Soul Mates: Secrets

By

Jourdan Lane

Chapter One

Donald Evans: Deceased.

Cause of death? Suicide.

I backspaced and erased 'suicide', then sat staring at the blinking cursor on the computer screen. It didn't feel right to see that word there, but without any evidence of foul play that was the only explanation we'd come up with. Donald's nude body lay in front of his living room window, the drapes thrown open wide. His body had been burned nearly beyond recognition, except that the friend who had discovered him recognized a tattoo that was still intact.

No suicide note had been located.

Donald and I had spoken on many, many occasions, and he was always happy. He didn't have that haunted look so many vampires had. Donald was generally happy just to be alive . and he loved his life as a vampire.

My gut told me there wasn't a note for a reason . that Donald shouldn't be dead.

I picked up the file Silver had left and opened it up. A stack of photos from the scene were paper-clipped to the top inside corner of the folder, and I pulled them free. In one photo after another, the only thing consistently out of place was Donald's body.

A half hour later, I was still staring at the file when the double doors of the study were thrown open. Sabaan stood between the doors, a hand on both. I could see him over the top of the file, but didn't give him the full attention he was craving. After a few moments, he sighed and quietly closed the doors behind him.

"Good evening, Sabaan."

"Come on, at least look at me!" I glanced up and he rolled his eyes. It hid the bright yellow part of his eyes and made them seem completely black, which could be so totally creepy at times. "Well, that's something, I guess."

I laughed and put down the file. "You're so easy to tease."

"So I keep hearing."

"How are you tonight?" I watched him sashay toward me, going around tables and couches as if he'd memorized the number of steps between each. His black hair was loose instead of braided down the back, and he'd shucked his custom-tailored clothes for a simple red silk robe. The robe hid his lean, tight figure . and his long, sexy tail . and if he'd been anyone else, it would have been unflattering. Sabaan could make a burlap bag look sexy. As he stepped around the desk, I noticed the dark circles beneath his eyes. "You look tired."

"I miss him terribly." He crawled into my lap and wrapped both arms around my neck. "It feels like he's been gone forever."

"It's only been a week."

He whined and buried his face into my neck. "I want him home."

"Me too, Sabaan." I held him close, but shifted a little so that the small horns on the top of his head weren't poking my neck. "He'll be back tomorrow night."

Lucien had gone to a funeral for one of his friends back in New York. The guy had been on Lucien.s old Enforcer team, and had met his death doing what he loved . keeping the streets safe from rogues. It was no secret that Lucien had loved what he did before he was sent to Texas, and part of me worried about him revisiting that part of his life. I was half-afraid he'd come back wanting to hit the streets again.

As much as I'd wanted to go and offer up my support, Lucien was hesitant about leaving the entire coven in Logan's hands for more than a few days. After much talking and negotiating, we agreed that I would stay, as long as he called to check in every night.

It hadn't exactly worked that way.

I'd heard from him twice . once for him to tell me that he'd made it to New York, and again when he called to say he'd be home. I couldn't help but notice the coldness and distance there'd been in the second call. I wasn't sure what was going on with him, but I'd chalked it up to it just being his way of dealing with the loss of a friend.

"Well, at least he's on a chartered flight and doesn't have to worry about getting stuck on a layover."

"Actually, he decided to fly home commercial."

Sabaan's entire body tensed. "What?"

"There was a conflict of scheduling with the charter company and he sent the jet back yesterday." He sat up, and I watched his expression turn from happiness to worry. "There's nothing to worry about, Sabaan."

"But he."

"Unless&" I looked up, suddenly worried about his reaction. Sabaan never hid things very well, especially if it was about something he was conflicted about. "Is there something you know that I don't?"

"No," he said instantly. "I just& I hate to think of him having to come home in a coffin."

"He's only in a coffin while he sleeps. There's a release for him to let himself out when he wakes, and he has two guards traveling with him, just to watch over him in flight." Sabaan looked positively sick, his pearlescent skin taking on more of a green color. I swear he was like a walking mood ring, skin changing colors with his emotions. "Relax. The moment he wakes, he's out of there."

"I hate that he has to be in a coffin at all."

"Trust me. I wasn't comfortable with it either, but it was his choice and I accepted it. Lucien's a big boy; he knows what he's doing."

"So I keep hearing." He sighed and looked back at the desk. "You busy?"

"No, not really. I keep looking at the file on Donald, going over the pictures and the reports, and I think I'm more confused now than ever."

"You don't think he killed himself, do you?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

Sabaan picked up the file and frowned as he flipped through the pictures. I watched those black nails go through page after page, wondering when he'd shudder in disgust and close the file. We'd been through this same routine several times now where Donald was concerned. He finally sighed and closed it, resting his hand on the top of the file. "Odd for a happy vamp like him to just suddenly decide to throw open the curtains one morning."

"Exactly."

"What are you going to do?"

"Well, for one thing&" I took the file from his hands and put it back on the desk. "I'm not marking his cause of death as suicide. There's something else going on here, and I'll be damned if I'm not going to find out what."

"Good." His approving smile disappeared suddenly and he gasped. "Oh, shit! I knew I was coming down here for something!"

"What?"

"No time to explain." He kissed me and frowned in&sympathy? "Sorry!"

Sabaan was gone in an instant, dematerializing right out of my arms. The sudden shift in weight slammed me back upright in the chair. I was just getting situated when there was a sharp series of knocks on the door. It opened before I had formed an answer.

"I'm so glad I found you." Rhys stormed in and shut the door behind him, albeit loudly. His dark brown hair was a mess, as if he'd been running his fingers through it repeatedly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Rhys?"

"You've got to tell me. If I hear one more excuse why I can't know this or that, I swear, I'm gonna."

"Going to what?" I rose to my feet, frowning. "What are you talking about?"

"What the hell do you think I'm talking about? I swear. No one gives a straight answer around here." I watched him pace the floor, back and forth, his face getting redder and his arms flying this way and that the more he spoke. "It's talk to so-and-so and he can tell you, but it's not my place. But so-and-so says to talk to this person or that person. Blah, blah, blah. Same fucking thing, over and over again, and I'm sick of it. Sick of it!"

Oh, crap.

I had a feeling I knew exactly what he was talking about. There was no easy way to explain the things he wanted to know, and it certainly wasn't our place to fill him in. No matter how much he ranted and raved.

"Rhys."

"Just tell me!"

"It's not my place."

"Yeah? Well, fuck you and your place."

He plopped into a chair on the other side of the desk and just sort of sagged, frustrated and broken-hearted. I didn't have the heart to reprimand him for his disrespect; he'd been patient longer than was expected of any man. He glared at me for a few long moments, then finally tilted his face toward the ceiling and sighed.

"Are you finished?"

He sighed again. "I guess."

"Okay, then." I sat back down in my chair and covered up the file on Donald. "Look, I&" This was such a fucked up situation. "What is it that you think I can tell you that you don't already know?"

"Oh, gee, where should I start?" Rhys rolled those pretty, blue-green eyes that were now full of such pain and confusion. "To start with, I want to know why Simon won't open up to me."

"That sounds like something that needs to be discussed between the two of you."

"Which I would be fine with, if he'd just talk to me!" He shook his head. "Maybe I should have listened to that nagging voice in the back of my mind, warning me that coming back here would just be a mistake. After what happened between us last time."

"You know, I wasn't here back then. What did happen between you?"

"I fell in love with him the very first time I laid eyes on him." He stood and walked to one of the side tables and picked up a bottle of Scotch. "May I?"

"You don't drink, Rhys."

"Tonight I do," he said softly. The drink was poured quietly. He took a long sip and then let his gaze roam to the window and beyond. "Lucien was a client of my father's law firm. When my father died, it was left to me to get his business affairs and his estate in order. Part of that was meeting with Lucien to settle what was left of their affairs."

"And the two of you became very good friends. I know this, Rhys."

"There were many benefits to our friendship," Rhys continued, ignoring me completely. "There was even a time when I thought I was in love with him."

Okay. So that whole thing about Rhys being in love with Lucien? I didn't know. I decided to shut up and let him tell the story.

"When I realized that his love for me wasn't of the .in-love. type, I made myself scarce for a while, traveled, tried to be one of those jet-setting rich boys that lived off his trust fund." He took another sip of his Scotch and laughed sarcastically. "But I wasn't cut out for that shit. I came home, only to find my apartment wasn't my own anymore. In all my jet-setting, I'd forgotten to pay the rent and had been kicked out."

"So Lucien brought you here?"

"There was some kind of coven function going on and the place was full of people. I wasn't in the mood to hang around, but I felt I at least owed Lucien a feed for letting me stay here until I could find another place. I fed him, we talked a little, but then he called someone over to show me to a room."

"Simon?"

"No, it was one of the house servants. I don't even remember his name now. Simon& He brought a meal up for me an hour later or so, and the moment I laid eyes on him, I was speechless. This ethereal creature just lit up the room in a way I'd never seen before. But I knew one thing for sure: he didn't belong here, not in this house filled with so much blood and darkness.

"I expected him to leave as soon as he put down the tray, but he didn't. He stayed, talking, smiling... blushing." Rhys walked over and refilled his glass before coming back to sit in the chair across from me. He looked up at me and smiled, shaking his head. "You know how you can meet someone and in that very instant, you just know that there's something more than a connection? How it's just soul deep, almost physical in the way you're drawn to each other?"

I nodded.

"I kissed him. I had to. I couldn't sit there any longer, with him only a foot away, and pretend that I didn't feel a thing." Rhys closed his eyes and inhaled, as if he could transport himself back to that very time and place. "He didn't kiss me back.not at first. When I thought he was going to push me away, though, he only pushed me back onto the bed. In all of five minutes we'd managed to jerk each other off in a fit of desperation, but then we spent the entire night talking, touching, and kissing."

I couldn't see Simon doing any of that. "What happened then?"

"Oh, we saw each other for a few weeks, spent time together."

"But?"

"All of a sudden he comes to me and says he can't see me anymore. That what happened between us was a mistake and that it never should have happened. I spent the next couple of months trying to convince him otherwise, but&" Rhys pressed his fingers to his eyes, sighing. "But when he came right out and said he didn't love me, I ran. Left and didn't come back, and if I did, it was only to the club."

"Oh, Rhys."

"And then I come back here, fully expecting that he'd moved on, and I wouldn't have to see him again. In all these years, he hasn't changed a bit. Hell, I always thought he was one of Lucien's donors, one of the humans that tended to the mansion. And then I find out he's not a vampire, not a werewolf, but an angel?"

"None of us knew what Simon was."

"He keeps his secrets well," Rhys snapped. "We talked at Christmas and I thought that we might . might . have a chance at getting past what happened and starting over, but it truly is starting over. He's pulled away from me time and time again, and it seems the more I beg him to talk to me, the more he pulls away."

"I don't know how I can possibly help you out with that."

"There are rumors," he said as he sat forward in the chair, "that some of you know more than the rest of us in the coven do. That there's a lot more unsaid about Simon than there is said. I need to know if there's something wrong with him, if there's some way I can help him, maybe. I mean, I've talked to everyone I could think of, then tried to talk to Nikolas, but he sent me to Sabaan, and Sabaan sent me to you and."

"What I know wouldn't fill a thimble, Rhys."

"I don't believe you."

"As is your right not to. But it changes nothing. I don't know enough to help you. I'm sorry."

"I see," he answered sharply. "Then I'll just get out of your hair, then."

I winced as he turned to go, wishing like hell I could just stop him and tell him what I knew, hoping it would make some sort of difference. But what I knew wouldn't change anything. Still, I hated the lies and the deception, even if they were necessary.

"Close the door on your way out, please."

The door slammed, and I could only shake my head in resignation. The angel that Daniel had promised me a meeting with still hadn't contacted me, and strangely . after all the song and dance of wanting me to join the Council . neither had Daniel. I used to think that no news was good news, but in my time here, I'd come to learn that no news pretty much meant things weren't going to go the way I wanted or needed them to.

I wanted to be pissed at Rhys for trying to railroad me for answers about Simon, but I just couldn't. The more I thought about it, the more I began to realize that the person I needed to be pissed at . as did Rhys . was Simon. There was so much he could fix with only a few words.

What I needed to do was take a walk and try to get this sorted out.

I gathered the files I'd been working on and locked them up, then headed out of the study and down the hall. When I walked into the kitchen, Simon was busy sifting flour onto a piece of parchment paper. I took the sifter from his hands, set it down on the counter, and grabbed his arm.

"What the hell?"

"Hell has nothing to do with this," I said as I pulled him across the room. "You and I need to talk, angel."

"How dare you."

"No," I growled, shoving his skinny butt into one of the side storage rooms and flicking on the light switch before shutting the door behind me. "How dare you! Do you realize what you're doing to that man?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Simon said flatly.

"Do you love him?" When he didn't answer, I leaned against the door and shook my head. "Rhys loves you, you know. For the past year, he has done nothing but try to make you happy, and all you do is continue to push him away."

"That is the way it has to be."

"Why?" I shrugged. "I mean, if you don't love him, that's something I can wrap my head around. But I've seen the way you look at him; you want him just as much as he wants you." Simon ducked his head and sighed, but remained silent. "Talk to me, Simon. Tell me what's going on."

He sat on a footstool and picked up a can of something off one of the lower shelves, turning it over and over in his hands, his eyes fixed on the can as if he'd never seen anything like it before.

"I'm not worthy of him, Peter..

"Oh, that is such bullshit."

"It is because I love him that I push him away. He will find someone else . in time . and he will forget all about me. That is the way it's meant to be."

"Meaning?"

Simon let out a heavy sigh. "It's complicated, Peter."

"Oh, lots of things are complicated. I get that. My relationship with Lucien? Complicated. My relationship with Nikolas? Complicated. Sabaan? Complicated." I moved farther into the small room, pulled a large container of flour out and sat on the lid. "But you know what? I'm doing my damndest to make each and every one of them work. I may be doing a crappy job at managing things, but I am trying. What I see here&is that you're not even bothering to try."

"The only way I can be with someone is to let down my illusions and show my true self." Simon put the can of beans back on the shelf. "I'm not ready to do that yet."

"I've seen your true self, Simon."

"You saw what I wanted you to see."

"What you wanted me to see?" I paused, studying him closely. "So& You lied to me? To Lucien?"

Face void of any emotion, he answered, "Yes."

The one thing I hated, more than anything else, was being lied to. I was two seconds away from snatching him up and reminding him of that when the door to the room opened and Nikolas appeared in the doorway. I turned back to look at him.

"We're busy."

"I hear that, but we need you outside. This," his gaze fell on Simon and he shook his head in disappointment, "well, it'll just have to wait."

For him to interrupt me in the middle of an argument . or before the fight actually started, in this case . was pretty rare. I rose to my feet and turned to walk out, but I couldn't look at Simon. If I did, I might not be able to stop myself from doing something I would regret later on.

"Don't go far, Simon."

"And where am I to go?" he answered in a sing-song voice.

A growl rumbled from my throat and Nikolas grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room. I jerked away from him once we were walking through the kitchen. "This'd better be damned good."

Chapter Two

"We've got a chopper coming in with two werewolves who were rescued from somewhere out in Colorado." His voice was grim and for once, he wasn't in a mood to talk. "Not sure what shape they're in."

"Just two of them?"

He nodded, sliding a hand through his bright red hair to push it out of his face. "They weren't from a very big pack, from what I understand, but the rival pack was much larger."

Great.

"Where's Xander?"

"On his way."

"Good." I grasped his hand and squeezed it before letting it go again. "Everything okay with you?"

"Yep."

We continued our walk down the corridors, outside, and around the house to the secured helipad in awkward, strained silence. It was strange, really. Nikolas and I didn't have awkward moments.

A few guards were standing around waiting on the chopper to arrive when we walked up. Silver was one of them, and he was talking to someone on the radio and laughing every now and then. The only time Silver really laughed like that, his smile wide and eyes happy, was when he was talking to Lilly . his lover and one of our only two females in active service.

Lilly did quite a few runs on the chopper as part of a Council-Coven joint task force. She might have been female, but she was just as tough, if not more, than most of the men. And? She wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. I respected the hell out of her for that.

The chopper was ours, thanks to Silver and his newly-formed alliances with some ex-military members and a couple of mercenary outfits here and there. Most of the team members were also ours, but a lot of the territory we covered now was Council-regulated instead of home ground.

Which was fine; the Council paid well.

The familiar thump-thump-thump of the Black Hawk sounded in the distance, and with every minute that passed, the sound just got louder. Soon the wash of the rotors could be felt, and then the black beast crossed over the house and zeroed in on the helipad. I watched it descend, curious about the two werewolves it carried inside.

They wouldn't be alphas, in any way. An alpha, even if he wasn't pack leader, would stay and fight to the death to defend his pack and his territory. The wash soon faded and the pilot began powering down the turbine engines. Lilly stepped out a few minutes later, motioning for someone inside to follow. She helped one man out, and then another.

The two men were naked, but covered in blankets. Both of them had blood, dirt, and grime from head to toe, and I realized they must have had to shift and fight to get away. Since I was the only one to represent the coven, I started toward them. Nikolas walked with me, silent, but alert.

One of the men looked right at me, the fear in his eyes bright and clear. The other looked at me, but his gaze didn't rise above my nose. He paused, looked off to something behind me, then looked to me again and went to his knees. He pulled the other man down to his knees, whispering something about me being the pack alpha.

I wanted to laugh.

Only I didn't, because I soon realized what . who . the first man had been looking at. Xander walked up, his expression just this side of furious. His amber eyes were nearly glowing with fury.

"Peter," he growled succinctly.

"Xander," I said in return. "How are you this evening?"

"Wondering why the fuck I'm even here." Strands of his jet-black hair flew loosely about his face, but I was sure it was more his power trying to rise up than it was the breeze. "It's clear you're well on your way to handling this."

"I'm here representing the coven, Xander."

"Whatever," he snapped and turned on his heel. "Call me if you can't figure out what to do with them."

Nikolas brushed my shoulder, drawing my attention from a retreating Xander, reminding me that there were dozens of others around . both vampire and werewolf alike. If I let him get away with talking to me like that, I'd forever be seen as weak.

"Nikolas?"

"Yes, Master?"

"Take care of that, please."

"Be glad to, sir."

Nikolas bowed his head and set off to follow Xander. There wasn't much he could really do, other than get in Xander's face and remind him why we followed certain protocols where the rest of the coven and pack were concerned. The one thing that wasn't done . under any circumstance . was to undermine the other in front of everyone else. Issues between each other were settled behind closed doors . no matter what.

I turned my attention to the two men before me and smiled, even though they weren't looking at me. If they were in tune with their environment at all, they'd know that I was at ease. The one who'd greeted me with respect and urged the other to follow was quiet and calm, his body nice and relaxed. He had a nasty scar on one side of his face. The other was shaking so badly I was afraid he'd piss himself if I moved too quickly.

I held out a hand as I moved closer. "Looks like you two have had a rough evening."

"Yes, sir," the one with the scar answered hesitantly.

"Relax, guys," I said. "Stand and let me look at you."

They both stood, and I looked them over the best I could without making them drop the blankets covering them. I saw a few cuts here and there, but nothing that wouldn't heal within a few days. The fact that the wounds hadn't healed yet meant they'd come from another werewolf.

"Names?"

The one with the scar spoke up first. "I'm Noah, and this," he said, and slid an arm around the other man, "is Ethan."

"Nice to meet you, Noah and Ethan. Am I correct in assuming you're together?"

Noah nodded, his posture turning defensive. "Is that a problem?"

"Calm down, calm down." I laughed. "No problem at all." I turned on my heel and gestured for the men to follow me. "We'll sit and talk here in a bit, but first I'd like to get you two settled. Is there anything I can get you?"

"Clothes?" Ethan finally spoke up. "Not that I'm complaining about these lovely blankets, but I'm afraid my ass might be chafed."

"And we can't have that," Noah chuckled in response.

I could feel the positive vibes that passed between them and I knew they were touching, probably holding each other as they walked. Adam met us at the door with a smile.

"Can I help?"

"Sure," I said, looking from Adam to Noah and Ethan. "These two need clothes, food, and a nice, hot shower. They'll be rooming together, so give them something nice in the guest wing."

Adam bowed his head. "I'd be happy to."

I watched as the two men followed Adam, setting my curiosity of their situation aside until later. I wasn't about to grill them without letting them get settled first. I wasn't sure how long they were staying, but I'd be damned if I was going to make a bad impression on them right off the bat.

* * *

"So what part of Colorado are they from?" Nikolas asked as he walked into the study and perched himself on the arm of one of the couches. "North? South?"

I shrugged and finished pouring my Scotch. "I don't know yet."

"What do you mean, you don't know yet?"

"I figured I'd let them have a couple of hours to unwind." I poured him a little Scotch, too, and took it to him. "What's with you tonight?"

"Nothing," he snapped, then took the tumbler I offered him. "You going to stay in here all night?"

"I've got paperwork to do."

"Don't tell me you're still poring over Donald's file."

"It bothers me." I walked back to the desk to retrieve a custom-rolled cigarette. The things were more addicting and soothing than any normal cigarette could be. "How'd it go with Xander?"

"Do you really have to ask?"

Well, no. I didn't. I was pretty sure it consisted of a lot of growling and posturing with numerous threats between the two of them. Nikolas had grown more and more aggravated with Xander in the past few months, and I couldn't say that I blamed him. Xander seemed to think that the pack could be run independently of the coven, and had been doing his best to try to make his point.

He wasn't making it very well. The only way the pack could be run independently of the coven was for the pack to move off coven property and make their own way. Since Xander didn't have the resources to do that, he'd just become a pain in the ass.

I shook my head and lit the cigarette I'd been rolling between my fingers, sighing in contentment when I took the first drag. Nikolas' arms circled my waist and I leaned back against him. I held the cigarette up to share and he took a long, deep drag.

After he exhaled, he turned his head and set his teeth against my neck, biting down just hard enough to mark, but not draw blood. "Be nice when Lucien's home again."

"Why? So we can all fight some more?"

"So you can get the hell out of this house." He kissed along my shoulder. "Know you hate not being able to go hunt."

"His donors all taste the same," I whispered. "I need&variety. Speaking of that, I'm hungry."

"I'll feed you, princess."

I groaned and found an ashtray to stub out the cigarette. In a matter of seconds, Nikolas had turned me to face him and was pulling me toward a couch. He sat and pulled me down onto his lap. I straddled his hips and he looked up at me with a lazy smile, green eyes filled with amusement.

"Oh, now, I like this." He thrust his hips up, teasing. "Let me fuck you?"

"Right after you suck me."

"Nice try, princess." Nikolas shook his head and laughed, but his expression turned serious almost immediately. "You know what, though?"

"What?"

"One of these days? I'm going to ask you that and I'm going to mean it."

"Fuck you, Nikolas." I tried to get up off him, but he grabbed me and held me tight. Much to my disapproval, my dick was already filling from the very idea. I growled, baring my fangs. "Let. Go."

"What's so wrong with me wanting to fuck you?"

"You know it's against the fucking rules!" I managed to pull away from him and got to my feet. "Goddamn it!"

"Rules are made to be broken."

"Not this one," I hissed. "Not this one, Nikolas."

"Why? Because you think you're doing this noble thing by letting Lucien be the only one to fuck you? What about me? What about what I want? What you want?"

"What do you mean, what you want?" I walked across the room to put more distance between us. "Since when do you ever open your mouth to say you want something?"

"I've never kept wanting to fuck you a secret."

"For the record, I don't want anyone to fuck me but Lucien."

"Oh, you try to play dirty, princess," Nikolas growled. "But you're forgetting one thing: I can smell just how turned on you are. I can smell the lies as they pass through your lips. The very idea of my cock up your ass has you hard and wanting, even while you try to deny it."

In that moment, I hated him. Hated him for calling me out as a liar. Hated him for knowing what he did to me. Hated the fact that as much as I tried to deny it, he was right. The subject so had to be changed.

"Are you gonna let me feed or not?"

"You know what? I think I'll pass."

He got up from the couch and stormed to the door, slamming it behind him. I scrubbed my hands over my face, shaking my head. Four in the morning and I still hadn't managed to find a decent meal.

Fuck.

I headed for the door, hating what I was about to do. It felt like begging and I hated that. The wing where the donors lived was separated entirely from the rest of the mansion. Not only were they well-compensated for their service, but they were very well taken care of.

I came to a stop in front of Kevin's door, and after a several moments of deliberation, I finally knocked. He was the very first donor I'd ever seen Lucien feed from, and was the very first we'd ever shared in bed. The door opened almost immediately and Kevin smiled, then bowed his head.

"How may I serve you, Master?"

* * *

Awareness sank in slowly, but I quickly found that my mind and my body had not come awake together. My eyes were closed and I couldn't quite figure out how to get them open. I could feel my body trying to right itself, but it was a lot like walking through mud . deep and wet, every step sucking me down as well as moving me forward.

A series of sharp stings bit at my cheek and I tried to bat at whatever was causing it, but I couldn't move. After several tries, I managed to open my eyes and the source of my annoyance came into view.

"Oh, good&you're awake."

Simon sat astride me. His pale, white chest was bare and I thought he might have been naked. Without being able to move my head, I wasn't sure. I was twice as big as he was, though, so I couldn't figure out why I couldn't move.

"What the fuck?"

"I thought we should have a little talk."

I tried to lift my head again, but failed. "Why ca--can't I move?"

It was hard to even speak. What. The. Hell?

"Oh, damn. Sorry about that."

He placed one hand on my chest and another over my eyes. I felt an odd sensation throughout my body, and with each second the sensation just kept getting stronger and stronger. Suddenly, it was as if every nerve and muscle in my body came online at once. I screamed out in pain.

"Fuck, that hurt!"

"I know it sucks." His shoulders rose and fell in a careless shrug. "I'm out of practice."

Okay. So Simon seemed a little pissed off.

I took a moment to orient myself. I was still in my own bed; that was always a good sign. I'd gone to bed as soon as I'd fed from Kevin, but there wasn't much else to remember. I could feel the weight of the sun pressing down on me, but my body wasn't succumbing like it should have been.

The fact that Simon was able to pull me out of whatever void it was that vampires went to during the day made me pause, a little with amazement, but mostly with fear.

"How did you wake me . and why?"

"Well, the answer to the first is a secret I'm not willing to share. The second? We need to talk, half-breed, and if I wait until later, you won't have time for me. So&here we are."

"You're making a huge mistake here, Simon."

"How so?" He regarded me closely, bright blue eyes holding an expression I couldn't read. "Am I hurting you in some way?"

"I am."

"You are nothing at this moment but a spectator," he whispered. "Now. I want you to close your eyes and listen very, very closely."

"Get the fuck off me, Simon," I growled, trying to push him off me. "Whether you want to admit it or not, I am master here until Lucien returns."

"And you earned this position by?" He shook his head, laughing. "Oh that's right! You fucked your way to the top." He tsked. "And they say sex is overrated."

I sighed, banging my head against the pillow in frustration. "You're just about to the point of no return."

"Been there, done that." He sat up and moved his hands over his chest and down his belly. "I'll get over it."

"Would you really?" I tried to ignore him when he began stroking his dick. "You'd be okay without the coven? You'd be happy alone?"

"Tell me, Peter&" He leaned down and flicked his tongue over one nipple, then the other, and I had to fight not to squirm. "Do I turn you on?"

I refused to answer, but I knew he could see . and feel . exactly how turned on I wasn't.

"I guess that's a no, huh? What's the matter? Am I not tall enough for you? Not dominant enough?" He moved down, licking his way lower and lower. "Not pretty enough?"

"Stop it, Simon."

"Oh, come now." He licked the head of my prick. "The show's just beginning."

I had never, ever, seen Simon act this way. He'd always been the picture of submission: quiet, obedient, always willing, no matter the situation. This was so unlike him, I wasn't sure how to even approach the situation.

The choice was taken out of my hands, however, because he sucked my dick between his lips and took me deep into his mouth. My dick began filling from the stimulation alone, and I found myself caught between knowing I should push him away and wanting to push deeper.

I pushed up several times, taking advantage of his willing mouth. Before I had to worry about stopping him, he pulled off and moved up to press a kiss to my lips. When I didn't kiss him back, he actually growled.

"Kiss me."

At some point I'd closed my eyes, but when I opened them, I could find no words. Gone was the blond, short-haired Simon I knew. In his place, was a beautiful, beautiful man; his hair a perfect white, his eyes a blue so brilliant they took my breath away.

"Simon?"

He captured me in a kiss so fierce, I was afraid of bleeding him. The fear of hurting him went out the window, because I soon found out that the Simon I'd always thought of as not being interested in sex was damned good at it.

He took one of my hands and guided it to his belly, rubbing my palm over his soft, smooth skin, and then urged it lower. His cock was heavy and thick in my hand and I couldn't hold back a moan of approval.

"Like that?"

I nodded, taking him in my hand and stroking him. There was no question about it. He was absolutely breathtaking. His muscles were cut and defined, and I would have sworn that he was at least a couple feet taller than normal.

Simon grinned and pulled back a little, teasing me with soft kisses. I followed him up, because the thought of not kissing him made me ache. We soon ended up on our knees, facing each other, touching and stroking the other and stealing kisses. After a while, he pulled me close and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

His hair was like silk between my fingers and I couldn't resist running my hands through it. He was sweating, his body slick and hot against mine. I wanted to feel his muscles beneath my hands and slid them down his back, only to freeze when I felt the wounds that I had somehow forgotten were there.

I started to whisper that I was sorry for touching them, but he shushed me and laid me back on the bed, kissing his way down my body. Something about the whole situation seemed wrong, but I couldn't put my finger on why. I closed my eyes as he took me in his mouth again, trying to shove all of my questions and hesitation to the back of my mind.

But it didn't work.

I smelled blood, rich and sweet and unfamiliar. My eyes flew open, knowing that something was wrong. What I saw shocked me to the core. Two bony appendages extended out just around the area of Simon's shoulder blades where his wings apparently used to be. They were bloody and sharp and it looked like someone . or something . had taken a sword to him as well as a whip.

I tried to push him off me, but Simon held fast, shaking his head. "Not so pretty, is it?"

Chapter Three

"So, is this your true form, or is it just another illusion?"

"It's all me," he said, and then glanced over his shoulder. "Well, most of me, at least. Not pretty, is it?"

"No, it isn't," I answered honestly. "What was done to you was."

"What I deserved," he snapped, cutting me off. "I committed a crime; this was part of my punishment. Do not make it seem as if I was an innocent who was suddenly whipped, beaten, and shorn."

"What could you have done that this," I gestured to his back, "would be the proper punishment?"

"May you never know."

He rose up off me and sat on the edge of the bed. I got a really good look at his back and not pretty was putting it very, very lightly.

"I want to know, Simon. I care about you; Lucien cares about you."

"If you knew me, you would not care."

"That's where you're wrong." I moved to the edge of the bed and sat beside him. "Do you remember what I went through before Lucien transitioned me?"

He nodded once.

"I do, too," I said softly. "The drugs weren't working for me anymore and I was in so much pain. Things were happening left and right and I thought I was going out of my mind. Lucien was missing and I was just&scared. You took me into your arms and you sang me to sleep. I felt so safe, so secure."

Simon stared at the floor and remained silent.

I reached over and took his hand, amazed that his was so much bigger than mine. Everything about Simon was big; he had to be at least seven feet tall and three hundred pounds of muscle. I threaded our fingers together and squeezed.

"Talk to me, Simon. Please."

"There is nothing to talk about," he said. "I just wanted you to see me. To let you know that sometimes things exist the way they do for a reason."

"And you were pissed?"

He nodded. "I know he came to see you and that you were just trying to help, but please, just leave it alone."

"Rhys loves you, Simon."

"Rhys&" His voice cracked, but he swallowed hard and cleared his throat. "Rhys needs to move on. There is nothing here for him."

