The Guilty Innocent

The Guilty Innocent Book 2 of The Knights of Darkness Chronicles D.N. Simmons Table of Contents A Sneak Peek Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six

Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten

A Sneak Peek I continued to watch their table the entire time as Elise translated, I could see the fear in Nikolai's eyes as he stared at the coldness of Dmitri's gaze. Nikolai set the briefcase on the table and opened it, a smile spreading across his face as he nodded approvingly. He then closed the briefcase. Dmitri finished his coffee and rising from his seat, said something else to Nikolai as he prepared to leave. I didn't want him to get away, I looked towards Sergio, who seemed to know my intentions and he rose from his chair followed by Devin and then myself. Before we could get close to them, Elise called out to us, we turned to look at her. A second later, I heard an eruption of screams, people became hysterical, pushing past us and each other as they rushed towards the exit. Sergio leaped high into the air over four tables and landed in front of Dmitri, grabbing hold of his coat. Dmitri swung the leather briefcase, attempting to hit Sergio in the face, but Devin snatched the case from his hands. I looked back towards Nikolai and found him slumped over the table. Blood began to seep from the bullet wound in his head, forming a puddle. I never heard a gunshot, Dmitri must have used a silencer and of course someone saw the assassination and started this chaos. Dmitri struggled in Sergio's vice-like grip. He pulled his gun from his inside pocket but Elise caught his hand and began to crush the bones. I could hear the crunching sound of his bones breaking! Dmitri cried out from what must have been agonizing pain and dropped his gun, which convinced Elise to ease up on his injured hand. Elise began to speak to him softly in Russian, he shook his head stubbornly, proving that he was not going to be a team player. Sergio grabbed his chin in a powerful grip, forcing his eyes to meet Elise's. Devin stood beside them, still holding the briefcase. Elise spoke to the man again and this time when he tried to refuse, Sergio's grip tightened as if he were trying to crush the man's jaw. Dmitri cried out and began to speak rapidly in Russian to Elise. I supposed he was telling her he'd cooperate. She spoke again to him, this time, it appeared he was answering whatever questions she was asking. I began to hear police sirens approaching, I looked towards the door and saw another man dressed in all black, wearing a matching face mask. He entered through the door holding an automatic machine gun. I dropped to the floor and yelled for the others to do the same. Instantly they were on the floor as the gunman sprayed the restaurant with bullets. Dmitri was shot through and through, blood splattered the floor around him as his lifeless body danced erratically as the bullets entered him. The sight of Dmitri being slaughtered scared the shit out of me, I was too scared to move! I didn't want to get shot trying to flee. The man aimed the gun towards the floor, trying to kill us as well. Sergio positioned himself in front of the rest of us as we began crawling towards the kitchen.

Chapter One

Introduction I could feel the delicate warmth of the sun's rays on my eyelids. Could it be seven o'clock already? I thought groggily to myself. I hoped not. I was not yet ready to get out of bed. This is definitely what one would describe as, “hugging the bed” and goodness knows I was holding on for dear life. I could feel myself beginning to drift back to sleep and just when I started to feel the blissful unconsciousness of sleep returning. I hear the loud annoying sound of my alarm clock. Note to self: Buy a different alarm clock, one that wakes you up to the sound of music. “Okay, okay, I'm up!” I said aloud, as I tossed the warm comforter aside and climbed out of my bed. I walked into my beautiful, recently decorated bathroom, thanks to Darian and the kindness of my landlord, I was able to change that god-awful yellow wallpaper, the same wallpaper that is still in the kitchen. Annette adores that wallpaper, but I think it's just ghastly, daisies and other garden essentials on the walls, are not to my taste. I now have dark blue and white tiled walls, sparkling white pedestal sink, toilet and tub, and dark blue tiled flooring. I simply adore it! I do! I love blue, blue is my favorite color. I read in a magazine once, that persons with certain characteristics always have a favorite color. Blue was described as the color for calm and sensible people, as the magazine article went on to explain. Red, is the color for passionate people, and pink was described as the color for fashion lovers. So blue is mine...well, blue and black that is. Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Natasha Hemingway, I'm an ordinary person, but recently I am learning to adapt to an extraordinary life. Discovering that I have these special abilities, well, my best friend and roommate, Annette believes my abilities to be special, a “gift from god”. I'm what some people might call a psychic, and I'm also clairvoyant, though that skill needs a lot more fine tuning. I see visions of future events whenever I fall asleep. At first, I thought my visions to be erratic dreams. I was unaware that I had formed connections with certain people by touching something personal of theirs and had no idea how to control them. However, thanks to the supernatural and expert help from Darian, I am now able to manage the visions better. Oh man, I'm completely jumping the gun here. Better start from the beginning. It was four months ago when I realized I had these abilities. My friend Annette and I were out partying and decided to take a cab home. We were involved in a deadly two car accident when our cab was rear-ended. We survived, but our driver and the driver of the other car did not. The strange thing about that accident was that I saw it happen before it actually happened through the eyes of the driver who rear-ended our cab. See, I knew he was the same man I had bumped into as we were leaving the night club. He was drunk and I took his car keys and had Annette give them to the bartender. That stupid bartender had returned the keys to that highly intoxicated man! And now two people are dead because of two irresponsible idiots (I hope that phrase isn't redundant)! While I was recovering in the hospital, I discovered that I had been taking medication for what I thought was to prevent migraine headaches, but in actuality, it was a dream suppressant. I had been taking this medication for years, not knowing the truth. My friend convinced me to use my abilities for the greater good, so I no longer take the medication. However, you'd be surprised how many morbid dreams I can have in one night. I've seen all sorts of things, such as murders, sexual orgies, just ghastly things! I'm sure you can imagine just how rare my abilities are, but trust me, they can be a pain in the ass at times. And as if my plate wasn't full enough, I now have two vampires courting me. If you think like my friend, Annette, then two kind, sexy, and gorgeous vampires courting you is a good thing. A once in a life time thing you should not pass up. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying all of the attention they're giving me, let me tell ya! I mean, what woman would not relish being spoiled by two rich studs, even if they are undead. I'll admit, it's still taking me some time to get use to the supernatural living among us. It's been about two and a half years since the supernatural race was revealed. Up until that time, vampires and shape-shifters were only creatures in movies and myths. At the time of the discovery, they were teachers, doctors, lawyers...well let me clarify that. A lot of them were those things before the “Exposure”. And even now, most of them still cloaked their true identities out of fear of being discovered. For a doctor to reveal that he or she was a supernatural would be a career suicide. Many people would not want a supernatural examining them, not to mention operating on them. I suppose this could be blamed on human nature to be suspicious and unwilling to trust anyone different than themselves. It's my speculation that many humans feared that they would be accidently (or purposely) turned or eaten for dinner. Even though the humans and supernaturals must co-exist, thanks to the new laws, I've noticed many humans can only accept the supernaturals as attractions. Such as going to their hangouts to look at the sexy, exotic vampires. Many of them want to feel the animal magnetism of the shape-shifters. Not me! I was never one to want to be up close and personal with the supernaturals, but in the past four months, certain events have thrust me into their world. Hell, who am I to say anything, if people knew about my abilities, they would toss me in the lot with the rest of the supernaturals. Well, I see I've strayed again, let me get back to the point, where was I...oh yes! About four months ago I met Xavier and Darian, well I met Xavier first. He was visiting my friend Annette while we were both in the hospital recovering from the car accident. Annette works for them, she used to be a stripper, but she was promoted at that time, to assistant day manager. While Xavier was visiting her, I came to her room to check on her. She introduced us and I was immediately attracted to him, but I hit the brakes fast when I found out he was “one of them,” so to speak. However, Xavier was not what I expected, hell, I didn't know what I expected, but I knew that I did not expect Xavier to be so sexy, funny, kind, romantic, and patient. He made me consider “dating” him-a supernatural. Then while helping two S.U.I.T. (Supernatural Unit Investigation Team) detectives solve a series of mysterious murders. I met Darian, the master vampire of Chicago and owner of Desires Unleashed, the nightclub Annette works at. With my abilities we discovered that there were two killers, a vampire and a werewolf, and the detectives were having trouble tracking them. I myself had accidently made contact with one of the killers, which allowed me to peek into their lives and thus, give the S.U.I.T. detectives solid clues on how to track them down. In one of my visions, I saw Darian, he was fighting on our side. This same vision also revealed to me that one of the detectives I was working with was also a were wolf... well wolf, that is. Warren (that is his name) told me that shape-shifters only refer to themselves as the animals they change into. Makes sense to me...I suppose. It does help separate the fact from the myth. Since my vision proved that Darian would be aiding us, we decided to fulfill the prophecy and asked him for his help. He was an absolute jerk when I first met him. He did not want to help us and I found him to be completely self-absorbed, rude and uncaring. His uncooperative attitude had angered me so much so that I slapped him. I know what you are thinking, I thought the same... had I gone mad!? One just doesn't slap a master vampire and live to tell about it. But here I am, alive and well. Here's the thing, after I slapped him he became immediately enamored with me and decided to help us after all. Vampires seem to become entranced with a person easily as I've learned from my brief experience. With Darian's and my help, Warren and his partner Matthew were able to solve the case. Believe me when I tell you, it's been a wacky four months for me! Allow me to continue, in addition to all that I have previously mentioned, both Darian and Xavier revealed to me that they are lovers and wanted to include me in their relationship. I know what you are all thinking, well that's if you think like my

friend Annette. I'd have it made if I accepted them, two beautiful, rich men at my side, at my beck and call, right? Well, I can't lie...well, actually I can lie, I just choose not to at this point. I have thought about it, about the way their bodies would feel against mine as we lay in bed together. Damn, just thinking about the possibility makes me blush. But as I've said before, I am enjoying the way they are pampering me. Let me give you some examples. For Christmas, Xavier brought me a beautiful pair of diamond drop earrings, I loved them instantly. Then Darian, not to be outdone, paid the rent for our apartment for the entire year! I did not know what to say to such extravagant gifts, and neither guy would take “no” for an answer. What's a girl to do? It's very hard to say “no” to men like them, not that I've ever met men like them before. I haven't been very successful in the romance department and I wanted to get them something special. I had the most difficult time finding Christmas presents for two people who already have everything, so the best thing I could do was give them both Anisi's products for Him as gifts. Both seemed pleasantly surprised which pleased me as well. These two guys are so very alluring and charming. Sometimes, Darian can surprise me with his completely jaded and aloof personality. I understand that he's immortal, and I think once someone knows they can't die, they become detached, this is just my own opinion. In a way, I want to revive Darian, don't get me wrong, he's a pretty vibrant person, I just think his spirit needs some CPR. I want to help him see the human side of himself again. Xavier, on the other hand is fun, enthusiastic and somewhat mischievous. However, it is Darian that I have to watch myself around most of all. Darian has a way of being completely seductive in everything he does. I think it's a skill that some supernaturals develop over time. Though, I have no idea of Darian's age, I'm willing to bet he's over a century, so I'm quite certain that he has perfected his skills of seduction. Which is why I have not bedded either one of them. I want to make certain that they're interested in me as a person and not just a body for their threesome. What can I say? I'm an old-fashioned kind of girl. I thought they would get tired of waiting, like so many men do. But then I remembered, they are vampires...immortal, what's four months to their eternity? I'll give in before they'd give up. My guess is that's what they have been doing, breaking down my protective barriers that I had to build in order to prevent myself from being hurt again. They've taken me to dinners and on shopping sprees, which at first, I participated with some trepidation. I learned long ago, that to accept a gift from some men, is to make a secret promise, and I didn't want that to be the situation. Darian and Xavier must have sense my apprehension, because they sat me down one day and expressed to me their feelings. Each explained to me that they truly cared for me and wanted only my happiness. I was convinced on my birthday when both out did themselves! Darian gave me a gift that I could not refuse-a Cobra SX32! The car of my dreams! Six cylinder engine, automatic transmission, power everything...and that's just the basics! Three CD/DVD changer, moonroof, navigational system and temperature controlled leather seats! Needless to say, I loved that car as he knew I would. When I first laid eyes on it, the first words I could utter were: “I can't drive this...” then shamelessly, I finished the sentence saying: “...Without the keys!” I know, I know, it would seem that I have no will power. But I do, honestly, I do. It's just easier to get around town, in your own set of wheels. ..right? Xavier's gift was just as lovely. Thanks to him, I'll always have trouble relinquishing my bed. He brought me a beautiful redwood bedroom set. Being the gentleman that he is, I supposed he paid close attention to all of the instances where he noticed me massaging the back of my neck and shoulders, thanks to all of the restless nights I suffered from sleeping on a lumpy mattress. Xavier picks up on little things like that, which makes him a total romantic. I loved my new bedroom set complete with dresser, armoire, side tables, foot and head board, not to mention the queen-size, super comfortable mattress and box springs. Well, with all of the lavish pampering, I was close to breaking in that new bed had Annette not stopped me. I would have jumped into the bed with them before I was actually ready, having been caught in the moment. Good ol' Annette, looking out for me as always. Looking at the body care products on my bathroom counter, I noticed that I was almost out of my Anisi Original for Her, I'll need to place another order soon, I've got to have my Anisi, it's my one true indulgence. These products are pricey, even for me, but worth every penny! After my shower, I scanned over the many new outfits (my guys brought me) hanging unorganized in my closet. Boy, if mom saw that I had three of my suits hanging on wire hangers, she'd go mad. I needed more room, a lot of my clothes where pressed too close together and I literally had to pry back and forth to look for something to wear. Thanks to Annette's strict diet, I've lost an additional twenty pounds in the past few months. So now, I'm down to a size six and able to fit those stylishly designed clothes I fantasized about wearing not less than five months ago. After fishing through my clothes, I'd decided to go with a light grey pants suit for today, something that accents my rediscovered womanly curves. Now I'm not much for heels, but I will wear them. I like to alternate my shoes. Sometimes I'll wear sneakers and then I might wear a pair of heels, boots or flat-soled shoes. I combed out my curls, letting my curly, dark brown ends rest on my shoulders. I have natural light green eyes, at one time, I thought about trying hazel colored contacts, just for a change, but decided I like the natural me better. Well, I gave myself the once over. Pleased and confident about the way I looked, I grabbed my coat, purse and keys and headed over to Annette's bedroom to tell her I was leaving. I peeked into her room, she was not there. The sheets on her bed were all rumpled as if she had slept there, but I didn't remember hearing Annette come home last night nor did I hear her leave earlier this morning. Hmm, she may still be out with some hot stud from the club. Annette's not the type of female that desires a serious relationship with men. She's only interested in their companionship for maybe one night. Annette had confided in me that she had experienced a few bad relationships in which the men she dated tried to control and dominate her. Some even physically abused her, especially if she fought them... and fought them she did. So now, she is no longer interested in any man on that level. I can't blame her really. I closed her door, making a mental note to call later to find out if Annette made it home alright. Arriving to work on time, my supervisor, Darla gives me a friendly greeting. I'm pretty fortunate to have one of those managers that understands that happy employees create an easygoing working environment where people love to do their jobs. I have worked at places in the past where management was never friendly and harassed their employees all day long. Checking my email, (the new department protocol), I see that my assignment for today is to take some pictures of a political conference...oh so boring. I arrive at the conference twenty minutes later. Turns out, this conference is about whether or not they should integrate shape-shifter children into the public schools. I don't see the big deal-well, I can see why people might be afraid to let in the unknown and unusual into their lives. I was like that myself, then I met Warren, Xavier and Darian. I now have a better understanding of their lifestyles. I have asked them all sorts of questions and discovered that they weren't much different from humans. In my opinion, more adult education regarding the supernatural culture is really what is most needed. They need to understand that shape-shifter children do not gain their supernatural abilities until

they reach their age of maturity. Warren told me that shape-shifters mature between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two. I think it would be good for the schools to be integrated. It will allow the human and shape-shifter children to interact with each other. Kids don't have prejudices, just their parents, if you enlightened both the children and their parents, then the world will grow to be a better place. There are many controversies concerning the supernatural and human interaction. 'Should it be done? What can be done to prevent it? Etc' In my opinion, these are the half concocted babbles of power hungry politicians. You really can't prevent the interaction. Back when humans first discovered the supernaturals, the humans tried to destroy them but the supernaturals retaliated. I believe there were more human related deaths than supernatural. The government had to call in martial law to gain order over all the chaos that had erupted. After meeting the three supernaturals that I know, I have less fear of them now. Besides, no mortal man has ever treated me with as much respect and tenderness as these three men have. So who has the right to call them monsters? Certainly not the human species, we've been killing each other since the dawn of man. After five hours of debating, neither side could agree on the issues at hand, but I knew that will not be the end of it. There are politicians who are beginning to see the potential of the co-existence. Many are also trying to make good on the fact that the supernaturals pay taxes, and are a huge part of the economy, not to mention they can vote. The election will be coming up in November this year, we'll see what happens then. Okay I've taken all the photographs I'm going to take of this boring ass debate. Packing up my equipment, I drove back to my office to give Carl my film so that he could develop it and keep Darla off my case. After the grueling (and boring) workday, I was more than happy to be heading back home, especially after lane surfing through some pretty thick traffic which slowed down my travel time considerably. Finally, I get home, and before I could walk through the door, I heard my telephone ringing. I dashed through the open door and dove for the couch, catching the phone on the fifth ring. Pretty damn cool if I may say so myself...and I do! “Hello?” I ask breathlessly. “Natasha Hemingway, please.” The voice said, the voice sounded like my supervisor, Darla. Oh, I hoped not, I'd just gotten home! “This is she, what can I do for you?” “Oh great! Natasha, this is Darla. I need you to go down to Desires Unleashed. They are having a huge publicity party there. It seems that Governor Andrew Wallace is going down there to drum up some support from the supernatural community for his re-election in November. I need you to take pictures, don't worry, you'll get time and a half. Can you do that?” Darla asked me. Well I could do it, but I did not want to, nevertheless, I knew I would do it anyway. “Sure, Darla, I can go there tonight.” What I really wanted to say was. “Hell no, people tired!” but that was out of the question. “What time is the publicity party?” I asked flatly, “Excellent, Natasha, excellent. It will be at eight o'clock tonight, thank you, I owe you,” with that she hung up. Bah! Why me? Well, I have just enough time to grab something to eat, or take a nap. I decide to check on Annette first, I'm sure she's home by now, probably sound asleep. I walked to her room and opened the door. Her room looked the same way it did this morning. Could she be at work? It would not be the first time she had left a one nights stand and went straight to work afterwards. However, we had agreed that she would call me if she was going to be out for twenty-four hours. I checked the voice mail to see if she left a message, nothing. Okay, now I'm worried, this is not like Annette.

Chapter Two Reasonable Doubt I dined on left-over meatloaf and potatoes from last night's dinner, and left to go to the nightclub. When I arrived, I noted that Darian had arranged for this publicity stunt to be a grand event. I could see a line of people extending around the corner, all trying to get into the hottest supernatural-owned nightclub in the city. To tell the truth, Desires Unleashed was voted number one out of the top twenty best nightspots in the city by five different newspapers including the one I worked for (Chicago Word), even out-ranking the extremely popular, human-owned, Slayer's Lair. Go figure. Huge portable multi-colored spotlights were on the ground in front of the building, panning their brightness over the area, flashing over the patrons and the building itself. I could hear the music blaring from within the club already, a techno beat. The kind of music where one sentence reigns supreme throughout the entire ten minute song. Something like “the system...is down, the system...is down...” I like that sort of music. I walked over to the huge boulder of a bodyguard and flashed him my press badge. He glanced at it, nodded and smiled at me as he reached for the red velvet rope. “I know who you are, you don't need that badge, you're the bosses' girlfriend. Go on inside anytime.” He gestured for me to pass. “The bosses 'girlfriend?” well this is news to me. I did not know we were official, I'll have to talk to those two about this. I smiled at the bouncer as I past by him into the club. The atmosphere of the club was really vibrant tonight. Normally, the dance area isn't jumping until around ten o'clock, But now, the dance floor was covered with people grinding and bouncing to the beat of the music. Hell, I almost wanted to “Drop it like it's hot” to the music myself, but I was here on official business. Looking around at the people dancing in the club and the media lining up at the entrance, it appeared that Darian had an immense understanding of how the world works. I wondered again just how old he was, I need to remind myself to ask him later. As I navigated my way through the dancing bodies, I noticed Darian sitting in a booth, he was gorgeous. It was obvious that his clothes were tailored especially for him, he looked too perfect in them. He was wearing a black satin shirt, and soft black silk pants. His long, wavy, jet black hair fell past his shoulders almost blending with his shirt. The shorter locks of his hair caressed his face. His deep forest green eyes locked on mine, almost making me swoon. He was magnificent! I walked over to his table, he was sitting with John Fallon, John was the night manager of Desires Unleashed. As I approached the booth, Darian smiled at me, flashing those sexy schoolboy dimples. He whispered something to John, who nodded then slid out of the booth, leaving Darian alone watching me as I approached. Darian rose to his feet when I reached his booth. “Hi Darian.” I said, feeling like a gushing schoolgirl in his presence but I tried not to show it. Just looking at him sends tingles down my spine. His beautiful forest green eyes scanned over my body, taking in every inch of me, making me blush even more. I knew what those eyes were conveying to his brain. I knew what he wanted to do to me, because it was the same thing I wanted to do to him. Control yourself Natasha. “Hello Natasha, what brings you down to my club?” he asked his smile widening. “Here, have a seat,” he gestured to the open space next to him in the black leather-covered booth. “I'm here for photo opts. I hear the governor is coming down to pump up some publicity. I guess he wants to get more support from the supernatural community. So why your club?” I ask, doing my best investigative reporter impersonation. “Well, why not here?” he waved his hand around to gesture towards the grandeur of his club. “There's no better place to spark up publicity for him than Desires Unleashed, don't you agree?” he asked playfully. I shrugged one shoulder. “I suppose so. Hey, have you seen Annette tonight? Did she work her morning shift?” I asked, trying to hide my anxiety. He frowned, he seemed to be thinking and I did not like the expression on his face. “No, I have not seen her tonight. John said she did not come in, he called your apartment but did not receive an answer. I was going to ask you if you knew anything about that? You know, a no-call, no-show is grounds for termination.” He said as he sat back in his seat, one arm resting on the back of the booth. Sometimes his cold attitude annoyed me, I reminded myself that I was working on lightening him up, no one said it would be easy. I told him once before, if he's going to be in my life, he's going to have to show some compassion, seriously. “Darian, I could care less about your damn work policy right now! Annette did not come home last night and I'm worried about her!” I said, even I could hear the shakiness in my voice. Darian realized just how upset I really was and he slid closer and took me into his embrace. His strong arms closed around me, bringing my body closer to his chest, his warmth. I felt my tears brimming. I would not cry, I will not cry, I cannot cry, to cry is to fear the worst, to forsake. I will not cry! “Oh darling, I'm sorry.” He said as he kissed the top of my head softly, lightly brushing his hands over my hair. I looked into his face, his eyes were full of warmth as he gazed down at me. “Let me find out if she left with anyone last night, I'll be right back.” Darian said then he released me and disappeared into the sea of dancing people. I sat in the booth, my hands trembling in my lap. I needed to calm down, I pulled out my cell phone to call home just to see if Annette might be there. The phone rang several times until the answering machine picked up. Okay, okay, now I'm really worried. I look up to see Darian returning, gliding across the floor moving like a phantom.

“I'm sorry, John did not see her leave with anyone. Did you check your apartment, she might be home,” he asked concerned. “I just called, but got the voicemail.” I said, fighting back my tears. Annette is like a sister to me, I did not like not knowing where she was, or if she was okay. There was a loud applause, interrupting my thoughts, and an array of flashing lights from media cameras filled the club. The Governor had just arrived and the media frenzy was on. I was supposed to take pictures, but I could not even lift the camera to my face. Darian did not move from his position, I knew why. He would not go to the governor, the governor must come to him. Being this close to Darian allowed me a great photo opportunity. I decided to take the pictures, hopefully, it would take the worry for Annette off my mind. Darian rose when the governor reached our booth. Governor Wallace smiled for the cameras as he held Darian's hand firmly in a masculine handshake. Darian stood there next to the governor, as dignified as any man I've ever seen. I took my photos of Governor Wallace and before I left, I asked Darian to contact me if he should hear from Annette. He promised that he would, then walked me to the exit, kissing my hand before we said our goodbyes. So Charming. At home, I walked around Annette's bedroom, fighting the urge to peek into her life. I had formed a connection with Annette even before I knew about my ability, but had avoided having visions of her. I felt it was an unnecessary invasion of privacy. Besides, if the worst was happening, did I really want to see it? I started to have a sinking feeling that something was horribly wrong. I called Warren, I knew that Annette had not been missing for forty-eight hours yet, but I really wanted to let Warren and Matthew know so that they could keep an eye out. Warren picked up his cell phone on the second ring. “Hello Natasha. What's up?” he asked. I supposed he recognized my telephone number. Shape-shifters must have excellent memories, then again, I may have an easy phone number for some people to remember. “Hi Warren, look, I need your help. I'm really worried about Annette, she has not come home and I have not heard from her! Darian has not seen or heard from her either. This is not like Annette, can you keep an eye out for her?” I tried to keep my words clear and even, when I get nervous or excited, I have a tendency to speak very fast and my words come out incoherently. “Sure, of course. Hey, when was the last time you saw Annette?” he asked concerned. “Yesterday morning, we had breakfast together, then she went to Desires Unleashed to work she was also going to put in extra time. She's been saving up to get a car. That was the last time I saw her and I'm going out of my mind!” my voice was starting to tremble, this was not good. “Look, I'll put out an APB for Annette, I'll also make some calls to the police department to see if they have heard anything. You just sit tight and try not to worry, okay?” “Thanks a lot Warren, I really appreciate this.” “No problem, let me get on that now. I'll call you to let you know the minute we hear anything. Take care of yourself, Natasha.” “I will, Thanks a lot, Warren. I really appreciate it,” I repeated myself. “Don't mention it.” He said calmly, then he hung up the phone. After speaking with Warren, I called a few hospitals to see if Annette might be there. No such luck, not that ending up in a hospital is a good thing. I tried to keep my mind in the positive zone. Annette was a smart girl, I'm sure she could take care of herself... but just in case I laid down in my bed and struggled to go to sleep. In my dreams is the only time I see the visions. After what seemed like hours, I finally drifted off to sleep. Darkness fades away to rampant images. Using the techniques that Darian taught me, I had navigated through the visions I didn't want to see. I searched for the visions that might carry some information on Annette, I saw nothing. No sign of where she might be, who she might be with, all I saw was darkness. The darkness is never a good sign.

Chapter Three Day 1 I woke up from a horrible night's sleep and ran to Annette's bedroom, still no sign of her. Okay, now it's time to throw caution to the wind, and panic. I called off work, no way in hell I'm going in today! When my supervisor picked up the telephone, I told her I had food poisoning. That seemed to pacify her, especially after I told her that I took the photographs of the governor's publicity party at Desires Unleashed. She told me to get some rest and 'drink plenty of ginger ale and eat crackers'. I thanked her for her concerns. Next, I called Desires Unleashed, I knew someone would be there at this time to clean and receive deliveries. The day operator picked up the telephone. Before the lady could go into the sultry phone greeting, I asked to speak with the person in charge. I was told to hold on, after a few minutes, a female voice came over the telephone. “Hello, this is Angela, how may I help you?” the voice asked, the voice sounded like the female who held onto Annette's day position during the time she was in the hospital. “Hi, I'm a friend of Annette Balfour, I wanted to know if Annette came in today, or have you seen or heard from her?” “No, Miss Balfour has not come in yet. May I asked who's calling so that I could leave her a message when she does come in?” she asked. This was getting more and more grim and I did not like it. “Yes, please tell her that Natasha called. I'll probably call back later. Thank you.” I said, then I hung up. I called Warren's cell phone. It was nine o'clock in the morning, I wondered if he would be awake, probably not. Warren and Matthew worked all sorts of hours, they say 'crime never sleeps', and rarely do these two. The phone rang four times and a slightly groggy male voice answered. “Hello!?” I recognized the voice of Warren's lover, Adrian, and he did not sound too thrilled that I had called so early in the morning. I hated doing it, but I could not wait. “Hi Adrian, this is Natasha, I'm so sorry to wake you, but I really need to speak with Warren. Is it okay?” I asked politely. I could hear Adrian releasing a long sigh. “Oh hey, Natasha, I should have known it was you. Who else would call so early in the morning? Yeah, one minute.” I could hear his voice in the distance as he awakened Warren. “Hey Natasha,” Warren greeted me in a groggy voice. “Hi Warren, I'm calling to find out if you've learned anything about Annette's disappearance?” I asked as I nervously twirled the spiral phone cord around my forefinger. “I have not heard anything yet on Annette. I take it that she did not come home last night?” his voice was clearing up. I could tell he was trying to shake the sleep off. Shit! “No, she did not and I did not get any visions from her, either!” my voice was shaky, the words breaking up as I fought back my tears. “Natasha, calm down, okay? We'll figure this out.” Warren voice was steady. I knew he was trying to project his calmness to me but I was too far gone for that. “What do you mean? You did not see her? Was there just darkness?” I could tell he was becoming more alert, he must have sat up in his bed. “Yeah,” I responded. “Only darkness. Warren, you know what that can mean don't you!?” “Yeah, I remember you telling me about that when you helped us with the Evanston case. That was the time when you lost contact with the victim for a day. Could it be possible that Annette is unconscious?” he asked, trying to check out all possibilities and the best way for us to act upon them. “Quite possibly, can you help me look for her?” I asked, keeping hope alive. I figured because he is a shape-shifter, he might be able to get some sort of scent if we visited Annette's favorite hangouts. “Sure, anything I can do. Just give me some time to get dressed and get over there. I'll see you soon, try to stay calm.” he said, we both hung up. I took a shower, dressed quickly in a pair of blue jeans and green t-shirt, grabbed an apple and pear to eat then sat on the sofa to wait for Warren. I could feel my heart sink to my stomach as the minutes past. Finally, after an hour I heard the buzz of my intercom. I ran to the door, buzzing whomever it might be inside. I was so upset that I forgot to ask who was at the door, I hoped it was Warren. I listened for footsteps and heard none, but there was a knock on my door. I looked through the peephole and saw Warren standing there, eyes forward as if he were looking directly at me. I opened the door wide, allowing him to step inside. He turned to face me. “How are you holding up, Natasha?” he asked as he gave me a hug. I could feel the tears welling in my eyes but I held them in check. I hugged Warren with all my strength, trying to wrap myself around something or someone that gave me that feeling of protection.

“I'm so worried, I'm going out of my mind! I just want to get out there and look for Annette, come on, let's go!” I said as I released my hold on him, and grabbed my purse, coat and keys. We left the apartment and climbed into his car. I looked around, it was a nice sports car, he received it as a Christmas present from his Pack master and foster father, Xander. I supposed it suited Warren, he is a speed demon. I told him the directions of a few places I knew Annette liked to patronize. The first on our list was a place called Devine’s , a trendy little spa where one could go to get facials, mud baths, messages, body wraps and all sorts of other ways to pamper your body. Annette enjoys going there for full body messages, mainly because the masseuse was a hunk and British. When Warren and I arrived at the spa, the hostess greeted us at the door. “Hello, and welcome to Devine’s where you're treated like royalty. How may I help you today?” she asked in a cheery voice. Her blonde hair flowed down her back, her blue eyes sparkled. “Well, I'm looking for a friend of mine, I want to know if you've seen her. Her name is Annette Balfour?” I asked in a hopeful tone as I showed her Annette's picture. The lady seemed to be searching her memory, trying to put the name with a face. To my disappointment, she began to shake her head. “No ma'am, I'm new here, So I'm not quite familiar with the regular clientele yet. But you can ask Clair, she may know something,” the hostess said, then pointed to a tall woman with red hair dressed in a red skirt and low-cut black top. “Is there anything else I could do for you?” she asked in the same cheery voice. I shook my head. “No, thanks for your help.” I walked over to Clair. She turned and looked at me. “Hello, Can I help you?” She asked in the same cheery voice as the hostess. “I sure hope so.” I gave her the photo of Annette. I waited a few seconds for her to notice who was in the photograph. “Have you seen her around here in the past forty-eight hours?” She shook her head before answering. Her eyes looked up at me. “I'm afraid not. She hasn't been here in about three weeks. Is there anything else I can help you with?” she asked as she returned the photograph. “No. Thank you.” I glanced at Warren, he had stepped away, walking a little further into the spa, trying to catch Annette's scent. “Warren?” I asked, he turned around and started walking towards me. “Nothing?” he asked, I shook my head, we left. The next place we went to was a restaurant. Annette had taken me to this restaurant about six months ago, she loved the food they served. I must agree, the food was delicious, just a little too costly for my wallet. We walked into the restaurant and were immediately greeted by another hostess. “Welcome to Sandy's, will it be a table for two? Smoking or nonsmoking?” she asked, while holding two menus. I took the picture of Annette out of my purse and handed it to the hostess, who looked at it. “Have you seen this woman?” I asked as she further examined the photo. I watched her eyebrows crease, then to my despair, she began to shake her head. She handed me the photo, then asked if we wanted to sit down. I shook my head and watched as Warren sniffed out the restaurant. Once again, he did not catch a fresh scent of Annette's presence. We left the restaurant and drove on, visiting several more places where some of the employees had not seen Annette for some time, while others did not recognize her at all. After a few hours of searching, Warren was beginning to get hungry, even though he had eaten breakfast earlier. I was also starting to feel the pangs of hunger as well. So we stopped at my favorite fast food restaurant, Pirates of the Caribbean. I ordered a cheeseburger and fries with a diet pop, and Warren special ordered three triple-gyro-cheeseburgers, each the size of a saucer, two large fries, one large-size onion rings and an extra large strawberry milkshake. I looked at the spread of food, I could not believe my eyes, could he really eat all that? I decided to ask him. “Are you going to eat all that, Warren?” I asked as I gawked at the triple-gyro-cheeseburger he shoved into his mouth, taking a large bite. He smiled at me as he nodded his head, his lips greasy from the burger. He wiped his mouth with a napkin then took a few swallows from his milkshake. “Shape-shifters have a high metabolism,” he began after he swallowed. “We burn fat and carbs faster than you can imagine. Our bodies are like engines, we constantly need refueling. So...” He held up his burger, saluting me, before shoving it into his mouth a second time. By looking at the burger, I reckoned he would be done with it in three more bites. I shook my head in disbelief before finishing off my own meal. Warren finished his meal three minutes later, a pretty amazing record if you ask me. We left to continue our search until the sun had set completely then we decided to go to Desires Unleashed. Warren wanted to sniff around and I wanted to ask more questions. When we arrived at the club, as always, there was a line of party-seekers waiting to get in. We walked past them to the entrance. The bouncer let us in, but not before giving Warren a disdainful glance. Warren tensed just a bit and I decided to inform the bouncer that Warren was a friend. I did not know if the bouncer thought that Warren was my date or not, but I did not want any complications, he looked at me then nodded as he stepped to the side allowing us to walk past him. I looked around the club. To my surprise, the dance area was packed, it was not yet eight o'clock in the evening and the club was packed. Darian must be making a killing in profits! We walked through the energetic dancers to the bar. I called to the bartender, he was tall and his muscular chest tapered down to his narrow waist, which was more than complimented by his tight black leather vest and pants ensemble, his long blonde hair was tied in a ponytail. His features were very masculine but also extremely pretty at the same time. He looked at me with deep ocean blue eyes and his full, sensuously shaped lips parted in a smile and revealed sparkling white

teeth. He was remarkably beautiful. “What can I get for you?” he asked in a soft but masculine voice. “Have you seen Annette Balfour, she's the assistant day manager. Has she come in recently?” I asked, watching his face carefully, looking for the slightest change in expression. His lips pursed, then he shook his head. “You know, Annette hasn't been here in two days,” his expression grew serious. “I suppose we can rule out her quitting if you're here looking for her.” He looked at me, my despair must have shown on my face, because he offered to call Xavier or Darian. I thanked him and waited for one or the other to come. Warren searched the club, just as he did with the other places we had visited. I turned around on the barstool and saw Xavier approaching me. He was wearing a black ribbed turtleneck and grey slacks, his shoulder length brown hair was in a single french braid. His grey eyes seemed to come to life as he came closer. “Hello darling,” he said as he took my hand into his, kissing me lightly on the left cheek. “Xavier, I'm worried about Annette, she hasn't come home, nor has she called! I've called hospitals and done everything I can possibly think of to see if anyone has seen her! I don't know what else to do!” I said, bypassing the pleasantries. I began to cry. I could feel myself coming apart at the seams. Xavier took me into this arms, holding me closely to his chest, his hands stroked my hair, trying to calm me down. “Shhh, Natasha, we'll find her. Come on, let's go someplace private,” Xavier said. “I've searched this area, I have her scent but that does not really account for anything since she works here...hi Xavier.” Warren said as he approached us. He had sniffed out the entire dance area. To my dismay, what he said made sense, her scent was a part of the nightclub. “Hello Warren,” Xavier returned the greeting. “Look, I suggest that we go to Darian's office and discuss this further.” We agreed. The three of us went upstairs to Darian's office, taking the employees-only pathway. Darian was sitting at his desk when we walked into his office. He was dressed in a smoke grey dress shirt and matching slacks. I could see the form of his impressive physique beneath the fabric. Had I not been under so much stress, I would have enjoyed the view more thoroughly. He was speaking Japanese to someone on the telephone. I had an idea that he could speak other languages, I just never asked him which ones he spoke. I bet Xavier knew other languages as well. Darian ended his conversation and rose, he walked around the desk towards me. He nodded once at Warren, then took me in his warm embrace. He had fed earlier, vampires are as warm as humans after they have fed. Xavier told me once that living blood reanimates a vampire's body, even granting them the ability to have erections! “Natasha, I've spoken with my other employees and no one remembers seeing Annette leave with anyone.” Darian said, as he gazed into my teary eyes. “Oh Darian, this is making me sick to my stomach...where is she!” I exclaimed. I was frustrated, my mind was tormented by the worst kind of images one could imagine. Where was Annette!? My chest felt tight and my head hurt. Darian said nothing as he consoled me. The silence was interrupted when Warren's pager went off. All eyes locked onto him as he looked at his pager, he frowned, then pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. We continued to watch him, not giving him a moments privacy. “Hey Matt, you paged me, what's up?” Warren asked his partner. So now we all knew who paged him. “What!?” Warren exclaimed. “You've got to be fucking kidding me!? Now, right now? I can't fucking believe this! Okay, okay, thanks.” Warren hung up the phone, he looked at Darian. As he began to speak, he was interrupted when Darian's phone beeped and a female voice came over the intercom speaker. “Master, S.U.I.T. officers are downstairs.” The secretary announced then fell silent. Darian walked over to his desk, and picked up the handset. “Tell me,” he said. I could see him frown slightly. Okay, no one was getting any good news tonight. “I see...well...let them come.” Darian said then he hung up the telephone. “I heard everything, what in the hell is going on?” Xavier asked, walking closer to Darian. “What's going on?” I asked, I was completely confused. I looked to Warren, as I was walking towards him, the door flew open and a team of S.U.I.T. officers rushed into the office. They were all dressed in black fatigues, their ultraviolet guns pointed at Darian and Xavier, as he was standing next to Darian. “Alright, just stay right where you are, don't fucking move! You move, we shoot, got that?” said one of the uniformed officers as he slowly approached Darian, aiming the tiny red laser of his gun at Darian's forehead. “What is the meaning of this?” Darian asked calmly. He stood beside Xavier, his back straight, shoulders broad. “We have found a body of a woman in the trunk of your car, Darian Alexander. She was reported missing and someone called in a clue where she could be found. You are under arrest for the suspicion of murder,” said the officer. All the other officers on the team stood silently around the office, keeping their weapons locked on the two vampires. “We could do this two ways, the nice way...the more entertaining way...” he said as he motioned for two officers to flank Darian. “You can

resist allowing us to take you out where you stand, or number two, you can come quietly with us, and await your trial, it's up to you. What's it gonna be!?” he asked. I could see his finger squeeze the trigger of his gun slightly. One of the officers that stood between Warren and me, whispered to Warren, he wanted to know why Warren was present. “I'm helping out a friend.” Warren said, pointing to me. I looked back at Darian. “There's no need for violence, gentlemen. I'll go quietly.” Darian said. “Can I at least see the body that was planted in my automobile?” he asked calmly, as he made his way towards the arresting officers. “Are you fucking kidding?” asked the leader of the team sarcastically. “You can see the pictures when we're done, I'll even get you the wallet size, now let's go!” the cocky officer said as he cleared a way for Darian. The other officers flanked Darian as they headed out of the office. Xavier looked to be as confused as Warren and I. Who was in Darian s trunk? I looked at Warren, I wanted to know. “Warren, what's going on?” I asked sternly. Warren looked down at me, his expression was pained. “Annette is dead, Natasha. It was her body found in Darian's car.” I stared at him in shocked silence, not wanting to believe what I'd just heard. “I'm so sorry,” he said as he took my trembling body into his arms. No longer could I hold back the tears, my fears were realized. “NOOOO!” I screamed as my knees buckled. I felt Xavier wrap his arms around me from behind. Both he and Warren supported me, but I was barely aware of their presence. I stood there, crying my heart out. I could hardly breathe, I was blinded by the tears as they flowed uncontrollably from my eyes. Xavier lifted me in his arms and placed me gently on the black sofa, he kneeled down before me, though he remained silent. I was overwhelmed with emotion and questions. Who would do such a thing? I knew in my heart that it could not have been Darian, He would never do such a thing to Annette. He must have been set up...but who would set him up? “Natasha, I am so sorry, I know how dear Annette was to you. You must believe that Darian would never have hurt her, he did not do this!” Xavier said passionately. This was all wrong, this should not be happening! I sat there on the sofa, letting everything that transpired sink in, Warren stood over me, both men remained silent as I grieved. Twenty minutes passed before I came to the realization that someone murdered Annette. Some heinous son-of-a-bitch killed a beautiful and loving person and I wanted to know who?! I wanted to know why?! I looked at Warren. “I want to go down to the precinct and speak with Darian, can that be done?” I asked, he shook his head slowly. “Not tonight, he will be interrogated and the only person that will be allowed to see him tonight is his lawyer.” He held his hand out to me. “But we can look in on the interrogation.” I took his hand and the three of us left the club. We climbed into Warren's Cobra sports car and drove to the S.U.I.T. precinct. Warren led us into an inconspicuous room that was adjacent to the interrogation room. We watched through the one-way window as Darian was being interrogated by two brutish detectives. They were obviously lacking Warren's and Matthew's tact and charm. I could not determine if the detectives were being brave, or just plain stupid as I witnessed them verbally badger Darian as he sat composed in the hard plastic chair, one leg crossed over the other, hands remained folded in his lap. He looked to be calm and collected, ever the distinguished gentleman. I watched his lips move seductively as he answered their questions. Darian told the officers that he did not know who killed Annette and I believed him. Just when I thought the interrogation was over, one of the detectives slammed a photograph down on the table in front of Darian. Okay, this detective was definitely feeling his oats, it was all about bravado, I suppose they felt as if they were on top of the world having arrested a master vampire. Darian casually looked down at the photograph then up towards the detectives. As I listened to the conversation, I could hear the detective identify the man in the picture. His name was Anthony Juliano. Apparently, he was the assistant day manager at Desires Unleashed before Annette took the position. Anthony had been found dead, his body burned. Only a partial skull and a few bone fragments were discovered amidst the ash. The only method in which he had been identified was through dental records. Darian said he did not know what had happened to Anthony Juliano. The detectives appeared to become frustrated, Darian was being so compliant, he was completely relaxed as if he had not one worry in the world. The detectives then accused Darian of murdering Anthony as well as Annette, I would guess they were attempting to get a rise out of Darian, hoping he would accidentally give something away. “Those two are imbeciles!” Xavier growled, I looked at him, his lips were pressed tightly together, a frown on his face. He must be incensed...and worried. Darian is his lover and master, he is loyal to Darian. I have to admit, I didn't enjoy seeing Darian behind closed bars either, I believed he was being framed by the same person who had killed Annette. “He didn't do this!!!” Xavier said through clenched teeth. “Warren, when can he receive visitors? How long will he be here?” Xavier asked, never taking his worried gaze from Darian. “Seven days, this would be day one. We have six days to find the truth, on the seventh day, he'll have his trial.” Warren looked at Xavier and me. “We don't have time to waste. Tomorrow, Darian can have visitors, but not until then.” Oh my god! This situation was getting worse with every passing minute! It was easily turning into one of the worst nights of my life. My heart was heavy with grief and my mind swam with thoughts of justice and revenge. I wanted to go home. I told Warren I wanted to leave and he agreed. As the three of us walked towards the door, Darian's lawyer entered the interrogation room, declaring that his client had been more than agreeable and he need not answer anymore questions. The two detectives looked at each other and nodded. They both left the room leaving Darian alone with his lawyer. That was the last thing I saw as I exited the secret room, closing the door behind us. Warren drove me home. “I can come up there with you to keep you company, you don't have to go through this alone.” Warren said sympathetically.

I forced a smiled which I could tell didn't fool Warren, not that I was trying to pretend otherwise. It was very thoughtful of him to offer. I was frightened, I could not understand why someone would kill Annette. Could I be a target also? If I was, a little protection would be in my best interest. “Thank you, Warren. I would really appreciate that,” Warren smiled and nodded. I looked at Xavier, he was staring out of the window in deep thought. His elbow rested on the frame, his chin resting on his fingers. “Xavier?” I asked, the sound of my voice seemed to bring him out of his reverie. He looked at me, his eyes were blank as if he were in a trance, it unnerved me. I was used to seeing Xavier in better spirits. “What are you thinking about?” He took a deep breath then released it. “Darian.” His eyes panned over both Warren and myself. “For the time being, he will stay calm and await his seven days but he will not let them kill him. Those two S.U.I.T. detectives aren't interested in the truth. I watched them tonight, their only concern was the fact that they had “bagged” a master vampire,” Xavier said. “A seemingly untouchable one at that,” Warren added. He took my hand and gently squeezed it reassuringly. I was too caught up with what Xavier was saying. Xavier continued revealing his thoughts. Xavier shook his head gravely. “He'll go rogue. He will kill whomever stands in the way of his freedom. It will be a massacre.” I must have gasped, because both men looked at me. I seemed to be the only one surprised by the idea of Darian killing innocent people to escape death. “Natasha, you must understand, Darian is a master vampire, centuries old. He will not be taken down by this. Going rogue is not something Darian would want to do, he has worked extremely hard establishing himself here in Chicago, especially after the Exposure, which is why he is being compliant now. However, if push comes to shove, things will get ugly.” Xavier said as a matter-of-fact. I was speechless, I had about all I could handle on this night. I opened the car door, Warren released my hand and climbed out of his car. “I want to find Annette's murderer, by finding her killer we can clear Darian's name.” I turned to face both men. “Xavier, are you coming up?” I asked. He smiled slowly. “As much as I cherish your invitation, I can't. I have to make some telephone calls before I'm forced to rest for the day.” He leaned closer to me and kissed me lightly on my forehead. His eyes peered into mine, he was so beautiful, he almost took my breath away. “Take care of her, Warren.” Warren nodded. “Will do.” Xavier smiled, then vanished before my eyes in a gust of wind. I yelped and stared blankly at the empty space in front of me. Xavier had disappeared like that once before, and it scared me then too. Warren must have guessed what I was thinking because he chuckled softly. “He didn't vanish into thin air, he flew upward, I saw him. Darian can fly as well, but he moves entirely too fast for even my sight. Come on, let's go inside,” he said and I nodded. It was a cold night and I relished the warmth of my apartment. Unfortunately, as I looked around the apartment, it reminded me of Annette and I was immediately overwhelmed by sorrow. Annette and I would never watch TV and laugh together ever again. We would never laugh at each other’s jokes or decorate the Christmas tree while we both sang horribly to Christmas carols. “Oh God!!!! Why Annette!!!” she was my best friend, she was a true friend, she was the sister I've never had. All memories of her came rushing to me relentlessly. We had only known each other for three years, but it felt like a lifetime. I collapsed onto the floor, heart wrenching wails ripped from my throat, I did not even recognize my own voice! All I could do was hold myself and cry. Never before had I felt so much pain or so out of control of my emotions. Why her? Annette, who would never hurt a soul! Who was so full of life and happiness! I wanted to wish things to be as they were! I wanted to see Annette smile again, I wanted to hear her quirky laughter, I wanted to talk to her about my day, or to hear about hers! I wanted to smell the aroma of her cooking! I wanted those long nights when we would stay up to the break of dawn, laughing, and talking about nothing! I was dimly aware that Warren had taken me into his arms. In was holding me tightly, he did not say one word. Why did I feel so alone? Warren scooped me up from the floor and laid me on my bed. On my night stand was a picture of Annette and me on my birthday, just one month ago. There were identical smiles on our faces, our arms locked around each other...and now she is gone. I began to feel angry, why was Annette murdered to frame Darian!? I sat up on the bed and looked at Warren. He looked at me, his expression was sad, I could tell he didn't like seeing me in such anguish, nor did I like feeling so miserable. “Warren, I want to catch the person who did this to Annette, what do I need to do?” I asked as I wiped the tears from my eyes. Warren cleared his throat then answered. “I could get access to the crime scene, you can use your ability to see what you can. Do you want to do that?” he asked cautiously, I nodded my head. “Tonight. Let's go” I said as I climbed out of my bed. I needed something to take my mind away from my despair. Warren rose to his feet and we left the apartment. Thirty minutes passed before we pulled in front of Darian's nightclub. The club was empty, the S.U.I.T. had obtained a federal order to close the nightclub, at least that's what Warren told me. A uniformed officer stopped us at the door, Warren flashed his badge, the officer nodded at him then looked at me. “She's with me, we're doing an investigation.” Warren said, and the officer gave me another look over, then allowed us to pass. Warren led me to the huge multilevel garage where police tape blocked off Darian's Pavilion. I was willing to bet a lot of people were jealous that Darian could afford such a luxurious automobile, especially those two detectives that were interrogating him. We squatted under the tape, then walked slowly towards Darian's car. I was half afraid to touch it for what I would see later in my visions. I swallowed hard and gently placed my fingers on the trunk then running them over the key slot. I felt nothing as my hands rested on the cold metal of the trunk. I looked at Warren and

shook my head. He had been sniffing around the car to get a scent. “Nothing?” he asked me, I shook my head. “Well, I have two fresh scents, one is a female, the other male, there are dozens of scents in this garage, but only her perfume and his cologne are on the car. It's very faint, they must have leaned on the car when they planted the body-” he looked at me cautiously. He was speaking in police terminology but didn't want to offend me by referring to Annette as the “body”. At this point, I thought that would be better, I feared I might have a breakdown if I continued to think of Annette as “Annette”. I smiled slightly at Warren to let him know it was alright. He continued. “I traced the scent to this area over here,” he walked to a open parking space across from Darian's car. “Unfortunately, they drove away and I can't pick up their scent.” He looked as disappointed as I felt. I began to touch Darian's car all over, hoping to feel something that might help me form a connection. Warren watched me intently, he seemed intrigued by my methods. “Do you feel anything yet?” he asked. “No. Okay, take me home...wait.” I said, having second thoughts about pursuing the investigation for another hour or so. “No, it's nothing, take me home, does your offer still stand?” I asked, hoping he would stay the night. “You know it does. Come on,” he said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. We left the club and drove back home. I fought the urge to wallow in my tears again when I walked into the apartment I once shared with Annette. Warren and I climbed into my bed and we forced ourselves to catch a few hours sleep. I was hoping I would be able to get at least two hours of rest. I felt myself drifting off. As I slept, I opened my mind to receive the visions. I began to see lifestyles of the various people that I've made contact with over the past few months. I tried to use the techniques Darian taught me to filter out all of the visions I didn't want to see. There was nothing, not one vision that would reveal to me Annette's killers. I blocked all of the visions and gave myself some peace.

