and he could almost feel sorry for her. They joined up with the other Hunters. Along with Grimm, Reaper, and Talon, there was also Charon and Styx. The five of them made up the elite unit for the PIA. They investigated and handled all matters too dangerous for anyone else. Charon often wondered aloud what would happen if they ran across something they couldn’t handle. Up until this moment, they had been very lucky, but he always said it would happen eventually. It was inevitable, or at least he said it was. Grimm always told him it was his fatalistic attitude, but Charon shrugged it off, saying he was a realist, nothing more. The five of them moved out of the shadows and onto the front lawn of a nondescript ranch-style home. The agent who’d called the trouble in hadn’t given them any indication of what they were walking into. They rarely did. Vampires had a sixth sense for trouble beyond what they could handle. When that sense jingled, they left, no questions asked. Most of the agents who lived long enough to move up in the ranks didn’t hesitate to call in the Hunters. “Should we knock?” Grimm asked, scanning the area. “I’d hate to burst in on a family trying to sleep.” “Wouldn’t be the first time an agent fucked up,” Reaper replied. “Remember the time we busted in on that kid’s birthday party?” Styx asked. Grimm grinned. “Yeah, the guy called in a demon attack and it ended up being three performing clowns.” “Clowns are evil,” Charon murmured. “I can see it.” “I’ll go up,” Reaper said. He began to move away when Talon shot out a hand grabbing his arm. The other man turned to stare, and Talon shook his head. Something wasn’t right. He couldn’t say what, but it was as if an electrical charge danced along his skin. Talon breathed deep, scenting the air. It was there, just a hint, but what it was he couldn’t say. Reaper eased back. “What is it?” “I wish I could tell you,” Talon said. “Spread out and get prepped. Whatever it is, it knows we’re here. It’s waiting for us.”

“Wouldn’t want to disappoint.” Grimm smiled, baring his fangs, as he pulled two long knives from the sheaths at his hips. “Blades only,” Charon said. “We have humans near enough to hear gunfire. Can’t bring their cops down on us.” Talon and Grimm approached the front of the house, while the other men fanned out toward the back. The usual night sounds were gone, replaced by a heavy silence, a silence that was more telling than a scream. As they approached the porch, the scent of blood was suddenly heavy in the air. Instead of an enticement, the aroma hit Talon like garbage on a hot day. He glanced at Grimm, but before he could say anything, the front door exploded outward in a shower of wood and glass. A massive black shape shook itself from the debris and rose to stand on heavy hind legs. It spun to face Talon and Grimm, teeth bared and claws extended. It had been a while, but Talon knew what it was: A shifter, one that had totally lost itself to blood lust. The thing was going to be a bitch to take down. Grimm shook his head, white blond hair flashing in the moonlight. “Damn, I hate these things.” Reaper, Styx, and Charon came around the side of the house, blades drawn. The shifter was already on the move, running at Talon and Grimm like a freight train. The two men dodged, but Talon spun and jumped onto its back. The thing went crazy, bucking and flailing. Talon wrapped his arms around the neck and tried cranking its head to the side to break the spine. All he succeeded in doing was pissing it off as it slashed at him with thick black claws. He swung his legs up to tangle with those of the creature and the two of them hit the ground. Hard. Talon bounced off, unable to maintain his hold, and Grimm was on it, knives flashing. The shifter screamed and caught the blond in the leg. Blood flew, and Grimm cursed, leaping back into the fight. The monstrosity rose, and Reaper came in to take it back to the ground, but on its back this time. Charon stepped up, sword drawn, as Reaper rolled to the side to expose the beast’s chest. With one stroke, Charon plunged the sword into the thing’s chest. The shifter screamed, grabbing the sword to pull it out, but it was run through and into the ground. Talon rolled to his feet as a second beast exited the hole that had been the front door. It screamed out a challenge, and Talon took it up as the thing leaped toward its companion. Talon met it head on, plowing into its gut and forcing it to the ground. The shifter rolled to get up, and

Talon was on its back. The thing slashed at him, catching him in the side. For a brief moment, everything froze as his body accepted the pain and damage. He had one brief thought of Joelle then he was gone and his animal was in charge. Talon bit into the thing’s shoulder and ripped flesh and muscle free. The monster screamed in pain as it flapped furiously to get Talon off its back. He held on, though, as if glued and continued to bite and claw at it. The shifter staggered and hit the ground as Talon easily grabbed its head and cranked it to the side. A loud crack sounded, signaling the neck had broken. Talon came back to himself to see Grimm stagger up from the ground. Blood was pouring from his leg, and he grimaced at Styx. “Why’d you jump in? I almost had him.” Styx rolled his eyes. “Fuck you had him. One more minute and you’d be kissing your leg goodbye. Besides, from what I could see Talon, Reaper and Charon were in there too.” “Merely support.” He shrugged. “I was going to call for pickup and help your ass to the car, but for that crack forget it,” Reaper said and disappeared. “Support,” Charon said in disgust and shot Grimm the finger. Then he, too, disappeared. Talon ignored them as he lay panting on the ground. His head swam and his heart slammed against his rib cage, but he was alive. Immediately, his thoughts swam to Joelle, and his heart slowed, and his mind clicked online. He pushed himself to his feet and realized he was covered in blood. He’d have to shower before he saw her. There was no way he could go to her looking like he’d bathed in blood. Talon pulled his battered cell phone from his pocket and flipped it open. The welcome screen greeted his gaze, and he dialed into PIA dispatch and called for cleanup and pickup for Grimm. When he turned around the only ones left were he and Grimm. The other man had his shirt off and was wrapping it around the bleeding gashes on his leg. “I can still see that people appreciate your sparkling wit and winning personality,” Talon said. Grimm looked up at him through a swatch of heavy white hair. “I could have taken the thing.” “Sure you could,” Talon replied, walking over to sit on the bottom step of the porch. Grimm limped over to sit next to him. “Fuck, dude, you tore yours up.”

Talon leaned back against the step above and didn’t reply. What was there to say? He had shredded the beast. “What makes them go crazy like that?” Grimm motioned to the bodies in the middle of the yard. “They lose control of the animal, and it overtakes them,” Talon said, not really sure where the information came from. “If we went inside, I’m sure we’d find the rest of the family dead. That’s what happens when a shifter snaps. But I don’t understand why there are two of them. Normally, a shifter will kill everyone. ” “That’s fucked up.” Grimm glanced over his shoulder at the dark house. “So, how are you holding up?” Talon barked out a laugh. “Speaking of fucked up.” “You’re an asshole. I was trying to be all concerned.” “I’m solid,” Talon lied. What else could he say? I’m one minute away from having to be put down like the shifter. Yeah, he didn’t think so. No one was going to hold him down and put bullets in his skull because he couldn’t control himself. Two black PIA vans pulled up in front of the house, and Talon stood. He leaned down and pulled Grimm up to help him walk out to the street. The technicians and agents swarmed about the scene, but none of them met the eyes of the Hunters. Fear, Talon thought. He could smell it on them. Neither he nor Grimm had asked to be born the way they were, and yet, they were treated like something to be feared. Ancients, or whatever the new PC buzzword was, were still a medical unknown within the vampire community. No one understood what caused a child to be born with the Ancient gene activated. When they were, the families, if wealthy, would often spend a small fortune trying to get it reversed. It never worked, so the family had to learn to cope or not. Talon had heard of some abandoning the child or killing it outright. He helped Grimm into the van and climbed into the driver seat. Damn. He was tired. He wanted to get back, drop Grimm off in medical and see Joelle. At the thought of her, his fangs slid out. Taste her, he amended. He wanted to ease his fangs into her body and let her rich scent wash over him. “Watch the road.” Grimm slapped his hand on the dashboard.

Talon glanced over at him. The man was a piss poor driver and even worse passenger. “Don’t hit the dash. If you set off the airbag and blow off one of your hands, I’ll never let you live it down.” “I’m not going to blow my hand off.” Grimm said between gritted teeth as he clutched at the door. “But if you don’t keep your eyes on the road, I’m going to kick your ass.” “What, with your one good leg? I don’t think so.” Talon put his foot down harder on the gas. “Fucker, slow down.” Grimm groused. Talon only smiled, realizing he hadn’t felt this good in ages. As he squealed around a corner, Grimm cursed and he laughed out loud. Yep, he was feeling damn fine.

Chapter Four

Joelle lay in bed, trying like hell to go to sleep. She should be utterly exhausted. After all, it was nearly three in the morning, and yet, here she lay staring into the dark. The events of the night played through her mind. Okay, it wasn’t just what had happened, but Talon. Everything about him fascinated her. He looked exactly the same as she had remembered, but he was more. He looked bigger and more solid and when his fangs had slid into her wrist—. She brought that thought to a crashing halt. He is a vampire, she told herself, and it’s obviously been way too long since you’ve been on a date. Date? She didn’t even know what that was. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been on a date. Was it the fix up with Cassie’s cousin? That had been disastrous. He’d texted his ex-wife all night, while assuming he and Joelle would be having sex later. As if. A soft, scratching noise interrupted her thoughts, and she slowly sat up in bed. Oh fuck, if she had mice, or even worse rats, she was going to run and scream immediately. Ever since the shitty house she had moved into on the day she’d met Talon, any kind of rodent terrified her. Just the thought made her want to pack up and leave. She listened as the noise came again, and this time, it was louder. Nails, she thought, it sounds like nails on wood. The scratching came again, and she pinpointed the source. Something was scratching on her door. No, she told herself, it just sounds like it. But again, the scratching came, and again, it was louder. She eased from the bed and shoved her feet into her slippers, intending to check the door. But, instead of moving, she stood frozen. Scared. She was scared because something was scratching on her door. What the hell? This wasn’t some kind of Poe piece, and there wasn’t a monster lurking in the hallway.

“Joelle,” a voice whispered from the hallway. “Open the door.” She covered her mouth and backed away. What the fuck? She quickly looked around the open space of her apartment and realized there was nowhere to go. The only door out was the front and she wasn’t going to open it. Nowhere to hide either. Closet, but what good would that do? Bathroom? There was a window, but she wasn’t sure it was large enough to squeeze out. “Joelle,” the voice spoke a bit louder. “I can smell your fear. It’s delicious.” No, you will not panic. You’ve been through so much worse. She repeated the mantra until calm returned. Someone was playing a joke on her. A sick, stupid joke. She huffed out a breath, and anger replaced fear. Whoever was at the door was going to get his ass kicked. Confidently, she moved to the door and looked out the peephole. Shadows shifted in the low-light of the hallway, and a face appeared. White, white like death. Black eyes that resembled two burned holes in an emaciated face. The oversized teeth were pointed like a shark’s and stained brown. Through the door, Joelle almost gagged from the stench rolling off the thing. The smell reminded Joelle of meat that had gone rotten. She staggered back, and the thing in the hallway giggled. “Open the door, Joelle. There’s someone who wants to meet you.” She shook her head, backing away, trying to figure out where to go. She watched the doorknob gently turn from side to side. Panicked, she snatched up her purse and fled to the bathroom. She closed the door and locked it, knowing it wouldn’t keep the thing out. It was playing with her, had to be. She dug through her purse and pulled out her phone. Police? Should she call the police? No, they couldn’t stop what that thing was, whatever it was. Vampire. She knew it was a vampire, but wasn’t like anything she’d experienced before. She found the card Kenshin had given her when he’d dropped her off. A card she hadn’t wanted, but accepted anyway. She dialed and waited. In the silence before the call connected, she heard her front door open. “Kenshin.” “Help me,” she whispered. “Joelle? What is it?” “Help me,” she said again, as gentle scratching came at the bathroom door. “It’s here. Please.”

“Joelle,” the voice sing-songed through the door, “I’m getting tired of games. Open the door and I won’t hurt you. Much.” “Kenshin,” she whispered, “are you there?” “We’re coming,” he replied. The door shook as the vampire on the other side hit it. “Who are you talking to, Joelle?” She shoved the window open as wide as she could and tried to figure out if she would fit through. What if she got stuck when it came through the door? She stuck her phone in her pocket, not caring and climbed up onto the toilet seat. “Why weren’t you waiting for me when I returned?” Joelle gasped and turned to find Talon standing in her bathroom. He caught her as she tumbled from her perch and held her to his body. She wrapped her arms around him and clung, knowing she was safe. He wouldn’t let the thing on the other side of the door get her. He eased her down, and she noticed he winced and favored his right side. “Are you hurt?” she asked, fear racing through her body. He glanced down at himself. “No, not really. The other guy got it worse. You didn’t answer my question. Why weren’t you there when I returned?” “I think we have bigger worries than why I wasn’t waiting for you. There’s something, I don’t know what, out there.” She waved her hand toward the bathroom door. “How did you get in here? How did you know where I was?” “I took your blood, so I can find you anywhere,” he said, ignoring the rest of her questions. He moved to the door and went to pull it open. “Don’t,” Joelle said. “It might still be out there.” “It’s not, but I wish it was.” His tone and the look in his eyes made her glad she wasn’t his enemy. He opened the door and stepped out as Reaper and another large man came through the front door. “Whatever it is, it’s gone,” Reaper said. “Fuck what’s that smell?” Joelle stepped out and covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve. The stench made her eyes water. “That’s the scent it gives off.” The other man eyed her, and she realized all she wore was an oversized night shirt. Talon growled at him and stepped in front of her, blocking both men. Joelle eased forward and leaned against his back. Damn, she was tired and really didn’t want to deal with any more drama.

“She can’t stay here,” Reaper said. “Whatever it is knows where to find her. She’s not safe.” “Call for a pickup,” Talon said. As the men left the apartment, Reaper pulled the door shut behind him, leaving Joelle alone with Talon. He turned around to face her. “You never answered my question.” “What question?” she asked, confused. “Why weren’t you waiting for me?” She rubbed her face tiredly. “I had to come home. I wanted to come home. Kenshin and I are going to talk later today about my duties. He hasn’t said anything beyond being a blood donor so I’m not sure what he’s expecting.” He loomed over her. “You are my Liaison. You service no one else.” He fairly vibrated with repressed anger, but Joelle wasn’t afraid. She didn’t know why; maybe it was because she was already on overload or she was so damn tired she couldn’t think straight. But he wouldn’t hurt her. Ever. Gently, she laid a hand on his arm and spoke before she thought. “I am yours. No one else’s.” Something flared in his eyes, and he smiled, showing fangs. “Yes, you are. And I protect what’s mine.” Joelle wasn’t sure what to say to his pronouncement. She was his Liaison, whatever that ultimately meant. She wouldn’t offer to feed anyone else. Hell, she wouldn’t have offered for him, but she knew him. Or imagined she did anyway. But he was a vampire, and she was a human, as if that difference meant something. Of course, ever since Kenshin had come to the apartment that evening nothing had made sense. Everything she thought she knew, her whole life, felt turned upside down. And now a vampire stood by her side. A vampire she’d willingly fed on two occasions and wouldn’t hesitate to feed again in the future. “Do you trust me, Joelle?” Talon interrupted her thoughts to ask. “Huh? Trust you?” She blinked while her mind tried to shift gears. Did she trust him? She wasn’t sure. She really didn’t know him, but he’d never hurt her. That made him an incredibly unique person in her life. She finally spoke. “I suppose so.” “You can’t stay here.” She gave a short laugh. “Yeah, I kind of figured that out.”