"Why? Because you think you're not pretty enough for him? Think you're going to scare him away like you just tried to do with me?" I bumped his shoulder with mine. "I hate to tell you, but if that's what you think, you're so very wrong."

"It matters not." He finally looked at me, his eyes full of despair. "I cannot& I am& Peter, look at me. The moment anyone sees my true form, the only thing I get in return is pity. I refuse to let that happen with him."

Oddly, I understood what he meant. Being different just sucked sometimes. My differences were hidden inside me and I had a hell of a time dealing with them. Some people only saw black and white; the shades of gray weren't understood or very well tolerated.

I realized this was the golden opportunity I'd been waiting for to bring up the subject of Simon's wings and helping him get them back.

"What if things were different?"

"Different how?"

"What if you were able to get your wings back?"

Simon laughed, the deep baritone of his voice loud enough to give me goose bumps. "It would never be an option, to say the least."

"But what if it was?" I turned to face him. "I know people who can help. I can use the offer of a seat on the Council to work out some sort of agreement. We can ask for a pardon and."

"No!" All humor was gone from his voice as he surged to his feet. "We will do no such thing!"

"Why not? This is a punishment that you didn't deserve. Please, just let me help you!"

"I do not want your help, Peter."

"You don't want your wings back?" I stood, but still had to look up at him. "Tell me the truth about that, at least?"

"I have lived so long without them."

"But&if things were different? Would you want them back?"

"No."

I saw and felt the lie the moment it passed through his lips.

"I hate being lied to, Simon. More than anything."

"This is a truth you do not want to hear."

"That's where I think we disagree. I have one more question before you go."

"No."

He started past me, but I blocked his path. "Tell me what you did that was so bad they did this to you."

An odd expression slid over his face and I wasn't quite sure how to read it. The corner of his mouth turned up, but it was far from a smile.

"I killed Lucien."

* * *

I just stared at him, waiting for the rest, or for my mind to tell me that it fucked up and there was a lie in there when I clearly heard none. When he just stared back at me, my knees went weak and I stumbled back, scratching my head in confusion.

"What do you mean, you killed him?"

"I am the reason he was killed so very long ago," Simon answered gently. "It was me who redirected the sword that claimed Lucien's life."

I had no words. All I could do was shake my head and stare at him in disbelief.

Simon sat me down in an armchair and knelt in front of me. "I'd grown too fond of a human I'd been watching over, and I did what I felt was necessary to save his life. But in doing so&"

"You caused another's death.Lucien's death."

Slowly, things I'd heard over the years began falling into place and I could almost see the entire event unfold in my mind. There was no way I could be pissed at him for what he'd done so long ago. He'd done what he thought was right and had made a grave mistake.

Lucien, however, might prove to have a totally different reaction. No, he wouldn't dwell on the past and place blame, but he might have a difficult time wrapping his head around the fact that he could have had a very different life.

"We're never supposed to interfere, but I couldn't stand by and just do nothing."

"So you sought out Lucien's coven so that you could blend in and get rid of some of that guilt?"

"Oh, no, it wasn't like that." Simon shifted uncomfortably where he knelt. "After I was dealt with by my commanders and the other angels of the court, I was cast out. I ended up in London, then Paris&"

"Go on."

"I was a slave, and I worked the ships and docks, just paying my dues." He shrugged. "Until I was sold to a different kind of owner, one that only wanted my body to work. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't touch me without it hurting him, so he sold me to the old master here."

"That's interesting," I said. "You caused Lucien's death, paid a hefty price for it, and then he ends up saving your life. I can't even begin to imagine the guilt you must have felt, that you probably still feel. I see now why you have served so long without question, doing exactly as Lucien has asked, and going above and beyond that."

"At first, yes, I was intent on serving as if to repay a debt that he didn't even know I owed. But after a time, it became much more than that. I got to know Lucien and grew to love him. I serve him out of respect for the man that he is, Peter. Not because I feel I owe him.even if I do. I'm here because I want to be, and because this is my home."

 "And it will always be your home."

"Will it? Do you really think Lucien will allow me to stay once he finds out the truth?"

"I can't speak for Lucien, but I really think he will. He might feel conflicted about some things here and there, but ultimately? You're family, whether you like it or not."

"Yeah. So was Caleb."

"Caleb still is and you know it."

He sighed heavily, shaking his head. "I should go."

"No, not yet."

"The meals cannot be late."

"Adam is fully capable of running the kitchen," I said with a smile. "You've taught him well."

Simon went to both knees and sat back, resting his hands in his lap. He was uneasy, his mind going in circles. I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead and he gasped, one hand clasping my calf tightly.

"What's wrong, Simon?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he laid his head in my lap. I cradled his cheek with one hand, stroking and smoothing his hair away from his face with the other. He sighed in contentment, and I had to wonder how long it had been since he'd let his guard down like this.

After a while, he rose up a little and pulled his hair back, offering me his neck. I stared at the smooth expanse of pale white flesh and swallowed hard. As tempting as it was, I just& I couldn't. Things happened when I fed from people I cared about, things I couldn't control. Things I refused to burden Simon with.

"Please, Peter."

"Simon. I&"

"Take from me." The words were breathed against my thigh. He set his teeth and bit down and I froze, my entire body going hot. "This is as much for me as it will be for you."

"I can't do it."

"You would refuse me?"

His eyes met mine and in them I saw something I'd never thought to see from Simon: desire. It wasn't exactly for me, but rather for what I might be able to give him. It confused the hell out of me. The longer I contemplated things, the more heated his expression became.

But I just sat there, unable to give in, unable to deny him.

He covered his neck with his hand for a few seconds and when he pulled it away, there was a long, deep cut and blood ran in dark, red rivulets down the white canvas of his flesh. The smell of blood hit hard and the thirst rose up immediately. He smiled a wicked, knowing smile and arched his neck toward me invitingly.

I wanted to sink my fangs into his pale flesh and bleed him. To make him moan and gasp and cling to me as I drank him in. I moved in for the strike and he swayed away, teasing, making me follow him across the floor. Once I was out of the chair, he laid back, supporting himself with his elbows.

One leg fell to the side, revealing a thick, pretty cock. He was so hard that it curved up toward his belly, pointing right up at the ceiling. He was free of any hair and I suddenly wanted to take him in my mouth, to feel his smooth, satiny skin against my tongue.

"You're certainly welcome."

"Quit reading my mind, angel."

"I don't have to; it's written all over your face." He glanced down, grinning. "Well&mostly."

I growled and licked the head of his prick, then set my fangs and rolled my eyes up to look at him. He gave a slight nod and arched his hips up slightly. I decided against giving him what he wanted and moved farther up his body, biting my way from his belly to his chest, doing my best not to break the skin.

Simon squirmed and shook beneath me, gasps and groans and growls of disapproval filling the room. I paused above him and he took my face in his hands, bringing me in for a kiss. The moment his tongue slid between my lips, his hands left my face and he clasped his hands around mine, bringing them above his head.

He felt so good beneath me, all stretched out and squirming. His legs wrapped with mine, hips thrusting up steadily for more contact. He broke the kiss and turned his head away, offering his neck yet again.

I licked my way down his neck and paused just over the pulsing beat. With my fangs set against his flesh, I bit down. The hot rush of blood hit my tongue and it was like nothing I'd ever tasted before. Unlike any other human, werewolf, demon, or vampire I'd ever fed from, Simon's blood lacked that coppery tang that was now so familiar to me. It was rich and thick and as sweet as honey.

Power slammed into me with the first swallow, hard enough to raise me up and bow my back. I stared down at Simon, licking my lips in amazement. I could easily become addicted to the taste of him, not to mention the power rush.

I went down for another taste, steeling myself for the rush of power. The moment it hit, I groaned and Simon laughed, urging me not to stop. When he wasn't directing me where to feed from him next, his hands were moving over me, holding me tight as he thrust up against me.

After a while he shifted and rolled to his belly, shoving his ass up toward my hips. I paused for a moment, not knowing whether to touch his back or not. He seemed to like the pain of my bite a hell of a lot, but this was just&

"Come on, Peter. Stop thinking."

I hugged him up close and my cock nestled beautifully in the cleft of his ass. There was no way I was really going to fuck him, though. I didn't need that added level of complication in my life. It was odd trying to figure out my way around the pieces of his wings that protruded from his back, but I soon figured out that the more I touched them, the more turned on he became.

He bucked beneath me, moving his hips in just the right way so that it was almost as if I was getting to fuck and feed at the same time. I pushed any hesitation I had aside and went with my gut instinct. I sank my fangs into the base of where one wing should have been and Simon bucked hard, nearly screaming out in pleasure.

I thrust against him as I fed, holding him tight. With each pull, his cries became louder and louder and we rocked together in unison, both shaking and shuddering.

"Again," he panted.

I licked the wound to close it and moved to the other side and sank my fangs deep. He screamed, that time, and his body shook hard as he came. I followed right after him, the rush of orgasm sweetening his blood so much more. He collapsed to the floor and I moved off to the side, feeling higher than a fucking kite.

"Damn, Simon."

"Uh-huh." He lifted himself up and chuckled when he looked at the floor. "I made a mess of the carpet."

"You've made a mess of me," I said with a laugh. "I have never felt this good."

"I'm always available for you." Simon leaned over and kissed me. "And Lucien, if he so desires."

"I hope you don't feel like this is something I expect, Simon."

"And I hope I haven't crossed the line too far."

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd lost your fucking mind."

"I'm not as innocent as everyone likes to think I am."

"So I see."

"Which means you will leave this alone about my wings, yes?"

"Why, Simon? Having your wings doesn't change who you are, only how you appear."

"And I don't deserve to appear as an angel, so end of discussion." He was silent for a few minutes. "Guess you know my deepest, darkest secret now."

"Several of them, apparently." I toyed with a lock of his hair and watched the expressions of joy play across his face with my touch. "You're one of a kind, angel."

* * *

After a quick shower, Simon left me alone in the bedroom. I sat at the desk for a long while and brushed out my hair as I contemplated the entire encounter between us. He'd obviously thought that he could shock me into forgetting about this thing between him and Rhys&and his wings. But all it did was make me more determined to get his wings back for him.

He would be pissed that I interfered, even after he asked me not to, but it was something I was more than willing to risk. He thought he deserved to be punished for eternity and I just couldn't accept that.

The door opened and I glanced over, surprised to find Nikolas walking in. He shut the door and started over to the bed, but then stopped and looked over at me in shock.

"What the fuck are you doing awake?"

"What the fuck are you doing in my room?"

"Bite me." He flipped me off but came over and kissed me on the top of my head anyway. "You're fucking glowing, princess."

I tilted my head back and grinned up at him. "I kinda feel like I'm glowing."

"So where'd you get the high-octane?" He leaned down and pressed his face against my neck, inhaling deeply. "It's not wolf and it's not demon&"

"Angel."

"How the fuck did that happen?"

"Long story, babe." I reached up and tugged at a long lock of red hair covering his eyes. "What are you up to?"

"Just thought I'd sneak into bed with you and be here when you woke up."

"Not pissed at me anymore?"

"Yes and no." He huffed and sat on the edge of the desk, tucking his long, red bangs behind his ears. It made an almost perfect line of red and black where his long and short hair met at the top. "I understand where you're coming from, I guess, but it doesn't make it any easier to swallow."

"That's the one thing I can still give Lucien that's all for him. The same way you won't suck me off because that's something that you choose to be just between you and Sabaan."

"It shouldn't be this way," he said softly.

"Then how should it be, Nikolas?" I put the brush on the desk beside him. "If you've got any ideas, I'd love to fucking hear them."

"Oh, I got lots of ideas, but I'm not sticking my foot in my mouth this time. I told you what I wanted and you refused, so&" He shrugged. "I think I'll keep my mouth shut from now on. I hear Lucien will be home this evening."

I nodded.

"Great."

"Weren't you just saying how it'd be good to have him home again?"

"For you, princess. Not for me."

"Have you two fought like this the entire time you've known each other? Or is it because of me that you're always fighting now?"

"So tell me about this shit with you and Simon," he said, attempting to change the subject. "Why'd . how . did he pull you out of your sleep so early?"

"He just wanted to talk."

"Just to talk, huh? I see." He got to his feet. "Well, since you're not going to tell me anything interesting, can we go talk to the two werewolves that were brought in last night?"

"Why are you so interested in them?"

"I just want to know who they are and where they came from."

"Right." I rolled my eyes. "Call Adam and see if he can have someone bring Ethan and Noah to the study. I'll be there as soon as I put on some clothes."

"We'll be waiting."

* * *

When I walked into the office, Nikolas was pacing the floor behind the desk. Ethan and Noah were sitting on one of the couches, watching Nikolas. I went to the desk and sat down in my chair.

"Quit pacing, Nikolas."

He growled and continued pacing anyway. Realizing he wasn't about to stop, I attempted to ignore him instead. I looked to Ethan and Noah. They'd eaten, that much I could tell. The scent of steak was strong and was one of the things that could coax my wolf out faster than anything.

"Are you two getting settled?"

"We are," Noah said with a smile. "Thank you."

"So. Tell me about what happened to bring you here."

"To make a long story short, we were attacked by a rival pack. It's possible that members of our pack were involved."

"What part of Colorado are you from?" Nikolas' voice was tight and gruff.

"South central, near."

"No," Nikolas whispered. "No, no, no."

His tone was almost desperate and I stood, knowing there was something really, really wrong here. Nikolas stood facing the window, head clutched between his hands. I started toward him, but he turned suddenly, his eyes full of rage and confusion. His wolf was about two seconds from bursting free.

"Hey, hey, hey. What's going on, babe?"

"Where?" Nikolas demanded of Ethan. "Exactly."

Ethan rose to his feet and began backing his way toward the door. Noah just stood and looked back at Nikolas, unconcerned with the raging wolf, but clearly confused. "A short way south of Pagosa Springs," Noah finally answered.

Nikolas stumbled back as if he'd been hit by a truck. "Mack?"

"How do you--?"

"Is Mack dead?" Nikolas demanded.

"Yes," Noah said simply. "I don't understand."

"That makes two of us," I said, reaching for Nikolas. "What's going on?"

"I'm fucking fine." He jerked away from me and turned toward the window, bracing both hands on the sill. "Long version, Noah. Now."

"I&Ethan and I had been doing some repairs around the property. We'd had some play time after dinner and fell asleep in one of the outbuildings we'd been working on. Something woke me up; I'm not sure what, exactly. I listened for a little while, thinking it was just local wildlife, but then everything went silent and I realized we weren't out there alone. The house was surrounded."

"It wasn't just a rival pack," Ethan said, coming back into the room a little. "At least one of Noah's pack mates was in the woods with them. Noah recognized him."

"When we got to Mack, he was hurt." Noah scrubbed his face with his hands. "He'd been stabbed and the silver content was so high that everywhere it'd touched he'd been burnt. He couldn't shift to heal though and removing the blade would have killed him instantly. Mack&He made us pull it out and made us run."

"Who is the alpha of this rival pack?" Nikolas asked.

"His name is Jake," Ethan said. He walked over and wrapped his arms around Noah to comfort him. "How do you know Mack?"

Nikolas turned, then, leveling his gaze on Ethan and Noah, both.

"He was the closest thing I ever had to a father."

Chapter Four

"Whoa now, hold up. I thought." He cut me off instantly.

"If you finish that thought out loud, you and me are gonna have real problems."

"Hey, you brought it up."

"Let's just say we lived in that area for a while when we were younger. Mack? He didn't like where I was headed and beat some sense into me. Best fucking thing anyone ever did for me and I respected the hell out of him for it."

Nikolas never used "we" about anything in his past unless it related in some way to his sister. This was a bad, bad direction for this conversation to head in . especially with anyone else in the room. Before I managed to change the subject, Nikolas did.

"Tell me about this fuckhead Jake."

Ethan and Noah exchanged glances, but Noah was the one who spoke up. "Power hungry, sadistic, lives to torture his victims."

"Is he the sort to tie you up and then go to dinner? Or tie you up and cut off a piece of you and eat you for dinner?"

"Oh, definitely the second," Ethan said.

I shook my head in disgust. "Oh, that's lovely."

Noah chewed his lip as he stared at Nikolas, as if trying to decide whether to speak again. Finally, he cleared his throat. "I had a run-in with him a couple of years ago and he shot me in the face. Ethan? His experience with Jake was more traumatic. Jake tortured him, raped him and turned him, and he's been fucking with his head ever since."

Nikolas crossed his arms over his chest, nodding. "So what you're really saying is that he needs to be taken out. Correct?"

"Well, yes, but."

"No buts, Noah. He's a threat to our kind, and if he's that careless, then he needs to be taken out before he exposes us all."

"What makes you say he's careless?" I asked.

"Ethan? After Jake turned you, did he show you how to hunt? How to deal with the changes you were going through?"

Ethan shook his head.

Nikolas gestured to Ethan. "He turns him then lets him go without even a little bit of guidance? The only way Ethan didn't turn out like Jake is because of the man Ethan was before he was turned. It's pure fucking luck Ethan didn't turn rogue and go on a killing spree."

Noah nodded in agreement. "Ethan still doesn't know how to hunt."

"I'm still in the room, you know," Ethan grumbled.

"They have to know," Noah said sympathetically. "We can't come in here with any secrets."

We had enough secrets around this place without adding more.

"Noah's right: I can't hunt. I don't know how a pack works. I'm pretty much scared of other wolves because I've never known any that weren't trying to hurt me or kill me." Ethan sighed and sat on the edge of the couch they'd been sitting on before. "And I've hated what I am for every moment of every day since I was turned . until I met Noah a few days ago."

I blinked. "A few days?"

"It's like we've known each other our entire lives, though." Noah laughed and sat beside Ethan, taking his hand. "Instinct just took over."

Nikolas' expression softened when his eyes met mine. "A wolf knows his mate the moment they meet."

I held his gaze for a long while, unable to say anything. Nikolas had never even hinted that there was more between us other than an insatiable desire to fuck . well and often . but I knew that he was referring to us.

I didn't know what to think about that. It was difficult to wrap my mind around something that felt so right, yet so wrong at the same time.

The door to the study flew open and Sabaan came in, grinning, the yellow of his eyes just glowing. "Lucien's just a few miles out. His flight came in early!"

"Lovely," Nikolas' gaze hardened again. "I can go kill this Jake fucker, right?"

I shook my head. "Let the Council take care of it."

"The Council can kiss my hairy ass. This is fucking personal and I want to take care of it."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"Let me?" He laughed, and the intensity of anger behind it made me shudder. "Last time I checked, we were equals, princess."

Sabaan glanced around the room. "I'm interrupting something, right?"

"No," Nikolas growled and headed for the door. "I was just leaving."

I gestured to Nikolas. "Follow him, Sabaan. Talk some sense into him?"

"Sense about what?"

"He wants to go off on a revenge kill and put himself in danger, that's what."

"Ah! Gotcha."

Sabaan hurried out, hot on Nikolas' heels. If anyone could talk sense into that hard-headed fucking wolf, it was Sabaan. I turned my attention back to Ethan and Noah.

"I think we're going to cut this short tonight, guys. Why don't you both relax and get some rest. Get acquainted with the house staff if you like and don't hesitate to ask if you need something. As soon as Lucien is settled, I know he'll want to meet with you as well."

They both thanked me and bowed before leaving the room. I took a few moments to settle my thoughts and try to throw some shields into place. Too much had happened in Lucien's absence, and the last thing I needed was him plugging in and attempting to download a replay.

Satisfied that Lucien wasn't going to get any more information than necessary, I headed out of the study and down the hall. Nikolas and Sabaan were at the corner just near the end, and it looked like Sabaan was raking Nikolas over the coals.

Good for him.

I moved past them without a word and when the front door opened, I looked over to see Lucien as he walked in. He was gorgeous, all decked out in a pale blue silk shirt that nearly matched his eyes and his customary black leather pants. The boots he wore were new and I paused to admire them. They rose to just below his knee and were laced through a number of silver grommets and d-rings.

"I love the boots."

"I thought you might," Lucien said with a grin and opened his arms wide. "Hello, lover."

"Oh, Lucien." I threw myself into his arms and hugged him tight, burying my face in the long, loose, dark brown hair at his neck. He returned the gesture, turning so that my back was against the wall. I pulled back to look at him. God, he was so beautiful. "I've missed you."

"And I you." He bent and pressed his lips to mine in a tender, sweet kiss. "Everything okay here?"

"Well&mostly." I couldn't help but laugh. I felt like a child answering to his father after being in charge of the house in his absence. "I mean, I didn't kill anyone and the coven is still ours."

"That counts for a lot."

A number of people passed by us in the entry way . security, house staff retrieving Lucien's luggage, and a few vampires coming and going . but I couldn't take my eyes off Lucien. He'd only been gone a week, but it felt like a lifetime. I didn't realize just how much I'd missed him until he'd walked in the door.

This was one of those moments when my relationship with Nikolas felt so very wrong. Like I was risking everything for a quick fuck, even though I knew in my heart it was so much more complicated than that.

"What is it, Peter?"

"Nothing." I shook my head quickly, locking up those thoughts. "Just glad to have you home."

"Me, too." Sabaan wormed his way up beside me and Lucien, hugging us both. "I cannot believe you left me here with these degenerates."

Lucien laughed and gave Sabaan a quick kiss. "You were in good company, pet."

"Need to feed?"

Lucien shook his head. "I'm good."

"Mmm'k then." Nikolas stormed past, drawing Sabaan's attention. He sighed and shook his head, then looked back at us. "I think I'll leave you two lovebirds to your own devices. I've got a wolf with a bad attitude to deal with."

"Better you than me," I said. I hated dealing with Nikolas when he was set on being pissed at the world. "Call if you need help."

Lucien turned his attention to me after Sabaan walked away. "Dare I ask?"

"Long story, lover."

"I'm not in the mood for that just now."

"Oh? What are you in the mood for?" I gave his chin a playful lick. "Anything I can help you with?"

"I'm quite sure of it."

* * *

Lucien had already begun stripping off his clothes as we walked, and I took the hint and did the same. It was obvious he didn't want slow and sweet, and to be honest, after his absence I was ready to have him any way I could get him.

Just as we made it inside the bedroom, Lucien picked me up and shoved me into the door to close it. "Missed you like crazy."

"Missed you, too." I struggled to kick my boots off so that I could get my pants the rest of the way off. "You have to put me down; I can't get my pants off this way."

His hands went to my ass, and I realized what he was about to do about a half-second before he did it. "No! I love these pants, Lucien!"

"Buy more." He ripped my pants in half and fumbled to get his pants down just far enough to free his cock. Once he did, he lined himself up and pushed, pulling me down onto him. "Oh, God, Peter, you're so fucking tight."

I winced, trying to relax, even though it hurt like hell for him to push into me dry. But the pain, though sharp, wouldn't last. I wanted to smack him and say of course I was, but I held my tongue and held onto him. It was clear this wasn't just him wanting me.

This was, "Hi, how the fuck are you&I missed you&and by the way, you're fucking mine," but I was strangely okay with that. One didn't bind himself to a Master vampire without knowing there were some ownership issues involved.

He leaned in and pushed his tongue between my lips, groaning, growling, and taking his pleasure where I hadn't yet found mine. He came in a rush, hips thrusting hard and fast into me. His come made everything slick, and when he shoved into me again, I nearly screamed.

"Oh, God!"

"'S that good?" When I nodded, he thrust even harder, pounding my ass, quite literally, into the fucking door. "You look so fucking sexy all spread out like this."

"All for you," I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth, biting down hard enough to draw blood. "Harder, baby, I'm right there."

He thrust and pulled my hips down to meet him at the same time, doing this little grinding motion that sent me right over the fucking edge. It sent pleasure sparking through me so fast I would have sworn I saw stars.

I came, bucking my hips, grinding down onto his cock. My entire body shuddered and I wrapped my arms around his neck, sighing.

"Bed, baby, I don't think I can walk." He held me close and started to turn toward the bed and I shook my head quickly. "Oh, please don't walk with your cock buried in my ass."

"And why not?" He grinned, staring at me, fully expecting an answer.

"Because I need a few minutes before you fuck me again."

"Very well."

* * *

"How was your trip?"

"Long," he said after a few moments of silence. "I believe I went a few days too early. I'd wanted to see a few old friends, but certainly didn't wish to run into others."

"Yeah?" The tension in him was growing by the second, and I wondered why I hadn't sensed it before. "Guess that's how it goes with things like that."

He nodded. "I could have done without seeing some of them. But the funeral was nice&as nice as a funeral could be, I guess. So, tell me about what has happened while I was gone?"

"Oh, not too much. We've got couple new werewolves. They were rescued up in Colorado and brought here to start over. Other than Donald's death, that's about it."

"Why are you lying to me?" Lucien sat up, shaking his head.

"What are you talking about? I'm not lying to you."

Not exactly.

"What is it that you are trying to hide from me, Peter?"

"I'm not hiding things, exactly; there are just some things I'd rather not talk about right now. Can't you understand that?"

"Not particularly." Lucien got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. "But you know what? You want to keep your secrets? That's fine; just don't come running to me when it all falls apart. Goddamn, Peter, why can't you just be honest with me?"

I lay there, wondering the exact same thing. Could I really be honest with Lucien about this shit with Simon and expect him not to blow a gasket? My guess was no, considering the way he was getting nine kinds of worked up just because he thought I was holding something back.

Lucien walked out of the bathroom, dressed in a pair of pants and a long-sleeved, black shirt. He didn't say a word as he gathered his phone and keys. He opened the door and paused, but didn't look back.

"I will not beg for your honesty."

The door slammed and I sighed, shaking my head. There was no way I would be able to keep Simon's secret for long.especially while sharing the same bed with Lucien. I couldn't shield for that long continuously, and I had no doubt that Lucien wouldn't leave this alone until he found out what was going on.

The only way this could be handled, for now, was to move out of the bedroom and give him his space.and me, mine. I would miss him, but I wouldn't miss the fighting.

I rolled across the bed and picked up the phone, dialing the extension for the kitchen. Adam answered and I said a small prayer of thanks. Simon wasn't the one I needed for this. He'd feel too guilty, ask too many damned questions.

"Adam? Can I get your help for a moment, please?"

"Of course, sir, I'll be right there."

I took a few minutes to shower and when I came out of the bathroom, Adam was waiting in the middle of the room, hands clasped behind his back.

"How may I help you?" he asked.

"I need you to help me gather a few of my things and move me to the room down the hall." He seemed startled by my request, but didn't say a word other than "yes, sir." Brownie points for him. "Not everything, just the things I wear and use the most."

"Clothes, boots, robes, toiletries&" He looked around the room. "Do you want any of your personal décor?"

"It's all Lucien's," I said with a shrug. "This isn't forever, Adam, I just need some space for a while.and Lucien does, too, whether he thinks so or not."

"I understand, sir."

"Hell, I don't even understand, Adam."

* * *

Adam made quick work of getting me moved to the bedroom down the hall. He was fast and efficient and didn't ask questions. He made the bed up with fresh sheets and turned, looking around the room.

"If you need anything else&"

"I'll call," I said. "Thank you for your help, Adam. I appreciate it."

"Any time, sir," he said.

After a quick bow of respect, he left the room. I glanced around, grimacing. It was a nice room, but it was nowhere near as nice as mine and Lucien's. Well&Lucien's, for now.

I'd just sat down on the bed to plug my cell phone in when there was a sharp rap on the door. It opened and a furious Lucien stood in the doorway. His brows were knitted tightly, black eyes almost glowing red.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Um, right now?" I gestured to my phone. "I'm plugging in my phone."

"You know what I mean." He came into the room and slammed the door behind him. "Why are you in this room?"

"We need our space, Lucien. It's pretty obvious to me that it's long overdue."

"We've had plenty of space in the past week. Is it that bad having me home again? Does it interfere with your fun?"

"Excuse me?" I stood and faced him. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I guess if you're in your own room, you don't have to feel guilty about fucking around with him in mine." Lucien shook his head. "That's fine. You can stay here for all I fucking care."

"You think this is about Nikolas?"

"Everything is about that goddamned wolf for you."

"And if that's what you think?" I stalked to the door and opened it. "You can get the fuck out, right now."

Lucien stormed out and I slammed the door behind him for good measure. How dare he come in here and throw around accusations like that? This had nothing to do with Nikolas, and I wasn't sure why he was jumping to conclusions like that.

His jealousy was getting worse and it was grating on my nerves. I'd had enough of it tonight alone to last me a long while. I needed to get out of here, to get out of the mansion and away from Lucien and his damned temper. It was like it had seeped into the walls of the mansion and followed me wherever I went.

After a quick change of clothes, I grabbed my phone and headed out. I was just about to walk out the side entrance when Silver caught up to me.

"Where do you think you're going?" His Spanish accent was heavier tonight than it'd been since I'd first met him.

"Out." I opened the door, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back. I looked at his hand where he gripped me and back up at him. "I suggest you back the hell off."

He let me go, but didn't back away. "If you're going out, you need your detail with you."

"Oh, no, I am not doing that tonight."

"The security detail is for your protection, Peter."

"Maybe, but it's impossible to hunt while being followed."

"I need a detail for Peter at the side entrance," he said into the mic connected to his earpiece. Grey eyes narrowed as they met mine. "Peter, no arguments, the detail goes with you or you stay home."

"Fine." I threw up my hands in defeat. "Tell them to hurry the fuck up, then."

Three of my usual security men showed up a few minutes later, and I glared at Silver as I walked out the door. George, the lead man of the three, drove the black Tahoe, Mitch sat in the passenger seat, and Leland and I sat in the second seat.

"Hungry tonight?" Leland asked.

I nodded. "So I'd appreciate it if you all will stay off my ass and let me hunt."

"We have our orders, sir," George said from the front seat. "We can't hang back any more than regulation."

"Whatever. Just take me to Nine and let me start there."

Nine was a newer club that catered to a younger crowd. It wasn't a gay club, but that really didn't make a shit's difference to me anymore. If I could lure some straight boy into the corner and get him off as I fed? That just made the exchange a tad bit sweeter.

Once inside, I had to concentrate a little to turn the volume of the music down in my own mind. The mass of bodies gyrating on the dance floor looked promising. People moved and swayed, and the scent of desire was thick in the air, along with the scent of way too much alcohol.

Some vampires didn't like drinking from a drunken donor, but maybe I'd worked the bar for too long, as it didn't bother me a bit. They were a bit tangy, a little less sweet, but still filling.

I found a place at the bar and watched the crowd. It wasn't long before I found my first target. He was young, cute, and had a mess of brown curls covering his head. He reminded me of Caleb, thought not nearly as built or good-looking.

He seemed to be alone and I took that as an invitation in itself. But as I started toward him, he looked at me oddly, then cut off to the side and went back into the crowd. Confused, I turned to look behind me, only to find that my three guards were right on my heels.

"Thanks, guys," I said as I turned to face them. "See that guy that just went back into the crowd? That was dinner."

"We can't let you walk through here alone," Mitch said.

"How 'bout staying twenty, thirty feet behind me? You know, to where it doesn't look like me and my goons are looking for a young boy to kidnap?"

George conceded, and I shook my head and tried to get as far away from them as I possibly could. They were still too close for comfort, but at least they weren't up my ass. I took my place back at the bar, ordered a fruity drink, and then watched the crowd again for my next target.

Something was in the air, apparently. Every time I'd meet someone's eyes, they'd look around, clearly uncomfortable. I had a feeling it had something to do with my damned guards and the close proximity they were keeping.

Maybe what I needed was to be in the crowd instead of sitting at the bar, waiting for dinner to come along. I downed my drink and took off, mingling, touching, and trying to get myself as far into the crowd as possible. Once through and to the other side of the club, I found that I was right next to an exit door.