Chapter Four Day Two I awoke to the sound of Warren's voice as he spoke to his partner Matthew on the telephone. I turned and saw him sitting on the edge of the bed in his t-shirt and jeans. It felt really comforting being in bed with a man again, I almost forgot just how wonderful a feeling that was. Warren turned around to look at me, he smiled then reached over and took my hand into his. He ended his conversation with Matthew. “How are you feeling this morning?” he asked me. He leaned over me, one arm on the other side of my body, his eyes were watching me closely. “I'm doing fine, thank you for staying. It really meant a lot to me,” I said, fighting the urge to pull him on top of me, it wouldn't have mattered anyway, Warren is gay. He smiled. “No problem, I wanted to. I couldn't just let you stay here by yourself, not after what happened.” He straightened himself then rose from the bed. “Well, I was talking with Matthew and he found out that Anthony Juliano, Darian's old employee, had a rap sheet longer than my di-” He paused his face reddening slightly. I suppose that was more cop talk. “Sorry about that, no vulgar talk when a lady is present,” he said with a bow. “Oh stop it, already!” I laughed, he chuckled. That relieved some of my tension. Laughter was always Annette's way to perk up the spirits. As I thought about her, I wanted to cry. I forced myself to focus on something more productive, like tracking down her killers, I wanted justice for Annette! My gaze fell on Warren, he had been silently watching me from across the room. “Go on, Warren, what else?” I asked, urging him to continue. He nodded, and went on. “He has been arrested on several counts of armed robbery, assault, battery and DUI, but was never convicted.” Warren shook his head. “I wondered if Darian or Xavier knew about his police record before they hired him?” he noted thoughtfully. “So now he's dead, possibly burned to death, why did you bring him up?” I asked perplexed. What did Anthony Juliano have to do with anything? “Matt's positive that Anthony had ties to the mafia...the Russian mafia. That's why we could never convict Anthony on any charges. I still don't understand everything that I'm saying to you right now, but I honestly feel that we're onto something.” Warren said as he began to pace back and forth in front of my bed. I watched him for a few moments, then walked into the bathroom to tend to my necessities. It wasn't until I had finished that I wondered if Warren heard me. I began to feel embarrassed. I took a shower and brushed my teeth, then walked out of the bathroom. I looked at Warren as he sat on the bed looking at the pictures on my night stand. He looked up when I entered the room and smiled. He placed the picture back on the nightstand then rose from the bed. Warren is pretty tall, well, compared to my five-foot-two frame. He's at least six feet two inches, strong and muscular but not bulky. I always thought Warren was exceptionally handsome. And now I'm standing in my bedroom in front of him-naked, except for a terry cloth towel, I felt myself beginning to blush. “I'll leave you alone to change,” Warren said as he left the room. He's such a gentleman. I quickly dressed in a black turtleneck shirt and boot-cut blue jeans. I put on a pair of comfortable black flat-sole boots and combed my hair, tying it into a ponytail, one of my favorite no-fuss hairstyles. I walked out of my bedroom and saw Warren sitting on the couch. “Are you hungry?” I asked. “Always. I called Mall again and he said that Darian is sound asleep. He's keeping an eye on him .” Warren pulled on his leather coat. “Shall we go?” he asked, I agreed and we left the apartment. Warren drove us to a restaurant in Hyde Park. “I love this place, they have the best breakfast food you've ever eaten-bar none!” he declared with great enthusiasm as we climbed out of his car. “My treat, just order whatever you want.” “Thank you.” I was starved, I could not wait to be seated. The hostess finally called our number after a twenty-minute wait. She seated us in a booth by a window, handing us both menus before returning to her station. I looked over the menu to see what it had to offer. There were plenty of various dishes one could order for breakfast or lunch if you're the type that enjoys bacon and eggs in the afternoon. I settled on strawberry crepes and a side order of hash browns, closing my menu, I looked at Warren, his menu was already closed. I was anxious to see what he would order, I remembered the gyro-cheeseburgers he had inhaled the other day and couldn't wait to see how much he could eat for his first meal. The waitress came to our table to take our order. I ordered first, then Warren ordered peach crepes, the western omelet, that came with original pancakes which he wanted to exchange for strawberry pancakes. But wait, there's more, next he ordered a side of chicken sausage, chicken hash browns, bacon and grits. I've never seen a waitress's hand move so fast! After she finished, she looked at Warren. “Will that complete your orders?” she asked, she almost looked exhausted. Both Warren and I nodded our heads. “Okay, then let me know if there's anything else I could do for you,” she added pleasantly as she headed towards the kitchen to give the chef the order. “We'll have to cool our heels for the time being, everyone we need to question is asleep during the day. We could go back to the club and you can feel around inside, do you want to try that?” Warren asked me as we waited for our food.

“That's cool, we could do that,” I said. Warren and I discussed various topics until the waitress brought our meals. She placed my crepes in front of me and my mouth watered. The delicious aroma wafted to my nostrils and almost made me drool, it also reminded me of Annette's cooking. I pushed the thought of Annette from my mind and began to dig into my food. The waitress placed several plates in front of Warren covering our entire table with dish after dish of delicious smelling foods. She asked us once again if we needed anything and we told her that everything was perfect. Satisfied, she tended to her other customers. I couldn't help but watch in amazement as Warren cleared plate after plate. To my surprise, he finished his food before I finished my own! How, I don't know, but he did. I wondered if he could eat the huge sixty-ounce steak, called the “Cowboy” from that popular restaurant in Texas. I bet he could. Hell, he and his whole Pack could probably put that restaurant out of business! I couldn't finish all of my breakfast, there was half of a crepe left and some hash browns. I looked up to see Warren eyeing my plate, then his pretty grey eyes looked up at me and he smiled sheepishly. “Are you going to finish that?” he asked, I knew he would. “No, you can have it,” I chuckled. He didn't waste any time clearing my plate. Then he sat back in the booth, smiling. I looked at him and smiled. He reminded me of a schoolboy with a straight “A” report card. “Are you full, did you have to start from your pinky toe on up?” I asked, he laughed outright, slapping his hand on the table. “Yeah, I'm sated right now, I could actually take a nap at this point.” He grinned at me from across the table. “You ever think about entering in any food eating competitions?” He began to chuckle. “Matt asks me the same thing all the time. He even dared me to tackle the “Cowboy”. It's a sixty-ounce steak that is served in a restaurant in his hometown in San Antonio, Texas. I might take him up on his bet one day.” He reached for his wallet. “Oh 'tackle', my ass! You'll engulf a sixty-ounce steak, you can probably take out a sixty-pound steak!” I declared. He gave me a knowing look and nodded. I laughed, it felt good to laugh. “Are you ready to go?” he asked. I nodded my head and reached in my pocket for the tip. He paid for breakfast, the least I could do was tip the waitress. Warren grabbed my hand before I could put the money on the table. “I got it covered, don't worry, this was all my treat,” he said as he placed a ten dollar bill on the table. “I don’t mind, really “ “I got it, don't worry, come on.” He said softly with a charming smile as he ushered me towards the cashier. He paid the fifty-dollar tab and we left. We drove for about thirty minutes as Warren switched from lane to lane. I sat in the passenger side of his car, wishing I could buckle myself up twice. I thought I was a speeder, Warren had me beat by a forty mile over-the-speed-limit preference. He pulled in front of Darian's nightclub. We got out of the car and went inside and I immediately began feeling around the club for anything to form a connection. My clairvoyance was not as heightened as some other clairvoyants, but I could still make a connection. I felt several tremors as I passed over various objects. I would have to filter through those connections, hopefully one would prove useful. After we scanned the club for over two hours, we left. “Can we go somewhere, I don't want to go home, can we go to the movies?” I asked. He looked at me, shrugged one shoulder and nodded. Then I thought about it, I wondered if he was missing work. “I'm so sorry, here I am hogging all of your time, do you have to go to work?” I asked. “No, not until tonight but I do need to swing by my place to change, do you mind?” he asked. “No, not at all.” I said, shaking my head. Far be it for me to deny someone a clean change of clothes. I looked at Warren as he drove. “Warren?” he set his gaze on me then back on the road. “Yeah?” he answered. “Thank you.” I said with the upmost sincerity. He smiled, then reached over and took hold of my hand, kissing the back of my fingertips. “Anything for you, Natasha,” he said. I fought against the urge to snuggle. I looked out of the window as the scenery changed from apartment buildings to single family homes. Warren then pulled the car into the driveway of a beautiful red two-story brick home. The windows frames were painted white and there was a lovely garden in front of the house filled with pink, blue, purple, red and yellow flowers I didn't know the names to. Nevertheless, they were beautiful to look at. I was actually surprised that the flowers were blooming so early in the spring season. Well, it's a fact, anyone who lives in Chicago can vouch for the unpredictability of the weather conditions of the “Windy City”. Warren climbed out of the car and I followed him inside. He turned on the lights and a gorgeous chandelier overlooking the foyer sparkled brightly overhead. “Make yourself at home, I'll be out in a little while.” He then sprinted up the flight of stairs, disappearing into a room I assumed was his bedroom. I walked around his house looking at photographs, some of Matthew and him on vacations or in uniform, others of people I didn't recognize, though many were very attractive. I ran my fingers over his dark blue suede sofa before I sat down on the soft comfortable cushions. He had a beautiful home, I wondered how much he was paid to police the supernaturals. Warren came out of his bedroom thirty-minutes later, his hair still damp from his shower. He was wearing a white t-shirt that hugged his muscular chest and biceps and a pair of dark blue jeans, that completely elongated his already long legs. Adrian was a lucky man, then again, I had no idea what Adrian looked like. Hell, they might both be lucky! “Are you ready to go to the movies? What do you want to see?” he asked as he pulled on a brown leather bomber jacket.

“I was hoping we could see the movie that just came out this past weekend.” I suggested as I rose and walked towards the door. “Oh that one. Okay, that looked interesting, that's cool.” We climbed into his car and drove to the movie theater. We theater hopped and were able to see two movies, one turned out to be longer than I expected. By the time we left the theater, the sun had set and there was a good chance we could talk to some of the vampires that may know something about Anthony. But the first thing I wanted to do was talk to Darian. Warren agreed and we drove to the precinct. When I arrived there, Warren gave me a visitors pass. I walked towards the holding cell area of the S.U.I.T. station and was stopped by the guard. “I have a pass, what's the problem?” I asked. “There is someone in there already, Ma'am, you'll have to wait.” The officer said, then he gestured to the waiting area. There were ten yellow plastic chairs in the waiting area. A man who was sitting down watched me as I entered the room. He was extremely handsome, a lock of his black hair falling into his grey eyes as he sat in the chair, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped together. I smiled and nodded as I walked over to one of the hard chairs, his gaze lingered on me a moment longer, then he turned his head to stare at the door just as Warren entered the waiting area. Warren stood in the doorway as he and the mystery man eyed each other intently. I watched, not knowing what was going on. I was beginning feel the tension in the air. The two men turned away from each other, the mystery man returned to his previous position, not really paying us anymore attention. Warren took two steps toward me. “Why are you out here?” he asked me. “They said that someone was visiting Darian already, so I have to wait.” I replied, then I gestured for Warren to lean closer to me, he did. “What's going on?” I whispered into his ear. Warren straightened himself then smiled down at me. “Don't worry, I'll explain later. Right now I have to get to work, it's about that time. Let me know if you need me, okay.” I nodded, but for some reason, I felt alone. The man in the chair glanced once more at Warren before he left the room. I watched the man settle back into the position he had before, head bowed staring downward. After about five more minutes, a tall female entered the room. I have to admit, she was beautiful. Long, wavy brown hair cascading down her back, beautiful green eyes and a body that most women practically kill themselves trying to attain. The man who was sitting down practically jumped out of the chair like a jack rabbit when she entered the room. She did look in my direction, but the glance was so quick, I doubt if she even noticed me. The man walked over to her. “Can we go now?” he asked, he seemed extremely annoyed. I began to wonder if this was the person who might have been visiting Darian...who was she? “Yes Sergio, we can go. But this doesn't make any sense at all, they're trying to frame him, but for what reason?” she asked. I believed I knew who she was referring to. The man she called Sergio, only huffed and puffed as she speculated on Darian's predicament. “Serves him right! Let's go!” Sergio said with malice. The woman looked at him as if she wanted to strike him. They shared a long moment glaring at each other, then the waiting room doors opened once again and Xavier stepped into the room, he looked at the three of us. “Natasha, you should have told me you were coming to visit Darian, have you seen him yet?” he asked me. I shook my head. “Not yet, I had to wait.” “Yeah, I was told there was a line.” Xavier said, then he turned his gaze towards the female and her male companion. “Hello Elise, have you visited with Darian?” he asked. She smiled sadly and nodded her head. “He is being quite stubborn about drinking the synthetic blood. But he seems to be in good spirits. He requested playfully that I feed him-” “I hope you didn't!” Sergio interjected. She looked at him sharply. “And if I had, what business is it of yours? Enough of this Sergio, Darian needs help and I don't require your permission to help him!” Elise stated forcefully. Sergio seem to bite his tongue, forcing back any remaining arguments that he may have wanted to express. Elise turned her gaze to Xavier, still ignoring me, I was beginning not to like her and I most definitely didn't like the man she was with. “I want to help clear Darian of these outrageous charges! I'm sure if he was going to kill some woman, I would seriously doubt that he would drive around town with her carcass in the trunk of his expensive car.” Elise said chuckling at her last statement. I didn't know what part about what she had just said pissed me off the most. That she would think it easy for Darian to kill someone or that she referred to Annette as some “carcass” whatever the case, I rose from my chair. “That 'carcass' you were referring to was my best friend!” I said angrily. I didn't care if she liked my attitude or not. Xavier step closer to me and put his arm around my shoulder to comfort me and calm me down. Elise looked at me, a spark of what seemed to be jealousy flash across her face. I began to wonder if Darian and Elise were lovers. “Whatever. It just isn't Darian's style, that's all I'm saying. Darian would be smarter than that,” she said smugly. Oh yeah, I did not like her I could feel my anger boiling inside me.

“Well, that's a rock-solid case we can take straight into the trial with us. Hey judge! Darian wouldn't kill someone and then drive around with their carcass in the trunk of his expensive car. No, no, no, he's a much more clever killer than that! So you see, your Honor, you've got to let him go, this murder just isn't Darian's style!” I felt shaky, I knew that I had to lake it easy, but I felt as if I was falling apart, Xavier's arm tightened around me. “Calm down, Natasha. Why don't you go see Darian, go ahead, I need to speak with Darian and I want to do so before visiting hours are over.” Xavier led me towards the door. I didn't protest, I came to the precinct to see Darian, not to argue, so I walked towards the guard and he led me to Darian's cell. Darian was sprawled on the white linen covered mattress. He looked up at me and smiled as I approached his cell. I looked around the cell, and noticed that the ceiling was equipped with ultraviolet lighting and a sprinkler system. There were no windows in his cell and the bars appeared to be made from silver. I wondered how much this setup was costing the poor taxpayers? Darian rose from his bed and walked closer to the bars, his hands gripping the bars as he smiled at me. Seeing him behind bars was really difficult for me, Darian looked as out of place in jail as anyone could be. This was not his style. “Hello Natasha, how are you holding up?” Darian asked me with a hint of sympathy in his charming Greek-accented voice. “I'm doing fine, considering everything that has happened. Look Darian, I know you did not kill Annette but do you have any idea who could have done it? Do you have any enemies that would want you killed?” I asked. Darian smiled at me as if I was asking if Santa Clause really existed. I suppose to Darian, my question may have seemed naive, but I needed to get a grasp on the situation someway... somehow. “I have many enemies, my darling. Some even so bold as to attack me head on. This situation however, is something new to me, I have never been framed before.” He said smoothly, as if he wasn't the slightest bit concern about his predicament, only curious “Are you not worried? Are you starving yourself?” I asked. “I heard you refused to drink the synthetic blood”. Darian chuckled. “Worried? No. However, it seems that I am expected to drink this cursed synthetic travesty.” He said as he grimaced at a bottle of Synblood. “Well drink it, I don't want you to suffer if you don't have to. Xavier told me what happens to vampires if they don't feed.” I said concerned. Darian looked at me, a smile spreading across his lips. His boyish dimples lighting up his already gorgeous features. He walked to the table and picked up the bottle of synthetic blood, he twisted off the cap and took one sip from the bottle. After swallowing, you would have thought he had swallowed a mouthful of super-strength antiseptic by the expression on his face. “Horrible!” Darian declared with a shiver. I giggled. “You're carrying on badly!” I teased. Darian rolled his eyes playfully then began to drink the entire content of the bottle. After he had finished he tossed the bottle in the trash near the table and walked closer to me. He leaned against the bars and I slid my hand between them to caress the side of his face. My fingers ran down the cool smoothness of his jaw line. He had been clean shaven at the moment he became a vampire and remained that way. His face had not one wrinkle, his lips full and luscious, and I was eternally lost in the forest green of his eyes. His long jet black lashes and thick, arched eyebrows accented those already gorgeous eyes, making his gaze both dramatic and sensual. My eyes roamed over his body, I wondered what he did for a living before he was turned, because he appeared to be very muscular, I've always pictured him as a gladiator. But I suppose he didn't have enough scars to be a gladiator from what I could see. But then again, I had no idea how old he was and I've never seen him naked before. He watched me closely as I drifted off in my thoughts, when my eyes locked onto his, I came back to reality. Darian was incarcerated, Annette was gone and the real murderers are still out there. “Darian, do you have any idea why this has happened?” I asked. “I wish I knew, but I don't...I'm sorry,” he said, then he caressed my cheek, his fingers brushing my skin lightly. “I'm sorry about Annette, I know how dear a friend she was to you,” he said sympathetically. I could feel the tears threatening to erupt from me again and I forced them back. I looked at my watch, my time was up, the guard that escorted me to the cell had reappeared and was waiting by the door. I looked at Darian, he smiled and nodded. “I'll see you later, Xavier will be here next. Remember drink the bottled stuff even if you don't want to,” I told him. “Yes ma'am.” Darian said playfully. He took a hold of my wrist gently and kissed the back of my hand, his eyes remained locked to mine. “Goodbye, Natasha, be careful,” he said softly. “You too, Darian. And don't worry, we are going to clear your name and get you out of here, I promise!” “Of course.” Darian nodded slightly. I looked at him one last time, then turned and walked towards the guard, who locked the hallway door behind us. He led me back into the waiting room where Xavier was standing, still talking with the female and her male companion. The guard informed Xavier he could go in and reminded him that he had only fifteen minutes. Xavier nodded and disappeared down the hallway with the guard. I realized that I was now alone with the bitchy female and her equally bitchy companion... just great! I walked past them and sat down in one of the chairs. The female sat down in the chair opposite mine, her gaze fixed on me. I tried to ignore her penetrating glare, but I could not and I looked at her.

“What!?” I asked, annoyed. “I'm simply trying to figure out what it is about you that can possibly interest Darian. You're just so plain.” She said snobbishly. Her French accent adding a certain arrogance to her words. I wanted to beat the living daylights out of her, she had her nerve! “Well, I obviously have what you're missing and that's what interests him.” I said in my most bitchy tone. I could see her jaw tightened. Her eyes widened, then narrowed becoming hard... resentful. Her male companion walked into the room and looked at the both of us. “He's found another woman to seduce, Elise. Like I told you... to Darian, you mean nothing, by all rights, we should not even be here!” he said as if trying to reason with her. She looked at him. “Sergio, you can leave at anytime. I'm going to help Darian.” She said this with a stubborn resolve. Well it seems that both she and I were batting for the same team, I just hope we did not have to meet again. “You know I'm not going to leave you alone, if this is what you're going to do, then you'll just have to do it with me at your side.” Sergio said, then he took the seat to Elise's left. Elise looked at me again. “I don't like you.” She said “Likewise.” I responded in kind. We sat in the little room in silence until Xavier returned. He leaned against the door frame as his eyes panned over Sergio, Elise then myself. He then walked close to where I sat, taking the seat next to mine. He took my hand in his and intertwined his fingers with my own. He felt warm, that meant he had fed for the evening. He looked over to Elise then he began to speak. “When I awoke this evening, I awoke to carnage. Our home had been ransacked, our human servants-slaughtered. I checked the nightclub which was in a similar condition. Thank goodness the club was closed, no one was working at that time. I don't know who they were, or what they were looking for. I don't know if they found what they were looking for. But I want to go back to our home perhaps we can gather more clues,” Xavier stated. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! Who would be so bold and stupid, I might add, as to rob a vampire's lair!? “That sounds like an excellent idea, perhaps we can sniff out something you've missed.” Elise said, then she began to rise, her long white cashmere coat brushing her ankles. “What about her, what's the purpose of her coming with us?” she asked boldly. “Natasha has an ability that can possibly lead us right to the killers if the right materials are there for her to form a connection. She is a psychic.” Xavier said as he rose from his seat, his hand extended towards me. I took his hand and he pulled me up gently from the chair. “I also have a dash of clairvoyance as well,” I said arrogantly. I hoped that would shut her up. “Fine...whatever,” she said, then she walked out of the room, followed by Sergio. I stopped Xavier before he could leave, he turned and looked at me questioningly. “What's wrong?” he asked. “What did you and Darian talk about?” I asked “I told him about the house and the nightclub, I also told him that Elise, you and I would be tracking down the killers. I've made some telephone calls last night and learned that Anthony, our previous day manager had been visited by a male and female the night...” Xavier trailed off. He looked at me, then continued. “The night before he disappeared. We knew that Anthony had been with the Russian mafia in the past but was no longer an active member. I want to find out who the two people were and what kind of connection they had with Anthony. I think we may find some clues tonight. Come on, let's go.” Xavier led the way as we exited the precinct. Elise and Sergio climbed into a silver Python sports car, Sergio behind the wheel, Elise sat in the passenger side. Xavier and I walked towards them, Xavier told them the directions to the mansion. Sergio nodded then started the engine. Xavier and I climbed into his own red two-door sports car the Viper, an expensive car built for speed with all of the luxury of a Boa. We zoomed on the expressway towards the mansion. Xavier's driving was very similar to Warren's and from the way Sergio was keeping up, he appeared to enjoy speeding as well. We soon arrived at a huge beautiful mansion, I've only seen these sort of homes on television when the camera goes inside the extravagant mansions of the rich and famous. This was my first time in Darian's and Xavier's home, I was a very excited. Sergio pulled in behind us and we all climbed out of the cars. Elise walked towards the front door, her long cashmere coat flapping in the wind as she practically glided towards the entrance. I did not like her but I had to admit, she did look pretty damn smooth. I did admire the design of her pale pink satin pantsuit, the way it accented her curves and skin tone. Sergio wasn't wearing a coat which gave me a great view of his body, he was extremely muscular and if my eyes were not deceiving me, he was packing some heat in the gentleman's department, if you know what I mean? I could see a pretty distinct imprint in the front of his blue jeans. I liked the way his white t-shirt hugged his toned torso. I took my eyes off the two of them and focused on Xavier, who in his own right was dangerously handsome. Xavier wore a black ribbed pullover shirt and boot-cut blue jeans and a black bomber jacket. He was extremely sexy, even the manner in which he moved was mesmerizing. I wondered how much of that was truly Xavier before his change?

Xavier opened the front door and we all stepped inside. I looked around, it was true the mansion was in disarray. Artwork damaged, furniture strewn about, some in shambles. There was paper everywhere, no drawer was left unopened, no cushions left unturned. There was one thing I did not want to see and that was a dead body. Xavier had said that their human servants were slaughtered and I did not want to see one. I turned to Xavier. “Where are the bodies?” I asked, unable to conceal the nervousness in my voice. “What? Afraid you're going to get a little blood on your hands,” Elise stated smugly. “I'm not talking to you.” I hoped she got the message. What was with this bitch!? “You know what...I don't know what your problem is with me, but you need to calm down that attitude. I am not going to take any more of your snide ass comments!” I said, finally reaching my last straw. “Is that a threat? Is this the part where I'm suppose to shake in my three inch heels?” she asked, then she laughed outright, hand coming to her mouth coyly. I wanted to slap her, I think Xavier felt my anger and he pulled me out of the room. I would like to think he separated us for her safety, but I knew she had to be some sort of shape-shifter and my silver earrings wasn't a useful enough weapon to go against her with had we actually came to blows. It was a wise decision on his part. “What's with her, Xavier? Why is she picking on me!?” I asked him, hoping he could give some insight. “She and Darian were lovers,” he said. I had an inclination that they were lovers. I hoped they weren't lovers still, I decided to ask. “Are they still lovers?” I asked apprehensively. I wanted to know, but then I didn't. I would hate to find out that Darian was courting me, while sleeping around, that is a definite “no-no” in my book. “No. When he met you and decided he was going to court you, he had stopped seeing Elise. That is why she is giving you a hard time, but I'll talk to her.” Xavier said, then he looked around the room and frowned. “We cleared out the bodies earlier, why don't you look around, see if you notice anything that would form a good connection...or do you think the club would be a better location?” He asked, he searched my expression as if trying to ascertain my feelings at the moment. “Well, I'll look around the mansion, first. But I do think the club would be the better location,” I said. “Warren and I went there last night and earlier today. We checked the dance section, garage and Darian's car, but that was before the club was ransacked.” He nodded. “I should have thought of that earlier, it's just my mind...” his voice trailed off, he put his finger tips to his temples and closed his eyes. I suppose vampires can get headaches or at least frustrated to the point of discomfort just like humans. “Living here with Darian has been wonderful. Darian is always in control, the atmosphere which he controls is always perfect and now, without him here, we have this chaos. I've never had to deal with anything like this,” he looked at me and smiled sadly. “Everything will be alright, Xavier.” I said, trying my best to console him. Xavier was still worried that Darian would go rogue and everything that was once perfect would be destroyed. I did not want that to happen either, I really cared about them and I didn't want anything bad to happen to either of them. “Come on, we've got work to do.” Xavier said, perking himself up. I nodded and we walked out of Darian's and Xavier's bedroom, which was in perfect condition. Xavier led me to a room that looked a lot like a storage area. “As you can see, they searched this room thoroughly.” Xavier said as he surveyed the damage. “This is where Darian and I keep some of our personal belongs we don't have the heart to discard.” he chuckled but I could tell that he didn't think it was funny. It must be a horrible feeling to know that someone-a stranger has violated your space and all of your belongings. I ran my lingers over Darian's personal items, such as his watches, shoes, I looked into his trunks, both his and Xavier's beautiful clothes were tossed on the floor. These people who came here must have been desperate to enter the very lair of vampires and rob them while they slept in their beds. I wondered how they could do what they did without being caught. “Xavier?” I asked. He looked up at me from hiss kneeling position on the floor. He had been looking under a table for clues. “Yes?” he asked as he rose and began to walk towards me. “They were in here as you slept, I thought you could wake up during the day in case of emergency?” I asked. He chuckled. “Darian can, I can't...still not old enough for that little trick. I'm powerful but Darian has age and the skills learned over the ages on his side.” He continued. “These thieves probably do not know this and that is why they didn't take any chances by entering our bedrooms.” We searched the rest of the mansion for a few more hours. We were in the den when I decided to ask another question. “How old is Darian?” Xavier seemed a bit reluctant to tell me. “I'll keep his age a secret.” I promised, hoping to convince him to tell me. “Very well,” he sighed, smiling. “He'll be sixteen hundred and fifty years old on August 24th.” His smiled widened as he looked at me.

My shocked expression must have tickled him pink, I could not help it. It's not every day you find out someone is over a thousand years old!!! “Damn! No wonder he's so jaded!” I exclaimed. “Yes, 'he's been there and done that', as they say.” Xavier said chuckling. “Sorry to break you two lovebirds up, but Sergio and I have picked up a few scents and we're ready to go to the club now.” Elise interrupted, she stood in the doorway, hands on her hips. “Good, let's go.” Xavier said, not wasting any time. We left the mansion and drove at neck-breaking speed towards Desires Unleashed. We walked inside the offices and saw that they were in the same condition as the mansion. It was a good thing Darian was rich, he was going to need the money to fix all the damages. We searched out the strip and dance sections of the club. Xavier even led us to a part of the club I had no idea existed. Dare I say it was a bordello! The lock was broken, and the door rested on one hinge. The four of us walked inside, the shifters immediately started scenting the room. Sergio chuckled but didn't say anything. After a few minutes they left and only Xavier and I remained. I looked around the room, it was decorated somewhat like a high-class salon. There were cushioned chairs in the waiting area. A customer service desk, where I supposed “appointments” were made. There was a big screen television and a rack with nothing but adult reading material. “I don't know quite what to think about all this.” I said as I surveyed the room. “Yes, it's a bordello, one of the best in the country thanks to our 'highly skilled' employees, if you catch my drift.” Xavier chuckled. “Come on, we have a long night ahead.” We entered several bedrooms, each had their own theme decoration. For example, one room was all red with a rotating bed...kind of cheesy, but some people might enjoy that. Another room, which I thought was pretty creative was almost like the universal vision of heaven. It was all white, the bed looked to be one big comfy cloud. There were sheer white curtains which really brought out the beauty of the room. All-in-all, it was a glitzy bordello, not that I'm the expert on adult “funhouses”. As I searched, I almost did not want to touch anything, but for Annette, I decided to bite-the-bullet. I made some connections, and we continued our investigation. Xavier led me to Annette's office as I looked around, I felt my throat tightened and I choked back the tears. Xavier pointed out the objects that Anthony used when he had the office. I touched the computer, the stapler, the movie memorabilia paperweight. The various items I touched sent little tingling sensation through my fingertips as connections were being formed with each contact. “Xavier, why haven't you called the police to report all this?” I asked. Xavier turned around and looked at me. “Because the police would ask questions that I don't have the answers to. There would be too much speculation and we don't have time to deal with a police investigation right now. Everything has been dealt with accordingly.” He walked toward me. “What is the matter?” he asked inquisitively. “What did you do with the bodies?” I asked. “We have contacts that help us with this sort of situation, meaning the disposal of bodies. Those who had family members will be notified and funeral services for their loved ones will be held, paid for by us. Those who did not have family to contact will be buried on holy ground. The police cannot be involved at this point, our time is too precious...you do understand this, don’t you, Natasha?” Xavier asked me as he stared into my eyes. I nodded my head “Good, I didn't want to have to do any of this, but if we don’t work fast there is no telling what will happen in the next five days. Besides, all of the vampires in this mansion, including myself, would have ended up in a cell along with Darian for multiple homicides. Without substantial evidence pointing to alternate killers, we would be the first to blame. Come on, let's see what Sergio and Elise have discovered.” He led us out of Annette's office. I was relieved to leave the room, lest I would not be able to fight back the tears any longer. Elise and Sergio began walking towards us with catlike gracefulness. They appeared to walk in step with one another as if their every move was choreographed. They stood in front of us, Elise threw me a disdainful glance, then looked at Xavier. “We've picked up the same scent here that was at the mansion. So what did little miss psychic here find out?” Elise asked. “Natasha has to be asleep to see her visions, at least that is the way it is at this moment,” Xavier replied. “Oh lord!” Elise said exasperated. “Do you mean to tell me she is only useful in her sleep.” She looked at me with a sneer on her lips. “I hope you're sleepy...pathetic!” That was it! “You know what, you're supposed to be a supernatural, but I don't see you coming up with any plans or answers, so you can just back off, bitch!” She took a step closer to me. “Is this you trying to put me in my place?” She asked arrogantly. “No, this is me, getting ready to put my foot up your ass!” I said, I had had enough of her attitude. She had been giving me a hard time since the first moment we met. “Cool it, Elise! If you're going to hinder this investigation, you can go the fuck home!” Xavier warned. Elise seemed to be taken aback, insulted even. Sergio began to smile then he turned away, I suppose he was trying to hide the fact that this

situation was humorous to him. I myself was thrilled that Xavier put her in her cage. I was also shocked that he cursed. I've never heard him curse before...well at least not the big bad words. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a cream puff when it comes to cursing, I've been known to sling some terms here and there. It was just a surprise coming from Xavier, it also made him even sexier to me than he already was. There was just something insanely masculine about a man who can successfully use the word “fuck”. I looked at Elise, even though I fought the smile that wanted to spread across my lips, I let my eyes do the talking. And my eyes were saying “ha ha!” she sneered, then turned away from us. Xavier leaned over and kissed me on my temple softly, it was a comforting gesture. We walked out of the club, Elise and Sergio climbed back into his car and he pulled alongside Xavier's as we climbed inside. Elise lowered her window and spoke. “Call us tomorrow, let us know what your plans are. I want to help Darian.” She said finally, then Sergio drove off. Xavier drove me to my apartment. After searching the mansion and club for hours, I was looking forward to going home. I invited him up and this time, he accepted my offer. The apartment was silent...too silent, it felt uncomfortable, lonely. I turned on the lights as I walked towards the kitchen. I reached into the refrigerator and began to pour myself a glass of water. I drained the glass then sat it down on the counter. I looked at the god awful yellow garden patterned wallpaper that covered the kitchen walls and I felt the tears flow down my cheeks. I did not want to fight them any longer, Annette favored this wallpaper, I had wanted to take it down, now I found myself wanting to hold on to the ugly pattern. Fond memories surrounded everything about the apartment. I sat down in the chair and looked around the kitchen, crying freely. Xavier walked into the kitchen and kneeled down in front of me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he pick me up out of the chair easily and carried me to my bed, laying me down and climbing in beside me. “It's okay,” he whispered. “I know you miss her, you're suppose to miss her. Annette was one of a kind, I was fond of her as well.” “She didn't deserve this, Xavier. She was so caring, young and beautiful!” I sobbed. “No, she didn't deserve this. Nevertheless, there are many wonderful people who do not deserve the bad things that happen to them. Natasha, I know that you are a religious person...” He lifted my face so that our eyes could meet. “...If you truly believe in the infallibility of God, then consider Annette an angel who has been summonsed home. You'll miss her company, her vibrant personality, that was her physical form. You now have the real Annette and you always will, in here,” he said with the upmost sincerity as he pressed his hand gently over my heart. The tears began to pour. I could hear my own choking sobs deafening my ears as I held on to Xavier, my head pressed to his chest. What Xavier was saying was hitting home. I still felt a sadness for the loss of my best friend, but I was beginning to feel a strange peace at the thought of her resting in heaven. She wouldn't want unto be tormented by her death, she wouldn't want me depressed or unhappy. I felt the gentle touch of Xavier's strong hands caressing, me, I began to feel a stirring inside and goosebumps began to rise to the surface of my flesh. I raised my head and looked into the warm expression of Xavier's eyes. I felt my heart skip a beat. Xavier wiped away my tears with his thumbs as he smiled sweetly at me. I kissed his soft full lips, gently at first then more passionately. His lips parted as his tongue slid into my mouth. He was an excellent kisser, I could not help but wonder who I should credit for his skill. He shifted his position putting his body over mine, he broke our kiss and began to plant delicate pecks down the length of my neck sending tingles throughout my body. I could feel the heat rising in my body as his fingers began to undress me, removing my shirt, then my jeans tossing them to the side. He buried his face between my bosom, his strong hands began to remove my bra. I could feel his wet mouth on my left breast, the feeling was amazing. With each stroke of his tongue, I felt little exquisite tremors between my legs. His hardness brushed along my thigh as he massaged and suckled my breast causing me to gasp at the sensation. Xavier slowly slid down my body, licking along my skin, his fingers trailed downward tickling my flesh, causing me to giggle. He looked up at me and smiled, his grey eyes sparkling with excitement. “I see that you are ticklish,” he teased. “Maybe a little.” He smiled playfully, his eyes bright. He then lowered his head and began to suckle my flesh, his tongue darting out to lick my navel as his fingers pulled down the band of my white lace panties, slowly removing them and tossing them on the floor next to my clothes. He sat up on the bed then began to undress himself, I stopped him. Xavier smiled down at me as he lowered his arms. I looked up at him, never had I beheld a man so masculine, so powerful, yet so very gentle and patient. Slowly, I pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it to the floor next to my own pile of discarded clothing. His torso was beautiful, a light dusting of brown curly hair layered his chest then formed a thin trail over his flat, muscular stomach down to his crotch. I ran my fingers down the ripple of his abdomen until the tips of my fingers brushed the fabric of his jeans. “Do you like what you see?” Xavier asked in a soft and passionate voice. “Yes.” I replied, never taking my eyes from his. Xavier smiled as he watched me unbuckle his jeans then pushed them down past his thighs. He assisted me by standing on the floor and sliding them off completely. He didn't wear underwear and his manhood jutted up, pointing directly at me, hard and ready. Xavier slowly climbed back onto the bed and push me lightly on the shoulders until I was laying on my back. He peered into my eyes, I could feel his passion as he pressed himself against me. The stirring sensation between my legs grew, it pulsed as I melted in the heat radiating from his body. “From the first moment I laid my eyes upon you, I have wanted to take you into my arms,” he whispered sensuously. I was at a loss for words, my breath caught in my throat. He slid lower and began to kiss the top of my foot, slowly working his way up my leg. His finger tips tickled the back of my knees, causing me to yelp and giggle, lie chuckled and continued lo lick my inner thighs, moving closer to my heated passion. I felt his tongue enter me, I gasped in amazement, my eyes widened. My hands gripped the sheets as I felt his tongue explore me. I had never had a man do this before. My last boyfriend never wanted to, but he always wanted that of me, needless to say, we were at a stalemate. Xavier had no hang-ups about pleasing me, I never knew men like he, Darian and Warren existed...well they existed in the

supernatural world, but do they exist in the human one as well? I was seized by the incredible pleasure Xavier was causing. My muscles tightened and my breathing began to grow frantic. Xavier increased the gentle pressure of his tongue and the speed of his strokes. I arched on the bed as I began to feel my orgasm forming. Xavier's tongue worked faster to bring me harder as his strong hands held me firmly on the bed. My climax ripped through me and I cried out, my fingers gripped handfuls of Xavier's silky brown hair as I rode the tidal wave of pleasure. Xavier held on, never easing up, causing my body to jerk and spasm uncontrollably. The pleasure was almost too much for me to bear. He knew the perfect moment to pull away, looking up at me, he smiled, his hand coming up to wipe his mouth. His tongue snaked out to lick the back of his hand, tasting the wetness, he smiled sensuously. I could feel my face flush, I had to catch my breath. The pleasurable assault on me continued as Xavier mounted me, burying his face between my breast again. I could feel his tongue on my erect nipple, sending more tremors throughout my limbs. I felt him enter me slowly, he was a comfortable size, he filled me nicely. Xavier began to stroke inside me with a smooth paced rhythm. “Oh god, Natasha!” Xavier panted breathlessly. “You feel so good to me!” I was speechless. Naturally, I am a shy person in the bedroom and not very skilled in pillow talk. I wanted to tell Xavier that I shared his sentiments, but was too bashful to do so. Therefore, I said nothing at all, but I believed Xavier already knew my feelings. My arms wrapped around his shoulders as I held on, his body rocking above me, making me feel the most extraordinary pleasure! I met his passion with uncontrolled lust. His lips met mine as we made love, his tongue caressed my mouth as we kissed with fervor. His pace began to quicken as his breath became more ragged, I could tell he was reaching his climax and I began to feel a second climax boiling within me. In a spastic moment, we exploded with intense pleasure, our bodies becoming one in this instant. My legs locked around his waist as I held onto him tightly, fingers digging into his flesh as we both spent our passions. He collapsed on top of me, our shaking bodies entangled in the wet sheets. Tiny tremors rippled through our bodies as we lay in each other’s arms. Neither of us could say anything at first. After a while, Xavier rolled onto his side, his eyes began to clear and he looked at me and smiled. He leaned over and kissed my lips softly, his fingers gently brushing my damp hair from my face. He rested his head on his arm as he gazed at me. Our eyes locked on each other, I could hear the birds beginning to chirp and it could only mean one thing...the morning sun was rising. Xavier looked towards the window and frowned. “I've always hated this part. This is the one thing I envy about not being human, I miss the sunlight.” He turned to face me. “Do you want me to leave?” he asked. At first, I had no idea why he would ask such a question, but then I began to realize why he did. His body would rest as the sun rose, he would not be able to prevent it and he would be dead to me then. I thought about the possibility of him sleeping in my bed, practically a corpse, if not truly a corpse. Then I decided to except the fact that he was what he was. “No, stay here.” I said. “You'll be alone when the sun rises,” he cautioned. “I know...it's okay,” I smiled slightly. He smiled and kissed my forehead, then he climbed out of the bed and walked to the window. He closed the drapes, before covering the window with a thick blanket to darken the room completely. He climbed back into the bed and took me into his arms again. “I want to hold you, if only for a few more moments.” He whispered into my ear. I snuggled closer to him. After a while, I began to feel his body grow cooler, this was a new experience for me, but I wanted to experience it. “Is it happening?” I asked. He nodded. “I'm going to let you go now,” Xavier released me. For a brief moment, I loathe the absence of his warm embrace. “Natasha?” he began “Yeah?” “I love you.” With that, he drifted off to sleep. His body grew heavy and limp against me. I rolled away and turned on the lights. I looked at him, his eyes were closed, his hair was tangled as it framed his face on the pillow. He looked to be in a deep sleep. I was still shocked by the last thing he said to me before he fell asleep. He said he loved me! Could he really mean that? I looked at his slumbering form. How do I feel about him? I knew I cared for him a great deal, I believe I loved him, but am I in love with him? I reached out and touched his shoulders, his skin was cool, but pliant, not like a corpse at all. I brushed some of his hair from his face and gazed at him. His long dark lashes brushed his cheeks, his perfectly lined lips were lightly pressed together. Even in a deathlike state, he was beautiful, I could see why Darian chose him as his companion. I gathered up a blanket, having decided to sleep on the couch. I would have to really get used to seeing Xavier in that state before I would feel comfortable sleeping in the same bed with him. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I felt myself drifting off to sleep. Multiple visions began to flash through my mind, I immediately started filtering them, searching for the important ones. Just when I thought another day would pass in vain, I came across a vision that would help us.

Chapter Five Day Three I was looking at a female, she was speaking Russian to someone on the telephone. Her blonde hair was cut short in a twenties-style bob. She was dressed in a black pantsuit that seemed to hug her every curve. I could understand what she was saying and knew who she was speaking with. She was speaking to the head of her organization and her lover, stating that they had the information and were on a plane flying back to Russia at this very moment. She went on to say that she was quiet pleased by how smoothly things went with Darian's arrest. The female then ended her phone call and looked in my direction. “Nikolai...you idiot! If it were not for me, this entire operation would have been a disaster!” she said spitefully in Russian. “If it weren't for you fucking Anthony, he may have been able to keep his mind on the job, instead of blotching it and getting killed!” replied the voice of the man who's vision I was witnessing. I tried to peer further into his mind, but there was a ringing in my dream and it began to draw me out of my sleep. I awoke to the telephone ringing in my ears, I picked up the receiver. “Hello?” I asked hoarsely, still groggy as a result of being wrenched from a deep sleep. “Hello Natasha, this is Warren. I'm sorry to wake you, how are you feeling?” “I'm doing fine, you?” “I've seen better days. Look, have you had any visions?” he asked me. “Yeah, I was actually in the middle of one when you called.” I said carefully as to not sound as annoyed as I felt at the thought of losing track of the vision. Warren did not deserve any attitude. “Oh shit! I'm sorry. I did not mean to interrupt,” he said apologetically. “It's okay, so were you calling just to find out what was new?” I asked. “Yeah, I saw you leave with Xavier and those two shifters. I just wanted to know what happened last night.” “We just did some investigating. Warren, I'm going to tell you something, but I don't want you to do anything without Xavier's permission, okay?” I asked “What is it?” Warren asked curiously. “Do I have your word?” “Yeah, you have my word,” he said urgently. “Darian's mansion was attacked yesterday afternoon, his human servants were murdered and the club was broken into as well, the offices were ransacked.” I said, bringing Warren up to date. “The home was invaded and servants-slaughtered!? While the vampires were asleep!?” Warren asked obviously as shocked as I was when I first found out. “Yeah, but they didn't enter any of the bedrooms where the vampires were sleeping. I suppose they were afraid the vampires might wake up if they get close enough. I do know that they found what they were looking for too. The vision I had revealed a female and a male, they were on a plane returning to Russia. The female was on the telephone with their boss, she told him they had the “information” they were looking for and expressed how pleased she was about Darian's arrest,” I said. Even as I told Warren this, I could feel my temper beginning to rise. “What the hell could Darian have that would be so important for someone to take such actions and risks!?” Warren was just as puzzled as I was. “That's not all, I manage to catch some more information. The female snapped at the male in my vision, saying that he almost blotched the assignment, then he said that it was her fault Anthony messed up the prior assignment and that's why Anthony was killed.” I could practically hear the gears in Warren's mind turning. “I need to speak with Darian, there are some things he's not telling us. When he wakes up tonight, we will have a conversation. Look, Natasha, why don't you come down to the precinct while I'm still here and look through some of these files we have, see if you recognize anyone, is that cool?” he asked. “Makes sense to me, I'll be down there in about an hour. See you later.” I hung up the telephone then walked into my bedroom. Xavier was asleep in the same position. He looked so very pale and I wondered if he was comfortable or not, or if it even mattered? I walked closer to him and put my finger under his nose, there was no breath. I snatched my hand away as if it were burned and stared down at him. This was going to take some serious getting used to. I walked into my bathroom and climbed into the shower. I decided to kill two birds with one stone and brushed my teeth while I showered. Afterwards, I dressed in my favorite Chicago's South Side baseball team jersey and a pair of black jeans. I tied my hair back into a ponytail and

left. Traffic was pretty terrible on this morning, which is extremely odd for a Saturday, must be some special event going on downtown. I was happy that it was a weekend, I did not have to go to work. I was glad that I had four sick days available, I could tell all four were going to be used up by the end of all this. I pulled into the parking lot, grabbing my bag o'goodies before walking into the station. I had stopped off to grabbed something to eat and a little treat for Matthew and Warren. Warren had been waiting for my arrival, because he was at the front desk when I walked in. He immediately escorted me to his desk. Matthew smiled and gave me a warm, friendly hug. “I brought you two guys something,” I said and both men looked at me in anticipation. They saw the bag and I'm sure Warren smelled the goodies. I decided to tease just a little bit. I peeked into the bag then immediately closed it. A mischievous expression on my face, I looked at the two men, shaking my head. “No, no, no, you two don't want none of this. It's not good for you,” I teased. Warren chuckled, then snatched the bag from my hands faster than I could blink an eye. He reached into the bag and pulled out a Crunchy Creme donut then shoved the whole donut into his mouth. I never knew a person could shove an entire donut into their mouth, until I saw Warren do it. Matthew reached for the bag, but Warren moved out of the reach of his outstretched hand. “Oh be nice and share, Warren!” I chuckled. Warren smiled like a mischievous kid. “Aww, but I don't wanna share!” he joked. “Warren,” I said sternly, pointing my finger at him like a scolding parent. “Share with your friend,” I added playfully. He smiled and handed the bag over to Matthew who snatched the bag, and removed a donut then began to eat the delicious pastry like a normal human being, one bite at a time. “Okay, let me see these files you were talking about...wait, first I want to look in on Darian,” I said. Warren and Matthew exchanged glances then nodded their heads. Sometimes, when I look at the two of them, they seem like a perfect match. I supposed that's why they were excellent partners. Warren and Matthew led me to Darian's cell. I looked at Darian, the inside of his cell was dark, but not pitch black. Darian laid there on the mattress resting on his back, his hands at his sides, he looked completely cadaverous. Xavier looked like he was in a deep sleep, but Darian actually looked dead and it was sort of creepy to me. I nodded my head and we walked back towards Warren's desk. Warren pulled up the files on the computer that he wanted me to view and I began to scan through the electronic files. I must have looked at over three hundred people before I came across the photograph of the female I saw in my vision. Her hair was died black in the photograph, but it was her. Her name was Lidiya Belyakov. “Her! She was the one from my vision.” Warren and Matthew looked at the screen. Warren pressed some buttons on the keyboard and her personal file came up on the monitor. The three of us read over her file. She was arrested in 1998 for armed robbery, but the charges were dropped. She was arrested again in 2001 for suspected money laundering, but again the charges were dropped, or rather, the witnesses disappeared or backed out. Warren flipped through her record and came across an attached file of the people she was associated with. I looked at the name on the screen, Nikolai Lelikov, I had no idea what the man in my vision looked like, but the female did call him Nikolai. I told this to Warren and Matthew and they clicked on Nikolai's personal file. He had been arrested in 2001 for money laundering as well, and just like Lidiya, the charges were dropped due to lack of substantial evidence. So this was the work of the Russian mafia! I looked at the two detectives. “Does this mean, we're going to have to fly to Russia to track these people down?” I asked, groaning slightly. “Shit, looks like it, kiddo.” Matthew said as he printed up the file. He looked at the freshly printed paper. “Well, at least now you know where you need to go, Moscow. If you want to clear Darian's name, you better pack your bags, you now have only four days to go.” “Shit! You've got to be kidding me!” I exclaimed, shocked about how fast time passed by. I took the information and thanked both Warren and Matthew for their help, then I left. I went home and began to pack my bags. I decided to violate Xavier's privacy, but for a good reason, I needed Elise's telephone number. I searched his pants and found his wallet, I fished through it and just happened to notice that he had about seventeen hundred and forty-seven dollars and twenty-three cents, not that I was counting or anything, I just noticed it. I also found what I was looking for and flipped through the black leather book, until I found her name and number. I picked up my telephone and dialed. The telephone rang several times before anyone picked up. “Hello.” a female greeted. “Hello, my name is Natasha Hemingway, and I'm calling to speak with either Elise or Sergio, it's very important that I speak with one of them,” I requested urgently. “One minute please,” She replied then put me on hold. “Hello, who is this?” a male voice asked. “Hi, my name is Natasha Hemingway” I repeated. “And I'm calling to speak with either Elise or Sergio.” I hoped this was Sergio and that I wasn't getting the run around. “This is Sergio, what can I do for you?” he asked.

“Sergio, I had a vision and I know what we need to do next. We have to go to Russia and track down two people. A woman named Lidiya Belyakov and a man named Nikolai Lelikov. I'm quite sure that they are the two that you scented most of all,” I stated. “How do you know all of this!?” Sergio asked, perplexed. “Remember, I have an ability that allows me to see through the eyes of the people I can connect with. In this case, I was looking at present time or possibly a few hours into the future and saw that they were already on a plane heading for Russia. If you are still willing to help, we have to get everything arranged for an early departure.” The silence on the phone led me to speculate that he was thinking about the situation. I knew he did not like Darian and I wondered if he would help. After a few seconds, he spoke. “I'll inform Elise, we'll meet you in about an hour. What is your address?” he asked. I told him. “Okay, make that two hours. Until then.” Sergio said, then we both hung up. I finished packing my bags. After two and a half hours, my door bell buzzed, I hoped it was Sergio and Elise. I ran to my intercom and pressed the button to speak with the person on the outside. “Hello?” I inquired. “Natasha, it's us.” Sergio said in his thick Italian accent. I must admit, men with certain accents are a turn-on, especially if they're nice to look at! I buzzed them in. After a few seconds, there was a knock on my door, I peeked through the peep hole and saw Sergio standing there. I opened the door and he walked in along with Elise and someone else. The third person was adorable, he looked very young, about five-feet-eight or nine inches tall, short cropped brown hair, hazel eyes, and coffee and cream skin tone. He was as cute as he could be. “Natasha, this is Devin, he'll be joining us on this venture. Hope you don't mind,” Sergio said sarcastically. What was with these two? I think it was time for me to find out what kind of animal they changed into. “It won't be a problem, I think we're going to need all the help we can get. If you don't mind me asking...what do you change into?” I asked, hoping I was not insulting them...but then again, who gives a shit? “Leopards. Why do you ask?” Sergio replied, then his gaze darted to Devin who was sniffing and looking around my apartment. “Don't be rude!” Sergio reprimanded. Devin turned around and nodded sadly like a child who had just been scolded. “No real reason, I just wanted to know, that's all,” I lied. So that was the reason why they were so damn catty! Makes sense now! Elise looked at me in her usual bitchy manner I was growing accustomed to. Her eyes scanning over my body as if I were a piece of dirt. I really did not like her! I walked towards my suitcases. “Well, Xavier is asleep and we'll need to fly there. It's going to be an eight to eleven hour flight. We have only four days to clear Darian's name, hell not even that long, so we have to get a move on!” I said as I dragged my luggage to the front door. Sergio, Elise and Devin looked at each other as if they weren't sure I was in my right mind. I stopped lugging and looked at them. “Do you want to save him or not!? Are you just going to stand there!?” I asked, flabbergasted. “You haven't told us what we should do. I'm not sure how that brain of yours is working all this out. Do we leave for Russia and wait for Xavier to arrive, or what?” Elise asked. I had to agree, it was a good question. I was so caught up in getting on that plane that I forgot to form a better plan. “I'll need to speak with Darian, Xavier said he was old enough to not be completely weakened by the sun. While I'm gone, make yourselves at home.” I said as I left my apartment. I don't think I have ever driven as fast in my life as I did to get to the precinct. I called Warren to let him know ahead of time that I was coming in to see Darian and he met me at the precinct. We walked to Darian's cell and Warren flashed the overhead ultraviolet lighting system on then off. I was shocked that he did it and by the reaction Darian had, so was he. Darian was awake and off the bed in an instant, he looked pissed as his eyes focused on us. “What the hell was that all about!?” Darian demanded. I have never seen him so upset, I hoped he would not hold a grudge. “I needed to speak with you,” I looked at Warren who shrugged his shoulders lazily. “Warren just thought that would be the most efficient way to wake you up.” “Efficient and painful.” Darian regained his composure. He looked at Warren. “For future references my friend, all you need to do to gain my attention is step within ten feet of me,” he said with a wink. “I'll keep that in mind next time,” Warren replied dryly. “Darian you need to know this.” I wanted to draw Darian's attention to me. I begin to tell Darian everything that was in my vision. He sat down

on the bed, I could tell he was beginning to feel the effects of the sun. His body seemed to become more relaxed, his shoulders drooped slightly and his facial expression grew more drowsy. “What do you think we should do?” I asked, I trusted his insight, his guidance. He looked at me and smiled. “You've made love to him, did you not?” he asked, a look of lust flashed across his face. Great, just great, here I am, trying to save his ass and all he can think of is Xavier and I...how did he know anyway!? “Darian this is serious! What should I do? This is your ass on the line!” I was frustrated and slightly embarrassed. He took the hint and nodded his head solemnly. “You are quite right, I'll hold my libido in check. You must go to Russia, take John with you, he would most likely be at the mansion. His is the fifth bedroom on the second floor to the right. Put both he and Xavier in coffins and ship them with you. Four days time cannot be wasted for travel arrangements. Besides it will be safer that way.” Darian said, then he slowly began to lie down on the mattress. “Darian, I need to ask you something and I want the truth, you can even tell it to me mentally, but I need the truth.” I said, watching him intently. He lifted his head and looked at me, is dark forest green eyes studying me. In my mind I could hear his response. Ask me what you will. He said to me where no one else could hear. Did you kill Anthony Juliano? I asked, transmitting my question mentally to Darian. He forced himself to sit up on the mattress and he locked his eyes to mine. Warren watched us both, his eyes darting from me to Darian. “I did, but that was personal business, nothing more.” Darian responded, this time-vocally. He continued to study me, his eyes boring into mine. Sometimes he could be so gentle, but it was times like these when I have to remember he is a vampire. Not to mention a sixteen-hundred year old vampire, that has most likely taken many lives for one reason or another. I let the shock recede from my face. “I know he was not innocent...I just wanted to know the truth.” I turned to walk away when Darian called out to me, I turned and looked at him. “Natasha, I don't hurt people just to hurt them, there is always a reason. And I will always tell you the truth, all you'll ever need to do is ask. I want you to trust me,” he paused, then as he looked at me, his gaze became extremely sensual, seductive. “I want you to want me, as I want you.” Darian said passionately. I could feel my stomach flutter, my skin began to tingle. “I'll see you later, Darian.” It was all I could say, I was powerfully attracted to Darian, but was there something more? Is what I feel for Darian the same as what I feel for Xavier? Perfect, just prefect, what am I getting myself into!? Warren walked me to my car and leaned into the window. “Why did he say that, what did you ask him?” he asked curiously. “I asked him if he killed Anthony Juliano...and he said he did.” I reached into my purse and pulled out my cell phone, I looked at Warren, but he did not seem surprised in the least bit by the new information. “Why doesn't that shock you?” I asked. Warren chuckled softly. “Because, Darian reminds me of my Pack master. Our world is somewhat different from the mortal world and we have to go about things differently. Anthony was connected to the Russian mafia, perhaps Darian knew this and killed him because of it,” he shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly. “The old, in general, always do things differently than the young. You or I might have turned him in, but would he really have gone to jail? We both know the answer to that. Look Natasha, you take care of yourself, call me anytime.” Warren kissed me on the check and drummed a beat on the hood of my car. I smiled, said “goodbye” then drove off. I called home and hoped one of the kitties would pick up the telephone. They did. “Hello?” a male voice asked, I suspected it was Devin. “Is this Devin?” I asked after I identified myself “Yep!” he said spiritedly. “Okay, this is what I need you all to do. Meet me at Darian's mansion. We're going to bring John Fallon along and pack Xavier and him in coffins and ship them with us. I'm on my way there as we speak. Did you get that?” I asked. “Yeah, yeah, I got it. Damn, this shit is tripped out. Okay, we'll be there,” he hung up the phone. I put my cell phone back into my purse and continued to drive towards Darian's mansion. I was extremely thankful that I paid close attention to details, I had only been there once, but I remembered the directions. I pulled in front of the huge mansion and looked around. I wondered how many square miles of land this was...or was it acres? Whatever the case, it was a palace! Beautiful! I wasn't standing there too long before a black Anaconda Pavilion pulled up. I suppose it was Elise's car...it was a beautiful car no doubt about it. The three of them emerged from the car in sequence as if it were rehearsed. They walked towards me with the gracefulness only felines can capture. It was kind of cool...kind of, go figure. “Okay, we're here,” Sergio said.