“We need to pack up what you need for tonight. A team will come and clear your apartment out.” “Then what?” She rubbed her face tiredly again. “I need time to think. I just moved in. I don’t have enough money to move someplace else.” “Joelle.” The low growl of his voice stopped all her motion and thought. Damn, if she could bottle him, she’d make a fortune. “Yes,” she managed to say. “You said you trusted me, correct?” “Yes,” she agreed. “I do trust you.” He nodded. “You’ll come with me. You’ll be safe there, and once you’ve rested, you can have your meeting with Kenshin.” “I can’t go back to your place.” “Joelle, it’s late, and the sun will be rising soon. I need to ensure your safety.” She yawned, realizing she was just too damn tired to argue. “Fine, you’re right. Let me grab some things and we can go.” She quickly tossed what she thought she would need for overnight into a bag and pulled on a pair of sweat pants. She glanced around her little apartment and knew she’d never see it again. This part of her life was over. Talon took the bag from her and carried it out. She slung her purse over her shoulder and left without a backwards glance. She followed Talon down the steps and out the front door. A large SUV waited by the curb. Grimm jumped out and came around to the passenger door. He opened the back door and waved her in with a smile. She stared at him a moment, judging whether she could actually trust him behind the wheel. Grimm must have noticed the hesitation. “I swear I’m a good driver. Unlike someone who shall remain nameless, I’ll drive extra slow so you’ll be safe. I promise.” Talon growled low at him. “I’ll ensure her safety. You keep your eyes on the road.” Grimm backed off as Talon tossed the bag into the front seat and climbed into the back with Joelle. He helped her get buckled in as the car pulled away from the curb. Joelle’s head was a jumble. What the hell was she going to do? Where was she going to live? Would that thing find her again? Why did it come after her to begin with? She closed her eyes as images of a ghost white face with black eyes filled her mind. “Stop,” Talon whispered in her ear.

“What?” she asked, nearly shivering from his nearness. “Did you not pledge yourself to me earlier when you said you were mine? Or were you lying?” She blinked, remembering their conversation, when she’d said he was the only one she would feed. No, that wasn’t what she’d said. I am yours. That’s what she’d said to him. She could feel his agitation mounting as he sat in stillness next to her, waiting for her answer. Why could she feel him? Could she be losing her mind? Or was she just projecting? Damn, so much had happened in such a short time she wasn’t sure of anything anymore. No, she was sure. She was sure of him. She’d promised to trust him, and she would. She just prayed he wouldn’t let her down as everyone else in her life had. “I wasn’t lying. I trust you, and I’m your Liaison.” “You’re mine,” he murmured softly. Joelle looked up into his eyes and nodded. “I’m yours.” He stared at her, holding her gaze, until he was somehow satisfied with what he saw. He nodded once and placed an arm around her, sheltering her, as they drove through the night.

Talon held Joelle close to his heart. She was his. He protected what was his. Always. He had so wanted to slaughter the thing that scared her. The animal inside wanted to hunt it down and lay waste to it. He closed his eyes and breathed her scent in. As he breathed, he calmed down. He didn’t understand how she did this for him, but was thankful she did. He was able to think and reason now, whereas before she came, he was all reaction. Not a good situation when going into a fight. Grimm eased the vehicle into the warehouse and pulled into a space. The small movement brought Joelle instantly awake. Talon watched her yawn and open her eyes to look around. “Where are we?” she asked, her voice a bit hoarse from sleep. “Where I stay,” Talon said. He eased out of the backseat and grabbed her bag from the front. He leaned in and held out a hand to her. “Come. Let us go so you can get settled for the night.” Slowly, she slid from the car and followed him to the elevator. When the doors opened, they stepped in and Talon pressed the down button. The complex the Hunters lived in suited

everyone involved since it allowed them to be accessible at a moment’s notice, and also allowed Kenshin to monitor them. Or monitor what they allowed him to see, Talon amended. The five of them had abilities they kept to themselves. Most people were afraid of them anyway; why make it worse? The elevator opened, and he ushered her through the game room to a door at the far side of the room. After he placed his hand on a palm scanner and submitted to a retinal scan, the locks clicked and he pulled the door open. Joelle looked up at him, and the two of them stared at one another. Talon’s gut clenched. What if she refused? What if she decided she couldn’t trust him? He made his face blank, but had a feeling she could read him as he could her. He didn’t understand how or why and maybe he was imagining it. Hell, he wasn’t exactly right in the head, but the feeling persisted, he feeling of a connection between them, a connection that if he could just get a hold of it would make him whole, normal. Still holding his gaze, she stepped through the door and waited for him. He let the heavy steel shut behind him as he led her through the maze of hallways to his rooms.

Joelle followed Talon, wondering what the hell was going on. She had gone from making some kind of promise to trust him to allowing him to take her to where he obviously lived. What the hell had she been thinking? Well, that was the answer. She hadn’t been. Between that thing at the door and Talon appearing out of nowhere, she hadn’t had the chance to think. Everything had been reaction on her part especially since she’d had to leave her home for good. The thought brought tears to her eyes. She’d never had a real home growing up so her tiny apartment had become her refuge. The one single place that was all hers and now it was gone. She followed Talon’s enormous frame down one hallway and a next, knowing no matter what, her decisions had been sound. She trusted Talon. She, who didn’t trust anyone, trusted this man she didn’t even know. Vampire, she reminded herself. He was a vampire. She shook her head. What did that matter? He had treated her better than any of the human males she’d ever come in contact with. And maybe that was why she trusted him—he wasn’t human. It could also be that she was so tired she was stupid with it and couldn’t think clearly. Her gaze tracked down his mane of thick, heavy hair. Damn, he was built. Had she realized that before? Why was she thinking about it now? It really didn’t matter how well he was put together or that he had a one-of-a-kind ass. She jerked her gaze from his butt.

What the hell? She should not be ogling his ass, no matter how incredible it was. She rolled her eyes. Okay, she was tired. That was it. Tired. That’s why her gaze kept straying down to the ass that broke the mold when it was created. Stop, she ordered herself, and that’s when she saw it. Blood. Blood staining the side of his shirt. Not a lot, but it was there. “What happened?” she demanded. He turned and looked down at her. “I don’t understand.” “You’re bleeding.” She reached out and gently touched a small streak of blood at his side. He looked down at his shirt and shrugged. “I was injured when we went out. It’s nothing.” “I’ll be the judge of that,” she said firmly. “When we get to wherever we’re headed, I want to look at it. Shouldn’t you have healed?” “It’s nothing, a scratch.” He turned and indicated they were to keep walking. “Whatever. I would imagine if your arm got torn off, you’d say that was a scratch too.” “No, I’d say it was a cut.” Joelle burst out laughing as a small smile danced around his lips. She couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed, and thought it was right that it was with him. The last stress of the day dropped away, and she took a deep breath. “You should do that more often,” he commented. “I’ll laugh more, if you smile.” “That would ruin my reputation for sure.” “I’m sure you could handle it.” He opened a large wooden door at the end of a corridor and motioned for her to enter. The room was huge. A giant bed dominated one side of the room, while a sitting area with a couch, chairs, and a large screen TV took up the other. He put her bag on the bed and walked toward a closed door. “The bathroom is through here,” he said, opening the door. “Do you require anything?” “I just need someplace to lie down.” She didn’t think she’d ever been this tired before. Not even after working two shifts in a row at the bar. There was something to be said for the effects of stress, she supposed. “Go to bed,” Talon said.

Yawning, she shook her head. “No, I want to look at your side first.” “Has anyone mentioned how stubborn you are?” he asked, as he turned and moved back toward the bathroom. “You did the first time we met.” “You haven’t changed,” he said, pulling his shirt off. Joelle’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of his naked back. He was all smooth skin and rippling muscles, except for the large dressing taped to his side. She stepped closer to look at it and realized he smelled good. More than good. She closed her eyes and ordered herself to stop, but it was no use. Even with her eyes closed, she could see him in her mind. Damn. She opened her eyes to find him watching her. She tried to purposefully blank her mind because there was no way she wanted him to know she’d been ogling him. Again. “Are you okay?” he asked. She nodded. “Let me see the injury.” He pulled a part of the large piece of gauze off his side to reveal three long gouges. They had begun to scab over, but still looked an angry red with blood oozing out in spots. It had to hurt, but he acted as if it was nothing. “What the hell happened?” she asked, moving into the bathroom to find something to clean him up with. “And don’t say ‘nothing’. Because I’ll obviously know you’re lying.” “A shifter got me with his claws. I wasn’t fast enough to get out of the way.” He said it so matter-of-factly that it took Joelle a moment to process what he’d said. “A what? A what got you?” “Shifter.” She shook her head slowly. “I’m not sure what to say to that. So, for right now, I’ll just leave it. Do you have medical stuff in here for me to clean that up?” “Joelle, it’ll be fine. My body will heal itself.” He pressed the pad back over the wounds, hiding them from view. “When? Is it always this slow?” She looked up at him and she knew. Without him saying or her asking, she knew he needed blood. That’s what helped him heal. That’s what helped him live. Wordlessly, she offered her arm. She watched his stare latch onto her wrist, and his fangs extend. That should in no way be a turn on, but it was. She had something this man wanted, and he wanted it so bad he couldn’t

control himself. In truth, that should scare her. He had fangs, he drank blood, but he wouldn’t hurt her. Something in her heart, in her gut, told her this, and she believed it. “Come,” he said softly. “Let’s sit. You’re tired, I can sense that. Besides, I can wait.” Joelle followed him to the ocean-sized bed. She watched as he eased onto it and leaned back against a mountain of pillows. She realized that this wasn’t a random room, but his room. Was she supposed to sleep here as well? Apparently, he expected her to. She kicked off her shoes, shucked the sweat pants, and climbed onto the couch. Shoving the pillows around, she got comfortable and closed her eyes. The couch was actually pretty comfortable, she decided. It wasn’t itchy like the one at her apartment, but covered in soft leather. She hoped she didn’t drool during the night and somehow ruin it. She tucked a hand under her face just to make sure and shifted around a bit. Yep, this would do until she could talk to Kenshin and find out what he expected from her. Would he have a list of duties lined up? Damn, she hoped he didn’t want her to file or something. Office work was one thing she totally sucked at since she got bored quickly. Joelle gasped as a pair of arms picked her up. She opened her eyes to find Talon transporting her across the room to the bed. “I don’t want you thinking of him or anyone else.” “Well, then quit reading my thoughts,” she said as he put her down and climbed in beside her. He grunted, as if that was some kind of reply, and closed his eyes. She rolled her eyes and scooted to the other side of the bed. The man was ten kinds of bossy, and he needed to knock it off, she thought as she climbed under the covers. The bed was like nothing she had ever experienced before. It seemed to reach up and cuddle her as she lay down. Closing her eyes, she relaxed, promising herself that she would only sleep for a bit. That was the last thought she had.

Chapter Five

Joelle slowly came to awareness and realized a large male body was pressed against her. A large, naked male body. She blinked rapidly, knowing she was awake and it wasn’t a dream. She glanced over her shoulder to find Talon had migrated from his side of the bed to her side. Did she have a side? Hell, the whole bed was his, but still. After a moment, she knew she really didn’t mind. His body felt good against hers, somehow right. Crap, she had to get rid of that thought. She was his Liaison, whatever the hell that ultimately meant, and nothing more. “You think too much,” he murmured against her hair. “Maybe I don’t think enough.” “I don’t think that’s possible.” He pulled her back more snuggly against his body and buried his face in her neck. She could feel his breath and knew he was hungry. His need for blood was a tangible presence that fluttered against her senses. Reaching up, she pulled her hair off her neck, offering it to him. A part of her was afraid to have him feed from her neck, but another part—a larger part—wanted it. Her toes nearly curled in anticipation when she felt him move over her. “Are you sure?” he asked as he ran his tongue along her vein. Shuddering, she nodded. “Yes.” Instead of biting her, he sat up to lean against the head board. She glanced back, trying not to stare at his nakedness, but damn, it was difficult. The man was built. “Come.” He motioned for her to sit between his spread legs. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying not to let inappropriate thoughts about coming leap into her head. The man was hungry, nothing else. She was his Liaison. He was a vampire. She was a human.

“Joelle,” he said. She paused only a moment more before following his instructions. Joelle leaned back against him, actually feeling more comfortable, more in charge of the situation. Though she wasn’t sure why, since he overwhelmed her with his size. Don’t think about that, she ordered herself. No thinking about his body. Naked body. Large naked body. “I won’t hurt you.” He gently moved her hair off her neck. “I know.” She tilted her head to the side to give him better access. Purposely, she thought of what she needed to get at the grocery—anything to keep him from listening in on her crazy, wayward thoughts. She didn’t know what the hell the problem was all of a sudden, but she needed to stop looking at him. She closed her eyes as he wrapped his arms lightly around her and his teeth scraped against her neck. As his fangs eased into her flesh and he took the first long pull of her blood, Joelle’s whole body went nuts. She gasped as an orgasm unlike anything she’d ever experienced before slammed through her. Moisture gushed between her legs as she bucked in his arms. Talon growled, his arms banding around her like iron as he continued to drink from her throat. She gripped his arms, unsure of whether she wanted him to let her go or hold her tighter as another orgasm begin to rise. Sobbing gasps rushed out of her mouth against her will as the pleasure reached a plateau and stalled, holding her body on a thin wire that rode between pleasure and pain. Frantically, not caring Talon could see, Joelle shoved her panties off. Spreading her legs, she ran her fingers over her swollen wet clit. Sensations zinged through her, but the orgasm held off. Talon brushed her hand away and plunged two fingers deep into her pussy. She thrust against his hand, hoping, needing, and still the orgasm held off. Talon pulled his fangs from her neck and licked the puncture wounds closed. He pushed her forward, putting Joelle on her hands and knees before him. She clutched the sheets, trying to pull away from him. Trying to escape from the sharp shards of pleasure that clawed through her body. Talon grabbed her hips, held her in place, but still Joelle fought. If she could just get away it would all stop, it had to stop. He positioned himself behind her. She looked back over her shoulder to see him kneeling on the bed, hugely erect.