I looked around, searching for my guys, and could just see the top of George's head as he made his way through the crowd. He didn't know where I was, judging by the way he was looking around.

I slipped backward out of the metal door, and I turned, only to run right into Leland's massive chest. "Going somewhere?"

"I'm hungry."

He pointed to the doors of the club. "And food's right inside if you'd stop worrying about us and worry about feeding."

"Easy for you to say," I snapped. "You don't have three fucking goons on your tail. You know what? Just fuck it. Take me home."

"Sir?"

"Don't fucking sir, me. You heard me: I want to go home. Make it happen."

If nothing else, I'd find Nikolas or Sabaan& Someone would feed me.

Or at least I hoped they would.

* * *

I paced back and forth across my bedroom, trying to decide whether it was worth it to even try to go out hunting again. I'd fed two days before, but I was so hungry now I could bleed a rat and it would taste good. I wanted to feed and feed deep, so I couldn't rely on Nikolas or anyone else in the coven to provide me with that much blood.

I need a good, healthy donor . or a few . and I'd be well sated. At least for a few more days. It was best if I fed every day to try to avoid this surge of hunger, but the only way to do that was with a constant supply of dedicated donors.

And I just couldn't do that.

Resigned to a long night ahead, I called George's cell and asked him to meet me at the side doors so we could go out.

"You going to try to run this time?"

"You want the truth?"

"I'd rather not go there," he said quickly. "We'll be there shortly."

I made it to the side entrance before they did and paced, wishing they'd hurry the hell up. I was just about to call George back when he, Mitch, and Leland walked up.

"You ready?"

"I've been ready," I said, walking past them to the garage. "Let's go, I'm hungry."

The ride was silent until we got near Nine. "Want to start at Nine again?"

"No." I shrugged. "Pick a place and surprise me."

George sighed and continued driving for a few more blocks. He stopped in front of a club that I couldn't remember the name of. It was Flame or Fire&something like that. It was a gay club, but not one of the best around.

I got out of the Tahoe and paused before walking in. "Seriously, guys. Try not to look like you're my security detail. You scare away more potential donors that I can count."

Mitch grumbled under his breath and I ignored it and walked into the club. Apparently, Thursday nights were seventies night. Each and every guy I found was dressed in some polyester and sequin disaster of a suit, sporting fake mustaches and bad hairdos.

Great.

I quickly found a guy coming out of the bathroom who looked pretty well built and healthy. He didn't wear one of those terrible one-piece suits, but a tacky pair of brown paints and a brown and tan plaid shirt. His hair was a little on the long side, but it looked real.

I could deal with that.

I made my way toward him with a smile. "Come here often?"

Yeah, it was a terrible line, but sometimes it worked.

"I might if everyone looked like you."

"Well if everyone looked like me, there'd be a decided lack of variety." I put on the charm as he met my eyes, willing his compliance. He backed up into one of the corner walls near the bathroom door and I smiled. "You like to play?"

He nodded and reached for me, and I took control of the situation. I moved in quickly and set my fangs, then bit deep. He groaned and struggled for a moment, but he wasn't struggling to get away. He struggled to make contact with my hips, with my thigh, with anything he could rub himself against to get off.

I fed a little, but his blood lacked that richness I was looking for. He was probably anemic, which took a lot out of his blood. I didn't want sex with him, though. Not even close. I licked the wound closed and put it in his head that he'd had a good time in the bathroom with a stranger, and left him there in the dark corner, getting himself off.

Yeah, it was probably wrong, but I didn't have the time to fuck around with every potential donor tonight.

When I turned around, none of my guys were in sight. I wondered how in hell I could have managed to get so lucky, but didn't wonder long. Instead, I made my way out the front door and quickly hailed a cab.

"Where to?"

"Just drive," I said, looking out the back window to make sure I wasn't being followed. Once we were a few blocks away, I tried to think of where I wanted to go next. Our own club was still a way off from being finished. We'd decided to rebuild, bigger and better than ever. Safer than ever, too. Crews had been working for nearly seven months around the clock, trying to like hell to get the bonus pay for finishing ahead of schedule. But there was only so much that could be done at once.

While the building of the actual club was delayed due to rain or equipment issues, however, they joined in with the crews that were constructing more underground passageways. We now had them going for miles and miles, all over the city. In places, they led to safe houses. Places that couldn't be burned by hunters, couldn't be accessed by anyone outside the coven.

Or so the theory went.

Our team had been . and was still in the process of being -- transformed to a more militaristic group of men and women. People hand-picked from millions of others out of the military, out of law enforcement, and a few mercenaries. We'd had bad luck with the first merc we'd brought in. Once he became a werewolf, he'd gone a little apeshit.

Wanting to eat anything, and everyone, in sight.

That sucked. As did putting him down.

Were we monsters because of it? I didn't think so. We'd offered him greater strength, a hell of a paycheck, and immortality. He'd signed on with the full knowledge that something could go wrong with his infection. The consequences of that would be death.

It was a safety measure, nothing more.

And? It was in the contract.

Oh yes. We had them for each and every new recruit. A necessary evil, you could say, to keep both parties accountable for their actions. And to save our asses if something went terribly wrong.

I finally decided on Manic, a trendy, high-energy club that I knew wouldn't disappoint.

At least while I was on my own.

I laughed to myself. And on my own I was.

* * *

The car soon pulled over to a curb and I paid and tipped the driver before getting out. I could already feel the pulsing beat of the music from where I stood. I paid the cover charge and got a stamp on my hand before entering the club.

Once I did, I stopped just inside, trying to hold back a grin. Oh yeah, this was the stuff dreams were made of. The crowd was pretty thick, people at the bar, at individual tables, and a crowded dance floor. Half-naked men danced together, some of them edging pretty close to a charge of public indecency.

The atmosphere itself could feed me, if I was experienced enough to try it. For the moment, I decided that, since I was on my own and free of any security goons, I'd just try to enjoy myself.

I spent hours dancing, laughing, teasing young guys into compromising positions, and just having a good time. It was rare that I was able to let myself go like that and I relished it, unsure of when I'd be able to get away like this again.

My guess was never.

After a while, I grew tired of playing and started looking for food. My hunger had risen up again and I had a feeling it had something to do with Mr. Anemia from the Seventies that I'd fed from earlier.

I wandered, quickly growing impatient. There were plenty of potential donors and I'd had a few tastes here and there, but none of them had that& je ne sais quoi, as Lucien put it. Nothing about them was special. Most of the men were so high that their blood seemed permanently tainted.

The women? Well, I didn't even bother. Too much tit, too much perfume, and not enough dick.

Patience was never one of my best qualities. After I was turned, however, I learned that patience wasn't just one of those virtues I wished for . it was something I desperately needed. I'd been doing okay over the past year, but there were times when patience was a little too far beyond my reach.

Unfortunately, the fates had decided that I was due a lesson.

Possibly because I'd ditched my security team about three hours back. It was hard to hunt when you had three armed guards about six feet . if I was lucky . behind you at all times. Silver was going to be pissed.

Lucien already was.

He'd been trying to connect with me mentally though our bond, trying to find out where I was. Thankfully, I'd learned how to shield just hard enough to hide my location and what I was doing, but not hard enough to ignore him completely. I just needed a little freedom; a little time to myself where I could be at ease, where I could pick out my dinner without the impatience of the security team battering against me.

Their impatience made me hurry. Made me careless. As new as I was to this whole vampire thing, that was something I couldn't afford. Something my donors couldn't afford.

Of course, if my guards had been vampires instead of werewolves, this wouldn't even have been an issue. I had the best muscle, yes. But muscle wasn't everything. Silver and I were going to have to talk about this. I needed vampires at my back, too.

Someone brushed against me and drew me out of my thoughts. I wasn't sure how long I'd been standing around thinking, but the music had changed from the upbeat rock tune to something a little more bump and grind. I took a sip of my watered down drink, letting the pump and thump of the music wash through me.

I found a spot at the bar, claiming the one lone stool near the end and close to the wall.

"What can I get you?" The twenty-something bartender shouted in my direction.

Something hard? Scotch? No. None of the clubs carried the more expensive brands. Something warm? Brandy? Cognac? Eh. Something&fruity, maybe.

My gaze met his and his boredom, and perhaps aggravation at my delay in answering, gave way to interest. All my fault, I was sure. I hadn't been shielding and I was wanting, needing& something.

I crooked my finger, willing him closer. He came easily, leaning over the bar so that his face was mere inches from mine. Such a handsome thing: sandy blond hair, green eyes, skin all tanned from time spent in the sun. He smelled of alcohol and sweat, of hard work behind the bar.

I sat forward a little and dragged my tongue across his full lips, stealing a taste. He wasn't quite what I was looking for in a feed, but he'd do.

"I want something&sweet."

He swallowed hard and stammered. "I can make you anything."

"Are you sweet?"

I searched his mind, wanting his name, but instead caught flashes of him, his wife, and three kids; of him working two jobs just to make ends meet. When the scent of his arousal became stronger, I smiled and pushed him back, sliding a few hundreds across the counter.

"Just a Sex on the Beach. Please. Keep the change."

The bartender blinked and shook his head in confusion before backing away to grab a tumbler. My drink was set in front of me in a short time and I picked it up, taking it with me as I set off to peruse the patrons of the club one last time.

I let my shields down a little, letting the voices and the thoughts of the crowd in. On the outside, people seemed so happy, but on the inside, there was so much sadness& loneliness... depression& hatred&

Bigotry? Even better.

I drifted off in the direction of that last one, searching a little more intently.

"Fucking queers. Need to stay at their own goddamned clubs."

A male voice. Not young, but certainly not old. I concentrated on finding the owner of that voice, those thoughts. There were others near him. Female. High-pitched voices condemning the man for his words. A few feet away stood a blond man, hands shoved in his pockets, the expression on his face full of disgust.

"You're such a jerk, Ricky. Should have left you at home," a redheaded woman said, rolling her eyes at the man.

I willed her and another blonde woman away as I walked up. The man, Ricky, turned that look of disgust up at me. "What do you want, asshole?"

"Perhaps to know why you're such an asshole, Ricky." I downed the rest of my drink and handed my glass off to the nearest person, willing them away as well.

"How do you know my name?" He searched out into the crowd, yelling. "This guy with you, Sara?"

I moved in closer, calling in the shadows to hide us from the rest of the patrons. The sounds of the rest of the club fell away, and the man, Ricky, looked up at me in horror.

"What the fuck?"

I pushed him back until his back met with a wall. With the tips of my fingers, I caressed his cheek. He started to fight, but I forced him still. He struggled against my will, eyes wide. I closed my eyes, searching his mind.

It took a while to get past the fear and loathing. But it wasn't against us queer folk, exactly& It was mostly against himself. Him being in the closet and all. I'd always said that the worst bigots were people who had desires that they just couldn't handle.

I leaned in and pressed my lips to his ear, whispering. "Why are you so afraid of that part of yourself, Ricky?"

He grunted, a more guttural sound, with no words coming from his mouth. I remembered, then, that I'd forced him still and quiet. I licked at his ear, down his neck, one hand bracing myself against the wall, the other working his belt. When I got it undone, I cupped my hand at his crotch, smiling when he went hard beneath my palm.

His thoughts shifted, an image strong in his mind. A man about Ricky's same age, brown hair, brown eyes, and a body that was lean and tight. Ricky's heart sped up at the thought of the man and I searched hard for a name. A memory flashed before me, of the man on his knees, sucking Ricky off. Of Ricky being scared of getting caught.

Of him throwing the man out afterward, in fear he'd gone too far. In fear that he was going to be outed by&David.

"Tell me more about David, Ricky. Did you like it when he sucked you off?"

I gave him the ability to speak again, but not move. Not yet. The heat in me was rising quickly, and by the way Ricky's body was relaxing, I knew he felt it, too.

"Yes," Ricky hissed.

"But you didn't like it enough to reciprocate? To give him pleasure?"

He whimpered. "I wanted to&"

I went to my knees, unzipping his jeans and pushing them down, releasing his prick. The urge to taste him was too strong to fight, so I took him in, careful not to nick him just yet. I released him to move, and when I did, he thrust into my mouth.

"Fuck, that feels so& Oh, God&"

Not having to breathe had done wonders for my ability to deep throat.

The desire and need rose in him, just coming off him in waves. I opened myself to it, letting it fill me. I fed off his need and forced it higher, taking him to the edge and keeping him there for as long as I could. He thrashed and writhed against the wall, nearly screaming for release as he pumped himself in and out of my mouth.

Finally I let him come, and the pleasure that spilled out of him made my own dick twitch with a hint of desire. I licked him clean and then pushed his legs a little farther apart. While he was still coming down from his orgasm, I found the spot where leg and groin connected and sank my fangs into his tender flesh.

He bucked, and I had a moment to remember to cup my hand over his dick just before he came again. Last time I'd fed this way, the guy had come in my hair. It was beginning to be a regular hazard at feeding time.

Ricky's legs shook with tension, and when I finally had enough, I bit my own tongue and licked at the small holes. He'd have a slightly sore spot in the morning, but wouldn't remember anything else.

Well&

He'd be out of the closet. It'd be up to him how he announced that to everyone.

I stood and kissed his cheek, keeping my lips against him as I spoke. "Don't fight who you are. You only live once. There's no sense in hiding in the closet and being miserable for the extent of it."

He was still riding the aftereffects of orgasm and my feed, but I knew he'd heard me. Knew he'd remember what I'd said to him.

"Now. Fix your pants and go find someone to play with. If you can't find someone here, go find David and suck him off."

I grinned and stepped back just as he managed to get his pants zipped, slipping into the shadows and walking away. I watched him from a distance, the way he stood there with a look of shock on his face, and then cupped his crotch, looking around in bewilderment.

I licked at my fingers absently, taking great pleasure when Ricky stepped away from the wall and disappeared into the crowd.

"Shame, shame. Feeding on poor, unsuspecting humans."

I froze, the deep male voice unfamiliar. I was still cloaked in shadow. No one could have seen me. I jerked around to find the owner of that voice, but a sharpness pressed against my back, stopping me cold.

"No, Peter. Don't look upon me just yet."

"How can you see me? How did you know I was here?"

"I know all. I see all."

Something about that sounded so familiar, and I had a moment of wondering if God had suddenly paid me a personal visit. For all I was taught growing up, he was the only one to&

"Tell me your name, stranger."

"Do you know the Greek myths?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I am the gentlest of winds. The messenger of spring."

I did know that one, oddly enough. And I knew who it was at my back. Not a Greek god with sister issues, but an angel. A warrior angel. One that I'd wagered fifty years of my life just to get a meeting with.

"Zephyr."

"In the flesh. Shall we find a more private place to talk?"

* * *

We were on the roof of the next building over before the sharp point in the middle of my back was taken away. When I turned around, his back was to me. My eyes went immediately to his clothes. The BDU pants and long-sleeved, black shirt were very much like the tactical uniforms that our coven team members wore.

The only things different were his knee-high boots that were covered in some sort of black, tarry substance up to his ankles, and his vest.which wasn't a vest at all, but some kind of custom fit armor. It had two openings, from mid-shoulder to his waist, leaving a long length of his back that wasn't protected.

His hair& Hell, I couldn't even pick a color that would describe his hair. It was a deep, almost crimson red, but I'd never seen anything like it before. Strands lifted with the breeze, making it seem as if his hair was on fire. He turned, then, and my breath caught in my throat. His eyes were an emerald green, the darkness set off by the red-orange flame where a human's pupils should have been.

He was too beautiful for words, and, from the smile that graced his lips, he knew it.

"Have I bespelled the vampire?"

I wasn't as taken with him as I had been with Cyril, but I wasn't sure if it was my own power protecting me or if he was toning down his own.

I shrugged. "Just admiring the view."

He smirked, as if truly amused. Suddenly, his wings spread out behind him in a spectacular display. The span of his wings had to be at least twelve feet. They were almost the exact color of his hair, with the exception of a few black splotches where he'd gotten into something really, really dirty.

"I think I might be jealous."

"Trust me. We may be different species, but you have nothing to be jealous of." He gestured to the ledge of the building. "Sit. Let us talk."

I'd hated heights my entire life, but something about not dying if I was to fall really nixed those fears in a hurry. We walked to the ledge and both sat, though when Zephyr sat, he cursed and had to pull in his wings.

"Such a dirty mouth for an angel." I cast a glance at him. "For the record, I didn't like the last potty-mouth much."

"That seems to be a recurring theme for those who have dealt with him." He sighed and held a leg up, examining his boot. Whatever the black, tarry substance was, it wouldn't be coming off any time soon. "Thing is, I am who I am and I don't pretend to be otherwise."

"He really didn't either. He was a jerk, pure and simple."

"And he is why you've requested to see me?"

Well, sort of. I'd hoped that by getting a meeting with him, I'd get more of a sure answer on Cyril's punishment. I'd also hoped to throw in a few questions about Simon and his punishment, too.

I nodded. "I was told that you would know what was done with Cyril."

"Yes," he said, drawing out the word. "But what does that have to do with you?"

"After what he did to Lucien, I think it has a lot to do with me. Unfortunately, as much as I'd have liked to have his head on a platter, I hear that's impossible. It seems angels are quite difficult to kill."

"What do you want to know about him?"

"I want reassurance that he won't be back. Ever."

"He won't," Zephyr said with confidence. "I delivered him to his judgment myself."

"And that is?"

"Let's just say that it's very dark and very hot." He pointed to his boots in disgust. "And very dirty."

I leaned over to examine his boots. "What is that?"

"You do not want to know." He straddled the ledge so that he could face me. "Tell me why I'm really here, Peter. Why would you go to such lengths to request a meeting from me just to ask me personally about things Daniel has already told you? Do you not trust him?"

"How do we know to trust anyone?"

"You seem to trust me just fine."

I realized then that from the moment we'd made it to the roof, I had been as relaxed as I might have been with Nikolas or Logan. When I should have been cautious and on guard, I felt nothing but at ease. I glared at him, though half-heartedly.

"Probably a result of some fu-fu angel power."

"You say what's on your mind." Zephyr smiled. "I like you."

"You don't know me."

"Ah, Peter&" He looked off across the street, watching people as they waited to get into the club. "I know you better than you know yourself, perhaps. You love to fuck rather than fight.unless those you love are in danger. And then, you are a force to be reckoned with."

"If you know me so well, then you know that I will do anything to keep the ones I love safe. I had to know, firsthand, that Cyril was out of the picture."

"And?" He leaned closer. "What is it you want from me?"

"There is an angel in my coven."

"Symael." It was odd, hearing Simon's given name as it passed through Zephyr's lips. As if the name alone was a part of a song. "What about him?"

"I want him pardoned."

"Gah! And I liked you so much." Zephyr jumped to his feet and began to pace along the narrow ledge. His wings spread almost violently, pretty much mirroring the look in his eyes. "What you ask is&"

"Impossible?"

He stopped, mid-step, and I swore I heard a growl. "Nothing is impossible."

"Simon is a good man."

"Symael is not a good angel."

"He might have been the very best," I argued. "And maybe he was robbed of the chance because Cyril was put at his side."

"What is done is done."

I swung my feet around and stood, looking up at Zephyr. He looked so angry. No, it wasn't anger. Dread, maybe? Whatever the cause, I needed to proceed with caution. And maybe, for once, grovel a little.

"Look." I searched for words, but damn, groveling wasn't something I was used to. "It hurts me to see him hurting."

"And the family of the man Symael took? Did they not hurt? Did that man not deserve to see the rest of his years through?" He stopped before me, shaking his head. "Cause and effect. He caused a mortal man's death and he must be punished."

"Isn't it punishment enough to be separated from his creator? But to remind him of this each and every day& For so many years?"

"The time is nothing to an angel." Zephyr looked up toward the night sky, sighing, the muscles in his jaw twitching as he clenched his teeth. "Do not press me on this, Peter."

"Please. I beg of you&"

"What you are asking of me is no small thing." he looked down over the ledge, frowning. "One of your wolves has managed to find you after all."

I scented the air and quickly found Nikolas. Though he wasn't close yet.

"Zephyr? If there's anything I can do, I will do it."

"You've just signed away fifty years for the chance to talk with me. Are you certain you want to keep upping the stakes for something that may never even come to pass?"

"I'm willing to take the chance."'

Zephyr stepped down off of the ledge and closed the distance between us. He lifted a hand and caressed my cheek. "Right now, I will give you this: I will not inform Daniel that I've seen you, so your time in joining the Council will be delayed."

I started to object, but he covered my mouth with the palm of his hand.

"And," he paused, shaking his head, sighing. "I will do some thinking on this, though I make no promises."

"So that's it? You'll think about it?"

"This affects me, too, Peter. In ways that I cannot even begin to explain."

"I guess I can accept that."

"There is much left unsaid, but I will find you again soon." He dropped his hand, but leaned in and pressed a kiss to my cheek. "If you need me, just call upon my name and I will hear you."

"You mean I could have done this the easy way?"

"You would have had to speak my given name.and that is not common knowledge in this world."

His lips touched mine and I closed my eyes, totally at peace, almost in awe of him, of his presence. I felt him smile, then whisper one word.

"Zephyrael."

Chapter Five

Zephyr left me alone on the roof, gone before I ever opened my eyes. I was a little shaken and more than a little confused. Nothing had been settled, as far as Simon's situation went, but whatever this was.it was a start.

The tell-tale sound of a Harley drew my attention. I was sure there were thousands in the city, but only one would be circling the building I was standing on. It was one of two motorcycles that Nikolas had gifted himself with a few months back. One was a more classic style Harley. The other was a sport bike . a Ninja, he called it, all black with orange and red flames; truly evil looking . that I refused to ride with him unless it was an absolute emergency.

The chances of me dying in an accident were slim, but that certainly didn't mean it couldn't hurt like hell.

I followed the sound of the idling bike and walked to the ledge at the side of the building that faced the alley. I peered down, first glancing around the area to make sure none of my guards were trailing behind him, then looking at Nikolas himself. He lit up a cigarette and then looked up at me, motioning me down with a crook of his finger.

The only reason I'd made it up here in the first place was because of Zephyr. I couldn't even levitate but a few inches off the floor.

Getting down was easy.

I stepped over the ledge and landed on the concrete hard enough to give it a crack and rattle my teeth. Standing, I gave my jaw a rub, and then headed to where Nikolas was parked.

He flashed a grin at me. "Hop on, princess. Let's go for a ride."

"You have such a way with words." I climbed onto the bike behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. "See any of my guards along the way?"

"Not a one." He grabbed one of my hands and pushed it down to his crotch. "Wanna stay lost a little longer?"

I nuzzled into his neck, holding on tight as the bike started moving. "Depends on what you're offering."

"Just me," he said, almost to himself.

And just like that, the promise of being alone with Nikolas woke my body up in ways I could never describe.

"Then you'd better find someplace close."

When Nikolas and I were together, it was as if nothing else in the world existed. It was nice being with someone I considered pack; an equal to my own alpha status. Someone besides Lucien that I could just let go completely with, and not have to worry whether I let him in too close or kept him too far away. Xander had been that person for me for well over a year. But too much had changed. The dynamics between us irrevocably shifted the moment I transitioned.

Doc had been wrong about one thing; my wolf wasn't weak. It hadn't faded into the background like he thought it would. No, it was right up there, in tune with the vampire part of me. Both working in sync, together, as if they recognized the benefits of being a half-breed.

After a few miles, we stopped at a wooded area. Nikolas pushed his bike off into a clump of bushes and I stepped away to explore. The place was familiar. We'd been here together shortly after Lucien brought me over.

Things had been fine those first few weeks. Until the moon went full and my wolf decided he wanted out.

It was Nikolas who taught me to shift. Who taught me how to embrace the pain of my body turning itself inside out. Who taught me the utter and complete joys of being a wolf. Showed me both the beauty and horror of it all.

For so long, I'd thought becoming a werewolf would be a sentence greater than death.

Oh, how wrong I'd been.

I let my shirt drop to the ground. Before my fingers managed to work open the button of my pants, Nikolas moved up behind me. The hair of his chest brushed against my naked back and I couldn't help but smile. For all he wore, Nikolas was a champ at getting undressed the fastest.

"Slow," he growled. "Always fucking dragging."

"Maybe I just like it when someone else undresses me."

He smacked me on the ass and stepped away. "Not this time."

The far-away look in his eyes worried me. He was too quiet, too serious. I pushed off my pants, pausing to unlace and kick off my boots so I could actually get everything off. When I was naked, Nikolas placed a kiss to my shoulder and walked past me.

"Lead or follow?"

Chase or be chased.

What the hell. I needed the practice. "Follow."

Nikolas smirked. "As you wish& Master."

He took off at a dead run, shifting, two legs becoming four, skin becoming fur, man becoming wolf. I couldn't shift that easily yet. Unless I was doing partial shifts, I needed the calm concentration. If I didn't have that, it hurt like fuck.

With Nikolas out running through the woods . waiting for me to catch him . that was proving difficult. Finally, I turned my face up to the night sky, relaxing my body, easing my wolf to the surface. There was a moment of hesitation; as if my wolf couldn't believe I was letting him out to play again so soon.

Nikolas' scent carried on a caress of wind, however, and any hesitation vanished. I went from man to wolf-form in a matter of seconds, my shrill scream of pain and protest becoming a howl. I took off, following Nikolas' trail into the woods.

Small animals had scurried off to avoid Nikolas. I could still hear their hearts beating frantically. Could taste their fear on the air. As tempting as it might have been to stop for a quick snack, the thrill of catching up to Nikolas was much stronger. His scent was everywhere, and I couldn't quite decide which trail to follow.

I nosed the ground at one of his tracks, searching for more. There was one thing that just really sucked about being in wolf form: my vision was crap.

Well, it didn't have to be. Being half vampire, I had advantages my fellow wolves didn't.

I closed my eyes and let that one part of me shift back. When I opened my eyes again, my night vision was as clear as day. Color exploded all around me. Not just color, but heat and cold. Better than any military's infrared scopes or cameras.

The heat of the animals and the cool of the earth and trees surrounding me made for an easy trek. I plowed through bushes, soared over fallen logs, as at ease on four legs as I'd ever been on two. After a while, I stopped short. Nikolas' trail had gone cold, his tracks making a circle but not leading anywhere.

I scanned the woods for him for as far as I could see. Even at a distance, I should have been able to find him. The traces of heat I did see weren't big enough. Hell, a nearly three-hundred pound werewolf was hard to miss.

Bastard.

He'd done this to me before: taken off, sure I was hot on his trail, only to pull his power in and circle back around to surprise me. I'd once thought Xander was the only one able to pull his power in so much, to hide it from even his own kind.

I'd been wrong about a lot of things.

For a few moments, I waited; listening, smelling, tasting the mingled scents of the woods on the breeze. Something was out of place; didn't belong here among the dirt, the animals, and the decay of fallen leaves.

Metal. The vague scent of leather.

I would have grinned in human form. As I was, I snarled and turned my gaze to the trees above me. Nikolas lay in the crook of a branch. He'd been watching me the entire time.

He growled and jumped out of the tree. I rolled across the ground, trying to avoid the impact. One of his paws grazed my shoulder, claws tearing into me. Instead of rolling away, I lunged at him, pinning him to the ground. He snapped at me, showing a mouth  full of razor-sharp canines.

I went for his throat, fighting to sink my teeth into him, but he kicked at me with his hind legs and sent me flying across the dirt. In a matter of seconds, he was above me, intent on pinning me beneath him. Desperate for the upper hand, I let him get close and bit his nose.

He yelped, and in a moment of disorientation I rolled him, pinned him, and sank my canines into the fur of his neck. Blood spurted into my mouth and I growled out in warning. If he didn't stop, if he didn't submit, there'd be much more bloodshed.

Namely, his.

Finally, Nikolas went still beneath me, breath coming in quick, harsh pants. I eased my hold on his throat, but when he started to move, I clamped down again.

Nikolas heaved a sigh and turned his head, giving me his throat. I grunted in satisfaction and licked at his wounds, savoring the taste of his blood. He rolled beneath me, shoving his ass up against my belly. I mounted him, humping against his ass, spreading my scent through his fur.

It wasn't all about sex.

Sometimes, it was a matter of marking territory. Of claiming what was mine. But Nikolas didn't think that way . couldn't think that way. For him, it was just about the sex.

I leaned up and nipped his ear. "Shift."

We'd fucked in wolf-form several times in recent months, but tonight, I wanted his skin, his kiss, his touch. I shifted as he did, and soon there was nothing between us but skin. I licked a long line down his spine, savoring the taste of him and sweat and blood.

I held my hand at his lips. "Spit."

He did, and I smeared his ass with it and then lined my cock up at his hole. "Ready?"

"Just fuck me, already."

I pushed into him, fighting past that tight ring of resistance. If it was anyone else, I'd have been afraid of hurting them. But Nikolas was different. He liked the stretch and the burn and the feel of nothing but skin and spit between us.

When I finally slid inside him, he groaned and shuddered, going completely still. "Oh, that's good, princess."

I pulled out a little and pushed back in. "Lie on your back."

"Why? You need to see who you're fucking?"

"Oh, I know." I nipped his shoulder, bleeding him a little with my fangs. "Just want to see your face."

He was quiet for a moment, but nodded. "All right."

Nikolas wiggled and turned onto his back. He gave me a look that said he wanted to ask if I was happy now, but he refrained from being that much of a smartass. I spread his legs apart and rubbed the head of my cock against his hole, letting just the head push into him before pulling away.

"Goddamn it, if you don't fuck me." I pushed into him in one hard thrust and he dropped his head back, eyes going back in his head. "Oh, fuck!"

"Stop being so fucking pushy," I whispered, nuzzling at his neck.

He bared that muscled neck for me and I sank my fangs in, sipping from him as I fucked him. His hands slid over my hips and moved up my back, fingers shifting into claws. Pain hit sharp and beautiful, just as a wave of pleasure went through me.

"More," he cried after a few minutes. I wasn't sure whether he meant for me to fuck him harder or bite him more, so I did both. "Fuck! That's not exactly what I meant, but oh-fuck-me-don't-stop."

I would have grinned, had I not had my fangs buried in his throat. It was rare that I could send him into babbled, run-together words when we fucked, but I took great pleasure in the times that I did.

I let my shields down completely, letting my wolf come just to the surface. I stopped feeding from him and kissed him. He caught my face between his clawed hands and pushed his tongue between my lips, kissing me back, hard, deep, as if trying to taste every bit of his blood that lingered.

Every muscle in his body tensed and he let out an honest to God whimper. I wedged one hand between us and wrapped my hand around his prick, jerking him off as I thrust into him, letting my thumb graze the underside of his dick over and over again.

He tightened around me so much that I could do nothing but push deep and keep jerking him off, letting him ride his orgasm to the finish. In a matter of seconds, he shot, hot, sticky, and wet all over my fingers. The scent of his come and the feel of him shuddering beneath me sent me over and I jerked, coming inside of him in a hot rush.

I looked down at him and felt a joy so deep, so pure, that it made me ache. Nikolas' gaze locked with mine and there was a moment where my own emotions reflected in his eyes. It was gone in a matter of seconds, and he nudged me as if afraid I'd start pouring my heart out to him.

"Better shift so we can head back. Ground's hell on bare feet."

I rolled off him and onto the ground, lying on my back so I could gaze up at the night sky. I pulled my hair up and made sure it rested on my arms instead of the ground. If not, I'd end up with nine kinds of crap in my hair and it'd look like a family of rats had made a home in my brown locks.

"Not yet."

Surprisingly, he didn't argue. Just tucked his arms up behind his head, sighing . though it didn't seem as if he was annoyed. We lay in silent, peaceful co-existence for a long while until Nikolas cleared his throat.

"Let me go take care of this Jake guy."

"We talked about this, Nikolas. No."