“Well, we're going to have to break in, the door is locked.” I pointed to the double thick oak doors. “No problem.” Sergio said as we walked towards the door. He reached for the handle and tested the door, it did not give. He then snatched the door clean off of the hinges, tossing the door to the ground as if it hadn't weighed an ounce! He turned around and gestured for us to enter. As Elise walked past him, she slapped him on his chest with the back of her hand. “You didn't need to rip his door from the hinges!” she scolded. Sergio smiled wickedly. “I know,” he smirked. Elise threw her hands up in the air-irritated and walked into the mansion. Devin and I followed and Sergio walked in behind us. The mansion was in order, all of the broken and overturned furniture was put in its place or cleared away. The rooms were spotless! I was in awe, vampires were truly amazing creatures. “Darian said that John's room would he on the second floor, fifth room on the right, come on.” I stated, and we all walked up the stairs and counted the fifth room, Sergio opened the door. This time he didn't rip the door from its lunges. John laid on his belly on his bed, nude. I felt myself blush, there was no shame in his game. “Damn! Now that's what I call sexy!” exclaimed Devin, as he inched closer to John. Sergio's hand darted out and caught Devin by the back of his neck and dragged him back to where he was standing. “Keep your filthy little mind on the important things you little fiend,” Sergio said. Devin smiled sheepishly at Sergio and Sergio simply shook his head, letting the smaller man go. “Okay, so where do we find these coffins?” asked Devin. “We sniff them out, I suppose.” Elise said, and she left the room, the other two followed her. I was left alone in the room with John. I hoped he would not be upset that he was being taken on a quest without his consent. After about ten minutes, the three shape-shifters came back into the room, Sergio and Devin carried a coffin each on their shoulders. This I couldn't believe, it would take at least four strong mortal men to carry a coffin, and here they carried one each as if the coffins were only a sack of potatoes! “This will have to do,” Sergio said as he placed the coffin beside the bed. Devin still held his on his shoulder, his eyes never leaving John's naked form. One did not need to be a psychic to know what was on Devin's mind. Elise stood in the doorway in her tight fitting black leather catsuit. Her four-inch heeled boots adding on inches making her appear at least over six feet tall, her long brown hair was in a single french braid. I looked at Sergio as he lifted John's body and placed him into the coffin. Sergio was every bit a man, I could see his muscles working underneath his skin. The muscles in his thighs bulged though his jeans as he knelt beside the coffin. I observed Elise watching him. Now, I understood why she was so infatuated with Darian, but it was quite obvious that she was attracted to Sergio as well. “Aww man, I wanted to put him into the coffin!” Devin whined and pouted playfully. “Oh shut up!” Sergio responded jokingly. He chuckled as he closed the lid and lifted the coffin onto his shoulder again and we left the room. As we walked down the staircase, I walked behind them. Just in case one of them dropped a coffin, I did not want to be the first one smashed. When we were outside, both of the male shape-shifters put the coffins on the ground. “Look, I'm going to go into the garage, I'm sure your precious Darian has an SUV or two. I'll be back.” Sergio said as he walked off. Elise stood over the coffins, her arms crossed over her chest, the wind playing with her long leather coat. Devin had knelt beside John's coffin and peeked inside. Elise looked at Devin and rolled her eyes then chuckled. It was the first time I had actually seen her smile, let alone chuckle. Just then, she didn't look as bitchy as she behaved. I decided to make small talk, if we were going to be together on a plane for several hours, I figured we should at least try to get along. “Elise, why do you want to help Darian?” I asked out of curiosity. I hoped she would not take offense to the question, I really didn’t feel like arguing. She looked at me, then turned her gaze towards the garage. For that brief moment, I thought she had snubbed me, but then she began to answer my question. “About a year ago, Darin helped me. One of my members was in trouble with the law, they would have killed him had Darian not assisted us. He had him released into our custody, unharmed. The members of my Pride are very dear to me, we are the only true family we have. Darian saved his life and the least I could do is return the favor.” She said, her eyes never looking in my direction, I wondered why, but I left it alone. I soon heard tires screeching and looked down the driveway to see Sergio pulling out of the garage in a huge black SUV, the kind that was barely street legal. He stopped the truck right in front of us and hopped out. Both he and Devin loaded the coffins into the back as Elise and I climbed inside. In my case, I really did have to climb into the truck, being five-feet-two had its disadvantages as well as its perks. I've never had to reach high for things. I just looked for a tall person, then acted helpless, it never failed. Elise practically slid into the truck without any effort at all. After I settled into the back seat, we waited for the men to join us, which they did a few seconds later. I was glad we decided to leave our cars at Darian's mansion. There was not enough parking spaces on my block anyway. We drove back to my apartment to retrieve Xavier's sleeping form. The four of us walked into my bedroom, Devin turned on the lights. I had forgotten

that Xavier and I had made love during the early hours before dawn, I remembered now as we all stared down at his nakedness. “Oh, this is a treat! Shit, I'm glad I came along!” Devin said, ecstatically. “I'm starting to regret not leaving you at home.” Sergio pushed the other man playfully, Devin laughed. Sergio walked towards Xavier, but Devin stopped him. “Allow me, you got to touch the last one.” Devin reminded. He sprinted across the room and picked Xavier off of the bed as if he was an infant and placed him gently inside the coffin, closing the lid over him. He stood up and smiled at me devilishly. I could feel the blood rushing to my face as the three shifters looked in my direction. I decided to avert their thoughts to more important matters other than whether or not I had slept with Xavier, I did, but that was none of their damn business. “Okay, we've got the others packed away safely, now let's get going.” I said as I walked towards the front door. I could hear them laughing in the other room and fought the urge to yell at them to “shut up”. Instead, I opted for telling them to “hurry up”. Sergio came out of the room first, then Elise, Devin was last as he carried the coffin on his shoulder. As they passed me, each one had their own way of letting me know what they were thinking. Sergio winked at me, Elise giggled coyly, and Devin simply came on out with it and asked me if the sex with Xavier was “good”. If you would look 'embarrassed' up in a dictionary, you'd see a short description with a picture of me beside it looking red in the face. After turning off the lights, I locked my apartment door and headed downstairs to the truck. I was thankful that none of my nosey neighbors were in the hallway. A man leaving my apartment carrying a coffin on his shoulders would surely give them something to gossip about. Sergio navigated the huge SUV between lanes as if it were a sports car. At one point, I thought we were going to turn over! Men drivers, go figure! We pulled into a private airstrip where Elise’s personal jet awaited us. She held a short discussion with her pilots as Sergio and Devin loaded the coffins on the plane. I was standing nearby, eavesdropping on Elise's conversation. If there was anything I needed to know about the plane, I wanted to know, unlike the rest of them, I'm mortal. It would be my first time on a plane and I was trying hard not to appear to be the nervous wreck that I was. Everything appeared to be in order, so I climbed aboard the plane and looked around. It was beautiful, absolutely beautiful! There was a full white leather sofa and two matching chairs by the windows. A fully stocked bar, which didn't matter to me, since I don't drink. I just thought it was cool to have one on board. There was a grill, refrigerator and microwave in the galley. I turned around and saw a huge forty-eight inch flat screen plasma television. Even the floor was covered with thick white carpeting! I was truly amazed! Oh, to be wealthy must be a wonderful thing. I sat down on one of the chairs and felt my muscles relax instantly, the chair was extremely comfortable and heated. Sergio draped his long form over the other chair, leaving his legs dangling over the armrest. Devin began raiding the refrigerator, pulling out various meats, cheeses and other condiments. He started to make himself two gigantic sandwiches. I felt my stomach rumbled and decided to ask for something to eat. “Is it alright if I make myself something to eat?” I asked Elise. She slid onto the sofa as if she were preparing for a photo shoot. She smirked at me and nodded her head. I must admit, I was shocked, I had expected some sort of catty comment, but nothing came. Relieved, I rose from my chair and stood next to Devin to make myself a ham sandwich. Devin took both of his gigantic sandwiches and sat on the floor between Sergio and Elise, and began eating. I sat back into my chair and ate. Afterwards, I looked at the telephone on the wall next to the bathroom. I wanted to call Annette's family t o give them my condolences. I'd been avoiding it, to do so, would mean I had accepted Annette's death. It was still hard for me to accept the fact that Annette was gone, but I wanted her family to know that I loved her and would miss her as they would. “May I use the telephone to make one phone call?” I asked as politely as I could. My own cell phone needed charging. Elise rolled her eyes. “Do you want to go and see the pilots too!” she said mockingly. I knew her good behavior could not last long. “Go ahead,” Sergio said lazily as he began to drift off to sleep. Elise looked at him sharply. “I do believe this is my private jet, my dear Sergio,” she said arrogantly. Sergio lifted his head and looked at Elise. “Let her use the fucking phone, give it a rest already, isn't that what you're always telling me!?” he retorted, then laid his head back down. Elise stared at him in shock as if she were insulted, she actually pouted. I looked at Sergio, he had a slight smile on his face. I had my own assumptions about their relationship, I suppose this was a small victory for him. I walked over to the telephone and called Annette parents to give them my condolences. They had to postpone making arrangements for the funeral until the police released Annette's body. I found it quite difficult to discuss Annette's upcoming funeral, tears began to run down my cheeks. I spoke with her parents a little longer, then hung up the telephone. I walked into the bathroom to dry my face, I wanted to gain control over my emotions. I looked at myself in the mirror, I looked a bit stressed, even to myself. I walked back into the main area of the plane, sitting back down in the pretty white chair. Elise and Devin laid sprawled on the sofa as they watched the television. Devin's head rested on her lap. He looked at me and smiled. I thought he was adorable, it was nice to know that not all leopard cat people (my own little phrase for them) weren't as touchy as Elise and Sergio. I looked out of the window, the sun had set, the night was clear and beautiful, the stars shining brightly against the dark velvet of the sky. I gazed out the window and let my thoughts drift to Annette, was she watching us this very moment? She would be right here with us if she were alive, that's the kind of person she was. If someone needed her help, she would try her best to help them. I was lost in my thoughts when I was interrupted by a loud crashing noise. I jumped and looked towards the coffins where the noise came from. Sergio was standing in front of Elise, Xavier had his hand around Sergio's throat, his face contorted with rage. “Xavier! It's okay!” I screamed, as I began to realize what had just transpired. Xavier seem to realize who he had in his grip A calmness seeped into his expression, he slowly released Sergio and stepped away. Xavier looked around the plane. I was still in awe of Xavier's impressive show of power and agility, talk about self defense! Both Xavier and Sergio were extremely vigorous and their speed was amazing! “I'm sorry, I did not recognize what was going, on.” Xavier said politely, he looked at Sergio. “My apologies.” “Yeah, no problem!” Sergio replied sourly. I could see the bruises left behind by Xavier's fingertips slowly vanishing from Sergio's throat. “Look, I said I was sorry. What the fuck do you expect? Last I checked, I wasn't in a coffin on a plane!” Xavier retorted I stood there watching the two men exchange words as they glared at each other. I decided now would be a good time to intervene. I stepped between the two men, (a

brave thing to do, I know) and pressed my hand on Xavier's naked chest. I felt the blood rush to my face, my cheeks were burning. The moment was so intense, I forgot that he was naked...and furthermore, I forgot that he would be hungry and would need to feed! Xavier looked down at me, his eyes softened. His warm expression made me feel comfortable, I knew that I was blushing ridiculously. “Xavier, I had a vision,” I proceeded to update Xavier on all that had taken place since last night. Xavier listened intently to every word as he nodded his head. “We had to get to Russia, we really couldn't wait for you to wake up to do so.” I explained apologetically. “I understand, you did the right thing, Tasha.” Xavier said, then he leaned closer and kissed me softly on the lips. I could hear Devin chuckle from across the plane. “I was in such a hurry...I did not pack you anything... I'm so sorry. I didn't even think to buy you Synblood! Oh, I'm such an idiot!” I said, angry with myself that I did not think to better prepare for Xavier and John. “It's alright, don't beat yourself up over it. I'm sure I could borrow something of Sergio's.” Xavier speculated as he looked at Sergio, expectantly. “His clothes are too big, they won't fit.” Devin said slyly, his eyes plastered on Xavier's naked body. A lecherous smile spread boldly across his face. I stepped in front of Xavier and Devin frowned. “Aww, come on, you've already seen the goods!” Devin whined playfully. He was cute, simply adorable! I shook my head and chuckled. “I have something you could wear, but like Devin said, it will be loose on your less muscular body,” Sergio said mockingly. “I'd really appreciate it,” Xavier responded condescendingly. Sergio snorted then opened up his suitcase, he pulled a pair of tan drawstring cargo pants, a tan t-shirt and a pair of shoes that were slightly too big for Xavier. Xavier dressed quickly then settled on the sofa. “Well, now that the fiasco is over, things can get back to normal,” Elise said snobbishly. She settled more comfortably into the cushions then looked at Xavier. “Do not worry about feeding, Devin-” She was cut off by the quick and aggressive movements of John as he sprang forth from his coffin. Scaring the hell out of me and alarming everyone else. The next thing I knew, Xavier had John in his embrace before he could attack. John's fangs were out, luckily he began to realize who was holding him. He settled calmly in Xavier's arms, his fangs retracting. Xavier whispered something into John's ear and he nodded his head, then Xavier let him go. “Damn! You vampires are pretty serious first thing in the evening, aren't you!?” Devin chuckled as he settled back on the sofa. “Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't know what the fuck was going on.” John said, he frowned, then look at Xavier. “What the fuck is going on?!” he asked, perplexed. Xavier proceeded to fill John in on everything. After the briefing, John sat down on the rim of his coffin. He did not seem the least bit uncomfortable in the nude, or maybe it was the least of his concerns at the moment. He put his hand on his stomach and grimaced slightly. “I'm hungry,” he whispered softly. Xavier patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. “When we land, we'll hunt.” Xavier said, John nodded. “I'm afraid we don't have time for you to hunt-” Elise started but John interrupted her once again. “Look, I'm starving, I need to feed...I'm hunting!” he growled. I have to admit, it was getting a little tense and I felt uncomfortable about being tens of thousands of feet in the air during all of the arguing. “John, settle down!” Xavier said sternly. John turned and looked at Xavier, he nodded dejectedly. “Well, if I may continue!” Elise began, her hand on her chest as if she were appalled. “I have thought about your sustenance situation and I have brought along a willing donator,” she pointed to Devin. Sergio rolled his eyes upward and snorted. “I still can't fucking believe you're letting him be their feedbag. And even worse...” he looked at Devin disgustedly. “You want to be their feedbag!!!” I could tell that annoyed Sergio. “That's my decision, besides, I like it. Now breathe-back off me.” Devin retorted as he rose from the sofa. “You don't have to do this, Devin,” Xavier said calmly. I felt like I was watching a movie as an audience does, only it wasn't a movie...it was very real. I looked at Xavier, even though he was trying to stay in control, I could see that he wanted to feed, there was a look in his eyes that was a mixture of hunger and lust. It was definitely awkward to say the very least. I didn't know what to expect when I decided to do this, or the things that I would sec. I've never seen a vampire feed, let alone Xavier. Would I be able to handle it? I thought about running into the bathroom to hide out until it was all over, but then curiosity killed the cat (no pun intended) and I decided to bear witness to this side of Xavier. I figured it was simply another part of him that I was going to have to accept. Big brave me! “I know, Xavier...but I want to, now make it nice and sweet.” Devin chuckled. I looked at John, his breathing had increased, he looked like he would pounce on Devin if he came one step closer. Xavier must have noticed John's behavior, because he placed his fingers under John's chin, lifting his face to his own. Xavier peered into John's eyes. “Your thirst is stronger, you feed first, but be gentle.” Xavier cautioned. John nodded and began to rise from his sitting position. “No, don't bother rising stay right where you are!” Devin said lustfully. John paused for a moment, then he closed the coffin and sat back down on the lid. Devin did exactly what I suspected he would do. He sat his little hot-to-trot ass on John's lap. I shook my head and chuckled, I really liked him, he was a spontaneous little vibrant soul, there was no doubling that. I blushed as I watched John encircle Devin in his arms, he sank his teeth into Devin's neck. Devin gasped and arched as John's fangs broke though his skin. His arms wrapped around John's neck, small moans of pleasure came from him. I looked on in amazement. John's mouth was sealed to Devin flesh and I could hear the wet sucking sounds as John fed and I felt tingles down my spine. Sergio and Elise looked on as well, Sergio appeared to be on guard as i f he were prepared to attack in an instant,

should something go wrong. I suppose he would pull Devin free if one of the vampires got out of hand. I thought that was sweet, that degree of protection for a loved one. Xavier watched intently, he held both anticipation and caution in his expression as he waited his turn. Devin's grip tightened on John as he cried out and began to spasm, John’s moans grew louder as his body began to tremble. After a short while, he pulled away, but continued to hold Devin against his chest as he licked the spilt blood from Devin's neck. Devin leaned against his chest, breathing slowly, deeply, his body still trembling every few seconds. “Is he going to be okay?” I asked, concerned. “He'll be fine,” Sergio groaned. “His body just needs to replenish the lost blood.” “Oh.” I murmured, this was truly new to me, continue to live and learn something new every damn day. Devin sat up and began kissing John passionately! “Hey, volunteer feedbag? You've got one more bloodsucker to pump up, get on with it! I don't want to have to see this shit all night!” Sergio reminded Devin who was seconds away from an all out make-out session. I must say, I did want to see it, but then again I didn't...does that make sense? Devin pulled away from John's mouth reluctantly and rose from his lap. John was fully erect and I yelped when I saw him pop up like a jack-in-the-box when Devin rose. Everyone looked at me and I felt even more embarrassed. I could hear Xavier chuckle, I looked up at him, my face red. He smiled in his charming fashion. “Don't worry, darling. That is a normal reaction,” he explained. I nodded, but I was still embarrassed. Devin looked drugged, his eyes were glassy as he gazed dreamily at Xavier. Xavier turned from me and looked at Devin, he took Devin by the back of his neck, pulling him closer. Xavier tilted his head sideways and buried his teeth into Devin's neck. Devin gasped again, he gripped Xavier in a tight embrace as Xavier began to feed. The reaction appeared to be more intense than when John had feasted, I wondered why? Devin's body trembled in a seemingly uncontrollable manner. His hands pulling tightly on the tan t-shirt Xavier was wearing. Xavier's eyes were closed, a small crease between his eyebrows. Xavier looked as though he was about to burst with pleasure. Once again, Devin cried out in ecstasy, his body rippled with spasms until Xavier pulled away. Xavier's eyes were glossy, his expressioneuphoric. I wondered what it must feel like for them to feed or to be fed on? Devin sat down in one of the chairs, I watched Xavier 's body shiver slightly, then his eyes, which had seemed to reflect all of the colors in the room, began to become clearer, sharper. He looked down at Devin and smiled. “Thank you,” he said softly, as if it were a kiss. “Anytime.” Devin responded breathlessly as he lounged in the chair. He looked at John and smiled. “I could do something about that.” He said, as he gestured to John's semi-erect penis. I couldn't get over my amazement at the boldness of Devin. John glanced at his groin, then back at Devin. “Another time, I don't think anyone would appreciate us going off to have hot wild sex.” John chuckled. Devin smiled and nodded. John looked down at his nakedness, then looked at Sergio. “Did anyone think to bring some of my clothes when you stuffed me inside the coffin?” I fought the urge to laugh. “No.” I said guiltily, my face straining against the threat of laughter. I could feel the tightness, then I looked at Xavier and the laughter erupted from me. I should be ashamed of myself. I manage to pack enough clothes for myself for a week, but nothing for them. I suppose being an only child, I was used to looking out for number one, it was still not an excuse. John shook his head and looked at Devin, it seemed that he was mentally sizing Devin's form, possibly comparing it to his own. “I think I could fit something of yours...” John said, his voice trailing off as he watched Devin shake his head. “Nope, nothing of mine would fit you. You're going to have to remain as you are!” Devin said triumphantly. John smirked and raised one eyebrow at Devin. “May I please have something to wear?” he asked, he appeared to be slightly agitated. Devin rolled his eyes upward and rose from the chair. He walked over to his suitcase and fished through his clothes. After about two minutes of searching, he pulled out a pair of the tightest looking leather pants I've ever seen with a matching leather vest from the suitcase along with a pair of leather boots. He smiled as he walked over to John and extended the clothes. John looked at the leather ensemble, both eyebrows raised in disbelief. He looked at Devin. “You've searched all that time and all you could find was this S and M biker stud outfit?” he asked, gazing at Devin suspiciously. Devin gave him a wolfish grin. “Take it or leave it, doesn't matter to me, either way...I'll be pleased,” he winked at John. John rolled his eyes but smiled seductively. He reached out the took the clothes. In seconds he was completely dressed, and I was thankful. Don't get me wrong, both he and Xavier have excellent bodies, but I'm not used to men parading around naked...it was a little uncomfortable. Finally, after the two vampires were taken care of, everyone settled themselves comfortably. Xavier sat on the floor next to my chair, Devin sat in the other chair and John sprawled on the floor between Xavier and Devin. Sergio and Elise shared the double length sofa. “So what's the plan?” Xavier asked, breaking the silence. “Well, we're looking for Nikolai Lelikov, I don't know where he lives, does anyone have any idea how we can find out?” I asked. “Why don't you take a nap and see if you get one of your visions...that might help,” John suggested innocently. What am I, a narcoleptic, I have to actually be sleepy to fall asleep. “It doesn't work like that, John. I have to actually be sleepy. Besides, I'm too excited to sleep,” I said. It was true, my mind was racing with thoughts...uncertain thoughts. Xavier frowned. “What about the local vampires or shape shifters in Moscow...has anyone contacted them?” Xavier asked. “I don't think so, why?” I asked. I looked around, Sergio and Elise appeared to be contemplating, Sergio had a frown on his face, I took it as a bad sign.

“It's considered rude, as well as a challenge to enter the territory of a vampire or shape-shifter uninvited. Considering the fact that territory is also hunting grounds for supernaturals. There is a certain etiquette that must be followed.” Xavier said then he looked at Elise. “I can't believe you two did not think of this!” he stated disgustedly. “Keep your accusations to yourself, I contacted the local wolf pack that resides in Moscow, but I decided to leave vampire matters to you. Besides, you are a vampire, that's your domain.” Elise said smugly. “So why don't you get to it.” Sergio added with a sneer. Xavier looked at them, an expression of sheer annoyance on his face. He rose in one smooth movement and walked towards the telephone. “So when we track down this Nikolai Leli-whatever, we beat the shit out of him, right? Make him confess?” John asked, his beautiful ocean blue eyes looking at me for confirmation. “Yeah, but we want to get all parties to confess, that's the only way we're going to save Darian.” I said, I looked at Xavier, I could hear him speaking Russian. I didn't know what he was saying but it did not sound good. He appeared to be frustrated as he spoke to the person on the telephone, then he hung up. He walked towards us and stood in the middle of the plane, his hands on his waist. “So, what are you going to do?” John asked as he gazed up at Xavier. Xavier's expression was causing me to become a little apprehensive. “What happened?” I asked. “Their Master wants a formal meeting,” Xavier said grimly as he looked at John. They seemed to have an understanding and I wanted to be filled in. “What does that mean?” I asked. I looked around, Devin shrugged and John looked displeased. I looked back at Xavier. “What does that mean!?” I repeated. “It means we're going to have to waste time with the local vampire master...he wants us to pay him Homage. Xavier sat down on the armrest of my chair, one leg crossed over the other. I was still lost and from the look of it, so was Sergio and Devin, though, Elise seemed to know what he was speaking of. “I'm not paying him Homage ,” E lise stated coolly. “That's the problem with you vampires, so damn dramatic, so over-demanding, not to mention self-indulgent!” Xavier raised his eyebrows and looked at her. “Us vampires? Come now, you, yourself are just as self-indulgent as the next person and probably twice as demanding!” Xavier retorted. Sergio laughed outright, Elise glared at him. He looked at her. “Well, he was right,” he shrugged. I had to admit, I enjoyed watching Xavier put Elise in her place. Xavier seemed confident as ever when he spoke to Elise. He held a certain level of patience, very little seemed to bother him. “Whatever! Just don't look to me to pay Homage.'“ She said, then she crossed her arms over her chest, turning to look at the huge television. “So, what do we have to do to pay Homage!” I asked, attempting to get all of the details. “Don't worry, I have arranged it so that only I will pay Homage. What that means is, he may want to feed from me,” Xavier said. “To allow a master vampire to feed from you, is a sign of respect as well as acknowledgment that they are your superiors. Only the really old-or overly cocky demand Homage.” Sergio snorted. “Does Darian demand 'Homage'?” he asked mockingly. Xavier looked at him, he took a deep breath, then released it slowly. Dealing with Sergio and Elise was bringing out emotions I've never seen in Xavier...he looked to be even more human than ever before. “Sometimes, if he feels there is the need for it,” Xavier answered. “Yeah, Darian doesn't do anything without a reason,” John declared proudly. Sergio smirked and settled more comfortably on the sofa. “I hope this master vampire doesn't want to sleep with you.” John spoke his thoughts out loud. “Sleep with you?” I looked at Xavier, who frowned. “Something tells me, you don't mean pajama party sleep-over?” I asked not really wanting to hear the answer, but wanting to know the truth. Xavier smiled as he shook his head. “No, he may want sex, but I will try my best to avoid it,” he said. “Can't you just tell him 'no'!?” I asked, I was becoming frustrated, all of these damn rules and shit was getting on my nerves. “Doesn't work that way, it is within his or her right as master to ask for Homage in any manner they may see fit. To refuse would lead to a Challenge of Authority. ” He looked at me sternly. “And that is never good news,” he said. I was beginning to understand what he must do. I did not like it, I did not want Xavier to have to have sex with some asshole vampire. However, I knew he would if it would mean helping Darian. I nodded and we changed the subject to discuss a plan of action for when we find our targets. “So we have about three more hours before we land in Moscow, Natasha, why don't you get some sleep. You must be exhausted by now.” He said, then he climbed into the chair settling behind me, pulling me closer to him. His warm body felt nice and I snuggled closer to him as he wrapped his arms around me. It wasn't too long before sleep did catch up to me. I dreamed and between the dreams, I saw the visions. I focused on my target and found him. He was at home now, he and the blonde woman who was on the plane with him were having sex, most violently. He had a silk scarf wrapped around her neck and was choking her slowly as he pounded himself deeply into her. It seemed to increase her pleasure each time he pulled harder on the ends of the silk scarf. She clawed at his back, drawing blood until they both exploded in ecstasy. He collapsed on top of her, panting and trembling. Finally, he rolled over reaching for his cigarettes, lit one, then offered one to her. She pulled the long white cigarette from the pack and he lit it. They laid on the bed in a cloud of grey

smoke as they basked in the afterglow of their wild lovemaking. She turned to him, exhaling a thick grey cloud of smoke through her lips and nostrils. “Don't forget, you have to meet with Dmitri tomorrow.” She inhaled the cigarette again, blowing thick clouds of smoke from her lungs. She made certain to remind him of the location as well. “Ya, I know, Lidiya. You've only reminded me a hundred times already!” he said annoyed. “Well, maybe if you weren't such a fuck up, a constant reminder would not be in order.” Lidiya said arrogantly, then she climbed out of the bed. The light from the table lamp reflecting over her smooth naked body causing her skin to glow. I watched her walk away through his eyes and knew he both hated her and lusted for her. He rose out of the bed, stretching and looked out of the window, the city streets were busy and the night was chilly. There was an Italian restaurant across the street, but it wasn't the same restaurant where he was to meet Dmitri. Nikolai turned and climbed back into the bed, the female came out of the bathroom and began to dress, he watched her intently. “He would kill you if he ever found out about us...or about you and Anthony,” he said in Russian. She smiled. “Well, it's a good thing he will never find out...right, Nikolai?” Lidiya asked as she looked at him coldly. Nikolai nodded slowly. “Right,” he said then he watched her walk out of the apartment. I slowly began to hear someone calling my name and the vision became clouded as I was pulled away. I opened my eyes and blinked at Xavier as he leaned over me. “We're here, time to get up,” he said, smiling widely at me. “You snore,” he chuckled. I blushed. “Shut up, people tired!” I said playfully. Sergio and John were already loading the luggage into the cabs. “What about the coffins?” I asked as I looked at their damaged remains. Xavier turned to looked at them and laughed. “I don't think we'll be using those...although, now I wish I hadn't damaged mine so completely, they could have came in handy,” he said thoughtfully. I shook my head. “That's what you get for going mad.” I joked. Xavier looked at me and smiled, he put his arm around my shoulder and escorted me off of the plane. Sergio, Devin and Elise took one cab. Xavier, John and myself took the other. Inside the cab, I told them about my vision. I spoke about Nikolai's and Lidiya's lovemaking and the meeting Nikolai was to have tomorrow, and I almost forgot to mention the most important detail about the vision. “Oh, Xavier, I almost forgot...Lidiya mentioned the address.” I gave him the address of the restaurant. “Excellent! That helps us cut down on time significantly,” Xavier smiled. “Oh, do you remember the name of the Italian restaurant that you saw?” “Yeah,” I told him the name. He asked for my cell phone. I gave it to him. Once he completed his phone call, he looked at John and me. “I called information for the address of that restaurant. Now it will be extremely easy to locate Nikolai since it's near his home.” “Can we go there now?” I asked anxiously. “Not yet, first we have to see the vampire master, to not go would show disrespect. Thus giving us more trouble than we need,” he said as he told the cab driver the address to the master's home. Elise's cab followed ours and after thirty minutes of beautiful scenery we pulled in front of a huge castle-style mansion at least three stories tall! This was all very exciting to me. I have never been out of the state of Illinois...and going to Indiana for gas was hardly my idea of traveling. Now here I am, in Russia on a whim...this was very thrilling! Xavier climbed out of the cab, I began to follow but he stopped me. “You don't need to go in, I shouldn't be long.” He said as he stood in front of the open cab door. “I want to go, I'm not letting you go in there alone, you can forget that!” I said stubbornly. “I don't want you to go, do you understand me?” it was more of a demand, than a question. I looked at John, he shrugged his shoulders as if to say “that's between you and him”. I turned to face Xavier again. “Why not?” I searched his face for any telltale expressions that would give me some insight. His face darkened a bit, then he looked solemn. “Please, just stay here...” His voice trailed off as he stepped away from the cab closing the car door before turning to walk towards the mansion. As I watched him walk away, I began to fear that this would be the last time I would see Xavier. I panicked and began to climb out of the cab, when John grabbed me. “Let me go, John!” I yelled, his gripped held me in place like a vice, I struggled in his arms but he held me steady. His levelheaded manner forced me to calm myself down, and I looked at him. “Why won't you let me go?” I asked, my eyes began to water.

He looked at me dismally. “Because, he may have to do something he doesn't want to do, nor would he want you to see it. You have to understand Natasha, vampires are like no other creature. We are like human beings, only we are not bound by high-standard mortal moralities...do you understand what I'm trying to say?” he asked me, I shook my head. He took a deep breath, then went on to explain. “Vampires, for the most part, are decadent beings. Powerful, immortal...some-insatiable. Many vampires consider themselves to be the superior beings. That is why vampire politics or etiquette is so over-indulgent or bizarre, or both. It's all about exerting one’s will over the other, one's power over the other.” “Do you think this master vampire would make Xavier have sex with him?” I questioned softly. “I think it is a possibility. He wanted Xavier to pay him Homage, if we all went in there, he would have more to use against Xavier. He may want games, entertainment at our expense,” he said as he looked into my eyes. The cab driver seemed to be listening to the conversation. He had appeared to be a little nervous at first, because of my little outburst. But now, it would seem that he was intrigued by what John was saying. “We'll wait for Xavier here-” “What if he tries to kill Xavier!?” I interjected fearfully. “I don't think he is older than Darian, if he were to hurt Xavier, it would bring on a war. A war he would lose. It is within his right to ask for Homage, but to outright maim or kill a member of another vampire's coven is not a bright idea. Don't worry, Natasha... everything will be alright.” John said as he put his arm around my shoulder attempting to calm me. I tried to remain calm, but my mind was tormented by the images of Xavier being tortured or some other heinous act. To distract my rampant thoughts and ease my mind, John asked me questions about myself in general. I played along by answering his questions, but it didn't ease my mind. An hour passed before Xavier stepped out of the doorway. He looked a bit pale and his expression was like stone as he walked towards our cab. He opened the door, climbing inside. “Are you okay!?” I asked, concerned. I pressed my fingertips to his skin and was shocked by the coolness of his flesh. “You're so cold!” “He drained me...I'll be fine,” he said softly. I was angry, I did not like seeing people being taken advantage of. And that is all this “Homage” crap was! Just another way to take advantage of someone weaker than you...I didn't like it! “That asshole!” I growled. I put my arms around Xavier, it did not matter that he was cool to the touch, only that he was here with me and safe. Xavier wrapped me in his embrace and nodded at John, who gave the cab driver the address to The Restaurant by Nikolai's home. We arrived there forty minutes later, it was three o'clock in the morning. We informed the cab drivers to leave the meters running and to wait for us, then we entered the apartment building. I was pleased to be able to recognize the Italian restaurant that I saw in my vision. The only thing was...I didn't know the apartment number. However, that didn't seem to pose a problem. Elise and Sergio easily sniffed out his scent and we found ourselves on the seventh floor. We stood quietly in front of apartment 715, Sergio and Devin flanking one side. Xavier, John and myself on the other. Elise leaned against the opposite wall watching us. “Should we just break on in?” I asked as I looked at Sergio then Xavier. “Yeah, why not,” Xavier chuckled. Sergio smiled. “Finally, some excitement!” he said as he turned the doorknob forcefully. I could hear the metal lock break and the door opened. We walked into the apartment and looked around. The place was pretty ritzy. He had a contemporary decor throughout the apartment of black leather and marble furniture, marble tiled floors, high ceilings and carved window frames. It was a very nice apartment, you could tell he had enough money to maintain it. Sergio sniffed the air, his nostrils flaring slightly, then he walked off towards a closed door. He opened the door without making a sound and we all peered inside. Nikolai was asleep under the covers of his huge king size bed. He had no idea that we were in his apartment. Xavier and John stood over his bed, Devin stood at the foot of the bed, he reached over and wiggled the big toe on Nikolai's right foot. The man on the bed stirred, he slowly began to open his eyes. I could see the very moment when his vision cleared and he realized he was in danger. He reached for his gun under the pillow, but Xavier caught the weapon, snatching it from his hand. John straddled the man and held his shoulders down on the bed. The man began to speak rapidly in Russian, I could not understand what he was saying. I now knew that Xavier understood and I was certain Elise as well. Xavier looked at the confusion in my expression and he began to translate. “He is saying that we are in a 'hell of a lot of trouble.' He says if anything happens to him, 'we will all die.'” Xavier said dryly as he looked down at the man, then he began to speak Russian to Nikolai. I wished I understood the language, but I only understood through my vision and that was only because I see visions through the eyes of the person I made a connection with. Being here at this moment was sort of frustrating. I watched the man's facial expressions change from arrogant to frightened, he began to shake his head rapidly and thrash on the bed. “What did you say to him?” I asked and Xavier raised his beautiful grey-eyed gaze to me. “I told him that we know he was one of the guilty members responsible for killing Annette and framing Darian. I told him, if he didn't confess, I

would kill him slowly and painfully.” Xavier said, his voice so monotone that it sent a chill down my spine. I have never seen Xavier so callous before, could this be his “dangerous” side? The man on the bed said something else in Russian and John struck him hard on the face, causing the skin on his bottom lip to split and bleed. “Why did you do that, what did he say!?” I asked in a jittery tone. “He told us to go to hell and basically 'fuck Darian'. I don't understand a lot of Russian, but I understood that!” John said angrily. Xavier looked back at Nikolai and said something else to him. Nikolai grimaced then he spat at Xavier. A tiny glob of blood and saliva splattered Xavier's shirt. “Hey, that's my shirt asshole!” Sergio declared. Nikolai threw Sergio a look, but remained silent. No doubt, it was disgusting, but Xavier didn't budge, not even an inch. Xavier gestured for John to release Nikolai, he did. John climbed off the bed and walked out of the room. “Let's go.” Xavier said and he took my hand, leading me out of the bedroom. Sergio and Devin followed, we walked out of his apartment. Elise climbed into the cab followed by Devin and Sergio. Their cab pulled up next to ours. Elise rolled down her window as John rolled down ours. “I have made arrangements for hotel accommodations. Just follow us,” she said. Then she rolled up her window. Our cab followed theirs for twenty minutes until we arrived at a huge twenty-five story grand hotel. I should have guessed Elise wouldn't pick a more down-to-earth room and board. We climbed out of the cabs and checked ourselves in. Elise had “arranged” for a penthouse suite. I thought the main room was glorious, it had a beautiful interior as well as an equally beautiful view of Russia's lovely landmarks. The furniture was extremely comfortable and luxurious. Everything looked so very elegant, even the floral patterns on the wallpaper looked delicately drawn or painted. “There are two bedrooms,” Elise stated, then she pointed to a closed door. “This one is ours.” She walked into the room. Devin sprawled on the bed followed by Sergio and Elise. Sergio had tossed the luggage in the corner of the room. I walked into the room...being nosey, I wanted to see what their room looked like. Xavier leaned against the door frame, John stepped into the room and leaned against the wall. “This is a beautiful room.” I said as I looked at the huge king size bed covered with a thick black comforter and probably satin sheets underneath. There were two upholstered chairs, a desk and a mini bar. “Thank you,” Elise responded. After my short inspection of the room, I decided to get right down to business. “Why did we leave him there?” I asked Xavier, breaking the silence. “Because, he can lead us to the truth, I read his mind, they did it for a reason. He doesn't know what the reason is, but they were looking for Darian's list of the politicians that he has in his pocket, so to speak.” Xavier said as he leaned on the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest. “Why would they want a list of politicians? And why would Darian have politicians in his pocket?” I asked perplexed. Xavier cocked his head slightly, he looked at me, an amused expression on his face. “You really are naive at times.” he said, and I frowned. “I don't mean it as an insult, quite the opposite. In many ways, you are an innocent. Darian has politicians on his payroll some owe him favors,” he uncrossed his arms and began to walk towards me. He stood before me, smiling as he gazed lovingly into my eyes. “I love that about you, it's precious, don't ever lose it.” he whispered passionately. I began to blush, I leaned forward and kissed him softly on his mouth. I enjoyed the soft flesh of his lips as we kissed. Devin chuckled and Xavier turned to look at him, he smiled. “Getting a good eye-full over there!?” Xavier asked playfully. “Not nearly as good as when we were on the plane,” Devin shot back. Xavier snorted then grinned. “Well, I guess we'll be in the next room,” John stated. “Too bad,” Devin flirted. John tossed him a wicked grin, and I decided to mind my own business. Xavier, John and I left Elise's room and began to settle into our own. Xavier closed the thick heavy black and burgundy velvet drapes, double checking to make sure there were no openings between them. When he was done with that task, he walked back towards me. “Natasha, why don't you sleep with Elise and the others. I think it would be best.” I started to protest, I didn't really know Elise and the others all that well. But then the thought of sleeping in a room with two deathlike vampires convinced me to agree with him. “Ok, I will.” I said. Xavier kissed me once more then he walked towards the bed. John had already claimed a spot and was now scooting over to give Xavier room. I looked at the two vampires laying side by side on the bed. Then I left and headed into Elise's room and looked at the cat people cuddled

on the bed like kittens. I could not help it, I felt a bit left out, but I did not want to cuddle with either and I did not want to be alone. So I grabbed an extra blanket from the closet, dragged the two chairs together, stretched out on my makeshift bed and closed my eyes. *** Nikolai was at a restaurant, he was waiting for a man to join him so that he could receive pay for his services. I looked up and saw through Nikolai's eyes, a tall man in a light grey shirt and pants suit approaching, his hair was in a long blonde ponytail and he wore a pair of sunglasses. He removed his sunglasses revealing aqua blue eyes as he sat down in the seat in front of Nikolai. The man that Nikolai recognized as Dmitri sat the briefcase he was carrying on the floor beside him, then he pushed it over slowly towards Nikolai. A waiter came over to the table and asked to take our order. Dmitri's eyes never left Nikolai's as he ordered a coffee. “You look like shit, Nikolai...I suppose your exertions with the boss's woman were no doubt exhausting.” The man said in Russian. Nikolai was shocked, but he refused to let it show on his face. “Is this all of the money, Dmitri?” Nikolai asked the man, purposely avoiding Dmitri's comment. Dmitri nodded his head slowly. He reached inside his coat and Nikolai panicked. I could feel Nikolai's hand cock the pistol he held under the table, the barrel aimed at Dmitri. The other man stopped reaching inside his pocket when he heard the clicking sound of metal. “Easy Nikolai, easy. I'm only reaching for my cigarettes.” Dmitri said. “May I,” he asked as he revealed the inside of his coat to show Nikolai the box of cigarettes in his pocket. I could feel Nikolai relax as he nodded. I watched Dmitri remove the box of cigarettes, he pulled one out and lit it. After a few puffs, he began to speak. “Who were the visitors you had last night, Nikolai?” Dmitri asked coolly, his eyes bore into Nikolai's, it made me nervous, it made Nikolai nervous. “Just some friends from out of town.” Nikolai lied, he fought to keep his voice calm and smooth. Dmitri's eyes narrowed slightly as he drew another deep puff on the cigarette. “Don't lie to me, Nikolai, don't lie to us. Do you have something on the side? The boss would hate for you to be working on an outside project,” Dmitri warned. “I don't have anything on the side, Dmitri! Besides how do you know about them, are you watching me!?” Nikolai asked, concealing his mounting fear with anger. Dmitri chuckled softly. “Of course we are. The boss knows you're sleeping with Lidiya, and he doesn't like it, he wants you to stop.” Dmitri finished his cigarette, then ground the remains into the glass ashtray. The moment had grown tense and Nikolai's hands began to sweat and shake. “Sure...fine. I could do that. Tell the boss I meant no disrespect.” Nikolai said, his voice slightly shaky. I began to hear the soft distinctive sound of a telephone ringing, it drew me out of my sleep. I awoke and groggily realized that my cell phone was ringing.

Chapter Six Day Four The room was dim and my eyes didn't have time to adjust as I fumbled towards the table where I had set my cellular the night before to charge the battery. Immediately, I snatched up my cell phone and clicked it on to rid my ears of the annoying ringer. I made a mental note, switch ringers for crying out loud! “Hello?” I greeted in a hoarse voice. At the same time, I looked up to see Sergio, Devin and Elise watching me from across the room. They gazed at me for a few seconds then went back to their comfortable positions. “Natasha, this is Warren, how is everything going?” he asked “Oh, great things couldn't be better!” I said sarcastically. “Let me tell you what's been going on thus far.” I filled Warren in on the past twentyfour hours. He listened quietly on the telephone as I reiterated all of the details. “Do you want me to tell Darian that they found his politician list?” Warren asked. I then realized that he was offering himself as the middle man, the link between us and Darian, and I was extremely grateful to him for that. “Yes, Warren. I would really appreciate that.” “Okay. Give me the number to your hotel room just in case. I'll continue to call your cell phone when I want to get in contact with you.” Warren said. I could hear him ruffling through papers, I supposed he was looking for something to write on. “Okay, I'm ready, give it to me.” I told him our hotel information. “Great.” “Warren, how is Darian?” “He's doing fine, he's been drinking the synthetic blood...as you instructed,” Warren chuckled. Then he grew silent, I could tell that he had something on his mind. “I really hope you guys can get to the bottom of this. I'd really hate to see what kind of damage Darian can do in desperation.” I could tell he was dreading that possible outcome as much as I was. “We're doing the best we possibly can. Make sure you tell Darian the news and keep in touch.” “Will do.” Warren said, and then he hung up the telephone. I clicked off my cell phone and looked at everyone asleep in the room, it was dim because of the closed curtains. Thankfully, my eyes had adjusted to the dimness while I was speaking with Warren and I could see everyone clearly. I wondered what time it was, I turned my cell phone back on. I looked at the clock on the blue lighted display. It was 8:42am, I had no idea what time Nikolai was going to meet with Dmitri, but I remembered seeing the sun shining brightly through the windows of the restaurant. So I figured, now would be a good time to scope out the restaurant and wait for Nikolai to arrive so that we could gather more information from him and this Dmitri person. I turned on the table lamp and made my way closer to the bed were the others lay. Elise and Sergio awoke, their eyes alert and staring back at me. “I had another vision, I know who Nikolai has to meet today but I don't know what time. It's early, I think we should scope out the restaurant, you know, see what we can gather.” I suggested. I stood over the bed searching their expressions for confirmation. Elise slowly sat up on the bed, she ran her long, delicate, slender fingers through her waist length brown hair. She gazed at the furniture across the room...at least I think that is what she might have been looking atanything but me. Sergio climbed over Devin's prone body, stepping out of the bed. He stretched his tall muscular form, every muscle in his body moving in a unified motion beneath his cafe au lait toned skin...I must say, I enjoyed the view. I looked at Elise, her gaze had shifted towards Sergio and I could tell that she too, enjoyed the view. Devin began to stir on the sheets, he lifted his head up lazily and looked first at Sergio and then Elise and me. “What's up?” he asked as he wiped his eyes with the back of his fingers, then he focused on me. “What time is it?” he asked, his eyebrows creased as he scanned over the room. I checked my cell phone again, better to give them the most current time. “8:56 am, we really need to get a move on. I don't know what time they will meet.” I said urgently as I walked into the bathroom. It was as beautiful as the rest of the huge penthouse. The deep white porcelain tub was big enough for two or three people! The frosted glass shower was built for two and the double marble sink with matching toilet and bidet was grand. I adored the peach and white marble floor, though, it was a bit cold. I took a quick shower and brushed my teeth all at the same time so that not one moment would be wasted. I opened the bathroom door and looked at Sergio, Elise and Devin sitting on the bed. Devin was leaning against Sergio as if he was his big brother. I don't know, maybe he is in a way. I thought it was wonderful to see that degree of closeness and loyalty. Loyalty is always important. It was high on my list of moral values and above all, respect and tenderness. I especially look for those qualities in the men that I'm interested in. My last boyfriend was the “great pretender”. He played the role of the loving and tender boyfriend, it was only an illusion. He broke my heart. However, his leaving me was one of the best things that could have happened. It took me a few months to get over my depression due to our breakup and other

hardships. With Annette's help, I had begun to become myself again...only I was stronger than the old me. I knew what I wanted out of this life and what I would want from my lover. Respect, tenderness and patience. I learned in my short time that a lot of men can only play a role for so long and then they began to reveal their true selves...which turns out to be mostly disappointing. Xavier, Warren and Darian were different. I know I haven't known them long, but it's something about their personalities tells me that they are true to themselves and others. When I look at any one of them, I feel as though I'm looking at an open book. I don't know, maybe my frame-of-mind is scrambled by all the events of the past seventy hours. I do know this...I have been extremely happy with them in my life, thus far. Leaving the bathroom, I walked to my suitcase, I hoped Elise would have her own bathrobe, I forgot mine and I borrowed the complimentary bathrobe that was hanging in the bathroom. Elise entered the bathroom only to immediately reemerge, her eyes glaring hard at me. “I cann ot believe you took the bathrobe!” she said, in a heated tone. “Well, I needed to cover myself!” I said defensively. “That's what a towel is for! I think, being the person who paid for this room, I should get the robe, don't you!?” she asked in a snappy manner. I really did not like her, every time I think she is beginning to grow on me, she turns around and makes herself less likable. “I'm sorry, I just reached for the robe, but if you're going to act like a complete bitch about it, you can have it back!” she was beginning to piss me off. I walked towards her, my hands going for the belt on the robe to untie it. “Keep the robe, she has her own.” Sergio said as he climbed off of the bed. Both Elise and I looked at him, I was really beginning to like Sergio. “Is this how you think it will be, Sergio?” she asked, her hands on her hips as she glared at him. “How what will be?” he asked, a frown on his face, his eyebrows creased, he was plainly agitated. “You telling me what to do, how I should behave, simply because I chose you as my king. Remember, I still rule the Pride, I have the ultimate power, all decisions are mine!” she said heatedly, a finger pointed at her chest. “How can I possibly let that little detail slip my mind?! You remind me every fucking chance you get!” he walked closer to her and I stepped to the side. “You know what, Elise. I have done nothing but love you. I have wanted to be your mate, but you refused me and for what!” he looked into her eyes. “What the fuck are you afraid of? Why do you push me away for a man who doesn't want you!? Darian doesn't want you! You're risking your fucking life for a man who doesn't want you! Are you even fit to control the Pride?!” Her mouth dropped open, her eyes widened. I hated being in the room. I looked at Devin noting that he remained silent on the bed, his eyes watching Elise and Sergio intently. I began to remove some clothes from my suitcase as I inconspicuously monitored their heated argument. Yeah, so I was being nosey, sue me. “I can tell that you want me, yet you deny us...why?” he asked in a softer tone, he took one step closer to her. “What is it about me that makes you refuse?” he whispered softly, it was almost as if his feelings were hurt and I wondered just how long he had desired Elise, how deep was his longing for her total companionship? “I do not want to discuss this Sergio, we don't have the time.” She said, flat out ending any further discussion on the matter. Then she looked around the room. “Besides, we are not alone.” She turned away from him, heading into the bathroom, closing the door behind herself. I felt sorry for Sergio. In my personal opinion, I think he is too good for her. But, maybe he knows the real Elise and I'm just seeing the jealous, bitchy outer shell that she may be using as a defense mechanism. All women have it, you have to, it is the only way you would survive. Sergio walked away from the bathroom door, he sat back on the bed, his eyes trailed over to me. “She's just jealous of you,” he looked back towards the bathroom door. “I ought to be able to recognize the signs,” he said offhandedly. Devin climbed out of the bed and stretched his limbs again. He was not nearly as tall as Sergio and a damn sight smaller in muscle mass. His body reminded me of a gymnast; muscular, slender yet powerful. Devin was wearing black pajama bottoms, his chest was bare and I'm not at all ashamed to say that I peeked at his suck-able, dark nipples. Indeed, both Sergio and Devin were beautiful eye candy. “Well, I'm going to use the other bathroom, this one has a few too many issues,” Devin stated with a devilish grin. He walked towards the door, then turn to me. “John is gorgeous and I can tell that he wants me. I like the way he looks at me,” Devin smiled. “Do you know if he's with anyone?” he asked. I was shocked, I don't get too many men asking me about potential “hook ups”, I also did not know the answer. “Oh lord, not you too!” Sergio exclaimed from across the room. He laid down on the bed, his hands resting on his stomach, eyes staring at the ceiling. “Am I the only one here...that's not fucking a corpse or at the very least not lusting after one?” he asked, raising his head slightly to look at both Devin and me. “Well, at least my object of affection is willing.” Devin said offhandedly, then he paused and frowned. He looked at Sergio's expression, we all knew he had struck a cord in Sergio. “I'm sorry, I did not mean that.” He walked back towards the bed, Sergio eyes were still locked on him. “No, you were right...perhaps I have been the fool,” Sergio said sadly. He laid his head back, looking at the ceiling again. Devin's expression was sad, I could tell that he loved and respected both Elise and Sergio. It must be painful for him to see them in such turmoil. “Still, I had no right to say that,” Devin protested.