“I’m going to fuck you,” he growled, bearing his huge fangs. “I’m going to fuck you, claim you. You are mine.” He gripped her hips as he thrust his cock deep into her body. Joelle shuddered and screamed as the orgasm finally broke and raced through her body. Talon gritted his teeth, forcing the orgasm down as Joelle’s hot, wet passage gripped his cock. He wanted this to last, the taking of her, the claiming. The animal in him screamed at him to fuck her, mark her. But he, the man, wanted it to last. He wanted to bring her pleasure. He wanted her to claw him, bite him. To claim him. Slowly, he withdrew from her body and flipped her onto her back. She writhed and gasped as he easily pinned her arms over her head. With one hand, he ripped her shirt open to expose her breasts and almost came from the sight. They were full and lush with dusky pink nipples that begged for his mouth. Leaning forward, he took one in his mouth and suckled. She moaned and bucked beneath him, but he merely spread her legs farther apart with his knees. His erection brushed the entrance of her pussy, and he hissed. She was liquid fire trying to burn him up, and he was more than willing. Talon teased her nipple with his teeth as she squirmed. He moved to her other breast as he positioned his cock at the entrance of her body and sank in once again. She was tight and wet and hot around him. He had to close his eyes in an attempt to gain some kind of control. The beast inside wanted to rut on her, but he still held power. For how long, he wasn’t sure, but for now, he would do this how he wanted. “Oh, Talon, please,” she whimpered softly. “Tell me what you need.” She brought her legs up to wrap around his hips and thrust against him. “I hurt so badly. I need you.” He took her lips, thrusting his tongue into her mouth as he slowly withdrew from her body. She clutched at his shoulder, her nails digging into his back, as she sucked at his tongue. He growled low as his hips moved, forging forward once again into her. The taste of her mouth was rich and sweet just like her blood, and he moaned at the thought of drinking from her again. Joelle tore her mouth from his. “Harder, fuck me harder.” The beast in him howled in triumph, but Talon held back. He didn’t want to hurt her. He began to move faster, but still maintained a semblance of control. The feel of her body rippling

and grabbing onto his flesh as he moved would have caused a lesser man to climax, but he held back. He needed it to last. He wanted to imprint himself on her body and soul, so she would have him, need him, again and again. “Harder,” she demanded. “Faster.” Digging her fingers into his back, she pulled herself up to bite him on the shoulder. Talon’s vision went black as he lost control of his beast.

Joelle cried out as Talon began to thrust harder and faster. He was so big inside of her that she felt as if she would choke, but she didn’t want him to stop. She needed him to fuck her, nothing soft or sweet. She needed the edge of pain he brought each time he bottomed out in her body. Sweat rolled off her as she prayed the next orgasm would stop whatever was happening. Each time she went off, it still wasn’t enough. She wanted more. She craved something she wasn’t getting from him and hoped like hell that whatever it was happened before she died. He hunched over her as he continued to piston in and out of her body. She felt his breath on her neck, and she tilted her head to the side. She needed him to bite her, wanted to feel his fangs sink into her flesh just as his cock did. She grabbed his hair and dragged his face down to her neck. “Bite me. Bite me now.” He sank his fangs into her neck as she bit him on the shoulder. He moaned, drawing on her neck, as he began to orgasm in heavy jets deep in her body. Joelle screamed as something inside of her broke and a heart-stopping orgasm slammed into her body. She slid her arms and legs off Talon as she finally relaxed into the mattress. His fangs retracted from her neck, and she closed her eyes and slid into darkness.

Talon pulled himself from Joelle’s body and climbed off the bed. He watched her a moment before heading into the bathroom. He wet a wash cloth and grabbed a towel on his way back to the bed. Carefully, he wiped her down, cleaning all evidence of sex from her body. The beast in him wanted to leave her bathed in his essence to ensure everyone knew she belonged to him. But Talon knew he had to take care of her. She had given everything to him and deserved so much.

Once she was clean to his satisfaction he moved her to the other side of the bed, where the sheets were dry. He watched her, a sense of contentment blanketing him. She was his and, because of this, the beast lurking just below the surface quieted. His thoughts, usually jumbled and out of sync, flowed easier. How long had it been since he’d been this calm? He didn’t know. Probably before he’d been taken, before Joelle had found him. She’d freed his body years before, but now, she had freed his soul. He rolled his eyes at his thoughts. If he didn’t watch out he’d start composing songs or writing poetry. Watching her a moment more, he moved into the bathroom. He wanted to take a shower before she woke up. Turning on the water, he ripped the bandage off his side and found he was healed. Not just healed… The wounds were completely gone as if they’d never been. He healed fast—all of his kind did—but not this fast. The only thing he could attribute it to was Joelle. He finished the shower in record time and came out to find her still asleep. He knew he needed to get dressed and check on the arrival of her things, but he didn’t want to leave her. Instead, he pulled off the towel and climbed into bed beside her. As soon as he was next to her, she turned to him and snuggled close. He wrapped his arms around her and breathed in her scent. It was different, subtle but different. He buried his face in her neck and smelled again. Under the rich bouquet that was Joelle, he caught a hint of his own scent. Was it because she hadn’t showered yet? He didn’t think so, but how could she smell like him? It wasn’t possible. None of the women who had ever fed him took on his scent. Of course, he hadn’t felt a connection with them either. Not like Joelle. Was it because they had a history? Or because he was crazy and imaging things? He grabbed up the ringing phone and tried to still the rambling thoughts in his head. Joelle’s things had arrived, and the crew was just waiting for instructions on where to deliver. He really wanted to say nowhere, she was staying with him, but figured she really should get a say in it. He knew that Liaisons had stayed within PIA in the past, but never with the agents they were assigned to. Of course, Joelle was different. She was his. “Sir, what should we do with Ms. Quinn’s things?” The voice on the phone interrupted his wayward thoughts. “Just put them in storage. When she wakes up, she can decide what she wants to do.”

He disconnected the call and tossed the phone on the bedside table. He congratulated himself on not telling them to dump her stuff in the river. Yeah, he deserved something for that. **** Joelle surfaced from sleep. A warm male body was pressed against her own just like before. Or was all of that a dream? There was no way she begged a man she barely knew to fuck her. If there was a God, then it would be a dream since she would drop dead of embarrassment. She would never claw and beg and bite. Sex just wasn’t that interesting, not in real life anyway. In fact, Joelle couldn’t really remember the last time she’d had sex. She wouldn’t even think about good sex since that never happened. Other than in her dreams. The sex she had in her dreams was totally phenomenal. “You’re thinking too much again.” The gravely male voice flowed over her. Joelle looked over her shoulder to find Talon watching her through sleepy aqua eyes. Damn, the man was sex on a stick. Vampire, she reminded herself, he was a vampire. Not that she’d cared before, the thought surfaced. Nope, that had been a dream. No way was it real. It couldn’t be. “What time is it?” she asked, because she couldn’t think of anything clever. “One,” he replied without taking his eyes off of her. “One? In the afternoon?” At his nod, she sat up. Looking down, she realized, for the first time, that she was naked. “What the hell? Where are my clothes?” She yanked up the sheet when she found he was staring intently at her breasts. Not that the thin covering could hide the fact that her nipples were hard points. Traitors. He should not be able to turn her on with a look. It was wrong. “I can read your thoughts.” He gave her a small smile that revealed just the hint of fang. “Kenshin said he could only read my emotions.” He shrugged carelessly. “That’s him. I know you want me. Your need scrapes at my control.” Joelle could almost feel his teeth sink into her throat, and she instantly grew aroused. Damn, she wanted him to bite her. She didn’t understand where the need came from, but it was there all the same. She couldn’t even claim it was his hunger driving her since he seemed sated. Or at least his hunger wasn’t the constant background noise it had been. This time it was all

about her and her needs, which was insane. That’s when she noticed the marks on his shoulder. She leaned forward to study them and realized they were teeth marks. Human teeth marks. “I long to feel your teeth and nails on me again.” Joelle turned wide eyes on him and gaped. “You mean all that was real? The sex? The biting?” He nodded as he bared his fangs at her and growled. Slowly, he leaned forward and buried his face in her neck. She moaned softly as she tilted her head to allow him access. She wanted so much, needed much, but all she could do was sit still as his hot mouth moved slowly over her vein. “I think I’m hungry again,” he murmured in her ear. He moved over her body until she was lying down again. Slowly, too slowly, he peeled the sheet back as he ran his mouth over her naked skin. He nipped at her chin, swirled his tongue around one aching nipple, and nuzzled her stomach. Joelle clutched at his shoulder, unsure whether she wanted him to stop or not. The rational part of her mind kept reminding her that she didn’t know this person all that well. The rest of her kicked the rational mind into submission and locked it in a closet. He moved between her legs and separated them, placing one on his shoulder. She clutched the sheets, embarrassment roaring through her. No one had ever looked at her before. Okay, the gynecologist, but that so didn’t have anything to do with sex. But this, this was sex, pure and simple. She bit her lip as his breath eased over her aching flesh. Her toes curled involuntarily as his lips brushed against her. At the first touch of his tongue, she jerked away, and he gave a low growl of displeasure. He gripped her hips in his large hands and once again put his tongue on her. He swirled and sucked and lapped as Joelle sobbed and pushed herself more firmly against his mouth. “No, no,” she said, as he pulled away and began to move up her body. “Don’t stop.” He rose up to kneel between her spread thighs. Joelle’s eyes immediately zeroed in on his erect cock. Damn, he was huge. There was no way that fit inside of her earlier. She must have imagined it. Even though her body ached to be filled by him, her mind once again kicked in. Bad idea, this was a bad idea.

Before she could say anything, he gripped her hips and eased into her body. Joelle gasped as her eyes rolled back into her head. So that’s what my brain looks like, she thought briefly. Then anything coherent disappeared as he began to slowly work in and out of her. She wrapped her legs tightly around his hips and ground herself against him. She wanted, no, needed, him to take her like before. Take and claim and bite. Joelle raked her fingernails down his back as his thrusts increased. His cock was like a hot brand inside of her body, ruining her for anyone else. She was his and only his. But she needed, needed… She wasn’t sure what. When his fangs slid into her throat an orgasm rushed through her body, but it wasn’t enough. When she sank her teeth into his shoulder, she shuddered and quaked beneath him, but it still wasn’t enough. As they both slumped to the bed, Joelle closed her eyes. A need was still there, but a need for what, she had no clue. Too tired to think, she closed her eyes and let sleep take her. **** Joelle stood in the shower and just let the water flow over her. After the last couple days, it seemed like the best thing to do, since running around and screaming might make people think she’d lost her mind. She had to have, though. What other explanation was there? She’d had sex not once, but twice with a man she barely knew, and he wasn’t even a man. He was a vampire. A vampire she willingly allowed to bite and feed from her. Oh wait, it gets better, she thought. A vampire she bit when they had sex. Just the thought of sinking her teeth into Talon’s hot skin made her shiver with need. She quickly turned her thoughts away from that avenue before she went in search of him. Because if she did, she already knew what would happen. She would be spread out under him again and loving every minute of it. She rolled her eyes. Get a grip, she told herself. The sex was utterly amazing. Utterly mind-numbingly amazing. This was the first time in her entire life she actually had an orgasm with another person present. All of this had to be why she was so willing to fall into bed every time he glanced in her direction. Once the novelty of the good sex wore off, it would be over. She burst out laughing. Yeah, and who was she kidding? What woman in her right mind would get tired of thought-altering orgasms? But then again who said he would want to keep having sex with her? At the sobering thought, she grabbed up the shampoo and washed her hair. The first time they’d had sex, though still a bit hazy, was all about her practically begging. She

ducked her head under the water as her face grew hot. Oh yeah, she remembered that. It was as if her entire body had been on fire on the inside. But he had definitely started the second time. Duh, she thought, she was naked in his bed. What man was going to turn that down? Turning off the water, she grabbed the towel she’d hung over the curtain rod. Quickly, she began to dry off, not wanting to think anymore. Thinking was just making her depressed. She needed to start taking action. First, she would go see Kenshin to talk about her duties as a Liaison. Next, she would see about finding someplace to live. She was certainly not going to stay here with Talon. Hell, the man could actually have a vampire girlfriend. At the thought, her stomach did a slow roll. She hoped like hell she wasn’t the “other woman” and he was a big cheater. God, she hated cheats and liars. As she wrapped the towel around herself, she shoved the curtain open and gasped. Talon leaned in the doorway, watching her with those knowing blue eyes. His face was blank, but the eyes sparked. She knew he was angry. She didn’t know how she knew, but she knew it as surely as she knew her own name. “There is only you,” he said softly. “What?” Joelle clutched the towel and tried a smile. He stepped forward until he stood in front of her. “There is no one else, but you. I don’t want you out of my sight. In fact, if I could, I would keep you in this room and fuck you all day, every day. Unfortunately, we both have jobs to do.” He leaned in and nuzzled her neck. “But when the day is over, I plan on taking you as many ways as I can. I will never get enough of you. You are mine. You’ve always been mine. Do you understand?” She nodded, unable to form a coherent sentence since her mind was occupied with how many different ways he could take her. Damn, the thought was dizzying. “Joelle, stop your thoughts or we will never make it out of this room.” He nipped her lightly on the neck and backed away. “We need to eat, and you need to talk to Kenshin.” Okay, she thought, so much for him not wanting her and having some secret girlfriend. Shaking her head, she dressed and began to blow dry her hair. The situation was still crazy, no matter how you packaged it. But for now, she would try to take things one step at a time. **** Talon watched Joelle as she ate a slice of pizza. This was the first time she had been formally introduced to the other Hunters, and he didn’t trust any of them. Unlike the first time,

Reaper just nodded at her and kept eating. Grimm, on the other hand, had struck up a conversation, and the two of them were currently talking about a mystery series they both read. Charon read the paper as he ignored them, and Styx was texting. All in all, fairly normal in how they lived, but Talon could feel the underlying tension. It was always there, anytime they were together. Hell, the only reason they were together at all was because they were Hunters. They lived together because they hunted together. “Whichever book had the clown in it, I was sure he was the killer.” Joelle’s statement brought Talon’s attention back to the conversation. “Why?” he asked her. “Huh?” She looked over at him. “Why? Because clowns are evil. They have these fake painted smiles on when really they’re like mass murders or something.” Charon looked up. “That’s exactly what I think. Soulless creatures from Hell, every single one of them.” Joelle nodded vigorously. “I remember reading about that serial killer who used to dress up like a clown. If I was the police, I would have known right away he was the killer. Hello, look at what he does for a job.” Styx cut in. “It’s a job, like any other. Not a particularly great job, but dude’s gotta eat.” “Yeah, and your point?” Joelle asked. “Just because some idiot’s a clown doesn’t mean he’s a killer.” “It doesn’t mean he’s not,” she countered. “Exactly.” Charon agreed. “You’re not going to win,” Reaper said to Styx. “You might as well save your breath.” “So, what, you agree with them?” Styx asked. Reaper shrugged. “Clowns are creepy.” “Ah ha,” Joelle said. “See, two against one. We win.” “You can’t argue with logic like that,” Grimm said with a smile. Talon watched the by-play between them all. They never talked together, not like this. When they hunted, they talked to coordinate actions or yell orders, but beyond that, they generally had nothing to say to one another. Now they were talking, like he supposed normal people did. Not that they would ever be normal, but close might be good. He rubbed his face.