"No, you said I couldn't do it and that was the end of it, but Peter, this is something I need to do."

"Need to? More like you're pissed and you want revenge. I understand that, but goddamn it, Nikolas, I can't just let you go off into another territory looking for some monster."

I started to sit up, but Nikolas grabbed a handful of my hair and jerked me back. "Don't dismiss me!"

On instinct, I snarled and turned into him, baring my fangs. He let go of me and lay back, tucking his arm behind his head once again, his calm expression just a mask.

I glared. "Fuck you."

"Been there, done that." He rolled his eyes. "You know what? Just forget it."

It wasn't like Nikolas to drop anything this quickly. Ever. I lay back with a huff, confused. And I fucking hated being confused. After a short silence, I just couldn't stand the questions running through my mind.

"Why?"

Silence.

"Nikolas?"

He sighed heavily. "He was like a father to me. It's my right to avenge his death."

"And I'm scared that if you go off up there, something will happen and you won't come back home. Let the Council handle it. They at least know what they're getting into."

"Fuck the Council." He sat up quickly. "We should go."

"We're not done talking yet."

"Oh, I'm done," he grumbled.

He shifted and darted off before I even started to my feet. I sat and stared after him, unease filling my gut, tears burning my nose and threatening to fall. Instead of holding them back, I let them fall.

No one would ever see my tears.

Nikolas would never know that I was terrified of losing him.

After a while, I rose to my knees, calling my wolf back to the surface. I could sense the confusion in him. We'd run, we'd mated; the only thing left was to hunt. Man, was my wolf going to be pissed.

* * *

I shifted back just before I reached the clearing. When I emerged from the surrounding trees, Nikolas was leaning against a tall, broad oak, smoking, staring at the ground. I went for my clothes, but they weren't near the tree where I'd left them.

Slowly, I turned back in Nikolas' direction. At his feet lay an odd-shaped bundle.

"Are those my clothes?"

"Looks like 'em."

"Goddamn it, Nikolas." I growled as I stalked toward him. "You know they're mine."

"Yeah," he said after a few moments passed. "I was trying to decide whether I wanted to set them on fire. But you know& I do like those pants."

I gathered my clothes, but realized my boots weren't with them. "Where the fuck are my boots?"

"You think I'd burn a perfectly good pair of boots? They're beside the ride."

"Fucking asshole motherfucker."

I hissed and snapped as I dressed, calling him every goddamned name I could think of. Once I was dressed and had my boots on, Nikolas pushed away from the tree and ground his cigarette butt into the dirt.

"'Bout fucking time."

My fist made contact with his face in a matter of seconds. Instead of walking away like he normally would, he hit me back. Surprised, I stumbled back, hair rising over my body. He advanced toward me, but I lunged and shouldered him mid-center, sending him crashing to the ground.

One of his hands gripped my throat, and the other swung out and belted me on the side of the head. Dozens of tiny little lights sparked before my eyes and I suddenly found myself on my back, staring up at Nikolas. He was totally calm, stroking his thumb up and down my throat. Without a word, he leaned down and kissed me. It wasn't a kiss of a fuck-buddy, or even a friend; it was the kiss of a lover.

Soft and tender were two words I'd never use to describe anything about Nikolas. But his kiss was nothing but. My hands framed his face, fingers sliding into his hair. His body relaxed and a sigh escaped him.

"I'll drop it&for now. But if I don't get some answers soon, I'm going to be asking again. We done fighting about it?"

I nodded as he nuzzled in against my neck, holding him tight to me. "We're done."

We lay there for a few moments before Nikolas' cell phone rang. It vibrated between us as it rang and I gasped. He grinned and ground against me. "How long you want me to let the phone ring, princess?"

"For as long as it'll ring and hope they call back?" I pushed at his shoulders. "Answer it, fool."

The phone continued to ring, as if whoever was calling hit redial before the voicemail picked up. Nikolas finally dug the phone out of his pocket.

"What?"

I laughed, watching his expressions, listening to the one-sided conversation.

"Yeah& No, why? & I see& No, I've got him. Be there shortly."

Ah, yes. The usual call to see if I'd been rounded up. Nikolas was the only one who'd come find me that I'd go home with without incident. He seemed to be the only one who realized that while I was supposed to be kept safe, I was still in charge.

"Reid?" I asked when he snapped the phone shut.

"Of course."

"What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Liar." I watched him get up, pocket his phone, then head for the bike. "Reid doesn't do the calling unless something's going down, so spill it."

He straddled the bike and rubbed the gas tank affectionately with his palm. After a few seconds, he huffed. "You feed at the club you were at tonight?"

"Yes. Why?"

"We've got a bleeder."

Bleeder. Aka . a vampire vic. Someone who had bled, but probably hadn't liked it.

"At the club where I was tonight?"

"Christ." He started up the Harley and revved the engine. "Guess I ain't gonna get to eat for a while."

I jumped to my feet and went to Nikolas, climbing on behind him. I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed the back of his neck. "Won't take long. I promise. I just want to have a look around."

"You are so going to owe me."

* * *

We parked a couple blocks away and walked toward the club. I could see the flashing blue and red lights reflecting off the sides of nearby buildings. At a block away, the scent of gun oil was so strong it burned my nose.

"These are good boys and girls," I said with an amused chuckle. "Clean."

"Yeah, well, don't let it get you all hard, princess. We're just here to look, then we go eat." Nikolas sniffed, nose wrinkling. "I don't smell much blood."

Oddly, neither did I.

We continued walking until we came up behind a crowd of people. They parted for us easy enough until we reached a line of sawhorses bound together by police tape. An officer was just a few feet away, attempting to explain to a young woman why she couldn't cross the line to go in search of a friend she thought was still inside the club.

She whined enough that the officer finally agreed to check out a few names for her. I scouted around, searching for clues on what had happened.

Most of the activity seemed to be centered around the alley next to the club. Crime scene techs went back and forth, from the alley to a van, snapping pictures, collecting evidence. The one thing I couldn't see well was the body.

I slowly made my way toward the van. If I couldn't see the body, maybe the evidence would be just as good. A tech standing at the van set his camera down, and I watched him as he started packing some of his equipment away. Another tech called out his name, needing his help with something.

He started to walk away, but seemed to have second thoughts about leaving his equipment out.

"No, no, it'll be fine," I whispered under my breath, keeping my focus on the tech at the van. "Go."

"What the fuck are you doin'?" Nikolas growled in my ear.

I ducked beneath the crime scene tape, winking. "Just watch my back, okay?"

"Goddamn it, Peter!"

Partially shielding, I made my way to the van. I wasn't trying to disappear as much as I was trying to blend in. On the top of one of the crates inside the van was a crime scene vest. I took it and slipped it on, then picked up the camera. It took me a moment to figure out what all the buttons were for, but I finally found the one that'd let me review whatever was on the card.

There were images of the club, the alley at dozens of different angles, dumpsters, garbage, and a brick wall with a number of substances coating it&

My heart caught in my throat as the next image slid into place.

Ricky. The one I'd fed from only hours ago.

I hit the button again and image after image slid across the small screen, the vacant stare in his blue eyes more than haunting. There was something else about the images that didn't set well, but I couldn't seem to settle on just what that was. Swallowing hard, I pulled the memory card from the camera and tucked it deep into my front pants pocket. I carefully wiped the camera to avoid leaving any of my fingerprints, then set it back down where I'd found it.

I turned to make my way to the alley to see Ricky's body firsthand, but two assistants from the coroner's office were wheeling a stretcher with a body bag toward the coroner's van. I shucked the vest and looked back to the crowd for Nikolas.

He met my gaze, his expression nothing less than angry. I walked to him and shielded myself completely from everyone else. Nikolas looked like he wanted to haul off and drag me back through the crowd and beat me for being a pain in his ass.

"We need to take the body."

"What the fuck do you mean 'take the body'? Damn it, Peter! You were just going to look around, not play Mr. Investigator."

"I fed from him tonight."

"So? You didn't do this." He growled and shook his head when I just stared back at him. "Son of a bitch! This night just keeps getting better and better."

"I'll grab the coroner's van and the body, since I can screw with the driver's head. I'll ditch the van a few blocks from here, behind the 7-11. You be waiting for me?"

Nikolas nodded. "I'll be there. You just hurry the fuck up and don't get caught."

Chapter Six

Getting the body was easier than I thought it would be. Some people weren't as receptive to mind games as others were. Luckily, the driver of the coroner's van was easy. One of the easiest I'd ever done. Poor sap would go in the store and take a quick piss and when he came out, he'd be short one body in the back of his van.

Nikolas walked around the back of the van. "Took you long enough."

"Not like I wanted to start breaking traffic laws to draw more attention."

He rolled his eyes. "Why are we doing this again?"

"Because I fed from him tonight and now he's dead." I shook my head. "That doesn't compute at all?"

"I'm just being a pain." He grabbed the body bag and tugged it toward us. "You know, I didn't get in near as much trouble before you came along."

I slugged him in the shoulder. "Oh, I bet."

"I don't think I've ever stolen a body from a crime scene."

"It's not like this is a habit of mine!"

"Right." He lifted the body and handed it to me. "Whatever you do, don't drop him on the way home. I do not want to be scouring the highway for body parts."

Ugh. Poor Ricky had only been dead a short time, but the stench of death and decay had already started to appear and was hard to ignore. I waited until Nikolas was back on his bike and awkwardly climbed on behind him, settling Ricky between us. Nikolas looked back and scratched his head.

"He's not stiff yet, is he?"

I felt of the body through the bag. "Nope."

"Damn."

"Why?"

"Bastard's going to flop around."

"I'll try to hold him still."

"Unzip him so it doesn't look like we're carting a body around."

"Uh, Nikolas? We are carting a body around." I started unzipping the body bag anyway. "Want me to just take him out of the bag?"

"Fuck no!" Nikolas nearly fell off the bike trying to stand and move away from me, as if I'd already done it. "I don't want him leaking all over me or my fucking bike."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Haven't you been with Lucien when he brings the new vamps over?"

"Well&no. If you remember, it was a touchy subject between us for a while. And now that you mention it, he hasn't brought anyone over since me."

"Hmm. All righty, princess. Pay attention and I'll tell you all about it." He sat back down and started the bike, but glared back at me. "You unzip that fucker all the way, though, you're walking home."

"Okay, okay!" I held on to the body, situating it between us so that none of his parts dragged along the pavement. "Just drive, Nikolas."

He took off, heading for home, and I soon realized that one should never use a motorcycle to haul around two people plus a dead body. Ricky was awkward to hold onto effectively . and I was sure the sight of us hauling ass down the highway drew unwanted attention. I attempted to make us a little harder to spot by calling up shadows to hide us, but it took so much effort that I wasn't sure I was doing it effectively.

After a few miles of driving, Nikolas glanced back at me. "Your little friend still zipped?"

I was tempted to tell him that I'd unzipped him and we were now both riding bitch, but considering how adamant Nikolas had been that Ricky stay zipped up, I was afraid that even a slight joke about it would cause Nikolas to wreck.

"Jesus, Nikolas, what's your deal with keeping him zipped?"

"You can't tell me you don't smell him."

"So?"

"So? Everything that was inside his body at the time he died is now outside his body." Nikolas shook his head. "And probably all over the inside of that bag by now."

"Gross." I pushed the body away from me a little. "Since when are you squeamish?"

"Fuck you."

Wait a minute.

"I died," I said slowly, suddenly wondering just what happened after Lucien brought me over. "Does that mean&?"

"That you turned ripe? 'Fraid it does, princess. But you know what? Lucien loved you enough to deal with it himself. Normally, he gets someone else to clean up the mess. You though? He cleaned you up and bathed you and made sure that no one saw you in that state."

It touched me that Lucien would go through so much trouble just to leave me with a bit of dignity. But I so couldn't afford the sappiness while in the company of Nikolas.

"What's that?"

"What's what?"

"Admiration for someone you hate?"

"For the record, I don't hate Lucien."

"Uh-huh."

"He's an arrogant, aggravating, jealous bastard . but I don't hate him." Nikolas was quiet for a little while. "I think I miss him, if you want to know the truth."

"Pull over," I said.

"Too late for that shit," Nikolas said as he turned into the driveway. "And if you say a goddamned word, I'll beat you to death."

"That might be too much fun to pass."

My smartass reply back that getting a beating from him might actually be fun was cut short by the sight of the crowd gathered in the circular drive of the mansion. I instantly recognized my security team that I'd ditched earlier . As Nikolas parked the bike, my gaze went from face to face until some of the security team parted to reveal Silver and Lucien.

I groaned inwardly.

They were beyond pissed.

I got off the bike first, hauling Ricky's body up with me. I didn't need to turn around and look to know that Lucien and Silver were headed our way. My skin prickled with power as Lucien came closer, and I had to fight not to go to my knees. It was a constant battle for me, to not bow down to him as Master, but to meet him as an equal.

The hard, cold fact was: I was nowhere near as powerful as Lucien.

Nikolas stood and turned in my direction, and I handed him the body. He promptly dropped it to the ground and dug a cigarette out of his jacket pocket. I stared at him incredulously as he lit the cigarette.

"I am not holding what's left of your dinner."

"Thanks, Nikolas. Really."

"Anytime, babe."

I rolled my eyes and steeled myself, finally turning to face Lucien. He just stared at me, though, and I found myself fidgeting. It was Silver who spoke first.

"Why do you keep ditching your security detail?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"You know exactly what I mean," Silver growled. "The detail is for your protection, Peter."

"I don't need protection. What I need is to be able to go out and feed without having a fucking audience. Do you know just how many meals they've ruined here lately?"

"You do not have to hunt outside the coven, Peter," Lucien said. His tone was measured, but the anger was there, just beneath the surface. "There are a number of donors who would be more than willing to let you feed from them at any given time."

"Why are you trying to push me to feed from donors? I'm not like you . I like hunting and I like variety."

"Your actions have been selfish and careless. There are reasons that the security detail was put into place . reasons you yourself agreed with . and you should not be so quick to dismiss them. They put their lives on the line for you each and every day, and are willing to put your safety above their own."

"Give it a rest, Lucien."

"I will not 'give it a rest'. You have been childish and irresponsible, and if you think."

"Continue that sentence and I guarantee you will regret it."

"We will discuss this later."

It pissed me off that he'd even considered having this discussion in public and even more that he'd called me childish and irresponsible. I might have been at times, but I'd be damned if I was going to be called out like this and just take it.

"Yes, Master." I smirked and even bowed my head a little in his direction. "As you wish."

Nikolas snorted, trying to cover up a laugh, and Lucien roared out in anger. Lucien started toward me, but Nikolas blocked his path.

"Easy there, vampire."

"Stay out of it, Nikolas."

"Can't do that."

"You should mind your own business, for once."

Nikolas took a step toward Lucien and they stood nose-to-nose, both ready for a fight. I could feel the waves of energy and power and I touched Nikolas' back, urging him to back down. He finally shook his head and laughed.

"Peter is my business."

There was a sudden commotion and a rush of steps, everyone pulling Lucien and Nikolas apart. They both continued to glare at each other, and I fully expected at least one of them to start beating his chest with a fist in a show of dominance.

Silver stepped between Nikolas and Lucien, gesturing to me. "Walk away, Peter."

"I intend to." I grabbed Nikolas by the arm of his jacket. "Nikolas?"

"I'm coming, princess." He winked and grabbed one end of the body bag. "Grab the other end and let's take your friend down to medical."

I did as he said and we headed for the front door. The walk downstairs was silent, and I played the confrontation over and over again in my head. Lucien was probably right. I was probably childish and irresponsible, but I wasn't ready to admit that to him.

Before we got to the treatment room, Nikolas glanced back. "Why so quiet?"

"I just got fucking reamed in front of everyone out there. What is there to say?"

"He should never have done that."

"And you shouldn't have to keep coming to my defense."

Nikolas dropped the bag and I found myself slammed into the wall behind me, my hands clasped in his and held above my head. He shook his head adamantly.

"I will always defend you." He let one hand go and ran his thumb gently back and forth across my bottom lip. "It comes with the territory."

"What are we doing?" I whispered.

"Don't tell me you don't know." There was a hint of fear behind his words. "Don't tell me that you don't feel it, princess. That you don't know exactly what we are to each other."

I felt.

I knew it.

Had known for so very long, even though I tried to deny it.

We both had.

But now, it was impossible to ignore. However, admitting it felt like the ultimate betrayal. It was as if saying those words would irrevocably change things between us and the ones that we loved.

"It scares me."

"It used to scare the hell out of me, too."

I looked at him in confusion. "Used to?"

"Sabaan's been a good teacher." He smiled, bright and genuine. "And he loves you just about as much as I do. He wants us to work this out, to stop hiding from each other."

"I don't even know you." I swallowed hard, trying to get a grip. "Not all mushy like this and shit."

"Blame the demon."

"Excuse me?" Sabaan's happy voice echoed down the long hallway. "What in hell are you trying to blame on me now?"

Nikolas stepped back a little and held out his free hand, but didn't let go of mine. "Hey, kitty."

Sabaan snuggled right up to Nikolas, but quickly frowned when he looked at me. "What am I interrupting?"

"You're not," I answered. "What brings you down here?"

"Well& I heard that my lover and his mate showed up with a body bag and had a little confrontation with Lucien. And me being me, I just had to come get the scoop in person." He glanced from me to Nikolas, and back to me again. "Now would you two just kiss and make up . if you're fighting, that is . and let's get on with the show? I want to know about the stink fest going on in the body bag."

"How can you be so okay with this?"

"Because I love Nikolas.and I love you. I want us all to be happy, and part of Nikolas' happiness is his wolf not having to hide the fact that his mate is someone other than me. It would be stupid of me to think that a wolf wouldn't want an alpha to share his or her pack with."

"But."

"No buts, Peter. I know where I stand in all of this and I couldn't be happier."

Nikolas leaned in and kissed me and I melted against him, suddenly feeling the need for a little comfort. When he pulled back, he had a lop-sided grin on his face. "I've learned it's best to just nod your head and say you get it."

Sabaan slugged Nikolas playfully. "Don't listen to him, Peter."

"I hate to be changing the subject, but the body is starting to reek, princess."

He was right. Decay was settling in fast. I nodded and pushed away from the wall. "Yeah, we need to get him down to the treatment room."

Nikolas started to reach for the body bag, but paused and looked up at me. "You do me a favor, Peter?"

"What?"

"Say it. Just once."

"Say what? That you're my mate? The alpha to my wolf?"

He nodded slowly. "Do you believe it or are you just repeating it back?"

"I believe it."

"Good." Nikolas picked up his end of the bag. "Now quit dawdling and pick up your end."

* * *

"I'm almost certain that this guy was killed by a vampire."

"Almost certain, huh?" Nikolas stepped up to the exam table and yanked the sheet off of Ricky's body, exposing his pale, nude form. "Either he was or he wasn't."

Cecil, the physician that Doc and Daniel had sent to work for the coven, frowned and picked the sheet up off the floor. He half-ass folded it and laid it at the foot of the table, then grabbed a clipboard from the counter a few feet away. Nikolas' presence seemed to make the good ol. doctor a little nervous.

The man had been hand-picked for the position of coven physician a year ago, but I still hadn't grown comfortable with him. Not like I had with Doc.or Markus, as he was called by Lucien. Cecil was&well, just strange, sometimes.

He gave me that mad-scientist vibe, even though he wasn't all that creepy looking and his features were that of a young, twenty-something man with brown hair, brown eyes, and a slight frame. He was a little plain and unremarkable, maybe, but wasn't the evil doctor with the freakishly long eyebrows and the Romanian accent out of an old cartoon.

Even if he could patch up injured members of our team like an expert, I still didn't count him as our official doctor. That was Doc, and I hoped a day would come when Doc himself might become a part of the coven.

"There are a number of bites present," Cecil said in his usual quiet manner. He gestured to both wrists, the groin . which was where I'd fed . and to both sides of Ricky's neck. "Most of them are vampire, but there's one bite in particular that seems to be more canine in nature. If you'll look closely at the bites on his neck, you'll see that instead of two punctures, there are four. The pattern of the bite is much larger than a vampire's."

I moved to the head of the table and examined both bite marks. "That doesn't make sense. If it was a werewolf, there wouldn't be much left of the body at all."

"I agree," Nikolas said. "Why leave the meat behind?"

"I can't say." Cecil walked to the counter behind me and grabbed a piece of paper from the printer. "There was some blood and junk beneath the victim's fingernails and I ran a few preliminary tests. They were both positive for vampire and Lycan cells."

That didn't make sense. "Anything else besides the bites?"

Cecil nodded. "There was a pooling of blood in the back of his throat.positive for vampire."

"So let me get this straight. He was fed on by me, then was lured out and fed on by another vampire and a werewolf?" When Cecil nodded, I shook my head. "Wolves don't feed like that."

"No, they don't," Nikolas added. "Unless they're trying to make it seem like a vampire was responsible."

"The blood in the back of the throat&do you think that means the vamp wanted to turn him?" Nikolas and Cecil both looked at me, frowning. "What?"

"He wouldn't have left him." Nikolas sighed. "They only leave behind revenants."

"Which would explain the level of decay," Cecil said. "It's rare to have a potential vampire decomp so fast. And, if that's the case, then."

"The body needs to be disposed of immediately." Lucien's voice from the doorway drew our attention. "It could be used as a beacon for the vampire to find out our location, and that's trouble we do not need."

"How long have you been standing there?"

I hadn't heard or felt him and that was just&odd. I looked to Nikolas to see if he'd heard or felt Lucien, but he just shrugged and shook his head.

"Long enough to find out what I needed to know." His words felt like a punch to the gut and I couldn't figure out why. "You will dispose of him, Peter."

"I can't do that!"

Lucien's brow furrowed in confusion. "And why is that?"

"I& He just&"

"Maybe he feels a bit of responsibility as to what happened to this guy," Nikolas said. "I really think that we need to keep him around a little longer to get as much evidence off him as possible."

"Not in my house."

"Then we'll take him somewhere else," I snapped.

"You will do no such thing."

Lucien stalked toward the table and pushed me out of the way. He reached out and held his hand over the body, and I felt that cold, familiar power of his turn hot. The body began to smoke, and within seconds erupted into a fiery mass. Unable to move, I watched in horror as the body burned to ash right before my eyes.

The door to the room flew open and Sabaan ran in, a stricken look on his face. "Lucien, no!"

As the fire began to dissipate, Lucien rubbed his hands together as if dusting them off. I gaped at him and this show of power that I didn't have a clue he even had.

"What the fuck was that?"

"That was me, disposing of the body you so carelessly brought into our home," Lucien hissed. "The last thing you need to do is become a liability to the coven."

"Lucien, stop." Sabaan grabbed his arm and tried pulling him away. "You don't mean that."

"Don't tell me what I mean, Sabaan." He jerked out of Sabaan's grasp and closed the distance between us. "Do not think that just because I put you in this position that I won't knock you right back out of it."

"I couldn't give a shit about my position."

"Oh, really?" He cocked his head, smirking. "Do you really think your actions would be tolerated if you weren't my&"

He broke off as if he couldn't even say the words. "Your lover? Why is that so hard for you to say all of a sudden?"

"Perhaps because it might give one the impression that there was still a hint of love in that equation."

"Are you saying that you're not&that you don't love me anymore?"

"I don't know what I'm saying."

He sighed and turned away from me, walking across the room. It was only then that I realized we were alone. Everyone else must have slipped out when they realized this wasn't going to be a cut and dried argument.

"Part of you does," I said quietly. "If part of you didn't feel that way, you never would have said it."

Lucien turned to face me and there were tears in his eyes. "Why did you move out?"

Of course he had to ask me the one question that I couldn't answer with complete honesty.

"I thought a little space might do us some good."

"I see." He shoved his hands in his pants pockets and sighed. "And how long do you think this space and time away from each other needs to be?"

"I don't know. Until we figure out why we're so fucked up?"

"I had no idea we were so fucked up."

"We're locked in this downward spiral, and all we seem to be doing is pushing each other farther and farther away. You're keeping things from me."

"And you from me."

I gave a slight nod. "So we're keeping things from each other. Why? Why are we doing that when we promised there'd be no more secrets? When we swore that no matter what it was we were going through, we'd work through it together?"

"It's not that I'm keeping things from you." Lucien sighed and turned his back to me. "I just& There are things I'm not ready to share right now. It's not that I never will, but I can't do it right now."

"I guess that makes two of us."

I stared at his broad back for a long while, trying to think of something else to say. Trying to figure out if there was some other way around all of this shit that we were going through. But I had no answers. All I wanted to do was wipe the slate clean and start all over.

I couldn't lose him.

Wiping the slate clean without fixing our problems would just lead us right back to where we were standing now. I walked across the room and stood behind him, wanting to take him in my arms and forget about everything else.

His posture was so defensive; back all straight, his hands making fists in his pockets. I reached for him but stopped mid-air, wondering if my touch would even be accepted. Finally, I said to hell with it and placed my hand on his arm, giving a gentle squeeze. He shook his head, but didn't pull away, and for that I was grateful.

After a few tense moments, he leaned back against me. I took that as an invitation and wrapped my arms around him, buried my face into his neck, and hugged him tight. One of his hands came up and pressed my head closer to him, his fingers tightening into a fist through my hair.

"I do love you, Lucien."

"I know." He swallowed hard. "And maybe that's what makes all of this so difficult.knowing the love is there, but&"

"Unable to find our way around everything else."

"Oh, Peter," he whispered and turned to face me, capturing my face between his hands. "I just need time."

"I don't want to lose you."

He kissed me, softly, gently, holding me against him like I was a precious thing. When he pulled away, he smoothed my hair and smiled a sad smile. "I have to go."

I reached for him as he walked away. "Lucien, wait."

"I have work to do."

And then he was gone, out the door before I could say another word. The room was silent and still and the scent of Ricky's ashen remains hung heavily in the once-sterile environment. The ache in my chest grew with each passing moment, and soon it was an all-encompassing emptiness. I dropped to my knees and cried, wishing there were words I could take back, actions I could undo.anything to not have ended up here.

Warm arms enveloped me and pulled me into a broad chest, and I tried to push them away. They held on even tighter, and a kiss was placed to the top of my head.

"What are you doing here?"

"Sabaan said you might need me," Logan whispered. "You want to talk about it?"

I wanted to say no, but found myself nodding. "Please."

Chapter Seven

Logan got up and retrieved the tea kettle from the stove and topped off his cup of tea. The kitchen was oddly empty at this time of night and I was thankful. I didn't need anyone else in here hanging out in order to get the latest gossip.

I toyed with my cup of tea, turning it this way and that, plunking the tea bag up and down. I'd wanted to talk, but I seemed to be having a difficult time even looking at Logan, much less speaking to him. This was the second time he'd caught me on my knees, bawling like a fucking girl.

"Would you rather go somewhere else?"

"Here's fine. I just&"

"Don't know where to start?"

"Sort of." I shrugged. "This is awkward, you know?"

"How so?"

I glanced up at him. "Oh, please don't go psychoanalyzing me."

"Old habits die hard." He leaned across the island counter and put a hand over mine. "Talk to me."

"Things have never been this bad between us, and I'm afraid that instead of getting better with time, everything's just getting worse. I'm scared I'm losing him."

"Lucien?"

"Yes, Lucien."

"Things are fine with Nikolas, though?"

"Okay. This is more than awkward. Maybe I shouldn't be talking about this shit. I mean, it's between us, maybe I should leave it that way."

"Relationships grow and change, and sometimes getting through all of the crap is painful." He withdrew his hand from mine and took a sip of his tea. "But you know what? The ones who make it through and work things out are stronger for it in the long run."

"What if we can't work it out?"

"If you can't, then you come to a place where you can exist alongside one another, but not together." Logan shook his head. "But I don't think it'll come to that."

"You know something I don't?"

"Of course I do," he said with a smile, but the look in his blue eyes was dark, haunted. "Part of my curse."

"Logan, please, if you know what I need to do, tell me."

"If only it was that easy." He started toying with the tea bag in his own cup. "What I hear and pick up sometimes are people's personal thoughts, the war that's going on in their own mind. I can't possibly spill their secrets when they themselves aren't ready to face them."

"That must suck for you."

He shrugged. "Sometimes."

"I love them both, Logan." I swallowed hard, willing away the tears that were trying to form. "I can't imagine my life without both of them."

"Nikolas knows, and he feels the same way, from what I've seen."

It made me smile, just a little. "Kind of freaked me out a little when he mentioned love and mates and all that. I mean, I felt it, but to hear him say it?" I shook my head. "That's just not Nikolas."

"He's changed a lot since he and Sabaan have grown closer."

"You can say that again."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Think back in your relationship with Lucien. When did this jealousy get so out of hand?"

"Oh, God&" I tried to think of just when things were good between the three of us. "It had to be just a little while after I was brought over. Since Xander and I were having issues, Nikolas offered to teach me how to shift and how to control my wolf."

"And that's when you and Nikolas became close?"

I shook my head. "There's always been something between me and Nikolas. I was drawn to him and in this weird way, and the same thing for him. He attacked me once, you know?"

"I recall hearing something about that. Will you tell me about it?"

"Not much to tell. He thought he smelled wolf in me, and I ran like hell like any stupid human would."

"You shot him, right?"

"Several times." I took a sip of my tea and realized my hands were trembling. I set the cup back down on the counter. "He still has the scars."

"You want to know something?" When I shrugged, he smiled. "When you talk about Nikolas, I can see your wolf. Your eyes change colors and they just& It's hard to describe, but I can see how much you care for him."

"And Lucien?"

"At the moment there's a lot of fear and a lot of uncertainty. But below all of that, your love for him is so easy to see. You practically glow when you think or speak of him. When he walks into a room, the bond between the two of you is almost visible."

"Tell me something. What do you see when Lucien looks at Nikolas?" Logan suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Please, Logan."

"The jealousy is strong between the two of them, but the hatred I've always expected to see just isn't there. It's&unusual, really."

"Maybe there's hope for us yet."

"There is."

We fell into a comfortable silence. Every once in a while I'd sneak a glance up at Logan to admire his calm, friendly gaze. He was so different from just about everyone else in the coven. When he wasn't wearing Wranglers and cowboy boots, he wore tailored slacks and dress shirts. His blond hair was always short and perfectly trimmed. He looked like someone you could find in any fancy-assed office in the city, but he was just as down to earth as one could get.

I played with my tea more than anything. It soon grew cold, and I couldn't seem to force the cold liquid down. My stomach just couldn't handle it. There was a soft knock behind me and I turned to find Nikolas.

"You okay, princess?" He came up behind me and hugged me, his attention on Logan. "You been using your psycho skills again?"

"Be nice, Nikolas."

"We were just talking," Logan answered. He stood and took his cup and mine to the sink. "I think I'll leave you two alone. Peter? If you need me, I'm always here."

"Thanks, Logan."

"You didn't answer me," Nikolas said after Logan left the room. "Are you okay?"

"For now." I leaned back against Nikolas, feeling comforted by his presence. "What's up?"

"Well& I thought I'd see if you wanted to go hang out at the morgue and see who shows up for your Ricky friend. If we can catch whoever did this, I'd love to question them."

"There will be no need for that. It's been taken care of."

Nikolas and I both turned to find Silver in the doorway. The expression on his face was less than pleased and it immediately set me on edge. Silver was a good friend, but sometimes his position as head of security gave him a little more confidence in speaking his mind. I hated to be talked down to, and he'd been doing a lot of that lately.

"On whose authority?" I asked.

"Lucien's," he answered simply. "It wouldn't have been done otherwise."

His tone was sharp and his words just this side of accusing. "Oh, I'm sure you'd never take it upon yourself to take care of things without permission."

"What were his orders, exactly?" Nikolas asked.

"To find the rogue and execute him."

"You can't be serious!" I stood and turned to face Silver fully. "Why in hell would we want the guy dead before finding out why he targeted Ricky?"