Sergio chuckled deeply in his throat. “You had all the right, it was your opinion.” Sergio looked back at Devin and smiled. “If you want to pursue him, I'll keep my opinions to myself, but I will say this...I don't agree.” Devin chuckled. “That's good enough for me,” he said gleefully, then he gracefully walked towards me. “You did not answer my question earlier,” he reminded me. I had forgot about the question, then I remembered. “Oh, I don't know...I don't think so, but I really don't know. It's best that you ask him yourself.” I said, giving Devin my best advice. He smiled at me, nodding, then he left the room. I watched Sergio a little bit longer as he gazed at the ceiling then I left the room, walking into the other bedroom. It was not quite as well adorned as the “master” bedroom, but it was luxurious. There was one king size bed with burgundy satin covers. Thick black and burgundy velvet drapes covered these windows as well. There were two burgundy chairs and a divan in the room and best of all, it had its own private bathroom. I could hear Devin showering and I decided to dress quickly while I still had privacy. I put on a pair of hip hugging blue jeans and a t-shirt that had “Naughty” written on the front, where my breast could punctuate the bright pink lettering. It was one of my favorites, not to mention the enormous amount of attention I received whenever I wore it. Hey, a girl likes to have a little bit of attention every now and then, even if it's just for fun. Fifteen minutes later, Devin exited the bathroom, his dark brown, wavy, short cropped hair was damp, water beaded his body. He had a towel wrapped around his waist. He smiled at me. “Hey Natasha.” “Hey, I just wanted to see the bathroom.” He chuckled. “Be my guest.” He walked towards the bed, stopping short in front of John and Xavier, his eyes focused on John's resting form. He gazed at John with a mixture of lust and interest. I kept to my own business and headed into the bathroom. There was a deep porcelain tub against the wall, big enough for two people and a frosted glass shower that was made for one. I admired the angelic carvings on the porcelain pedestal sink. I looked towards the toilet and was tickled pink that there was a bidet next to it as well. I had never used a bidet and wanted to just once. I hovered over the low porcelain basin and pressed the button. A cool rush of water sprinkled on my nether region, it tickled. I giggled as the water cleansed me. When I felt I had enough, I rose from the bidet and dried myself off. I stepped back into the bedroom and noted the time on the little digital clock on the dark redwood table next to the bed. The time was 9:35! We had wasted forty minutes arguing and playing with bidets! I headed back into the other bedroom, Devin was pulling on a pair of black pants. A moment sooner, I might have been unintentionally “mooned” not that it would have been a bad thing coming from Devin. He was wearing a form fitting white-shirt, which he tucked inside his pants. He fastened his pants and began to put on a pair of black boots. Elise sat by the mirror brushing her hair. I looked at her clothes, she wore a dark green ribbed turtle neck cashmere sweater and black slacks with black leather three inch heeled boots. I sat down on the chair, she turned around and looked at me, her eyes trailing over my body. It made me feel slightly uncomfortable, but I refused to let her know that. The bathroom door opened, Sergio stepped into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his tapered waist. He grabbed the clothes that he had laid out on the bed and walked back into the bathroom. Three minutes later, he reemerged fully dressed in a black t-shirt, jeans and boots. All he needed was a black ski mask and his outfit would have been complete. He looked at me from across the room. “So what are we to do exactly?” he asked. Okay that was my cue, I rose from the chair and reached for my coat as a sign for them to get their own “I had a vision, I saw Nikolai and this other person named Dmitri talking. This Dmitri seemed to know about our visit to Nikolai's apartment as well as the fact that Nikolai is sleeping with the boss's woman. I got a bad feeling from the vision, but I think that if we get there in time, we can take both of them and make them tell us everything we need to know.” I said, feeling a little more useful and important. “What do you think?” I asked as I looked at the three of them. They gave each other questionable glances, then Sergio shrugged. “I'm all for it, let's go,” he said as he reached for his leather bomber jacket. Devin pulled on his blue jean jacket and Elise pulled a long black trench coat over her shoulders. I looked at them and smiled. Elise reminded me of one of those Persian cats that constantly sits around looking pretty. We left the hotel and Devin hailed a cab. The four of us climbed inside and Elise told the cab driver the address. We arrived at the restaurant twenty minutes later. The traffic in the morning was almost as bad here as it was in Chicago. The four of us climbed out of the cab and entered the very restaurant that I saw in my vision. We were seated right away, after a few minutes, a waiter approached our table to take our order. The three shape-shifters faces seemed to light up as they watched the waiter coming towards us. Devin quickly took the advantage, placing his order first. “I'll have the steak and omelette meal along with a side of apple pancakes, waffles, hashbrowns and raisin toast. Thank you.” He said smiling at the waiter. Sergio went next. “I'll take the same thing he's having, only can you add another twenty-ounce steak to the order?” he asked, the waiter nodded as his hands jotted down their orders. “Good, may I also have a pitcher of juice-orange, apple, it doesn't matter and a pitcher of milk.” He completed his order then stacked his menu on top of Devin's. Elise closed her menu and looked at the waiter. “I'll have the two pork chops with a western omelette, hashbrowns and strawberry crepes. Thank you,” she said modestly. Now it was my turn, I looked at the waiter and he looked at me as if we were in a face off...Then again, that might just be my take on things. I closed my menu and ordered my meal. “May I please have a western omelette with hasbrowns and strawberry pancakes. Thank you.” I said then I handed all four of our menus back to the waiter who took them pleasantly, then retreated towards the kitchen. We took this time to look around the restaurant, it was relatively empty,

only a few people were eating breakfast. “So what do we do if we see these two people?” Devin asked. I looked at him, he looked to be so young. His beautiful hazel eyes peered into mine, waiting for my answer. “We escort them to their car and make them tell us what they know. Why they wanted Darian's politician list in the first place. They must be cooking up something pretty big to risk the wrath of a master vampire,” I said. Sergio nodded. “If these guys are the mafia, then there's no telling what the fuck is going on!?” he said disdainfully as he tapped his nails on the table top. “That makes perfect sense to me. I hope our meals will not take much longer, I'm absolutely famished!” Elise stated as she peered in the direction of the kitchen, as if she could will the food from the kitchen to the table. I suppose they would be hungry, the last time they had eaten was on the plane. I wondered if the cat people ate as fast as the wolf breed? After a twenty-five minute wait, our waiter returned with our food. He placed plate after plate on the table in front of us. Sergio and Devin began to tear into their food even before the waiter had finished placing all of the dishes. Elise cut into her honey glazed pork chops, slowly carving the meat into bite size portions. I began to eat my breakfast, it was delicious. The funny thing was, I had no idea how hungry I truly was until I started eating. I was grateful that this was a restaurant that served American cuisine. I was able to order something I was used to, not that I'm at all opposed to trying new and exciting things. Sergio and Devin were finishing up their meal even before Elise and I were halfway through with our own. Elise came in third place, but something told me, she could eat just as fast as the other two, but I suppose that wasn't her style. I couldn't finish my breakfast and had put down my fork. I settled into my scat and looked at the others, noticing that Devin and Sergio were looking at my plate. Sergio caught me looking at him and quickly averted his gaze. Devin, however, continued to stare. “If you're not going to finish that, can I have it?” Devin asked. He gave me a boyish grin. “I hate to see food go to waste,” he added. Sure you do, I thought, then I nodded and without another second wasted, his hand darted out several times to scooped up the remaining portions of my breakfast. We sat in the restaurant talking. We discussed our favorite television shows, music and movies, anything to kill time while we waited. It turned out that Elise and I enjoyed a lot of the same things, go figure. About 12:28 in the afternoon, I looked up to see Nikolai entering the restaurant. The hostess greeted him at the door and escorted him to his seat. He sat down and opened the menu, I was grateful that he did not notice us. His eyes scanned over the menu then darted towards the entrance. Five minutes later, Dmitri walked through the door, he walked over to Nikolai's table. Dmitri was about six-foot-four, with long blonde hair pulled into a ponytail and a pair of dark sunglasses covered what I knew to be his aqua blue eyes. He was dressed in a light grey button shirt and slacks, his long dark grey trench coat came down to his calves. Dmitri carried with him a black leather briefcase which he placed on the floor beside the booth. He removed his sunglasses as he sat down in the chair across from Nikolai. He pushed the briefcase over to Nikolai with his foot and gestured for the waiter to come to their table. “That's the man I saw in my vision, the one that knew about our visit!” I whispered to the others as they glanced unnoticeably at Nikolai and Dmitri. “What are they talking about?” I asked. Sergio turned to look at me, he shrugged. “My Russian is shitty, I'm only getting incoherent babble.” He confessed, then he looked at Devin and chuckled. He pointed at Devin. “He's probably hearing, 'whaa whaa whaa, babble babble'.” Devin tossed him a sarcastic expression then rolled his eyes in a playful manner. “Yeah, so we're both useless, Elise knows,” Devin said. We all looked towards Elise. She sat in her seat silently, her eyes focusing on the table cloth as if in deep thought. She must have known we were looking at her because she looked up questioningly. “Translate.” Sergio said as he smiled charmingly at her. She looked at him, her lips slightly parted as if she were going to say something, but thought against it. She took a deep breath and began to translate. “He just ordered a cup of coffee and he is telling Nikolai that he knows about his affair with the boss's girlfriend.” Elise said as she continued to listen to their conversation. We sat at the table silently waiting for Elise to continue. “Nikolai has a gun under the table, now the other is asking him about us,” she said softly. “They believe we are associates of Nikolai's. He's telling Nikolai that their boss wants him to stop sleeping with Lidiya.” Elise shook her head. “What an idiot to sleep with a Russian mafia boss's girlfriend.” She said, her French accent lacing all of her words, making them sound elegant. “Now Nikolai tells him he meant no disrespect and Dmitri said 'of course not' not truly believing Nikolai. Dmitri still wants to know who we are.” Elise's eyebrows were creased as she listened intently. “He is telling him that we are friends of his from out of town. Dmitri thinks he's lying and wants to make sure he did not tell us anything, Nikolai said he did not, Dmitri seems satisfied.” Elise said then she took a sip of her juice. I continued to watch their table the entire time as Elise translated, I could see the fear in Nikolai's eyes as he stared at the coldness of Dmitri's gaze. Nikolai set the briefcase on the table and opened it, a smile spreading across his face as he nodded approvingly. He then closed the briefcase. Dmitri finished his coffee and rising from his seat, said something else to Nikolai as he prepared to leave. I didn't want him to get away, I looked towards Sergio, who seemed to know my intentions and he rose from his chair followed by Devin and then myself. Before we could get close to them, Elise called out to us, we turned to look at her. A second later, I heard an eruption of screams, people became hysterical, pushing past us and each other as they rushed towards the exit. Sergio leaped high into the air over four tables and landed in front of Dmitri, grabbing hold of his coat. Dmitri swung the leather briefcase, attempting to hit Sergio in the face, but Devin snatched the case from his hands. I looked back towards Nikolai and found him slumped over the table. Blood began to seep from the bullet wound in his head, forming a puddle. I never heard a gunshot, Dmitri must have used a silencer and of course someone saw the assassination and started this chaos. Dmitri struggled in Sergio's vice-like grip. He pulled his gun from his inside pocket but Elise caught his hand and began to crush the bones. I could hear the crunching sound of his bones breaking! Dmitri cried out from what must have been agonizing pain and dropped his gun, which convinced Elise to ease up on his injured hand. Elise began to speak to him softly in Russian, he shook his head stubbornly, proving that he was not going to be a team player. Sergio grabbed his chin in a powerful grip, forcing his eyes to meet Elise's. Devin stood beside them, still holding the briefcase. Elise spoke to the man

again and this time when he tried to refuse, Sergio's grip tightened as if he were trying to crush the man's jaw. Dmitri cried out and began to speak rapidly in Russian to Elise. I supposed he was telling her he'd cooperate. She spoke again to him, this time, it appeared he was answering whatever questions she was asking. I began to hear police sirens approaching, I looked towards the door and saw another man dressed in all black, wearing a matching face mask. He entered through the door holding an automatic machine gun. I dropped to the floor and yelled for the others to do the same. Instantly they were on the floor as the gunman sprayed the restaurant with bullets. Dmitri was shot through and through, blood splattered the floor around him as his lifeless body danced erratically as the bullets entered him. The sight of Dmitri being slaughtered scared the shit out of me, I was too scared to move! I didn't want to get shot trying to flee. The man aimed the gun towards the floor, trying to kill us as well. Sergio positioned himself in front of the rest of us as we began crawling towards the kitchen. I cut my hand on a shard of glass from a broken bottle on the floor, but I continued to crawl. Once we made it to the kitchen, Devin and Sergio kneeled inside by the door, waiting for the gunman to come through the double doors. Elise took my uninjured hand and led me towards the back. We moved swiftly across the room until we reached a locked stainless steel door. We turned back to check on Sergio and Devin, the gunman had fired random bullets through the walls of the kitchen. Sergio nodded at Devin and Devin opened the double doors, it was then that we found out there were two gunmen. Sergio leaped towards one of the gunmen, who began to fire several shots into Sergio's chest. Sergio landed in front of him and in a movement almost too fast for me to see, he broke the man's neck then tossed the body to the floor. The other gunman ran out of the door. I watched through the large pane glass window of the restaurant as he climbed into his car and drove away as police patrol cars pulled up. Three patrol cars took off after the fleeing gunman. Sergio's speed was extremely fast as he retreated back towards the kitchen. One minute I was looking at him standing in the shambles of what used to be a beautiful restaurant and the next, he was standing by the hack door. Elise broke the lock, she took my good hand as we all ran through the alleyway away from the restaurant. I couldn't keep up with their speed, so Sergio picked me up and carried me in his arms as he continued to run. The city scenery past me by in a blur as Sergio ran, it was an amazingly smooth journey. I had expected to be drastically bounced around in his grip, but I wasn't. We stopped at an abandoned store, Sergio place me gently on my feet. Devin broke the wood boards off the door opening and we stepped inside. Devin pulled more boards off of the windows to give us some extra light...well it was probably more for my benefit than theirs, I appreciated it. I looked around, the room smelled musty, rank, kind of mildewy and I could hear the distinctive sounds of tiny feet scurrying across the floor and knew I wouldn't remain here for any length of time. If I saw a rat, I was willing to bet I would run faster than my shape-shifting companions. Sergio removed his shirt, his chest was covered with blood, both Elise and Devin looked at the blood. From my vantage point, they appeared to lust after it, much like a vampire, but not quite. I hoped they could control themselves, I really did not want to see a shape-shifter in bloodlust...again. Sergio wiped as much of the blood off of his chest with his shirt as he could. He was perfectly healed, not a scar visible, must be cool to be able to do that. “Are you okay?” I asked. He looked at me and smiled. Then he pointed to my hand, I looked down to see my right hand covered in blood, I almost passed out. I hated the sight of blood, it always gave me goosebumps. I could even feel the goosebumps on my ass and it was twice as bad if the blood was my own. I felt light-headed and weak. Devin walked over to me and attempted to lick my hand, I snatched my hand away, shaking my head. “I'm just trying to help you,” he said innocently. “I know, but Warren said that the shape-shifting gene is in the saliva of a shape-shifter. I don't have anything against you, but I don't want to take any chances...you do understand, don't you?” I asked apologetically. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt anyone's feelings, but I had to look out for number one. “It's okay, I didn't think. That is the main way to transfer the gene. Don't worry, I understand. I was born a shape-shifter, so to lick my wounds in order to heal them faster is a normal instinct for me.” Devin said, he eyed me up and down and smiled. “You're a human, I'm sure you want a bandage instead,” he chuckled. I was relieved that he didn't take offense. “That and some peroxide will do,” I said smiling. Then something he said caught my attention. “What do you mean the 'main' way to transfer the gene?” “Well, it's in our blood too. So if our blood gets into a human's blood stream, then there's a chance you may or may not be turned. It's strange, but the gene seems to be more potent in our saliva. Go figure.” Devin said with a shrug. “Oh, I see.” I looked at Elise and Sergio, they were watching me as if I were the most interesting thing they have ever seen. I was beginning to feel like some sort of science project. I decided to change the subject, hoping it would take my mind off of my injury as well. “Look, guys, we need to get back to the hotel,” I said. Sergio nodded and stepped out of the abandoned building. I was more than happy to leave the building, if I heard the sound of feet scurrying across the floor one more time, I was going to leave them whether they were done regrouping or not. We walked a few blocks and Elise held a cab which drove us to our hotel. A few people looked at us as we entered, Devin had loaned me his blue jean jacket to cover my shirt which now had Sergio's blood on it from when he carried me. Sergio had managed to wipe the last few remaining drops of blood from his chest, but the fact that he was bare-chested aroused attention. Some of the attention was induced by lust. It was a good thing that he was wearing black, it sort of camouflaged the blood that stained his jeans. I had shoved my bloody hand into my pocket, hoping that it was not a deep wound. We made it into our room and I walked towards the bathroom, I began to cleanse my wounded hand. Elise stood in the doorway, her arms crossed over her full-breasted chest. She watched me rinse off the blood as I rubbed soap into the wound. I winced at the stinging pain that I was causing, but it needed to be done. She walked towards me and looked at my wounded hand. Her eyes examined the long, deep, vicious looking, bleeding wound. I found it hard to look at the exposed flesh, I began to feel the tingles of goosebumps all over again. “You're going to need stitches...or, if you're not as squeamish with vampire blood as you are with the saliva of shape-shifters, you could wait

for one of them to heal you.” She said, with moderate concern. I'll admit, I was taken aback by her sudden interest in my well-being, but I did not question it. I nodded. “I think that would be a good idea as long as I don't have to drink it.” I said, I remembered what Darian had told me the time when he had given me his blood to save my life. He told me that humans can become addicted to vampire blood, just like any other drug and one would have to be broken from the bloodlust. I did not want to experience anything called “bloodlust” and I was grateful that I had not. Elise laughed, the back of her hand going to her mouth, covering it slightly. Her laughter soon subsided, she looked at me more seriously, her expression becoming more curious. “I don't understand you, I don't pretend to. You feel for both Darian and Xavier, you may even love them. You're a human, your life could be so easily snuffed out and yet you are here...” her words drifted off, she made an offhanded gesture as if to dismiss her statement. “I sent Sergio to the store for some first aid items for you.” She said then she turned and exited the bathroom. I was in a state of shock now. She had not been nice to me since the day we met, it was actually a relief to exchange words without hostility. “Elise?” I called out, she turned around to face me. “Yes?” “Thank you. I believe I do love them, I know I don't want to lose either one of them...” I trailed off, I looked down at my hands. “I don't want to lose anyone else anymore,” I said, unable to disguise my sadness and not really wanting to. Elise looked at me for a long moment. “We will save him, besides Darian is a survivor if nothing else,” she said then she left the bathroom. I pondered her last statement. “Darian is a survivor if nothing else.” He must be to have survived sixteen hundred and fifty years! Darian was an enigma to me, I did not know much about him, but I truly believed that he would answer any questions I might have with the upmost honesty. If we could, no...when we save Darian and clear his name, I will appease my curiosity about him. I wrapped a towel around my hand and walked out of the bathroom. I spotted a comfortable chair by the window and sat down. Devin lay curled in a fetal position on the bed, napping. “He looks absolutely adorable!” I said chuckling as I looked at him. Elise glanced at me then to Devin she smiled slightly. “He's even more adorable in his animal form,” she said. Her eyes slowly panned over my face, I believe she was interested in my reaction. I looked at her then Devin, I thought about it and I found that I was curious. I had only seen one shape-shifter in animal form and that shape-shifter was in a half-animal, half-man form, not to mention he almost killed me. I sat in the chair and tried to imagine what they would look like in their animal form, how would they behave? Elise was watching me from across the room, I think she knew what I was pondering and I heard her chuckle. “He's a beautiful white leopard,” she said as she climbed onto the bed, brushing her fingertips lightly over Devin's cheek. “The only one in our Pride.” He stirred slightly under her touch, but did not wake up. Both Elise and I looked up when we heard the door of our hotel room open then close. She sniffed the air, I saw her relax. I assumed by her reaction that it was Sergio returning from the store. The bedroom door opened and Sergio entered, he was wearing a grey t-shirt now. He looked at me, then handed me the brown paper bad he was carrying. I thanked him, he nodded. He was definitely a man of few words from what I could tell. I looked inside bag, there was a box of band-aids, gauze, peroxide, anti-bacterial cream and stitching equipment. I swallowed hard when I saw the stitching equipment. I looked at Sergio and Elise, I frowned. I was not a good candidate for pain and the thought of having to be sewn up was terrifying to me. “Are you sure I need stitches!?” I asked nervously. Sergio looked at me and for the first time since I met him, he laughed outright. Devin awoke and looked at him with sleepy eyes. He sat up on the bed and looked at Elise then me. “What's so funny?” he asked curiously, like a child almost. “Natasha here is afraid of receiving stitches,” Elise said as humor spread across her face. “Oh,” Devin said then he looked at me and smiled. I was definitely missing the joke. “What's so damn funny!?” I asked as I looked at them, Sergio was beginning to regain his composure and only his shoulders shook slightly as his laughter died away. “Aww, Natasha, don't worry. Sergio can sew you up so fast and painlessly, you won't even know he's doing it.” Devin said encouragingly. I wasn't buying it. “Sure, how is he going to manage that, by punching me in the jaw and knocking me out cold!? I don't see any painkillers or numbing medication in this bag.” I stated as I shook the bag above my head. Sergio laughed again as he walked slowly towards his suitcase. He opened the suitcase and pulled out a small black leather pouch. He walked over to me and opened it up. I looked inside and saw five sanitized needles and two little glass bottles with some sort of clear liquid in them. I looked up at Sergio. “So what's that?” I asked. Sergio smiled. “Elise figured you might be injured on this little venture and suggested I bring some medications with me...though I did forget to pack my doctor's kit. But don't worry, the needles have never been used and I have painkillers. I also have something that will numb you so I

could sew you up without you feeling anything.” He sat on the armrest of the chair. He looked down at me and waved the black bag in front of me. “Don't worry Natasha, I'm a professional doctor.” Oh, how comforting, I thought sarcastically to myself. I looked at Elise. “Didn't you say that I could let one of the vampires heal my wound?” I asked, she nodded. “Okay... okay...That sounds like a better idea. I can wait for one of them.” I said, nodding my head. “Oh, don't be ridiculous!” Sergio exclaimed as he rose from the chair. “It's at least three hours till Xavier wakes up. You could start to have an infection by that time!” “I don't think so, just keep it clean and when he wakes up, he could heal me, infection and all...please,” I said. I must have seemed like a wimp to them, but I didn't care. I don't like needles either, needles caused pain. If there was another avenue, then by god, I was going to take it! He looked down at me and shook his head. He took my hand and unwrapped the towel I had used and examined my wound. “It's deep, I know it has to hurl. But if you want to wait for one of them, then so be it.” Sergio said as he released my hand. “At least allow me to wrap it up properly,” he suggested. I nodded and he reached into his medic bag and pulled out some white gauze and disinfectant. He began to cleanse the cut then he wrap my wound carefully. Sergio was so meticulous that I did not feel any pain as he bandaged my hand. When he finished, he put his medical bag back into his suitcase. Sergio climbed onto the bed next to Devin and laid down. Elise turned on the television and crawled onto the bed on the opposite side of Devin. It just so happened that one of those cheesy vampire movies were playing. It was in Russian, so I couldn't understand what the characters were saying, but by looking at it, I could tell it wasn't a quality movie. “What do you think one of them would think if they saw this?” Devin asked with a giggle. Sergio shrugged. “Who gives a fuck.” Sergio replied nonchalantly. “I do, or else I wouldn't have asked. I know that I look at shape-shifter movies and think 'yeah, right, whatever!' when I see some of the plots and characters they come up with. Not to mention the cheesy special effects.” Devin said as he laughed at a characters antics in the film. Sergio only shrugged again. “I know what you mean. I find myself wondering the same thing whenever I see these types of films. Though I love vampire and werewolf movies.” I said with a giggle. “Oh, just the werewolf movies?” Devin teased. “Well, I did like that new movie that came out this past weekend about shape-shifters that changed into tigers. Though you guys might find it cheesy.” I stated. Devin chuckled. I looked at Sergio, he looked to be very composed. I thought about the incident in the restaurant and had questions I hoped he wouldn't mind answering. “Did it hurt when you got shot?” I asked Sergio. He looked at me, his expression blank. Maybe he thought it was a stupid question, but I was curious. I've never seen a shape-shifter get shot and heal. “It hurt like a son-of-a-bitch! Luckily, they were not silver bullets. If they were silver bullets, then I might have been killed,” he answered. It brought me to another question. “But I thought regular silver bullets could not kill you?” I stated. He chuckled, Devin laughed as well, Elise only rolled her eyes and smiled as she shook her head slightly. “If someone shoots a shape-shifter in a vital area with a silver bullet and this is true with all shape-shifters, we can die unless the matron can heal us in time. The matron in our case is, Elise,” he said as he pointed to Elise. “Oh! I know what a matron does!” I said excitedly, happy to know a little supernatural trivia, so to speak. “How did you find out about the responsibilities of the Matron?” Sergio asked, he sat up on the bed and looked at me. “Could this information have been passed on to you by your little wolf friend?” “Yeah, we became friends when I helped him solve a murder case. I began to ask him all kinds of questions about shape-shifters. I used to be scared of the supernatural race, but four months ago, I realized I had this ability of the visions, I began to see the people murdered by two rampaging supernatural serial killers in my visions. So I told Warren and his partner Matthew and with the help of Darian, we were able to end their reign. I also realized that I had a lot of misconceptions about the supernatural race. But now, I am learning about all the things that make us similar and different. The truth of the situation is...humans are just as dangerous as any other being,” I said then shrugged my shoulders. The three shape-shifters seemed to reflect on what I said, hell I was reflecting on what I said. I felt comfortable around them, I did not have any fears that they might see me as food, but then again, they were in their human form. I might feel differently if I was in a room full of shape-shifters in animal form. “You're an interesting person, Natasha.” Sergio said as he laid back down on the bed. About thirty minutes passed before we all drifted back off to sleep. Various visions flashed through my mind like a movie being fast forwarded on a screen. Unfortunately, none of the visions were from Nikolai or anyone else that could lead us to more clues. I blocked off all of the visions and slept deeply. I began to feel someone lapping my shoulder which prompted me to wake up. I opened my eyes slowly to see Xavier standing over me, his skin was flushed and I knew he had just fed, probably from Devin again. I sat up in the chair and looked around the room. Everyone was awake,

Sergio, Devin and Elise were eating again. “How are you feeling? I heard you were injured, let me see.” Xavier said as he kneeled down in front of me. I wiped my eyes with the back of my left hand and held out my injured right hand towards Xavier. He unwrapped the gauze and looked at the wound carefully, it bled slightly and throbbed painfully. “How did this happen?” he asked concerned. He looked at me, his eyes soft with worry. “Oh Xavier, you would not believe the day we have had!” I exclaimed. I told him about the vision I saw of Nikolai and Dmitri and he listened, calmly nodding his head now and then as I spoke. “Then he shot Nikolai and we grabbed him before he could leave. Elise asked him some questions...that reminds me, what did you ask him?” I looked at Elise. She began to tell me, when Xavier interrupted. “How did this happen?” he asked again as he pointed to my wound. I looked at him and smiled, he was worried about me, I could feel myself blushing. “Well his partner came into the restaurant blasting away, we had to crawl away to avoid getting shot and I cut my hand on a shard of glass, that's all.” I said, Xavier examined my hand once more. “May I fill you in now?” Elise asked in a smart-alecky tone. Xavier turned to her as if he did not understand the question, then he remembered. “Oh...yeah, I'm sorry about that. Please do go on,” he said apologetically. I believed he'd forgotten that he had cut her off. Elise began. “Well, I asked him who was behind all this and he told me that; Eremei Andreev is the man behind the entire plan. It was his idea to send Lidiya to seduce Anthony Juliano. Thus, making him believe that she and he could buy their freedom with certain information and that would pay the debt he owed when he left the mafia. Being the day manager of Desires Unleashed, Eremei hoped that Anthony could use his position to gain access to Darian's personal files.” Elise looked at me, her eyes reflected a hint of sadness, I could tell it was an emotion she was trying to keep from coining to the surface. “Even having Darian locked away for murder was his will. But Dmitri still did not know all of the details of Eremei's plan.” She looked at Xavier her head cocked slightly. “Do you recognize the name, Eremei Andreev, Xavier?” she asked. Xavier nodded his head solemnly. “He is a notorious Russian mafia boss. He is known amongst the organized crime syndicates as one of the most brutal and vicious men in the world.” Xavier frowned. “What could he be planning?!” he asked out loud. I looked at Elise. “What else did you find out?” I asked Her eyes trailed from Xavier to me and she smiled. “I know where the mansion is,” she said. “Well, that's great! Now we can go there and kick some ass, right?” I asked in my 'charged up' tone. Devin chuckled. “What do you mean, we?” Sergio retorted. “Your only injury thus far is a cut from a jagged piece of glass and you were crying about that! Do you think you actually have what it takes to burst in on a Russian cartel and apprehend criminals?” Sergio asked then he shook his head in disbelief. “Look Natasha, you're a good person from what I can tell, but I think you better just head on home and let us deal with the rest.” I felt something sink inside me and I wasn't quite sure what it was. I just knew I felt an enormous sadness overcome me. I wasn't even sure I could put my feelings into words, but I was going to try. “I know I'm not a crime-fighter,” I paused, Xavier tried to console me, but I continued. “I know that I'm not as physically resilient as you are, but I am just as useful here as any of you, and my reason for being here is just as significant as yours, if not more.” My voice was shaking with a mixture of emotions; anger, passion, sadness, doubt and probably a whole list of other emotions that I could not identify. “I didn't mean to insult you, or make you feel unworthy, Natasha. I know they killed your friend and you're probably in this to see that justice is handed out and I understand this. However, you're human and your death can come easily, you're a liability to us,” he stated frankly. I looked at him...was he right? Was I a liability? I looked for Xavier to come to my aide. When my eyes locked on his, he turned away. “Is that what I am, a problem?” I asked, tears begin to brim my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “It's not that Natasha. Remember when you went on the hunt with Warren and Darian? You were almost killed! Who's to say there won't be an 'almost' next time, or worse?” Xavier asked entreatingly. “But I want to help, don't you understand!?” I could feel my bottom lip tremble, I bit my lip to keep it still. “I do understand, but I agree with Sergio. I love you and it would kill me if anything bad happened to you. Natasha, I think you should leave,” Xavier said sternly. That was the knife through my heart, I was left speechless. “Natasha, you know that I know better than anyone else your reasons for being here. I admire your bravery and dedication, but I will not risk you being injured or killed, can you not understand this!?” Xavier asked passionately, as passionately as any man in love. I looked at him and nodded. I did understand, but I could not envision myself flying back to America to sit back and wait, not when I felt in my heart that they would need me still. Was it my own stubbornness? Or was it my intuition? “Xavier, I'm staying, there is nothing else you can say to me to make me change my mind, I am sorry.” I said, then I rose from the chair and walked towards the bedroom door. As I reached for the door handle, I looked down at my wounded hand, staring at it for a few seconds before

turning around. Xavier was standing right in front of me only inches away. He took me by the shoulders and pulled me into his embrace. “Stubborn, brave woman,” he whispered into my ear. He lifted my face to his and kissed me deeply. There was so much comfort in that kiss, I felt safe. He pulled away and reached for my hand. He held it to his lips and his tongue darted out, there was blood on the pink tip where his fangs had broken the flesh. I wondered if it hurt a vampire to bite their own tongue, there was no way of telling, he did not show it if it did. He licked my wound and I began to feel a tingling sensation under my skin. He continued to lick over the wound several times until the skin healed perfectly. The entire healing process was ecstatic, a damn sight better than a shot and stitches! “There, all better. Okay, since you're going to stay here, let me fill you in on what was done while you slept.” Xavier said as he took my hand and led me back towards the chair. I looked at Sergio, who only gave me a tiny smile and nod. “I called Warren and asked him for some surveillance equipment, he said he should be able to get his hands on some. It should arrive here no later than tomorrow afternoon. I want to scope out our enemy before we attack.” Xavier said and everyone around the room nodded their heads in agreement. “Why does Darian have all these politician in his pocket?” I asked. I figured it was time to ask that question. “Besides the politician list, is there another reason why everyone is in this situation?” Xavier looked at me, the expression in his eyes let me know he didn't want to tell me, but he would if I really wanted to know. “I need to know this, Xavier. I need to know why my friend had to die!” my voice sounded so serious, even to me! He nodded then began. “Darian had done some favors for certain politicians in the past, so they owe him favors in return. But there are those that he has paid off to get what he wanted out of them. The politicians on his list vary from state senators to house representatives, even the governor is on his list.” “Governor Andrews!?” I asked, surprised. Xavier nodded. “Especially governor Andrews, he wants to win this year's election. He also realizes there are a lot of supernaturals who are extremely wealthy and can aid him in his campaign. Not to mention all of the influence they carry. Being voted in by the supernatural community can really gain him insurmountable clout in the political office,” Xavier said. “So what does Darian get out of helping him?” Sergio asked. “Whatever he wants out of the deal. That's how Darian is, he's been around a long time, he knows how this system works.” Xavier said, then he looked at me. “Trust me Natasha, if he could have foreseen that his connections would lead to innocent people being placed in harm’s way, he would have been more astute towards his associates and who they were associated with.” “Man, what is he, like the vampire godfather?” Devin asked “You could say that. I know that is how I picture him at times,” John said as he looked at Xavier. “I mean, everything about Darian is calculated to precision. I've never seen him make a mistake, not once! The way...well, let's just say he is one smooth guy.” Xavier looked at John and laughed softly. “You see him the way I use to see him, I still see him that way at limes.” Xavier looked back at me. “You've been so quiet, what are you thinking?” he asked. Hell, I didn't know what I was thinking, however, I did comprehend what I was hearing. Darian was being compared to a mafia boss. Was he as vicious as the one we were seeking to take down? I looked at Xavier. “Is Darian cruel?” I asked softly. “Only if he feels that it is necessary to be cruel. Darian is many things Natasha, but a tyrant, he is not,” Xavier stated. I nodded my head, I remembered what Elise said earlier about Darian. 'He's a survivor if nothing else.' it made even more sense now than it did when she said it. “I understand,” I said. Xavier leaned forward and kissed the back of my hand, he looked up at me and smiled. I rose from the chair and walked towards the food on the table. There was only a little left. The shape-shifters had demolished what looked to have been three whole roasted chickens, a bowl of mash potatoes and a bowl of string beans. The shrimp cocktail and lobster rolls, I was told by Devin, were all gone. I was so disappointed, I loved seafood! “Oh, we ordered room service for you. Xavier told us how much you loved seafood, so I ordered a seafood platter for you,” Elise said. “I would have ordered it with our food, but we had no idea how long you were going to lay there and snore, so I held off, room service should be here shortly.” Elise seemed to be in better spirits. “Thanks Elise, I am starving,” I was beginning to feel more at ease around her. I sat down in the chair and looked at the television screen. After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door and John jumped up from his seat. “I got it, don't worry,” he said as he placed his hand on the knob. “Who is it?”

“Room service,” a male voice replied. John opened the door and looked at the man in a red and gold uniform. He gestured for the man to come inside and he did wheeling the food cart in front of him. Xavier stood, slightly blocking my view of the food. Sergio was reaching into his pocket to tip the busboy when bullets began to fly through our windows. Xavier grabbed my hand and led me away from the flying bullets. Amidst the shower of glass, Sergio pushed Devin and Elise on the floor and they crawled into the master bedroom. John ran towards us and that's when I saw the busboy reach under his cart and pull out a huge double barrel shotgun. I screamed for John to duck and he did so just in time. The man aimed the shotgun at me and pulled the trigger, Xavier stepped in front of me and the buckshot bullets sprayed his chest blasting a huge hole in his torso. Xavier's blood splattered my face and arms and I screamed again-this time more hysterically. Xavier fell on top of me, pushing me onto the blood splattered floor away from the spraying bullets. John attacked the uniformed assassin, his eyes were glowing red and his fangs extended. A stream of blood arched from the assassin's throat as John plunged his razor sharp teeth deeply into the man's jugular. The assassin cried out, he began to shoot his gun off randomly, blasting holes into the ceiling of the room. John feasted quickly, taking the assassin down to his knees. More and more bullets came ripping through our windows and the sound of police sirens became more distinctive as they approached the hotel. I heard Sergio cry out and I turned around to see that he was in front of Elise and he had been shot in his stomach and was bleeding profusely. John tossed the body away from him and we managed to get out of the room. But there was another assassin waiting for us outside in the hallway. He began to shoot at us and Xavier pushed me back into the room. Devin had changed forms, I hadn't even noticed when he did it. But he was beautiful, a white leopard who looked to be at least three hundred pounds in weight with green eyes. He leaped over us and out of the door. Xavier grabbed my hand then led us out of the room to the stairway. I looked down the hall when I heard a man scream and saw Devin standing over the man, ripping out his throat. I wished I had not looked back to see gentle, adorable Devin pulling chunks of flesh from a dying man's throat. I began to feel nauseous, but knew I did not have time to throw up. Elise called to Devin but he continued to feed. Sergio, despite his injuries, ran to Devin and pulled him away from the body. Devin clawed at the body with his long sharp nails that shredded the assassin's flesh and shirt. Sergio slapped him on his nose, Devin yelped and looked at Sergio. Sergio fell to his knees next to Devin, weakened. Elise ran to Sergio, she put him over her shoulders in the same manner a fireman would and ran towards us with Devin at her side as we made our way down the stairway. John stopped us when he heard the loud transmission of the police walkie-talkies down below. “He needs to change back and fast!” John exclaimed. Devin began to change forms, he cried out as he rushed the change. I stood there in amazement as I watched the skin on his body vibrate as the hair receded. His paws began to change back into human hands, same with his feet. His face was the last to change and the most horrifying to watch. Devin quickly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand to clear away some of the blood. Finally, Devin was naked but in complete human form. Xavier's body had healed but he was weak. Sergio was in the worst of shape. His stomach had a huge gaping hole that was bleeding heavily. I closed my eyes and looked away from the wound before I could see any more detail. I looked back a few seconds later and saw that Elise had given Sergio her blood to drink as she began to lick his wounds. I watched astounded as Sergio's skin began to heal over the wound, but she had to pause the healing process when the police arrived. Six uniformed officers approached us, gun barrels aimed. They spoke Russian and only Xavier and Elise could understand them. Xavier put his hands up as he began to explain our situation. More and more officers filled the stairwell and began placing us in handcuffs. But not before allowing Devin to clothed himself and me to clean my face. We were placed in different patrol cars and driven to their precinct. We were led to the local police station and placed in separate rooms where we were expected to answer a barrage of questions we did not know the answers to. Well at least I knew I didn't have many answers. I was directed to a chair and told to sit down. The uniformed officer stood over me until an inspector took over. He looked at me, he appeared to be in his fifties. His silver hair was receding both in the front and in the middle of his scalp. He had large brown pupils and small wrinkles by his eyes, mouth and on his forehead. His jaws hung low on his face which reminded me of a hound dog. He was about five-feet-eight-inches and stocky. He read over the report that he had on his desk then he looked at me. “You want to tell me what happen?” he asked me in English. His Russian accent was thick but the words were understandable. “Well, I think it was a case of mistaken identity, officer.” I said nodding my head agreeing with myself. He looked at me and raised his eyebrows, he didn't believe a word I said. Couldn't blame him, I wouldn't believe my excuse either. “Don't play games with me young lady, this is very serious,” he said as he straighten himself in his chair. “I swear officer, I really do think it was a case of mistaken identity! My friends and I are on vacation, we were just trying to enjoy ourselves. We ordered room service and then the damn room service busboy, waiter-whatever! He tried to kill us!” I stated hysterically. The officer put two photographs on the desk in front of me. “Do you recognize the two men in these photos?” he asked as he pointed to the pictures. I looked at the photographs, I recognized one of them as the assassin that was dressed in the hotel's service uniform, but I did not recognize the other. I pointed to the one I recognized. “Him, he was the one who brought us our room service then tried to kill us.” I said, then I looked at the other picture. “But I don't know him.” “He was the man we found slaughtered and mutilated in the hallway, know anything about that?” he asked as he looked at me suspiciously. “Before you answer, we know that at least two of your friends are shape-shifters, did one of them kill these two men?” before I could answer, a uniformed officer walked over to the inspector and whispered something into his ear. The inspectors' eyes darted to me then he looked back at the other officer, he said something to him in Russian, he appeared to be upset then he looked back at me. “Well aren't you a lucky woman, according to this new found information, another person killed the two men and you and your friends escaped and did not see a damn thing...how typical,” he frowned in disgust. “You're free to go, but keep this in mind,” he leaned closer to me for the dramatics. “I'll be keeping my eyes on you from now on, don't even

think about extending your vacation,” he said threateningly. “Don't worry, after what happened today, I think we'll be leaving tonight.” I said as I rose from the little hard chair. I walked out of the busy precinct and saw the others standing outside in the chilled night. Xavier walked over to me and put his arms around my shoulder, his skin was cold and I could tell he was still weak. Elise hailed down two cabs and we climbed into them. I looked at Xavier, he was gazing out of the window, he must have felt my eyes on him, because he turned to face me. “What?” he asked, smiling. “How did we get out of there without trouble?” I asked, I knew he had something to do with it. “I had to 'influence' a few people, including their captain to get us out of there. We don't have the time to waste in some police precinct answering a ton of questions,” Xavier said. Then he grimaced and doubled over. I panicked, I didn't know what was wrong with him. I looked at John, who peeked over at Xavier. “What's wrong with him?” I asked nervously. “Don't worry Natasha, he'll be okay. He's just hungry,” John said calmly. I looked at Xavier, I had never seen him in pain before and I did not like it. “Xavier are you going to be okay?” I asked “Yeah, I just need to feed, that's all,” he whispered. “Don't worry, I'm fine. It's just our hunger pains aren't too pleasant.” I felt a little more calmer now that I knew what was wrong with him and that he was going to be fine as soon as he fed. He must have lost a lot of blood back at the hotel. Our cab followed Elise's as we went back to the hotel to gather our belongings. When we arrived, our room had police tape across the door. Xavier pulled it down and we walked in. I gathered my suitcase and purse and placed them by the door. Devin was gathering their belongings and packing them away in suitcases. Sergio had laid across the bed, still wounded. Elise began to lick his wounds again. Xavier sat down in a chair and we watched Sergio heal right before our eyes. His eyes were closed as Elise's tongue licked across the shallow wound. Sergio would glanced down every few seconds to see the progress. When he had completely healed, he looked at Elise, “Thank you,” he said. “Don't mention it.” Elise replied with a tiny smile. She climbed off of the bed and walked towards the door. Sergio handed Xavier another shirt to wear, then changed shirts himself before helping Devin carry our bags as we walked onto the elevator. I looked at Sergio. “How come you healed faster last lime than just now?” I asked. He looked at me. “Because, last time they weren't using silver bullets,” he said. I was surprised, Silver bullets! How did they know? “Who could have known about you being a shape-shifter?” I asked curiously “I don't know, maybe it was the guy from the restaurant who got away. He did see me take a few shots to the chest and live,” Sergio stated. “Yeah but how did they know how to find us?” the elevator doors opened and we walked off and climbed into the cabs while Elise checked us out of the hotel. When she exited the hotel she walked over to our cab and leaned into the window. “I know of a little bed and breakfast we could stay at for now.” She said, giving us the name and address. She walked towards the other cab and climbed in with Sergio and Devin. Our cab followed theirs as we drove through the winding streets. We had to stop for a red light, I looked out the window and noticed the streets were empty. Call it paranoia, but the atmosphere was too quiet, I began to feel suspicious. A car pulled up behind us, practically on our bumper. “I don't like this, it doesn't feel right,” I said nervously. John looked around us, he peered at the car in back of us, then he pulled Xavier and me down on the floor of the cab a second before bullets came flying through the window shattering the glass. I was screaming as both John and Xavier covered me with their bodies, but not before I saw that our driver had been shot through the back of his head, his brains were now splattered all over the inside of the windshield. I could hear Elise's screams over the gun shots. “Help them!” Xavier yelled to John, his voice almost drowned out by the sound of gunfire and screams. John climbed out of the cab behind the driver's side, Xavier grabbed my hand and led me out of the cab on the passenger’s side. I looked at the car behind us and saw that John had snatch the door off of the car and pull the gunman out. The assassin, now without his gun, tried to stab John, but was unsuccessful. John knocked the knife from his hand and twisted the assassins neck, breaking it. He let the man's body fall from his arms to the ground in a crumpled heap. “John! Xavier!” we heard Elise cry out. We ran to her aid and I saw Sergio laying on the ground, panting, he had been shot in the shoulder, thigh and stomach once again. Devin was missing and Elise was shot in the arm. I looked into their cab and saw that their driver's neck was twisted in an odd angle and a gun was still in his right hand. “Come on, we have to get out of here, where is Devin!?” I asked as I looked around, searching the area for Devin, hoping he wasn't injured. I did not see him anywhere, I looked back at Elise. She had tears in her eyes but she looked extremely pissed. “They've taken him!” she said through gritted teeth, enraged. “There were shape-shifters with them!”

“John, drive.” Xavier told John and he did just that. He ran to retrieved my suitcase from the other cab, putting it in the trunk then ran to the driver's side of the Elise's cab. He pulled the driver's lifeless body out of the seat, tossing it on the pavement like a bag of trash. “Natasha, sit up front,” Xavier said as he help Elise pull Sergio's wounded body into the back seat of the cab. “Where do we go now?” I asked I looked at Elise in the back seat. Xavier was working on her arm. He had his fingers deep inside the wound, trying to search for the silver bullet. Blood poured from her wound as he worked on her. I looked around the cab for something that could aide him in helping her. I opened the glove compartment and found a switch blade inside. “Here!” I exclaimed, I handed it to Xavier who took the knife and cut deeply into the wound in Elise's arm. She cried out from the pain but sat still in the seat as Xavier plunged the knife deeper to dig out the bullet. I turned around, sickened. I could not take any more blood. “Got it!” I heard Xavier say triumphantly. I turned to look at him, he held a silver bullet in his hand the size of a peanut. The blood on the bullet was still smoldering. Elise skin began to heal instantly. Xavier immediately began to work on Sergio, stabbing the knife into his shoulder as he had with Elise and digging out the bullet. As I looked at Sergio's wounds, I could see that his wounded flesh appeared to be seared. I now had an understanding of the amount of damage silver could inflict on them. “I know of another place that I'd stayed when I last visited here, let us pray that it is still there.” Elise said then she gave John the address and directions. She began to work on Sergio again as she did before. She cut her wrist open and gave Sergio her blood which he drank deeply as she licked on his wound, healing it. After about three minutes, Sergio was healed enough to sit up on the leather seat of the cab. He still had a bullet in his upper left thigh, but it had not hit a vital artery from what Sergio had confirmed, he said he would live. I looked at him and saw that he was just as angry as the rest of us, if not more. They had kidnapped Devin and there was no telling what they were going to do to him. “You said there were other shape-shifters working with the humans, how many were there?” John asked as he drove the car. “Yeah, two of them, both wolves. There's no doubt that they were the ones who found us. I noticed there was a scent in the hallway back at the hotel, but I disregarded it. I smelled that same scent tonight before we were hit,” Sergio said. He looked like he wanted to hurt something or someone and I made a mental note to be sure not cross his line of vision. John pulled the cab in front of a wooden cabin. It was surrounded by trees and more trees. I wasn't so sure if being in such a secluded place was a good idea, but then again, maybe it was. Elise had covered her bloody shirt with her coat before walking inside the main office to rent a cabin. After a few minutes she came back out with our cabin key. Sergio and John unloaded the cab, taking our luggage to our cabin. I helped Xavier as he laid gently on the little brown sofa, his body was wracked with pain and I felt so sorry for him. As we settled in, I looked around. The interior of the cabin was all dark wood. The walls and floors were made of wood as was some of the furniture. I did admire the natural atmosphere and the rustic decor. There were two bedrooms, a kitchen and one large room that made up the living room and dining area. I walked into the living room and sat down on one of the comfortable reclining chairs. Elise had taken Sergio into the other bedroom to heal the bullet wound in his thigh. Xavier laid in a fetal position on the sola, whimpering softly as hunger pains ravaged his body. Finally, I could take it no longer, I walked over to Xavier and lightly touched his shoulder. H e looked up at me, his grey eyes full of pain. It was then, that I noticed he had been shot several times. I could see by the amount of damage done to his bloodstained shirt where the bullet holes had entered his back. “Oh Xavier!” I said, my hand going to my mouth at my shock as tears fell from my eyes. “It doesn't hurt, it's okay,” he said. “No, it's not okay! I don't want to see you suffer any longer!” I stated, he looked at me, eyes questioning. “Drink from me, Xavier. It's okay.” I said, a bold move I know but I would not see him in pain. He looked at me, his eyes softening. “Are you sure, Natasha? You don't have to do this,” he said softly. “I know I don't have to...I want to, please.” I said sincerely as I leaned closer to him. John walked towards us then kneeled down behind me. I could feel his chest against my back. “After her, then I will share,” he said. “It should hold you over until the heat calms down enough for us to hunt undetected.” I turned and smiled at him. Even though he had fed recently, I knew he would be weak after he shared with Xavier, I just hoped he would not be in pain. Xavier's eyes focused on me again and his hand caressed the side of my face gently. “I have never met anyone like you before, you are extraordinary,” he said tenderly. The tears were flowing freely from my eyes, but I was not as sad as I was a moment ago. “Are you going to feed or not?” I asked bravely. He smiled and sat up on the sofa. He slid off of the cushions and kneeled in front of me. He held my head in both of his hands and he kissed me softly on the lips. Then he tilted his head to the side and I began to tense. “Relax, my love,” he whispered in my ear. I trusted Xavier, I knew he would not harm me. I started to relax my body, a second later I felt his fangs pierce my skin and I cried out against the pain. John held me in place so that I could not injure myself by pulling away, which is what I tried to do, it's my instinct to shrink away from anything painful. The excruciating pain of Xavier's bite began to transform into a most delightful pleasure. My body felt as light as a feather as he drank from me. The most unbelievable pleasure coursed through my veins sending ecstatic tingles throughout my limbs. I felt an orgasm build

from between my legs. It grew and grew with Xavier's feeding then in the moment that seemed like it would last forever, indescribable pleasure exploded within my entire body and I whimpered in ecstasy. My body jerked as spasms rippled through me. Regrettably, I felt Xavier release me, he pulled away from me licking his lips. John held me still, then he lifted me into his arms and laid me gently in the chair opposite the sofa. After checking me over, John walked over to Xavier, kneeling down in front of him. He tilted his head back and Xavier wasted no time biting into John's flesh. Sergio walked out of the bedroom carrying a clean set of clothes in his hands, with Elise following, both watched Xavier feed. Sergio sat down in the chair next to mine and immediately began examining me. “Are you okay?” he asked as he completed his examination. I nodded. “Yeah, just a little weak,” I said softly. “That's understandable, you didn't get a chance to chow down on you seafood platter,” Sergio teased lightly. “Don't remind me,” I chuckled weakly. Up until Sergio brought it up, I had not thought about my missed opportunity to gorge myself on shrimp and lobster. Thanks a lot, ya bastard! Sergio rose and walked into the kitchen. I could not take my eyes off of Xavier and John, I had never seen two vampires sharing blood. Both Xavier and John began to have orgasms, their bodies rocking with the climax as Xavier held fast to John's neck. Xavier's moans were muffled by John's flesh as his body remained tensed. John panted heavily as he rode the climax, his grip on Xavier weakened then his hands fell to his sides. Xavier pulled away slowly and looked into John's eyes. “Look at me, are you okay?” Xavier asked as he ran the tip of his pink tongue over his full bottom lip. John nodded weakly, and Xavier smiled, then he leaned forward and kissed John lightly on the lips. “Thank you.” Xavier rose from his kneeling position and lifted John off the floor, laying him gently on the sofa. John's eyes were closed as he recovered from the feeding. Xavier rose and walked towards me, he looked down at me, smiling. His fingertips caressed my cheek lightly. He was beautiful, his skin was warm and flushed. As I looked up into his face, I knew at that moment that I did love him. “I love you,” I said without really meaning to say it out loud. Must be the aftereffect from the loss of blood to babble out your inner most thoughts for all to hear. It did not seem to bother Xavier in the least. His smile grew wider as he leaned down to kiss me deeply, his warm tongue caressing mine in a tender passionate kiss. After a few seconds he pulled away. I looked up to see Sergio walking out of the kitchen, frowning. “We have to get some food in here seriously!” he walked over to the sofa and moved John’s legs out of the way then sat down. John lifted his head, tossing Sergio an irritated look, then laid his head back down. “Here,” Sergio tossed Xavier some clothes. “Try not to bloody these up.” Xavier smirked. “I'll do my best.” Xavier left the room for a few minutes and returned wearing the clean clothes. He sat down on the floor next to me. “Okay, they have Devin and I want to get him back, what is the plan?” Sergio asked in a no-nonsense tone. “Let me make a phone call.” Xavier said then he rose and walked towards the telephone. “We'll need weapons, we're fighting with an enemy who knows what we are, there's no telling what type of ammunition they have to use against us.” Xavier dialed a number then put the receiver to his ear. He waited for a few seconds then he began to speak to the person on the other end, only he spoke Italian. At least, that's what it sounded like to me. I couldn't speak a word of Italian...or any other language besides English for that matter. The sound of Xavier's voice as he spoke in a foreign tongue was so sexy! Sergio and Elise looked at Xavier and I saw Sergio shake his head and laugh. I assumed he and Elise spoke Italian also. I watched Xavier on the telephone, he seemed to disagree with something they were discussing. Then he hung up and looked at us. “What's going on, you look upset?” I asked. “I asked for some weapons, but they want something in return,” Xavier paused. I guess this was the moment when I was supposed to ask, 'what?' so I did. “What?” “It appears that their Don wants to be turned into a vampire. Can you believe that!?” Xavier asked in disbelief. I was shocked! Any more surprises like this and I might have a heart attack. “What are you going to do?” I asked. “Call Darian,” Elise said. I looked at her and she shrugged her shoulders. I looked back at Xavier and he was nodding his head. He picked up the telephone and dialed the police station, I assumed. When someone answered, Xavier asked for either Warren or Matthew. After a few moments I could hear a male's muffled voice over the receiver. “Warren?” Xavier asked. “Oh, I'm sorry, hi Matthew this is Xavier. Look, I need a huge favor. Would it be possible for me to speak with Darian, this is important.” Xavier listened to Matthew's response, every few seconds he would say, “uh huh,” or “I see.” “Well that could work, do you mind?” Xavier asked. “Great, thanks.” He hung up the telephone, then dialed another number and waited for an answer. Someone did answer and Xavier seemed pleased. He stood silent for a few minutes, then he began to speak. “Darian, we have a problem,” Xavier said, then he began to explain to Darian all that had taken place. “Yeah, she's alright, unharmed. But they've kidnapped Devin.” Xavier paused as he listened. “Devin is one of Elise's Pride members, we have to save him, but we need weapons.