Yeah, and blood and sex was obviously affecting his mind. They were killers, end of story, and normal wasn’t for them. Joelle bumped him as she reached for another slice of pizza, and that was all it took. He was instantly hard and wanting her. This wasn’t normal either. He’d fed. In fact, he’d taken more than he actually needed, but still he wanted her. It didn’t have fuck all to do with feeding and everything to do with Joelle. He wanted to mark her to ensure everyone knew who she belonged to. He wanted to rub his body on hers to ensure his scent covered every inch of her. “What went down at your place last night?” Grimm asked. Talon shoved the beast back in a corner and struggled for control. Joelle reached over and placed her hand on his arm, and just like that, the struggle was over. He was able to focus on the conversation like he should. Joelle was in danger, and he had to know what it was. “I don’t know what it was,” she said, with a shake of her head. “You didn’t see it?” Reaper asked. “No, I saw it.” She pulled her legs up in her chair and wrapped her arms around her knees. She was scared and that pissed Talon off. “Whatever it was,” he said to her, “it can’t find you. And if it does, I’ll be waiting.” “Was it vampire?” Charon asked. “I really don’t know.” Slowly, she explained to them the events of the early morning. The scratching, the voice calling her name, and what she saw when she finally looked through the peephole. “And you think clowns are scary?” Styx asked after she finished. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the thing was a clown in disguise,” Charon said. This brought a small laugh from Joelle. “I don’t know what to think. It said there was someone who wanted to meet me. I don’t know if it was talking about itself or someone else.” “We’ll go back and check your apartment out,” Talon said. “Maybe it’ll come back,” Grimm said, his tone hopeful. “If it does, I have questions,” Talon said harshly. “Yeah, let’s try and question it,” Charon drawled. “Unlike Grimm the other night.” “He wouldn’t stay down.” Grimm shrugged. “Besides the fucker tried to bite me.” “We can hit Joelle’s place then check the area,” Talon said. He turned to Joelle, “You still have to meet with Kenshin. I can drop you by his office on my way out.”

“Okay.” She stood and tossed her napkin on the table. “Be careful, all of you.” “Hey,” Grimm said, before they could leave the room. “You know both of your scents have changed. It’s like a blend.” Reaper nodded. “Even I can smell it now.” Talon glanced at Joelle to see what she would say. She looked a bit puzzled, but shrugged and said, “Well, I guess that’s just one more thing we have to look into.” Talon ushered her over to the elevator and pushed the button to Kenshin’s floor. He knew he had to go out—hell, he wanted to go out to find the thing that threatened her—but the rest of him wanted to stay with her. Poetry, he thought in disgust. He had to get out and hunt before he started writing poetry.

Talon dropped Joelle off by Kenshin’s office with a promise to call her in case he found anything and was gone. She took a breath and stepped through the door to find a severe looking woman in a black suit sitting behind a desk. The woman looked her outfit of jeans and a t-shirt up and down and raised an eyebrow. “Can I help you?” she asked. “I’m Joelle Quinn.” “Of course. Wait one moment, and I’ll let Mr. Kenshin know you’re here.” Joelle took a seat and ran her hands over her well-worn jeans. If she’d have known she would need to be dressed up to come to the office, she might have packed something better. But since the jeans were all she had with her, everyone would have to deal, she decided. She’d had way too much happen over the last couple days to give a rat’s ass what anyone thought of her wardrobe. “Mr. Kenshin will see you now. Just go right through the door,” the woman told her then went back to typing. Joelle walked through the door she indicated into a fairly large office. The Director of the PIA offered her a quick smile as he continued to type quickly on a laptop. If she didn’t know he was what he was, he would have looked like any other desk drone. She settled in a chair and took the opportunity to look around. The office was spacious and beautiful with furniture and fixtures that had to be antiques. The rugs were thick, and the room smelled faintly of cinnamon. “I’m sorry,” Kenshin said. “I had some notes to finish.”

“That’s okay.” Joelle gave him a brief smile. He sat back in his chair and studied her for a brief moment. “Interesting.” “What?” “I can no longer sense your emotions.” He closed his eyes, brow furrowed. “It’s as if you aren’t even in the room.” Unsure of how to reply, she shrugged. “Okay.” “I’m sure you’ve also been apprised of your change in scent.” At that comment, she rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, over and over. You people could give a girl a complex talking about how I smell. Jeez Louise.” He smiled, showing just the hint of fang. “You don’t smell, Joelle. Your scent is a subtle combination of you and Talon. I have never experienced anything like this before with a Liaison and an Ancient.” “How many have there been?” she asked curiously. If there were other couples, she would love to talk to them. Maybe they could clear up some of the questions she had. “Currently, the only Ancient with a Liaison is Talon. We have volunteers that donate to the others, but nothing permanent. There were Liaison-Ancient teams in the past, but none where scents were mingled.” “Oh.” Joelle sighed, so much for getting her questions answered. “Perhaps Quenton would know, though. He is the keeper of our histories and works in the research library. We will talk with him and see if he knows or knows where to find the information.” “I need to know what my duties will be,” she said. “I can’t just sit around all night while Talon runs off and does patrols or whatever. And I also need to find a place to live because I obviously can’t go back to my apartment.” Kenshin nodded, but said nothing for a moment. Joelle was glad the man couldn’t read her thoughts anymore since they suddenly involved Talon naked. She wasn’t sure where that had come from, unless just the thought of the man made him pop into her head unclothed. Not that it was a bad thing, mind you, but having naked thoughts in front of someone who may be her boss probably wasn’t professional. “You and Talon are having sex.” Kenshin finally spoke.

“What?” Joelle’s face instantly went red. “Hello? Are you his dad or something? Whether we are or not really isn’t your business.” “I apologize,” he said ruefully. “It isn’t any of my business, but it is unusual. A Liaison’s relationship with the Ancient is limited to feeding, nothing more. Once again, perhaps we will talk with Quenton.” Before she could reply, he went on. “The Hunters, as I’ve told you before, are a unique group since they should only be called out in the most extreme circumstances. Unfortunately, if the rumors are correct, this hasn’t been the case. I need you to track the calls they receive and go out on. I want to see who is calling on them and what the circumstances are. They should be doing it themselves, but none of them are much for paperwork.” Joelle laughed. “Paperwork? How can you expect them to do paperwork when they don’t do laundry? Do you really expect them to do reports?” “You do certainly have a point, but unfortunately, I can’t do anything about their personal habits. I can help them do the job more effectively. Additionally, any research that is needed or daylight walking will be up to you. I will, of course, put a vehicle at your disposal since you can’t obviously take the bus.” “Someplace safe to live,” she reminded him. He hesitated a moment. “Until we can figure out what’s going on, I’d prefer you stay here.” “Well yeah,” she said, “I certainly don’t want to go somewhere that thing will find me. So where do you suggest I sleep?” “Have you talked to Talon?” Kenshin asked. “What does he have to do with me? We’re not married. We’re not dating.” “No, but you are his Liaison.” Joelle scrubbed at her eyes wearily. “Yes, but that’s not all I am. Just because I happen to be his or any else’s Liaison doesn’t mean I don’t get a life. Are you telling me you won’t give me a place to sleep unless he agrees?” “That’s not it at all.” He rose and paced around the office. “You and Talon are a unique unknown. You have obviously bonded in some way. I worry about how any separation will affect you.” Joelle rubbed her face. Damn, she was tired. Everything was happening so fast, and she hadn’t had a moment to process any of it. Now she was ass-deep in some kind of thing with a

vampire, and no one could explain it. Figures, she thought, since it was her life in a nutshell. She gritted her teeth and scratched her arms. She wanted her life back. She wanted normal, and it obviously wasn’t going to happen. “Tell me what went on at your apartment?” Kenshin interrupted her frazzled thoughts. Joelle went over what happened again. Every time she talked about it, the events felt less real as if they were in a movie she watched. The idea of a white-faced thing scratching at her door was ridiculous, but when she closed her eyes, she could see it. And hear it, she reminded herself, the eerie, soft voice that was almost child-like as it asked to be let in. She shivered, angry at herself. Kenshin stood. “Let’s go talk to Quenton.” Joelle jumped up to hurry after him. It worried her that Kenshin didn’t have an easy explanation. What made the situation worse was he seemed worried too. Joelle brushed her hands against her jeans, hoping like hell whatever was going on turned out to be no big deal. She didn’t have much confidence, though, since her life wasn’t getting easier.

Chapter Six

The room was enormous. Joelle turned slowly, trying to take in as much of the wonder as she could. Dark wood bookshelves filled the multi-level room, and they were crammed full. Her hands almost itched with the need to touch and fondle the books. The smell of rich leather permeated the air, and Joelle wondered if she were just drugged and imagining everything she saw. This place was way better than the library the Beast gave Belle in that movie, she decided, since this was real. A man stepped out from the stacks and studied them both. He was an odd combination of old-world elegance and biker with his black leather pants and biker boots topped with a white ruffled shirt and a dark brown frock coat. His hair was a deep mahogany that fell to his sharp chin, and his eyes were covered by small silver-framed glasses with darkly tinted lenses. “Quenton,” Kenshin said as he moved toward the man. “How are you?” “Curious,” he said, “since you never come to see me.” He was obviously British with a rich, plummy accent that reminded Joelle of royalty, though she doubted any of them dressed as he did. Odd since she knew Kenshin said he was the keeper of records and he was so young. Or looked young. He could be another vampire, in which case who knew how old he was. “This is Joelle Quinn. She is—” “Where is he?” Quenton cut him off, looking around. “I can smell him and know he’s here. I told you I didn’t want Talon here.” “What’s wrong with Talon?” Joelle asked, eyeing him. “Have you met him?” Quenton asked with a sneer. “He’s a dangerous, psychotic asshole.”

“Have you ever thought that maybe you’re doing something to piss him off?” she asked, starting to get angry. She’d be damned if she let this jerk stand around and talk bad about Talon. “Quenton,” Kenshin cut in, “Joelle is Talon’s Liaison.” He leaned forward and sniffed. “You’re where his scent is coming from. And no one has to do anything to piss him off. He’s a whack-job, and I’m sorry you’re mixed up with him.” Joelle narrowed her eyes. “Fuck you.” She then did something she’d never imagined. She placed her hands on Quenton’s chest and shoved him back. Hard. She wasn’t sure who was more surprised; Quenton, Kenshin or herself. But the urge to shove him again was there. In fact, she really wanted to leap on him and pummel him to the ground. Quenton removed his sunglasses to reveal his eye color. It was a rich, blood red. “I would suggest, human, you keep your hands off of me.” “And I’d suggest you keep your comments to yourself,” Joelle returned, not sure where the aggression was coming from. But the more the man talked, the angrier she became. “The two of you cut it out,” Kenshin said, stepping between them. He turned to look at Joelle and tilted his head. “Joelle, do you realize you’re growling?” “What?” she asked, as anger swirled up through her gut. She clenched her fists as the need to punch something surged through her. Quenton stepped around Kenshin and studied her. “What are you feeling?” he asked in a surprisingly gentle voice. “What am I feeling?” she yelled. “Pissed off. I am really pissed off and getting more pissed by the minute. Don’t push me.” She walked away from them and leaned against a chair that sat in front of a cold fireplace. She didn’t understand what was happening. No control, she thought. That’s what she was feeling. Totally out of control. She wanted to punch and kick something. Anything. Joelle paced to the door and back again, aware that both of the men watched her. That pissed her off too. Didn’t they have something better to do than watch her? “What?” she shouted at them. “What are you looking at?” “Why don’t you sit down?” Kenshin approached her and touched her arm. She jerked away, his touch like a razor against her skin. “Don’t touch me.” She backed away. “Is she on drugs?” Quenton asked.

“No, she’s not,” Joelle said sarcastically. “I can hear you, and I’m fine.” “I need to take you to see our medical staff,” Kenshin said. “There is something very wrong.” “I’m fine,” Joelle backed away from them. “I just need you to leave me alone.” Kenshin approached her, and Joelle ran toward the door. Quenton was already there and she tried to dodge around him, but he was faster. He snagged her arm, and pain shot through her entire body. Joelle bucked and screamed as Kenshin helped Quenton take her to the floor. The two men pinned her down as she fought. Everywhere they touched shot shards of agony through her body. Millions of tiny needles dug themselves under her skin and danced along her nerves. Tears ran down her face, and she sobbed, begging for them to stop. Finally, she began to scream Talon’s name. **** Talon looked around the mess that was Joelle’s apartment. Deep scratches marred the floors and walls. Obviously, whatever he’d scared off came back and was pissed to find her gone. He just wished the thing would show up again. He had some questions for it. Grimm moved slowly around the space. “Even after a day, the smell is still strong. It’s also not familiar.” “What do you mean?” Reaper asked, coming in the door. “It smells like shit; that’s pretty familiar.” “It might smell that way to you,” Grimm said, “but not to me. Obviously, it smells bad, but it’s a combination of blood, vampire, and rot.” He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. “Whatever this thing was, it smells like it’s dying, but not.” Reaper shrugged. “Whatever you say, dude. All I know is it stinks. We should be able to track it by the scent alone.” Grimm smiled at him. “That’s a fucking great idea. All we have to do is follow the scent, and it should lead us right to where it lives.” “That still doesn’t explain what it wants with Joelle.” Talon paced. “I say we find it and ask.” Grimm smiled evilly. “I’m sure it would love to tell us.” Talon started to reply, but froze. Joelle. She was in trouble. He could feel it. He could almost hear her. In a blink, he was gone.

“What just happened?” Reaper asked, looking where Talon had stood. Grimm shook his head. “I don’t know. I think he muttered something about Joelle.” “So do we track or what?” Reaper asked. “I say we track,” Grimm replied. “Let’s see what we can come up with. Talon can find us when he’s ready.” Grimm turned and headed out of the apartment. He moved down the steps, not stopping to see if Reaper followed. Truly, he wanted to head back to PIA to find out what the hell was going on. Talon was his friend or at least he thought of him that way. Who the fuck knew what Talon thought. Grimm had never asked, didn’t really want to know. He stepped out on the sidewalk to close his eyes and breathe deep. He was adept now at separating scents to find the one he wanted. This time it wasn’t hard. The scent was strong. Opening his eyes, he found the rest of the Hunters watching him. “You got it?” Styx asked. Grimm nodded and moved down the sidewalk. The rest of the men fell into step with him. None of them asked about Talon, which he was thankful for. What to say? They all knew the guy had major problems, not that any of them talked about it. Grimm had hoped Joelle would even him out, but there was something intense going on between the two of them. He’d only gotten to briefly look through the archives, but he had talked to Quenton. He hoped like hell the man could come up with something. If not, they might not just lose Talon, but Joelle too. **** “Let her go,” Kenshin ordered, pulling Quenton away from where Joelle seized on the floor. Both men backed away and watched as she pulled herself into a ball. She rocked and wept, shaking uncontrollably. “What is happening?” Quenton demanded as Kenshin pulled out his phone. Quickly, he dialed for medical. He wasn’t sure, but they had to find out before they lost her and ultimately Talon.