"And why there was a werewolf involved," Nikolas added. "You had no right. This was pack business as well as coven business."

Silver shrugged. "Xander signed off on it."

"Of course he did." I was beyond pissed. "Because he was given a full rundown on the facts before he was asked for his okay?"

"I followed my orders as they were given to me."

I could feel my wolf just below the surface, pacing and pissed. He wanted nothing more than to take a hunk out of Silver's hide, just for the satisfaction of bleeding him. Nikolas' fingers threaded into my hair and he looked over at me, his expression concerned.

"He's not worth our time or energy."

"My wolf doesn't agree." I shook Nikolas' hand away and took it in mine. "For the record, Silver? I will remember this and every other time you have talked down to me. Do not think that I'm not keeping a tab or that I won't collect."

Nikolas and I left Silver standing in the kitchen. Once we were down the hall a little way, Nikolas laughed. "I thought you liked him."

"I do."

"Then why the posturing?"

"Because I hate being talked to like I'm a fucking child!" I let go of Nikolas' hand. "And he's had a fucking hard-on for getting me in trouble ever since I ditched my detail the first time."

"I hate to break the news to you," he whispered and leaned closer, "but you sound like a child."

I flipped him off and started to walk away.

"Oh, now, don't be like that, princess."

I kept walking, still flipping him off.

"Is that an offer?"

I paused and grinned back at him. "I need to stop off in Lucien's room first if he's not there."

Nikolas caught up to me, and when we arrived at Lucien's bedroom, I was relieved to find that he wasn't there. I went to the closet and found a few of my favorite things that Adam hadn't picked up yet. It was difficult to sort through some of the clothes because Lucien and I shared them.

Nikolas lounged on the bed as if he owned it, and every time I put something in the pile, he'd pull me down for a kiss. We were in the middle of a long, groping kiss when the door opened and Lucien walked in.

His power exploded in the room and I rested my forehead against Nikolas', afraid of what would happen if I was to turn around. I was sure that Lucien would never intentionally hurt me, but the way his jealousy had turned, I might get bit in the crossfire.

"It is bad enough that you parade your relationship around in front of me and the rest of the coven, but you have to bring him to my room? To my bed?"

I couldn't look at him. "I was just getting a few things, Lucien."

"Same thing you've been getting for a while now."

"Oh, he did not just go there." Nikolas growled and pushed me away gently, then stood to face Lucien. "You do not get to throw insults and insinuations his way when you yourself have been fucking my lover, when you have marked him as your own."

"You did not even realize you wanted him until I had him."

The two of them fought and traded insults and all I could do was sit at the foot of the bed and watch absently. I didn't pay attention to the words, only the tone behind them, and wondered whether, if Logan could hear this argument going on now, he'd still say there wasn't any hatred between the two of them.

I guess in every relationship there comes a point where, if you're doing nothing but fighting and you're surrounded by nothing but negativity, you realize that you're better out of the relationship than in it. Losing him would kill me, but sooner or later, this shit was going to do the same.

Nikolas roared out in anger and tore out of the room in a rage and I watched him go, wishing I was with him instead of being left to pick up the pieces. I didn't want to fight with Lucien again. Twice in one night was just too much for me to handle.

Lucien turned his gaze to me and I held up my hands in defeat. "I'm going."

"You don't want to play with me? Am I not furry enough?"

"Stop it, Lucien."

"Oh, I'm done." He glared at me and I felt every hair on my body stand on end. "So. Very. Done. Don't bother leaving.I won't be back."

He slammed the door when he left and I jumped, even though I'd been expecting it. That poor door. It had been slammed so many times in recent months that I wasn't sure how it was still whole.

Another door slammed down the hall a little while later and I sighed in resignation. Wow. One minute I was happily caught up in a kiss and the next moment I was sitting all alone in the bedroom of a man I loved, but he was done. Whether it was with me, the relationship, with Nikolas&I couldn't be sure.

None of those options sounded good.

I went to the desk and pulled out a small box of the cigarettes Silver supplied me with on a regular basis. I lit one up and sat on a nearby coffee table, trying to figure out where to go from here.

First things first, I needed to get my shit and get it to my own room. It was clear that our situation wasn't going to be solved any time soon. Sabaan materialized into the room, and for once it didn't scare the shit out of me.

"Looks like it's just you and me again, kid."

"This is getting to be a habit," I said in an exhale of smoke.

"Yeah," he said, sitting beside me. "You know smoking is bad for you, right?"

I laughed. "What's it going to do, kill me?"

"Give you bad breath."

"Not these." I leaned over and blew softly into his face. He inhaled and leaned toward me and I smiled. "Pretty good, huh?"

"Oddly&yes."

"Silver's specialties." I rolled the cigarette between my fingers. "Nikolas should try them."

"Why?"

"Because they'd help in calming him down."

Sabaan laughed. "Then we really need to get Lucien to start smoking them."

I took another long drag and shook my head. "I don't know where he went. It's too close to dawn for him to be away from the house."

"He'll be okay. I'm sure he's gone to ground somewhere and will be back as soon as the sun sets."

"I hate it when dawn takes us without us settling things first."

"That was a good rule for you two to have."

"Yeah. He's been breaking that one for a while now."

"I think we all are, Peter. This&thing that's going on between the four of us? There's no standard way of dealing with it. It's just too complicated."

"I used to think we'd be okay in dealing with it, but now I'm just scared; scared of everything going wrong and us hurting each other in ways that can't be overcome."

Sabaan sat quietly, looking around, and I wondered what he knew that I didn't. Had Lucien confided in him about all of this? Did he already know what the outcome might be?

"That's a valid fear, I guess." He stood and took my hand. "But for now, we need to get you to bed or you'll be spending the day on the floor."

I sighed and put the cigarette out in the ashtray before standing. "I should go to my own room."

"Nonsense, Peter. This is your room, too. Just stay here today."

"Will you stay with me today?"

"Of course I will. I hate sleeping alone as much as you do."

I started undressing and dropped my clothes beside the bed. The moment the sun set, I would be out of here. I felt Sabaan's gaze on me and glanced over. "What?"

"Just admiring the view."

Yeah. Just like half the coven liked to 'admire the view'. It had been flattering in the beginning, but now it made me just a little uncomfortable. Flattery and flirting had been the one thing that got me into other people's beds and, well& That's what had led to all of this shit I was going through now.

"What's wrong, Peter?"

"Nothing," I said as I climbed into bed. "Just feeling the dawn."

"Don't lie to me, pretty boy."

I lay there for a moment, shaking my head. "Why me? Why am I the center of so much sexual attention and jealousy? Do I just make myself seem that available? Is it because I have a hard time saying no? Is it my."

He put a finger to my lips to silence me. "Because you're you, Peter."

"Sometimes I'd give anything just to be out of my shoes for one night . to not have to worry about all of this shit."

"You know what you'd be then?"

"What?"

"Just another vampire looking to Lucien for approval and acceptance. You know what I think you need?" I groaned and he moved closer, taking me into his arms and smoothing my hair away from my face. "You need to learn how to be an asshole."

"Huh?"

I felt the weight of dawn pressing heavily and it was all I could do to keep my eyes open. Sabaan was going on about&something, but it was too late for me to engage in any sort of conversation. Soon, my breath left me and everything went silent.

* * *

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Sabaan stretched out on the bed beside me, grinning. "Stop trying to be the nice guy."

"I am a nice guy."

"Too nice, if you ask me. What you need to do is growl a little more. Okay, a lot more. Say no, even when the request is small and of no consequence. Be a jerk and make people suck you off, then cast them away instead of petting them and making sure they didn't feel obligated to do it in any way."

"I can't do that, Sabaan!"

"You can and you will."

"Great. I've found the demon who wants to sit on my shoulder. I'll blame it all on you when I fuck up from now on."

"You might check with Simon. He'd probably go for sitting on the other side."

I grabbed a pillow and smacked him in the head with it. "I'm not turning into an asshole because you think it'll fix me."

"I never said you needed fixing. You just need a little&experience of a different kind." He rolled over and straddled my hips, crossing his arms over his chest. "You need to feed?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass."

Sabaan seemed shocked at the very idea. "Excuse me?"

"Feeding leads to sex with you and even though I'd love to just fuck you until the sun comes up, I should probably go and find Lucien. We didn't leave things in a good place at all last night..  I poked him in the middle of his chest. "And you need to go make up with Nikolas."

"The man is a stubborn, pig-headed oaf."

"Maybe. But he's your stubborn, pig-headed oaf, tonight."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." He settled back on my thighs and I wanted to touch him so badly, but refrained. Touching would be bad. "You want to know what I think?"

"Shoot."

"The four of us should be locked up in a room down in the dungeon."

"What the hell for?" One eyebrow raised slowly as the thought started to sink in before he even answered. "Lock us in and let us fight until we either make up or kill each other?"

Sabaan nodded. "That's exactly what I mean."

"Oh, they would be pissed, Sabaan."

"Uh-huh."

I lay there for a moment, staring at him. But my mind was already racing, actually considering the possibilities and the outcomes. It would probably lead to a whole lot of blood and bruising, but&

"We'd need someone there to keep us from killing each other if it came down to it."

"So you'll talk to Logan and see if he'll referee?"

"I hate to get him involved in this."

"He's already involved, Peter." Sabaan frowned. "You don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"Logan is the coven's new shrink. With his talent for reading people and his degree . while very old, mind you . in psychology, Lucien thought it would be a good idea."

"It is a good idea." I thought back to my conversation with Logan and it suddenly fell into place. I'd had a shrink session and not even realized it. "When did this happen?"

"Two, maybe three weeks ago?" Sabaan bit at his bottom lip, clearly looking miserable. "I'm sorry, baby, I thought you knew."

"It's okay," I said quietly. "I think I've just got to come to terms with the fact that I don't know everything and that my position as Lucien's equal is pretty much null and void."

"Don't say that."

"Why? It's true." I cleared my throat, shifting gears. "I'll talk to Logan about the four of us."

"Soon, pretty boy." He leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose. "But not too soon. You need to do some serious thinking, yourself. Figure out exactly what Lucien means to you, what Nikolas means to you, and where everyone else stands in the equation. If you don't know that? Then getting us all in a room to work things out will be pointless."

"I know how I feel about everyone, Sabaan."

"No, you really don't. Deep down, you still think love is the magic word that makes it all better. There are different kinds of love, baby, and it's time you figured that out and put everyone in their place."

Chapter Eight

I searched the mansion for Lucien for nearly an hour, but came to the conclusion that he either didn't want to be found or was gone. Either way, it was obvious that we wouldn't be talking any time soon. Which was just as well, I guessed. According to Sabaan, I had a lot of thinking to do.

His words hadn't set well, and I found myself wondering if he was right. Different kinds of love&I got that. I really did. I loved Lucien and I loved Nikolas. Ugh. Bad example. I also loved Caleb and Xander and Simon and Logan.in totally different ways, of course.

To anyone outside my head, though, maybe there wasn't a clear way to distinguish one kind from another. Maybe it looked like I just went around fucking and proclaiming that I loved everyone. God, I hoped I hadn't become that guy.

Someone had lit a fire in the common living area's fireplace, and I pulled a chair close. One of the truly odd things about being a vampire was that, in the middle of the summer, I could be downright cold. I had a feeling that my chill tonight had more to do with my personal life than my physical one.

Just as I was about to sit down, the doorbell rang. When no one appeared to answer the door, I went to answer it myself. Breaking, yet again, another of Silver's rules about the safety and security of the coven, the mansion, myself, Lucien, and who the hell knew what else.

I had no idea who to expect, but I certainly didn't expect to see a handsome, thirty-something man smiling at me. He was clean cut and smelled of gun oil and coffee. And wolf. My wolf bristled and it took everything I had not to growl out a harsh welcome. I figured it would be best to play it cool.

If the guy came clean and didn't play games, I figured he wasn't here to cause trouble. Otherwise, I wasn't against kicking his ass all over the front lawn.

"Can I help you?"

"Are you the Master of the coven?"

"No," I laughed. "That would be my lover, and he's not here."

The man offered his hand. "Detective Tanner Brooks, Houston PD."

"Peter." I stared at his hand for a moment before taking it. "And you're here because?"

"There was a murder last night and the body seems to have disappeared."

"Whoa, sounds like y'all need to get organized, huh?" I started inching the door closed. "Unless you're here to hire more competent staff&"

"Cut the crap." He held the door open with one hand. "I was there, I saw the body and the bites, and I smelled the vampire." Detective Brooks leaned in a little. "And that vampire smells just like you."

"We all smell dead." When he didn't laugh, I sighed. "It's complicated."

"And I've got all night."

"My, how forward of you."

I sighed and stepped back, knowing this guy wasn't about to go anywhere without some answers, and I wanted some myself. Particularly why he hadn't made contact with the coven or the pack before now; lone wolves were dangerous. I led him to the study and closed the door.

"Can I offer you a drink?"

"Beer?"

"The one thing I don't keep in here." I picked up the phone and dialed the extension for the kitchen, asking for a six-pack to be sent down. When I hung up, I looked up to see him admiring the books on the shelf. "Make yourself comfortable, Detective."

"Nice place."

"A little stuffy sometimes, but it's home." I made myself comfortable on one of the couches and Detective Brooks sat in a chair across from me. "So. You were there?"

He nodded. "Imagine my confusion when I go down to the morgue to get the official autopsy report this morning, and not only is there no report, there's no record of the body even being brought in."

"Maybe the driver got lost?"

"Did you feed from him?"

"The driver?"

"No, the victim."

"Oh," I said simply. After a moment of contemplating how I could play this, I finally shrugged. "I did."

"Kill him?"

"No."

"Steal his body?"

"Uhh&"

"Why in hell would you take the body when there were so many witnesses to the scene?"

"One, rumor of vampire killers would not go over well. Two, I fed from him and that makes me responsible for him by default." I met his eyes. "And three, one of the bites was Lycan."

"That's not possible."

I just stared at him.

There was a knock at the door before it opened. Adam carried in a tray with beers and set it on the table. I caught his hand before he walked away. "Thank you, Adam. Can you do me a favor and send Cecil up here?"

"Right away, sir."

Detective Brooks fidgeted, but waited until Adam left to speak. "Can I see the body?"

"I'm afraid that's not possible. There was some&disagreement last night about the safety of the house with the body in it. It has been disposed of."

"Shit," he murmured.

"My sentiments exactly." I handed him a beer and grabbed one for myself. "So tell me, Detective, how long have you worked for the police department?"

"I was transferred about two weeks ago." He took a sip of his beer and looked up, but didn't meet my eyes. "I would have come sooner, but I've been busy at work."

"Did you have intentions of joining the pack here?"

He nodded.

"Fortunately for both of us, I have no idea where your future pack leader might be, so."

"Excuse me? Aren't you&?"

"No."

"But."

"I'm afraid that's a long, complicated story, too."

Cecil walked in and Detective Brooks stood. Cecil eyed him warily, then turned his attention to me. "Everything okay, Peter?"

"Why don't you give Detective Brooks here a rundown of what you found with the body last night?"

"It would be much easier if I just showed him," Cecil said. The beginnings of a smile tugged at his lips. "I record all autopsies for my records."

"Oh, Cecil, I think I love you." There was that damned word again. "Figuratively speaking, of course."

"Of course," he chuckled.

I stood and gestured to Detective Brooks. "After you, Detective."

He smiled. "Call me Tanner, please."

* * *

Tanner stared at the computer screen in Cecil's office. "I don't get it."

"You're not the only one," I said. "But if an official autopsy were to show canine bites in conjunction with vampire bites, it would be a very, very bad thing."

"I agree."

"I assume that your superiors want to know where the body is. What are you going to tell them?"

"Not much I really can tell them. There's no body and most of the evidence is missing, therefore it would be considered tainted. The only thing I can come up with is that it was an interrupted turning and that the offending vampire wasn't a local."

"I'm pretty sure that last bit is true. None of our vampires would be so stupid. Turning anyone is strictly forbidden without Lucien's permission, and the penalty for doing so is death, ninety-five percent of the time."

"Damn, isn't that a little harsh?"

"Considering the fact that most vampires don't have the power to bring someone over without making them crazy, blood-thirsty monsters? I don't think so."

"Good point. Now we just need to figure out why this guy ended up dead. Was he just high from getting fed from and that made him an easy target, or was he specifically targeted?" Tanner glanced at me. "Anyone see you feed from this guy?"

I started to say no, but paused. Someone did see me feed from him, but& No, that didn't make sense. I shook my head. "No."

"Hmm." Tanner flipped through his notepad. "Anything like this ever happened before?"

"Oh, sure. Rogues coming through town feed and get carried away, but we've always got teams out roaming the streets to make sure nothing gets found and left behind."

"The coven has a clean-up team?"

I nodded. "One of the best."

"Too bad they didn't get to this guy before we did." Tanner sighed, putting his notepad in his pocket, and handed me a business card. "I'd better get back to the station and start spinning this. If you get any leads, give me a call?"

"Will do," I said. "And you'll be back soon?"

"Don't worry; I'm not a loner. I'll be back."

* * *

"Peter!"

I turned around after I walked out of the treatment room to see Sabaan and Nikolas headed my way. They both looked like they'd had some really good drugs . or some really good fucking. I would bet my life on the latter, and I couldn't hide my smile.

"What have you two been smoking?"

"Each other." Nikolas raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Need a drag?"

Sabaan elbowed him in the gut. "Pervert."

"Hey, I haven't heard either of you complain." Nikolas slid his hand around my throat and I instinctively leaned into his touch. "We were about to get something to eat. Want to join us?"

"I think I should just go back to the study."

"I don't think so," Sabaan said. "If you hang out in the study any more, I'm afraid you're going to become a permanent fixture. You need to get out of there and just have some fun for a change."

Fun.

Right.

"I'm not really in the mood for fun."

Nikolas pulled me in for a kiss. "You sure?"

I nodded.

He sighed and turned to Sabaan. "Steak?"

Sabaan nodded and smiled up at me. "We'll be in the kitchen if you change your mind."

I watched them walk away and slowly made my way back to the study. After I closed the door, though, I had no idea what I wanted to do in there. Part of me wanted to get to work on something, but the other part wanted to just curl up on the couch and pout like a lovesick fool.

I tried lounging on the couch first, but after flopping around this way and that I finally got up and went to the desk. Donald's file lay on the desk when I sat down. I knew that I'd locked that thing up the last time I'd looked at it. There were only two of us who knew where the key was kept . me and Lucien.

It wasn't so odd that he'd want to review the file. After all, he was Master and it did affect the coven as a whole. I picked up the folder and went to put it in the drawer, and a slip of paper fell to the floor. I bent to pick it up, and my heart caught in my throat.

Peter,

I am not done.

We are not done.

Lucien.

I dropped the file in the drawer and locked it, then sat clutching the note as I read the words over and over again. I was still reading it when the door opened a short time later. Lucien walked in and closed the door behind him before leaning back against it. I smiled at him and put the note aside.

"Thank you."

"I had second thoughts about leaving it."

"I see." I swallowed hard. "Well, then&I'm glad you showed up to clarify that."

"Only second thoughts about the note," he said, slowly making his way across the room, "not the words I wrote on it."

"Oh."

Stupid me. Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut? He sat down on the couch and sighed heavily. "Will you come to me?"

I wanted to ask if there was something suddenly wrong with him that he couldn't walk the twenty feet to the desk. But I didn't. I didn't want to turn this into another big fight when it clearly hadn't been headed that way. And besides, whether I wanted to admit it or not, I loved it when he asked for me.

I went to him and stood there for a moment, contemplating whether I should sit beside him on the couch or pull the coffee table behind me closer. He looked so miserable, though, that I found myself kneeling in front of him instead.

He reached for me. "No, do not kneel, Peter."

"I'm not kneeling for you," I said softly.

"Good." His hand dropped to his thigh and I reached up to take it. The moment I did, he tugged on it. "Come up here?"

I nodded and went to sit beside him, but he pulled me into his lap. I straddled his thighs and tried to make myself comfortable. Truth was, I was so nervous I could barely sit still. Both of us started to speak at the same time and I shook my head.

"Go ahead."

He leaned his head on the back of the couch and stared up at me. "I have made a lot of mistakes."

"We both have, Lucien."

"Yes, we have," he agreed quietly. "And these mistakes that took months and months to make cannot be fixed in a single night; we would be ignorant to think otherwise. However, I believe we have come to the point where we need to either come together and try to fix this&or we need to let each other go. We cannot continue on this path."

"I'm tired of fighting, tired of hurting you. I'm just&tired."

"I was upset when you moved out of the bedroom, mostly because it was a shock I wasn't expecting." He paused. "But I realized that you might have been right."

"I'm miserable sleeping alone," I admitted. "I miss knowing that you're going to be there when I wake up."

"And I miss you. Miss seeing your face the moment I open my eyes. But I think we need to maintain separate rooms for a short time," he said cautiously. "At least until we work through some of our most major issues. It's difficult and draining for us to always be on the defensive."

"That works."

"That does not mean that we have to avoid each other." He shifted a little and I had to bite back a groan at the feel of him beneath me. "In fact, I believe that part of our problem is that we don't spend enough time together. We are always busy with other people, other things, and we don't make the time for each other that we used to."

"Maybe we should date."

"Date?"

"Yep. Dinner . or the equivalent of . dancing, movies, moonlit walks on the beach&something. We should take it slow."

"No, I fuck on the first date."

I laughed and poked my finger in the middle of his chest. "I thought you were the type."

He smiled, and for the first time in months it reflected in his eyes. "I want us back, Peter."

"Me, too."

"I want to touch you and see you lean in for more. To kiss you and feel you shudder. To hold you and know you feel safe in my arms." He tugged at my shirt. "This is mine, you know."

"Is it?" I looked down at the T-shirt I wore. It was one of the most comfortable shirts in the entire closet . and that was saying a lot. "Should I&take it off?"

"I insist that you do."

"Oh, okay." I let out an exaggerated huff. "If you insist, I'll take it off." When I had it off, I dropped it on the couch next to him. "Happy now?"

"Not quite." Lucien grinned. "I believe those are my pants."

"But if I take off the pants, I'll be naked."

"Is that so?" I nodded, and he tugged at the front of my pants. "Then you'd better hurry."

I stood and untied the string at my waist and pushed the pants down. They pooled at my ankles and I stepped out of them, promptly kicking them off to the side.

"Anything else?"

He nodded and crooked his finger, beckoning me closer. "Have you been using my soap?"

"I don't think so."

"There's only one way to tell, really."

"Oh, I've got to hear this.

This was so ridiculous, but at the same time it was light and fun, and I'd finally relaxed. He grasped my hips and pulled me close, murmuring something about not needing to hear anything at all. He licked just beneath my belly button and sighed, the heat of his breath against me giving me a wicked case of goose bumps.

"Nope," he said after a few seconds. "Not my soap at all. It's just&you."

"Flattery will get you laid." I started pulling at his shirt and, after a moment's struggle, finally got it off him. He stood and immediately began pushing his pants off. He was hard and I couldn't help but grin. "Something tells me you already knew that."

"I would never assume such a thing."

"Liar," I whispered, trailing my fingers down the cut, chiseled lines of his belly. The head of his prick grazed my wrist, precome leaving a wet trail where it touched. "I think you've been watching me, seeing what turns me on, realizing that you've got everything I could ever want."

Lucien groaned. "Perhaps."

I bit down on his right nipple, tugging at the ring with my teeth. His hands rested on the back of my head, and I knew it was taking a great deal of effort for him not to push me down where he wanted me. I let my tongue travel the same path down his belly as my fingers had, and slowly went to my knees.

"Oh&"

I kissed the head of his prick as if I were kissing his mouth; slow, gentle licks at first, then taking him deep, getting him wet&teasing him, making him shake. After a few minutes, he pushed me back and sat on the edge of the couch. He spread his legs in invitation and leaned back.

"Do you bite?"

"Always," I whispered, spreading his legs apart even farther.

I found that sweet spot where leg and groin met. Fuck, he was so beautiful all spread out and ready like this. I licked the spot, and then sank my fangs into him. He jerked and let out a long, loud moan, holding my head as I fed from him.

"Oh, yes," he cried, over and over. "Oh, yes."

I licked the wound closed and licked every bit of flesh between his legs as I moved to the other side and repeated the gesture. He gasped and threw his head back, hips thrusting up as if I was sucking him off instead of feeding.

When I pulled off, I went straight for his balls, licking every bit of soft skin, then sucking them into my mouth. He jerked when my fangs grazed him, but I knew it wasn't a response of pain.

"Come up here," he said as he tried to pull me into his lap. I went willingly, groaning at the thick, length of him pushing against my bare ass. "Let me fuck you?"

I nodded and reached over to open the drawer on the side table. I found the lube and sat back up, unscrewing the cap. Instead of pouring the gel onto my fingers and getting myself ready, I poured it into my hand and warmed it, slicking up his cock.

Once he was coated well, I tossed the lube aside and lined his cock up at my hole, slowly sinking down onto him. The burn of him stretching me was incredible, but I didn't care. I wanted this, wanted to feel him inside me, wanted to feel him claiming me, just like the very first time.

"Oh, Lucien." I was done pretending that we were some kind of strangers. I moved, slowly, taking my time, enjoying the desire and the pleasure as it filled the air. "I need you."

"You have me, lover," he whispered, bringing me in for a kiss. "Always have me, lover."

The slight shift in position sent him deeper and hit that very spot that did me in every fucking time. I came, spilling myself between us. But Lucien was smart enough not to stop, not to ask me if I was done or move me aside. He just kept going, kept hitting that same exact spot.

"Lucien!"

"That's it, baby," he urged me on, "Come for me again. Let me feel it."

"I can't."

"Relax, lover." Those words were like a drug, inching that pleasure up even further. "I can feel you, so tight, so good. If you won't come for me, come with me."

And just like that, I was hovering on the edge of that cliff, clinging to him, letting him push me over with his words, his movements, and his touch. I came again in a rush, just as he did, and we both grunted and gasped our way through it, touching, kissing, and holding each other as if our lives depended on it.

I was totally and completely spent, my body feeling heavy, my mind numb. "I love you so much."

"Love you too, Peter."

He shifted and it felt more like a thrust. I gasped and he laughed at my reaction, but even his laugh was too much. I smacked him hard.

"Would you stop it? If I come again, I'm sure I'll pass out."

"I'll be here to catch you."

Chapter Nine

We ended up on the floor, stretched out in a mess of pillows. The couch had been okay, but it wasn't big enough for the both of us. My body still ached in all the right places. He'd gotten me off again, and sure as shit, I'd passed out. He had the good sense not to tease me when I came around again.

"I want to ask you something, but I don't want to ruin this by doing so."

"Just ask me, Lucien."

"Has he& Have you let him&?"

"What? You want to know if I've let him fuck me?"

"I was trying not to be so crass."

"Since when are you worried about offending my delicate sensibilities?" I stretched out beside him. "If you'll think really hard, you might remember that I don't have any."

Lucien looked over at me, surprised. "You haven't, have you?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

"Why?"

"You saying I should have?"

"No!" He seemed embarrassed for having raised his voice. "I just thought that after all of this time, things might have changed between the two of you."

"Oh, a lot has changed, but that wasn't one of them." I figured it was best to be completely honest; hiding any part of my feelings toward Nikolas wouldn't do any of us any good. "But just because it didn't happen didn't mean I wasn't interested. How 'bout you and Sabaan?"

"No." Lucien laughed. "Though there was this one time he almost managed to use his tail on me."

The images that thought brought forward sent me into a fit of laughter. Lucien liked to fuck and get downright dirty and bloody while having sex, but he wasn't what I'd call kinky. Maybe I'd hung out with Nikolas too long and my idea of kinky had been forever changed, but I just could not imagine Lucien letting Sabaan anywhere near his ass with that tail.

"He would have made sure you enjoyed it."

"Of that, I have no doubt." He rolled me onto my back and moved between my legs. "I feel that I should apologize for my relationship with him."

"Why?"

"For the way it happened; for not talking to you about it first."

"It did hurt to find out with the rest of the coven, but you made the right decision." I leaned up and stole a kiss. "We shouldn't hang out in the past, Lucien. We can't change the decisions that we made, and we can't undo our actions."

"I suppose you're right. Now we need to find a way to deal with all of the consequences of our actions."

"Peter?"

My name was called seconds before the doors to the study burst open. Lucien and I scrambled up defensively and he put himself in front of me. Tanner came to an abrupt halt when he saw the two of us.

"Ah, fuck. I'm sorry I interrupted&uh, that&but we've got a problem."

Lucien turned toward me. "Do you know this guy?"

"Lucien, this is Tanner. He's a detective for the Houston PD. Tanner, this is Lucien.Master of the coven."

"Shit," Tanner murmured and bowed his head. "I."

"Never mind formalities," Lucien said, reaching for his pants. "What's going on?"

Several members of security followed Tanner into the room, and Silver came in a few seconds later. They seemed angry at Tanner's presence, and I wondered if he'd initially been turned away but then stormed into the house anyway.

"One of the clubs downtown just had three werewolves cause a scene. According to dispatch, there are a number of people dead, but I don't know what from. I got the call on my way back to the station and turned right back around, since I didn't have your number."

Everyone in the room cursed and Lucien and I began throwing on clothes. This was probably the worst thing that could happen. Ever. While vampires were out, so to speak, our Lycans weren't. If people found out the truth&

Simon shouldered his way into the room with boots for both me and Lucien. I didn't have a clue as to how he knew what we needed, but that was best saved for another time, anyway. I grabbed the boots and thanked him, and he nodded and disappeared back through the growing crowd.

I could hear people making plans and Silver giving orders as I put my boots on. The energy in the mansion increased exponentially as the entire team went on active status. Lucien's voice joined Silver's, and I realized they'd just snapped at each other.

The entire room went silent, and I looked up to see Silver bow his head and back down. "As you wish, Master."

Lucien turned to me. "I'm going out with the team. Are you with me?"

"Of course." There was no way I was letting him go out alone. "But we need gear."

"I've got vests and weapons for you both in the truck outside," Lilly said, drawing an angry glare from Silver. She flipped him off. "You can bite me later."

I looked around the room and didn't see Xander anywhere. "Someone get Xander?"

"I'm here," Xander said as he walked through the door, Caleb hot on his heels. "We need to go, Lucien."

Lucien grabbed my hand and we headed for the door. The team parted for us and then followed close behind as we exited the house. Once at the truck, people handed me gear and a vest. I strapped it on as fast as possible and waited for Lucien to finish doing the same.

"Peter? I'm going to go ahead," Tanner said as he walked up. "Unless you need me for something."

I shook my head. "Just get there as soon as you can and let us know how bad it is."

I gave him my cell phone number and climbed up into the truck with Lucien. I checked and rechecked the .45 that had been handed to me as soon as I sat down. It had been a long time since I'd had to bother with going out armed, and I took a moment to reacquaint myself with my weaponry.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Caleb standing outside the front door of the mansion. He was clearly worried, but he also looked sad. Like he was the kid who'd not gotten picked when it was time to play kickball at recess and both teams were even. The team had been such a big part of his life that I couldn't imagine how he must feel, seeing everyone loading up yet knowing he had no place.

The doors to the truck shut, and Lucien sat down beside me as the truck started moving. "This is not going to be good, no matter how we try to play it."

"Nope."

"They're not ours. No one from the pack would be so stupid," Xander said. He was sitting across from us, scowling. "I didn't think you two were supposed to go out anymore."

"I think this is an exception, Xander. From the way it sounds, we need all the manpower we can get." I glanced at Lucien. "What the hell are we going to do about witnesses and the fact that the place is crawling with cops?"

"We're going to blend and we're going to make doubt and confusion rampant among the crowd. No one should be sure of what they saw."