I've been shot several times already by silver bullets. I've never been more relieved in my whole life by the fact that silver doesn't harm us or I would have been in trouble otherwise,” Xavier said as he began to pace the room. I don't think he was nervous, he was very calm as he walked back and forth. “Yeah, I called them, but get this; they want us to turn their Don into a vampire in exchange for the weapons. He said we would not owe him a thing if we do that. If we do not grant his request, he won't help us.” Xavier listened lo Darian's response. “Yes Darian, we need them-badly. You know I wouldn't have called for your permission otherwise.” “Darian just asked him if it was necessary for us to have weapons!” Sergio snorted. “Quiet!” Elise ordered, Sergio frowned but remained quiet. “Are you sure...very well, be careful Darian. These people want you dead. Watch your back...I love you.” Xavier said the last statement softly. He hung up the telephone and walked over to John who looked up at Xavier with a slightly annoyed expression. “Tell me I heard wrong?” he asked. “Nope, you heard right. I have to call the Don back and tell him to bring the weapons, you have to turn him,” Xavier replied, confirming what John did not want to accept. “Why do I have to do it!?” he asked as he pouted. “Because Darian said so. That is really your only reason, but I'll give you another for the sake of argument. You are younger and not as strong as I am. If he has to make a mob boss a vampire then he'd rather not give him too much power and strength.” Xavier said as he walked towards the telephone. John didn't say anything else, he only pouted on the sofa. Xavier called the mobsters back and spoke with them a little then hung up. I looked at John and snickered slightly, it was sort of comical to look at a grown man pout, even though the situation was nowhere near humorous. “Why don't you want to do it?” I asked, curious as to why he seemed so against it. “Because, I heard it hurts and it would be my first time. Besides, I'm not too thrilled about my first convert being someone I could care less about.” John said, then he rose and left the room. Xavier stood by the window, his arms crossed over his chest. He watched John walk out of the room and made no effort to stop him. “Aren't you going to talk to him, he seems really upset?” I asked, looking towards the direction of the door, then back at Xavier. He turned and looked out of the window for a few moments, then he turned to face me again. “For us, bringing someone over is an extremely intimate process. We do it strictly out of love or in some extreme cases, for survival.” He walked closer to my chair then sat down on the floor in front of me, legs stretched out before him as he leaned back, supported by his hands. “There are those who will turn a mortal into a vampire for pleasure, or torture. But Darian has taught us differently. It is his strict teachings that a mortal should never be turned unless it is out of love. However, in this case it is for survival.” Xavier informed me. I thought about what Xavier said and I now understood why John was so upset. I glanced down at my clothes, they were disgusting! I decided now was a good time to change, the ones I was wearing were splattered with Xavier's blood. I excused myself and walked into the bedroom and took a thorough shower, then put on a fresh change of clothes. When I emerged, I looked at Xavier sitting on the floor in his lounging position and smiled. “Xavier, how did you meet Darian?” I asked as I sat down in one of the comfortable chairs. He laughed outright then smiled at me. Sergio and Elise were watching us, Sergio was still brooding and I did not blame him. But I wanted to take my mind off of everything that had happened. Even though, taking my mind off of things now would not prevent all of the nightmares I was sure to have later. “What is the fucking plan!?” Sergio growled as he glared at Xavier. Xavier turned to look at Sergio, he nodded. “Well, the 'fucking plan' is this, we storm the fucks. Sound good to you?” Xavier asked. Sergio smiled, his mood seem to lighten slightly. “Hey...I want to thank you for helping me out back there.” Sergio told Xavier. “My pleasure,” Xavier said with a little nod. Sergio stood up and walked towards Elise, he held his hand out towards her. She took his hand and together, they walked into their bedroom. I couldn't help but wonder if they were going to make love. I could tell that they did love each other and if my eyes were not deceiving me, Elise might actually be relaxing more around Sergio. Their door closed behind them. I turned and gazed at Xavier. H e grinned and began to crawl towards me like a stalking cat. I started to giggle as his fingertip traced up my leg. “You do realize, that after a vampire has fed, they are extremely ...frisky!?” he teased seductively as he snaked his way up my leg. “I'm starting to realize that, but not now.” I said as I batted his hand away, he pouted playfully. “Why not...wait don't bother to answer that. I already know your response to that question.” h e said then he sat back on his heels. “Your morality is was one of your most adorable attributes.” He smiled at me again, I blushed. His smile could always do that to me. I looked up to see John walking back into the cabin. He sprawled on the sofa, his gaze set on Xavier and myself. “John, I'm really sorry that you have to do this thing tomorrow. I don't know what else to say, I wish there were another way.” I said sympathetically. “Don't worry, it's not like it's your fault. It is just something I'm going to have to do. Don't beat yourself up over it,” he said, then he flashed me his pretty boy grin. His bright blue eyes sparkling under his long blonde bangs. I was glad that he was handling it so well. “I'm glad that you're handling this better,” Xavier said as if he had read my thoughts. I nodded my head in agreement. “Maybe I can get Darian to share some more of his blood with me, eh?” he asked hopefully.

Xavier laughed. “I don't know. You know how fickle Darian can be about sharing his blood, but I'll put in a good word for you.” “But he made me!” John chuckled, then proceeded to roll on the couch like a cat rubbing its back against a carpet. “I could still taste his blood!” he purred as he put his fingers to his mouth. “I know exactly how you feel, of course, he's a little more lenient with me,” Xavier teased. John sat up with a quickness, with eyebrows raised, his eyes locked on Xavier, mouth agape in awe. “You lucky bastard!” he exclaimed. Xavier laughed and laughed. I had no idea what Darian's blood tasted like to another vampire, I supposed it was the ultimate feast. I could not speak for them, but I knew what it was like for me. Darian had given me his blood once to save my life, it was unbelievably delicious and sensual! My entire body tingled with the most pleasurable sensations. I can't imagine what life is like for a vampire, it was no wonder that both Darian and Xavier were bisexual and probably John too, now that I think about it! “Can you two tell me how you met Darian?” I asked again, genuinely curious. They looked at me and nodded. “John you go first,” Xavier suggested. “No, no, no, you go first, you're her boyfriend.” John said pointing at Xavier. “Well somebody go first!” I said throwing my hands in the air. Then I remembered something, I looked at John. “John, are you involved with anyone?” I asked. Xavier gave me a quizzical look and John's smile widened. “Why, are you interested? You know...” John began as he posed on the sofa in what I believe he thought was his most seductive position. He made certain to give me a clear view of his crotch. “I do find you to be a very attractive woman,” he winked at me. “Keep dreaming!” Xavier taunted. I laughed, it felt good to laugh after all that had taken place, we needed to laugh. John frowned. “Your loss,” he smiled as he switched positions on the sofa, he looked more comfortable now. “Why do you ask?” “No reason.” That's for me to know and for you to find out. I looked at Xavier. “You go first,” I told him. He held his hands up as if surrendering. “As you wish,” he said. He sprawled on the floor in a more comfortable position. Even though I believed he was not trying to seduce me, I was being seduced nonetheless. He began. “I was thirteen years old, just a street-smart punk kid in Chicago. My father worked seemingly endless hours in a steel mill and my mother was a seamstress who worked in a laundry. Growing up, prohibition was mandated, which pretty much gave organized crime a new avenue. I had always wanted to run with the bootleggers, the gangsters. I used to sneak into all the popular speakeasies just to watch the wise guys do their thing, you know?” Xavier said as he stared forward, recollecting his memories, he smiled. “I grew up poor...I hope you can imagine how difficult it was for my parents to raise three children-me being the eldest, earning less than the minimum wage of that time. My parents were strug gling to make ends meet, I do remember thinking that if I could run with the bootleggers, I would be able to make a handsome amount of money. I would then be able to lake care of them for a change.” He slowly lay on his back and rested his hands on his stomach as he continued. “I would go to school sometimes if I felt like it. Mostly I'd go to Vinny's Pizzeria and run errands for him. He would pay me more than I would earn hawking newspapers. There was a hidden room in the back of the restaurant where some hard hitting gamblers would come in everyday and drink, curse, play poker, black jack, etc. Vinny's Pizzeria was the first place I ever saw a man killed. He had been cheating at cards and was found out. A gangster I admired, called “Billy The Gun” shot him down dead right there at the table.” Xavier looked at me and smiled. “I don't think I need to describe what a sight that was for me. I believe you understand.” He continued. “I remember hiding in the corner of the room, a shocked fifteen year old boy at that time. I watched Billy take his money out of the man's pocket and walk away. Not one person in the place complained or even called the police on Billy. I thought it was cool to be a gangster; everyone respected gangsters or feared them enough not to get on their bad side. Then when I was twenty-two years old, I really wanted to run with Al Cantone. Al was the gangster in Chicago, he had pretty much wiped out his competition in the bootlegging business and the police couldn't touch him. I admired him and wanted to be a part of his gang. I wanted to wear the expensive suits, to sleep with the women, to have people fear me, respect me...” Xavier paused. “What happened?” John asked curiously. I looked up at him and he appeared to be just as enthralled in the story as I was. I had no idea that Xavier aspired to be a gangster. “Well, for three years, I did mediocre jobs for Cantone, like run messages to certain contacts, run some numbers for him, nothing that would make people respect or fear me. Then one day, some money was stolen and I was set up to take the fall. I found out a few weeks later the reason they had selected me as the fall guy. Cantone's mistress had tried to seduce me one night and I had refused her. She then told Cantone that I tried to seduce her! Cantone and his men took me into an alley and told me what they were going to do to me. I begged them not to kill me, swore I didn't have anything to do with the money that was stolen, but they didn't want to hear it.” Xavier said, then he sat up and looked at both John and me. “They shot me in the chest twice and left me for dead. I lay on the cold wet cobblestones, staring at the stars as they faded in and out of my vision. Then I heard footsteps approaching me. I thought at first, they had come back to make sure the job was complete, but then I looked up to see the face of the most beautiful man I've ever laid my eyes on. He lifted me up into his arms and then he sank his teeth into my neck. I was too weak to scream and I had no idea what the hell was going on. But I did know this, I began to feel ecstasy beyond my wildest desires throughout my limbs and just when I could die a happy fool, he pulled away. He looked into my eyes, I remember hearing him asking me if I wanted to live, he said if I drank from him, I'd live forever.” Xavier sat up and crawled closer to me, he leaned over and kissed my knee. He took my foot into his hands and began to lightly massage the aching muscles. I moaned and closed my eyes, completely enjoying the feel of his fingers as they kneaded the pressure points of my foot. “Go on,” John encouraged. Xavier chuckle and continued. “I took Darian's bleeding wrist into my mouth and drank for dear life. I wanted to live and at that point, I did not

have anything to lose. With every swallow of Darian's blood, I felt myself regain strength. I could feel the wounds in my chest healing. I could hear his heavy breathing as I fed, I can imagine how much it must have hurt him to bring me over. After it was done, my body ached, my stomach cramped for...I don't know, perhaps five minutes or so. He told me that my body was “readjusting” to the change. But when it was gone it would be gone forever.” “Darian took me under his wing, taught me things that broadened my horizons, we traveled...became lovers...” Xavier trailed off, chuckling. “He was the first man I ever had sex with but not the last!” he laughed again then grew calm. “However, he is the only man I will allow to dominate me. Well, there are those little instances. But I don't want to get into that.” Xavier said with an offhand gesture, though I could imagine what those “instances” were. “Darian believes that it would be a waste to limit your options when you have an eternity to live. I admire him, his perseverance, his personality. He has always been honest with me and I appreciate that. You could say I fell in love with him the moment we met.” Xavier said thoughtfully. I watched his expressions as he pondered his feelings for Darian. “Well,” he continued. “John, you had mentioned that Darian reminded you of a mafia boss, that is the same way I viewed him. Cantone had nothing on Darian, you could say I was...and still am completely enamored with him.” He pointed to John. “Okay, now it's your turn.” “Well, my story isn't quite as interesting as yours,” John said modestly. “You forget, I know your story and it is interesting.” Xavier stated. John smiled sheepishly. “Well, I was turned about five years ago. I had been working at a gay bar that was well known for its 'back room' activities,” John said then he winked. “Ahhh, I remember that bar,” Xavier chuckled then he threw me a glanced and abruptly stopped laughing. “I heard about it,” he said covering up his blunder. “Yeah I bet,” I looked at him accusingly. “Go on John.” “Well, I was the manager of this bar. I enjoyed it, you know, it was fun. Darian would come in...” John leaned forward, “...Visit the back room, flirt with the staff and patrons, you know, Darian being Darian. I thought he was the most gorgeous man I had ever seen! One night, when he came in and went straight to the Back Room, I followed. I wanted to see him fu-having sex. So I walked into the room and there he was. He had two men all to himself. He was giving one oral and the other was on all fours in front of him.” John looked at me and smiled. Then he continued. “I watched him work over these two men, they both looked like they were in heaven. I felt as though I was hypnotized, I couldn't move...nor did I want to. Then Darian turned, looked at me, smiled and winked. That snapped me out of it, embarrassed, I turned and practically ran out of the room.” John laughed then his face grew serious, his laughter subsided. “That same night, I got off of work around three o'clock in the morning, I was attacked by four gay-bashers. They beat the living shit out of me and I thought they were going to kill me. But then they stopped kicking and hitting me, and started screaming, two of them fled. I looked up to see Darian feasting on one of my attackers. The man was caught in Darian's hold, his body twitching uncontrollably as Darian drained him. At this point, I didn't know if I should pick up what was left of my body and hightail it out of there also. But then, Darian tossed the body to the ground next to the other, and walked towards me. I remember it so vividly. He kneeled down beside me and offered his hand to me. He smiled, I looked into his gorgeous green eyes and felt this sort of calm come over me. I took his hand and that night, I went to his mansion, he healed me with his blood. But later, we had a problem. I had become addicted to his blood and wanted it constantly!” he said with a devilish grin. “I suppose he got tired of my whining and begging and decided to turn me. I'm not really sure why Darian turned me,” he said thoughtfully. “Why don't you ask him?” I suggested. I was really enjoying hearing these stories about Darian. It gave me more insight on him. I knew perfectly well that Darian and John had sex, he did not have to mention it for me to know that teensy-weensy bit of information. I could not fault that against Darian, it was before we ever met and I suppose if I was immortal and impervious to diseases, I might have my fair share of back room escapades...I suppose...then again, Darian is a man...and Greek. “Maybe I will ask him, Natasha, maybe I will.” John nodded his head slowly as if in contemplation. “Alright guys, I'm too sleepy to keep my eyes open, I'm going to bed.” I declared then I looked at my watch, the time was 4:42am. “Looks like you will be going to sleep soon as well. How docs it feel when you go to sleep?” I asked with keen fascination. “Our bodies become extremely tired to the point where we can no longer move, then we close our eyes and there is just darkness until another night comes. I can describe it best to you as a mortal being so exhausted, that when they lay their heads on their pillow, they don't even remember falling asleep. It's that peaceful,” Xavier enlightened. It made me feel better. I would hate to find out the resting experience was traumatic. I smiled, then leaned over and kissed Xavier full on the mouth. It felt good to have a companion once again. And best of all, I felt that I could trust Xavier. “Good night...baby,” I whispered with a giggled. Xavier smiled and winked. “Before you go, do me a favor?” he asked. “What?”

“Sleep in the room with Sergio and Elise. If anything should happen, I know that they will protect you. I don't want you to sleep with John and myself, please.” Xavier requested sincerely. “Alright Xavier, goodnight.” I walked towards the room with Sergio and Elise, hoping they were not naked. I cracked open the door and peek inside. Good, they weren't naked, but they had changed clothes. Sergio was fully dressed as was Elise. I suppose they were taking their own necessary emergency precautions. I decided to take a page out of their book and keep my clothes on. I climbed on the cushioned window seat and drifted off to sleep. I decided to focus on Warren in my visions. I tried to not pry into his personal life, I felt that it was an invasion of one's privacy, but I just wanted to peek in on him. I wanted to see if I could see Darian through his eyes. And what I saw, I did not want to see! Warren was using the bathroom! I immediately cut off the vision, I even woke up for a few seconds, embarrassed by what I saw. But I must say... Warren is weeelll endowed...shame on me! I went back to sleep with the decision to not peek in on anyone.

Chapter Seven Day Five I began to feel a tapping on my shoulder drawing me out of my sleep. Slowly, I opened my eyes, I looked up, my eyesight becoming clearer and saw Elise standing over me. I sat up slowly and began to wipe my eyes. I looked around the room and noticed that Sergio wasn't anywhere in sight. “Where's Sergio?” I asked. “He went to the store for groceries, he should be back soon.” Elise said as she sat on the edge of the bed. She looked out of the window, then back at me. “I wanted to ask you...” She said softly, her voice fading. She looked down at her hands as her thumbs rubbed the insides of her palms. Then she looked back at me, her eyes held a certain sadness and apprehension. “I think I know what you're going to ask me and I'm ashamed that I didn't think of it sooner. Please give me something of his.” I said, speculating what Elise was going to ask me. If I hadn't been so ruffled by last night’s horrific shoot out, I might have thought about it then. Elise looked relieved; she sprang from the bed and walked towards Devin's suitcase. She fished through his belongings looking for something special of his that I could use. She removed a belt from the suitcase and walked towards me holding the belt with an outstretched hand. I looked at it then took the belt from her and proceeded to read the words that were on the buckle. The metal buckle had the words “Fuck You” carved into it. I chuckled; the belt reminded me of something Annette would have brought, only hers would have been more flashy, like “Fuck You,” spelled out in rhinestones or something of the like. I closed my eyes and felt a tingling sensation as I held onto the belt, I opened my eyes and looked at Elise. “He is still alive! I can tell because I felt a sensation when I made my connection with him!” I said excitedly. “Oh thank god!” Elise exhaled as her legs buckled and she sat down hard on the edge of the bed. Her hand hovering over her mouth. I could see her eyes water, she rose from the bed, walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind herself. I felt sorry for her; I could only imagine what she might be feeling at this point. I thought about leaving the room, but I figured if I were in her situation, I would want a shoulder to cry on. Slowly, I stood up and walked towards the bathroom door and knocked. “Elise, may I come in?” I asked softly. There was a lengthy moment of silence then the door opened. Elise stood in front of me, her eyes reddened. “Don't worry Elise, we're going to save him.” I said then I walked over to her and took her into my embrace. She was rigid at first, but then I felt her relax and her arms encircled me. “Thank you,” she said softly. But she didn't cry anymore. We broke our embrace and in better spirits, left the room. I peeked into the bedroom where John and Xavier were resting. They shared the bed, Xavier resting on his side and John was laying on his stomach, one leg tossed over the edge of the bed. I walked into the room and peered at Xavier. He looked peaceful, I touched his smooth cool cheeks and smiled. I double checked the curtains making sure no signs of sunlight could creep in. Then I looked inside the closet to retrieve another thick blanket to cover over the windows for added protection. The room was pitch black and now I was satisfied. I walked out of the room just as Sergio entered through the front door. He had several plastic bags with him, he kicked the door closed behind himself and I rushed over to assist with the bags. He handed me three of the lightest bags, I suppose he was humoring me. He took the rest into the kitchen. Elise walked in behind us. “What did you get?” she asked him as he placed the bags on the thick wooden table. He looked at her then peeked into the bags on the table. “Shit, a little bit of everything. If my stomach growled at it, I put it in the shopping cart,” he chuckled. “We have a ham, some eggs, bacon, steaks, chicken breasts, salad fixings, hmmm, let's see, ground beef, potatoes and some fruit.” He finished his grocery check and looked up at Elise. “You forgot the milk!? How could you forget the milk?” she asked, her hands on her hips. He looked off to the side, then back at her. “I didn't, it's in the car...I'll go get it,” he said. Then he left the kitchen, a few seconds later, we heard him start the engine and drive off. Elise laughed, doubling over, her hand covering her stomach. I laughed also, Sergio did a typical blunder, it was adorable. “I knew he was going to forget the milk, he always does. The funny thing is, he loves milk more than anyone else in our Pride!” Elise stated, shaking her head. She reached into another bag and found a few bottles of Synblood. Elise rolled her eyes, “I see that he did not forget this.” She said as she held up two six packs of synthetic blood. She placed them back into the bag then removed the ham. “Let's get started cooking,” she suggested. We unpacked the groceries and began stocking the refrigerator. Afterwards, we began preparing breakfast. Elise sliced the ham and I cut the potatoes and vegetables into bite-size portions. She glazed the ham while frying the slices on the stove. I baked the potato slices as I grilled the vegetables on the burner. Thirty minutes passed by before Sergio returned carrying two more bags. He came into the kitchen area and

placed the milk on the table along with two gallons of juice, one orange and the other, apple. “I thought you just had to go to the car?” Elise teased. “Okay, so I forgot!” Sergio admitted. “Mmmmm,” he moaned as he stood behind Elise and watched as she flipped over the honey glazed slices of ham. I watched them secretly and thought they made a lovely couple. I could understand Sergio's frustrations over Elise's lust for Darian. Hopefully, she'll see what she has right in front her before he finds someone else. Finally our lunch was ready and we sat down to eat. I had a slice of ham, some potatoes and a moderate helping of vegetables. I watched as Sergio and Elise piled their plates high with food. I swear, just one of these shape-shifters could eat enough food in one day to feed a small country! Surprisingly, I finished my meal before them and made small talk as they ate. I tried not to watch Sergio stuff his face with a huge slice of ham. He didn't even cut it into bite size pieces, he just forked it and stuffed it! Elise at least ate like a lady, cutting her food and eating bite size portions of everything. “I remembered something today,” they looked at me. “Warren said he was going to send us some surveillance equipment, we need that now, more than ever. We're going to have to go back to the hotel to pick it up.” I said looking at both Elise and Sergio. Elise was nodding her head in agreement, but Sergio continued to eat, only the expression in his eyes letting me know the information registered. “We'll go after this meal, do you think it's there already?” Elise asked. “I don't know, let me call.” I rose from the table and went to retrieve my purse. I found it by my suitcase, I pulled out my cell phone, praying that the battery was still functional. I found the little silver cell phone and clicked it on. The blue indicator light flashed and I checked the battery status and noted that I was good to go. One thing I knew for certain, my roaming charges were going to be through the roof on next month’s bill! I dialed the number to the hotel we had checked out of and hoped that I would not get cussed out by management...we did leave our room in shambles. The telephone rung twice before the receptionist answered. I was thankful she spoke English, I asked her if a package had arrived for me and she said yes. I informed her that we would pick it up shortly then hung up the telephone. I walked back into the kitchen, by now both Sergio and Elise had finished eating. “They confirmed the arrival of the package, we can pick it up anytime,” I said as I sat down in the wooden seat opposite them. “What kind of surveillance equipment is it?” Sergio asked, his Italian accent thickening slightly. “Well, hopefully there should be some wires and listening devices along with night vision goggles, thermo goggles, sort of like a spy kit.” I shrugged. “Ever wanted to be a secret agent?” I joked. “No.” Sergio said dryly. Well that's one way to kill a mood. As I looked at Sergio, I was intrigued, he appeared to be so manly and forceful, yet reserved somewhat. I was kind of curious as to which medical field he was in. “Sergio, if you don't mind my asking, what type of doctor are you?” I asked letting curiosity kill the cat (I swear, no pun intended!). “I do mind you asking,” he said flatly. He stared at me for a few seconds, making me feel uncomfortable then a wicked smiled began to spread across his face and he started to chuckle. “I'm just fucking with you. I'm a pediatrician, I work at a small clinic. What do you do?” he asked. First I had to get over the shock that Sergio played a joke on me. I did not realize he had a sense of humor. Then I was still taken aback that Sergio was a pediatrician, I wonder if his patients feared their doctor visits with him. I smiled then told them that I worked for the Chicago Word as a photographer. “Of course, I might not have that job by the time I get back to Chicago,” I said sadly. Sergio remained silent for a few moments, then he slapped his hands on the table before rising from his seat. “Come on, we have to go and pick up our spy kit,” he said as he walked out of the room. “You go with him, I'll stay here,” Elise said. I looked at her and smiled. I was thankful she was willing to stay and watch over John and Xavier. “Thank you, we won't be gone long.” I told her as I rose from my chair and followed Sergio, stopping to put on my thick coat. It wasn't freezing but it was cold enough for my taste. Sergio was wearing a bomber jacket, blue jeans and a t-shirt. I did not bother to ask him if he felt the differences in the weather, I knew the answer. Warren had told me that all shape-shifters bodies could acclimatize somewhat to different climates...lucky them. I stepped outside and noticed that Sergio had a different car. I looked around for the cab and did not see it. I walked to the car and climbed in, he climbed in alongside me behind the wheel and started the car. He drove just like all the other supernaturals I knew. I suppose the speed limit was just too slow for them. I turned to him and decided to ask him about the car. “Sergio, where did you get this car?” I ask. He threw me a sly glance then focused his eyes on the road. “Where do you think I got it?” he asked suggestively. Okay, now I had my suspicions, but I was going to let him tell me. “I have no idea,” I said, he laughed, his lips parting to show his pearly whites.

“I've stolen it. I figure we could borrow it for the time being,” he smiled as he pulled in front of the hotel. “Okay, go on and get that spy shit,” Sergio said. I smiled then I remembered I wanted to tell Sergio something that I thought would uplift his spirits. “Sergio,” I said softly. He looked at me. “Yeah, what's up?” “Devin is alive. I know this because I made a mental connection with him earlier today. When we get back, I will try to take a nap, I want to see what I can see through his eyes. I just thought I should let you know.” I informed him. He sat in the driver’s seat, his expression looked thoughtful, but I could see a hint of relief. Then he looked at me. “There is something I have been meaning to tell you as well,” he paused. I looked at him quizzically. “I'm happy you stayed, I was wrong to call you a liability...it's just that...” He paused again. I could tell he was not used to giving apologies. “Well, I didn't want you to get hurt, but as it is now, any one of us could die at any moment, so I guess we're all in this shit together.” There was a hint of frustration in his voice. I could definitely understand his feelings about our situation because I had them also. “That is true, we are all in this together,” I repeated then smiled slightly. I climbed out of the car and walked through the frosted glass double doors of the hotel towards the receptionists counter. The two female receptionists looked up as I approached. “May I help you?” one of the receptionists asked. Her brown eyes tracing over my attire. One of her eyebrows arched as she calculated my status by the appearance of my clothes. Well I'll have her know that I do not plan to stay at this ritzy hotel! I'm just picking up a package. This hotel has shitty room service anyway! “Hello, my name is Natasha Hemingway, I called this morning, I'm here to pick up the package that arrived.” I said as I fished through my wallet for my ID. The receptionist waited until I produced the little plastic card. She inspected my photo and information then she looked at me to confirm that the person in the photo was the same person looking at her. She handed back my ID and rose from her seat. She walked through a dark wood door and returned carrying a medium size brown box. I signed for the package and left. Sergio took the box from me as I climbed back into the car. “Is this it?” he asked curiously. “I expected a bigger box.” “This is it, come on, I don't want to be caught riding around in a stolen car,” I pointed out. Sergio smirked then started the engine and we headed back to the cabin. We were still driving when my cell phone began to vibrate. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at my caller ID. It was Warren, I clicked on the talk button. “Hey Warren, what's up?” I asked. “Great, I finally reached you!” Warren said excitedly. “Yeah, yeah! What's up, is there something wrong!?” his manner was making me nervous. “I thought you were going to have your cell phone on?” he sounded slightly upset. “I did have it on,” I said in my defense. “But somehow I must have accidentally set it on vibrate, I didn't know, I'm sorry. What is going on, you sound upset.” “Someone tried to kill Darian early this morning while he was sleeping!” Warren said, he sounded extremely troubled by this and rightfully so. I could not believe my ears, I felt my mouth drop open in shock. “They must be worried that Darian will get out of jail.” Sergio said as he listened to our conversation with his excellent hearing. “It seems that way,” Warren said, responding to Sergio's analysis. I was finally able to regain my senses after a few short moments. “Did they catch the hitman...person?” I asked, not quite sure what to call him, I suppose a vampire assassin. “No, can you believe that, he killed two officers and wounded three more in his escape!” Warren growled angrily over the receiver. “Does Darian know someone tried to kill him? Is he okay?” I asked, concerned for Darian's well-being. “He is doing fine. An officer saw the man who tried to kill Darian and from what they told me, Darian woke up in time to see the man for himself. So I'm guessing he knows someone wants him dead. This mafia must know about your ties to Darian, they must fear you in some way because they want Darian dead. I suppose they suspect he might break out and search for them.” Warren speculated. “Why do you suspect they know we have ties to Darian?” I asked, genuinely intrigued by Warren's suspicions. “Because, he has been here for four days going on five and just now, he has someone attempting to kill him. You must be sniffing around the right tree, I think they sent someone to murder Darian just as I fear they might send someone to murder you. I want you guys to be careful.” Warren said in a serious tone, I decided to fill him in on the events of last night. “Warren, it might be a little too late for that. They tried to kill us twice yesterday. The first hit was at a restaurant but that was not a direct attack at us. We were spying on a meeting hoping to get more information...we did. Then at our hotel room, they shot at us from the building across the street as well as the hitman who pretended to be room service in order to gain entrance into our room. They had silver bullets,” I said. I heard Warren gasp, but he remained silent as he waited for me to go on. “We were taken to the police station, but Xavier hypnotized the cops and they let us go. We were hit a second time, they attacked again while we were driving to a bed and breakfast inn. They shot up our cabs, both cab drivers were killed. One, I know for sure was working for the mafia and Devin was kidnapped. I was able to make a connection with Devin, so I know that he is still alive, but we don't know for how long.” When I

said this, I heard Sergio groan. “However, we do have an idea where he might be.” I added. We pulled in front of the cabin and I climbed out, Sergio grabbed the box and we walked inside the cabin. “Well, this is some fucking disturbing news!” Warren groaned I couldn't blame him. “Look, don't tell me where you're at, just in case. I want to take all precautions. Matthew and I are taking turns and extra shifts watching over Darian as long as the job will allow without people suspecting anything. For instance, today is my off day, but I'm here pretending I'm catching up on paperwork. I hate it, but I feel that it is necessary. Did you get the package?” he asked. “Yeah, I just picked it up a while ago.” “Good, listen, I have to go, please keep me informed.” Warren requested. “Will do.” I said then I hung up the cell phone. I looked at Sergio, he had opened the box and was going through all the contents. Elise walked over to him and inspected the gadgets as well. “You'll need these, not us.” She stated, referring to the night vision goggles. I walked over to the box and looked inside. “Does anyone here know how to use any of this stuff?” I asked, Elise shook her head and Sergio chuckled softly as he nodded his head. “I do, but it was your little boyfriend that requested this,” Sergio stated. I put the goggles back into the box and walked towards the bedroom. I was feeling a little tired, plus I wanted to catch a nap, hopefully I would be able to tune into Devin's visions. “I'm going to take a nap now.” I said informing the others as I closed the bedroom door behind me. I climbed into the comfortable bed and covered up in the warm comforter. I drifted off to sleep a few moments later and was surrounded by darkness for a while, then my visions came rushing to me. I saw Warren as he checked in on Darian. It was late night hours in Chicago, and Darian was drinking the Synblood, just as he had promised. Warren was telling Darian about our situation and I could see Darian's composure, he appeared to be unaffected by our combined situations, but behind his blank expression, his eyes held concern and anger. Darian thanked Warren for the information. When I was satisfied with my update on Darian and Warren, I searched for Devin's vision. Looking through Devin's eyes, I could see a white cement ceiling above me. I could hear the groans and wails of the other supernaturals in the room with me. Devin's body from head to toe was contained by silver bindings which stung his skin whenever he moved. I now knew that Devin felt weakness and pain throughout his limbs, every piece of Devin’s flesh that had been exposed to the silver was puffy with blisters and was taking longer to heal. Tears ran down the sides of Devin's cheeks as I felt him bite his bottom lip, trying to fight the urge to scream out in pain. Devin's captors entered the room and stood over him. I saw one, he was a shape-shifter, his scent told me that he was a wolf. His hands trailed down Devin's naked form to his genitals and he began to stroke Devin's flaccid penis. “Don't fucking touch me!” Devin shouted and spat at him. The shifter wiped the glob of spit from his shirt front and took Devin's jaw in his palm, pressing his face against the silver strap over his head. An agonizing scream ripped from Devin's throat and the wolf laughed harshly. “You're not in any position to command anyone, leopard!” he said, his Russian accent was extremely thick, his voice was deep like a growl. He leaned closer to Devin and sniffed his genitals then worked his way to his neck. Devin wanted to squirm, but didn't want to risk more contact with the silver bindings. The shape-shifter's tongue darted out and licked blood off Devin's nipple. He rose and peered into Devin's eyes. I focused on his golden tanned face, etching every curve and detail into my memory. He was huge, six-feet-nine-inches! A natural born. His dark brown eyes bored into Devin's, his long black hair was tied in a ponytail behind his back. He laughed once more then turned to walk towards one of the other captives. I could not see what he was doing, I could only smell through Devin, the other shape-shifters in the room. I could hear through Devin's ears the cries of pain and protests of the others that were being held captive. My vision clouded, I was being shaken by strong hands. I opened my eyes to see John standing over me. I blinked a few times to clear my sight, then I slowly sat up. My body felt relaxed, I looked around the room then back at John. “How long have I been asleep?” I asked. He shrugged. “I don't know.” He sat down on the edge of the bed, he was weak, I could tell he had not fed yet. H e looked lo be in pain. “We have some Synblood for you in the kitchen, I suppose you could heat it up.” I suggested lightly, he chuckled. “If you knew how unsatisfactory that shit is, trust me, you would not suggest it. It's like drinking vegetable oil!” he patted me lightly on the thigh and smiled. “Thanks, but Xavier doesn't want me to feed, he wants this mobster I have to turn tonight to be as weak as possible. So whatever blood I take from him, will be the only blood he'll get back.” I thought about it and had to admit it did make sense. I rose from the bed and walked into the bathroom. I closed the door, but before I did my business, I peeked my head out of the door and looked at John sitting on the edge of the bed, his forehead resting on one hand and his other hand was caressing his stomach. I almost hated to bother him, but it was necessary. “John?” I asked softly. He looked up. “Yeah?” “Can you step outside please?” I asked. He snickered, a devious expression crept across his face. “Okay, I suppose you don't want me to hear anything. I'll go,” he laughed once more as he left the room. I could feel my cheeks blush... the little bastard, I smirked, then grinned as he closed the door behind him. After I finished my business and brushed my teeth, I walked out of the bedroom and was stopped in my tracks by Sergio arguing with Elise...again. Well, they weren't really arguing per se, but there was a disagreement. “Look, I brought them this blood shit so that we won't have lo feed them!” Sergio said as he held up a bottle of Synblood. “Oh, for crying out loud Sergio, no respectable blood-drinker drinks that stuff!” Elise stated. She must have taken a shower, because her hair was still damp and plastered down the front of her pale pink bathrobe with the pink feather cuffs and trim.

“Really, it's not a problem, I'll drink it,” Xavier said. “I don't like it, but it will do in a pinch,” he said calmly trying to de-escalate the situation. “That's not the point! Look,” Elise snapped, then she looked at Sergio. “Look, Sergio we need them to be in their best condition for what has to happen, they are going to need a powerful sustenance. I will no longer discuss this!” she said as she walked over to Xavier. Sergio placed the bottle of synthetic blood on the table and stepped in front of her in a move so fast there was no way I could have caught it. It was as if he had teleported in her path. She stopped and looked at him, her hands going to her waist. “What's it going to be Sergio?” she asked. “You are my Queen, I can not let you do such a thing, I will do it,” Sergio said. I think everyone in the room must have taken in a deep breath of amazement, I know I did! “You don't have to.” Elise said, her green eyes softening as she looked into Sergio's grey eyes. “I know, but it is my duty and I want to.” He said, then he turned around to face Xavier. I looked at Xavier and from his appearance, he looked to be uncomfortable, his expression told me that he felt awkward about feeding from Sergio. “Okay Xavier, let's not make this shit any more gayer than it already is. Just get on with it!” he said as he stood in front of Xavier. “And you better not make me cum!” he warned. That comment seemed to brighten Xavier's mood. I watched his lips tightened as he fought the urge to laugh. “I'll try my best to adhere to your most elaborately expressed wishes,” Xavier chuckled. Then he began to kneel down in front of Sergio and Sergio tensed. “Hey! What the fuck are you doing!?” he asked nervously. Elise covered her mouth to hide her smile and John turned away as he laughed silently. I too had began to giggle, I had no idea just how uncomfortable this was making Sergio, but his reactions were still comical. Xavier erected himself and looked at Sergio. “I was going to drain you from the artery in your wrist.” Xavier informed him, faking innocence. Sergio shook his head and raised his wrist towards Xavier. “You don't need to go down there to reach my wrist.” “Oh Sergio, you're carrying on badly!” Elise stated with a chuckled. Sergio looked at her and smirked. Xavier smiled, then he bit into Sergio's wrist without warning, it was like watching a snake at tack. The speed in which it was done was highly comparable. Sergio inhaled sharply and bit his bottom lip. After a few seconds. I could see that Sergio was beginning to feel the effects of the bite, his eyes closed slowly and he began to pant softly. His eyebrows creased as his breathing became more rapid, his mouth opened and a soft moan escaped his throat. I thought Xavier was going lo bring him to the point of climax, but Xavier released him before the moment came. Sergio's eyes shot opened and he appeared to focus his vision on Xavier. He removed his hand from Xavier's hold and walked to the sofa, collapsing onto the cushions. Elise went over to him, she looked at the bite marks in his wrist and watched them as they healed. Xavier appeared to be floating, his flesh seemed to become more colorful, more human. I could see the blood under his skin. I walked over to him and hugged him, relishing his warmth. John groaned in the corner then stood up and began to pace the room. This must be torture for him, I felt sorry for John. I wished there was something I could do to help him. Xavier watched John walk back and forth, but said nothing. I figured this was the perfect time to tell everyone what I saw in my visions. “I had a vision about Devin,” everyone looked at me when I mentioned Devin's name. “He's being held somewhere, along with other captives of the supernatural race. There are other shape-shifters there, but I don't know why. They have Devin strapped to a table of some sort with silver bindings and this guy, this shape-shifter, he's kind of molesting him...I think.” As soon as I said that I wished I hadn't, because Sergio jumped up from the sofa and stormed towards me. Xavier stepped in front of me and he stopped in his tracks and glared at Xavier. “I'm not going to fucking hurt her, I just want clearer details!” he said through clenched teeth. I stepped in front of Xavier and looked at Sergio, I could see the pain and anger in his eyes. “This shape-shifter only fingered Devin's crotch, that is all I saw in the vision. I know what he looks like, he's Caucasian , about six -feet-nineinches in height, long black hair, he's Russian also.” I watched Sergio's expression as his mind search for the man matching those descriptions. I assumed that Sergio might have an idea who the shape-shifter was, possibly that this was the shape-shifter who kidnapped Devin. Sergio turned and walked away from me, he stormed outside, slamming the door behind him. Elise looked visibly upset by this new information and she followed behind Sergio. I turned to face Xavier, I hated being the bearer of bad news. I really liked Devin, I found him to be kind and sweet, he reminded me a lot of Annette and I did not want anything bad to happen to him. Xavier took my chin in his hand and lifted my face to his. “Don't be sad, Tasha. This is unfortunate, I know. But it is not the end. The guilty parties will not get away with any of this, I promise you,” he whispered. I put my arms around his strong shoulders and he held on to me. Sergio and Elise walked back into the cabin, Sergio was still fuming, but I could tell that Elise managed to calm him down, somewhat. “Your company is here.” Elise announced as she sat on the sofa. Sergio plopped down next to her, his arms crossed over his chest. John groaned when Xavier walked towards the door to greet the mobsters. Xavier stepped out of the cabin for a few minutes, then he came back in, opening the door wider for two men to carry a large crate into the cabin. They put the crate on the floor, and left only to return a few seconds later with another large crate. They placed the second crate on the floor next to the first with a heavy thud. Xavier stood beside the door looking outside, I wondered what he was looking at? Then I saw a man, about six feet tall, with thick, wavy, short-cropped jet-black hair and brown

eyes walk into the cabin. He was dressed head to toe in black, Xavier closed the door behind him. The mobster removed his long trench coat revealing an expensive looking black business suit and handed it to one of the men that accompanied him. He looked around the cabin, his gaze fell on the rest of us. He glanced at me, then his gaze trailed over Elise, approvingly. He smiled at Elise and winked. Sergio uncrossed his arms and scooted closer to the edge of the sofa. Elise put her hand on his shoulder and he settled back into the cushions. The mobster snorted then turned around to face Xavier. “Well,” he held his arms out from his sides. “I've upheld my end of the bargain.” The mobster stated arrogantly then he let his arms drop back to his sides. He removed his black leather gloves and gestured for his two men to open the crates. Both men walked over to the crates and opened one each, revealing a small arsenal. I had never seen so many guns in my life, especially not the kind of guns that were used in combat. Xavier walked over to the guns and picked one up. It looked like one of those M-16's I've seen in a lot of action films. Xavier checked over the gun like a pro, even ejecting the clip. “What about the ammo we discussed?” Xavier asked as he checked out another set of guns. “Like I said, I kept my end of the bargain. It's in that crate,” the mobster said as he pointed to the crate on the left. Xavier fished through the guns and found a box inside the crate. He opened it up and revealed ammunition that I recognized as silver nitrate bullets and regular silver bullets. Sergio rose from the sofa and walked over towards the crates. He too picked up a few guns and began to check them over with expert precision. When both he and Xavier were satisfied, Xavier closed the crates up. Sergio picked up both crates with amazing ease and carried them into the bedroom I was in earlier. The mobster appeared to become agitated. “Look, your product arrived just as I promised, now lets get on with this fuckin' transaction, I don't got all fuckin' night!” he said harshly and I might add, crudely, his thick Italian accent sharping his words. “No problem,” Xavier was very calm as he spoke. He then turned to John who was leaning against the far wall. “John, you know what lo do.” Xavier stepped to the side as John approached the mobster. I stood watching all of this take place, transfixed by every word, every movement. John walked over to the mobster and smiled at him. “Take off your tie and undo your top button,” John said. The mobster threw him an exasperated look, then began to undo his tie, fingers working at the little neat knot, then unbuttoning his top two buttons on his crisp black shirt. “Is this fitting enough?” he asked sarcastically. John threw Xavier an irritated look, then turn to face the mobster. He did not answer, he only grabbed the mobster by his shoulders, his two men inched forward, but the mobster held his hand out to stop them. They stood in their places, hands on their weapons. I glanced at the butts of their guns in their holsters, and was willing to bet they had specially designed bullets in those clips. John buried his face into the mobster neck and the mobster gasped, his eyes widening, his hands gripping John's forearms. I could see John's jaw muscles working as he sucked the blood. The mobster began to moan in ecstasy as his blood was drained. His body trembled in John's grip and a small whimper came from his throat. The room remained silent as this went on. The mobster's eyes glazed over, then rolled up into his head, eyelids closing slowly. Soon, the mobster's body gave one last violent shudder and John pulled away, but continued to hold the mobster's now unconscious form. “What the fuck did you do to him!?” one of his guys belted out as he attempted to aimed his weapon at John. Xavier moved with lightening quick speed and snatched the weapon from the henchman. The other man's hand went for his gun, but Xavier gave him a look that told him that would not be a wise idea. The man's hand went back to his side and he looked at his partner for some kind of confirmation, the other man only shook his head slightly. “We also honor our word. This has to be done, this is only the first half of the transformation,” Xavier informed the men. They seem to relax a little and returned their attention on John and their boss. John looked to Xavier and he nodded, encouraging John to continue. I felt like I was in some sort of vampire-mobster movie, it was exciting, but I was also terrified. Maybe that was why it was so exciting!? John had let the mobster slip from his hands to the floor, then he kneeled beside the man's prone body and pierced the flesh of his own wrist with his fangs. When he pulled his wrist away, his lips were bloody and his wrist was bleeding freely from the wide gash he had made. He pressed his wrist to the mobsters open mouth and waited. After a few seconds, the mobsters hands locked onto John's wrist causing John to gasp, but he made no effort to snatch his wrist free. John's wrist was locked against the mobster's mouth. John's eyes closed tightly as he bit his bottom lip. He appeared to be in a lot of pain. I noted that his chest heaved and his face was extremely contorted. I could tell that John wanted to pull himself free, but he did not. “That is enough.” Xavier said, after a few more seconds had past. John wrenched his wrist free, falling back onto the floor. H e held his bleeding wrist to his chest as he caught his breath. I went to his side, I could feel the goosebumps rise over the surface of my skin, my own personal, pain-in-the-ass side-effect that I get al the sight of blood. John looked at me and smiled. “I'm okay now, it's over...don't worry, I'll heal,” he told me in a raspy voice. He looked drained and tired, the transformation took a lot out of him. I looked up to see the mobster grimace in pain, he began thrashing on the floor, gripping his stomach. The soft grunts and whimpers coming from him, appeared to worry his underlings. Xavier only watched intently as the mobster thrashed about in pain. After a few minutes, he stopped his thrashing and slowly began to rise to his knees. He licked his lips as he

stared at his hands as if they didn't belong to him. He looked around the room and I immediately noticed the subtle differences in his appearance. I never really noticed the differences between vampires and humans, but as I watched this mobster complete his transformation, I could recognize all the little changes. For instance, his eyes seem to collect the light around the room, it was funny, but they looked to be the eyes of an innocent, the kind of eyes babies have or animals. I looked at Xavier to see if his eyes looked the same and they did. Well I'll be damned! I looked at the mobster again as he rose to his feet. His skin appeared to be smoother and his hair looked softer. He gazed at Xavier and smiled. “Very interesting experience, if I may say so,” he said as his smile broadened. Xavier looked at him and nodded. “You now have an endless eternity of nights ahead of you...my advice to you.” Xavier began, the mobster waited, his eyebrows raised inquiringly. “Don't fuck up. D on't piss Darian off. You are of his direct line now, his blood runs through your veins and for that he demands a certain allegiance. To disrespect him would not be a wise decision.” Xavier told the mobster, who seemed to reflect on what was just said. Hell, even I was reflecting on what was just said. It made me wonder, did Darian expect me to owe him an allegiance because he shared his blood with me? “Yeah, I got it,” the mobster said in a cocky tone, then he gestured for his trench coat. The henchman holding the coat placed the coat over his boss's shoulders, the other henchman opened the cabin door. “Our transaction is complete.” The mobster said as he walked passed Xavier through the door. Xavier closed the door and locked it. He walked over to John to check on him. John wrist had completely healed, but he was still weak. “How do you feel?” Xavier asked him. “Shit, like I look! That shit hurt like a son-of-a-bitch!” John grimaced. With Xavier's help, he rose from the floor. I ran to the kitchen and got two bottles of Synblood, then went over and handed John the bottles. “Aww, geez!” John groaned at one look at the bottles. He took the bottles from my hand and cracked one open. “I'll have you know I'd rather starve than drink this stuff, but I don't want you to worry about me, so I'll drink it.” John said to me, then he tilted the bottle to his lips and chugged down the contents. He finished the bottle off then tossed it into the trash can located in the kitchen. “Wow, nice shot! If this were a basketball game, that would have been an amazing three point shot from across the court!” I joked. He smiled at me, looking physically better, but I did notice that Synblood did not add color to his flesh. “That was amazing. Technically, I watched you go through labor pains, then give birth!” I giggled. Both Xavier and John looked at me, not getting the humor of my analogy. Elise laughed, Sergio looked as lost as the other two men. I suppose it will have to be an inside joke. “Oh, I get it now.” Sergio declared after a few seconds had passed. I giggled. Xavier stared at me a little longer, then smiled. “That's why I love you,” he turned to face Sergio and Elise. “We need to call in some help, why don't you bring in some of your people and I'll bring in some of mine.” Xavier suggested, Elise and Sergio both nodded. “Oh! That reminds me, I need to call Warren!” I said excitedly as I reached for my cell phone. I dialed Warren's number and waited for him to answer. I looked at my watch, the time was 9:52pm in Russia, that would make it around noon in Chicago. The telephone rang several times before someone picked up. “Hi Natasha, anything new?” Warren asked. “You bet! We need some help, plus I think you would be interested to know that this mafia has some shape-shifters as prisoners. For what, I don't know, but they keep them bounded by silver bonds,” I informed him. He was silent for a few seconds. “Thank you, Natasha. Don't worry, we'll send back up,” he said. “Xavier and Elise are calling for back up as well, we really appreciate it.” I said, feeling more hopeful about our situation. “Let me give you our address,” as I gave him our address, I looked up to see Xavier and Elise on phones contacting their crew. “Okay, Natasha, I've got to go so I can make that phone call. I'll call you later.” We said our goodbyes. Xavier finished his call, but Elise was handing her cell phone to Sergio. “Speak with your son,” she said as she handed him the phone. Sergio took the cell and began to speak. “What's the problem?...No you can not come...Because I said so!...Sebastian, I know you want to help, but I've said no, it's too dangerous.” Sergio appeared to be the loving father, concerned for his son's safety. I gave him some extra cool points for that. “I'm not going to argue with you about this, you stay there with your mother, understand me!” Sergio demanded, his thick Italian accent sounding forceful. He waited to hear his son's response. “Good, now put your mother back on the phone.” Sergio shook his head. “Madeleine, keep him there with you...good. Tell everyone else to get their asses out here, pronto...good...okay, bye.” He hung up the cell phone. I looked at Sergio. “How old is your son?” I asked, hoping he wouldn't think I was prying. “He'll be sixteen next month and bugging me for a car,” he chuckled. “Must be nice,” I said. Sergio rolled his eyes. “Nice like a boil on my ass!” he laughed. “No, no-I love him, he's tough like his old man,” he said proudly. “And stubborn,” Elise added. Sergio gave her a look as if to say, 'the tea pot calling the kettle black', I lowered my head grinning, trying to keep from laughing. “Alright, this is one thing we need to do, the reason why I've asked for this surveillance equipment-” Xavier began, getting our attention. “Yeah, I was wondering about that,” Sergio interjected. “Well, it's not going to be a nice or easy job, but one of you is going to have to do it.” Xavier said gesturing to both Elise and Sergio.

Sergio frowned. “What is it exactly, that one of us has to do?” he asked, he appeared to grow agitated. “Well, either you or Elise will have to wear this wire and go into the lion's den. We need to know what they are doing and why. Also, who do they have working along with them, if they have shape-shifters with them-how many? And who's to say they don't have vampires as well.” Xavier was so intelligent! I could see why he was Darian's second-in-command. He pulled out a small listening device that resembled a bullet from the spy kit case. “Fuck that! Why can't one of you go!?” Sergio pointed at John, then at Xavier. He was becoming more incensed; the room seemed to swell with the intense heat emanating from Sergio. I was beginning to feel very uncomfortable. I looked around and noticed that John had an uneasy expression as well. Xavier remained calm as he spoke. “Because, we will not know what's going on during the day, you will. You'll be able to hear and smell things Devin's senses might not have picked up. You're older and stronger than he is. I can taste it in your blood, but I already knew this anyway.” “This is fucking ridiculous, I'm not doing this shit and Elise is definitely not doing this. You can forget it!” Sergio rose from his seat. “This needs to be done, Sergio! We need to know what we're going up against, we don't want others to get hurt because we were unprepared!” Xavier said through clenched teeth, trying to keep his cool. “Tell you what you fucking fag, you can shove that shit right up your ass! You go into the fucking 'lion's den'! I've had enough of this bullshit!” Sergio snatched the small wire device from Xavier then tossed it at him hitting Xavier in the chest. “Go fuck yourself!” Sergio growled. Xavier rose, his temper flaring. “You know what? I've had enough of your constant fucking bitching! That's your fucking Pride member trapped in there, you should be trying to do everything in your power to save him!!” Xavier shouted, I backed away slightly, the atmosphere was getting too intense between those two. I've never seen Xavier so angry before, it was a bit frightening. John had moved towards the wall farthest away from where Sergio and Xavier stood. He was watching them intently as was Elise and myself. “He wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't for your fucking boyfriend and Master and his shady dealings!” Sergio retorted, making sure to pronounce the word “master” in an insulting manner. “Well, if it wasn't for him and his 'shady dealings' your member Daniel, would have caught a silver bullet ten months ago, don't forget that!” Xavier reminded. “Oh, you know what? That bullshit was her idea!” Sergio shouted pointing to Elise. “I never wanted to go to him, everyone in the fucking city knows he's as big a criminal as the motherfuckers we're fighting against now. If he could find a way to make a profit off kidnapping supernaturals, I'm sure he'd do it!!!” Elise tried to calm Sergio down, she tried to coax him out of the room. But he wasn't having it. I suppose the last straw had broken the camel's back. Sergio continued. “I have been shot repeatedly, one of my fucking members is being tortured, she lost her best friend!” he said pointing to me and I caught a mental flash of Annette's face and my heart sank. “And now we're all in this fucked up situation all because of him!” Sergio was shouting and a string of what I assumed were curse words flowed from his mouth in Italian. “He had nothing to do with this and you know it. If he were right here, right now, he would try to get Devin back all on his own. Sergio, it's not Darian's fault Elise chose him over you, perhaps you need to look at yourself for a change!” Xavier snapped. “But don't fucking blame Darian for your short-comings!” Sergio looked up towards the ceiling, laughing, I knew that kind of laugh, that meant something bad was going to happen and I moved towards the window. I had perfect timing, because Sergio charged towards Xavier like a mad man, moving at blinding speed. They began to fight, both Elise and I screamed at them to stop. Xavier punched Sergio knocking him against the wooden wall, the wood splintered and cracked under the forceful impact of Sergio's body. It looked painful, but did not seem to slow Sergio down, he was filled with rage and he simply appeared behind Xavier, drawing his claws down Xavier's back. Xavier growled low, baring fangs and in a movement too fast for any of us to see, Xavier was beside Sergio. He lifted him over his head but Sergio's cat-like reflexes came to his rescue and he flexed his body in all sorts of angles and squirmed out of Xavier's grip, allowing himself to land on all fours. However, he did not get away, Xavier knocked Sergio to the floor, his hand locking around Sergio's throat and his knee pressed onto Sergio's chest pinning him to the floor. Xavier's eyes had turned bright red and I was terrified. Sergio's clawed hands began ripping at Xavier's flesh, trying to get Xavier to release him. It was no use, Xavier's sharp nails were embedded deeply into Sergio neck. Elise walked over to Sergio and slapped him three times hard on his cheek. The sound of the flesh hitting flesh echoed over Sergio's growls and grunts. He grew silent, his eyes focused on hers as she loomed over him which seemed to calm him down. When he was still, Xavier's fangs receded and his eyes changed back into the beautiful grey that I was used to. Both men panted heavily, Xavier took his hand away from Sergio's throat and removed his knee from Sergio's chest. Xavier's hand, forearm and back were a bloody mess, but they were healing and Sergio's wounds were healing as well. I could see bits of Xavier's shredded skin reattaching itself. Both Xavier and Sergio seem to not be affected by the wounds and I wondered if the wounds on both men were as painful as they looked. There was a knock on our door that startled me. John walked over to Xavier and wrapped his arm up with a towel to help stop the bleeding while the wound healed. Sergio and Xavier silently stared at each other. Elise walked over to the door but before she opened it, she undid the belt to her pretty-pretty princess robe, revealing a pink lace and ruffled bra and panty set. Her body was amazing! She had a sexy six pack, long shapely legs and torso. I was kind of jealous...just a little. She opened the door, the cabin manager stood on the other side with his security officer. Both men's mouths dropped open when they caught an eyeful of Elise's attire...or lack thereof. “Is there a problem gentlemen?” she asked, thickening her French accent. Both men seem to come out of la-la land when they heard her voice. “Umm, well...ma'am, we heard some disturbance coming from this cabin, we wanted to make sure everything was in order.” The manager appeared distracted as his eyes trailed over Elise's body. A wide silly grin spread across the manager's face as he zeroed in on Elise's breasts then switching his gaze to her crotch. She was a brave woman, no way in the world could I have let their asses gawk at me! “Well, we were having a pillow fight and we got kind of rowdy.” Elise said as she trailed one delicate finger along the ruffled and laced trim of her bra. Both men's eyes lingered on her finger. They looked as though they were in a trance.