Joelle shook and sobbed. She didn’t know where she was or what was happening. Pain, such pain, ran through her body. Her head was a jumble of sound or was she screaming. She needed…needed…something. Someone. Talon. She needed him. So much. And in that instant, arms encircled her. She breathed in the scent of comfort, of safety. Talon. Talon.

“I’m here, Joelle.” He breathed against her neck. “I’m here.” She sagged against him letting herself go. Safe, she was safe now.

Talon bared his fangs at Kenshin and Quenton. The need to kill them was right at the surface, but Joelle’s presence calmed him and pulled him down. He needed to know what happened, what they had done to her. Then he would kill them. Quenton sank into a chair. “What the hell happened?” “That’s what I want to know,” Talon said between gritted teeth. “I’m not sure,” Kenshin said. “Joelle became aggressive and combative. Shoved Quenton and tried to run from us. Her behavior makes no sense.” “She acts like she’s on something,” Quenton said, “but I can’t detect anything. The only thing I can smell on her is you.” Talon nuzzled her neck, and Joelle shifted in his arms. She tilted her head to the side, baring her throat to him. The need to bite her, to drink her blood was overwhelming. The scents of the two men were on her, and he wanted…no, he needed to mark her. To wipe them off of her. He needed to reassert his claim. He ran his tongue over her neck, and she shivered. His fangs extended, but before he could sink them into her flesh, someone cleared a throat. He looked up to find Kenshin and Quenton watching. The animal in him didn’t care. The beast wanted to strip her bare and fuck her in front of them. Show them she was his and no one else’s. The man, though, the man pulled back, knowing Joelle wouldn’t want that. “This isn’t normal behavior between a Liaison and Ancient,” Kenshin said. Talon didn’t answer, he couldn’t. All he wanted to do was strip her naked and take her. Offering no reply, he turned and left the room. Joelle wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed. The action stopped his forward motion in the middle of the hallway. He had to get a hold of himself. Whatever had happened, she didn’t need him pawing all over her. His priority was to protect her. The reminder instantly cooled the beast, and he decided the best place for them was his rooms. Their rooms. He moved through the hall until he reached an elevator. He pressed the button, and the doors opened. Stepping into the car, he pressed the button and waited. Though it moved swiftly, it wasn’t fast enough. He just wanted them both to be secured behind locked doors so he could

check her over for any injury. It would have been so much faster to will himself there, but Joelle wouldn’t go with him. She stirred in his arms as he stepped off and moved down a corridor toward a set of secured doors. He pressed his palm onto a scanner set into the wall. After a moment, a lock clicked and one of the doors swung open. The hall beyond was bland, like something out of a hospital, with cream walls and white linoleum on the floor. Most of the halls looked exactly the same, but Talon had prowled every inch of the place. He knew exactly where he was. Through another set of secured doors was the thick carpeting and richly painted walls of the Hunters’ lair. Joelle raised her head. “Where are we?” “Almost to our room.” “I ache all over and my throat hurts.” She laid her head back on his shoulder. A few minutes later, he entered their room and locked the door behind them. He settled in a chair and held her, unsure of what to say. Kenshin had said what was happening between them wasn’t normal, and deep down, Talon knew it. But he knew that since she had come back into his life, he was able to think more clearly. He also had more control over himself. So he didn’t think whatever was going on was dangerous. Joelle sat up and looked at him. “What happened?” “You don’t remember?” He asked carefully. “It’s all a jumble in my head.” “Tell me what you do remember,” he prompted. “I know I met with Kenshin, and we went to the library or something. There was a man there, Quenton, and he said something about not wanting you there. I remember I got really angry. Then he said something, and I lost it.” She wrinkled her brow in concentration. “Did I hit him? Or something? I don’t remember. I just know I was furious, but I didn’t know why. Did I hurt someone? Is that why you’re here?” “No, baby,” he said with a small smile. “You could kick their asses all day long, and I wouldn’t care. But I…felt you, maybe. I don’t know really, but I know you needed me. So I came.” “Thank you,” she said. “No one other than you has ever been there for me.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. They were soft and so sweet, and as he moved his mouth on Joelle’s, he understood how tender and complete a meeting of lips could be.

There was no doubt that he wanted her, but this gentle touch of lips was a balm to his soul. She eased her arms around his neck to tangle in his hair and leaned into his body. His arms stole around her and pulled her closer. She was the one who deepened the kiss, touched her tongue to his lips, asking for entry. He instantly opened his mouth and sucked her tongue in. The taste of her shot through his system, and he pulled her closer. He wanted more. Wanted to drink her down and pull her all the way into his body. She shuddered in his arms as her tongue touched one of his fangs, then it was his turn to shiver. He eased his mouth away from hers to press open-mouthed kisses along her jaw to her throat. She moaned and tilted her head back to give him more access. He ran first his tongue then his fangs along her vein, and she shivered. “Talon,” she said in a breathy voice. “Please.” Instantly, he picked her up and moved to the bed as he rained small bites along her neck. The need for her was like a fire in his blood and brain. He couldn’t stop even if he wanted to, which he didn’t. Joelle was his, and he had to show her how much he desired her, craved her. He quickly stripped her until she lay before him naked and ready. She was long and sleek with full hips and lush breasts. She pulled a knee up and out exposing the pink slit that was already dewed with moisture. The sight mesmerized him. She was his, and he would kill to protect her. Kill to keep her. “Talon,” she said, holding out a hand. Quickly, he stripped his clothes away. The need for her made his hands shake. No one had ever affected him this way before. He supposed all these emotions should make him feel trapped, but instead the more entangled they became, the more secure and calm he became. Maybe he really was losing his mind, but as he came down on the bed and pressed his body to Joelle’s, he didn’t care.

The terror of earlier disappeared as Talon’s lips took her own. The time between the pizza dinner and when he’d carried her from the library was like a barely remembered dream. Bits and pieces surfaced, but beyond that, the time was a blank. Her only reality was Talon. Joelle knew this should scare the hell out of her, but as he moved down her body, nipping and licking, she didn’t care. Right now, this moment, was more real than her entire life had been.

She cried out and gripped the sheets as his mouth and tongue drove her to the first orgasm. As she shuddered and gasped, he spread her legs wider and worked her harder. He plunged his tongue up into her body then pulled out to blow gently on her clit. She fisted his hair and moved against his mouth. Needing only what he could give her. **** Kenshin slumped into a chair and ran a hand wearily over his face. Nothing was going as he’d planned. He hoped Joelle would somehow pull Talon back from the brink, but instead the two of them were sinking together. Fast. “You and I need to talk,” Quenton said. “I need all the information on what is going on so I can figure this out. Grimm told me what he knew, but this is way beyond the information he gave me.” Kenshin laughed without any sign of humor. “You, Quenton, are the king of understatement.” The other man quirked an eyebrow as he polished the lenses on his glasses and slid them on to cover his red irises. “I try.” Grimm and Reaper entered the library. They both looked forbidding and angry. Reaper leaned against a desk, while Grimm dropped into a chair. “I lost the scent. The thing obviously drove away after a block or so. Where’s Talon? What happened?” “He is with Joelle,” Kenshin said. “What happened?” Reaper asked. “Instead of relaying information I know,” Quenton cut in. “Tell me what I don’t know.” “Charming as usual,” Grimm said in an attempt to defuse the situation. Reaper and Quenton constantly rubbed each other the wrong way, which usually led to sniping and growling. No one wanted to go through that right now. Quenton shrugged as a reply. “Look, we are obviously under some kind of time crunch. The situation is rapidly deteriorating. I need to know the whole of their history so I can understand how to help them.” Kenshin studied the three men before him and decided he had to tell the whole story. Talon and Joelle’s lives may hang in the balance. “Fourteen years ago, Joelle found Talon held captive in a basement. Vampires, who remain anonymous, kidnapped him and held him for years using him as a blood source.”

“What?” Grimm interrupted. “Vampires aren’t allowed to feed on one another. It’s against our laws. And I was told blood from an Ancient is poison to other vampires.” “Everything you say is true, but that doesn’t stop some of our kind from trying. Ancient blood isn’t poison per se, but it will kill. Eventually. There are vampires that believe drinking the blood of an Ancient will give them powers and abilities so they do it. Not realizing that the blood is slowly driving them insane and killing them. From what I understand, it’s quite a long and painful process.” “So,” Quenton prompted. “Yes, of course, so vampires held him. Moving him when they assumed they were close to getting caught. His father tracked him, but could never find him. Eventually the PIA got involved once the organization was created. It took a fourteen-year-old human girl to find and release him.” “That’s it?” Quenton asked. “No, not quite. Though he was weak from blood loss and hunger, he didn’t attack her. She offered her wrist to him and he drank, but he didn’t drain her. He then took her out of there and actually watched over her for the next couple years, though I doubt she knows that. It was about ten years ago when Talon began to exhibit odd behavior. At first, I thought it was due to being held captive, and it very well could have stemmed from that. But in the last few years, the behavior has worsened. He doesn’t sleep, barely feeds, has wild mood swings, memory loss and black outs.” “And you think this has something to do with the woman?” Quenton asked. “I don’t know, but since he’s been feeding from her, he is improving. Or perhaps that isn’t the correct word. His behavior is changing. But now she is in decline as we both saw.” “Could it be some kind of sickness?” Reaper finally spoke. “Could be,” Quenton answered, “but I don’t think so. This sounds so familiar, as if I’ve read or heard something like this before.” Kenshin watched Quenton stand and move to the shelves to begin quickly scanning the titles. He hoped the man came up with something soon. He didn’t think Talon and Joelle could go on the way they were much longer. Sooner or later, something was going to break, and he hoped they had the answers. ****

The orgasm erupted through Joelle’s system, and she couldn’t hold back the scream. The intensity was almost too much for her to take. But still, she needed. Needed what, she wasn’t sure, but as Talon sank his fangs into her neck, she bit him on the shoulder. Hard. As the orgasm receded, the demand was still there. The demand for something necessary she wasn’t receiving. The sex, the orgasms, the feeding didn’t satisfy whatever her body was requiring. When Talon pulled away from her, she curled into a ball. She’d never felt this bad before, even when she’d had the flu. Tears flooded her eyes, and before she could get a grip, a sob escaped. “Joelle.” Talon ran a hand over her hair. “Have I hurt you? What is it?” “I don’t know,” she said, beginning to cry. “Talon, I’m so… I need… I don’t know.” “Are you in pain?” “Yes. No. My stomach and head ache. I’m so hungry and thirsty, but if I ate, I know I’d be sick. What’s wrong with me?” “I don’t know, baby, but I’m calling Kenshin.” If he said anything else, Joelle missed it. Her body began to shake uncontrollably as she broke out into a cold sweat. Dying, she thought, I have to be dying. **** Kenshin hung up the phone. “That was Talon. Something is wrong with Joelle. She is shaking and in pain.” Quenton looked up from a book he was looking through. “Go to her. Find out exactly what her symptoms are. I’ll stay here and continue to look.” Kenshin and Grimm raced out the door, leaving Quenton and Reaper alone. Truly, Quenton would have preferred the other man leave, but didn’t want to take the time or energy to tell him. He couldn’t afford to have an argument, and that’s what it would be. Anytime he and Reaper were in the same room together, it always ended up in a fight of some kind. The two of them just didn’t get along. “Tell me what I can do to help you,” Reaper said. Surprise must have flashed across Quenton’s face because the other man rolled his eyes. “I’m offering to help find information, not give a kidney or something.” Quenton nodded. “I know the answer is in this library, and I’m sure it’s in a journal or diary of some kind.” “Bound or unbound?”

Quenton blinked at the question and put the book in his hands down. He hated to admit it, but Reaper was right. He had to think about what he was looking for, not just rush through, trying to look through every book in the place. “Let me think,” he said, going back into his memory. He knew the piece was old, and he’d had to wear gloves to handle it. He finally opened his eyes. “It was bound, but much later I think and crudely. It looked like someone stitched it together by hand. The pages were a rough parchment. I wore gloves.” Quickly, he headed to where he stored the oldest manuscripts. The room was small and tidy, lined with huge cabinets containing thin drawers. He grabbed a pair of gloves and pulled them on as he ran his gaze around the room, trying to remember. Reaper came up behind him, pulling his thick hair into a ponytail to keep it out of his face. “What are we looking for?” Quenton plucked up a pair of gloves and dropped them into the other man’s hand. “Diary, I do remember that. I can’t remember if a male or female wrote it, but I know he was a vampire and she was a human.” “She was his Liaison?” Reaper asked, tugging the gloves on. “No, or at least if she was, he didn’t call her that.” Quenton moved to a drawer and pulled it open. He closed it just as quickly and moved on. He knew what it would look like. The more questions Reaper asked, the clearer the memory became. “I’m leaving the drawers ajar with the ones I think you should look at,” Reaper said, closing a drawer firmly as he moved to the next one. Quenton didn’t know quite what to say. The two of them had never spent this much time together without snide remarks or sarcastic comments. He wondered if this aberration would last. Undoubtedly, once the emergency was over, they would go back to sniping at one another. He wasn’t really sure if that was such a bad thing. He didn’t really know how he would handle Reaper coming to hang out as Grimm did. “Did you say the piece was stitched together?” Reaper said, interrupting his thoughts. “Yes.” “I think I might have found it.” Quenton rushed to his side and knelt down. In a bottom drawer was the book from his memories. Carefully, he lifted it out and carried it to a table. “I think this is it.” Sitting, he placed the book in front of him and opened it. As quickly as he could, while still treating the pages

gently, he began to move through the text. The writing was cramped and small and written in an old French dialect. Leaning forward, he ran his finger along as he skimmed the text. His concentration was destroyed though as body heat and a distinctive scent invaded his space. Reaper had leaned over his back in an attempt to see the book, but Quenton had to fight the urge not to ease back into the man. This was the reason why they fought or really why Quenton picked at him. There was no way he would ever let the Ancient know that he wanted to strip him and lick him all over. Quenton closed his eyes and forced his body under control. He didn’t need this now. He couldn’t do this now. Ever. He couldn’t do this ever. He repeated the mantra to himself over and over. His demon half, the gift, or was it a curse, from his father so wanted to enthrall the man behind him. Enthrall him so that he could do whatever he wanted to him, but it wouldn’t last. Once the sex was over, Reaper would come to himself and probably kill him. Quenton forced himself back to the task at hand. He willed his mind to concentrate on the book, on the words. He had to find the answer. Everyone was depending on him. “I can only read about half the words,” Reaper said softly. “What the hell is going on?” Quenton wanted to snap at him to get away. Instead, he took a deep breath. Maybe talking it out would help, it wouldn’t hurt. “Okay, this journal is written by a male vampire in the twelfth century. He met a woman, a human woman, and drank from her. But he couldn’t get her out of his mind.” He flipped the pages as he told the story he was reading and, as he did, he began to remember what would happen. “Her name was Lisianna and he said that she was like a fever in his blood. The more he drank the more he wanted. He wasn’t himself, short-tempered, sketchy memory, and fixated on her. When he drank from her for the third time that’s when something clicked. They had sex, and it was this amazing, mind-blowing experience.” “He says that?” Reaper asked with a laugh. Quenton glanced at him. “No, I’m paraphrasing. He uses all this poetic language to basically say they fucked like rabbits. After the sex, he felt awesome, but she started to get sick. In fact, the same symptoms he had exhibited before. Finally, she couldn’t eat or drink without getting sick. He couldn’t lose her because to do so would mean his life is over.” “Sounds like Joelle, without the flowery language.” Reaper commented. “So what happened? She didn’t die, did she?”