"And we're going to spin this how?"

"Hopefully as a prank among college kids," Lucien said thoughtfully. "And we're going to hope that people were too drunk to remember how to use the cameras on their cell phones."

* * *

The entire block was congested with emergency response vehicles. We parked a couple of blocks away and walked to the scene, splitting up among the crowd. Another team had been dispersed to comb the area for any signs of werewolves and to use any means necessary to retrieve them. By the time we made it to the front doors of the club, we'd managed to send half the crowd on their way, confused and disoriented.

Tanner met us just inside and pushed us farther into the club. "A news crew just pulled up. It wouldn't be good for them to see either of you here."

"So what's the deal?" Lucien asked. "How bad is it?"

The scent of blood was heavy and thick, but so was the stench of death. Not decay, but death. When something living was attacked by a shifter of any kind, the chances of them ending up with their guts intact were slim. It was the one spot on a body where the most damage could be done, rendering the victim immobile.

I could smell the victims that had been spilled open, and just beneath that and the coppery-tinged blood&two unfamiliar werewolves. No. Three? Four? I started for the stairs, but Lucien tugged on my wrist to keep me beside him.

"We've got two victims on the second level who appear to have been raped and ripped to shreds," Tanner was saying. "The good news is that some of your guys are already up there keeping my guys away from it all. One of them said they were waiting on a cleanup crew and they'd be out the back door as soon as possible. Right now, all we've got to do is buy them some time."

"Let me go look, Lucien," I said, trying to pull my arm from his grasp without making a scene. "Just let me have a look around."

"Be careful, lover," Lucien said, then turned his attention back to Tanner. "There's more than two dead here."

"Yeah, a few people were trampled trying to get out of the club&"

I tuned their conversation out and started up the stairs, slowly, letting my wolf lead the way. I paused here and there for scents that stood out, but there were no traces of blood anywhere near the stairs.

Whoever had killed the people upstairs hadn't gone down the stairs afterward. Maybe they'd jumped the railing and gone right into the crowd, giving everyone a shock. Or maybe they'd gone out a window or a roof access door. Either way, they'd gotten out somehow, because they were no longer here.

I came upon some of our team members standing guard midway down the hall. One of them looked like he was about to try to stop me from going any farther, but suddenly changed his mind and stepped back to let me pass.

I turned into a private party room off to the right and stopped. The once-white walls were covered in spray after spray of crimson, some tiny little spots and others large, messy smears. I followed the bloodstains to the bodies.one on the floor, bent into an unnatural position with his gut open and various parts of his anatomy missing, and the other sprawled on her back on the couch, eyes wide and mouth open as if her very last breath had been caught in a scream.

Blood from both bodies had soaked into a shaggy rug, keeping the hardwood floor relatively clean of pooling blood, but there were blood sprays everywhere. I took careful steps as I walked into the room, looking for any signs of bloody footprints. What really confused me was that there were no footprints at all. I scratched my head and turned to examine the rest of the room.

There was nothing special about it. No side doors, no closets, no sinks for cleaning up, and no doors leading to bathrooms. Just four walls and one door leading in and out. I looked up at the ceiling. There were a few sprays of blood dotting the ceiling, but no trap or attic doors.

"This can't be right," I said, mostly to myself.

"What's wrong, Peter?"

I looked up as Lucien stepped gingerly into the room. "There's only one way in and one way out. If someone has this much fun, even if they shift, they're going to come out of this dirty."

"That makes sense."

"But look around. There's not even a stray footprint. How the hell did they get out of here?"

"There are traces of blood on the railing just outside the door, maybe&" Lucien frowned. "Even if they jumped from the room and over the railing down into the crowd, there should still be prints here in the room."

Jin, a member of the cleanup crew, came in just about that time. "Ew, looks like a bad one."

"Can we get pictures of the scene before you dispose of it, Jin?"

"Of course," he answered. "I'll deliver them myself."

"Thank you."

"Peter?" Lucien held his hand out for me. "Have you seen enough?"

Something about this scene was all wrong, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. Studying the pictures would have to be good enough. "Yeah."

Tanner was waiting for us just outside the room. "Are you as confused as I am?"

I nodded. "How many werewolves can you single out?"

"I'm not really sure: two, maybe three. What are you getting?"

"At first I thought there were two, but then I caught scents of three, maybe even four of them. What do you know about the security system here? I didn't see any cameras when I came in."

"I spoke to the manager. The few cameras that are up around the place don't work; they're just dummies."

Lucien had wandered off a few feet and I turned to find him. There was an intense expression on his face and I paused to watch him. He'd scent the air, cock his head, and then take another couple of steps.

"What have you got, Lucien?"

"Vampire," he hissed. "Not one of ours."

Nothing could snap Lucien right out of civil mode like a rogue vampire on the loose. The fact that this one might have been involved with this murder didn't help things a bit. Lucien turned and pinned me with his gaze.

"Stay here unless I call for help."

Lucien jumped over the railing, and I watched him land effortlessly on the concrete floor. He was gone in an instant and I had to resist the urge to follow behind him. Tanner elbowed me.

"Am I hearing this right? There might be a vampire involved in this, too?"

"I don't know."

"Shit," Tanner whispered. "This just keeps getting better and better."

* * *

Lucien hadn't called for help, but I'd not been able to just stand around the scene and do nothing. The media had showed up a short time after Lucien had left and it wouldn't have been good for any of them to get any of us on film or video at the scene. The coven had no business there, as far as the public was concerned.

I'd exited out the back . with Tanner's help . and had gone in search of Lucien. I immediately ran into Xander. He was bloody and bruised, claw marks covering his arms, neck, and chest.

"You look like hell."

"Feel like it, too." He wiped his face on the sleeve of his shirt. "Where are you headed? Truck's the other way."

"I'm going to find Lucien."

"And he told you to stay put." Xander's words were matter-of-fact, not questioning. "Never could just stay put and do what you were told, could you?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

"At least let me come along with you." I started to object, but he put a finger to my lips. "I can always call Silver."

"You play dirty."

"I play to win," he said with a smile.

"Fine."

We'd made it about a block before Xander spoke again. "Can I ask you something?"

"I don't promise to answer, but sure, go ahead."

"Are you happy?"

"Am I happy?" I came to an abrupt stop and turned to face him. "What kind of question is that?"

"The kind I'd like an answer to."

"Why?"

"Every time I see you& Well, you look miserable about ninety percent of the time." I started to tell him that it was complicated when he held up a hand. "I know. Complicated?"

I nodded. "I must say that a lot."

"Yeah."

I looked away, turning my attention to the buildings around us, trying to find something other than him to look at. I'd managed to avoid any deep and meaningful conversations with Xander for a long time now, but it seemed that this time, there was no way to avoid it.

"I'm&mostly happy," I said after a while. "I never know if I'm doing the right thing, you know?"

He nodded. "More than I want to."

So many emotions were beginning to come to the surface, and I found it difficult to keep them locked away. The knot in my stomach grew and the ache in my chest settled in deep.

"I miss you," he said softly. "A lot."

"Me, too." I stepped toward him and wiped away a trickle of blood before it went into his eye. "More than I can ever say, Xander."

"It means a lot to hear you say that." He shifted uncomfortably. "There are some things that went unsaid between the two of us, and maybe we can."

"Like what?"

"Did you know that when Lucien brought you over, I felt the bond between us snap? Like a rubber band stretched too far, it just broke. It hurt&so much."

"It wasn't until the explosion that I realized something was wrong." I hated that it had hurt him. "If I could go back and fix it&"

"They didn't think it was worth fixing."

I frowned. "What do you mean they?"

"It doesn't matter now." He shook his head. "I think that was a defining moment for me. I realized just how much you meant to me, how much I needed you in my life.and then you were gone."

"I was never gone, Xander."

"Did you mean it when you said you loved me?"

"I did." I caressed his cheek. "And I still do."

"But not the in the same way, right?" He suddenly looked sick. "I didn't have the right to ask for more back then. You'd asked me to walk away from Caleb and."

"I might have been a little upset that you didn't just roll over and do it, but you know what? I am so proud that you stood your ground and did what was in your heart." I caressed his cheek. "How's it going between the two of you?"

"Oh, it's good," he said, a smile tugging at his lips. "We have our ups and downs, but we're slowly working through them. He's got some issues, a lot of fears, and a lot of uncertainty. He's not the same Caleb that he used to be."

"I'm glad that you're working through them. If there's anything I can do..."

I let the words hang in the air, knowing I didn't need to finish them. We didn't need that bond between us for him to know I'd still do just about anything for him.

"Do you think that&maybe&we could go out for coffee? Dinner&something? I mean, if it's going to cause problems with you and Lucien or&Nikolas&then I understand."

"I'd like that."

"I guess we should go stop Lucien from killing whatever he's caught," he said after a moment. "Sounds like he's beating the shit out of it."

I hadn't noticed. I'd been so caught up in the conversation with Xander that I'd blocked everything and everyone else out. Yeah, I was a hell of a back up guy. We started walking toward the noise, grunts and growls and screeches of pain echoing in the alleys. Xander's words bothered me.

"They didn't think it was worth fixing."

It set all wrong. I wanted to know who they were. If the bond between us could have been fixed instead of being severed completely, why in hell hadn't they done it?

"What did you mean, Xander? That 'they didn't think it was worth fixing'?"

"Leave it alone, Peter." He stopped and grasped my shoulders firmly. "Just leave it alone."

"You know I won't," I said softly. "If you don't tell me, I'll find some way of finding out what you're talking about."

Xander sighed and shook his head, continuing on without me. He stopped at the entrance of an alley, and when I caught up to him, I peered around the corner of the building down into the alley. Lucien slammed someone into the brick wall of a building and they landed on the ground. A large, dark form writhed at his feet, and Lucien glanced away from it to meet my gaze.

"Did I not tell you to stay put?"

"Do I ever listen?"

Lucien shook his head and gave a small laugh. "Xander? Do you have restraints?"

"Of course I do," Xander said. "You think I'm going to try to take a vamp into custody without restraints?"

"What about the wolves from the club?" Lucien asked. "How many were there?"

"Two, definitely," Xander answered. "One of them is in custody and the other got away with a little silver embedded in his back."

"Ouch." I cringed. "That's going to be painful."

"He won't make it through the night," Lucien said calmly.

I went to Lucien and looked him over. He didn't have a scratch on him, which was unusual after being in a fight. The vampire on the ground was covered in blood and bites and I met Lucien's gaze.

"He didn't want to fight?"

"At first, yes. But he gave up a quarter of the way through it."

"So you just beat him for the hell of it?"

Lucien shrugged. "Yes."

Xander and I exchanged an awkward glance. That wasn't Lucien. He wasn't one for gratuitous violence unless someone that he cared for or felt responsible for was in danger. Sure, this vampire had likely been involved in the murder of people back at the club, but still&

Xander took his cell phone from his pocket and began to step away. "I'll call for the truck."

Chapter Ten

"Peter?"

I felt like I was suspended in mud, the thick sludge hindering my movement. It was difficult to open my eyes, and I realized I'd felt sensations like this before . only with pain involved.

"Come on, open your eyes." I groaned and forced them open. Everything was blurry, but it began to fade almost immediately. Simon caressed my cheek, a nervous smile on his face. "There we go. How'd I do this time?"

"You've got to stop waking me up like this."

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "But it's important this time."

"Last time was important, too." I stretched and went to sit up, but he pushed me back and wrapped his body around mine. I raised a brow. "Oh, don't tell me you woke me up for."

"Shhh&just relax. I'm going to try to show you something, but it works best if we're touching."

Before I could say another word, the room around me morphed. I suddenly saw the hallway outside my bedroom door, drifting along the marbled floor until we came to a stop in front of Lucien's bedroom. I wanted to ask what was going on, but there was a subtle push in my mind for me to stay quiet.

The door didn't open; we just seemed to drift right through it.

The television was on a news channel. Lucien sat at the desk in the bedroom doing paperwork and Sabaan was perched on the edge of the desk, laughing about something. They seemed to trade a few jabs, and soon both were laughing.

I wasn't sure what to make of the situation or the surroundings. I didn't get a chance to ponder on them too much, because I was suddenly swept back the way I came. The sensations were disorienting, at the very least, and I flailed in response.

"Don't talk, don't talk," Simon whispered. "Take a minute and settle back."

"How.?"

"One of the few powers I have left. Do you know what I showed you?"

"Lucien and Sabaan?"

"That was just a quick trip into Lucien's bedroom. He's awake. Right now."

I knew the sun was still high in the sky, though I wasn't sure of the exact time. Either way, Lucien should have still been dead to the world. "That's not possible."

"Apparently, it is."

"How long has this been going on?"

Simon shrugged. "I don't know. I just walked past the room and heard them talking. It's a little after ten in the morning, way too early for vampires to be up and about . even the powerful ones."

Had this been what Lucien was hiding from me? What he was dealing with but not ready to talk about? Surely, not& Surely this was just&

I started getting out of bed, and Simon caught my hand before I could get up. "Where are you going?"

"I want to know what the hell is going on."

"It could be a one-time thing, Peter."

I stepped away from the bed and grabbed my robe. "And if it isn't?"

"Then we'll deal with it." He got off the bed and took me by the shoulders. "I didn't tell you this to start trouble. I just&It doesn't set well with me, and I wanted you to see it for yourself."

"What? In case he denied it?"

He nodded.

"Damn it, Simon."

"I'm sorry." He wrapped his arms around me and sighed. "I really didn't want to start trouble."

"It's fine. I'm actually glad you showed me." I pushed him back so I could see his face. "Do me a favor and see if this continues. If it does, I want to know about it."

Feeling weak, I pulled away from him and sat on the edge of the bed. Simon knelt in front of me, examining me closely. "You feel okay?"

"I guess it's the sun&something. I just feel weak as hell."

"Do you want me to put you back to sleep?"

"Yeah, I think so. There's nothing I can do right now without outing myself as being awake, too. And the last thing I want is for people to know you can pull a vampire out of his sleep."

"There would be lines of vampires outside my door each morning." He started helping me get my robe off. "Can I offer you a sip?"

"Oh, as exquisite as that sounds, I think I'll pass&for now." I climbed back into bed and tried to get settled. "I may come see you later."

"It would be my pleasure."

I groaned, remembering what had happened the last time. "Put me to sleep, Simon."

"As you wish," he whispered.

More words poured from his lips in a language I didn't understand. The language of angels, I supposed. I relaxed and watched him as he spoke, my limbs growing heavy. A soft, golden light shone around him, almost pulsing with the cadence of his words. I suddenly felt as if I was in the presence of something so pure, so wonderful, that I couldn't help but smile as my eyes drifted closed.

* * *

Nikolas and Sabaan were in bed with me when I woke. They were so involved with each other that they didn't notice me watching them. Sabaan was stretched out on the bed, moaning and writhing and thrusting his hips up in a quick, jerky motion. Nikolas took in every inch of Sabaan's prick, his gaze glued on Sabaan's face.

When Sabaan came, Nikolas growled his approval and Sabaan whimpered.

"Oh, God, no growling." He slid his fingers through Nikolas' hair, laughing. "Damn, baby, that was awesome."

Nikolas licked his lips and then suddenly looked at me. "Well, look who's awake."

I smiled. "A hell of a way to wake up."

Sabaan snuggled up against me, his nude body touching me in all the right places. I groaned and let one hand slide down his back, enjoying the feel of his soft skin beneath my fingers. Nikolas moved to the other side, putting me between them.

"I bet we can think of better ways to start off your night," Sabaan said.

"Oh, I don't doubt that."

One of Nikolas' hands skimmed down my chest, my belly, and cupped my balls before letting his fingers move farther down to tease the sensitive skin between my balls and my ass. He nibbled up my neck and when he reached my ear, he sighed. Not a sigh of complaint, but of having me exactly where he wanted me.

"I would give just about anything to fuck you right now."

"Nikolas&"

"Shhh," he whispered, one finger circling my ass. "I know; it's&complicated. Doesn't mean I have to stop wanting it."

Sabaan began kissing his way down the same path Nikolas' hand had followed, but he didn't move any lower. He kissed the head of my dick and licked up and down its length, then took in just the head for a sucking kiss.

"Sabaan!"

His name came out as a hiss and he laughed and took all of me in at once. I bucked up instinctively and grasped the back of his head, not pushing down, just trying to hold onto him. He hummed in approval and I watched him take me in, inch by torturous inch until his nose was pressed to my skin.

Nikolas rolled away for about half a second, and when he returned, he bent and kissed me. He tasted of Sabaan, musky, sweet, with a little hint of blood. Had he bled him when he sucked him off? I wouldn't put it past him to give a nip here and there. Sabaan liked pain as much as he liked pleasure, and I was sure that the two of them in bed alone could be quite explosive.

"Don't be thinking, princess."

I shook my head. "I'm not."

He slid his hand back between my legs again, and when his fingers pressed against my ass, they were warm and slick. My body went tight in all the right places and I spread my legs a little farther in invitation. I hadn't even let him finger-fuck me, because I thought it was too close to being fucked.

But in that moment, I didn't care.

Nikolas placed a soft kiss to my lips and then held my gaze as he pushed two fingers into me. There was a wealth of emotion in his eyes, and it was almost too much for me to see head-on. This was something that was obviously important to him; something that had just become clear to me that he needed as much as wanted.

I'd always thought that it was a ploy to get as much of me as Lucien had. But it wasn't. It was a genuine need for him . his wolf . to be with his mate. And I'd denied him over and over again, leading him to believe that he wasn't worthy of that complete connection.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I didn't realize."

He silenced me with a kiss and thrust his fingers into me. His movements mirrored his kiss, hard, rough, and full of emotion. Nikolas straddled my thigh and rubbed his length against me, hot, wet, and oh-so-hard. Sabaan pulled off me and wrapped his fist around my cock, tight, his hand moving in time with Nikolas'.

I broke the kiss to turn and look at Sabaan, and Nikolas continued his kiss across the line of my jaw and down my neck. Sabaan tightened his hand, and the sensation was so intense it bowed my back. It changed the angle of Nikolas' thrusts and I came undone, coming all over Sabaan's hand and my lower belly.

Nikolas ground against my thigh and then grunted. Heat spread between us, and I reveled in the feel of him against me, the feel of Sabaan against me, and that sense of relaxation that had been so hard to grasp in recent days.

I wasn't hungry yet, which was unusual. Normally sex brought the hunger right to the front and I needed to feed every single time. It was only then that I realized why. My wolf was just beneath the surface, content, relaxed. Having Nikolas so close, still so intimately connected to me, pushed the vampire's hunger aside.

Nikolas slid his fingers from me and wiped them on the sheet rumpled up beside us. "Tell me why you smell of angel when you just woke up?"

"I smell like angel?"

He nodded and snuffled at my neck. "Not like you've fed from one, but slept beside one." I shrugged and met his gaze, trying to let him know I wanted him to drop it. His brow furrowed in some sort of understanding, and he sighed. "Maybe it's just from him being in this room."

"Probably."

Sabaan leaned up and pressed a gentle kiss to my temple. "You don't need to feed?"

"Not at the moment, no." I smiled. "But thank you for offering."

"Any time." He stretched and rolled to his back. "While I'd love to stay and play, I need to go. Lucien will be expecting me."

"For?" Nikolas asked.

"We're going to check construction progress." He sat up on the edge of the bed. "The two of you are more than welcome to come along." Nikolas and I both laughed, and Sabaan tossed a grin back at us. "Okay, so that would probably be a bad idea."

"I think we're going to go for a run," Nikolas said.

I tried not to act surprised, and nodded.

Sabaan shrugged and went to the other side of the bed to give Nikolas a goodbye kiss. Nikolas caressed his cheek. "See you later, kitty."

When the door closed and we were alone, I looked at him. "Why do you call him kitty?"

"Because he is one."

"One what?"

"A kitty." One eyebrow rose at my confused expression. "Don't tell me& You mean he hasn't told you yet?"

I just groaned.

"He shifts, princess. Into a pretty, black leopard."

My jaw literally dropped in shock. "What?"

Nikolas nodded. "I just assumed that he'd told you and&"

I snorted. "Don't think that if he told Lucien that means I would know. And speaking of Lucien, I need your advice."

"Drop him."

I elbowed him hard. "Jealous wolf."

"You haven't begun to see jealous yet," he said quietly.

I was afraid of that, actually. The longer this shit went on between him, Lucien, and me, the worse things were likely to get. I sat up and made my way to the edge of the bed. "Let's get out of here where we can talk in peace."

* * *

"What do you mean he was awake? Like awake awake?"

"Are there two kinds of awake now?" I unlaced my boots and set them aside, one after the other, stuffing my socks down inside the right one so they didn't get lost. "Nikolas, he was awake, at like ten-fucking-thirty in the morning, and was going about his day like any human would.and Sabaan was with him."

Nikolas began to pace back and forth in front of me, already nude. I watched him, watched the curve of each and every muscle as he moved, and told myself I didn't need to touch him; that this conversation was much more important than touch, and ultimately, sex.

"You know, I haven't wanted to say anything because I figured if I did, it would just look like I was jealous and trying to pick a fight, but&" he paused and looked down at me, "I know he had a power uppage when he and Sabaan bonded."

"Oh, yeah, we saw evidence of that when he burned Ricky's body to ash in a matter of seconds."

Nikolas nodded. "And it's not just that."

"What else is there?"

"No way to describe it.just a feeling, you know? When you've been around vampires as long as I have, you get to know their energies. Lucien's feels different now." He crouched in front of me and with his legs spread the way they were, it was all I could do to force my attention back to his face. "When Doc and Daniel were here, did they mention anything to you about the serum?"

"Yeah, but I told them we weren't interested."

"And Lucien wasn't interested either?"

I shook my head. "He'd never have gone back on it.especially without telling me."

"I guess you're right," he said after a few moments. "So what do we do now?"

"I have no idea, Nikolas."

A cool breeze rustled the trees nearby, disturbing the still of the night. Out of the darkness a shadow emerged from the line of trees, and I immediately rose to my feet. Nikolas pushed me behind him, growling out a warning.

"Show yourself, stranger."

"I'm no stranger to Peter, I promise."

I knew that voice. "Zephyr?"

"In the flesh." He came a little closer, and I slid an arm around Nikolas' waist to let him know it was okay to back off. Zephyr's attention went right to Nikolas, his gaze taking in every last inch of Nikolas' body. There was so much approval in the smile that followed that it made me a little jealous. "So this is your wolf, huh?"

"All mine." Nikolas looked down at me and I shrugged. "Okay, so mostly mine."

Zephyr did a little bow of his shoulders and extended a hand to Nikolas. "I'm honored to meet you. I am Zephyr."

"Nikolas," he answered slowly. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was in the neighborhood&" He was being sarcastic and that was never a good sign. I had too many men around me who thought sarcasm was cute. It wasn't. Not anymore. I stared at him until he sighed. "Oh, all right. I came here because I have some news."

"Good news?"

Zephyr rolled his eyes. "Yes."

I barely managed to maintain my composure and not start squealing like a little girl. "About Simon?"

He had the nerve to look exasperated, but turned to Nikolas instead of me. "How do you stand him?"

Nikolas actually had the nerve to laugh. "Lots of practice."

I threw my hands up in the air. "Fuck you both."

Zephyr walked to the truck Nikolas and I had driven to the woods and perched himself on the hood. "As tempting as that sounds, I do have other places to be. So&business, yes?"

Nikolas came to stand behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder. "What's the news of Simon?"

"I should have you know that what you request is, at best, ludicrous."

"Yes, I know. You said as much when we met at the club the other night."

"And oddly enough, as preposterous as this whole thing is, you have been granted a hearing." He made a gesture with his hands that I wasn't familiar with. "Well, Simon, actually. You have no part in this now."

"Really?" I swallowed hard. "When? I mean."

"He still doesn't know you've petitioned on his behalf, does he?"

I shook my head.

"Hmm." Zephyr studied me for a few moments. "Why not?"

"Because he doesn't think he's worthy enough to have them back." I leaned back into Nikolas and he kissed my neck. It helped ease the nervousness. "He told me that he didn't want them back, but I heard the lie."

"Well, you did what you could."

"What happens now? I mean, does he have to go somewhere for the hearing?"

"Oh, no!" Zephyr laughed and the sound sent chills down my spine. "Uri will come here. He will judge whether Symael is worthy."

"Who's Symael?" Nikolas whispered.

"Simon," I answered and looked to Zephyr for more answers. "Just like that? What happens if he's judged unworthy? I mean, not like I think he would be or anything, but still."

"Then he will be stripped of his remaining powers and will live as a mortal man."

"You couldn't tell me this beforehand?"

"It is something I wish you would have asked. To gain knowledge, you must ask for it."

"Christ, they're worse than vampires with their riddles," Nikolas hissed.

Dread pooled in the pit of my stomach. What in hell had I done? Simon had asked me to leave this alone, to stay out of it, and I might have just taken away anything and everything he had left. Oh, God, I was such an ignorant fool.

When would I learn that I couldn't fix everything?

"Oh, look at the time." Zephyr glanced at his watch-less wrist. "I really must be going now. Peter? You know where to find me."

And just like that, he was gone.

Vanished into thin air, the same way he had before. Nikolas made an odd sound and sighed. "I don't like him."

"I did." I turned into Nikolas, almost clinging to him. "God, what have I done?"

He petted my hair and held me close. "What you thought was right, princess."

"I should have minded my own business."

"Too late for that," he said. "And that's one of the things I love about you. You're always willing to help the underdog."

"You?" I moved back so I could see his face. "You're the king of punishing the underdog."

"Now, maybe. But there was a time when I'd have given anything to have someone like you on my side, fighting for what was right and not for what was within protocol."

"You have me now."

"I do, don't I? Now finish stripping and let's go for that run."

He sounded amused and it made me smile. Sadly, I knew Simon would be doing anything but smiling once I broke the news to him. He'd asked me to stay out of it and I'd done the complete opposite. I'd seen his power rise up, and knew that he was so much more than he seemed.

God help me.

I hoped he considered me enough of a friend not to kill me.

Chapter Eleven

I was starving.

Famished.

Nikolas and I had run, but we hadn't hunted. After we came in, Nikolas had gotten distracted by a call from someone down in the dungeon and I'd gone looking for some food. It was obvious by the lack of the smell of fresh, hot food in the air that we'd missed dinner, and for that I was grateful.

It meant that Simon wouldn't be in the kitchen.

Or shouldn't be.

I hoped he was off somewhere else, making sure things were in order. Or giving orders. Hell, I didn't care, as long as I didn't have to face him right now. I couldn't do it without spilling my guts to him, and that just couldn't happen until I got myself together.

Until I figured out what the fuck you say to someone when you've more than likely ruined their life, not to mention your friendship.

When I walked into the kitchen, the refrigerator door was open and someone in black silk pants . no, pajama bottoms . stood bathed in the soft light. It wasn't Simon. It was much, much worse.

I walked farther into the kitchen as quietly as I could manage. Either he knew I was there and wasn't going to make a scene, or he was too busy with what he was doing to notice that someone else had entered the room.

He ate in spoonfuls from a small plastic container, and murmured sounds of approval after each bite. I moved in closer and leaned against the cabinet beside him, and through it all, he never even flinched.

"What is that? Potato salad?"

Lucien jumped and dropped the container and the spoon, swallowing hard. "Peter! What are you.?"

"Oh, I think the better question is, what are you doing?" I bent to pick up the container that had fallen to the floor, but not spilled. "I never figured you for potato salad, Lucien. You struck me more as wine and cheese, caviar&"

"I can explain."

"I should hope so." I handed the container to Lucien and he fumbled to put it back into the refrigerator. "Is it good?"

"What?"

"The salad."

He seemed to realize that there was no way to lie his way out of this. "A little heavy on the vinegar, but yes. The bacon was a nice touch."

What the hell was going on around here?

I peered into the refrigerator and found a raw steak on the top shelf. I took it out and Lucien looked at me as if I was crazy, then seemed to catch himself. "Ah, you have shifted recently?"

I nodded. "Nikolas and I went for a run, but we didn't hunt, so I'm hungry."

"I've always envied you that," he said softly.

"What, that I can go for a run?"

"That you can eat like a normal human afterward."

"I wouldn't call anything about me normal, or human."

"You know what I mean."

"You've got to talk to me, Lucien." I found a skillet and started seasoning the steak. "I can see you not sleeping as being part of some power uppage you don't want people to know about, but this? This is not a power uppage, and you know it."

"How did you find&" He broke off and leaned against the counter, sighing heavily. "I do not even know where to start."

"The beginning works best."

"Ah, but there is really no beginning," he said thoughtfully. "There was just one day to the next, changes I couldn't anticipate, didn't understand. I have been trying to uncover the cause, but I have found nothing."

I put the steak into the hot skillet, and watched Lucien watch my steak cook. After a few minutes, I looked up at him. "Would you like one, too?"

"Oh, I."

"Lucien?"

"Please."

I gestured to the refrigerator. "Top shelf." After Lucien retrieved another steak, I seasoned it for him and threw it in the pan with mine. "I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to answer me honestly."

"I will."

"Are you back on the serum?"

"No! I would never do such a think without consulting you or the rest of the coven. It is not only me that the serum would affect, but everyone."

I heard the truth of his words and felt a little relieved. But only a little, because there was obviously something going on and we needed to find out the cause of it.

The steaks didn't take long, and soon I had them out of the pan and onto two plates. "If you want wine, then grab us a bottle and two glasses."

He did, and we sat down to the table to eat like two fucking humans having a late night meal. I watched him cut into his steak and take a bite. He paused in chewing and just stared at me.

"What?"

"You were on the serum the last time you were able to eat, right?"

He swallowed his food and glared at me. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Oh, no, I believe you. It's just that&" I gestured to the table and the food. "Don't you find this a little bit familiar? Have you tested yourself in sunlight?"

"It is so familiar that it scares me." Lucien shook his head. "No, I have not tested the light of the sun. Doing so and having nothing happen would probably scare me to death."

He really was scared. Something was wrong with him, had turned his world upside down, and he had no clue what was causing it. I reached across the table and took one of his hands in mine.

"Have you talked to Cecil about this?"

"No! I have told no one."

"No one but Sabaan, you mean?"

"I could not hide it from him. He's been after me for months to come forward. I know he's tired of me and my secrets."

"Brownie points for him." I pulled my hand away and cut into my steak. "We need to figure out what we're going to do, but for now, we can't tell anyone about this. Not yet. If we do and have no explanations for the cause, you will appear weak."

"Tell me something I don't know." Lucien sat back and watched me eat for a while. "Now that you know my big secret, why don't you tell me yours?"

"Don't make me do that."

"It is only fair, is it not? Do we not want to bring the honesty back to our relationship?"

"Oh, don't go throwing the relationship card, Lucien. You've held your secrets close for longer than I've had mine. I keep mine because to not keep them would be to hurt people other than you and me."

"That was unfair of me," he said finally.

"Yeah, it was." I pushed my plate away and poured another glass of wine. "Want some?"

He shook his head and kept staring at me.

"What?"

"I miss you."

"I'm sitting right here."

"I miss us, to be more accurate. This? This isn't us. This is two acquaintances sharing a meal and arguing over secrets."

I was inclined to agree. "I tell you what. I'll tell you my secrets if you answer me one question."

"What question would that be?"

"When you brought me over and the bond between me and Xander was destroyed. Did you know of a way to get it back? And if so, did you choose not to?" Lucien looked away and I had my answer. I rose to my feet and shook my head. "You bastard! You do not get to make those kinds of decisions for me!"

"At the time, I thought it was for the best."

"You and who else?"

"You do not want to know the answer to that question."

"Yeah? Why not?"

"Because it was me," Nikolas said from the doorway.

Nikolas' words hit me like a freight train and it was all I could do to keep standing. I turned to look at him, shaking my head. "I trusted you, Nikolas."