“Well...j-just...j-just try to keep the noise to a minimum, okay,” the manager beseeched. Elise giggled. “No problem, I'm sure I can manage that,” she said as she flirted with the two men. “Okay boys, I'm getting a bit chilled, bye.” She closed the door slowly as the two men continued to stare until the door was fully closed and locked. Elise huffed and closed her robe, retying her belt into a bow. She turned around to face Sergio, her hands on her hips. “I know that a lot of your frustrations are because of me, you're not sure as to my reasons for being here. You think it's because I'm hoping Darian will take me back.” She said as she walked closer to him, kneeling beside his head. “And at first, I was. But because I do love Darian, but even more, I wanted to save him. Sergio, he helped us and asked for nothing in return...nothing. It was I that desired him, that chased him, I tried to force my love onto Darian and he pushed me away... gently.” She said smiling sadly. She looked up at me. “I lied to you the first day we met when I told you I did not see what he saw in you,” she paused. “I do see... your passion, your compassion and sense of fair play. I've watched you these past few days, I've seen you risk your life for others and I know you care about Devin and want to save him as well.” Her eyes began to tear up, but she continued. “I know that Annette was your best friend, probably more of a sister, and I know that I can not take her place. But I want you to know that I offer myself to you as your friend and sister, if you would accept me,” Elise said sincerely. Oh great, now I'm crying! It was one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. I walked over to her and she rose, I hugged her, my tears sliding down my cheeks. After a few minutes, I released her and we smiled at each other, both of us wiping away our tears. Elise kneeled beside Sergio again, she took his head into her hands and gazed into his lovely grey eyes. “Sergio, my dear Sergio. I do love you and I have not done right by you because of my own stubbornness, this I know. You have done your duty by protecting us. It is not your fault that Devin was taken but with your help, we can save him. What Xavier purposes makes sense. Please Sergio, will you do this?” Elise asked softly. Sergio's expression softened and he sat up, his eyes never leaving her. His right hand came up to gently caress the side of Elise's face. “I have loved you from the moment I first laid my eyes on you over twenty-five years ago. You were the reason I joined your Pride. I would die for you, Elise.” He smiled. “I will do this, please don't cry.” Sergio whispered passionately. Xavier and John remained silent while Elise and Sergio talked. “I now know that you are my true mate, you have more than proven yourself to be a worthy king in every aspect.” Elise kissed Sergio full on the lips. His hand came up to hold the back of her head. The two of them shared a passionate kiss as if there were no other people in the room. Xavier and John moved away, Xavier walked over to me and took my hand, leading us into the bedroom to allow Sergio and Elise some privacy. When we walked into the bedroom, Xavier closed the door, John threw himself on the bed and I sat on the edge. I looked at Xavier, I had some questions to ask him. “Xavier, were you really trying to hurt Sergio?” I asked as Xavier removed the bloody shirt Sergio had ruined. He looked at me and smiled. “No. I understood why he was angry. He had the right to his opinion. I also knew he wanted to vent out his frustrations. I just happened to be the outlet, but even that was fine by me.” Xavier replied in his usual smooth manner. “What did Sergio mean when he said that Darian was as much a criminal as the guys we're tracking down?” I asked softly as my eyes trailed over Xavier's toned chest, taking in his perfection. “Natasha, I think that is a question you will need to ask Darian,” Xavier stated, I agreed. “Why do your eyes change color when you're angry?” I remembered the frightful sight of both Xavier and John in their more intense moments thus far. “Because we have different forms, which I don't think you ever want to see.” I decided to leave that subject alone, if he said I did not want to see it, then I certainly did not want to know about it. I looked at John who had climbed off of the bed and was now listening at the door and chuckling like a mischievous boy. “What are you doing?” I asked. I suspected I knew what he was doing but I wanted to hear it from the “horse's mouth”, so to speak. “Well, I'm a...I'm...” He trailed off, looking at Xavier who was watching him and laughing as he shook his head. “Okay, okay, I was eavesdropping!” and this he said, snickering like the lecherous fiend that he was. I broke out into a fit of laughter. “Well it's about time!” Xavier exhaled once he stopped laughing at John. Xavier laid down on the bed next to where I was sitting, then his arm snaked out and wrapped around my waist, pulling me down on the bed. I laughed and looked at him, his beautiful grey eyes sparkled with lust and love, his full luscious mouth parted in a grin. His fingers began to trace over my flesh, tickling along my erogenous zones. I slapped his hand away and he laughed. I could tell that he was used to having sex with an audience but I was not. “Hey you, naughty boy, not now,” I said jokingly. Xavier's grin turned into a mischievous one and I felt that I had to reiterate my point before he got any ideas. “Not now,” I said sternly. He pouted playfully and nodded. “Damn, he is really working her over!” John exclaimed as he stood by the door. John was grinning as he listened to Elise's and Sergio's love making. “Get you some business, damn!” I said, Xavier laughed out loud. John turned to face me and laughed. “We don't need you to color-commentate what we can all hear, I'm embarrassed enough as it is,” I stated. Xavier turned to face me, a questioning look on his face. “Why? It's just two people having sex.” “Well, I hold the act of sex in high regards. I don't think you should just screw anybody just because you're hot for them. People should treat themselves with more respect than that, especially women.” I stated. Xavier sat up and leaned on his right elbow as he looked at me. “Go on, I find this to be interesting,” he said encouraging me to continue.

“Well, people put so much emphasis on sex, like it's the end of the world if they don't get any. And it's the actions of irresponsible people engaging in these shallow sex acts that cause so much trouble. The vast spread of AIDS, herpes, and other STD's, not to mention unwanted pregnancies and abortions, can be contributed to some people who just wanted to have sex simply to have sex. People kill people over sex, people betray others over sex, it's ugly. I feel that I deserve better than just some roll in the hay just for the sake of being sexually active, big damn deal!” I looked into Xavier's soft grey eyes. “Before you, I had not had sex in almost a year because I wanted to share that wonderful, joyous experience with someone I cared for, someone I loved.” I said as I caressed the side of his strong jaw line. He lowered his head and kissed my palm. It was such a simple but romantic gesture, it made me blush. “I have to be honest with you, every since I met you, I have only slept with one person...Darian. Does this upset you?” he asked as he looked at me, studying my expressions. “In all honesty, I suspected as much. You and Darian were lovers long before I came around and I know that you both want me to be a part of your relationship. But I just don't know how I feel about that. It is going to take some time for me to truly be comfortable with the idea of the three of us together. You do understand, don't you, Xavier?” I asked him, looking into his eyes. “Of course I do. I can be patient for an eternity if you need me to be,” he said. He leaned forward and kissed me on the mouth, his warm tongue darting in to caress my tongue. I put my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me. His strong arms wrapped around my back, messaging my muscles, making me feel protected...safe and above all...aroused! “You whooo.” John said, gaining our attention, both Xavier and I looked up at him. “Hello, I'm another person in the world, and I'll be damned if I'll be the only one in this cabin not getting any.” John stood by the door, his arms folded across his chest, his foot tapping the floor repeatedly. “So step out!” Xavier joked, chuckling even as he said it. John pouted playfully then laughed. He walked over to the bed and flopped down. John looked at me. “How did you realize you had this ability to see the future?” he asked. “Well, about four months ago, I stopped taking this medication I thought I was taking for migraine headaches. I had been taking this medication for years, every since I was a small child, about four or five years old. Turns out the medication was prescribed to suppress my dreams, thus my visions. My parents were trying to protect me when they put me on the medication, I understand that now. And all was just fine and dandy until Annette convinced me to go drinking with her four months ago.” I chuckled as my memories traced back to that fateful night. That was the night that changed my life forever. “Well, I didn't take my medicine that night because I would be drinking. And I got really “scummy” at the bar and felt really sick, so we decided to leave. I bumped into this drunk guy on the way out and he dropped his keys. I pick them up and Annette took them to the bartender who gave the keys right back to the man. I know this because in my drunken stupor, I drifted off to sleep and I saw the inevitable car crash through his eyes before he rear ended the cab Annette and I was in. It was really sad, he was killed and the cab driver as well, Annette and I were hospitalized and that reminds me, I'm still paying for hospital expenses. I did not have any insurance at the time. But something else wonderful happened while I was staying at the hospital.” I teasingly wiggled Xavier's nose between my finger and thumb, he chuckled. “I met Xavier.” “That is interesting. Hey, I heard you slapped Darian, is that true!?” John inquired as he leaned over Xavier's shoulder, resting his chin on Xavier's biceps. “News travels fast, I see,” Xavier mused. “How did you hear about that?” he glanced over at John. “Well, you don't want to know. So did you?” John asked. “Yeah, but I wasn't thinking at the time. Trust me, had I been thinking, I would not have slapped him.” I thought back to the moment of impact, the inside of my palm against Darian's cheek. I thought it was curtains for me at that point. “Wow, I'm actually surprised to find out that it was true and not just a rumor,” John chuckled. Xavier smiled at me. “If you hadn't, he might have chalked you up with every other mortal that's ever crossed his path. You intrigued him, I've never seen anyone ever lift a hand to Darian. And when you slapped him, all I could picture was him destroying you and I feared that. I had no idea that one slap would entice him so.” Xavier said thoughtfully. “Me neither!” I chuckled. “Man, I bet Darian didn't think you were going to actually slap him. Darian's so powerful, I bet he doesn't fear anything or anyone!” John stated proudly. I had to agree. I looked back at John, his face rested heavily on Xavier's arm, he still looked tired. “Do you need to rest, John?” I asked. “You know, after giving birth and all, I'm sure you are exhausted.” I teased, chuckling at my own joke. “Okay, call me dense, but I don't get the analogy.” John said as he looked at me, puzzled. “You're dense,” Xavier retorted. “Well, the way I figure, a vampire can transform someone else into a vampire, so one can easily look at it as giving birth to a new life.” I shrugged, not having much more to say on the matter. “Makes sense now,” John said nodding his head. We talked about all sorts of things, such as our favorite movies or actors, just about anything to pass the time away. John looked at his watch and frowned. “Damn, how long are they going to go at it!?” he asked I looked at my watch, the time was 1:53am. Sergio and Elise had been going at it for nearly two hours! Just when we thought they would go on forever, we could hear them reach a second audible climax. After ten minutes, there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” John said. The door opened and Sergio walked in, his shirt off, he had on the pair of blue jeans he had been wearing earlier. His short black hair was

damp and disheveled and a thin layer of sweat gleamed over his body from the light that shone overhead. “Feeling any more relaxed?” Xavier asked teasingly. Sergio lowered his head and smiled, he looked back up at Xavier. “I want to thank you for earlier.” He gestured towards the living room of the cabin. “I really didn't mean to attack you the way that I did and I apologize for that.” Sergio said as he looked Xavier in the eyes. “You don't have to apologize, I knew why you did it. You were frustrated and worried about your Pride member, that is understandable,” Xavier said kindly. “Look we don't have much time to waste, why don't you get cleaned up, then we will prepare you for the infiltration.” Sergio nodded his head. Xavier, John and I rose off the bed, just as Elise walked into the room. Her hair was a tangled mess down the front of her robe. But she was positively glowing. I glanced at Sergio and he was looking at Elise as if he could go a few more rounds and I was not going to doubt his physical fortitude. But Xavier was right, our hours were numbered. “You two have twenty minutes, no funny business.” I joked as I noted Elise's lusty gaze towards Sergio. Elise looked at me and smiled. “Okay, okay, now shoo, so we can get dressed.” Elise said as she ushered us out of the room. We left and she closed the door behind us. John turned around and looked at the close door. “Damn, how many rooms are they going to run us out of!?” he chuckled. Xavier shrugged, then walked towards the surveillance equipment to set it all up. With Xavier's instructions, I plugged the listening devices into the proper jacks and tested the microphone on the wires. “Where did you learn about all this stuff?” I asked curiously. He looked up at me as he checked the frequency on a one-way wire. “Well, remember last night when I told you that I always wanted to be a wise guy?” Xavier asked “Yeah, you wanted to roll out with Al Cantone.” I jested, Xavier smiled. “Well, Darian knew I had a fantasy about that kind of life. Hell, I think I still do...I'm sure I do, but back to the point. He would let me run some of his businesses for him and even make some deals on his behalf. Sometimes I would hold meetings with crooked politicians and wear all types of wires to tape our conversations and the deals that were made. I think that was Darian's way to satisfy my wise guy fantasy.” Xavier replied, his eyes staring forward, thoughtful. “Yeah, I'm sure of it.” He nodded his head and smiled. I heard a door opened, then turned around to see Sergio and Elise exit the bedroom. Sergio was wearing a black sweater and indigo blue colored jeans. Elise had on a different bathrobe that was white and pink with sequined trim and feathered cuffs. What a bold fashion sense! They walked over towards us and looked at the equipment. Sergio picked up one of the bullet shaped wires and examined it. “Where in the hell am I going to put this...” his eyes focused on Xavier. “Seriously?” he asked. Xavier lowered his head, because he was smiling wickedly and did not want Sergio to see. When he had regained his composure he looked up at Sergio. “Actually you were right on the mark earlier. You remember when you told me to shove it up my ass?” Xavier reminded Sergio, grinning as he said it. A look of disgust flashed across Sergio's face and John laughed outright. “Oh man, you should see your face!” John laughed. Sergio grimaced. “You've got to be kidding me! Are you sure there is no other way?” he asked. “No other way, from the vision Tasha received, it is a good chance that you'll be naked, I don't think they'll look up there, do you?” Xavier asked. I could tell Xavier was enjoying Sergio's discomfort. I also noticed this time, that Xavier called me “Tasha”; I liked him calling me that. It was my nickname and the only two people who ever called me “Tasha” were my mother and Annette. “I will help you insert it.” Elise whispered seductively into Sergio's ear. He looked at the little wire between his fingers then back at Xavier. “You are enjoying this shit, I know,” he stated. “Ahh, fuck! Not a fucking word of this gets out of this cabin, does everyone understand that!?” he demanded, because it wasn't a question. Xavier bit his lip, suppressing a fit of laughter. “Who... would... I tell?” He managed to ask between chuckles. I had to go with Xavier on that one, who would I tell? Sergio was your typical heterosexual macho man. This must be killing him. I broke out into a fit of giggles; even John was watching Sergio and smiling. Sergio looked up towards the ceiling and exhaled deeply. “I can't believe I'm actually going to do this shit,” he stated to no one in particular. He handed Elise the bullet shaped wire. Then facing us, he began to unbutton his pants. He pulled them down and I noticed he was not wearing underwear. Frankly, I have no idea why I continued to look. I think, subconsciously, I wanted to see for myself if his manhood was as big uncovered as it appeared tucked away in his tight fitting jeans. Shame on me...for shame! Sergio had to be the most endowed man I've ever seen to date! At least ten inches and I'm not exaggerating! I fought the urge to crack out my measuring tape, I was sure I had one in my bag. I looked down to see Xavier eying him up as well. I popped Xavier on the back of his head and he turned his gaze towards me, smiling sheepishly. “Keep your eyes off of him,” I warned playfully. “Yeah! Keep your damn eyes off of me!” Sergio stated as he doubled over for Elise to place the wire into his rectum. Which she did with glee, pure glee. I believe she gained some sort of satisfaction out of the predicament that Sergio was in. Xavier leaned closer to my ear. “As if you were not looking, and probably mentally measuring,” he whispered. Oh-oh busted. I giggled. Elise glanced up, she heard what Xavier said to me and she was smiling. Personally, I have not the slightest idea how she could handle him. Sergio erected himself now and began to buckle up his pants. “Okay, so I take a gun with me just in case, but my main purpose for doing this is to get caught so that I could get inside to find out more information.” He exhaled deeply again. “I hope this shit works out, don't forget to save me,” he said before turning to face Elise. He peered into

her green eyes and leaned forward to kiss her passionately. He released her, then grabbed his leather bomber jacket and walked towards the door. I thought he was one of the bravest people I've ever known and I wanted to let him know how I felt. “Sergio!” I called out, he stopped in his tracks, turning around to face me. “I just wanted to tell you how honored I am to have met you. Please be careful,” I said. “Likewise,” he said, then he turned and left. A few minutes later we could hear the engine rev up and heard the tires kick up gravel as he sped off down the rode. I walked over to Elise and held her hand. I didn't say anything, there was really nothing I could say, it was as if her man had gone off to war. I wanted Sergio to be safe. I wanted Devin to be safe. I wanted all of this to be over. We waited for an hour as we listened to Sergio blast heavy metal music as he drove to the mansion. I was hoping that the goon from the restaurant had given us the right information. “I'm here,” we heard Sergio say. I kind of wished it could have been a two-way radio, but that would have been a dead giveaway. The last thing Sergio needed was to have multiple voices coming from his ass, telling him to “look out for this, get more information about that.” I could hear his car door shut softly as his foot steps moved quickly into what I assumed to be the perimeter of the mansion. “There are armed guards surrounding the mansion, I can smell the scent of the shape-shifters around this area, some have marked territories.” Sergio relayed. I was slightly confused, I had heard that phrase before. I wondered if he meant what I thought he meant, but I wanted it confirmed. I looked at Elise. '“Marked territories', does he mean what I think he means?” I asked. She nodded her head. “Exactly. All male shape-shifters feel the need to mark territory, it is an instinct.” She said clearing up any confusion I may have had. “I'm going to try a get a little closer, it's more difficult because they have shape-shifters on patrol as well. Wait-what the fuck! Holy shit Elise, you're not going to fucking believe this! Their pack alpha, it's Ivan! He has just arrived in his car, now he's going inside! What the fuck is going on!?” Sergio questioned. Xavier glanced up at Elise. “Is Ivan the pack alpha that you contacted? Do you know him personally?” he asked. Elise was listening intently to the receiver, her gaze shifted to Xavier. “Yes. I contacted him and asked for permission to vacation in Russia. I suppose he now knows we were not planning a vacation. We have been acquainted for a few years, I never thought that he would betray his own kind to the mortal world!” Elise said, visibly disturbed by the new information. I myself didn't know what to think. “Why would the local wolf pack side with the Russian Mafia?” I asked, I hoped I did not sound as naive to them as I sounded to myself. Xavier looked up at me and shrugged his shoulders. “I have not the slightest idea, I'm hoping that Sergio will be able to gather some information that will expose what's going on here.” The four of us continued to listen as Sergio relayed more information to us. “There is a limo pulling up...I've counted seven Japanese males emerging from the limo. I suppose they are all here for some kind of meeting or something. They're all walking inside now, who could they be...possibly Yakuza?” Sergio speculated. From what I was hearing and based on the last four days, I was willing to bet his assumptions were correct. If Sergio was right and those Japanese men are Yakuza, then we are really in a shitload of trouble! “There are two guards in a watchtower overlooking the mansion. They are armed with high powered rifles with scopes, and they probably have silver ammunition,” Sergio relayed. “Okay, I've circled the whole perimeter and I've counted twenty-seven guards in the front of the mansion, including the two in the watch tower. Around the back, there are another ten guards to total thirty-seven guards. “So I guess this is the point where I try to storm the fucking building.” Sergio paused. I looked at Elise, I could see her jaw tighten and I knew she was holding her breath. I couldn't say that I'd blame her, I was on pins and needles myself, and I would be in worse shape if this were Xavier doing this extremely dangerous mission. “Everything will be alright Elise, don't worry about a thing.” I said, I hoped it gave her some inkling of comfort. She looked at me, her pretty green eyes focusing on mine and she smiled. “Thank you, Natasha. I am worried about Sergio,” she took a deep breath then released it slowly. She looked back at Xavier. “I sure hope doing this does not get him killed or...”she shook her head and began to slowly pace the room. “Okay, I'm taking out as many of these sons-of-bitches I can. If I don't make it back...Elise, I want you to know that I will always love you. And for the rest of you, it was nice knowing you.” Sergio said. The words hit me like a tidal wave. It was as if Sergio did not expect to make it back and I didn't know what to think. I didn't want to see anyone else killed, and I was hoping that the enemy would simply capture Sergio and from there, more information might be gathered. But with Sergio saying he was going to “take some out”, there was no telling what the outcome was going to be. “It's a fucking suicide mission, he's not going to kill the guards... is he!?” John asked, perplexed. “They might kill him because of that!” I looked at Elise and Xavier who seemed to be as perplexed as I was. Xavier turned to John. “That was not necessarily my plan, but I am not totally against it. It would get him captured and if he plays his cards right, they would think he was acting on his own once they scope out the area and notices he is alone.” Xavier explained, then he looked at Elise. “How well does this pack alpha know you?” he asked. Elise stopped pacing the room long enough to answer the question. “We have known each other for the past ten years. We may speak to each other on the telephone once or twice every year or so, but that is it. He wanted me as his lover, but I was never interested in being a wolf's lover...not when I had my own Pride to take care of. He never accepted my answer or respected my choice to decline his affections. If you want to know if we were ever lovers, the answer is no, I was never attracted to him in that way.”

She started to pace the room again, her hands crossed over her chest. I looked at John, who seemed to be extremely interested in Sergio's next move. I decided to focus my intention on what Sergio was doing as well. We listened to Sergio's barely audible foot steps as he raced towards the mansion. Soon, we began to hear the painful guttural sounds coming from the guards he slew. I knew why he was doing this and I knew more of this would be done tomorrow night, but it was still very difficult for me to sit there and listen to the sounds of people dying. I rose from the sofa and walked into the kitchen for a glass of water. I could hear the muffled wails and gasps of the guards even still. I looked towards the living room area and saw that Elise had stopped pacing the room, she now stood over the little black receiver. After about five minutes of listening to Sergio kill the guards, we began to hear the walkie-talkies informing the people inside the mansion of a security breech. Two minutes later, we could hear Sergio's foot steps stop abruptly. I walked back into the living room, and sat down on the couch beside Xavier who had leaned a little closer to the receiver, a frown on his face. “Well, well, well, what do we have here, a little pussy cat,” said a deep and heavily Russian accented voice. “You're the fucking dog that took Devin!” Sergio said, practically growling. “Yes I am and he is a reeeaaal sweet kitty cat.” The shape-shifting wolf said. I was beginning to think this may be the same man I saw in my vision through Devin's eyes. I hoped and prayed that he did not do to poor Devin, what I was thinking he did. “Where the fuck is he!” Sergio growled. The man laughed. “Do you think it is going to be that easy, you come here...” he paused. We were listing all the more closely for any details that could be gathered. “He is sniffing the air, he is trying to see if we are there.” Elise said. “You come here all by yourself on some gallant mission to save someone who can not be saved. How pathetic,” said the wolf, his thick accent threading each word, making it somewhat difficult for me to understand what he was saying over the microphone. I must admit, Warren did send some excellent equipment. Even though the little wire was in an unmentionable place, the reception was fantastic...considering. “As a matter of fact, that was my plan,” Sergio replied dryly. “The only way you are going to see your little pal, is if you join him, just come along with me nicely. Hell, if you remain a good boy, we might even have some play time later,” said the wolf with a lecherous sounding chuckle. “I can show you the same game I showed your little kitty earlier!” the wolf laughed outright. “YOU SON-OF-A-BITCH!” Sergio shouted angrily. I could tell from the rapid sound of wind rushing, that he was moving very fast and I bet he was moving towards the wolf. There was the sound of cloth being ripped. We could hear a tussle between the wolf and Sergio, the four of us sat in the small living room and listened to the menacing growls that were emanating from both Sergio and the wolf. I was watching Elise from time to time, seeing her reaction to all of this. She put her hand over her mouth when she heard Sergio grunt in pain. I looked at John and Xavier; John appeared to be enthralled as he stared at the receiver. But Xavier looked the same as before, a crease in his eyebrow, his lip turned down in a frown. I could not help but wonder what in the world did he think about what he was hearing. I continued to listen, I heard a loud thump and I assumed Sergio had fallen to the ground. “Pick him up!” said the wolf. “Take him inside; we'll see what they want to do with him.” His voice seemed to get closer, more clearer, I figured he had moved nearer to Sergio. “If they let me have you, we are going to have a lot of fun together.” with that, he laughed. We could hear Sergio being dragged off. A few minutes passed before we heard other voices, some spoke in Japanese or English and other voices spoke in Russian. I looked towards Elise and Xavier to translate. Both seemed to be too busy listening to translate, so I left it alone, I was sure they would fill me in later. “We found this outside; he killed fifteen guards before we got to him. He came for the leopard we acquired yesterday, what do you want me to do with him?” asked the wolf in English. I was happy about that. Damn! Fifteen guards! Sergio wasn't playing around! There was a long silence, then I began to hear other people laughing in the back ground. “Well, fifteen guards, you don't say? That is pretty fucking impressive.” There was a pause, then the male voice continued. “Do you know him, Ivan?” asked a deep voice, with a heavy Russian accent. “Yes, I do...I believe his name is Sergio Giovanni,” replied another deep masculine voice. Then there was another silent pause. “That's right, I fucked her!” Sergio said. I had no idea where that response came from, I looked at Elise. “Why would he say that?” I asked her. “Ivan must have sniffed him and caught my inner most scent still lingering on Sergio. Sergio knows that Ivan desires me and he is rubbing it in...oh Sergio! ” Elise said nervously. Her eyebrows remained creased as she listened. There was a harsh sound of skin being smacked and I knew Sergio must have been hit. Then there was another and another smack, then we all heard Sergio groan and cough. “Not so high and mighty now, are we? Pick him up!” I believed this voice belonged to Ivan.

“He is strong, his blood would come in handy on the trade. However, I know that he is not alone, get information out of him. I want to know where his comrades are. I also want to know how much he knows.” I suspected this voice belonged to the Russian mafia boss. “Can I have a little fun with him, sir?” we heard the wolf ask. “Sure you can, but don't waste time needlessly, which means no funny business. Get me that fucking information first!” this voice, we recognized as Ivan's. “What are they, yakuza?” Sergio asked boldly, conveying this important information to us. “Yes, they are,” chuckled the mafia boss. “Why are those American politicians here!?” Sergio demanded, he must have recognized some of the people there as politicians. “Why is he still standing here in front of me, get him the fuck out of here!” yelled the mob boss. “Come on, let's go kitty-kitty.” The wolf said and we listened as Sergio was dragged away. The sounds of laughter erupted as Sergio was being taken out of the room, then faded away at the sound of the doors closing. “You and I are going to have a lot of fun together. I have so many toys I want to show you,” the wolf said teasingly. “I can't fucking wait,” Sergio replied dryly. “Neither can I,” the wolf responded. Then I heard the metal click of a lock and the sound of a squeaky door being opened. “What the fuck is going on down here!” Sergio exclaimed. I looked at the others in the room, everyone was silent, all eyes were staring forward as they listened to everything. I suppose they were doing what I was doing and that was mentally picturing everything that we heard. “Sergio!!” Devin yelled. I noticed that Elise's eyes widened when she heard the sound of Devin's voice, letting her know that he was still alive. “I'm here now, Devin. Don't worry, okay.” Sergio said attempting to calm Devin down. “Sergio, where are the others!?” Devin asked, we could detect a slightly nervous tone in his voice. “I am here on my own, Devin, that is it,” Sergio said. Devin must have caught the hint that Sergio did not want to give away too much information, because he did not say another word. We could hear Sergio being manhandled and it was pissing me off that this was happening. We heard the sound of chains clinking together and I suspected that Sergio was being tied up with silver chains, because no other chain could contain him. I knew the chains would be painful for Sergio, silver was painful to all shape-shifters. “There, that outta feel reeaall nice,” the wolf said. I could hear Sergio panting and groaning in pain. “Now tell me, where are the others!?” the wolf demanded. “Go fuck yourself!” Sergio spat out. Then he groaned in pain again. The wolf chuckled. “Go fuck myself...is that your answer?” he paused, I suppose he was giving Sergio a chance to change his mind...but he didn't. “Well, maybe I'll just fuck you, how does that sound?” he threatened Sergio gleefully. “If you even think about touching me, know this...I will kill you!” Sergio warned in a tone so menacing, it scared me. The wolf laughed outright. “You will kill me, how is this so!?” he paused to laugh once more. “You don't look like a man in the position to threaten anyone...in fact, you are in the right position for one thing only,” the wolf said with a chuckle. “Get the fuck off of me!” Sergio yelled. Elise had risen from her chair and began to pace the room again. Xavier rested his chin on his hand as if in contemplation, his eyebrows were furrowed. I could tell he hated what was happening to Sergio...and also what probably happened to Devin. John had looked away from the receiver, he gazed down at his hands resting in his lap. “I am going to make you feel reeall good. In a minute, you won't even remember your little bitch!” said the wolf breathlessly. “I'm going to fucking KILL YOU!” Sergio threatened, then we heard the chains rattle violently as if he was struggling against them. The wolf laughed again. “You are going to like this,” he chuckled. We heard the door open, someone must have entered the room, thus interrupting the assault. Thank goodness! I was not so sure I could listen to Sergio being raped. Nope, I know I could not have been able to listen to Sergio being raped. And from the expressions on everyone else's face, I doubt that they would have been able to do so either. Well, maybe Xavier would have been able to deal with that prospect better than the rest of us. Xavier seems to keep his composure under extreme circumstances. We heard an unfamiliar voice yelling in Russian and Xavier immediately began to translate. '“Hey! What the fuck are you doing? The boss

wants information out of him! That does not give you an open policy on his ass. You are supposed to be finding out where the others are hiding, not getting your fucking rocks off!!!”' Xavier repeated what the man said in English for John and myself. '“Don't fucking interrupt me, I'm busy!'“ Xavier continued. “That was the wolf who's tormenting Sergio.” “I got that part, I can tell who's talking by the distinct sound of their voices, please go on,” I said. The two men continued to argue and Xavier translated for us. '“Should I tell Ivan about all this? That you are wasting time? Do you think he is really going to tell you anything if you fuck him?'“ There was a sound of wind gusting, followed by several snarls and growls, I heard the sound of a body being slammed into something solid, followed by the sounds of someone grunting. '“You even think about telling him and I'm going to put more pain on you than that!'“ Xavier was able to keep up with their confrontation perfectly. I could tell that this was the wolf speaking. “I won't have to tell him a thing,” the voice was now panting. Xavier continued. “When Ivan smells him on you and realizes you have been down here fucking around, that will be your ass on the barb, not mine.'“ The man began to chuckle. “I’ll get the fucking information, don't you worry.'“ '“Fine, Ivan wants the info pronto.'“ Xavier looked at me. “Did you get all of that?” he asked. There was the sound of a door opening then closing. I supposed the other man left the room. “Every word, thank you.” John and I said in perfect unison. Xavier nodded, then returned his attention to the receiver. “I guess your fun was ruined,” Sergio chuckled. “Oh, I'm still going to have fun, we'll just have to save our little game for later,” the wolf responded. Then there was more silence. The silence was getting on my nerves. I wished I was there to help Sergio. “You are going to tell us what we want to know. Where are your comrades!?” demanded the wolf. “Kiss my ass!” Sergio said audaciously. “Fine, we will be doing this the hard way after all.” There was the unmistakable sound of skin being burned and Sergio growled in pain. Over and over again, we heard the sound of Sergio's skin being mutilated and burned until Sergio began to cry out over and over again in agonizing wails. Elise had begun to cry, she stepped outside on the porch. I followed her, tears flowed from her eyes freely. I walked up behind her and put my hand on her shoulder. “He will heal, Elise and they will get the justice that they deserve.” I said, trying to comfort her. I could not completely imagine what she was feeling at this point. I knew that most shape-shifters who lived in groups were extremely close, probably more in tuned and adapted than most socalled “normal” families. This must be torture for her. “This is all my fault,” Elise sobbed. “I came here because I wanted to win Darian back by trying to save him. I've endangered my people! Sergio was right, I'm not fit to be their queen!” she cried, her hand hovering over her mouth. “That's not entirely true,” I said. “Elise. You are just feeling guilty because Sergio and Devin are in this situation, but it is not your fault. Remember when I asked you why you decided to help Darian. Remember what you told me? You said you wanted to help Darian because he helped you once, with no questions asked. There is nothing wrong with returning the favor. Maybe you thought that by doing this, Darian would see you in another way, but that was not your reason for coming here. You felt that you owed Darian. Sergio and Devin joined you, because they love you. Sergio wanted to protect you and you will see, you will have your chance to return the favor to Sergio as well. Everything will work out, we would never have made it this far without you guys,” I said. “Right now, we need you to be strong. You are their queen!” I hoped that I inspired Elise. I respected her, she was as brave as anyone I knew and I did not like seeing her cry. “You are right,” Elise said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “I will save Sergio and Devin.” She looked at me. “I want to thank you for the kindness that you have shown me in spite of my behavior, you did not deserve it.” I was so touched, so this was the real Elise, no wonder Sergio is willing to die for her. She was extremely admirable. Elise chuckled softly. “You know, Natasha...when I first met Darian, I thought he was the sexiest and most charming man I have ever seen. A true scholar and aristocrat, someone of my class.” She paused, then continued. “I was married once before, an arrangement my mother orchestrated, he was cruel, powerful and overbearing. He controlled what was supposed to belong to me and I had not the strength to take it from him. When he passed away, and I gained what was rightfully mine, I was not so inclined to share it with another soul.” She turned to face me, a sad smile on her lips. “Darian was safe,” she continued. “He had his, and I would have mine and we would be able to satisfy each other without any strings attached. At least that is what I told myself. And now that I have found happiness with Sergio, I don't want this to be a situation where it's too late.” She shook her head. “I will not settle for that!” Elise said with determination. Wow! I had no idea. I now had a better perception of who Elise was. She was smart, strong-willed, even a little vain...but above all, she's still a woman nonetheless. I completely understood where she was coming from. Elise took a deep breath then exhaled. “Let us go back inside,” she said, then she took my hand and we walked back inside the cabin. As soon as we entered, we could hear the torturous wails of Sergio over the receiver, and I fought the urge to run back outside. At this point, standing in the chilled outdoors was better than sitting in the heated cabin. Elise was brave, she sat down in the chair and listened to the receiver. John and Xavier were still sitting where we left them, only now, Xavier had his head resting in his hands, elbows on his knees. “You might as well fucking kill me, because I'm not telling you shit!” Sergio spat out through gasps. I could hear the anger in his voice and was relieved that he had energy enough to be angry, it proved that he had plenty of strength left. There was the sound of the door opening again. “Ivan?” the wolf sounded surprised.

“Gregor, have you made any progress?” Ivan asked. I was relieved that they were speaking in English. “No, he's being stubborn.” Gregor the wolf paused. “But I am sure I can break him.” “When?” Ivan inquired. “A few hours, perhaps, maybe less.” “You have one hour, if you can not get the information in that time, chain him up with the others. The politicians have decided to open the underground trade, his blood along with the others would sell a pretty penny, thus gaining us a handsome fee for supplying the goods. If the others come for him, we will be prepared,” Ivan said arrogantly. “What about the vampires and the human chick?” Gregor asked. “There are fifteen Pack members here, plus the humans, and they have weapons equipped with K-13's, even a vampire can not survive a gun shot to the head with one of those things.” Ivan began to chuckle. “As for the human woman, do what you want with her.” I felt a lump in my throat at the mention of my disposition. I had to swallow hard to keep from passing out. I did not want to think about what they would do to me. “What about Elise? Should we trade her as well if we capture her,” Gregor asked. “What do you mean if? We will capture her, it is just a matter of time. But when we do, I want her for myself, keep her two kitties alive... and untouched. I want to be able to use them as leverage against her. Do I make myself clear?” Ivan asked sternly. “Crystal, sir,” said Gregor, his tone sounded sullen. Ivan chuckled. “I know you have had your eyes on the smaller one and I know of your visits with him during the day. If Elise does not give me what I want, then you can have him, but not until then,” Ivan said. “Thank you,” the tone of Gregor's voice perked up as he anticipated the prospect of doing unspeakable things to Devin. I myself was relieved to know that he had not assaulted Devin as of yet. “Good, carry on and remember, you have one hour.” Ivan reminded him before leaving out of the room, closing the door behind himself. “So, that's what this is all about, you fucking traitors! How can you do this to your own kind!?” Sergio exclaimed. “Easy! We want money and power. Besides, you are not of our kind. Sure, you are a shape-shifter, but you are just a leopard. We are wolves and only the wolves in our pack are exempt, everyone else is fair game!” Gregor chuckled. “I'd rather die a thousand torturous deaths than have Elise give herself to that turncoat motherfucker and she knows this!” Sergio said loud and clear then he began to laugh. “He will never have her, never!” Sergio said defiantly. “We will see. Maybe, I should torture your little friend out there, perhaps he can tell me what I want to know.” Gregor threatened. Sergio laughed harshly. “You have already tortured him and he has not told you want you wanted to hear, this is why you are in here now...wasting your fucking time!” Sergio said matter-of-factly. I laughed outright and even Elise chuckled. John's and Xavier's faces began to perk up. “Shut the fuck up!” Gregor yelled, then he continued to torture Sergio, the sounds of Sergio screaming in pain were damn near impossible to listen to. Sergio was so tough! He never revealed any information. An hour passed as we listened to this torture before Gregor stopped. “Fuck!” Gregor growled. “You'll pay for this, you can not save your precious queen anymore than you can save yourself!” he finished. “So you say,” Sergio panted weakly. We heard chains rattling and clinking on the floor. Then we heard what we suspected was Sergio being dragged once again, he moaned in pain but did not say a word. A few moments later, we heard the clinking sound of metal and I assumed Gregor was binding Sergio the same way they had bound Devin, and the metal sounds we were hearing were the silver bonds being snapped into place. “See you soon!” Gregor whispered. There was silence for about two minutes. Then Sergio began to speak. “Devin, are you okay?” Sergio asked. “Yeah, I'm just peachy!” Devin chuckled. “How is everyone else?” “Elise and everyone are doing fine. Listen, do you know what's been going on here?” “Not exactly, I have not been able to see a damn thing since I got here. But I suspect they are taking our blood and selling it on the black market. That's the little snippets I hear from time to time when one of 'em comes down here to do the deed.” Devin said, I could tell how much it angered him that this was going on by the tone of his voice. “Elise baby, I hope you are still there listening,” Sergio began. “Elise! Listening! What's going on!?” Devin asked excitedly.

“I'm wearing a wire,” Sergio whispered. “Everything that we say is being monitored and recorded. It was Xavier's idea.” Devin chuckled. “Sergio, you are butt-ass naked, where the hell did you stick a....oh, never mind.” Devin continued to chuckle. “One more laugh and you will pay for it when we get out of here,” Sergio warned jokingly. “I'll be good,” Devin said playfully, still laughing. I was pleased to know that Devin was still in high spirits, it appeared Sergio being there gave Devin hope and comfort. It made sense considering Sergio was their protector, not to mention, he was wearing a wire. “They have us locked up in the basement of the mansion. From the front door, you take a right and walk down a long corridor, then you will come to a black door. That door leads to the basement, and down here you will see about seven shape-shifters, two wolves, three leopards, one cheetah and one coyote. I noticed they had two doors towards the back of the room, and I managed to peek inside as I passed by one. I saw that they had a vampire in there. There was an ultra violet lighting system blocking the exit, that's all I managed to see.” Sergio informed us. We could hear the other shape-shifters in the room talking asking Sergio questions. “Take it easy, I'm here to help, just stay cool.” Sergio instructed them. I looked at Xavier. “Hell, I'm surprised he was able to see all of that!” I said, amazed at Sergio's skill to take in details. It was at this point that I really wished he had a two-way radio so that I could tell him how proud we were of him, but I think he already knew. “They've chained me completely with silver bindings and I can not move, this shit fucking hurts too. A few of the wolves are pretty strong. So make sure you take that into consideration when devising your plan,” Sergio said. “Tell me about it! I tried to fight them off, but couldn't.” Devin said. “Don't worry, Devin, it's ok. You four better hurry up and save us....I miss my woman.” Sergio said with a chuckle. “Wait, hold up, did you and Elise finally mate?!” Devin asked enthusiastically. “Oh yeah!” Sergio exclaimed. “About time!” Devin began to congratulate him. I looked at Elise and saw that her face had turned bright red and she began to chuckle. “Damn men!” Elise chuckled. She relaxed in the chair. Sergio and Devin began conversing, Sergio was bringing Devin up to speed on all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. Devin was amazed by the past events. “They tried to kill Darian?” he asked, astounded. I could tell the thought that someone tried to assassinate Darian had shocked him. “From what I have heard about Darian, he could probably single handily tear this place apart with ease!” “Eh! Enough about him,” Sergio grunted. “I'm laying here in pain and the last thing I want to hear is how powerful he is.” “Still bitter?” Devin teased. “Maybe, but I'll get over it. I just don't want to talk about him right now. I'm still pissed we are all in this situation.” “I understand.” There was another moment of silence, then they began to talk about their Pride and other things such as sports or the type of car Sergio was going to buy for his son's sixteenth birthday. I suppose they wanted to talk about anything entertaining to get their minds off their current predicament. Xavier turned down the receiver, but he did not turn it off. He looked up at the rest of us and inhaled deeply then released his breath slowly. He ran his fingers through his luxuriously thick, brown shoulder length locks. “Alright, we now know that they have K-13 bullets and that is a problem,” Xavier began. “What are K-13 bullets? What do they do?” I asked curiously. “K-13's are exploding bullets. When a K-I3 enters the body or whatever it hits, it explodes on impact. So for example, if John or I were to get shot in the head with one of those bullets, we could kiss our immortality goodbye,” Xavier explained. This was getting more and more dangerous. I was beginning to wonder who posed the biggest threat, the supernaturals or the humans!? “So they have this kind of ammunition, they have hostages locked in the basement and they are utilizing silver bullets and bindings. That means one of us will have to free them. When the others get here, make sure that you inform them about everything.” My stomach began to growl, everyone turned to look at me, Xavier chuckled. “I'm hungry.” I said with a goofy grin. “So am I, come on...let's prepare ourselves something to eat.” Elise said with a smile as she headed into the kitchen.

Elise and I prepared our meals, then returned to the living room where we sat side by side on the sofa next to Xavier. I was absolutely starving, considering I hadn't eaten anything since earlier. Elise and I discussed other lighter issues, attempting to keep our minds focused. Xavier and John were discussing Darian's situation. Xavier was hopeful that we would be able to save Darian, but I could tell he was still worried about the possible outcome if we couldn't. A few hours passed when Xavier rose from the sofa. “The sun will soon be rising and I'm beginning to feel the effects, we have to rest.” Xavier said as he gestured for John to follow. I was sad to see them walk from the room. I missed Xavier when he was resting. This would be something I would have to get used to, the fact that Xavier and I would never spend an afternoon on the beach, or an afternoon anywhere for that matter. I rose and followed them into the bedroom. Both he and John had climbed into the bed. Xavier laying on his side on one side of the bed, and John laying on his stomach on the other side. I walked over to Xavier and looked at him, he looked up at me, his beautiful grey eyes locked on mine. “I love you,” I said then I leaned over and kissed him on his lips. When I pulled away he was smiling, but his eyes were closed, he was resting. I straightened myself and gazed at him a little longer, then I turned and left the room. I looked at Elise, she was still listening to Sergio and Devin talk and chuckling when they brought up something funny. I walked over to her. “Elise, we need to rest, we have a big day tomorrow.” She looked up at me, smiled and nodded. “It is just so difficult to leave them right now, but I know you are right.” She said then she lay down on the sofa next to the receiver. “You can take the bed,” she offered. I didn't bother her about her choice to sleep on the sofa, I believed I understood her reason...she wanted to be close to them, even still. I walked into the bedroom and took one of the blankets and a pillow off the bed and walked back into the living room. Elise lay on the sofa in a fetal position, I put the blanket over her and gave her the pillow. She looked up at me and smiled. “Thank you, Natasha,” she mumbled sleepily. “You're welcomed.” I walked back into the bedroom, climbing under the warm comforters, laying my head on the soft pillow. I looked out of the window and I could see the sky through a crack in the curtains. Soon the sun would rise, the sky was lightening up, I could hear the birds beginning to chirp. I began to feel exhaustion sweep over me and I closed my eyes to let the sleep take me. Visions began to circulate through my mind and I decided to concentrate on Warren.

Chapter Eight Day Six Warren was talking to Matthew, they were sharing a box of Crunchy Creme donuts. Warren's desk was messier than my closet, he had paper everywhere. Through Warren's eyes, I saw that Matthew's desk was neat and organized. They were discussing a case they were working on. Apparently, there was a shape-shifter loose that killed some livestock on a farm in Dekalb, IL. and the S.U.I.T. wanted him brought in to stand trial. “Are you going to tell Xander about the shifter?” Matthew asked as he took another bite of his donut. “I've already called him, he is sending some people to gather the shifter now. This shifter is probably new, most likely a bitten one. See, this is what I fucking hate about this government!” Warren cursed vehemently, he caught himself, not wanting to be overheard, he leaned closer to Matthew, who in turn leaned forward. “This shifter is probably scared, might have been his first change and he tried to kill livestock instead of humans, but his fate will be the same as if he had killed humans if we bring him in. Why? Because he was not hunting on sanctioned grounds!” Warren said disgustedly. Matthew had sat back in his chair. “Well, that is why they have you to look out for them,” he chuckled. “Exactly!” Warren said proudly as he eyed his watch, noting the time. “We should probably check on Darian.” “This shit has been hard! Watching him, making sure he is safe, it's not a walk in the park. I hope no one else tries to assassinate him before his trial.” Matthew said, Warren nodded his head in agreement. Then Warren rose from his chair, heading towards the holding cells. The officer on duty let him in and he walked to Darian's cell. Through Warren's eyes, I saw Darian resting on the bed, one leg bent and both hands resting on his stomach. He looked to be dozing; he looked human from what I could see. Warren was satisfied with what he saw and he walked away heading back to Matthew. I closed off the vision connection I had with Warren and focused on Devin, I noticed that he was falling asleep, that relaxed me. After that, I decided to block off all visions and rest my mind as I rested my body. I began to hear a voice drawing me out of my deep sleep. “Natasha, wake up, Natasha wake up.” Elise was saying to me softly as she shook my shoulders. “I'm up, I'm up.” I groaned. Elise backed away and watched me as I sat up on the bed, wiping my eyes. I looked around the room trying to gather my senses. Then I looked at Elise. “What time is it?” My eyes squinting from the light in the room. “It's late, 2:30 in the afternoon, I just received a telephone call from my Pride, they are here and we have to pick them up. So come on, get ready, I've cooked brunch just so you know.” Elise walked out of the room. I sat on the bed a moment longer, lighting the urge to lay back down, then I decided to just stand up. I walked into the bathroom to handle my necessities then turned on the shower and climbed in. I then realized that I had forgotten my soap in the other bathroom, I saw a bottle of Elise's expensive looking bath gel and reached for it. I looked at the label and saw that it was Anisi's new Shimmering Shower Cream. I smiled when I realized that we had something else in common, I too loved Anisi's body and bath products. I used only a little to finish bathing then dressed quickly in a pair of loose fitting black jeans and a black turtle neck sweater. I was happy I brought my black hiking boots with me, sure I never went hiking, but that was not the point. I wore them to trudge though Chicago winters. I walked into the kitchen and sure enough! Elise had prepared a feast as if she was cooking for five people! I looked at all of the food spread out on the table, there were platters of pancakes, eggs, bacon, ham, raisin toast, and cajun-chicken hash browns. I looked at Elise who was standing over the table gazing at all of the food, she then looked up at me, smiling sheepishly. “You don't think I cooked too much do you?” She asked apprehensively. I chuckled. “Oh no, don't be ridiculous. You said an army was waiting for us to pick them up, this should be just enough to hold down the fort,” I joked, Elise chuckled. We sat down to eat our brunch. I noted that Elise was wearing an all black ensemble as well, she had on a black t-shirt and black stretch pants, but she was never without her black three-inch heel boots. “Do your feet ever hurt?” I asked as I stuffed more eggs into my mouth. Elise swallowed her mouthful of food before she answered. “No, I find these to be more comfortable than flat-soled shoes. Sergio asks me the same thing.” She said, staring forward, she smiled. Then she looked at me and chuckled. After we finished our meal, we put the food up and left the cabin. Elise and I climbed into the stolen car and drove to the airport to pick up the others. As I sat in the car, I begin to realize that Sergio, The Roughneck That he is, stole another car to take to the mansion. The man truly has skills. “Is this car going to be big enough to pack everyone in?” I asked. Elise glanced at the interior of the car and shook her head. “No, I had decided to rent two Sidewinder trucks, they should be big enough to carry the cargo in.” Elise said as she pulled into the parking lot of the airport.