“Wait.” Quenton flipped the pages faster. He knew the answer was here, but wanted to make sure before he made any recommendation. Finally, he stopped on a page and read carefully. It didn’t make sense, but then again, it did. “What?” Reaper nudged him. “Did the broad die or what?” “No. She survived and they lived happily ever after. Or whatever.” “How? Did she just get over it?” “No,” Quenton replied. “She drank his blood.” “What? That’s not possible. Ancient blood is poison.” “To other vampires it is. But nothing was ever said about humans. According to him, during their bouts of sex, she bit him and swallowed his blood. Once she did, she recovered. In fact, once this happened, it created a bond, a connection, of some kind between them. He couldn’t drink from anyone else and didn’t want to. He says more, but I think this is the answer.” “Connection,” Reaper muttered. “Lisianna. That sounds a hell of lot like Liaison and doesn’t that translate to connection.” Quenton turned to stare at him. “I hadn’t even thought of that. You have to be right. This has to be where the whole idea of a Liaison comes from. Over time, the true meaning of it was lost, and now, we think of it as a blood donor. But that’s not what it originally meant.” “Yeah, and what if we’re wrong?” “Let’s go see Joelle. If she’s as bad as Talon says then we tell them about the blood drinking.” “And if she isn’t?” “We tell Kenshin only and let him decide.” Reaper only hesitated a second before he nodded. “Let’s go.”

Chapter Seven

Talon cradled Joelle in his arms as she shivered and whimpered. Though she complained of thirst, any time he gave her water she immediately threw it up. He tried wrapping her in blankets because she shivered so violently, but she kicked them off, saying she was hot. He couldn’t see how since her skin was cold and clammy. If he didn’t know better, he would swear she needed blood, but was that possible? Why would she, a human, exhibit the same symptoms as a vampire? He didn’t know much about humans but were their symptoms the same? A shadow fell over the bed, and Talon put himself between Joelle and the new threat. Grimm squat down so the two of them were eye to eye. Rationally, Talon knew Grimm was there to help, but the beast in him just wanted to destroy and kill. It wanted these interlopers out of the room so he could cradle and care for Joelle, but he didn’t know what to do for her. Before Grimm could speak, the door burst open and Quenton and Reaper entered. Quenton slowly approached the bed and stared at Joelle for a moment. He glanced back at Reaper, and the two men exchanged a look. “I think we figured it out,” Quenton said. “What do I do for her,” Talon demanded. “Tell me.” “You need to give her some of your blood,” Quenton replied. “What? That’s insane.” Grimm interrupted. “Our blood is poison—” “To other vampires,” Quenton cut him off. “We found information in this book,” Reaper said. “This guy got tangled up with a human. Lisianna, the woman, got sick like Joelle. The dude said during sex she bit him and drank some of his blood. After that, she was fine.”

“What are you some kind of scholar now?” Grimm growled at him. “Leave the thinking to people with brains.” Reaper took a step back at the attack, but Quenton went at Grimm. “Don’t talk to him that way. He worked his ass off with me trying to find this information. What he says is the truth, so take it or leave it, but that’s all we have.” “That’s sweet,” Grimm sneered, “protecting your boyfriend’s feelings.” “Fuck you,” Quenton muttered. “Wait, that’s right. Reaper doesn’t know you have a thing for him. Should we let him know you would love for him to fuck you?” “Enough,” Kenshin snapped out. Talon ignored them as he looked down at Joelle. Her lips had a slight tinge of blue to them, and her heart was racing in her chest. Before he could stop to think, he bit into his wrist. He laid the bleeding wound against Joelle’s mouth and wished like hell for it to work. For a long moment, nothing happened, until he saw her swallow. After a very long moment, her body jerked, and she gasped, gripping his arm. She sucked strongly, pulling the blood into her mouth, and he got hard at the sensation. If it felt this good against his wrist, he wondered how she would feel feeding at his neck. The thought almost drove him to come right there in his pants. After another deep pull, her hands slackened, allowing him to pull away. He froze. Had his blood killed her, as Grimm predicted? Then he saw she was breathing much easier and the color was coming back into her face. Asleep, he realized, she was asleep. Ignoring the rest of the people in the room, he snuggled down next to her and held her close. She was going to be okay, he thought, but didn’t know what this new development meant. Unlike the stories, humans could not be turned into vampires, so why would she need his blood? Putting it all from his mind, he decided to just hold her and wait for her to wake up. **** Joelle slowly opened her eyes. Contentment seeped through her, and she yawned. Looking around, she was confused only a moment until she recognized Talon’s room. She wrinkled her brow, trying to figure out how she’d gotten here. The last thing she remembered was having pizza… No wait, didn’t she meet with Kenshin? She wasn’t sure.

She rolled on her back to find Talon asleep next to her. Did she just imagine meeting with Kenshin? Maybe they’d come back to his room instead. If they had, she didn’t remember it. Slowly, she sat up and rubbed her face. Why couldn’t she remember? Did she get sick? “Joelle.” She turned to find Talon watching her. She knew he was worried and scared…for her, she could sense it. Okay, maybe she really was losing her mind. There was no way she could know what this man was feeling. “What’s going on?” she asked. “You don’t remember,” he stated. “The last thing I remember clearly is having pizza. Did I get sick?” “You went to meet Kenshin in his office,” Talon spoke slowly. “I went to check out your apartment.” She shook her head. “I don’t remember.” She closed her eyes, trying to think, but instead she could feel a swirl of emotions. Anxiety, anger, confusion, and a need for her blood. She opened her eyes, knowing those emotions didn’t belong to her. What the hell was going on? “Why do I sense your emotions? I know that’s what’s happening, so don’t tell me it’s not.” “I’m not sure what’s happening. I left, and you met with Kenshin. While I was at your apartment, I knew you needed me. I came, and you were in the library screaming and shaking. You were in so much pain. They told me you had attacked Quenton. I brought you back here. You were sick.” Joelle listened to him talk, but none of it made sense. She didn’t remember it or maybe she didn’t want to. “Wait, I attacked someone?” “Quenton. He is the person who keeps our records. We have a huge library, and he takes care of it.” Joelle had a brief flash of a memory. “Does he have red eyes?” “Yes.” Talon leaned close to her. “But usually wears glasses with black lenses to hide them.” “I feel fine though.” She stretched experimentally and noticed his eyes straying to her bare breasts. She quickly pulled the covers up. “Hello, look up here, please.” He smiled slowly. “Why? When you just said you feel fine?”

“And you are not going to distract me. Why do I know this? Talon, what the hell is going on?” “You were…sick, is the only way I can describe it.” “I got that part,” she said, nodding. “So what is it you aren’t telling me?” “You drank my blood,” he said, never taking his eyes from hers. “Quenton said it would fix whatever was going wrong. I wasn’t going to take the chance, but I thought you were dying. I would do anything to protect you.” He stopped talking and looked away. Joelle knew he thought he had revealed too much. His feelings for her were deep and complicated. But he’d fed her his blood. She thought she should be grossed out by the thought, but when she imagined it, she wasn’t. “I remember tasting something sweet and rich with just a hint of spice.” Without thinking, she licked her lips, trying to recapture the sensation. When she looked up, Talon watched her behind heavily lidded eyes. Damn, the man was sexy, and he wanted her. There was no doubt now since she could sense it. “Okay, I can feel you. Can you do the same?” He nodded. “Yes, and I know you want me. You want to taste my blood again.” Joelle closed her eyes. “Okay, this whole knowing what I’m thinking isn’t going to work for me. In fact, I don’t understand why it’s not freaking me out more. It should, but then again, my freak-o-meter has been pretty much on overload the last few days. I’m sure I’ll leap up and run around screaming any minute now.” “Do you think talking will take both of our minds off what you want? What we both want?” She opened her eyes to find him much closer than he’d been before. She swallowed, hard. “Yes. No. I don’t know. Do you think it’s weird?” He burst out laughing. “Joelle, I’m a vampire. To me, drinking blood is normal, and drinking your blood is intoxicating.” On the final word, his voice dropped to a growl, and she shivered. She knew she should be questioning him about all that had gone on. Why did they have this connection now? Was it permanent? What it meant? But really, his mouth so close to her own was a total distraction. “Oh hell,” she breathed out the words. Leaning over, she pressed her lips to his. When he opened his lips, she eased her tongue into his mouth. He tasted rich and spicy just as his blood had. She shivered and sucked gently on his tongue, making him return the

shiver. He wanted to take over, she could sense it, but instead, he reined himself in and allowed her to stay in control. Rising on her knees, she placed her hands on his shoulder and eased him back on the bed. When she lay over his naked body, she began to kiss and nibble over his jaw. His hands moved up to cup her ass, but she grabbed them and placed them above his head. “Don’t move,” she said and swirled her tongue around his ear. “I want to take you this time.” He lifted his chin and turned his head as she trailed light biting kisses down his jaw to his neck. The large vein in his neck called her, and she ran her tongue along its length. He growled low in his chest and moved his hips against her. He was big and hard between her legs, and she wanted nothing more than to sink her teeth into his neck. “Bite me,” he growled. She wasn’t sure what that would do since she didn’t have fangs. But the urge was there, so she clamped her teeth around his vein and bit down. Hard. He yelled out as he grasped her hips and plunged his cock deep into her body. Rolling until she was under him, he began to thrust himself into her body. Unconsciously, Joelle bit down harder and tasted his blood flood into her mouth. The orgasm rocketed through her body, and she was sure she went blind. Either that or passed out. Another orgasm fired through her system as he slid his teeth into her throat and began to feed. She clung to him with arms and legs as she shuddered and cried out. Small orgasms climbed through her body until he finally pulled his teeth from her neck. Joelle let out one last sigh and let her arms and legs slide to the bed. She lay there with her eyes closed and enjoyed Talon’s weight pressing her into the sheets. “Are you okay?” He nuzzled her ear. “Yes, but maybe next time we can try going slower.” She opened her eyes and found him nose to nose with her. “Do you think that’s possible?” he asked. “Probably not,” she said, “but we can keep trying till it works.” He smiled slowly. “Practice does make perfect.” Before she could reply, a knock came at the door. They looked at one another, but neither moved. “Should we pretend we’re not here?” She whispered.

“I know you’re both in there,” Kenshin said from outside. “I can hear you.” Joelle’s eyes went huge. “They can hear us? Having sex?” She closed her eyes. “I’m never leaving this room again.” “They are all jealous of me.” Talon growled, then kissed her. “And if anyone mentions it, I will kill them for you.” “Well, since you put it that way, then it’s okay if a platoon stands outside our door and listens,” she muttered as he rose and went to the door. She sat up and pulled the covers up to her chin when Kenshin entered the room. She refused to look at him since she knew she’d blush bright red if she did. Instead, she stared over his left shoulder and imagined she was invisible. It didn’t work since no one else in the room played along. “I came to find out how you were feeling,” Kenshin said. “I was better before you told me the whole place could hear me,” she muttered under her breath. “Joelle, I meant I could hear the two of you talking because I was standing right outside the door.” She eyed him suspiciously. He had to be lying, but maybe it would be better for her to pretend she believed him. The idea everyone in the universe could hear them freaked her out. Of course, if the idea she was sleeping with a vampire didn’t freak her out then why should anything else? “So how are you feeling?” he asked again. “I feel fine. Great, in fact,” she said, actually amazed. She did feel great. She felt better than she had in a very long time. “Except…” she trailed off. Should she tell him she could sense Talon’s emotions? It wasn’t like she could read his mind. Yeah, okay, it was like she could read his mind. She looked over and found Talon watching her with a smile playing around his lips. She rolled her eyes. Great, he knew what she was thinking too. “I feel as if I’m missing something,” Kenshin said, looking between them two of them. “Talon and I, it’s like we can read each other’s minds now. Sort of. Or maybe we’re sensing emotions. I don’t know. Something like that. Does that make sense?” She trailed off and looked at both men. Talon burst out laughing. “Joelle, that made perfect sense to me.”

Kenshin appeared startled as he looked between the two of them. “As I’ve said before, the two of you are an unknown. Perhaps Quenton has found something. He’s been doing quite a bit more research.” “Maybe we can check to see what he found,” she said to Talon. “Then I can apologize for pushing him or whatever I did.” “There’s no need for you to apologize,” Talon said with a scowl. “I’m sure he said or did something to deserve it.” “Actually,” Kenshin said, “he informed Joelle that you and he don’t get along very well.” Joelle wrinkled her brow as a memory surfaced. “He called you names. I didn’t like that much.” “But he did work his ass off to figure out what was going on,” Kenshin reminded them both. “Then we need to go and make nice with him,” Joelle said. “We may need him on our side in the future.” **** Joelle stepped into the large library and looked around. It was familiar, as if she was remembering a dream. She liked the place, though, the smells, the books. It felt like someplace she would enjoy spending time in. Tables and chairs were clustered in groups, and two chairs in front of an empty fireplace. She had always loved the idea of a fireplace. Not that she’d ever had one, but she’d always wanted one. “If you want a fireplace, then we’ll make sure you get one,” Talon whispered in her ear. She rolled her eyes. “Please stop with the mind-reading.” He put his arms around her. “I’m not reading your mind. It’s the emotions that I can sense.” “Fine, then stop doing that too. And can we really have a fireplace?” Before he could reply, a man stepped into view. He carried a book and wore dark glasses to cover his eyes. Quenton. Joelle knew that’s who this was. He stopped when he spied them and placed the book on a table. “Hi,” Joelle said, jumping in. “I’m Joelle, but I guess you know that since we’ve met. But I don’t really remember it.” “You’re obviously feeling better,” he replied.