"And I couldn't let Xander have what was mine."

Chapter Twelve

"What do you mean what was yours?" Lucien surged from his chair, and suddenly the only thing between him and Nikolas was me. "How dare you!

Nikolas held his hands up and shook his head. "I'm not doing this right now."

"The hell you're not."

He turned and walked out of the room and Lucien pushed me aside. I caught his arm as he tried to move past me. "Don't do this, Lucien."

"I can't believe that you expect me to let him walk out of here after that."

"Actually, I do."

"You're more delusional than he is."

Lucien stormed out of the kitchen and I stood there for a moment, just&numb. They had both lied to me. The two men I loved the most . who both claimed to love me the most in return . had lied to me. Had kept things from me. And now were about to fight over me.

Fuck.

This night just kept getting better and better. I figured that I'd better go and do my best to stop this and get the two of them separated, and set off to find them. The moment I stepped out of the kitchen, I heard a loud crash and the sound of shattering glass.

I followed the sound to the hallway leading to the study. When I arrived, there was a crowd starting to assemble and Lucien and Nikolas were on the floor, limbs tangled together as they struggled for dominance, each of them throwing punches and growling out threats.

About that time, Lucien flipped Nikolas and slammed him into the marble floor. I rushed to them, wrapping my arms around Lucien's chest and trying to pull him off.

"Stop, Lucien!"

Nikolas threw a punch that hit Lucien square in the jaw and knocked his head back into mine. I winced, and Lucien took the opportunity to free himself from my hold. Sabaan came running in, pushing his way through the crowd. He looked at me and shook his head.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Help me get them apart!"

Sabaan and I went in, grabbing Lucien and Nikolas, barely managing to pull them apart. Sabaan whispered into Nikolas' ear and it seemed calm him some. Lucien tried to tear himself away from me and it was all I could do to keep hold of him.

Oh yeah, he'd had an uppage in power all right, and I realized I was nowhere near strong enough to hold him back if he decided to use that extra power. I tried to guide him down the hall and through the crowd.

"Come on, Lucien. Work with me here. This is not the time or the."

Lucien roared and tore out of my grasp, broadsiding Nikolas and Sabaan, sending them crashing to the floor just inside the study. Sabaan immediately rolled away from them and dematerialized, ending up next to me.

"This is bad, Peter," he whispered.

I looked over at him. Blood ran in a thin line from his eyebrow down his cheek. "What do we do?"

"Besides shooting them? There's not much we can do," he said softly. "Bar the doors."

We'd never had to literally bar the doors to the study before. It took a moment for us to find the releases for the steel slide-outs that were set into the door frames. When we got them closed, we made our way to a corner to try to keep out of the way.

There was nothing we could do. They had to fight until one of them gave up or one of them was too hurt to go on. Neither would just give up, I was certain of that. They were too stubborn and hard-headed to know how.

We watched them fight and throw each other around and cast insults and barbs left and right. Their clothes were ripped and torn and both of them were covered in blood and numerous scratches and deep claw marks.

Sabaan wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest. "What started this?"

"Well& I found Lucien eating potato salad and ended up cooking him a steak." Sabaan had the decency to look sympathetic instead of shocked, considering he already knew Lucien's secret. "We were talking about secrets and he told me his, wanted to know mine, but I wanted an answer to a question, first."

"And that was?"

"Why it was hidden from me that the bond between me and Xander could have been fixed. Nikolas walked in and popped off that he wasn't going to let Xander have what was his& Lucien took offense."

"Oh, shit."

I nodded and gestured to our men, rolling around on the floor like two cavemen fighting over a piece of meat. "And here we are."

Everything went quiet, and I looked over to where Nikolas and Lucien had been on the floor only moments before. Lucien was on the floor, leaned up against the back of a couch, and Nikolas was nearly to his feet.

"What are we going to do? Fight until we kill each other?" Nikolas asked Lucien.

"The thought had crossed my mind," Lucien answered.

Nikolas laughed and walked around the couch nearest him. "You were always so blind to what was happening right before your eyes."

"What the fuck does that mean?" Lucien got to his feet and faced Nikolas. "The only one blind here is you."

Boy, this was going nowhere fast.

I started to get up, but Nikolas chose that very moment to jump the couch and get in Lucien's face. I actually held my breath because he didn't speak right away. He just stared, and that worried me more than anything.

"Why can't you just accept it?"

"Because I don't have to."

"No, you don't," Nikolas said softly. "But tell me this: would you rather it was me or someone else?"

Lucien's hand shot out and grasped Nikolas' throat. "It didn't have to be anyone if you'd have just left it alone."

"He was mine from the moment we met," Nikolas whispered. "I am the mate to his wolf and there's no going back."

And that was the worst possible thing Nikolas could have said. But though I waited for the blows and the roars of anger, they never came. What did happen, however, shocked me to the core. Lucien loosened his grip a little, and there was a mix of him leaning in and pulling Nikolas closer.

"Do you love him?"

"I do, Lucien." Nikolas reached up and smoothed Lucien's hair back. "Love you, too, you stubborn fuck."

Lucien pulled Nikolas even closer and kissed him. Nikolas hesitated for a few seconds, but then grabbed what was left of Lucien's shirt and hauled him closer. One moment they'd been fighting and now&now they were kissing and touching away months and months of jealousy and hurt.

Sabaan nibbled at my neck. "This is better than we could have ever hoped for."

I nodded. "Let's just hope it lasts. Should we&I don't know&join in? Talk to them?"

"I say we sit here and watch one of the hottest shows ever."

That made me smile. Nikolas and Lucien in each other's arms were hot. Smoking hot, actually. There was so much passion and energy behind each and every touch. My jeans began to get tight, but this wasn't about sex and getting off.

Not for me.

This was two people finally coming to terms with who and what they were to each other. When all of this started between me and Nikolas, Lucien had become jealous and lost one of the only men he'd ever felt half-way equal to as a friend. I hated that it had happened, but it wasn't something I.d expected.

I guess I'd thought that since he and Lucien were friends, that everything else would go that much smoother.

Wrong.

They ended up on the couch, kissing, touching, but going no further. They whispered things back and forth and I found myself unable to hear the actual words. When Lucien laughed, Nikolas smacked him.

"Fucking pervert."

I looked at Sabaan. "Shall we?"

"I think so."

We got up from our spot in the corner and went to them. Lucien and Nikolas moved apart enough to let Sabaan and I sit down, and when we did, they leaned in front of us again for another kiss.

Sabaan looked at me. "I wanted them to stop fighting, but this is ridiculous."

Nikolas broke away and grinned at Sabaan. "Don't worry, kitty, it's not like we're going to fuck and use you two as pillows."

"Later, maybe," Lucien added. "Right now, I think the four of us have quite a bit of talking to do. There are decisions to be made and bridges to mend."

"For once, I'm going to have to agree with Mr. Talk Everything to Death," Nikolas said. "I don't want to be back here again in a week because we didn't get everything out in the open..

* * *

"So where do we go from here?" Sabaan asked.

We sat in a half-circle on the couch and in the chairs of Lucien's bedroom, all comfortable and at ease, not even a hint of tension in the air. After fighting and arguing for so long, this was down-right awkward.

Lucien extended his legs and propped his feet on the antique coffee table he always gave me hell for sitting on. "We make up for lost time?"

I grabbed a throw pillow from behind me and threw it at his head. "I don't think he's talking about sex, you deviant."

Nikolas laughed and glanced at me. "We're all deviants."

"I think I'd like to start with an apology," Lucien said, his tone going serious. "Nikolas, Peter&I knew that what was going on between the two of you was out of your control. That the bond that exists between you was too strong to ignore. But I let my jealousy."

"It was your right to be jealous," Nikolas interrupted him. "He was yours first and I didn't care."

"Do you now?" Sabaan asked.

Nikolas nodded.

"I don't think it's fair to sit here and proclaim sudden instant love between the two of you, but."

"Not sudden," Lucien said. "I have always had feelings for Nikolas, but it was he who was never interested in anything more than friendship."

"Sabaan and Peter broke me," Nikolas said with a chuckle. "I never knew how nice it'd be to fuck around with people who cared about you."

"I think Nikolas and I need to spend some time together, get to know each other again. To be honest, I do not know the man who is sitting across from me. I love him, but I do not know him."

"I'm okay with that." Nikolas shrugged. "I haven't changed that much."

Sabaan and I both snorted.

Nikolas rolled his eyes. "Okay, so maybe more than I tend to realize."

Lucien smiled. "I like what I see."

I didn't want to sit alone any longer. I couldn't stand it. Watching the two men I loved staring at each other with such familiarity and emotion, such longing&it was almost overwhelming. I moved over to Lucien and curled up at his side on the couch. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into him.

Lucien looked down at me and smiled. "What is it, lover?"

"So all the fighting is over?"

He nodded. "There may be a few bumps in the road, but nothing we can't handle."

I looked over at Nikolas, who winked at me. "I suppose."

"You suppose?"

Nikolas sighed. "You know, in all seriousness, I'm looking forward to what comes next. I think the four of us could be damned good together."

"I hate to start bursting bubbles," Sabaan said. "But two people in a relationship is hard enough, not to mention four."

"It's going to take work," Lucien added. "And I'm prepared to do what it takes."

I smiled up at him, and Nikolas got up and came over to us. He bent and kissed me, and for a moment, I hesitated. I guess I expected the shit to hit the fan and Lucien to growl and throw a fit.

But he didn't.

The only thing filling the room was desire, strong and palpable. I melted into the kiss and I heard Lucien groan beside me. Nikolas laughed, and I felt more than saw him reach out beside him. I didn't see what he was doing, but whatever it was increased Lucien's moans and made him squirm.

Nikolas pulled back and glanced from me to Lucien. "Take this to the bed where there's more room?"

Lucien nodded emphatically. "We're going to need it."

I laughed. "The two of you have plans this quickly?"

"Oh honey," Sabaan said as he moved closer, "did you really think they wouldn't?"

I leaned to the side and managed to see where he was at. He seemed nine kinds of thrilled and all of it showed in his expression. For some reason, I think this was a day he'd been praying for all along.

"True." I pushed Nikolas off me. "In that case, I'm glad I don't have to deal with these two alone."

Chapter Thirteen

Nikolas let me get up and leaned in, whispering something to Lucien. I didn't catch it all, but it had something to do with my ass. Lucien laughed, looked at me, then whispered something back to Nikolas.

I flipped them both off and started stripping my clothes off as I walked to the bed. Once naked, I grabbed the comforter and top sheet and threw them back. It was nice, crawling back into the bed that I'd considered mine . and Lucien's . for so long. It was like coming home after spending a week at a hotel.

Nikolas crawled onto the bed right behind me, but neither Sabaan nor Lucien had made a move to come any closer. I started to tell them to come on over, but Nikolas chose that moment to move in for another kiss.

It was a different sort of kiss. One that Nikolas had seemed to hold back from me until now. It was all encompassing, all lips, tongue, teeth&as if he was trying to taste every last bit of me. His shirt was gone; it'd been ripped off him during the fight.

I let my hands move over his broad shoulders, down his back, enjoying the play of muscles and smooth skin beneath my fingertips. I pushed my hands into his tattered jeans and cupped his ass, pulling him closer. He growled and ground himself against me, forcing my legs apart.

The sensation of his rough jeans was almost too much for me to enjoy. It would have been so much better had he been bare. I was about to unfasten his jeans when he broke the kiss and began moving down my body. He bit down over one nipple, then the other, then licked his way lower and lower.

He didn't tease, just took me in his mouth and swallowed every inch of my prick. It was something we never did.blowjobs had been reserved for Sabaan. But now, it was obvious that he'd had a change of heart.

I slid my fingers through his hair, moving it out of the way so I could see his lips as they caressed my cock. Sabaan moaned from across the room, and I forced my gaze from Nikolas to see what Sabaan was up to.

Lucien was already fucking Sabaan over the back of the couch, moving nice and slow. He'd sunk his fangs into Sabaan's neck and seemed to be enjoying the snack. Sabaan rolled his head and looked at me; his grin turned absolutely wicked as his forked tongue flicked suggestively between his lips.

"So pretty when you're getting fucked, Sabaan." I hissed as Nikolas nipped my leg where it met my hip. "Look at him, Nikolas."

Nikolas paused and looked back over his shoulder. "'S he fucking you, baby?"

"Oh yeah, nice and deep." Sabaan purred, and it was like his entire body just shivered. "And it's so good."

When Nikolas looked back at me, his eyes had changed. His wolf was just beneath the surface, watching me, wanting me. I pointed toward the nightstand. "You will not fuck me without lube."

"Of course not."

He growled and moved in that super-human way that all werewolves could. Fast, almost fast enough to make him seem invisible. I held my hand out for the small tube and he frowned.

"What do you want with it?"

"I'll show you if you just give it to me." He handed the lube over and I smiled. "Watch, it's one of Lucien's favorite things."

Lucien laughed from across the room. "You're going to make him come before he ever gets inside you, lover."

"You think?"

I squirted some of the clear gel onto my fingers and spread my legs, raising up to support myself on one elbow. Slowly, I slid two fingers into my hole, holding Nikolas' gaze as I did.

Those wolf eyes went dark as he watched. I used to think it was unwise to taunt the wolf, but I reveled in it now. Now that he couldn't hurt me&that he wouldn't hurt me.

"Fuck&me&"

"I think it'd be better if you fucked me, my wolf."

He growled and tore his jeans the rest of the way off. His cock was hard and heavy and wet with precome leaking from the tip. He moved closer and slid his hand over mine, pushing at my fingers at first, and then sliding one, two fingers in along with mine.

The fullness made me suck in a harsh breath, panting away the sting and the burn of him stretching me. I broke out into a sweat, entire body going hot. This wasn't the vampire side of me. Not at all.

This was all wolf.

All heat.

All need.

Nikolas pulled my hand away and pushed me back on the bed. He continued moving his fingers in and out, deep and slow. I could feel his gaze on me, could feel the desire so strong that it nearly sent me over the edge, just knowing how much he wanted this.

I panted beneath him, wanting to feel him inside me. Sure, he was doing a damned good job of making me feel good, but I wanted all of him. I grasped his cock and wrapped my hand around him, stroking the long, thick length in my fist. He shuddered and moved in closer, withdrawing his fingers from me.

"That feels so good, princess."

"Does it?" I scooted down a little more, so that I had him where I needed him. I changed my grip and rubbed the head of his cock against my hole. "Bet this would feel better."

"Oh, shit." He swatted my hands away and spread my legs, his grip on the insides of my thighs so tight it was almost painful. He slowly, torturously, began to push into me, and it took everything I had in me not to scream out in pleasure.

So long.

We'd both waited so long.

He held himself above me, muscles tense. "It's not gonna take long."

"'S okay." I tightened my ass around him, teasing. "We've got plenty of time to do it over and over and over again."

Nikolas groaned and sank down over me, brushing his lips back and forth against mine. He wrapped his arms around me and rolled us over to where he was on his back and I straddled his hips. The change in position sent shockwaves through me.

I rode him, taking my time, watching his expressions change as I changed my movements. Slow, fast&long, deep thrusts&short, fast ones& What I loved most was just feeling him inside me. I hit a good stride, every time I moved his cock grazed my gland just right. He let his hands roam over my body, pulling at the rings in my nipples, tracing the muscles along my torso with his thumbs, and eventually wrapping a fist around my cock and jerking me off in rhythm with my movements.

I let my head fall back and just kept moving, kept inching toward the orgasm that was slowly beginning to build. After a while, Nikolas stopped me and we shifted positions again. He pushed me onto my belly on the bed and moved behind me. I wanted to protest, to fight him off, but he didn't give me a chance.

He pushed back inside me and covered my body with his own, holding me tight to him as he began fucking me hard and fast. Something had changed. This was no longer just the first time I'd let him fuck me; this was the first time since I'd been brought over that I'd let him, his wolf, dominate me.

The first time hadn't counted.

The bond between us hadn't been strong enough then to make a difference. But now&now it did. I felt my control slipping and reached back, hoping the feel of his skin beneath my fingers would keep me grounded.

Nikolas' nipped at my neck, his breath hot at my ear. "It's okay, just let it happen."

"No."

I didn't want to shift. Not when I was this close to coming. Shifting now would knock off some of that pleasure and I didn't want that. I needed to feel him inside me as I was, in this human form.

"Baby&baby," he whispered. "It's gonna hurt if you fight it."

"Harder, Nikolas," I panted. "Please."

His next thrust was so hard and fast it would have shattered any normal human into pieces. But it was what I needed. It sent me closer to the edge and I felt the beginnings of my orgasm settle in. My claws dug into the flesh of his hip and the scent of his blood filled the air.

"Fuck!" Nikolas grunted, trying to keep his rhythm.

"Oh, God&oh, God&"

I came so suddenly that it felt as if the orgasm would turn me inside out. And then I realized that it was my wolf, and I just let go, let the change come. But it never came. Nikolas shoved into me another time or two and then came, filling me with himself.

And time stood still, as if my orgasm and his were just going on and on.

I felt the bond between us; felt it stronger than I ever had before. It was as if any barriers that had remained between us were now gone. I saw flashes of his past, and a wealth of emotions washed through me all at once.

There was joy, pain, happiness, anger, despair, darkness&

It was too much to take in all at once and I tried to close off the connection. Nikolas growled and held me where I was, not letting me move. He shook above me and cried out and I whimpered, feeling as if my entire body was about to shatter into a million pieces.

The orgasm finally began to recede, and I felt a warm sensation from head to toe. I felt Nikolas' emotions in that very moment and his joy was so pure, so right, that it gave me goose bumps. Any walls that had been between us before were now gone.

I sank down onto the bed, unable to hold myself up any longer. Nikolas went down with me and hugged me up tight against him. He pressed a kiss just below my ear.

"My wolf, my mate&my love."

I barely managed a nod. "I am."

* * *

When I woke, Sabaan was curled up next to me, purring in his sleep. Nikolas was at my back, Lucien at his back, and Lucien's arm was thrown over me and Nikolas. The last thing I remembered was passing out after Nikolas fucked me. If something else had happened after that, I either didn't remember, or didn't participate.

Hell, I might have gone furry after I'd come. If so, I'd been asleep a lot longer than just a few minutes. Shifting twice in one night was a little too much for me to handle sometimes.

Lucien moved his fingers back and forth over my hip. "You awake, lover?"

"Yeah." I slowly got up, careful not to wake Nikolas and Sabaan, and moved over to lie beside Lucien. "How long have I been out?"

"A couple of hours." He kissed me on the forehead. "You missed me fucking Nikolas through the mattress."

"What?" I rose up, shaking my head. "Are you serious?"

Lucien laughed and pulled me against his chest. "No, I'm teasing."

I smacked him hard. "Bastard."

"You went furry and passed out and the rest of us just lay here talking."

"Talking?"

"And touching," he added. "Nikolas was too tired to be fucked. What happened between the two of you was intense and filled the room with such energy and love. It was beautiful, lover."

"Yeah?" I looked up at him, needing to see his words reflected in his expression. And they were. He was genuinely at ease, happy. As if he finally understood that it was love, but it was different from what we had. "Felt pretty good, too."

"Is the bond between you and he strong now?"

I nodded. "Like it was that last step we needed to tear down the walls between us. I saw a lot of his past, and so much into his head&"

"Scary place?"

"You know, it was&but it's not quite that way anymore. He's changed so much."

"As I said before, I do not know him as I thought I did."

"Trust me: I don't even know this Nikolas as well as I thought."

Lucien was silent for a little while, and a little bit of tension started seeping into him. He sighed and rested his chin on my head. "Do you feel like talking, lover?"

"What's on your mind, baby?"

"Our conversation in the kitchen before all of this happened."

"Oh." That was, in fact, the last thing I wanted to talk about right now. With Nikolas and Sabaan sound asleep, it would be me that had to break the news to Lucien. But& Better me than someone else, I guessed. "Let's move to the couch."

Lucien grabbed his robe and I wrapped a sheet around me because my robe was in my own room. It was soft, but not quite soft enough. I dropped it and went for one of the towels, choosing to sit on it instead of wrap it around me.

He watched me and finally reached out and grabbed my hand. "Quit stalling."

"I'm not stalling. I'm just&" Yes, I was. I didn't want to do this. "I have no idea where to start."

"The beginning works pretty good."

"Normally, I'd agree, but I don't think so this time." I sat beside him and crossed my legs in front of me. "Here goes. A lot of this has to do with Simon."

"Simon?"

I nodded.

Fuck, this was so hard.

"We know he's an angel and that he was stripped of his wings because he caused someone's death, right?"

"Correct."

"He and I had a talk not too long ago. He told me that he'd been a Watcher and that he'd gotten too emotionally involved with one of his charges." Lucien seemed confused but interested. "He told me who it was he was watching over."

"Someone we know?" Lucien asked.

"More like someone you know." He shook his head and I sighed. "It was Lukas."

He was silent for a long while and I could just see the wheels turning in his mind as he tried to figure everything out. Finally, he looked away and I took his hand.

He shook his head, but didn't look at me. "Are you saying what I think you are saying? That he killed me to save Lukas?"

"In a way&yeah." I turned his head so he'd have to look at me. "He redirected the sword away from Lukas, but it hit you instead. He was so torn. They weren't supposed to interfere."

"With good reason," Lucien snapped. He sighed and shook his head. "So all of this time he's been serving me it's been out of what? Guilt?"

"He's been serving you because he loves you. I think the guilt of what he's done has been with him for so long that it's been slowly killing him inside. Lucien, I know this is a lot to take in, but please, don't do anything now to him that you might regret later."

"Oh, Peter. I'm not going to do anything to him. This is&a lot to take in, you are right in that. The truth is, I was happy to become as I am. It was one of the best things that happened to me, and we wouldn't be here today if it hadn't. I just wish Simon had felt that he could be honest with me."

"Secrets hurt," I said softly. "And we've been carrying our own for a while now."

"I want to talk to Simon about this. Get it out in the open and let him know that I do love him. And that I am okay with what he's done. I do not want for him to have to carry the burden of guilt any longer."

I blew out a long, low whistle. "And that brings us to my next secret."

"How many do you have?"

"Three."

"Oh, dear."

"Um. When Simon and I talked, I felt him out about whether he might want his wings back. If it was possible, I mean. He was very adamant that I leave things alone and."

"But you didn't?"

I shook my head. "I'd already asked Daniel to put me in touch with one of Simon's old commanders who goes by the name of Zephyr."

"Daniel? From the Council?"

I nodded.

"Oh, Peter."

"I wagered fifty years just to get the meeting with Zephyr." I watched a mix of emotions play over Lucien's face, but I couldn't pinpoint what he was feeling. "I was going to take the position anyway, but I worked this around to my advantage."

"Good for you."

"Good? I thought you'd be furious."

"No. We talked about this position on the Council, and I said that I would support you whether you accepted it or not. Just, next time, maybe run your plans by me or Logan. Politics are difficult in this world. Things need to be phrased just right or you could end up in a very bad position." He moved his fingertips across my brow. "There's something else. What is it, lover?"

"Nikolas and I went for a run earlier and Zephyr showed up." I swallowed hard, my stomach starting to knot. "He said that Simon had been granted a hearing."

"That's good, isn't it? What you wanted?"

"Sort of," I said. "What I didn't know, was that if he's judged unworthy? He'll be stripped of the rest of his powers and will 'live as a mortal man'&whatever that means."

"Oh, Peter."

He pulled me into his arms and I broke down.

"What have I done, Lucien? Either way, he's going to be pissed. What if I've just managed to take away all that was left of him as an angel? I know he wanted his wings back. I could hear it in his voice, could see it on his face."

"We will have to tell him what he's about to face," Lucien said gently. "But not tonight. Give me a day or so to look into it and see if there's anything I can do."

"I'm sorry." I looked up at him. "I've not done so well in making decisions for a while now."

"A lot of that is my fault, Peter, and you have no reason to be sorry. When I should have been guiding you, I let my own fears and jealousy lead me to leave you to your own devices. We may be equals, but it is my responsibility to teach you the ways of this world. In that, I have failed."

"We both have, I guess." I chuckled at my next thought. "I guess the good news is that our secrets are all out in the open. At least, I think they are."

"I believe they are. And it's time for us to move forward." He glanced toward the bed where Nikolas and Sabaan still slept. "For all of us to move forward."

Chapter Fourteen

Lucien and I had just finished showering, and Nikolas and Sabaan had wandered into the bathroom right after us to do the same. Sabaan had retrieved our robes and he and I had remade the bed with a clean set of sheets. All we needed now was to be clean. Dawn was coming fast and I needed to be in bed.

Everyone else? Well, I was sure they had work to do. Or something. It kind of sucked, I realized, to be the only one who was forced down into sleep for the day.

There was a sharp knock at the door, and I knew who it was before the door ever opened. The energy on the other side of the door was high-strung and often angry&mostly with me. Lucien and I shared a glance from where we sat at the desk, him signing some papers and me brushing out my hair.

"Come in, Silver," Lucien called out.

The door opened and Silver walked in. An odd expression passed over his face, and I realized that he knew what had taken place in here. The smell of sex was still heavy and it lingered beautifully in the air. He didn't seem to like it at all. I rather liked it, myself. But maybe that was because I was part incubus and he wasn't.

Who knew? The man was harder to read sometimes than an ancient hieroglyph. Silver seemed confused after a moment, but he managed to push it aside and tried to appear as if he was on the top of his game.

"Lucien." He bowed his head in respect. "Peter."

"What is it?"

"The team has managed to capture an entire team of hunters. The five of them are down in the dungeon for questioning. One of them is a vampire; he seems to be somewhat of a scout."

"Nikolas and I will be down shortly to see what they've got to say."

"Nikolas, sir?"

Oh, shit.

One thing that any vampire should never do&is question his master. No matter who you are, what your position is, or how much you think you're favored over anyone else.

Lucien went completely still and the temperature of the room dropped several degrees. He stared straight ahead, looking at nothing. He had to have been counting to fifty, trying to settle his rage and keep things calm.

After a few moments of silence, Lucien turned in his chair to face Silver. "Is there something wrong with your hearing?"

"No, sir. I."

"That was a yes or no question, Silver. No further explanation was expected."

Lucien stared at him and I wanted to cringe. Having that gaze leveled on me would have sent me crashing to my knees.which was what Silver should have been doing, instead of standing there looking offended.

Nikolas and Sabaan walked out of the bathroom then. Nikolas took one look at Lucien and started herding Sabaan back into the bathroom.

"Don't want to get involved in that," he whispered to Sabaan.

Silver shot them a look of disgust. Whether it was disgust at Nikolas being back in Lucien's good graces or disgust at the way we'd worked things out, I didn't know.

One thing was obvious; Nikolas wasn't interested in getting involved.

Hell, I wasn't either. I was content to just sit back and watch the Master at work. After a few moments of Silver and Lucien staring at each other, Lucien rose to his feet. Silver immediately bowed his head and dropped to one knee.

"That is much better," Lucien said, and it sounded like a snarl. "I suggest that whatever issues you have with anyone in this room . or with the way I handle this coven . be dropped immediately."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, leave us."

Silver got to his feet and gave a bow of respect before walking out the door. Lucien turned and began walking back toward his chair to sit down. He seemed concerned.

"Silver has never been so&" He finally shook his head. "I do not know what that was."

"I get under his skin, and I think it's a fine line between having to serve me and hating me."

"I'm sure that's not it, Peter."

"You've got to be kidding me," I said. "You were there when Nikolas and I showed up with Ricky's body and he blasted me in front of the entire team."

"He was upset that you ditched your security detail."

"But it doesn't give him the right to speak to me the way he did." I shook my head. "Maybe you've just been so pissed with me that you haven't noticed it, but Lucien, he's been giving me hell for a while now. It's not just me ditching my detail; it's anything and everything I do."

"He's right," Nikolas said as he and Sabaan came back into the room. "I've seen the way Silver's taken to treating Peter in recent months, and it needs to be dealt with."

"He's got power now where he used to have none," Sabaan added. "As strictly a team leader, he would probably be okay, but giving him the position as chief of security also? That might not have been such a good idea."

"Unfortunately, I tend to agree." Lucien sighed heavily. "I just thought that he would be perfect in that position, considering his background. But you are all right. He cannot continue with this attitude and remain in his positions."

"I'm not going to say take it easy on him, but maybe give him a very stern warning, you know?" I shrugged. "I just& he makes me look bad in front of the entire coven, and I do enough of that on my own."

"I say we talk rooming options," Sabaan said with a smile. "Peter? You're moving back in here, correct?"

I nodded and looked at Lucien. "If he'll have me."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he said with a grin. "Nikolas, Sabaan? You are both welcome to sleep here. The bed is certainly big enough for four."

"Yeah, and a whole lot more," Nikolas snorted.

Lucien walked to the closet and opened the doors. "You know, we could always put another entrance through here from your bedrooms to ours. No one would have to see who was continually going from room to room, and it would give us a little more privacy."

"I'm all for more privacy," Nikolas said.

"Won't that interfere with the emergency exit?" Sabaan asked.

Lucien shook his head. "I should hope that it would make it easier for the four of us to get out of here safely."

"You really are okay with all of this, aren't you?" Nikolas sounded in awe. "The four of us&together?"

"Of course I am." Lucien turned to face them, concerned, and then walked toward them. "Do you truly doubt me and my intentions?"

"Your change of heart was just so quick." Nikolas reached for Lucien and drew him close. "We've been fighting for so long and to have the slate wiped clean? Just promise you're not going to freak out in a week and try to kill us all."

"I promise." Lucien pressed a gentle kiss to Nikolas' lips and lingered there. "I really have missed you, Nikolas. Who better to have as a lover than someone who was once my best friend?"

"All right, all right," Sabaan began pushing them apart. "You two are about to get too mushy, even for me."

"You know you love it." Lucien grabbed Sabaan up and kissed him on the cheek. "Talking about friendship and commitment and love ."

Sabaan squirmed. "Ew, Peter, get him off me."

I just laughed and shook my head.

Lucien put Sabaan down and gave him a playful smack on the ass. "Nikolas? Are you coming to the dungeon with me?"

"Oh, hell yeah!"

Sabaan pulled his hair up in an odd arrangement to get it out of his face and started for the door. "While I'd like to watch, I'm starving. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the kitchen."

Lucien and Nikolas looked back at me before walking out. I held my hands up and shook my head. "I'm bowing out of this one. I'm going to hang out here, maybe go try to catch up on some work in the study."

"You sure, princess?"

I nodded. "Yep."

"If you change your mind&" Lucien winked and let the words hang in the air as he closed the door.

I stayed where I was for a long while, enjoying the calm and quiet of the bedroom. Truth be told, I'd missed it; the bed, the bathroom, but most of all.Lucien. The entire room carried his scent, and even if he wasn't physically there, he was still there.

My cell phone rang, piercing the silence of the room. I located it and stared at the screen. The number wasn't familiar. I opened the phone and pushed the button.

"Yes?"

"Peter?"

Tanner.

"Hey, Tanner."

"You busy?"

"Well, no." I glanced around the room, trying not to sigh aloud. Apparently, I'd not be spending any time in here alone anytime soon. "Why?"

"We need to talk," he said. "I'm just pulling into the drive now."

"I'll be there in a second."

I hung up the phone and shoved it in my pocket before taking off to meet Tanner. When I walked out the front door, he was leaned against the passenger-side door of his black Chevrolet Impala, waiting for me. He didn't look happy.

"What's going on, Tanner?"

"There's been another murder, no vampire involved in this one." He pulled a couple of Polaroid pictures out of his shirt pocket and handed them to me. "The department's investigating it as a stabbing, of course, but I smelled wolf on him."

I studied the pictures, trying to see if I recognized the poor bastard with his guts spilling out all over the ground. But I didn't. He was just as unfamiliar as the other victims had been.