“What cargo?” I asked curiously. “The vampire's coffins, Xavier and I made arrangements for my Pride to bring in four of the vampires from his coven, so they are all waiting for us. Let's wipe down this car.” Elise said as she removed two white handkerchiefs from her purse. She handed one to me then she began to wipe off the steering wheel, buttons, everything that we touched while riding in the car. I did the same. Lastly, we wiped off the doors before calmly walking away from the car, heading towards the airport. The double automatic doors slid open as we walked through and Elise led the way to the arrival area of the airport. There they are,” she said, as she gestured to three people standing against a wall. I looked at them closely, there was one male and two females. Elise walked over to them and I followed her. “Is everyone doing well?” Elise asked when she approached them. The three members smiled and nodded. “Good. Where are the coffins?” The male spoke. “We have just gotten them past customs, Miranda is waiting with them now.” I looked at him, he was tall, at least six-feet-three-inches, he was built like Sergio, broad shoulders, strong muscular limbs and a tapered waist. His short sandy brown hair was combed back, his deep brown eyes focused on me as if he were wondering why I was there. I looked at the females, I noticed that one was as tall as Elise, both females had strong arms and legs as well, but slender at the same time, their tanned skin looked smooth and soft. Everyone was completely dressed in black. “Good Danny, let me introduce you to Natasha,” Elise gestured to me. “Natasha this is Daniel, Carmen and Rachel” She pointed at each person as she named them. “This is Natasha, she is Darian's and Xavier's lover,” Elise giggled. I looked at her, surprised she said that. She looked at me and winked. The other's gave me a nod, the one Elise introduced as Rachel said “hi” and waved. “She also has been a huge help thus far, now come on, let's go,” Elise said. We were led through the airport by Daniel until we stood outside of what looked like the loading dock area. We were walking towards a tall black female standing by four coffins. She had to be at least six feet! She had her hair cut in a bob, and was also wearing all black. “Hello, Miranda.” Elise said as we approached the woman. “Hi, Elise.” Miranda replied then she gave Elise a big hug. Elise returned the embrace. “Good, everyone is here, I'm going to get the trucks, Carmen you will come with me. The rest of you will wait here,” Elise walked away, followed by Carmen. I looked at the other three shape-shifters, feeling a little uncomfortable around them. Not because they were shape-shifters, but because I did not know them. It was the kind of awkwardness that one feels when you are invited to a party and your host leaves you alone in a room with a group of people you do not know. Only one thing left to do... time to make small talk. “I want to thank all of you for coming all the way out here.” I said, attempting to break the ice. “You don't need to thank us, we are here because our Pride is in trouble and our queen requested us,” the male named Daniel said. He was still watching me as if I was some strange creature, it made me feel very uncomfortable. “So it is true that you are Xavier's and Darian's lover?” asked Rachel. It was a bold question, but the interest was sparked up by Elise. “Well, I love them both and I'm in love with Xavier.” I said, I did not want to have to explain any further, because I didn't know my own feelings concerning Darian. I loved him, I found him to be extremely sexy and simply irresistible, but I was still leery on forming a relationship with the both of them. The shape-shifters were all looking at me with the same curious expressions, it was getting a little weird. I decided, now would be the perfect time to reveal a little secret of Elise's. Not to mention, I think it would take the attention away from me and my complicated love life. “Elise and Sergio are lovers now!” I blurted out. Their expressions changed from curious to ecstatic. They smiled at each other, then back at me. “Is this true, she no longer lusts for Darian?” Miranda asked excitedly, I nodded my head. “They've mated!” announced Daniel happily. “Boy did they ever!” I exclaimed. “I think a new record was set!” They chuckled at my joke. It made me feel good to know that I had given them something to be happy about during this uncertain time. I looked up to see Elise coming around the corner driving the humongous Sidewinder truck. I looked at the cargo area of the truck and was immediately convinced it would be able to hold the coffins. Carmen pulled up behind Elise in a second truck and both women climbed out. Elise walked over to us and pointed to the trucks. “You know what to do,” she said. Daniel turned and walked towards two coffins, he lifted both, resting one on each shoulder. Miranda and Rachel each picked up a coffin. It never ceased to amaze me the strength of the supernaturals. I am quite certain that their superior physical abilities is what the human race finds

to be the most threatening. The shape-shifters loaded the coffins into the trucks-two per truck. And then we all climbed inside, Elise sat in the driver's seat and I sat in the passenger's seat next to her. “Elise, are you going to fill us in?” Daniel asked from the back seat. “I want to wait until we can all sit down together before I give everyone updates, simply because I only want to say it once.” Elise said as she navigated the huge truck through the winding roads. We arrived at the cabin in less than forty minutes, everyone climbed out of the trucks and began to unload the coffins. I walked towards the front door, opening it wide for them to bring the coffins and luggage inside. Elise was the last to enter, closing the door behind herself. The shapeshifters placed the coffins in the middle of the room. I looked at the shifters and was amazed by the fact that they weren't even the slightest bit winded or at least it did not look as though they were. “I know that you all must be hungry, so I want you to know the refrigerator is stocked and there is food that is already prepared, help yourselves,” Elise said, as she walked into the bedroom. The other shape-shifters went into the kitchen without wasting another second. I heard them clinking glasses, pots and pans as they prepared themselves something to eat. I looked at the four coffins sitting on the floor and wondered who was inside them. I did not know all of the vampires in Darian's coven, in fact, the only one that I knew besides Darian and Xavier was John, and that was because he managed Darian's club. I looked at the table and saw the little square black receiver. I walked to the sofa and sat down on the soft cushions and turned the receiver up, immediately Sergio's voice came over the speakers. “You might as well kill me, because I'm not telling you a fucking thing!” he said vehemently. I suppose they were still trying to get information out of him. The other shape-shifters had come out of the kitchen and were standing around the coffee table listening to who I believed was Gregor badgering Sergio. Daniel had a sandwich in each hand, his mouth was full as he munched on one of the sandwiches. The other three females were eating what was left of the brunch, their plates piled high. Elise had come out of the room, she had switched her high heeled boots for a pair of combat boots that looked to be steel-toed. She sat down in the chair opposite the sofa and listened to the conversation on the receiver. “Fuck you!” Sergio spat out. Daniel chuckled as he shook his head, taking another bite out of his sandwich. Gregor laughed softly. “Well, you might just get your wish, if your little pussy bitch doesn't cooperate, you and I will be fucking all night long.” I heard a horrible choking sound and looked up to see Daniel choking on a bite of his sandwich. He sat down in the chair after he had cleared his airway passage. When he managed to regain his normal breathing, he looked at me. “Did he say what I think he said?” He asked with a hint of disgust in his voice. I nodded my head. I suppose Daniel found it hard to believe that a man such as Sergio could be a victim of another man. I had to admit, I found it disturbing as well. We continued to listen as Gregor attempted to antagonize Sergio, hoping to irritate or intimidate him enough to spill the beans. Sergio said nothing, there was a moment of silence then we heard a door open then close. “Elise, I hope you are still there listening to all of this. I hope you guys thought of a foolproof plan. You have to attack tonight! They are planning on shipping the captives out of here at nine o'clock. That means Devin and I will be in deep shit if you don't, these fucking silver bonds have me completely tied down. Fuck! I hate this shit!” Sergio said exasperated. I looked up at Elise. “We need to think of a plan, even before the vampires wake up. Then when they do, we can enhance the plan.” I looked around the room at the others. They all had frowns on their faces, I could not blame them one bit, I hated this situation also. “I know you wanted to tell everyone at the same time, but I think they need to know now. I'll tell the vampires when they awake or even Xavier can fill them in.” I said, Elise nodded her head in agreement. I left the room, walking into the adjacent bedroom for privacy. I wanted to call Warren and fill him in on what was going on. I was sure they could hear me anyway but that didn't matter. I dialed Warren's number, after several rings, he finally answered. “Hello, Natasha. Okay, fill me in,” he said instantly. Kind of caught me off guard. “Hi Warren, okay, it has been a rough, tough and ugly twenty-four hours.” I said, unintentionally sounding like a wrestling commentator, then I proceeded to tell him about everything that happened from last night up until now. He was silent as I filled him in, then I waited for his response. “Shit!” he said, no doubt in shock. “Tell me about it. I take it Darian is safe?” I asked. “Of course, it's been hard but Matt and I are keeping our eyes on him.” Warren said calmly, I assumed he was still taking in what I had told him about Sergio's infiltration and the mobster being turned. “Oh, I now know what I wanted to tell you!” he said. “I called my...Xander, and he has sent two people to assist you tonight, they should arrive no later than six pm-your time. You won't have to pick them up or anything, they know the address and the Russian pack master has not been notified, which is a good thing from what you have just told me.”

“Only two people?” I was hoping he could send about twenty! “That's all you're going to need, they are the enforcers of our Pack,” Warren said with a hint of pride. “But I thought it was a challenge to enter another's territory without permission,” I asked curiously. “Why didn't Xander get permission?” “Xander is wiser than I will ever know, he's a man that follows his gut instincts. He didn't feel it was necessary to ask permission. I told him about your dream and I suppose he did not trust the Pack master there and rightfully so. Look, Tasha, I've got to get going, Matt and I have to finish wrapping up this other case, I'm going to call you later.” “Yeah, sure, be careful.” “You be careful,” he said. “I don't want anything to happen to you.” “I'll be careful.” I replied, hoping I could keep my word. I was not so sure, this whole venture was not what I expected or would have ever foreseen. Warren hung up and I turned my cell off. I walked back into the living room, Elise had just finished updating everyone on what had happened. The room was filled with mixed expressions. Miranda and Daniel were livid, Carmen was crying and Rachel was in shock. Only Elise looked composed but sad. I walked over to the sofa and sat down beside Rachel. “Okay, now that you all know what has happened, it is time for us to think up a plan. How should we do this?” I asked. I looked around the room, everyone seemed to be concentrating. I looked at Elise, she looked disappointed. “What's the matter?” “I must admit, that I am well equipped to handle almost any situation, but I have never been in a war, nor have I ever planned this sort of attack. I am...inexperienced, so to speak.” Elise admitted. I looked at her, then I looked at the others. Remembering what Warren said about the two people coming to aid us I decided to inquire about their enforcers. “What about when you get into tight spots, who's your enforcer?” I asked. “Sergio, he is the protector, he would be able to work out this sort of plan. Don't get me wrong, we are well equipped to defend what it ours, it is just the strategics of it all. Sergio is a master strategist,” Daniel said proudly. I was beginning to understand a little more about their Pride. I did not fault them for not having an offensive tactical plan. “We could still work out something, then run it by the others when they rise. We may be able to come up with a more solid strategy,” Elise said. I think she sensed my minor disappointment and she looked at me. I looked up at her and nodded. I did not want her to think that I was upset with them, because I was not. I now understood that shape-shifters had a system and worked situations out the way they saw fit. “We have to get there while the hostages are still in the basement. So we should attack no later than seven o'clock.” Miranda said. Everyone began to give their ideas on how we should execute the rescue mission. “I think we should split up, half of us go around the back, and the other take the front,” Daniel suggested. “Even better, we flank the mansion, surround it enough to catch everyone.” I said, feeling a little like a commando. “We don't want to spread ourselves too thin, there are only twelve of us all together.” Elise said then she smiled at me. I knew why she did so. Just a few days ago, Sergio had called me a liability, but now we are all in this together. I suppose this is another chance I get to show my mettle. I was excited just sitting there talking about what we were going to do. “Actually Elise, there will be fourteen of us,” I said, everyone gave me a perplexed expression. “What do you mean, fourteen?” Elise asked. “Well, remember I spoke with Warren. He called his pack master and they are sending two more people to help us.” I said feeling better about our chances. Everyone seemed to consider the new information and I began to see a few heads nod in return. We continued to come up with different ideas for our strategic approach. “Hey guys, don't look now, but we are planning a mission.” I said cheerfully. They looked at me, Elise, Rachel and Carmen smiled. Daniel chuckled softly, Miranda kind of just stared. Boy was she a tough cookie to crack! “So we are...so we are,” Elise smiled pleasantly. We were talking away when we heard a door open. Everyone looked up to see Xavier emerge from the bedroom. His soft brown locks flowed over his shoulders, his grey eyes scanned over the living room as he inspected everyone. His gaze settled on me and he smiled. “About time you got up,” I said jokingly. “Looks as if I've walked into a funeral. Four coffins and everyone is wearing black.” Xavier joked then he walked over to me and kissed me lightly on the lips. His breath did not have a scent to it, which is good, considering. He was still shirtless, which I found to be a little distracting, because he was so extremely sexy.

“Let me introduce everyone to you,” Elise said, then she proceeded to do just that. “Nice to meet you all.” Xavier said, then he looked at the wall clock. “I know we don't have much time to waste, so I won't take long hunting.” “We do not have time for you to hunt either, or the rest of your coven, do not worry, we have decided to feed the six of you.” Elise said, I was really enjoying the sound of her French accent as she pronounced her words. Xavier's raised one eyebrow. “Well, I thank you.” Then his gaze panned over the faces that stared up at him. “I don't mean to be rude, but I am just curious as to which one of you will donate?” he asked charmingly. “I will!” Carmen exclaimed. She jumped up from the chair and sashayed towards him. Okay, that made me jealous and if we were in a different situation, I might have said a thing or two. But I looked at Xavier, he winked at me and I felt better. Carmen stood in front of him, she bared her neck seductively. You know what, I had liked her up until this point, but I found her behavior to be disrespectful, before I could open my mouth, Elise let her have a piece of her mind. “Carmen!” she said sharply. The other woman turned around to face Elise. The look on Elise's face told her that she did not approve of her behavior. Carmen looked down and nodded. When she faced Xavier again, she held out her wrist. That's better. Xavier flashed her his charming smile. “Thank you,” he said. He took her wrist into his hand gently and I watched his fangs extend from his eyeteeth, he pierced her skin, his lips locking around the blood that bubbled up from the two puncture wounds. Everyone was silent as they watched Xavier feed. For some of them were getting a “bird's-eyeview” of what they would be experiencing later when the other vampires awoke. Carmen had began to pant frantically, then she cried out in pleasure. I tried very hard not to pout as I watched Xavier give another woman an orgasm. I knew that it was out of his control. He told me that a vampire's bite was orgasmic to mortals and shape-shifters and extremely pleasurable to other vampires, as vampires can give each other dry orgasms through the sharing of blood. That did not stop me from being jealous though. Xavier released her after a few minutes, his feeding was fast, he looked at Carmen, his eyes glazed over. I noticed that look in his eyes, it reminded me of the moment right before his climax when he was making love to me. Just looking at him in that state made me want to take him into the bedroom and have a little fun with him. I banished the thought from my mind, we really did not have time for that. “Hello,” a voice said, everyone turned and looked towards the bedroom, John was standing in the doorway. And just as if it were rehearsed, the lids of the coffins began to open. I will admit, it was creepy seeing people rise from the coffins, but I kept my composure through it all. Xavier watched as the vampires emerged from their coffins, one equally as breathtakingly beautiful as the next. I looked around the room and was amazed that there wasn't a person I was looking at that could not pose for any major magazine. All of the shape-shifters and vampires were resplendent, so much so, that they were captivating. The women were curvaceous and the men possessed well sculptured physiques. I couldn't help but feel an itsy-bitsy smidgen of jealousy. The vampires walked over to Xavier, there were three females and one male. The male I did recognize from the club, I believed he was the bartender, I think his name was Tony. His long blonde hair was in a braid. He brushed his long bangs away from his ocean blue eyes. He was wearing a black t-shirt, boots and jeans. The three females were also wearing black pants and shirts. “Let me introduce you all,” Xavier said then he began the introductions. I was right, the blonde stud was Tony. Xavier gestured to an Asian female with almond shaped brown eyes and olive toned skin, he said her name was Miko, she had her bone straight black hair done up in an intricate braid design which I thought was very pretty. Then he pointed to another female that had long, brown, wavy waist-length hair and blue eyes, her name was Annabelle. The last female had milk chocolate toned skin, she had her hair in cornrows braided back to the middle of her spine, her name was April, her brown eyes panned over the room and she gave everyone a short wave. They all seemed friendly enough, but I was really starting to feel the subtle differences in our species. I watched as the four Shape-shifters donated their blood. John and Tony both fed off of Daniel and I was willing to bet that Daniel couldn't have been happier. There was a goofy expression on his face the entire time. John fed from one wrist and Tony had the other. After a few moments the living room was filled with the sounds of people having climaxes. My face turned beet red, I felt as if I was in the middle of an orgy. Hell, maybe I was! Finally it was finished and the shape-shifters and vampires were calming down from the feeding. Xavier came over to sit by me, he took my hand into his, kissing it tenderly. “Did you miss me?” he asked “You know that I did.” I looked at him, I could still feel my cheeks flaming. “I want you to know that this was very weird for me.” He chuckled. “Oh, I can imagine what you must be thinking.” he flashed me his megawatt smile then he leaned forward and kissed my throat. It tickled and I squealed which made him laugh. “Don't do that, you know how ticklish I am!” I said, giggling. “I know, that is why I did it,” he teased, still grinning. Then he looked around the room, when it appeared that everyone was settled, he began to speak. “Alright, first things first, I want to know if any of you have come up with a plan, or have any ideas?” Xavier asked as he looked at everyone. Elise began to tell him what we had discussed earlier and he listened intently to everything she said, nodding his head at certain ideas that were

mentioned. “That sounds good, we know what we have to do.” Xavier paused, then he looked at me. “All of us,” he smiled. “Everyone looked at the weapons already and I've briefed them on the type of ammo we have,” I said proudly. Xavier chuckled. “Well we haven't been 'briefed',” April said. I looked at her, she was sitting on the armrest next to Tony. “Okay, no problem,” before I could bring them up to speed, there was a knock on our cabin door. “That must be the two people Warren sent.” I said as I rose from the sofa but Xavier grabbed my arm with lighting quick speed. It startled me and I yelped. I looked down at him, confused. “I'll go, we are not sure if these shifters are the ones we're expecting,” he said, then he rose from the sofa and walked towards the door. I now have an idea how strong a vampire's sense of smell is. “Can I help you?” Xavier asked pleasantly once he opened the door. I heard a deep sexy voice speak. “Warren informed us that you would need some help, our Pack master, Xander sent us.” I recognized the voice immediately. It was Adrian, Warren's lover! I could not believe I was actually going to see the face to that sexy voice. Xavier stepped to the side and the two shape-shifters entered the cabin, and oh my god! They were huge! Well, compared to my petite five-feettwo frame, they were huge. The tallest one had to be at least six-feet-five-inches, gorgeous caramel colored skin and striking, hypnotizing silver eyes. His full sensuous shaped lips turned up in a smiled when his eyes focused on me. “So you're Natasha, Warren said you were beautiful.” The man I suspected was Adrian, flashed a sparkling white smile that simply took my breath away. Okay now I could match the voice with a face, and boy! What a face! “Thank you,” I said-blushing. “It is nice to meet you...Adrian?” I guessed, hoping that I was right, he chuckled and nodded. I looked at the other shape-shifter that came with him, he was six-feet-three-inches, light brown eyes and long black hair tied in a braid, he looked to be Japanese. Both he and Adrian were physically splendid. Just like everyone else, they were dressed in black. I looked back at Adrian and naughty little me, my eyes took notice of his crotch and almost popped out of my sockets when I saw what Adrian was packing in his cargo hold! I thought Sergio was huge! He had to be at least an inch longer than Sergio and if you can believe it...thicker! How can Warren handle all of that!? I was so deep in thought, that I had not realized that Xavier sat down next to me. “Get a good look?” he asked playfully, I jumped and looked at him, I smiled coyly. “Caught in the act of gawking,” Xavier teased. “Man, what did you expect, it is my first meeting with Warren's boyfriend. One could say that I am a little...surprised is all,” I said modestly. “Yeah, I know what surprised you,” Xavier chuckled. “Admit it, you are guilty.” “So,” I smiled, and he leaned over and kissed me on the forehead. “I took the liberty of introducing them to everyone while you were ogling male genitalia,” Xavier teasingly informed me. “When did they tell you their names?” I asked, relieved that Xavier took the initiative to make the formal greeting, since I was... rather...preoccupied. “They flashed me their ID's as they walked into the cabin.” “Oh,” I looked at Adrian again as he leaned against the wall, his arms folded across his broad muscular chest. He was listening to everyone talk about the mission. He leaned closer to his friend and whispered something into his ear and the other man chuckled. Elise looked at him and frowned. “If you can think of something better, feel free to speak up now.” Elise said, putting Adrian on the spot. Oooh, now I want to know what Adrian said to his partner, I might ask Elise later. Adrian cleared his throat. “Fine then, I'm listening to everything that you are all saying,” he paused, he tilted his head slightly. “And some of it makes perfect sense, but you are all omitting an important aspect. You want to sneak up on this enemy and that can not be done with other shifters standing guard. From what I have been told, you have been ambushed and attacked from afar with silver ammunition. Really, two can play that game. Now, if you're not above shooting from afar, I suggest we snipe the watch guards from flanking positions.” I was impressed! Warren did say they were the enforcers. “Exactly, we take out their senses of sight, scent and sound, then we will be able to infiltrate a damn sight better,” said the other man. I was such in a daze, that I did not hear when he was introduced, I decided to be bold. “Everything the both of you just said makes perfect sense. Um...I did not catch your name.” I said gesturing towards the Asian. “Nagesa.” He said flatly. I looked at him and Adrian again and was beginning to anticipate seeing them in action, just as I was excited to see everyone else do battle, including myself. “Let's take a look at the weapons you have.” Adrian said, as he uncrossed his arms. The crates were brought back into the living room and

Xavier rose and walked over to one of the crates that held the weaponry. Adrian and Nagesa followed him and the three men stood over the crates. Xavier reached down and lifted the lid and Adrian and Nagesa leaned closer and began removing the weapons. Both inspected each weapon like experts. Adrian and Nagesa looked completely at ease with the huge deadly weapons. Adrian turned to face everyone in the room. “Who here knows how to use one of these?” he asked as he held up a huge menacing looking rifle. Daniel, Xavier, Tony, Miko, and Miranda raised their hands. Adrian nodded his head, he looked over at his partner and Nagesa leaned closer. Adrian whispered something to him and he nodded his head. Then Adrian turned to face the rest of us. I looked at Elise, I could tell by the expression on her face that she was annoyed. “Good, for those of you who know how to shoot this, you're going to pair up on flanking teams. Tony and Miranda will join Nagesa on team Bravo.” Adrian gestured to the three of them, then he turned to face Xavier. “From what you have told me, the southeast wing of the mansion sounds as if that might be the most vulnerable point to attack, team B will take post there. Miranda,” he looked at Miranda who was without a doubt, the most no-nonsense chick I have ever seen. “You'll take out the guards in the look-out tower. You three,” he pointed towards Xavier, Daniel and Miko. “You will be with me on team Alpha, we'll be taking out the guards on the northwest side. Once we eliminate the watch guards, we will be able to take over the mansion a damn sight easier. Let's get our teams together now.” Adrian walked towards everyone who had gathered by the sofa, he still held the sniper rifle in his hand as if it were a part of him. He put one foot on the table and rested the gun on his knee. Nagesa stood by the other crates, he was still going over the weapons, lining them up on the dining table along with the ammunition. “Elise...Xavier, you two can pick the remaining members for the teams, one team will take the east entrance the other team will take the west.” Adrian looked around the room, inspecting everyone, he appeared to be calculating and everyone else was silent. I could not speak for why the other's were silent, but I knew why I was speechless, I was just plain ol' amazed by his knowledge and skill. He continued. “There will be seven members per team. I want team B to take out their electricity, while my team-Alpha, gasses them out. If this Pack master is still there, then he will have some members still inside and the gasses won't effect them that much, so when the humans are flushed out, take them down, because the shape-shifters are going to be a problem on their own. We must strike before they catch our scents, so let's make sure we stay opposite of the wind current. Does everyone understand the plan?” Adrian asked seriously as he looked around the room. Some nodded their heads, while others looked a bit peeved. Elise had a slight sneer on her lips. “Are you in control here?” She asked in a sarcastic tone. Adrian looked at her and smiled. “Look, I respect that you are the queen of your Pride but this is what I do for a living. I'm not trying to overshadow your own skills, it just is what it is and this plan is the best considering our situation. Now if you have another plan, let's hear it.” “Don't speak to me as if I'm your underling!” Elise put her hands on her hips. “This is wasting time, Adrian-enough.” Nagesa interjected. Thank goodness he did. It was starting to get nasty. Adrian shot a glance towards Nagesa. When he took notice of Nagesa's stern expression, he grew quiet and even appeared to have been reprimanded. He turned to face Elise. “You're right, I was rude...I apologize. All that aside, do you agree with the plan?” Adrian asked in a more respectful manner. “I do.” Elise said. “Apology accepted,” Adrian chuckled. “Cool.” “Why don't you pick the teams. You seem to be familiar with this type of situation, your expertise is appreciated.” Xavier said respectfully. Adrian looked at him, then glanced around the room, no one appeared to object. Adrian nodded. “Very well, Nagesa will lead team B, I'll lead team A,” he paused as he glanced around the room. “Elise, Miranda, John, Tony, Rachel, and April will join Nagesa. Everyone else will come with me.” Adrian looked at me and smiled. “Okay, Nagesa has laid out the necessary weapons for this mission, everyone pick your choices, grab what you can handle. For those that will be on point, pick the sniper rifles with scope, I want you all to take positions at least five hundred yards away.” Adrian turned and walked towards the crate and began to pick out other weapons. Everyone walked towards the guns and picked out a weapon they were comfortable with. I approached the guns and looked at them. They ranged from small to extra large, there were shotguns, pistols, machine guns and I think some “oozies”. I picked up an automatic handgun and held it in my hands, it was a little heavy, heavier than I expected. I have never held a gun before, just realizing what I was going to have to do with this gun unnerved me, but It was unavoidable. I closed my eyes and began to mentally prepare myself for what must be done. For Annette. “Well, just give John and I a few moments to get ready and then we can go,” Xavier said. “Oh, about that! The airport lost the suitcase with both of your clothes in it.” Daniel said. Xavier rolled his eyes, exasperated. “For crying out loud!” he mumbled. “I'm sure Sergio and Devin won't mind you borrowing another set of clothes.” Elise said with a chuckle. “Geez, I feel really bad that I didn't better prepare for you two.” I said under my breath. Boy, was I feeling guilty! “It's ok...we'll manage.” Xavier replied then he and John walked into the bedroom and closed the door. I looked around the room and saw everyone getting more accustomed to their weapons, even Elise looked like a soldier in her all black getup, she had picked out a M-16 machine gun, she looked pretty tough. I wondered if I looked tough with my weapon. I walked to a mirror and

looked at myself, I lifted the gun and pointed it at the mirror to see if I looked to be intimidating....I didn't, at least not to me. I heard a chuckle from across the room, and turned around to see Adrian laughing silently, his head bowed. Then he looked up at me and grinned. Okay, now I felt stupid, I lowered the gun and sat down in a nearby chair. Adrian walked over and sat on the armrest of my chair, he looked at me. “I'm not laughing at you to make you feel bad. It's just, you looked so cute holding your little gun, simply adorable. I see why Warren adores you so.” He chuckled once more, then his expression grew serious, he looked at me eye to eye. “Natasha, tonight will be very dangerous, some might even die...you do not have to do this,” he was very sincere, but that didn't stop me from becoming angry. “Not you too!” I said annoyed. “Is it because I am a human?” He looked away, then he faced me again. “Not exactly. Yes, you are a human, but we are also dealing with humans, and from what I have been briefed on, the use of silver and K-13 ammo puts us all on the mortality level. However, it is evident that you have never done anything like this before, I don't want you hurt or killed.” “These assholes killed my best friend! They've tried lo kill me and my friends and everyone I hold dear to my heart! And do you honestly think they will let me leave Russia unharmed?” I asked him. He seemed to think on what I said, then he shook his head slightly. “I do this because I have to, I do this because I want this all to end. I will be able to fend for myself, I am not a liability!” I said passionately. Adrian's eyes widened slightly as he looked at me, then a smiled spread across his full shaped lips and he began to chuckle. “Warren told me you had a lot of spunk, but I never imagined you were such a little firecracker. Okay, you have me convinced, if there is one thing that holds true, humans are resourceful...watch your ass.” He rose from the armrest and walked over to his companion, Nagesa. The two men began to talk. A few of the other shape-shifters looked at me, I was sure they heard what I told Adrian, I hope they knew that I meant every word that I said. Xavier and John had come out of the bedroom, fully dressed head-to-toe in black. Their hair was wet and Xavier had his long brown hair slick back and tied into a ponytail, he was wearing a black t-shirt and drawstring pants that I assumed was Sergio's. John's blond hair was combed back, he was wearing a pair of tight fitting black jeans and a skin tight black t-shirt, which was no doubt, Devin's. John looked a little bit uncomfortable in his clothes, but he continued to walk towards his weapons. Xavier picked up his guns, then walked towards me. “How are you feeling?” he asked me. I looked at Xavier and nodded my head slowly, I put my arms around him and pulled him into a deep embrace. His strong arms wrapped around me as he held me tightly against his warmth. “Do not worry, I will protect you with my life,” he said softly. “Natasha?” I looked up at him. “What is it?” I asked. “Promise me you will not try to take anyone, stay close to me, but far away from harm, do you understand?” he looked deeply into my eyes. I nodded my head. “Good,” he said, nodding his head, relieved. Xavier leaned down and kissed me deeply for several seconds. When he released me, I did not want to let him go. I looked around the room and everyone appeared to be prepared. Adrian held a gun in each hand, one was a machine gun, the other a sniper rifle, they rested on his shoulders as he watched Xavier and me. “Are you two ready?” he asked, his eyebrows raised. “Yes.” Xavier said, then he paused, he appeared to be thinking, then he spoke. “Let us not forget we need the woman, Lidiya alive, she needs to be taken into custody. She is the only one who can testify in court about Annette's murder and Darian's set up. Plus we need to gather all information on those crooked politicians, that will help us defend Darian, come on.” Xavier took my hand and led us towards the door. Everyone walked out of the cabin and began to climb into the two huge trucks. Nagesa's team took one truck and Adrian's team took the other. Xavier drove ours to the mansion, the seven of us were silent the ride over. I wondered if everyone was doing what I was doing, and that was mentally pumping myself up to go through with this. When we were within the one mile radius from the mansion's perimeter, Xavier pulled the truck off the road, driving into a wooded area, he turned off the lights and everyone climbed out. I watched the other truck continue further down the road. They were going to attack from the southeast side of the mansion. Adrian led us through the trees until we saw the tiny lights of the mansion from about five blocks away. Adrian laid in a military prone position on the ground, as did Xavier, Daniel and Miko. Annabelle, Carmen and I crouched low to the ground. We were all wearing ear pieces and microphones, which I thought was kind of cool. We waited silently for the confirmation that Nagesa's team Bravo had made it to their positions. Five minutes passed before we heard word from Nagesa. “This is Bravo, I'm at check point “B” ready when you are, over.” Nagesa said over the ear piece. I had to admit this was pretty exciting, but terribly horrifying at the same time. “This is Alpha, roger that,” Adrian replied as he peered through his scope, Xavier, Daniel and Miko did the same, they appeared to be locking in their targets. “We have seven targets in sight, how many targets do you see?” Adrian asked. I was amazed at just how professional they were. I think it was safe to say that some of the other shape-shifters were impressed as well. “Alpha, we have ten targets locked in sight, ready when you are, over.” Nagesa repeated, his voice was smooth and measured as if he had not one worry in the world. “Copy, fire at will.” Adrian said, then he stared more intently through his scope, his fingers squeezing the trigger slowly. I was beginning to feel really nervous, the reality of everything was hitting me like a Mack truck, many people would die this night. I closed my eyes and prayed silently for my friends and myself. Even though all of the guns had silencers on them, I could hear the bullets being shot out through their rifles as Adrian, Miko, Xavier and Daniel assassinated the guards.

“This is an even better position than I anticipated, we don't even have to move to take out the guards in the front, I can see them just as well from here.” Adrian said triumphantly then he glanced at Daniel. “Daniel, did Miranda take out the two in the tower?” Adrian asked. “Yeah, but I see two more by the garage.” Daniel said as he peered through his scope. “Good, you know what to do,” Adrian said. Daniel nodded, then his finger pulled the trigger twice. “Excellent.” Adrian said, satisfied. “This is bravo leader, all targets have been eliminated, we are now in route to the main hold, over.” Nagesa informed. “Roger that Bravo, we're moving out.” Adrian said, then he gestured for us to follow him. We ran through the woods towards the mansion. Adrian motioned for Carman and Annabelle to head out before us and in a movement too fast for me to see, they were off without a sound. I was astounded by how fast the supernatural race could move. The others kept up speed with me, I appreciated that. We reached the perimeter of the mansion, I could see Nagesa's teams from across the courtyard. Adrian did a few hand motions and Nagesa nodded. Nagesa turned to Miranda and I could see them talking, Miranda nodded and ran off. A few seconds later the lights went off in the mansion. “Let's move out!” Adrian said into his microphone. My mind went blank, this was the moment of truth... lord help me! We converged on the mansion and Adrian, Xavier, Nagesa and Tony began to toss gas grenades through the windows. Guns were fired from within the mansion and we hit the ground. Dozens of mobsters came running out of the mansion, some were coughing and gagging, but all fired their weapons at us. Xavier grabbed me and pulled me behind him as he fired his weapon, taking out two Japanese men who I assumed were yakuza members. My heart was racing, I could feel my pulse in my temples. Bullets whizzed by me as Xavier shot back. Adrian ran across the courtyard blasting his two guns, taking out four of the mobsters, he rolled then dashed behind a tree to reload his rifle. I caught a glimpse of his expression, if I didn't know any better, I'd swear he was enjoying himself. I watched the others move so gracefully, most of their movements I could not see, only the people they attacked falling down. I did see Miranda and who I assumed was another shape-shifter attack each other. They were so fast, that I scarcely saw their movements. The fight ended with Miranda standing over the motionless body of the shape-shifter. Blood dripped from Miranda's hands, I looked at the body to see that the eyes were open. Miranda looked up at me, and smiled slightly before darting off towards the mansion. “Natasha, duck!” Xavier's voice made me concentrate on myself, I did not hesitate one nanosecond, I fell to the ground and Xavier shot down two mobsters that were trying to sneak up on us from behind. “Come on!” he said, then he grabbed my hand and we ran to the other side of the mansion where there was less activity. Xavier peered into a window then broke the glass with the butt of his gun. After checking for safety, he helped me inside, then climbed in behind me. “Duck!” he yelled, and I did, I looked up at him as he dodged a bullet, he shot back and I heard two people scream out in pain then go silent. “Let's go!” Xavier said, then he took my hand and we ran through the huge gourmet kitchen of the mansion. He stopped by the doorway and peeked into the other room. He looked at his weapon to check his ammo. “Fuck!” he looked at me and smiled, “I'm out,” he chuckled. I extended my automatic pistol, he looked at me and shook his head. “No, I do not want to leave you unarmed. I don't have any more ammo but I am not defenseless, you keep it,” he said. I nodded my head. I was not so sure I could even bring myself to shoot it, but I held onto the gun nonetheless. All of a sudden, a few lights came on in the mansion. It looked as though someone had turned on the emergency lights. Xavier took my hand and led me to the middle of what looked to be a conference room. He paused and sniffed the air. “I can smell blood,” he said. Then he took my hand and led us out of the room and down a long corridor. We came to a black door and Xavier turned the door knob, but it did not budge, he applied a little bit of pressure and I heard the metal lock snap and the door opened. Suddenly, Xavier turned around, and I turned to see why. There were two tall muscular men standing at the end of the hallway. Their chest began to heave and their skin began to sweat profusely, I watched, spellbound as their eyes changed to a yellowish color and their nails grew into razor-sharp claws. I could hear the unmistakable sound of bones cracking as their bodies appear to elongate, becoming more muscular and furrier. Xavier pushed me behind him, I heard a low hair-raising growl coming from him and I looked down to see his nails become claws themselves. I backed away slowly into the door way and peeked around him. The two wolves began to advance on Xavier and he ran towards them in a movement that was so fast I did not see it. Next, I heard a lot of snarling and growling, Xavier had tossed one of the wolves against the wall, and the plaster gave way under the impact, cracking in a spider web pattern. The other wolf grabbed Xavier by his neck, his claws were digging deeply into the flesh. Xavier grabbed the wolf's hand, preventing him from ripping his throat. Blood began to pour from Xavier's wounded neck, soaking the front of his shirt. The second wolf had regrouped and was now ripping at Xavier's stomach causing Xavier to grimace in pain. I screamed and before I knew it, I pulled the trigger of my gun, blasting away at the wolves. My aim was erratic and somehow one of my silver bullets managed to hit the wolf who had ripped Xavier open. I realized that I shot the wolf in his stomach. Talk about a lucky shot! Xavier reached up and pulled the other wolf's claws from his throat. I could hear the wolf's bones cracking as Xavier crushed his hand. The wolf howled in pain and released Xavier. The wolf that I shot began to stagger towards me. Terrified, I screamed and ran through the now open black door, slamming it shut behind me. I ran down the stairs, it was completely dark, I suppose the emergency lights didn't reach down here. I felt my way along the wall as I ran down the stairs. My foot missed one step and I fell the last two steps, twisting my ankle. I bit my bottom lip, to keep from screaming in pain. I had dropped my gun in the fall, and began searching the floor, frantically trying to locate it. “Natasha!” two people called my name. I recognized the voices. “Sergio! Devin!” I called out. “Where are you!?” I limped through the darkness, leaving my lost gun. I held my arms out in front of me to feel my

surroundings. “Towards the end of the room, hurry, I can smell another shape-shifter coming close to this room!” Sergio said. That put a little pep in my step and I quickly fumbled and tripped my way towards them. I didn't care that my ankle was killing me. As I was feeling my way through the room, my hand accidentally smacked Sergio on his face and he groaned. Well at last I finally found him. “I'm sorry,” I apologized. “Don't worry, hurry, untie me!” he said anxiously. I forced myself to calm down, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness. I began to make out Sergio's prone form, I could even make out the silver bindings that held him in place. Frantically, I undid the binds, my fingers clumsily working at the chains until they were loose. It was a damn good thing these bindings didn't require a key to unlock them. Sergio hopped off the table. “Thanks Natasha. Let's go save Devin!” Sergio said then he took me by the hand and led me over to where Devin laid. Sergio ran away as I began to unbound Devin. Devin jumped off of the table and hugged me tightly, almost cutting off my breath. “Thank you, thank you!” he said, obviously relieved that he was now free. “What about us!?” someone yelled out and I turned towards the voice. “Where are you!?” I called out. “Over here,” the numerous voices called. They continued to call to me, Devin helped direct me to each captive. I freed all of the shape-shifters that were chained down. They were all very grateful, some even hugging me once they were freed. “Before you all leave, you need to know that there is a war going on up there. It's best if you stay with me until the coast is clear,” I said to them. All of the shape-shifters agreed to stay by my side. I looked at a bright light coming through a tiny window in the back of the room and walked over to it. I looked through the window and saw a man. I assumed he was the vampire, the ultraviolet lighting was a dead giveaway. I see this was the one light that probably would never fail. I turned to one of the shape-shifters. “Someone help me open this door please!” I called out. “Here I come, Natasha!” Devin said then I felt him next to me a second later, his hands reached for the door handle, he broke the lock and the door opened. The ultraviolet light cut through the darkness of the room and the vampire looked at us. He began to snarl and I saw his fangs extend. If I was not so scared, surely I would have fainted, instead I did the next best thing...I screamed. “We're here to help, don't attack!” Devin said as he held his hands out in front of him. The vampire paused and looked at the both of us, his teeth began to recede. “Thank you, I can't leave this room, the light has the doorway blocked,” he said with a German sounding accent. “Stand back, I'm going to break this light.” Devin said, then his hands became claws and he gave one good upwards thrust into the door frame and the light was shattered. The room was once again blanketed in darkness. The vampire walked out of the room, he stood beside us. I turned to Devin. “Where did Sergio go?” I asked softly. “He went for Gregor. Come on, we need to get out of here!” Devin said, then he grabbed my hand as we began to make our way towards the stairs, I yelped in pain, he stopped and looked at me. “What's wrong?” he asked, his eyes probably trailing over my body as he inspected me, being as he can see perfectly in the darkness. “I twisted my ankle when I came down the stairs, I will be okay.” I said as I tried to walk up the stairs, limping pitifully. He looked at me, then chuckled. He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder with ease. Then he ran up the stairs, the others followed. The mansion was still dark, some emergency lights were still on which allowed me to see. Xavier was nowhere in sight and that worried me. There was blood all over the hallway, it was at that moment I saw the shifter that tried to rip out Xavier's throat laying dead on the floor. I could see his body in the glow of the emergency lights as plain as day. His heart had been ripped out, it hung loosely by it's attached arteries from the pulpcovered hole in his chest. Blood was splattered all over his torso and his eyes stared straight...empty. I felt my stomach lurch and I told Devin to put me down immediately. As soon as my feet hit the floor, I hobbled to a corner of the hall and vomited. Devin came up behind me and patted me on the back. “It's okay, Natasha, I can't imagine what all this is doing to you, but for whatever it is worth,” he paused and waited for me to turn and face him. I did as I wiped my mouth with my sleeve. “I want to thank you for saving us, coming here was extremely brave and I admire you for it,” he said then he smiled. I was so filled with emotions, all I wanted to do was cry, but I held that deep inside me. “You don't have to thank me, I know you would have done the same. Now come on, you. We don't have time to waste.” I said, attempting to perk myself up and clear my mind of the image I just saw. Devin nodded and all of us walked, well I hobbled out of the mansion into the courtyard. We stopped dead in our tracks when we saw Sergio and a man whom I assumed to be Gregor standing in front of each other. I looked around and saw that the gang was all here, only about three of them looked winded. Some had blood on their clothes, I had no idea if it was their own blood, or someone else's. Xavier had Lidiya in his arms, she was unconscious and Elise stood beside them. I turned to the other shape-shifters and the vampire. “You guys can leave now, it's safe.”

“Thank you so much. I don't know you, but I do believe he said it best,” the vampire said, pointing to Devin. “You were brave to come here and help us.” I smiled feeling more useful now than ever before. The shape-shifters left and the vampire seemed to vanish, though I think he ran off with the others. I turned to watch what was transpiring between Sergio and Gregor. “I waited a long time for this.” Sergio said, a wicked smile began to spread across his lips. “Tell me wolf, do you have the balls to do this all the way or are you really a bitch?” Sergio asked cockily. “I will kill you and you know it!” the wolf said arrogantly. “Do you have the balls or are you neutered, answer the fucking question, Gregor!?” Sergio demanded. Gregor's lips turned up into a sneer as he glared at Sergio. I could feel Devin's grip tighten around my hand and I leaned over to him. “Ouch!” I whispered and he looked at me. “Oh, shit! I am so sorry, I hope I didn't hurt you,” he apologized. “I'm okay, don't worry,” I lied. My hand was aching, well at least now it matched my ankle. I turned to face the showdown before us. Gregor looked around the courtyard, then laughed. “Very well, we'll play this your way, what do I get when I kill you?” Gregor asked. I followed Sergio's gaze as he looked around the courtyard, there were dead bodies strewn about, which was an extremely disturbing sight to me, some were dismembered. I tried not to look at them, I had seen enough horror for one night. Sergio smiled, then turned to face Gregor. “We'll let you go,” he said cockily, Devin grunted and stepped forward, but Sergio held his hand up and Devin stopped instantly. “Sounds like a deal,” Gregor said as he smiled wickedly. He began to remove his clothes. Sergio, who was already naked as the other captives were, had kneeled on all fours, his body began to sweat, his skin seemed to stretch as he began to change forms. Gregor had kneeled and begun his change. This was the third time I was witnessing a shape-shifter change forms. The first time I saw a shape-shifter change form, he was dying and returning to his human form. The second time was in the hallway, when Devin had to change back into his human form. But never had I seen a shape-shifter change from his human form to animal, and I watched, transfixed by the spectacle of it all. Fur began to pour out of their pours with rapid speed, their heads grew larger, their mouths began to elongate, their teeth growing sharper and longer. I watched their hands become wider, their fingers receded to form into paws. I was speechless. Some time had passed before their transformation was complete, though it felt as if it were only seconds. The two shifters began to growl at each other. Slowly, they started walking towards one another, a beautiful silver wolf and a gorgeous black leopard. Each circled the other, inching closer and closer every round they made. They snarled and snapped at each other, then Sergio stopped circling, and lunged. Gregor tried to go for Sergio's throat, but Sergio whipped around the back of the wolf with his catlike agility, clawing deep bloody gashes into the wolf's left hind leg. The wolf growled and bent his body around to bite Sergio on his left thigh. Sergio let out a menacing hiss and scratched at the wolf's head, taking off the tip of his ear. Gregor yelp in pain and lunged for Sergio. The wolf managed to climb onto Sergio's back. He bit deeply into Sergio's neck, blood bubbled up from the fresh wounds. Sergio let out a ferocious hissing growl and tried violently to shake the wolf off but Gregor locked his jaws and appeared to be grinding his teeth deeper into Sergio's neck. If I did not know any better, I would have thought that Gregor was trying to snap Sergio's spinal cord. It was a savage thing to watch, it reminded me of a few animal attack documentaries I'd seen on the nature channel...only more vicious. “He is trying to snap the bones in Sergio's neck!” Devin said through gritted teeth. Well, I was right. This fight was bloody and dangerous and I was really fearful about the outcome. Sergio rolled over on his back, pinning Gregor under his weight. Using his catlike reflexes and agility, he began to twist out of Gregor's mouth. When he got his neck halfway out of the wolf's mouth, his right paw slashed across the wolves abdomen, opening him up, spilling out his intestines. I felt my stomach lurch again and a dry heave rippled through my body. Before I knew it, Xavier was standing beside me. “Are you alright, darling!?” he asked concern. I swallowed hard and nodded. I wrapped my arms around him and he held me. I looked over my shoulder at Sergio, who had begun to rip at Gregor's stomach. The wolf released him and rolled over, he began to whine like a wounded animal...I suppose he was. That did not stop Sergio. Sergio attacked the wolf, his claws dug into Gregor's flesh and began to rip large pieces of flesh away, the wolf gave one last gallant effort to survive and bit Sergio on his left front leg, his teeth ripping away pieces of fur and skin. Sergio darted away, then lunged forward one last time, his head ducked under Gregor’s throat, his teeth bit into the flesh and he jerked his head away quickly, ripping out a large portion of Gregor's throat. Blood splattered Sergio's face, coating his fur. He plunged his face deeper into the gash for more. I quickly turned my head only to see Devin panting with what I assumed was the bloodlust and excitement of the battle. I looked at Elise, and even she seemed aroused by the duel between Sergio and Gregor. I looked up at Xavier because his chest began to heave slowly. I saw in his eyes that he was fighting his bloodlust. Devin began to change forms and I quickly stepped away from him, dragging Xavier with me. Xavier pulled me behind him, guarding me. I watched as Elise, Devin, Carmen, Rachel, Miranda and Daniel all changed forms. Once their change was complete, they joined Sergio in the feast as they devoured Gregor's body. I turned away again, I did not want to see anymore of it. I looked at Nagesa and Adrian, they too looked as though they wanted to join the feeding frenzy. Adrian was holding onto Lidiya, his eyes were glazed over as he watched the others feed, then I saw him turn away abruptly, taking deep breaths. He began to walk over to us with Lidiya in his arms..

“Let's go inside, we have to find those papers you wanted.” Adrian said when he approached us. His breathing was slightly ragged. “Yeah, let's go inside.” I said as I pushed past them as fast as I could, nearly running into the mansion. The lights were back on and a few minutes later, the other vampires and Nagesa walked through the door. They all appeared to be fighting their blood hunger. April and Annabelle began to look at me rather lustfully and I did not like it. I moved closer to Xavier and he turned around to look at me. He must have seen the fearful expression on my face, because he frowned. “What is the matter?” he asked softly. I gestured with my eyes towards the two female vampires, Xavier turned around to look at them. “Annabelle! April!” Xavier snapped. “You had better avert your eyes, she belongs to Darian and me, you touch her and I don't think I need to explain what your fates will be!” Xavier's voice was commanding. The two women seemed to cringe as they backed away, nodding their heads. “I'm sorry!” they said in unison. Xavier flashed them another warning look, then turned to face me. “You have nothing to fear. Were you injured?” he asked as his eyes trailed over my body, taking in my appearance. “Well, I twisted my ankle, but that's it. What about you?” I asked, concerned. Last time I saw Xavier, his throat had been clawed and his stomach had huge slashes on it and both wounds were bleeding profusely. I looked at Xavier's shirt, it was bloody and torn to shreds. I looked up at him, my expression full of worry. Xavier smiled and kissed me on my forehead. “Baby I'm fine. I did lose a lot of blood, but I quickly replaced it. Don't worry, I'm not going to die anytime soon. See...” He said, then he opened his shirt and revealed his perfectly healed muscular chest. There was dried blood still plastered to his flesh, but he was healed nonetheless. I was finally satisfied, I looked up at him and smiled. “See, as good as new.” Xavier said, then he winked. “We need to wake her up to find out where the list is hidden, not to mention the other information.” Adrian said as he walked around the mansion, inspecting the decor. “This place looks like a shit-hole compared to my father's home, some people have no taste!” Adrian shook his head. His companion Nagesa said something to him in Japanese and he responded in kind. I wished I knew what they were talking about, it annoyed me that I didn't. “You're right, why don't you wake her up,” Xavier stated. Adrian nodded and looked down at Lidiya's face. He held her with one hand and began to lightly slap her right cheek with the other, forcing her to wake up. Her eyes slowly began to open and she looked at Adrian. A string of harsh sounding Russian words came spilling from her lips, and Adrian laughed. “I'm afraid you're mistaken, you're the one that is dead meat, not me. Some people want to ask you a few questions, answer them and you won't have to be tortured.” Adrian informed her arrogantly. I looked at Adrian, he was no doubt a sexy man, completely commanding. I found it hard to picture him and Warren together as a couple. Adrian was a little too controlling, maybe even overpowering. Warren is assertive and somewhat headstrong. But he could also be very patient and tender. Nevertheless, they were an odd couple. Lidiya began to speak in Russian and Adrian interjected. “Un-un, English, so that everyone in the room can understand you.'' She threw him a disdainful glance then gestured to be let down, he put her on her feet and she turned to face us. “I will not tell any one of you freaks a fucking thing!” she spat at us, her thick Russian accent making each word acidic. Oh, she pissed me off, I had had enough of their bullshit and I put my foot down. I walked up to Lidiya and stopped only two feet in front of her, looking her dead in her eyes. “Look here, bitch,” I started, there were a few gasps from the others, even a chuckle or two, but I kept my focus on Lidiya. “You are going to tell us what we want to know, or so help me God!” I said, my hands balling into fists. My breathing had increased and I could feel my temper rising. She looked at me and laughed, I felt the alarms go off in my mind and before I knew it, my fist made contact with her nose. She cried out and fell to the floor, staring up at me in shock. “You fucking bitch!” she said vehemently. And I responded in kind. “You do not seem to understand your predicament, if you do not tell us where that fucking list is at, your death will not be fast, it will be slow and painful, we showed your comrades mercy but you won't be so fortunate!” I walked towards her and stood over her as she sat on the floor, staring up at me. “If you do not tell us what we want to hear, then you are useless and better off dead!” I said coldly. The tone of my voice frightened me, I did not know this part of me existed! I wanted to scare her enough to believe that they would torture her to death. I had no doubts that one of the others would not be able to follow through with the threats, but I preferred that it would not reach that point. I stared down at Lidiya, and she appeared to be contemplating. She looked at the others in the room and frowned. “If I tell you what you want to know, will you let me go?” she asked. I looked at her, my mouth opened to form the words I wanted to say, but Xavier interjected. “Yes,” he said as he walked up to stand beside me. I turned to look at him, shocked and confused. I did not want her to get off, she killed Annette and set up Darian! For all we knew, setting Darian up was probably her idea! Xavier took my hand into his and squeezed it gently, but I pulled my hand away and walked towards John. Xavier looked at me, his expression blank. Vampires seemed to be well skilled in the “poker face” which annoyed me at this point. I wanted to read his expression, what was he thinking? Surely he would not let her go...surely!? He turned back to face Lidiya. “If you tell us what we want to know. I will let you live,” he said. Her eyes studied him. “But will you let me go?” she asked plainly. Xavier looked at Tony, they appeared to share something that the rest of us was not a part of. Then he looked back at Lidiya and nodded. “If

you tell us everything you know, everything about your boss and lover, the illegal activities, we will make sure that he takes the fall, but we need to know where he went and we need the list of politicians and any other information you might have that could help us free the man you set up!” Xavier said, then he kneeled down next to her and peered into her eyes. “We want you to admit this in court, free of will. You do this, and I will let you go.” “Can you guarantee that I will go free, that I won't be locked away!?” she asked worriedly. Xavier nodded. “I can and I will, but I need your word,” he said as he peered into her eyes. She closed her eyes, then nodded her head. “My boss's name is Eremei Andreev, he is in his secret hideout in northern part of Moscow. The grocery store is the front, you'll find the hideout in the basement, I can get you in. He has the politician list and everything else you need. Ivan Dorofei is with him, he is the leader of those shape-shifters.” she said then she swallowed and looked at the rest of us. I was so angry I was seeing red, I looked at her and could not hold my tongue any longer. I walked over to her, pointing my finger in her direction. “And when you take the stand, make sure you tell them how you murdered my best friend, a kind and beautiful woman! You aren't even worthy enough to walk this earth with you bitch!!!” I yelled, my voice was so shaky! John pulled me away and took me into his embrace as I cried angry, frustrated, and heartbroken tears. Lidiya laughed. “Oh, she was your friend? She was just a pawn, no hard feelings. Killing her was a simple act, we just drained her blood to make it look like a vampire did it.” She said smugly as she looked at Xavier, then back to me. Before I knew it, I had lunged for her and John had to hold me tight to keep me from committing a crime against man. I heard angry guttural sounds come out of me and I knew that I was livid beyond all reasoning. “Take her out of the room.” Xavier told John, who followed orders. He dragged me out of the mansion with ease as I struggled wildly. The cold biting air helped me to calm down, and I ceased my struggles. It was useless anyway, John's grip was like a titanium vice. I looked at Elise and her Pride, they had dressed, all except Sergio and Devin. They were headed towards the mansion. Each of them silently glanced at John and me as they walked inside. Elise stopped to ask me what was wrong. “I'll be fine in a minute, just go inside, you'll see for yourself why I'm upset,” I told her. She nodded and without another word, she followed the others inside. I looked up at John, he was collected as his blue eyes peered at me behind the veil of blonde bangs. “Why is he going to let her go!?” I asked angrily. “Because, we need her to testify in court, without influence. We need her to tell the court everything so Darian can be set free. We can not do that if we use mind tricks on her, or if she is dead.” John was sounding very level-headed at this point. “Which is why Xavier will not hypnotize her or read her mind. He wants it all to come from her free of will.” What he was saying was making sense to one half of my brain, but the other half wanted revenge. I have never felt this way before and I did not like feeling this way. I did not like hating someone so much that I wanted to see them dead. I gazed up at John and I felt myself grow weaker, both mentally and physically and my knees buckled. John caught me in his arms and held me close to him. “I just want this all to end,” I sobbed into his chest. I could feel his hands stroking my hair softly. “Natasha, Xavier knows exactly how you feel about all of this and I promise you, she will not be getting away with this. But I do not want to tell you any more.” He raised my face to his and looked into my eyes, I looked up at him, his pretty blue eyes locked onto mine, in a movement too swift for me to react to, his lips were sealed to mine in a passionate kiss. Then he pulled away. He moved away from me, his face reddening, his breath quickened. “Natasha, I am sorry, I had no right!” he said apologetically, he appeared to be ashamed of himself. “Please, forgive me, I-” he started, but I had walked up to him and placed my fingertips to his lips. His eyes settled on mine and he remained silent. “I am not upset that you did that, I know that you care for me. We will just keep this to ourselves.” I gave him my sweetest smile. He seemed to relax and he smiled. “At least I'm not as upset as I was five seconds ago,” I said lightly. He chuckled. “Glad I could put you at ease.” The others began leaving the mansion. I watched Lidiya being held closely by Adrian while Tony led the way. Xavier stopped between John and myself and his gaze shifted towards John. John lowered his head, a fearful expression in his eyes, he bowed before Xavier. Could Xavier had known about what John just did? “I am sorry! Please forgive my indiscretions!” John begged. I suppose Xavier did know, so therefore, I was not going to stand by and watch John be punished for a minuscule act of weakness, John kissed me because he cared for me, there was nothing else to be derived from it. “Xavier, please do not do anything to him, please!” I pleaded. Xavier turned to me and he took my hands into his and kissed them. “I would never do anything that would displease you...if I could avoid it. Please understand Natasha, that this situation with Lidiya must be done. But trust me, she will be dealt with for the what she has done.” He paused and looked at John's kneeling form then turned to face me, a smiled played on his lips. “How can I blame him for stealing a kiss from the most passionate, courageous and exquisitely beautiful woman in the world,” he whispered seductively. I wouldn't go that far, hut it was damn nice to hear!