“I feel awesome, but wanted to come and apologize for pushing you. I shouldn’t have, but then again, you shouldn’t have taken cheap shots at Talon either.” He nodded. “You’re right, I shouldn’t have. You are his Liaison, and as such, you have a close relationship with him. I didn’t realize how close though.” “Kenshin said you’re still going through the diary you found,” Talon said. “Yes, and I’ve been taking notes from it for you both. I really do think this is where the whole idea of a Liaison came from. I couldn’t help overhearing the two of you talk about sensing emotions. That’s one of the things he writes about in the journal.” Grimm walked in the door, and Joelle watched Quenton stiffen. Talon wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back against him. By his stance, Quenton was definitely giving off aggressive vibes. Grimm, on the other hand, wouldn’t meet the other man’s eyes. Embarrassed, Joelle thought, that’s what he looks like. “Hey,” Grimm said, looking at Talon. “I heard the two of you were up and about. I wanted to check on you and make sure you were both okay.” “We’re good,” Talon said. “As new,” Joelle put in. “Or maybe we’re better. Or at least I am. Hey, do you think I’ll get any big super powers out of this whole deal?” She directed the question to Quenton. “Super powers?” He looked confused. “Yeah, like I’m stronger or faster or can do the disappearing thing that he can do? Did the diary mention anything like that?” “Not that I’ve found,” Quenton said slowly. “But if I find anything, I’ll let you know.” “Bummer. I was hoping I could do something incredible now.” “You already do incredible things,” Talon whispered in her ear. “Oh my gosh, is your mind always in the gutter?” she demanded with her hands on her hips. Talon burst out laughing. “With you around, apparently. Are you hungry?” “Yes, starved.” “Quenton, if you find anything else let us know,” Talon said as he took Joelle by the hand and led her out.

After they had gone, Grimm shook his head. “That was utterly strange. He laughed.”

Quenton didn’t reply. He went over and picked up his book. Grimm huffed out a breath; the guy was still not talking to him. “We need to talk,” Grimm said. “I have nothing to say to you,” he said as he walked away. “You know the way out.” “Come on, Quenton, I told you I was sorry. We’ve been friends a long time—” “Yes, we were.” Quenton turned back to face him, anger apparent on his face. “But you broke confidence when you used information I had given you. How dare you?” “I’m sorry,” Grimm said again. “I was mad and worried and I lashed out. I didn’t mean to. Look, let me talk to Reaper. I’ll tell him I was just shooting off my mouth.” “Don’t,” he said in a hard voice. “Just leave it alone.” After one last look, Quenton disappeared through a door, leaving Grimm standing by himself feeling like an idiot.

Chapter Eight

A few nights later, Joelle sat in the passenger seat of a nondescript sedan. After much finagling and arguing, she’d convinced Talon that she had to go out with a PIA agent to see what they did. Since she was supposed to be working for the organization, she needed to see, first hand, what was what. At first, she wanted to go with him, but that was nixed by everyone, including Kenshin. So she was sitting next to Tomas, her pal from the bar, as he made his rounds checking on people or places. From what she could gather there was a hierarchy in the PIA for handling issues. The PIA officers were like regular cops who patrolled certain areas to maintain the peace. PIA agents, such as Tomas, were assigned to cases that needed more time to be dealt with. And, finally, the Hunters or Ancients or whatever you called them were the big guns that were sent in when nothing else would work. The evening thus far had been fairly quiet. They’d made a stop to talk to a family of bear shifters who had been in a dispute with their neighbors over the digging of a den. Apparently, the bears had built a large garage behind the house and under that they put the den. Joelle thought it was a clever solution and added much needed storage. The other stops consisted of questioning people about various crimes or problems they were having. All in all, it would have all been typical if the people involved hadn’t been Parakind. Tomas pulled into the driveway of a small single story house set back from the street. The yard was screened by huge bushes, and for some reason, Joelle didn’t like it. Nothing screamed problem, but her senses told her something was off. “What’s going on here?” Joelle asked.

“Vamp group just moved into the neighborhood. We always check to ensure things are going okay especially since there are a number of human families that live here too.” “Have you met them?” “Yeah,” Tomas said, opening his door. “Pretty typical group, but not a true blood family. One older male and female and a small group of mixed-aged followers. Most of them are males, but there are two females with them. Groups like this form when the members don’t have any true family in an area.” “And you’ve met them all before?” Joelle asked, still not moving from the car. “Yeah, why?” “I have a really bad feeling about this,” she said as she slowly looked over the house. He smiled. “It’s typical. Humans usually feel incredibly uncomfortable around groups of vampires. Most probably an ingrained predator-prey thing going on. Even though we no longer hunt humans, humans naturally stay away.” Joelle climbed out of the car, still not sure that’s what she was feeling. She’d seen vampires before in regular settings such as groceries or bookstores and hadn’t felt fear. In fact, she’d taken notice of them, known what they were, and went on about her business. This, this wasn’t fear, but an awareness. An awareness of something very wrong. Tomas moved up to the porch and knocked on the door as she followed behind. She didn’t go up, because she wasn’t going inside, not when her senses were screaming at her. She wondered if Talon could sense her emotions. She sort of hoped he did, but on the other hand, if he were in a dangerous situation, he didn’t need to be worried about her. She tried some breathing exercises to calm herself down, but it didn’t really help. Actually, it made her feel a bit breathless. Go figure. Tomas knocked again as Joelle took a step back toward the car. A moment later, the door opened and a pleasant looking older woman smiled in greeting. Joelle waved when Tomas pointed her out, but she all but ignored what was said because of the smell. It had to be coming from the house, since she only smelled it now the door was opened. The smell was of overripe meat that had been left to fester for a bit too long. She knew the smell. She’d smelled it before. “Joelle, aren’t you coming?” Tomas said. “What?” She looked up to find both vampires watching her. “We’ve been invited in,” Tomas said, “so let’s go.”

“I’m sorry, but I think I’ll wait out here. I’m not feeling so well.” “Even more reason you should come in,” the woman said with a smile. “We’ll get you some water and you can relax.” “Come on,” Tomas said, as he entered the house. A long moment passed as the woman at the door watched her. Finally, she smiled. But it wasn’t friendly; in fact, it chilled Joelle to the bone. “Since he’s in the house, I’d suggest you come in if you don’t want anything to happen to him.” “What if I don’t care what happens to him,” Joelle spoke quietly, forcing calm. “Well, then we would chase you. Believe me, we’d catch you, and it wouldn’t be as pleasant as you agreeing to come in.” Joelle nodded, all the while screaming in her head for Talon. Would he hear her? The one time he did was when she was sick and out of her mind. She wasn’t out of her mind, but she could certainly get that way really fast if it would bring him running. She entered the house and the woman pushed her toward a doorway and basement stairs. She so didn’t want to go down there. The stench was horrible, and she knew she’d find its source down the steps. It had to be the crazy man that had come scratching at her door. But what if there were more than just him? She put the thought from her mind and instead concentrated on Talon. If nothing else, thinking about him would clear her head of the debilitating fear that threatened to overtake her. At the bottom of the steps, she coughed at the stink and pulled the neck of her shirt up over her nose. Her eyes watered, and she tried to breathe shallowly through her mouth. The woman stepped up behind her and propelled her through a doorway. Joelle shrugged her off with a glare. She hated being shoved around, and this brought on the anger. Good, she thought, she needed anger since fear wasn’t going to do her any good. Inside the room, she found Tomas sitting calmly. He didn’t look in any danger. In fact, he looked quite a home. What the hell? When the giggling crazy man finally entered the room, she took a step back, but Tomas approached him, hugged him. Fuck. He was obviously in with them, and she’d walked right in to whatever they wanted. “I’m sorry,” Tomas said to her. “I lied to you. But my brother is sick, and I have to help him.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Joelle said. “I’m sorry about your brother but I have no clue what you want me to do about it. Take him to the doctor or something.” “You don’t understand. He needs blood, your blood, to get well.” Keep them talking, she thought. The longer they talked, the longer she had to figure stuff out. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but she refused to give up. Maybe all they wanted was a little blood, but she highly doubted it. No matter what, she didn’t think she was leaving this place alive, and that didn’t work for her. “I don’t get it,” she said, keeping her voice calm. “Regular vampires can’t drink human blood, at least that’s what everyone says. Your brother doesn’t look like an Ancient.” “I’m so thirsty,” Tomas’s brother said, licking his lips. “Let me have her.” “Tomas, quit talking and let your brother feed. Please,” the woman said. “Mother, she needs to understand. I like Joelle. I’ve liked her from the first—” “Mother?” Joelle look at the woman and finally saw the family resemblance. “Yes, this is my family. My mother, Graciella, and this is my brother, Juan.” Tomas patted his brother’s arm as he helped him to a chair. “Juan got pulled into a blood cult. We, the PIA, heard rumors but couldn’t pin them down. Suddenly, we started finding vampires attacking humans, like at the bar. But none of them will tell us or can tell us who the leaders are. The PIA has investigated, but we don’t have much information. The man, whoever he is, is convinced that vampires, all vampires, are meant to drink human blood. He hooks his followers. No one talks about the fact that not only do we not drink blood, we can’t drink blood. It’s like a drug to regular vampires. It slowly eats us alive from the inside out, but we can’t stop.” “If the PIA knows this, why isn’t more done to stop it? Why aren’t there treatment programs? Humans go through drug treatment to help kick addictions, isn’t there anything for you all?” “Right now, we don’t know enough to create any kind of treatment. In the past, once a vampire tastes human blood, she or he can’t stop. The person dies because the damage to the body is irreversible.” “That’s crazy,” Joelle said, shaking her head. “I’ve heard that once a human takes meth he or she can’t stop, but people do. And nothing is irreversible. I’ve seen the way you all heal. It’s amazing.”

“No, you’ve seen the way the Hunters heal. We aren’t like them,” Tomas said with a sad smile. “And even if there was a treatment, my son is dying,” Graciella said. “Not only his body, but his mind.” “Besides, it takes much longer for one of us to heal.” “But you do heal,” Joelle argued. “So I’m sure you can heal from this too. Don’t you all have medical people?” “Yes, but treatments are few and, as my mother said, my brother is dying. He needs help now. That’s where you come in.” “What do you think my blood is going to do when drinking human blood got him in this shape in the first place?” “You’re different,” Tomas spoke slowly as if speaking to a child. Joelle felt like rolling her eyes, but tried to put on her helpful face. “How?” “You’re a Liaison. I’ve heard that your blood has healed Talon. I know what he’s like. The man is a lunatic, but not anymore. I saw him today, and he spoke to me, smiled at me. Only people with some kind of rare blood can be a Liaison, a true Liaison. I know he won’t drink from anyone else. He can’t. I read a report Kenshin prepared for the Council, and he said that your relationship with Talon is unique. You’re unique. So all Juan has to do is drink your blood, and he’ll be healed.” The man finished with a smile. Thankfully, Kenshin had shorted the report on numerous details, such as the fact that she could drink Talon’s blood. Just the thought of it made her mouth water and her stomach rumble. Well hell, she was as sick as Juan if she got off on drinking vampire blood. No, she reminded herself. Not any vampire, but Talon, only Talon. The thought of touching someone else made her stomach turn. She tried it. She’d thought of Grimm, since he was quite nice to look at, but the only thing it had gotten her was a case of nausea, among other things. She hadn’t even been in the same room with the man, hadn’t even touched him. “Joelle,” Tomas said, interrupting her racing thoughts. “What if it doesn’t work?’ she asked him. “It has to,” he insisted. “But what if it doesn’t. Then what?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. I mean Talon is okay now.” “Like you said, Talon is an Ancient. He’s different.” Joelle watched his face fall and felt a stir of pity. He loved his brother and would do anything for him. She had no idea what that felt like. She had no one, had always had no one. Other than Talon, a tiny voice whispered to her. “She’s trying to trick you!” Graciella yelled. “No, I’m not,” Joelle said. “I’m trying to make all of you see that this might not work. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.” “You’ll help us?” Tomas asked, looking hopeful. “Do I have a choice?” she asked, arms crossed. “Yes,” he said with a nod. “I thought I could force you, but I can’t. I’m sworn to serve and protect, just as your human police.” “Then I’ll help you.” “If you force her to do anything, you’d be dead.” The cold voice made everyone turn around. Talon stood in the doorway, radiating anger and aggression. His size overwhelmed the space, but for the first time, Joelle’s shoulders unknotted. He’d known. Somehow, he’d known she was in trouble. Hell, she had to convince him not to kill the lot of them. “Hi, honey,” she said, with a smile. “Tomas brought me to meet his family.” “Really?” he said, his eyes cold and deadly. “Is that what’s going on?” “No,” she said, because he knew. She didn’t know how, but he knew exactly what was going on and he was furious. She was surprised he hadn’t come in and slaughtered the entire family, but he hadn’t. Because of her. He hadn’t wanted her to see the violence he was capable of. “There’s no point in lying. You already know or at least suspect what’s going on.” “We didn’t hurt her,” Tomas cut in, attempting to explain. “And this is why you and your family are still alive.” He said it simply as if discussing what they were having for dinner or what was on television. Joelle approached him and wrapped her arms around him. She hadn’t really realized until that moment how much bigger he was than her. Hell, she barely hit him mid-chest, but he was gentle when he put his arms around her. She didn’t exactly feel the anger drain from him, but it was banked now that she touched him. Or maybe it had more to do with the fact that he could

protect her now that she was next to him. Whatever it was, she knew no one was in immediate danger of dying, which was a huge positive. “We’re leaving,” he said. “No,” Graciella cried, “she said she would help. Please, help my son.” Talon let lose a low growl, and Graciella took a step back. Joelle bit him lightly on the chest, cutting him off mid-growl. He looked down at her, his eyes darkened. Oh hell, she thought, she didn’t need him horny. She needed him to pay attention. “Did you find her?” Grimm came up behind Talon. “Yes,” Joelle said, answering for Talon. “If you will excuse us, Talon and I need to talk.” Grimm rolled his eyes. “Sure, no problem. I’ll just wait by the stairs to see what’s doing.” “Talon,” she said softly, “they need our help. Tomas helped me, saved me. We need to help them, if we can.” “He forced you into this house,” he said, darkly. “I felt your fear. You screamed in my head.” “I know. That’s what I first thought, and truthfully, that’s probably what was going to happen. But Tomas is a PIA agent. He couldn’t. His brother is sick, dying. I don’t know what it’s like to have a family I care about, but I do know what it’s like to care.” She looked up at him. “I didn’t know what was going to happen to me, but I came anyway, to you.” “Fuck,” he muttered. “I would never hurt you.” “I know that now, hell I probably knew it then. But my head didn’t know, and I came anyway. We need to try to help him.” Talon gritted his teeth and cursed, but she knew he would relent. Because she asked. She needed to be careful with that kind of power. She never wanted to back him into a situation that would break whatever they had. “You can’t,” he said, interrupting her thoughts. “You can never break what we have. We are always.” He picked her up and kissed her hard. She wrapped her arms around him and put all the emotion she felt for him into the kiss. Reluctantly, she pulled away, panting for breath. Damn the man, he scrambled her brains without even trying. He smiled slowly and kissed her quickly. “What do they want from you?” he asked, as he set her on her feet. “Just a little blood, that’s all.”