"This is getting worse," I said after a while. "It's obvious that we've got rogue wolves running around town, but that's all we seem to know. How do we even deal with this when we don't know why they're targeting the victims and where they'll strike next?"

"Well, it gets worse," Tanner said with a little hesitation. "The media was on the scene at this one. If these wolves aren't found, the territory will be in danger from anyone who thinks they can move in and get it under control . and safe . again. That's not just the pack at stake, or the species.but the coven, too."

"Shit."

"Yup." Tanner yawned and stretched. "And the last thing anyone needs is a turf war."

I nodded. "You're welcome to stay here for the day, Tanner. There are plenty of rooms."

"Thank you, but I've still got to go back to the station and sign off on a few reports." I started to hand the pictures back, but he shook his head. "I've got more, those are yours."

"Thanks, Tanner."

He nodded and got into his car. I watched him pull away and then looked back down at the pictures again. This was so not what we needed. It was bad enough we had to deal with rogue vampires and teams of hunters, but rogue werewolves? Well, they'd always been something we'd had to deal with, but never like this.

It was as if these guys wanted to be caught.

I headed straight for the dungeon, but it quickly became clear that Lucien and Nikolas weren't there. Just before I reached Nikolas' room, I could hear a series of grunts, groans, and growls coming from inside. Curious, I opened the door and peeked inside.

Lucien was propped on the edge of Nikolas' desk, naked except for his shirt, which was pulled up and tucked behind his head. His head was thrown back in pure ecstasy while Nikolas . shirt off, pants around his knees . fucked him hard and fast.

Both of them gripped the other as if their lives depended on it, holding each other, fighting for kisses, bites, nips. The image went straight to my cock and it took all I had not to jerk off as I watched.

The table banged loud and steady against the wall, but even louder were the cries spilling forth from Lucien and Nikolas. Lucien whispered "yes" over and over again, urging Nikolas on, begging him not to stop.

Nikolas' muscular legs shook with the effort, but he never once faltered, never once stopped. His thrusts went harder, deeper, and Lucien gasped in pleasure. They were both so fucking close that I found myself waiting, watching for the exact moment they both went over the edge.

Lucien pulled Nikolas closer, licked up his throat, and then set his fangs. The moment Lucien bit into Nikolas' flesh, he came. Nikolas growled and shoved hard, nearly howling as he shot. I swayed at the intensity and had to catch myself on the doorframe. I gave them a moment, then walked into the room.

After a short while, Nikolas pulled out, rubbing his cock against Lucien's ass. I groaned at the sight. Nikolas' cock wet, still half-hard; Lucien's ass wet, dripping with Nikolas' come.

Nikolas turned his head and smiled that "I-just-got-off" smile. "Enjoy the show, princess?"

"Fuck, yeah." I leaned in and kissed him, then Lucien. "Please tell me there will be repeats."

Lucien nodded quickly. "In your words, lover: fuck, yeah."

"Have you two already been down to see the hunters? Or did you get side-tracked on the way there?"

Nikolas laughed. "This? Is the result of a bet."

I looked at Lucien. "And you lost?"

He shook his head and laughed. "No, I won."

"You never told me he loved getting fucked, princess."

"I'm an incubus," Lucien said, shifting, his position seeming uncomfortable now that their little make-out session was over. "All sex is good sex."

"Oh sure, make it sound like I did a so-so job."

Lucien laughed. "Oh no, my wolf, you were mind-blowing."

"Well, I hate to break the news now, what with all of the back-patting going on, but we need to talk." Lucien and Nikolas both shook their heads and shrugged, waiting for me to go on. "There's been another murder."

"And let me guess, a werewolf is responsible?" Lucien asked.

I nodded.

"Christ," Nikolas cursed.

* * *

I turned over in bed and reached for a warm body, only to find that the bed was empty. Considering the events of the last day or so, I'd have thought someone would've at least had the courtesy to wake me up with a blowjob.

I grabbed my phone, slipped on a robe, and went in search of my three men.

Three. Men.

Leave it to me to be able to get into the most complicated of relationships. But I wouldn't trade what I had now for anything. I was happy. Unbelievably so. In fact, I was so happy, I was afraid that the other shoe was about to drop and everything would just crumble.

I found them in the office.

Lucien was in his chair, Nikolas perched on the desk beside him, and Sabaan was pacing back and forth between the two windows behind them, tail just twitching. None of them looked particularly happy.

"What's wrong?"

Lucien turned the flat-screen monitor around so that I could see it. "See for yourself."

At first, I wasn't sure what I was looking at. The video was shaky, like it was done by an amateur. When it steadied out, the picture became clear and my stomach did a flip-flop. On the screen were Ricky and two other people& and I was behind him. I watched as I bit into him, half-shifted, and then laughed as he stopped moving.

It was my face, my long, brown hair... My height and my build, but it wasn't me. I started to say so, but Lucien held up his hand. "There's more."

The video cut and there was a time and date stamp, and then blank video. The black screen only lasted a few seconds and then there was a werewolf holding down some guy and ripping his stomach open. I watched in disgust when the incident stopped and the werewolf shifted back to human form.

And he looked just like me.

The guy from the video wasn't the guy from the pictures Tanner had given me, so this was obviously a third victim. All I could do was shake my head and repeat that it wasn't me, over and over and over again.

Nikolas was somehow behind me, and I thought that was great because I was two seconds away from passing out. He held me close, comforting me.

"We know it's not you, baby," Lucien said gently. "But if anyone else sees this video."

"They'll think it's me." I cut him off. "They'll think I'm some kind of fucking monster. Who delivered the video? What do they want?"

"We don't know," Nikolas said softly. "It was hanging on the gate at sundown."

"What the fuck are we supposed to do?"

I pulled away from Nikolas, suddenly needing a little space. He let me go, but stayed close beside me. Sabaan turned and took Nikolas' place at the edge of the desk beside Lucien.

"To start with, you need to call the Council," Sabaan said. "If there's someone running around pretending to be you, then they need to know about it."

"Right." I grabbed my phone and opened it. As I was scrolling for Daniel's number in my contacts, the phone rang and he was on the other end. "Hello?"

"Peter!" Daniel's voice was cheerful for once. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I'd have cleared my schedule. What did you.?"

"What the hell are you talking about, Daniel? I haven't been to see you."

"Don't play games, Peter. What's on the disc?"

"So you have a disc, too?" I shook my head, sighing into the phone. "It wasn't me that showed up, Daniel. That's why I'm calling."

The line went silent and I wondered if he was still there. That was the problem with talking to a damned vampire on the phone. Most of them didn't bother to breathe, so there was a definite lack of sound on the other end.

"Daniel?"

"Sit tight, I'm on my way." Daniel paused. "Tell me one thing, first; are you ready?"

I knew exactly what he was asking about. I might not have been ready, but it was time. I'd avoided him as long as I could, and to be honest, the Council was something I wanted behind me in case this shit with the murders and this new video "evidence" fell apart.

"Yes. I'm ready."

"Good. We'll get this mess cleaned up first and then we'll concentrate on that. Like I said, sit tight, I'll be there as soon as I can."

I closed my phone and looked up. Everyone was staring at me. "Daniel's on his way. He said to sit tight, whatever that means." Still, none of them said a word. "What?" I finally asked.

Nikolas cleared his throat. "Since it appears that you've become a target, I think it would be wise that you not leave the mansion."

"That's bullshit. I'm not going to hide from whoever the fuck this is! I'm hungry and I'm going out to feed . tonight . boogeyman or not."

"No, I will feed you," Nikolas retorted.

"Thanks, but no. I will not be relegated to feeding from the same people, day in, day out."

"Peter."

"No, it's like eating vanilla fucking ice cream just because you have it in the freezer, all the while knowing that there are tons of other flavors and combinations out there." Nikolas seemed truly offended. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend you, but it's the truth."

"I can't believe you called me vanilla."

"Ice cream flavors aside, I'm inclined to agree with Nikolas," Lucien said. "Sabaan?"

"I don't agree." He flicked one of his fangs with a long, black thumbnail. "Maybe the best way to flush out an imposter is with the real Peter, himself. Maybe they want Peter holed up in the mansion and not out on the streets. It could be that the entire mansion is a target."

Lucien sighed. "If that's the case, then it would be wise for all of us to remain armed until this person is caught. And Peter, as much as you hate the idea, a security detail would be wise."

I didn't get a chance to complain; hell, I wasn't even sure I would complain at this point. There was a knock at the door and it opened immediately after. Xander walked in, his eyes only on me, not the other three men in the room.

It reminded me that I had been . and still was . pissed with both Lucien and Nikolas for what they'd done when I was brought over. Or rather for what they didn't do, in repairing the bond between me and Xander.

"Just a second, Xander." I turned toward Lucien and Nikolas. Both of them met my gaze and I knew, just knew, that they knew Xander's presence had triggered my memory. "For the record, I'm still pissed with the both of you. Just so that's clear. I love both of you, but I don't forgive either of you. Not yet. What you two did could have killed Xander. I had an anchor when you brought me over, Lucien. I had you. But Xander had nothing.

"Xander? What is it that you need?"

"I was waiting in the hall to talk to Peter, and I couldn't help but overhear the conversation. I would like to volunteer to be Peter's personal guard, or at least one of them. This business with the rogue werewolves is pack business as much as it is coven business, and I want to be involved."

"I'd be glad to have you at my back, Xander," I said, before Lucien or Nikolas could disagree.

"I wasn't quite finished." Xander hesitated a moment. "Someone else would like to stand guard as well."

"Who?"

Caleb stepped into the doorway and Nikolas growled. "Oh, hell, no."

Caleb went to both knees and bowed his head. "I know I've fucked up in the past, but I would die before I let anything happen to you. If you would have me, I promise I won't let you down."

Lucien and Sabaan were either both too shocked to speak, or had decided to leave it up to me who I'd have as my personal guard. I observed Caleb for a long while. He wasn't that happy-go-lucky Caleb who I'd first met and loved. This Caleb seemed so much older, so much more haunted.

Just looking at him brought tears to my eyes.

Cyril had nearly killed Lucien, but he'd also sucked the life out of Caleb as sure as anything. I hoped that angel was frying in the pits of Hell for what he'd done. For all of the pain that he'd caused for so many people, Hell was too good for him.

"Come here, Caleb." He rose and slowly walked to me. I held my arms open and he walked into them, but didn't make any move to touch me. I pulled him into a tight hug, and it was only then that Caleb clung to me. "It won't come to that, but I'd be glad to have you as one of my guards for the night." I pushed him back and pressed my fingers beneath his chin to tilt his head back. He struggled to meet my eyes. "But there's a catch; you have to laugh at least a few times or I won't be able to stand it."

That sad look in his eyes was too much for me, and I was glad when Caleb pulled back. "I'll try."

Xander touched my arm and whispered, "Thank you."

"Thank you, Xander, for taking care of me."

"I'd do anything for you, Peter, and I hope you always know that. I still love you and I still care about your safety."

I nearly broke down, right there in front of everyone. Xander had been such a huge part of my life that there was a definite emptiness where the bond between us had been. Regardless of everything I had now, what I had with Xander had been&well, it was different.

Xander let his fingers caress down my arm as he and Caleb walked away. "Call us when you're ready to leave."

I just nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. A tear slipped out of the corner of my eye, and I wiped it away and tried to suck it up before I turned to face Lucien, Nikolas, and Sabaan.

"Peter?" Lucien called my name quietly, a hint of sadness in his voice. "If you truly love him and want your connection with him back, you can do it by making him your servant."

That he would tell me at all meant a lot.

But my relationships were complicated enough as it was. "I'll keep that in mind."

Chapter Fifteen

"Would you stop pacing, princess? You're going to put a permanent path in the marble."

"Leave him alone, Nikolas," Sabaan said.

"He has every right to be worried," Lucien said. "Unless you want to fight, I suggest you just watch."

"Fight? Hell, I'm about to fuck him stupid so he'll stop moving. It's like watching a fucking tennis match."

I flipped him off and kept moving. I'd been pacing the floor for a little over an hour, waiting for Daniel to show up. When the door bell finally rang, I ran to answer it. Daniel and a few of his personal guards were at the door, and I stepped back to let them in.

"I'm sorry it took so long," Daniel said as he walked past me. "There were other issues that needed my attention before I could leave." Daniel stopped and turned, looked at the three men sitting around the room, then looked at me. "My, you four have been busy."

"Just a little." I laughed and gestured to the numerous chairs and couches. "Have a seat."

Daniel's guards moved off to stand at opposite walls, and he sat down in one of the two Queen Anne chairs. I sat in the one across from him and Daniel sighed. "I watched the video that was dropped off with my assistant and I have to say, the resemblance between the man on the video and you, Peter, is astounding."

"It wasn't me, Daniel. I fed from the guy in the club and then Nikolas and I went for a run. We got a call a little later, saying that there'd been a bleeder at the club I'd been at."

"After which you proceeded to pilfer the evidence and the body?"

I nodded. "There was too much evidence that pointed to a vampire killing a human, not to mention the fact that I'd fed from the guy only hours earlier."

"You did the right thing," Daniel said. "The last thing we need is for the media to start making headlines with vampires as the main suspects in a series of killings. What of the body?"

"It's been disposed of," Lucien said. "He would have come back as a revenant had we not."

"Good, good." Daniel scratched his head. "Peter, I know you've said that you have no knowledge of your father, but from where I'm standing, I think it's safe to assume that he's alive and he's found you."

"After all of these years, what could he possibly want from me now?"

"You have a pack and a coven," Daniel said. "Those are quite enticing to someone who wants both power and territory."

Nikolas stood and began to pace, traveling the same path he'd tried to get me to stop using only a short time before. "So what do we do?"

"We can call in the Council's team and do a sweep of the entire city."

"And what if that nets us nothing?" Lucien asked. "Do we sit aside, looking for a needle in a haystack while this man tries to paint Peter as a murderer and continues to evade capture?"

As they talked and threw options back and forth, I sat there, feeling a little numb. I remembered Xander saying that he saw me just before the explosion at the club. That I'd caught his eye and walked away from him.

But that hadn't been me, either.

It was as if the pieces of the puzzle were finally beginning to fall into place. It was entirely possible that if this guy was responsible for the explosion at the club, then he was also responsible for the explosion that killed my grandparents. That would explain the picture missing from one of the frames.

Could my father and I really look that much alike? That Xander, while still& No, he wasn't bound to me then. The transition had severed the bond. No wonder Xander followed the man, thinking it was me. If we looked that much alike, there was no way Xander could have known the difference.

The fact that he knew to catch Xander's eye before the explosion meant one thing to me: he'd been watching me . us . and knew the people that I was closest to. That thought sent chills down my spine and I shuddered, shaking my head.

"Peter?" I realized Lucien was kneeling in front of me, my hands in his. I looked at him, at his hands. I hadn't remembered him taking them. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head, over and over. "He's been watching us, Lucien. He knows all about us and those we love."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember after the explosion? Xander said he saw me just before it happened?"

"Yes, but."

"He knew Xander would follow him if Xander thought it was me. And the explosion that killed my grandparents? The missing picture in the frame?"

"Nikolas, take him," Lucien said. "I'm calling a coven meeting, now."

Nikolas knelt and took Lucien's place, and I reached out to stop Lucien. "Wait! What if& what if there are& What if he has people here in the coven?"

The worry on Lucien's face increased ten-fold. "Then I will need Logan's help to read everyone quickly."

"Lucien? May I use your study and your phone?" Daniel asked, rising to his feet. "I'm going to confer with a few other Council members, and we'll decide the best course of action."

"Of course," Lucien said. "But Daniel, do not leave us open for a turf war by announcing to the world that we are unstable."

"Isn't that what you're about to do?" Daniel asked. "Notify all of your coven members of the imposter that's wreaking havoc in your city? Give me a chance to talk to a few people first and then we can all decide what to do from there."

I touched Nikolas' hands. "Would you do me a favor?"

"Anything, princess."

"Get Xander for me? I want to talk to him about the explosion, about what he saw."

He didn't seem unhappy about my request; he just nodded, kissed my hand, and left. For Nikolas to do exactly as I asked without so much as a smart-ass remark meant that he was just as worried as the rest of us.

Sabaan touched my shoulder a few moments later, and when I looked up at him, he pointed to the table beside me. "I made you some tea."

"Thanks, baby."

He sat on the floor in front of me and laid his head in my lap. It was only then that I realized I was still wearing just the robe that I'd slipped on when I'd gotten out of bed. Ah, well, fuck it. If people got offended by seeing me in my robe, then they'd just have to deal with it.

I picked up the cup of tea Sabaan had brought and took a sip. It was perfect, nice and hot, just a little sweet. When I went to set the cup down, there was one of my custom-rolled cigarettes in its place.

Oh, for the love of God, Sabaan knew exactly what I needed sometimes. I picked it, and the lighter beside it, up and lit the cigarette, inhaling deep and just holding in the smoke. After a few seconds, I relaxed considerably and let the smoke out in a long breath.

"Better?" Sabaan asked, looking up at me with a smile.

I nodded. "I love that you know me so well."

"It's going to be okay, Peter."

"Yeah, I know." I sighed and shook my head. "And now that I've had my little freaking out session."

"Hey, anyone would freak out if this was happening to them."

"But it's not just happening to me, Sabaan. He might be using me, but what he's doing is affecting everyone."

Nikolas walked in with Xander and Caleb right behind him. I put down my tea and went to them, pulling Xander off to the side. He shook his head, clearly confused.

"What's going on?"

"Long story short? It seems my father& God, that sounds so weird. It seems he's the one behind the murders that have happened recently."

"You're shitting me."

"I wish I was." The crowd in the living room seemed to be growing with each passing second. I needed out of here and quick. "Let's take a walk. Caleb, you're more than welcome to come along."

* * *

Once we made it down the hall away from everyone, I started to feel a little less claustrophobic. Sometimes I didn't realize how many people we had in the coven until they all started showing up and trying to stuff themselves into one damned room. Xander opened the door for me, and when I walked outside, I let out a sigh of relief.

Xander eyed me warily. "Nikolas said you wanted to talk to me about the explosion at the club."

"I know we've been over it a dozen times, but I need to hear it again."

"I saw you making your way through the crowd. You looked at me, winked, and then headed the opposite way as if you wanted me to follow. I only made it a few feet before the bomb went off." Xander shook his head. "But it wasn't you."

"And you couldn't have known the difference because the bond was no longer there."

He shook his head. "He looked just like you, walked like you, looked at me the way you&"

"That just confirms to me that he's watching." I cut him off before he could mention all that I used to do where he was concerned. "How else would he know the people closest to me?"

"Is it possible that it's not your father at all? Maybe he's a brother that you didn't know you had?"

"Why do you think that?"

"I think it's possible to look like your father, but an exact replica? I don't see how that could happen with you having some of your mother's genetic makeup as well."

"Hmm." I thought about it for a moment. "I guess that makes sense, but."

Caleb crashed into me and sent me skidding across the concrete. His body covered mine and when we came to a stop, I smelled blood. A lot of it. I looked up to ask Caleb what was going on, but blood spilled out of his mouth steadily. His mouth was moving, but nothing was coming out.

Glass shattered close by and tiny pieces of it rained down all around us. I heard a gunshot and it ended in a thwap, as if it'd hit a nearby tree. In a matter of moments, there was a wall of team members around us, returning fire.

I rolled Caleb off me so that I could examine him. His soft, blue shirt was stained a deep crimson, and I ripped it open to find there was a massive hole right in the middle of his chest. Xander crawled toward us, yelling something, but the gunfire was so loud and continuous that I couldn't hear a word.

I tugged on Xander's shirt and pointed toward the doors. "Move him inside!"

Xander and I grabbed Caleb under each arm and dragged him through the doors to the safety of the concrete reinforced walls. Xander was crying, trying to get Caleb to look at him.

Caleb coughed and blood, thick and foamy, bubbled from his lips. He looked at me and grabbed my shirt. "Told you I'd die before I let anything happen to you."

"I know, Caleb, but you're not going to die."

I slit my arm open and let my blood run into his wounds. I watched, waited, but nothing happened. Finally, I grabbed Xander's arm and bled him, hoping that maybe his blood would kick-start the healing.

But it didn't.

Caleb moaned and tried to touch the wound. "It burns. It's like fire."

Lucien, Nikolas, Sabaan, Daniel, and Cecil all came running down the hallway. Lucien skidded to a stop when he saw that I was okay and that Caleb was the one down and bleeding. Cecil knelt beside us and felt around the wound, then rubbed his fingers together.

"Whatever they shot him with contained a high level of silver. His blood's coagulating, and he won't heal unless we get it out of him."

Xander was shaking so hard that I grabbed Caleb up myself. "Go, Cecil, I'm right behind you. Xander, come on, baby. He'll be okay, just walk."

Xander ran ahead, opening doors and moving people out of the way to clear a path. Once down in the treatment room, I laid Caleb on the table and took one of his hands. His eyes were closed and that scared the hell out of me.

"Open your eyes, Caleb." Xander patted his cheek and shook his shoulders, but Caleb just moaned in response. "Come on, baby, stay with us."

"Everyone out," Cecil ordered.

"We ain't going anywhere," I said. "Just get started."

For nearly an hour, Cecil cleaned and cut away at Caleb's wounds. Once he was satisfied that he'd gotten rid of all of the silver, he hooked up an IV and began to pump bag after bag full of blood into Caleb.

Caleb's wound began to heal almost instantly, and it was odd to watch everything knit back together at such a rapid pace. Caleb's eyes opened after a short time and he smiled at Xander.

"Hey."

"Hey, yourself," Xander responded. "You feeling better?"

"Am now." Caleb nodded and looked up at me. "I heard the safety click and all I could see was some asshole shooting you. Couldn't let that happen."

"You could have just told us to drop to the ground."

"That wouldn't have been as dramatic." He groaned and shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"What the hell for? You just saved my life." I petted his hair, smoothing those unruly curls back. "Thank you, Caleb."

"I caused a scene and."

"Shh, baby, just rest." Xander put a finger to Caleb's lips and met my gaze. "He's sorry for everything, Peter."

"Everything?"

"Xander&" Caleb tugged on Xander's hand. "No&"

"He doesn't want to inconvenience anyone," Xander said softly. "And having you here at his side instead of upstairs with Lucien right now? Well, he sees that as an inconvenience to you."

That was unacceptable.

I leaned down and caressed Caleb's cheek, studying that beautiful face, those haunted brown eyes. "That bastard angel might have broken you, but we're going to fix you. I want you back, Caleb; I want to see you smile, to see you laugh."

"I don't deserve it."

"You've paid your debt." I leaned down and placed a kiss to his forehead. "In full and then some."

"I'm."

"And stop saying you're sorry." I ruffled his hair. "I love you. Xander loves you. Lay here and rest up, okay?"

He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but then closed it again. The door opened, and I felt Lucien's presence before I even turned around.

"Is he okay, lover?"

I nodded and turned to face Lucien, as well as Nikolas, Sabaan, and Daniel. They all looked somewhere mixed between worried and relieved. But beneath that, there was something else. Fear? Disappointment?

"He wasn't caught, was he?" I asked.

Nikolas cleared his throat. "There are several trails and the team has split up to better the chances of capturing him."

The door opened behind Nikolas and Silver pushed his way into the room. He looked as if he'd run his ass off, and if he'd have been human, he'd still have been out of breath. Lucien turned, clearly aggravated.

"What is it, Silver?"

"We've got a huge problem," Silver said cautiously. "One of the teams traced the shooter as far as they could, but came across something else. The property that Sabaan used to own is& Well, it's&"

"It's what?" Sabaan asked.

"It's full of vampires and Lycan alike; not rogues, but a coven, with a Master and everything."

"I see," Lucien said after a long moment of silence. He turned to face the rest of us. "I did not want to announce that we had a rogue wolf, for fear of leaving us open for an attack or a turf war, but it seems we've managed to get both anyway."

"How could you not have known that another Master was in your territory?" Daniel asked. Nikolas and I exchanged looks and Daniel caught it. "What are you all hiding?"

"Maybe we should let Daniel know about your."

Lucien cut Nikolas off mid-sentence. "Silver, Cecil? Leave us, please." Cecil and Silver both seemed reluctant to leave the room, but once they did, Lucien sighed and shook his head. "There's something wrong with me, Daniel, but I don't know how it happened or why."

"Something? What kind of something?"

"Well, for one thing, he doesn't sleep during the day. For another? I caught him eating potato salad by the spoonful. It's like he's on the serum again," I said. "But he hasn't taken a single drop."

"Being on the serum would explain a dampening in his powers."

"But not all of them," Sabaan said. "His bond with me gave him a little power uppage, and it's remained intact."

"Have you seen Cecil about this?"

"No," Lucien said. "If I'm going to be poked and prodded, I would prefer Marcus be the one to do it."

"Very well," Daniel said after a moment. "I'll call him and get him here as soon as possible. In the meantime, no one is to step foot outside this mansion, do you hear me?" When we nodded, he looked at me. "Peter, I will have Doc bring one of my binders and you can choose your own security detail from within the pages. Once you find the men . or women . you want to interview, then we'll go from there."

Epilogue

In the past few days, it had become crystal clear that there was no way I was going to get away from having a security detail, now or in the future. It was a fact I was going to have to get used to, one way or another. I'd fought it for so long, thinking that I could just be another member of the coven, or just a "normal" vampire going out to feed at the clubs.

Oh, how wrong I'd been.

Not only was I in danger, those around me were, too. Caleb had put himself between me and a silver bullet, and no matter how much he thought it was a small thing, I owed him. That one act had gone a long way to convincing even Nikolas that maybe, just maybe, Caleb was an okay guy.

The shock alone from that admission had me speechless and staring at him off and on for well over an hour. He finally threatened to take it back unless I stopped.

I stopped, all right. But it was something I wanted to write down where I could pull it out as evidence down the road, just in case he mysteriously forgot that he'd ever uttered those words.

Lucien was a mess and it was all Sabaan, Nikolas, and I could do to keep him inside the mansion. He wanted to confront the new Master in town and call him out in a challenge. But with the current state of his body and his powers, the chances of him coming out of it alive were pretty slim.

All of us were lying in bed, talking, watching the latest news report of a stabbing outside of a club. We all knew what the next night would bring: a disc hanging on the outside gate, with video footage of the crime in a small file. We'd watch it, catalog it, and then turn it over to the Council, who would do the same.

My father . if that's who he really was . was getting off on the fact that we were stuck here and unable to do a damned thing to catch him. He was taunting us, trying to draw us out by killing more and more people and then rubbing our faces in it. But what he didn't know was that we were gathering our forces, strengthening the coven, and then we were going to hunt his ass down like the dog he was and give him the punishment that he deserved.

Nikolas sighed and started getting off the bed. "Anyone hungry besides me?"

"I could eat," Sabaan said.

I shook my head. "Haven't shifted, so I'm out."

Nikolas glanced at Lucien. "Want anything?"

Lucien seemed to think about it for a moment. "I'll pass, thank you."

Nikolas tugged Sabaan up and off the bed. "Let's go eat, then."

They left us alone in bed, and a few seconds later Lucien rolled over and smiled at me. "Hungry for something else?"

"Well, you know&I could be persuaded rather easily." He grabbed me up tight and rolled us so that he was on his back with me straddling his hips. He was hard beneath me and I groaned. "What have you been doing? Daydreaming about fucking while we were lying here?"

He nodded. "For the most part."

I stretched and grabbed the lube from beneath the pillow Sabaan had been lying on and handed it to Lucien. "Get me ready then, lover."

He took the lube, grinning, showing those fangs as he did. I bent and licked at one, then the other, laughing when he groaned and parted those lips even more. I teased at his lips, then slid my tongue against his, tasting him.

He tasted of mint and&peanut butter cookies?

I pulled back, confused.

"Have you been eating cookies?"

The guilty look on his face said it all. I just shook my head and laughed at him. He was addicted to food as much as he was addicted to sex. It was all good, just a little&odd.

He slid two slick fingers against my ass and all thoughts of cookies left my mind. He pushed, just a little, and his fingers sank into me. I shuddered at the sensation of having his fingers stretch me and my body went hot.

"Oh, that's good."

"So hot," he whispered. "Love feeling you shudder like that."

I nipped his bottom lip and ground against his fingers. "Happens when you touch me."

I slid my hand down and cupped him, then wrapped my fingers around that hard, thick length and began stroking him to the same rhythm he fingered me. Precome slicked the way, and soon he was pushing his hips up against my hand.

"Want to feel you, Lucien."

He groaned and pulled his fingers away and I rose up, taking him in my hand and lining his prick up at my hole. I sank down onto him, slowly, taking him in inch by inch. He filled me so completely that it was all I could do not to cry out and start moving up and down on him.

 Lucien's hands slid around my hips, and he pulled me down as he pushed up into me. Our eyes met and he slid one hand up around my neck, pulling me down into a kiss. I groaned and ground down on him, riding him, enjoying the feel of him inside me. His prick punched into my gland at the perfect angle on each touch and before long, both of us were moving and thrusting and working our way to orgasm.

Lucien came first, holding my hips tight as he shoved into me. The heat of him filling me sent me over and I followed close behind him, spilling wet heat onto his belly. It was quick and without much foreplay, but it was what we'd needed. To release a little steam and a little frustration this way was much preferable to lying here whining about it all.

"Love you," I whispered, nuzzling at his jaw.

"Love you, too."

He pulled me down and licked at my neck. He'd set his fangs and was about to bite down when the door opened. Lucien and I both looked toward the door as Xander walked in. Lucien sat up slightly.

"How the hell did you get in here?"

"Sabaan held the door for me when he and Nikolas left, but you and Peter got busy so quickly, I didn't have the heart to interrupt."

"What do you want?" I asked, raising a brow at him when he climbed up on the bed to sit beside us. "Xander?"

"Oh, don't mind me," he said with a grin. "I know you two can go more than once. I'll talk while you fuck."

"Xander," Lucien growled out a warning. "Do not test my patience."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Xander said. "I just wanted to talk to you both about a decision that I've made."

"And what would that be?" I asked.

"I'm handing the pack over to the true alpha," Xander said.

Lucien and I both gaped at him. "What are you talking about?"

"You know," Xander said, smiling at me. "That night at the club, when we fought in the parking lot? You bled me and you dominated me and by all rights, you are . and have been . the true leader of the pack since then."

"Xander, don't do this," I whispered.

"I've thought about it long and hard, and Caleb and I have discussed it at length. It's not what I want anymore," he said. "With the pack in your hands, I would gladly serve you."

"They will not follow me, Xander."

"They've been mad because you haven't stepped up and taken over," he said hesitantly. "They think you care more about the vampires than you do them."

"That's not true; I don't value one over the other."

"I know that, but all they see is you spending time with the vampires and shucking your position as pack leader." Xander sighed. "So what do you say? Will you take on the pack as your own?"

It was too much to decide in a matter of moments. It was like him asking me which donor I wanted for dinner and expecting to get an immediate answer. Taking over the pack was so much more complicated than that, and I needed time to mull it over.

"Give me a few days to think about it?"

"I can do that," Xander said with a nod. "And on that note, I need to get back to Caleb. He's waiting to play video games."

"How's he doing?"

"Still a little sorry about everything, but Logan's been a huge help."

"Good," Lucien said. "I'm hoping Logan can break through some of that pain and get our Caleb back."

Lucien's words made me smile. Nikolas wasn't the only one who had been impressed when Caleb had thrown himself between me and that bullet. In fact, I think the coven was well on their way to getting over the things he'd done in the past.

Xander slid off the bed and walked to the door. "I'll leave you two perverts alone."

"Xander?" Lucien called his name, and when he turned, Lucien laughed. "Make sure the door is closed behind you."

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Soul Mates: Secrets - 1