His eyes widened a bit then went dark as night. “They want what?” “Blood, they just need some of my blood.” “Some male imagines that he is going to sink fangs into you? He imagines that I’ll share my woman with him?” “I thought you knew,” she said, giving him a small rabbit punch in the gut. “What did you think he wanted? For me to knit him a sweater? Do a crossword puzzle with him? You’re vampires, for cripes sake. All you people drink blood.” “He cannot touch you.” Talon buried his face in her neck as he spoke. “If he does, I don’t know what I’ll do. No, I do know, I’ll kill him.” “So what do you suggest?” she asked, running her fingers through his hair to attempt to calm him. A few moments later, Joelle sat with her head turned away as Talon slashed her wrist with a knife. She jumped with the pain as her blood began to pour into a glass. She could feel the pain he felt as he hurt her and hated it. She didn’t want him to hurt. She just wanted this over with so they could go. She’d agreed to help Tomas’s brother, but hadn’t really thought through what it would entail. She just hoped it worked since this was obviously the man’s last chance. She gasped as Talon’s mouth covered the wound on her wrist. The pain instantly disappeared as heat flooded through her body. She looked over as he ran his tongue over her wrist. Whatever mark had been there was now gone. Hell, she just wanted to leave so she could get him naked. Was that rude to think? The flashing of his fangs indicated he knew what she was thinking, and he agreed. Yep, great minds. She stood as Talon wrapped an arm around her. “Let me know how that works for your brother,” she said to Tomas. “You’re not staying?” He asked as he held the glass of her blood. “No, I need to get out of here.” “Bless you,” Graciella said with tears in her eyes. “I really hope it works.” “Do not speak of this to anyone,” Talon cut in. “We won’t. I promise.” “See that you keep your promise, or I’ll be back.”

Talon and Joelle climbed the stairs and exited out the front door. The first hints of dawn were just beginning to color the horizon. She knew they needed to go. Talon had to be inside by the time the sun came up. Grimm and the rest of the Hunters had left when they realized Joelle wasn’t in any danger. Now it was just the two of them. “Go,” she said to him. “The keys are still left in the car. I’ll drive back.” “I won’t leave you. I can’t leave you.” He took her hand as they moved toward the vehicle. Before she could get in, he stopped her. “Would you let me try something?” She looked around smiling. “I don’t think we have time right now.” He looked at her a moment then burst into laughter. Color crept up her face as she looked away from him. Well damn, apparently he didn’t think about sex as often as she imagined he did. He pulled her close and kissed her. “That’s for later, and I think about sex with you constantly.” She head butted him gently against the chest. “Okay, so what do you want me to do?” He picked her up in his arms. “I want you to wrap yourself around me, close your eyes, and see our bedroom.” She cocked her head. “What?” “Just please do what I ask. Concentrate on our bedroom. See it in your mind as if you are standing in it.” She closed her eyes and buried her face against his neck. He smelled incredible, rich and spicy and all hers. With a slight smile, she imagined the bedroom with its huge wooden bed, thick carpeting, and comfortable couch. She knew she’d left her purse slung over one of the bed posts and a book on the bedside table. She and Talon didn’t really have his side or her side since whichever side she picked he joined her. She yawned, imaging the comfortable bed with its thick mattress and soft sheets. In fact, she could smell the room, a combination she imagined of his scent and her scent. She liked the idea they were joined so closely together their scents mingled. Should she? Was that normal? “We’re here,” he murmured against her ear. “You can open your eyes.” She did what he said and looked around. They were in their bedroom. “What the crap? How did we get here?” He smiled. “You traveled with me.” “What?” She was totally confused. “You know we can disappear and reappear at will?”

“Well yeah, I’ve seen you all do it.” “And now you’ve done it with me.” “How?” She slid down until her feet touched the floor. “I thought you couldn’t take anyone with you?” “Normally, I can’t, but I’ve been reading the old journal Quenton found. Once blood was exchanged between them, he could take her with him. I hoped it worked the same for us.” “That is so freaking cool,” Joelle burst out. “Where else can we go?” He kissed her. “I’m not sure. I would imagine if we’ve both been to a place we could get there. The idea is to build the image in your mind of where you’re going, hold it, and then go.” “Well, I haven’t been many places, but that’s okay. We got here and didn’t have to deal with traffic or having to worry about the sun.” He watched her for a long moment, emotions flashing too quickly over his face for her to read. She couldn’t really sense anything definite from him either. Okay, she could, but the emotions were jumbled and intense. She wasn’t sure how to read them, read him. “What’s going on? Are you okay?” “I’m not very good with words, with emotions. Hell, let’s be honest I’m not good with people. But, Joelle, I don’t know what I’d do without you. You give me things no one has ever given me. You make me feel things I’ve never felt before. You accept me for what I am. You’ve accepted me since the first time you laid eyes on me.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Damn, I’m fucking this up.” “No, you’re not.” She smiled. “You like me, and I like you too.” “No,” he cut her off, “I don’t like you. Okay, I do like you. Fuck. I love you. You’re my heart. You’re my soul. You’re everything to me. We are always. Do you understand? I would do anything for you. I would die for you. I would kill for you.” She nodded, unable to speak. If she did, she was afraid she would cry. She’d never had someone love her before and mean it. Men in the past had said the words, but they’d never meant it, not for real. They wanted sex and thought saying the words would get them what they wanted. Joelle had known better. She’d known it was an empty promise, at best. But Talon was real, what he said was real. She knew it down in the gut, just as she knew she loved him. It wasn’t something she could explain, and it certainly didn’t make sense. But maybe love wasn’t supposed to make sense.

“You protected me,” she said, slowly. “When I was a kid.” He nodded. “Yes.” “That’s why Darla’s boyfriend disappeared after he tried to rape me.” “Yes,” he said, hesitantly. “I watched over you. I saw him and the woman come home. She was drunk and passed out as soon as they came in. He came to your room. I saw you pull the knife, but he struck it from your hand. He hit you. That I could not allow.” “He heard a noise and went to check. He never came back.” “He found what made the noise. Me.” Joelle watched him for a long moment. “I love you.” He took her hand and pulled her into his arms. The two of them stood, holding one other. Joelle couldn’t remember when they’d ever been alone this long and not tried to tear each other’s clothes off. The need for him was there, but not the urgency, not the clawing, grinding urge to jump him. “Yes, but I still have the urge to jump you,” he growled in her ear. She burst out laughing. “Stop reading my thoughts.” “I can’t help it. They’re right out there.” He nipped her lightly on the ear. “So, no urges, huh?” “Nope,” she said, teasing, “none at all. In fact, I’m thinking we can just be pals.” He stepped away from her and slowly pulled his shirt off. Joelle tried not to stare, but his body was perfection with rippling muscles and six-pack abs. Damn him. “Just pals?” he asked as he pulled his boots off. “Maybe pals who get naked together,” she said as she eyed him. “I could probably manage that. You know, for you.” He smiled, showing a hint of fangs. Damn him, that always gave her a punch of heat low in her gut. She watched as he stood and stretched. She wondered if it would be low class to wipe the drool off her chin. The man was so hot, and he was hers. She couldn’t believe this man loved her. It was crazy. He unbuttoned his pants and started to lower the zipper when someone knocked at the door. The two of them looked at each other, but never said a word. Joelle hoped like hell whoever it was would think they weren’t at home and leave. Talon grinned at her, and she knew he was thinking the same thing.

“Once again, I know the two of you are in there,” Kenshin said. “We are meeting in the library. Please join us as soon as you can.” Joelle gritted her teeth and so wanted to stomp her foot, but figured it wouldn’t be mature. “To hell with it,” she said, stomping her foot. “Why does he always show up? We hadn’t even got to the good part yet.” “And what part is the good part?” Talon asked as he pulled his shirt on. Her shoulders sagged as he covered up. “Orgasms and the biting. I really like the biting.” He froze as he was leaning over to grab his boots. He looked up at her, and she could see his fangs lengthen. Yep, he liked the biting too. He pulled his shirt back off and quickly undid his pants. “He said as soon as we could,” he said as his pants hit the floor. “He didn’t say instantly.” “We’re going to have to be really quick.” She started pulling her own clothes off. “I think we’ll manage,” he said as moved across the room towards her. **** Kenshin paced the library as the Hunters slowly trickled in. So much had happened in such a short time he didn’t know what the hell was going on. He had two security breaches he knew of and didn’t have a clue who knew what about Talon and Joelle. The shit was truly hitting the fan, and if he couldn’t get a hold of it, he had no idea what the consequences would be. Grimm walked in and looked around. “Where’s Talon?” Kenshin rubbed his face tiredly. “I told him and Joelle they were to get here as soon as possible.” Charon looked up from his book. “And what? You thought they were going to rush here?” “Yes,” Kenshin replied sharply. “We have important things to discuss.” Grimm burst out laughing. “If they were in his rooms, yeah, don’t expect to see them anytime too soon. I think as soon as they’re alone, all their clothes fall off and they’re on each other.” “Lucky bastard,” Styx muttered. “Who is?” Reaper asked as he walked in. “Talon,” Charon supplied. “Kenshin went banging on the door about this meeting. He thinks they’re going to rush right over.”

“If we’re waiting on them, it’ll be a while.” Reaper sat in a chair next to the empty fireplace. Quenton eased out of a back room and sat at a table across the room. He didn’t speak nor meet anyone’s eyes. Anger rose in Kenshin’s gut. There couldn’t be dissention among them. They had to work together because he had a feeling it was going to get much worse before it got any better. Kenshin cursed. “We don’t have time for this.” “For what?” Talon asked as he and Joelle walked in. “Apparently for you two to fuck,” Reaper said. Talon bared his fangs and growled. Joelle shrugged as she placed a hand on Talon’s arm. “I’m guessing he doesn’t want anyone talking about us. Personally, I’m not liking it much either. So knock it off.” She turned to Kenshin. “Before there’s bloodshed, can you tell us what’s going on?” “What I say cannot, for obvious reasons, leave this room.” Kenshin looked around at them. “We have a security breach. A serious one, and I’m not talking about Tomas. He actually came to me and admitted what he did.” Talon wrapped his arms around Joelle. “Do you want him dead?” Joelle elbowed him. “Stop, I feel bad for the guy. His brother is dying. He did the only thing he thought would help.” “Actually,” Kenshin said, “his brother is not dying.” “You’re kidding?” Grimm asked. “The guy was seriously…rotting, which I know isn’t the right word, but that’s what it smelled like.” “You’re not far off from what was happening to him, and you are correct. He was dying. He isn’t any longer. He consumed Joelle’s blood, and he is healing.” Kenshin paced. “Unfortunately, he may need more before he’s fully healed.” “What?” Talon growled. “I thought it was a onetime thing? I do not want her to have to donate constantly to keep him alive. I will kill him if that were to happen.” “Hello,” she interrupted his tirade. “I’m here and can speak for myself. I don’t want to have to keep giving him blood either. Talon is the only one I’m prepared to feed. Ever.” “From what I’ve observed, it may take a bit more blood, and he will be healed,” Kenshin said.

“This can’t get out,” Quenton finally spoke. “The blood cult will attack en masse in an attempt to take Joelle.” “We need to find out who’s heading this thing and shut them down,” Reaper said. “I think keeping this from getting out is too late,” Kenshin said. “We’ve had a security breach. Someone else gained access. They had to have since Joelle has been a target. Tomas’s brother didn’t come after her because Tomas told him to, he came after her because someone else did.” “Yeah, but how much do they know?” Joelle asked. “Tomas didn’t know about Talon and me sharing blood. He knew I was a Liaison, but nothing else.” “The only people who know about the blood exchange are in this room,” Kenshin replied. “I have told no one and did not write it down.” “What’s the plan?” Charon asked. “We need to figure out who these people are,” Styx said. “Can the brother tell us anything?” “Right now, no,” Kenshin answered. “When a vampire drinks human blood, it affects their entire body, including memory. Tomas said his brother seems to have lost the last eight months, which is when he joined the cult.” “We need to hunt one of these vampires down,” Reaper said. “Grimm knows what they smell like. We need to hit the places where humans hang out. That’s how we’ll find them. When we do, we just follow one until it takes us to who’s in charge.” They all fell to making plans, and Kenshin hoped it was really as easy as Reaper said. But he doubted it. Nothing ever was. He just hoped they got a break before anything worse happened. **** Talon watched as Joelle brushed her hair. They had just showered after spending most of the early evening in bed, and he still wanted her. She was right. The frenzy of the constant need was gone, replaced instead by banked heat. But it was a heat that could definitely flame up in a second, which it often did. He had never felt for anyone the intensity and love he had for Joelle. He wasn’t sure when it happened. It could have started with the first time he laid eyes on her. Her bravery had stilled the beast in him, made him long to protect her.

She caught him watching her and smiled. Without thought, he smiled back. It was just that easy with her, just that right. Fuck, there he went again, writing poems to her. “You know what?” She tossed her brush down and came over to put her arms around him. “No, tell me.” “I love you.” With those words, his heart did a tripping beat. Damn, he had it bad, and it was okay. “Good, because I love you, too, and don’t plan to let you go.” “Good, because I don’t plan to let you let me go.” She leaned close and took his lips in a long, soft kiss. He breathed her in and the beast growled in satisfaction. They were both incredibly content with their mate and planned to ensure that nothing ever happened to her. “I don’t plan on letting anything happen to you either,” she whispered against his lips. He smiled as their kiss deepened and he knew no matter what happened it would be the two of them. Always.

About the Author

Gwendolyn Cease has been writing ever since she was old enough to pick up a pen. From the very beginning, her stories involved handsome heroes, tough heroines, and happily ever after. Even as she slogged through two undergraduate degrees and a master’s in education, writing remained top priority. Though she now works full-time as a history museum educator, she still makes time for her characters and their never-ending adventures.

Currently, Gwendolyn lives in Kentucky with her incredibly spoiled cats. If you’d like to contact her, she’d love to hear from you. She loves to hear from anyone who enjoys a good book, especially the ones she’s written. She can be found at http://www.gwendolyncease.com.

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