Then he turned to face John. “Stand up, you are not in trouble.” Xavier said. John rose, a look of relief swept across his face. The others were walking towards the trucks, John, Xavier and I followed them. When we reached the truck, Lidiya climbed into the back of the truck I was going to ride in. I didn't want to ride in the same truck with her, but I had no choice. Xavier must have sensed my discomfort, because when the other truck pulled up beside ours, he suggested that Adrian drive and he asked Carmen and Miko to switch with us. Miko exited the truck and walked towards ours. Carmen looked towards Elise for her word, Elise nodded her head, and Carmen opened the door, then climbed out of the SUV. Xavier and I sat in their vacant seats as Nagesa drove. He followed the first truck that was now being driven by Adrian. Those two shape-shifters definitely proved why they were the enforcers of their Pack. I have never met Warren's Pack master and foster father, but I would like to thank him personally for sending help when all this is over. We drove through the unpopulated streets, there were a few cars parked along the way, but there were no people about. After about twenty minutes, we reached what looked to be a mini-mart. Adrian and Nagesa killed the engines and Xavier, Daniel, Adrian and Miko climbed out of the trucks with a speed that seemed faster than the blink of an eye. They vanished into the building, two taking the back while Adrian and Xavier entered through the front. I suppose they did not need Lidiya to get in after all. They broke through the front door and windows. Soon after that, I began to hear the sounds of gunfire and I panicked. John took my hand and held it lightly inside his. “Don't worry, they will be safe,” he said reassuringly. I forced myself to sit back against the leather seat and waited. Five minutes passed before they emerged from the building. Xavier was carrying an unconscious man, he opened the cargo door of the truck and threw the man inside, then climbed in after him. Everyone else climbed into the trucks and we drove back to the cabin. When we arrived at the cabins, Xavier carried the still unconscious man into the living room and dumped his body on the floor. The man began to stir, he opened his eyes and looked around. After he surveyed everyone in the room, he appeared to recognize the immediate danger of his predicament and began to speak. “What do you want from me?” he asked; his English was barely understandable because of his thick Russian accent. I recognize the voice from the night of Sergio's infiltration. I believed him to be Eremei Andrecv, he was dressed in a blood stained smokegrey three piece suit, his straight black hair was combed back revealing his smoldering grey eyes. He looked to be in his late thirties. His eyes revealed his fear as he watched Xavier walk towards him. Xavier knelt down beside him, he glared at Eremei with a stare that was as cold as ice. “You have two choices, the first choice is you testify against yourself in court tomorrow night. The second option open to you is this: If you refuse to cooperate with us, we will rip you limb from limb slowly, applying enough pain to allow you to change your mind...” he leaned closer to him. “...And you will change your mind. The decision is yours.” Xavier rose to his feet, he looked down at Eremei. “Remember the courts will be merciful, we will not.” He crossed his arms over his chest, he looked at Lidiya, then back at Eremei. “What is your decision?” he asked flatly. Eremei seemed to think about his choices, he looked around the room at all of the vampires and shape-shifters, he even threw a glance at me, then back at Xavier. “You won't do it. You need me!” he hissed smugly. “You have nothing to bargain with, Lidiya has agreed to testify, you only have two choices, what is it going to be?” Xavier said arrogantly. I have never seen this side of Xavier. I was both impressed and spooked. I suspected he could be a dangerous adversary, he told me so once. But I had no idea just how dangerous. He was completely fearless and calculating, he was definitely not a man you should underestimate. Once again, Eremei appeared to be thinking about what Xavier said to him. I had to agree, they were two tough choices, death...or imprisonment, which might lead to death, but chances are it would be a more instant death than what Xavier was promising. “I will testify, I'll get off anyway, you will see.” Eremei announced smugly! He began to laugh before looking at Lidiya. “And as for you, you little slut! You will not get away with this!” he threatened. His Russian accent thickening with his anger. Xavier looked down at him and smiled. “Then we have an understanding.” He walked away from Eremei towards me and took me by the hand, leading me into the bedroom and closing the door behind us. I sat down on the bed and looked at his beautiful face. He came to stand over me, my eyes trailed down his chest to his stomach then further down to his crotch. I heard Xavier chuckle and I looked up at him. “Are you still upset with me?” he asked seductively. Oh geez, how can I be upset with a beautiful man that knows how to effectively use “smooth talk!”? “No, not anymore, but I could have snatched you bald an hour ago.” I said, smiling. He smiled in return, then pressed his hands lightly on my shoulders, pushing me down on the bed. He climbed onto the bed, straddling me. I was caught in the vortex of his seductive gaze, making it hard for me not to snatch his clothes off. “You know...I would hate for you to ever be upset with me.” He said softly as he leaned down and kissed my neck gently, tickling me, I giggled. He raised his head and peered into my eyes again. “You know I want only to please you,” he whispered. Xavier lowered his head and began to kiss my cheeks, chin and neck, his hands caressing my breast underneath the thin material of my shirt. I began to feel the heat rise from between my legs, I pressed my hands against his pecs, pushing him away. He felt my gentle pressure and stopped his enticement. I was beginning to find it extremely difficult to refuse Xavier. The sound of his voice, the touch of his hands damn near had me swooning! “I'm sorry, I know how you feel about sex in compromising situations,” he chuckled as he rolled away from me to lay on his back. I sat up and looked at him then I leaned over and rested my chin on his chest, staring up into his face. He looked down at me, his hands behind his head, giving him a few inches of elevation. “You treat me so wonderfully, how could I stay mad at you. I love you, Xavier.” I said as I caressed him, I felt his arms encircle me. “I want you to know Natasha that I love you so very much and I know that we have only known each other for only four months, yet there is

something about you that draws me to you. It would really make me happy beyond all measure if you would consider sharing your life with both Darian and myself.” Xavier said softly. I was not surprised by his statement. I knew that he and Darian wanted me to become a part of their lives, but I just did not know how to respond. I decided to remain silent and Xavier didn't say another word. We laid in each others' arms for a while before someone knocked on the door. We looked up. “Come in.” Xavier said and the door opened, it was John. “We need to rest, the sun is coming up. The shape-shifters are watching over Eremei and Lidiya,” John informed us. I nodded my head and climbed off of the bed. Xavier took my hand and pressed it to the side of his face. His skin had begun to cool and I knew it was a sure sign that the sun was rising. He kissed my palm, then released my hand. The other vampires passed by me as I exited the bedroom, closing the door behind myself. I looked at the other shape-shifters. Adrian was eating a huge sandwich piled high with several different lunch meats. He sat in one of the comfortable upholstered chairs. His gaze shifted to me when I entered and he smiled. “You did good out there, surprised the fuck out of me. I'm going to have to tell Warren his little 'blossoming lotus' was in full bloom tonight!” Adrian chuckled, then he finished off his sandwich. I blushed as I smiled at him. I looked around the room, several of the shape-shifters were sleeping on the floor and the others rested on the furniture. I carefully stepped over the sleeping shifters and sat down on the end of the sofa, I looked at Adrian. “How did you learn how to do what you did tonight?” I asked genuinely curious. He reclined the chair, making himself more comfortable before he answered me. “My father is an ex-soldier, he served in the military in England before he became our Pack Alpha. He has taught me almost everything I know. Nagesa has passed on some of his knowledge as well. Because my father is the leader of our Pack, it is his duty to make sure the Pack is always protected. Besides my father, Nagesa, Warren and I are the three highest skilled in physical combat as well as tactical espionage. I have been doing this for the past ten years,” he said proudly. “What knowledge has Nagesa passed on to you, if you don't mind me asking?” I implored. “I don't mind,” Adrian said as he tossed a glance to Nagesa, who nodded his head. After getting his silent permission, Adrian turned to me and continued. “Nagesa is extremely skilled in many forms of martial arts and weaponry. He's almost as old as my father, but I'll keep his age a secret.” I looked at Nagesa once more. His mere presence spoke volumes. And from what I have seen, I did not doubt Adrian's words, only amazed by them. I decided to ask more questions, I was enjoying the conversation. “How do you feel about Warren being a cop on the S.U.I.T. division?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity. He took a deep breath, I could see his broad chest rise slightly, then he exhaled. “I have mixed feelings about his career choice. It is true that because he works for the government, we have been able to save some of our kind that had made innocent mistakes. However, we all know that the law is biased. It is hardly fair that a supernatural only receives a seven-day trial period-no...wait, I take that back. A supernatural has only seven days to come up with evidence to support their defense and the trial is only a few hours, if that much!” Adrian said heatedly. I could not blame him for being upset with the laws that concerned the supernaturals. I myself even thought them to be unfair. “Warren is doing this because he feels that he is honor bound lo help the helpless,” Adrian said with a hint of mockery. “Well, do you feel that way?” I asked, I knew that I was prying but I was highly curious as to what kept Warren and Adrian together. To me, they appeared to be too much alike, yet very different, both had strong-willed personalities. “I don't have Warren's sympathy for the human world. Humans are not as helpless as they would like you to believe. So I do not strive to use my super-abilities to defend their livelihood, not when they would kill me in an instant if it suited them to do so,” Adrian said coldly. “Not all humans feel that way.” I said, trying to shed some light on Adrian's gloomy perception of the human races' opinion of the supernaturals. “Ah, but enough of them do. Right now, your friend is waiting in a jail cell, only to be executed tomorrow night. Tell me Natasha, do you think the S.U.I.T. detectives that arrested him are putting their best foot forward to find the real killers?” he leaned forward in the chair to better read my expression. I thought about what he said and knew he was right. They would execute Darian if we could not prove his innocence. And the detectives who arrested Darian did not care about finding the truth. They would kill Darian, not because he was believed to be guilty, but because he was a vampire. I looked at Adrian and shook my head. He leaned back into the chair comfortably, then continued. “See what I mean? You know in your heart that shit like this...” he paused and gestured to the two mobsters chained together in the corner of the room. “...Has been a problem in the mortal world also, but it is handled in a different way. We are not so fortunate as to get human justice. We have to make are own justice. So no, I don't like it that Warren risks his life to save the same mortals who would kill him if they knew what he was, but I do understand why he does it.” Adrian stated, and then he closed his eyes as he relaxed his body, settling a little more into the recliner. I thought about all that was said, Adrian was honest and honorable as well. His loyalty was to his Pack and I respected that. I really admired the degree of loyalty the shape-shifters had to their families. Even those ruthless ones that were dealt with on this night had loyalty to each other within their Pack. I let Adrian rest and I settled back against the cushions of the sofa and looked around the room once more. I noticed that a few more shifters had drifted off to sleep, I did not see Sergio, Devin or Elise and I assumed they were in the other bedroom together. “You can get some rest, I'll keep watch.” Nagesa said to me as he noticed me looking around the room. “Thank you.” I laid down on the sofa, a few moments later, I drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 9 Day Seven I woke up and struggled to clear my vision, I looked around the room and saw that some of the others were awake and having breakfast. Some of them looked at me as I rose from the sofa, stretching, feeling my muscles loosen. “Good morning everyone,” I said. “Same to you, there is some breakfast in the kitchen, help yourself.” Devin informed me as he plopped down on the sofa with a plate full of eggs, ham, bacon, toast, hash brown, grits and sausage. I looked at his plate then I turned to look at everyone else's and noticed that their plates were pretty much piled high as well. “Is it really necessary to have ham, bacon and sausage?” I asked Devin playfully. Devin looked up from his plate, he continued to chew his food before swallowing then he smiled at me. “Well, I myself would prefer to have steak rather than bacon, but I have to make do with what is here. Besides, this is the best meal I have had in the past forty-eight hours!” he continued to stuff his mouth. “Didn't they feed you!?” I asked concerned. “Yeah, but not nearly enough to leave a sense of fulfillment. One sandwich, a glass of water, that was about it. I was starving!” Devin said as he finished off his plate. “I'm so sorry that happened to you. But I'm so glad you are okay.” I was pleased to have Devin back with us safe, unharmed and protected. “You don't have to be sorry, we got the bad guys, now all we have to do is save Darian, right?” Devin rose and walked towards me, giving me a hug. He took his now empty plate into the kitchen. I liked Devin a lot. I went into the bedroom where the vampires were resting. I noted that Xavier and John shared the bed, while the others slept on the floor. Two of the sleeping vampires looked like corpses which was eerie, but the rest looked to be sleeping and nothing else. I walked into the bathroom and used the necessities then showered and changed. When I returned to the living room, the shape-shifters were lounging. I looked at Lidiya and Eremei and frowned. They were watching all of the shifters in the room, I watched their eyes stare as the shape-shifters ate, and knew right away that no one had offered them food. I was not so sure if I wanted to feed them, but I didn't want Eremei or Lidiya to starve, especially since we needed their testimony. I walked into the kitchen and made three plates. And when I returned to the living room, I spoke to Adrian. “Adrian, is it okay if they eat something to hold them over?” I asked. Adrian gave me a perplexed look, his head tilted sideways just like a canine's. Then he straightened his neck and nodded. He walked over to the two mobsters and undid their bindings. I stood before them, handing them each a plate. They looked up at me, confused, but soon they began to eat. “Why do you care if they eat or not?” Adrian asked me curiously. “Just last night you were ready to tear this chick apart, now you want to make sure she doesn't have any hunger pains. I don't understand you.” I thought about what he said and it was true. Last night I wanted to see her dead, I did not like wishing death on anyone. Her fate would be her fate and I refuse to let her fate hinder my spirit. “Because I would not be me if I did not show compassion, even though they are my enemy.” Adrian looked to be even more confused, but he simply shook his head and walked away. I went back into the kitchen feeling better about myself. I took my plate off the table and sat on the sofa to eat. I watched as Carmen, Devin and Sergio loaded the trucks. When I finished my meal, I went into the bedroom to fetch my suitcase. Devin took my luggage from me and loaded it on the truck as well. That was nice of him. I supposed I looked as though I was struggling with the suitcase, either way, I lucked up. Sergio walked over to the windows and closed the drapes, blocking out the suns rays. Then he turned and looked at the coffins. “Okay, Devin, Miranda and Daniel, start packing these coffins and load-em'-up” Sergio turned, heading into the bedroom, the others followed him and soon reemerged carrying the vampires. Sergio held Tony in his arms and he placed him gently into the coffin, then he went back only to return with Miko in his arms. He laid Miko delicately on top of Tony, and closed the coffin's lid. His last trip into the bedroom, he returned with Xavier. The other shape-shifters had loaded, Annabelle, April, and John into the other coffins. Xavier was placed by himself in the last coffin. “Okay, let's get the fuck out of here before something goes wrong.” Sergio announced before lifting Xavier's coffin onto his shoulders and walking out of the cabin. Devin, Miranda and Daniel carried the other three coffins to the truck and loaded them in the back. Adrian grabbed hold of both Eremei and Lidiya, and dragged them to the SUV, pushing them inside roughly, forcing them to sit between Carmen and Miranda. They looked very uncomfortable as their eyes shifted from one shape-shifter to the other. I suppressed the urge to laugh at them, instead I walked away and climbed into the other truck. Adrian climbed into the driver side of the truck I was in and started the engine. Sergio drove the other SUV as we headed towards Elise's jet. Once everything and everyone was safely on board we all got comfortable as the plane took off. I had to remain calm as the plane drove down the runway, gaining speed to lift up. I didn't like the way my body reacted to the change in altitudes, but I began to relax once we were safely in the air. The shape-shifters lounged on the floor of the plane, some taking cat naps, (no pun intended) others watched Japanese animation on

the huge plasma screen TV. The two criminals remained silent as they sat chained together against the wall. I called Warren to let him know we were flying in. He answered the telephone on the fifth ring, I was beginning to think his cell phone wasn't on. “Hello, who's calling?” he asked in a groggy voice. “Hi Warren, this is Natasha. We have the evidence and the perpetrators, we are flying back this very instant.” I said triumphantly. “Outstanding!” Warren said cheerfully. “I'm thrilled, is everyone alright?” he was so concerned. “Yeah, everyone is doing just line. I would like to thank your Pack leader for sending Adrian and Nagesa, they were a huge help... actually, they were amazing!” I smiled as I thought about how grateful I was for all of the help we received. Warren chuckled. “I bet, when you get back, you'll get that opportunity.” There was a pause. “How is Adrian?” Warren asked softly. “Do you want to talk to him?” I offered. “Well...sure,” I turned to call Adrian to the telephone, but he stood behind me, smiling. I gasped when I saw him standing there then caught myself. “God, you scared the shit out of me!” I felt my heart rate returning to normal. I looked up at him and frowned. “Don't do that! I'm not like the rest of you, a heart attack can kill me!” I said then I handed him the telephone. “I suppose you already know who is on the line.” “I'm sorry, I did not mean to sneak up on you like that, honestly.” Adrian apologized, a sly smile on his lips. “Yeah, I can see how sincere you are,” I retorted. His smile widened then he shrugged innocently. I chuckled as I walked away, leaving Warren and him to their private conversation. Well as private as it's gonna be considering. I sat down and watched the anime movie. Four more hours passed as we flew back to Chicago, the shapeshifters began to complain about being hungry. “Well, there is not enough to feed everyone and I know how tortuous this is for all of you, but we can not afford to land the plane for a lunch break, I'm sorry,” Elise said. The shape-shifters groaned, but did not complain again. Adrian stood glaring at Eremei. “I say we eat him,” he joked. A few of the others laughed. Eremei's eyes grew wider, he began to panic. “Calm down! I'm not going to eat you.” Adrian chuckled, then he walked towards my chair, sprawling on the floor in front of me. I looked down at him and was caught in the hypnotic view of his stunningly gorgeous silver eyes. “If you don't mind me asking, what do you see in the vampires,” Adrian asked me. His silver eyes studying me as he waited for my response. I suppose it was his turn to pry. “I love them, they give me what I want and need, and I don't mean finance-wise. But they're tender, caring, loving, loyal and honest. I have yet to find any other man that truly has these qualities. They are both so gentle and understanding, they make me happy. I will admit, at first I tried to avoid these feelings I have for them because I wasn't so sure I was ready for the both of them. To tell you the truth, I like being around all of you, Warren is so kind and friendly and trustworthy, everyone here appears to live by a very honorable creed and I can respect that.” I replied, revealing my inner most thoughts, hoping that I quenched his curiosity. He looked at me, then nodded. “I find it amazing that you can be around us and not be afraid, well I will take that back. I have smelled your fear, but it does not last. You are a courageous woman, then again...” Adrian chuckled, “...Maybe you just like gawking at me,” he laughed outright. I smirked, here I thought he was going to say something profound. I watched him as he laughed at his own joke and could not help but laugh as well. We continued to chat about everyday things. Another hour passed and I began to feel sleepy. I decided lo lake a nap, when I drifted off to sleep, I located my menial link with Warren. I saw that he was talking with Matthew. They were discussing Darian's trial. Warren informed Matthew that we were on our way and that we had the true criminals and the evidence. Matthew appeared to be amazed and relieved. Satisfied with what I saw in my vision, I shut down all connections and drifted deeply into sleep. I was becoming dimly aware of a multitude of erotic sounds in my sleep. Slowly the sounds became more distinctive as I began to wake up. Groggily, I looked around the plane and noticed the vampires were feeding. Xavier was pressed against Miranda as she squirmed in her chair, his face was buried in her neck, jaws working greedily, his eyes were closed as he fed. I could see Miranda's chest heave as the pleasurable sensation coursed through her limbs. I decided this would be a perfect time to leave this area of the plane and go to the bathroom. On my way, I noticed John feeding from Devin. Their bodies were pressed together. Devin's face showed pure ecstasy as he grinded his hips into John. I guess they were getting better acquainted. While in the bathroom, the sounds of the feeding frenzy were toned out. I used the facilities and waited patiently until I thought enough time had passed before I emerged from the bathroom and walked back into the main area of the plane. I was right, everyone was calming down and there were a many sated expressions plastered on several faces as I looked around the plane. Xavier walked over and took me in his arms. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly. “We will be in Chicago in about thirty minutes.” He informed me. I looked at him, then I looked at my watch. It was 6:15pm, we have been flying for almost thirteen hours. My main regret about this trip is that I did not get a chance to really enjoy Russia. If you spend a half of a day traveling to some destination, then you really want to be able to enjoy the time spent there. That did not happen with us, I spent my time in Russia avoiding getting killed.

“I can not wait till we land.” I said eagerly, sweet-home Chicago, here I come!

“Neither can I, I miss Darian, plus I want to prove his innocence before it is too late.” Xavier said, he looked distracted, so I asked him what was he thinking about. “I wonder if Warren will try to stop Darian if things get out of hand. I hope Warren doesn't try-” Adrian interrupted. “What if Warren does try to stop him from killing, is he going to kill Warren too!?” Adrian asked, I could hear the anger in his voice. He had heard us, as I'm sure the rest of the shape-shifters had heard Xavier express his concerns. “No, I don't believe Darian would kill Warren, but if Warren tries to be a hero, he will put himself in harms way.” Xavier stated. “What? He just kills whomever gets in his way!?” Adrian asked sarcastically. Xavier rolled his eyes upward, he looked annoyed, he turned to face Adrian. “Listen and listen well, during this whole quest I have been defending Darian from those of you who know nothing about him! He does not want to hurt anyone, but he will not stand idly by and let the mortal world destroy him, as I'm sure any one of you would do whatever that was in your power to stay alive.” Xavier said as he glanced at everyone in the room. Then his eyes focused on Adrian's piercing silver gaze. “Let us hope that your lover would be wise enough not to interfere,” Xavier stated flatly. Adrian did not respond, he only walked away and sat down in one of the chairs. Xavier turned back around to face me. “I can not wait until all this is behind us,” he whispered. “Same here.” I said empathically. Thirty minutes passed, the plane finally landed smoothly on the runway. We quickly unloaded the coffins and luggage off the plane and loaded them on two trucks. One was Darian's DiamondBack SUV and the other Sidewinder SUV was a truck Elise arranged to have delivered. We climbed into the trucks and drove quickly to the S.U.I.T. precinct where Darian's trial was currently in process. I hoped we were not too late. We pulled into the parking lot, the tires squealing as Xavier turned the corner. He parked quickly and we all climbed out. Xavier and Sergio took hold of Eremei and Lidiya. Sergio untied them, so that they would not appear to be captives when we brought them in. Adrian and Nagesa walked over to us. “Well, it has been fun, but we have to leave you now.” Adrian looked at Xavier and me, he smiled slightly. “I wish you two the best of luck...or shall I say, you three?” He flashed us a devilish smile then turned and walked away with Nagesa at his side. I watched them walk away for a few seconds, then I looked at Xavier. “Let's go!” I said eagerly. We walked quickly into the precinct. I marched right up to the front desk and the clerk looked up at me, he then leaned over to inspect Sergio and Xavier and the two people we brought in. “I am here for Darian Alexander's trial, we have some new evidence concerning his case!” I was so excited my words came from my mouth in a rush. The officer looked at us, then he pointed towards Xavier, Elise and Sergio. “Who are these people with you?” he asked nonchalantly. “These three are my friends” I said pointing to Xavier, Elise and Sergio. “They are the perpetrators in this case” I pointed to Eremei and Lidiya. “Now we need to get to that trial now!” I said anxiously. He looked at me, then picked up the telephone, dialing a number. He continued to stare at me as he waited for someone to answer. Someone finally did and he told them that there were some people in the front that claim to have evidence for the trial at hand. He nodded his head and said an occasional 'un-hum' then he hung up the telephone. “Okay, someone will bring you around. Just wait right there.” we waited five minutes, then Xavier became impatient. He grabbed both Eremei and Lidiya by the arms and dragged them towards the holding cell area. The officer tried to stop him, he came around the counter. Xavier turned to face him and the officer stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes appeared to glaze over and he began to nod his head. Xavier walked away, Sergio, Elise and I followed his lead. We headed towards the holding cells. Warren and Matthew were standing in the hallway talking. Warren turned around and began walking towards us. “Awesome, you made it on time, come!” Warren led us into the trial. Xavier stopped at the double doors and looked up. There was an ultraviolet lighting system protecting the doorway. He looked disappointed, then he lowered his gaze to me. “It's up to you, I can not enter.” Xavier said, and he pushed Lidiya into Elise's arms and she took hold of her and Sergio took Eremei. I nodded and walked through the double doors, Elise and Sergio behind me. The people inside the holding cell turned around to face us. The reporters began to ask us questions as the photographer's cameras clicked away. To regain control of the courtroom, the judge called for order. Standing there in the blinding flashing lights of the cameras made me remember the job I had probably lost. At this point I did not care, the only thing that mattered to me was having justice served and saving Darian. And just like in the movies, I marched right up to that podium and spoke. “Your honor, my name is Natasha Hemingway and I have with me the evidence in support of Darian Alexander's defense! He did not murder Annette Balfour.” I held up the list of politicians and other paperwork pertaining to their plan to traffic supernaturals blood on the black market. The cameras continued to flash and I could hear dozens of reporters relaying the information into the microphones. “Order! Order!” the judge demanded as she banged her little gavel. The cell area began to quiet down. The grey haired judge in her long black robe stopped banging her gavel. She stood behind the podium and the two lawyers stood on each side of the podium. The judge looked at Eremei and Lidiya and then to me, her brown eyes peering into mine. “Who are the four people with you?” the judge asked. “This is Sergio Giovanni, Elise DuPre.” I said as I gestured to Elise and Sergio. “These other two are the real criminals in this case, your

honor.” I pointed to Lidiya and Eremei. Lidiya smiled and it made me want to punch her in the face, I quickly turned away from her, facing the judge instead. The judge looked at me a moment longer, then she began to speak. “Bring me this new evidence and I want to see everyone in my chamber, now. This court will take a twenty minute recess while I review this new and pertinent information.” The judge walked towards her office. I followed her as did the two lawyers, Elise and Sergio followed me and brought our criminals with them. When I walked past Darian's cell, he smiled at me and winked. I blushed but continued to walk towards the judge's chamber. A uniformed officer closed the door behind us and I turned around to face the judge. “Alright, let me see all of this evidence.” The judge requested as she settled comfortably into her desk chair. I handed her the papers. She took them and looked them over, shuffling through the papers, just catching some details here and there. There were three files, one contained the list of dirty politicians willing to open the black market trades and their signed contracts. The other two contained photos of the supernaturals that were held captive as well as information about the black market and other contacts. The judge's eyes scanned over the files quickly, then she looked up at me. I glanced over at the court appointed stenographer who was recording every word uttered during this meeting, then I turned to face the judge. “Who are they?” she asked once more. I turned to face the other two. “Tell her who you are.” I demanded softly. Sergio pushed Eremei forward, causing the man to stumble, but he caught himself. He looked down at the judge behind her desk. “My name is Eremei Andreev,” he said smugly, the judge appeared to recognize the name. Her eyes trailed to Lidiya. “And you?” she inquired. Elise pushed Lidiya forward. Lidiya turned to face Elise and said something to her in Russian, but Elise did not respond. “My name is Lidiya Belyakov, I will tell you everything I know.” Lidiya said in her Russian accented voice. “Begin,” the judge said. We stood there for forty minutes as Lidiya and Eremei confessed. I knew the reason why they confessed, they wanted to live. The judge looked at Sergio, Elise and me. “How did you find all of this out?” she asked. “They had kidnapped my lover,” Elise stated. “We tracked them down and discovered what they were doing. We brought them here to stand trial. Darian Alexander was set up, you have your confession, when will he be released?” Elise asked. “Did you notify the police about the kidnapping?” The judge asked. “No your honor, as you know, we would have had to wait a full forty-eight hours before contacting the police. That is entirely too much time to let pass before taking action,” Elise responded. “And what kind of action was that?” the judge inquired, leaning forward. “We saved lives and brought the real criminals to justice...a job the S.U.I.T. organization should have been doing,” Sergio retorted. “That may be true, but it still doesn't explain what actions you took.” The Judge responded. “Your honor, as supernaturals, we were able to catch them using our abilities to track them down. We learned about their plan and stopped them before they could sell other supernaturals to the black-market trades. You'll see that our story collaborates with the files and the freely given testimonies once you've read over the documents more thoroughly.” Elise stated. The judge studied us for a few seconds. “Please step outside while I confer with council,” the judge ordered. “Officer, please take these two into custody. However, we may call you in for questioning at a later date, so please be sure that you are available.” The judge looked down at the papers she was holding. We turned and made our way towards the door. The officer called for aide and two more officers entered the room as we walked out. Two minutes later, the two officers exited the judge's office with Eremei and Lidiya in tow. Eremei turned to face us as he was being led away and he smiled. “I'll be back in Russia in less than a week, you will see!” he said then he began to laugh. Lidiya did not say anything, I suppose she was keeping Xavier's promise to her in mind. Sergio, Elise and I walked back into the holding cell area. Darian was leaning against the wall, his hands in his pockets. He still looked calm and relaxed. I wondered what thoughts were running through his mind. Fifteen minutes later the judge entered the holding cell area and stood behind her podium. “There has been new evidence entered in this trial and we have two confessions. I have deliberated with both council members and all charges have been dropped. Mr. Alexander, you are free to go,” the judge declared. The cameras began to flash nonstop as a uniformed officer unlocked Darian's cell. Darian stepped out of the cell and several reporters approached him. One daring blonde reporter shoved a microphone in Darian's face and his gaze settled on her seductively. She blushed as she asked her question excitedly. “Mr. Alexander, do you have any idea why someone would try to frame you!?” Darian smiled. “No, Tanya, I do not,” he said smoothly. The reporter appeared to be taken aback at the mention of her name. She pulled her microphone away slowly. Darian continued to walk through the bold and rambunctious reporters until he reached me. He was pale, his hair was disheveled, his clothes wrinkled, and still he was one of the sexiest men I had ever laid my eyes on. He looked down at me and smiled. “Thank You,” he whispered. He looked at Elise and Sergio, his hand extended to Sergio, who paused for a second before shaking Darian's hand. “I want to thank you both as well.” Sergio nodded and released Darian's hand. Elise smiled coyly, Sergio looked at Elise and rolled his eyes. “Come on, I'm tired.” he said, then he took her hand and they left. Darian put his arm around my waist as we walked towards the double doors. A uniformed officer had turned off the lighting system over the door and we passed through. Darian turned to face the busy reporters, offering them his million-dollar-smile, the cameras began to flash like millions of strobe lights.

“My lawyer will take care of any questions you may have.” Darian said then we walked away. The reporters immediately searched out Darian's attorney. He was a tall, slim man, with short greying hair. He was wearing a black suit with a silver and black tie. When the reporters spotted him, they rushed over to bombard him with questions he was no doubt prepared to answer. We exited the precinct, Xavier was standing beside the huge SUV. When he saw Darian beside me, he smiled and walked quickly towards us. He stopped in front of Darian, his eyes traveled appraisingly over Darian from head to toe. “You look like hell,” he joked. Darian chuckled deeply in his throat. The sound vibrated over my skin giving me goosebumps. “You have not had the misfortune of sleeping on the cell cots.” Darian retorted playfully. Darian reached out and took Xavier by the back of his head, pulling him close as he kissed him passionately on his lips. He then turned to face me, before I knew what was happening, he took me by the waist, pulling me closer to him and planted his soft cool lips to mine in an equally passionate kiss. I felt my knees grow weak as my body responded to the skillfulness of his lips and tongue. When he pulled away, my eyes were still closed, my lips still pursed. “Natasha?” Darian asked, his sexy Greek accent making my name sound exotic. I opened my eyes and looked into what I knew to be his deep forest green eyes. He was smiling at me, his pretty-boy dimples brightening his face, I fought the urge to pinch his cheeks, though I doubt if he would have mind my doing so. I continued to look up at him and decided to give into the urge. I raised my right hand to his face and pinched his dimpled cheek between my finger and thumb. He chuckled slightly. I smiled then released him. “Come. Let us go.” Darian said, we walked towards his truck. He opened the door and peeked inside. “Hi master!” Tony, April, John, Miko and Annabelle exclaimed when they saw Darian open the door to climb in. He chuckled. “Hello.” Then he held out his hand to me, aiding me into the truck. He climbed in after me and closed the door behind himself. Xavier climbed in the driver’s side and started the engine. John switched seats with Miko so that he was directly behind Darian. He leaned forward by Darian's ear. “Master, are you thirsting?” John asked Darian, concerned. Darian turned slightly to face John and smiled. “Are you offering?” Darian questioned. “If you wish.” Darian smiled seductively, but gestured for John to return to his seat. John settled back against the cushions. He looked slightly disappointed. I wondered why, I assumed it was because he wanted to please Darian, but it could very well be that Darian's bite was the highest amount of pleasure John had experienced. I remembered the conversations we had shared while in Russia and I knew that John desired to share blood with Darian again. We rode in silence until Xavier pulled the SUV into the driveway of Darian's huge and extravagant mansion. We all climbed out and went inside. Darian turned to me and took my hand gently into his own. Tony closed the door behind us and everyone went their separate ways as if what happened in Russia, didn't happen. I suppose there was no need to dwell on it. Darian was free and the criminals were in jail and Annette was avenged. “You may stay here if you like, there is plenty of room.” Darian offered sincerely. I smiled. “Thank you, but I'm not ready to move in. But if you don't mind, may I spend the night here?” I asked. He gazed down at me and smiled. “Of course I do not mind. The invitation will be available to you whenever you decide to take me up on it,” he chuckled deeply. Hearing the sound of his voice always made me blush like a highschool girl with a crush. I looked at Xavier, he was standing to our left, his hands in his pockets as he gazed at us, smiling. I turn to look for John and saw that he had taken a seat on the sofa, he still looked disappointed, I frowned and looked back at Darian. “What is wrong?” Darian asked me when he noticed my expression. I gestured with my eyes towards John and Darian turned to glance at him. Darian faced me and flashed a mischievous grin. “I suppose he has earned it,” Darian turned and walked towards John, who looked up at Darian, smiling broadly. John started to rise, but Darian put his hands on John's shoulders, keeping him in a sitting position. Darian gazed seductively into John's dreamy expression. “Master?” John asked with a hint of uncertainty. Darian placed his knee on the sofa beside John and leaned into him. His left hand gently gripped John's chin, turning his head to the right. John's breathing began to increase as Darian bent towards his neck. John grimaced and bit his bottom lip as Darian's fangs pierced his flesh. I watched as John's expression became euphoric as Darian began to feed. Small whimpers came from John as his hands gripped the cushions of the sofa. A few seconds passed before John's grip fastened onto Darian's clothes, trying to pull him closer. A few more minutes passed before John cried out in ecstasy as he reached his climax through Darian's draining. His body trembled and twitched underneath Darian for several seconds. Darian pulled away, licking his lips, he moved to stand in front of John. Darian lifted his own left wrist to his mouth, biting into the tender flesh. I got a glimpse of his fangs when he withdrew, they appeared to be extremely sharp, not quite an inch in length but long enough to me! John's gaze locked onto Darian's wrist. His eyes became glassy as he watched the blood bubble up from Darian's veins. Darian extended his wrist to John, who took it immediately as if fearing Darian would snatch it back if he took but a second longer. John locked his mouth to the wound sinking his fangs deeply into Darian's flesh. His eyes closed slowly as he began to suck greedily. Through the corner of my eye I could see Xavier inhale deeply, then exhale slowly as he watched Darian bestow his blood to John. I could hear John moaning in pleasure as I watched his jaws work vigorously on Darian's wrist. I looked at Darian, his head was back and his eyes were closed, his mouth parted as his chest heaved slowly. Darian looked down at John as his feasting had become more animalistic. John began to grunt and his breathing had increased rapidly. Darian threw his head back, his fingers taking hold of John's blonde hair. Darian's breathing sped up, then he moaned loudly in pleasure, his eyes closed tightly as spasms rippled through his body. John roared low in his throat when he reached his second dry climax, both of their bodies jerked and twitched. Darian wrenched his wrist free when it was over. Releasing John's hair, he pressed his right hand on John's chest to keep the frantic vampire still. Darian watched John closely as he waited for him to come back to his senses. I was amazed as I watched all of this. I remembered what Darian's blood tasted like to me, but I didn't remember thirsting for

it as John seemed to be doing. When it appeared that John had regained his self-control Darian released him. John lowered his head in a bow. “Thank you, Master!” he said passionately. Darian smiled, he placed his hands underneath John's face and gently took hold of his chin, tilting his head upwards to meet his gaze. John's eyes locked onto Darian's and he began to blush. Darian did not say one word, but I could tell that the two men communicated just as well. John reached for Darian's wrist and kissed the back on his hand. Darian's smile widen, he straighten himself and walk towards us. That was by far the most erotic thing I've ever been witness to, dare I say I enjoyed it? “Shall I show you to your room, your exertions in Russia were no doubt exhausting. I want you to be comfortable here.” Darian flashed me his fabulous boyish grin. I nodded and he led the way. Xavier walked by my side as we headed down the tastefully decorated hallway. Darian slopped al a closed door, then he opened it. I peeked inside and was astounded by the grandeur of the bedroom. The floor had thick dark green carpeting that reminded me of the forest green of Darian's extraordinary eyes. I instantly adored the redwood canopy bed, and matching dresser and armoire. I walked into the room and looked around, running my fingertips along the smooth velvet hunter green colored drapes. I turned around to face Xavier and Darian, both men stood in the doorway. Darian was leaning against the frame, his arms crossed over his broad muscular chest and Xavier stood beside him, his hands in his pockets. Both men smiled at me. “I love this room!” I exclaimed. “I am pleased that you do, I had it decorated specifically for you,” Darian said with a charming smile. “You didn't have to do all of this.” I said, still amazed as I looked around the room. “Yes I did. Especially after all that you have done for me.” he uncrossed his arms as he walked towards me, taking me into his embrace. I wrapped my arms around him, relaxing my body as he held me. “When did you have this done?” I asked, remembering how we searched every room in the mansion, this room did not look like this at that time. As a matter of fact, I believed it was empty. “Gary followed my instructions while I was in the holding cell. I wanted it to be a surprise.” “Well it is! Thank you” “Natasha, I really do appreciate all that you have done for me, you had risked your life even when you did not have to, that does not go unnoticed.” Darian pulled away to look at me, he leaned forward and kissed me passionately. I could hear moaning and I knew it was me as I leaned further into Darian as if attempting to become one with him. Darian slowly pulled away, his hands caressing my face as he peered into my eyes. “You are extraordinary,” he said as if he were looking at one of the wonders of the world. I seriously doubted that I was that interesting. I began to blush and Darian chuckled. “Oh, don't be so modest!” he stated teasingly. “I'm not!” I exclaimed as I blushed even more. Darian laughed outright and then he kissed my forehead before releasing me. He walked toward Xavier who still stood in the doorway. Both men looked at me. “Goodnight, Natasha,” they said in unison. “We are next door, call us if you need anything.” Xavier said. I nodded and they closed the door behind them. I looked around the room again, it felt kind of uncomfortable to be sleeping in a completely strange environment, this time there was no one else in the room with me, though I felt some comfort in knowing Darian and Xavier were right next door...but I'm guessing they might not want to be disturbed. I chuckled to myself as I walked to the window and opened the thick velvet drapes. The land surrounding the mansion was beautiful. I marveled at the landscaping, there was a pond not too far from the mansion. I wondered if there were fish in the pond, probably were-knowing Darian. I closed the window and walked towards the bed. Darian was right, I was exhausted. Both my mind and body felt drained, I kicked off my shoes, took off my jeans and leaving my shirt on, I climbed under the soft blankets. It wasn't long before I drifted off to sleep. I did not dream of death or chaos, everything was peaceful.

Chapter Ten Requiem for Annette The police finally released Annette's body to her family four days after Darian was proven innocent. Her funeral was scheduled for the evening, which was a good thing because most of her coworkers and friends were night breeds, so if anyone wanted to come, the opportunity was open. One of the hardest things I have ever had to do was to look through Annette's things and pack them away. I was relieved and grateful that Elise, Darian and Xavier had helped me do it. I did not think I would have been able to do it on my own. Her room was completely empty now. I walked around the apartment and began to remember all of the happy times we spent together. I will always hold them dear to my heart. Annette was the first person I've ever met that was honest, fair and accepted me for who I was, that was how she was with anyone she ever met. I will miss her greatly. Her funeral services were to take place at 7pm tonight. I had the day off of work to shop for some flowers and an outfit to wear. I always hated going to funerals, even if I did not know the person who had died, I always felt other people's grief I brought myself a black two piece skirt suit. I took a shower and began to dress. Once I was completely dressed, I looked at myself in the mirror, black from head to toe. In Japan, they wear white to funerals, at least that is what I've heard, I could be wrong, though it makes sense to me to wear colors that weren't so grim. I remembered what Xavier had said about Annette being an angel. I smiled at the thought. I suppose she was and she might very well be watching over everyone she loved. I took a deep breath and stepped out of the room, reaching for my long black trench coat. Before I closed my apartment door, I remembered I forgot something I wanted to give to Annette. I ran back in to retrieve the duplicate of the photo of Annette and myself on my birthday. I put the framed photo inside of my purse and left. The drive over was uneventful, I pulled into the parking lot of the church and saw the black limo parked in front. I watched as Annette's mother and father climbed out of the limousine and walked into the church. I myself walked towards the church but stood outside of it. I held the picture of Annette and me in my hands, clutching it to my chest. Tears began to flow down my cheeks as I forced myself to accept the fact that she was gone. I looked up towards the church and took a step forward. “You are not going in alone, are you?” asked a familiar, deep, sexy voice from behind. I turned around and saw Elise, and possibly her entire Pride, Warren, Matthew and Adrian as well as Darian, Xavier and what I believe was his complete coven. My mouth dropped open, I could not believe that they would come to the funeral. Seeing all of them standing there was too overwhelming and the tears flowed freely from my eyes. Darian and Xavier walked over to me and each gave me a hug. Elise came around and hugged me after they had released me. “We are here for you, Natasha.” Elise said as she kissed me lightly on my forehead. My hands were trembling as I looked at them. “Is this Annette?” Elise asked and gestured towards the picture frame I was holding. I nodded then held it out to her. She took the frame and looked at it. The others surrounded her and glanced at the photograph as well. Elise smiled and handed the frame back to me. “She was beautiful, I can tell by the love you show for her that she was a wonderful person. I am deeply sorry for your loss,” Sergio said and then he embraced me lightly. “Thank you,” I said to everyone as I looked around at all of them standing there dressed in black from head to toe. For a minute I thought about the night we infiltrated the mansion. Darian stood on my right and Xavier on my left and both men offered me their arms. I looked up at them, they were gazing at me lovingly, making me feel warm inside. “Walking into the church won't bother you?” I asked curiously. “No. Mankind has found the few things that can actually harm us, there is nothing else,” Darian said smoothly. I smiled at them and placed the frame back inside my purse and looped my arms through theirs and all of us walked into the church. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw how many people were sitting in the pews. There had to be at least two hundred people! Some I recognized were Annette's family members and many of her friends from Desires Unleashed. I looked up at Darian, shocked. He glanced down at me and smiled. “The club is closed for tonight in honor of her memory. Everyone wanted to show their respects.” Darian whispered softly into my ear. I turned to look at everyone and smiled, Annette was respected and loved; and I decided right then and there, that thought alone would be my most fondest memory of my best friend. I walked towards the coffin and the others followed closely behind me. When I reached the casket, I looked inside and saw my beautiful friend laying there against the white satin as if she were asleep. Her hair had been curled and the soft curls framed her oval shaped face. Her slender fingers were interlocked together as her hands rested on her abdomen. She was dressed in a long lacy soft pink gown. I liked the cheerful pastel color on Annette, it mirrored her personality. I reached out and touched her hands lightly, saying my final farewell. I then reached inside my purse and pulled out the picture and placed it inside the coffin beside her and leaning over, I kissed her lightly on her forehead. “I love you and I will always remember you,” I whispered. I walked away to sit down in one of the pews. I looked over and saw Darian and Xavier gazing down at Annette. Both men turned in unison and walked towards me. They sat down in the pew beside me on my right and Elise and Sergio stepped past us taking the space on my left. Having them there gave me added comfort and strength... I did not feel so alone

anymore. We listened as Annette's family members and friends stood up to speak about her and how each would remember her. “You should say something, it will make you feel better.” Darian suggested softly. I looked at him, my face blushing, but he nudge me and smiled. I nodded and decided to raise my hand when the preacher asked if anyone else had anything to say. Darian and Xavier shifted their bodies to allow me to pass and I walked up to the front of the church, turning to face everyone in the pews. I began to feel a tinge of nervousness and I looked over at my friends, they smiled at me. Xavier nodded and Darian winked. I took a deep breath then began to speak. “Annette was my best friend, but more than that she was a beautiful and caring person. She was the kind of person that would open her heart and door to anyone who needed help. She was a free and feisty spirit and that only added to her total charm. A dear friend of mine reminded me that God isn't fallible, and that all things happen for a reason. Annette's time on this earth is now done and God has called home this lovely angel to watch over all of us from heaven. Her physical presence will be missed, but she will forever live on in here.” I pressed my right hand over my heart. “Thank you God, for giving me Annette.” I said as the tears flowed from my eyes. Everyone applauded as I headed back to my seat. Darian and Xavier rose as I slid in past them. Both men sat back down, Darian took my hand into his, squeezing it gently. I looked at him and smiled, he brought my hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly, be lore turning to face the preacher who had begun the service. The service lasted one hour and forty-five minutes. I enjoyed the sermon and the choir sang beautifully. During the gospel number the Choir was singing, I looked over and saw that Elise was crying, her hand covered her mouth. I suppose she is like me and funerals filled her with grief as well. I reached into my purse and handed her a tissue, she thanked me softly. Sergio leaned over, looked at Elise and chuckled. He held her hand and kissed her cheek. After the services were over we all said good-bye to Annette one last time before leaving the church. I felt a calming sense of peace come over me and I smiled. Darian came up beside me, gazing into my eyes. “Do you have anything that you want to do for tonight?” he asked, I nodded. “Yes, I would like to go to the wake at Annette's parents home. After that, I just want to go home and relax,” I looked up at both him and Xavier. “Do you want to come with me?” I asked, blushing as I did so. Darian raised his eyebrows and nodded, his boyish grin spreading across his face. Xavier lowered his head as he chuckled quietly, then nodded. “Oh, great! It's settled then.” I turned around to face Elise, Warren, Adrian and Matthew. I noticed that Adrian was standing very close to Warren, almost possessive in his stance. I wondered why, then I looked at Matthew and guessed that Adrian might have a spark of jealousy towards Matthew due to Warren and Matthew's strong bond. Warren strode over to me and gave me a hug and kissed me on my cheek. “I'm sorry for your loss, you have my condolences,” he said sweetly as he hugged me. “Thank you Warren,” I released him and he stepped back, Matthew walked over now and hugged me. I was overwhelmed by the amount of support and concern I was getting, it made me feel complete. “My condolences.” Matthew whispered, he released me. “Are you going to be alright?” I nodded and Matthew stepped back. One by one, all of them embraced me, even the few of Elise's Pride that I did not recognize. This was turning out to be a joyous night. It was not the night that we mourned the loss of Annette, it was the night we celebrated her homegoing. Elise and her Pride left, Warren, Adrian and Matthew said their farewells and left. Adrian and Warren climbed into Warren's Diamondback truck and Matthew climbed into his sports car. Xavier took my hand to lead me to Darian's car, I stopped when I entered the parking lot. “I drove my car here,” I said. “That's not a problem, I'll drive my car and you'll drive yours.” Darian said as he walked towards his car, then he turned and looked at Xavier. “You ride with her, I'll follow.” Darian disappeared into the car and closed the door. I climbed into the driver's seat, Xavier climbed in beside me. We drove to Annette's parents home. Cars were lined along the street and both Darian and I found it difficult to locate parking spaces, but we did. Darian had to park three blocks down, but he still beat me to Annette's parents home. Must be really nice to have superhuman speed. Xavier held my door open for me as I climbed out of my car. I rung the doorbell, Annette's cousin, Beverly opened the door. She gave me a sad smile as we hugged lightly before she stepped to the side to allow us entry. Darian and Xavier followed me, giving their condolences as they passed by Annette's family members and friends as did I. We made our way into the kitchen where Annette's mother was laying out the platters of food. I distinctly caught the scent of fried chicken...country fried chicken, that is. A most heavenly scent. I walked around the table and hugged Mrs. Balfour. I felt her pain as she held on tightly to me. Though she had three strapping sons, Annette was her only daughter and I couldn't imagine the pain she was feeling. I was aware that no loving parent ever wanted to have to bury their children. She struggled to keep from crying as she nodded her head as I gave her my most sincere condolences. “Annette loved you very much, Natasha. She would have wanted you to have this.” Mrs. Balfour said to me as she left the kitchen, heading towards her bedroom. I looked at Darian and Xavier, they remained quiet as we waited for Mrs. Balfour to return. She came back into the kitchen carrying a red jewelry box, which she handed to me, I opened it. Inside was a beautiful gold locket with intricate carvings of vines and roses. I looked up at Mrs. Balfour, speechless.

“It was a locket she was going to give her first born daughter. She loved you like you were her sister and I have always been fond of you myself, Natasha. So not only would Annette have wanted you to have it, but I want you to have it as well.” Mrs. Balfour dabbed her eyes with a white handkerchief. She gave me a small smile then hugged me once more. I could say nothing but “thank you” and I placed the red jewelry box inside my purse. Darian and Xavier walked over to Mrs. Balfour and Darian took her hand into his as he told her how sorry he was for her loss, Xavier did the same. I looked at them. “Oh! Where are my manners? I'm so sorry, Mrs. Balfour, these two gentlemen were Annette's employers. This is Darian Alexander,” I pointed lo Darian. “And Xavier Richards.” I was so taken by the moment, I had forgotten common etiquette. Mrs. Balfour smiled at both D arian and Xavier. “I want to thank you for being such wonderful employers to my daughter. She loved her job and never complained about having a hard day at work,” she said with a chuckle. “She was a pleasure to know, Mrs. Balfour.” Xavier kissed Mrs. Balfour on the back of her hand. Ever the gentleman. After a few minutes, I felt it was time to go and we said our goodbyes before leaving. I drove my car home, with Darian following close behind me until we reached my apartment and parked on the street. Darian had to park a little further down the block once again. We climbed the stairs to my third floor apartment, Darian closed the door behind us as I turned on all the lights. Darian and Xavier removed their coats and hung them in the closet. “Are you hungry? You can order something, I'll pay for it,” Xavier offered. “Thank you, I am hungry.” I said, regretting that I did not remember to bring the dinner plate that Mrs. Balfour had prepared for me. Oh! To have tasted one of those delicious smelling chicken wings! I reached for the menu to my favorite Chinese restaurant. I scanned through their menu list and settled on spicy combination fried rice, small beef pepper steak and a shrimp egg roll. I dialed the restaurant and told them what I wanted. They gave me the price and time of delivery. “It's going to be twenty-three dollars, they said it will be here in about thirty minutes.” Both Darian and Xavier reached into their pockets for their wallets and I giggled. They looked at me and smiled before putting their wallets back into their pockets. “You guys can turn on the television, I'm going to go and change into something more comfortable,” I said. I went to my bedroom and dressed quickly in a pair of pajama bottoms with dolphins on them and an old t-shirt from my high school gym uniform. I took the red jewel box out of my purse and opened it. The gold locket sparkled on it's thin gold chain. I removed the locket and opened it. It was empty, Annette was saving the space for a very special picture. I was very honored that her mother had given me Annette's treasure. I closed the locket, placing it back into the red box, putting the box into my dresser. When I emerged from the bedroom, Darian and Xavier were watching television. Darian's long, powerful figure was sprawled on the sofa and Xavier was lounging in the chair, his long muscular legs stretched out before him. They both looked so ravishing, so mouth-watering. When I approached, Darian sat up on the sofa, making room for me. “No, don't bother, I'm going to sit here.” I said gesturing to the other chair opposite Xavier's. Darian nodded and laid back down. I could tell he was a man that enjoyed comfort and luxuries. There was nothing wrong with that, who didn't? “Turn to the news, I want to see what's going on in the world,” I said. Xavier clicked the remote to the ten o'clock news. We watched, finding out about the weather for the next five days, it would appear that the temperatures would be picking up. There were more car crashes that happened throughout the city, thankfully, none of them were deadly. A few minutes later, the door bell rung, both Darian and Xavier rose. Darian looked at Xavier and smiled. “I will handle this tab.” Darian chuckled, Xavier nodded and sat back down into the chair. Darian opened the door and took the bag from the delivery man and handed him several bills. The delivery man appeared to be very happy with his tip, he thanked Darian repeatedly as the door closed. Darian gave me the brown bag then returned to his position on the sofa. I thanked him as I opened the food containers spreading them out on the cocktail table before me. I started digging into the fried rice first. As we continued to watch the news, the anchorwoman announced they had a special report just in: Apparently... “The bodies of alleged Russian mafia boss Eremei Andreev and mafia member Lidiya Belyakov were found dead in a car near O'Lare Airport. And another suspected member who S.U.I.T. officials believe was tied to the case, Filipp Yaroslav was discovered dead in a hotel room in Chicago's downtown district. It was reported that Filipp had ties with the Russian mafia, he was later identified as the assassin who attacked the S.U.I.T. division a week ago, killing two S.U.I.T. officers and injuring others.” The reporter said that: “The killings were done execution style. It was speculated that the victims had been dead for two days, before police found them. There is no information yet on the two undercover officers that had been escorting Eremei and Lidiya to the airport. The officers are said to be hospitalized and their condition is unknown at this time. The anchorwoman continued. “Eremei Andreev and Lidiya Belyakov were the two suspects in the murder of Annette Balfour. Both had confessed to the murder, but do to previous outstanding warrants in Moscow, the two were being extradited to Russia. Police have no leads in this case.” The reporter stated then moved on to others issues. I looked at Darian and Xavier, both seemed unfazed by the news. Each looked at me. “What is the matter?” Xavier asked, nonchalantly. “You know what I'm thinking about! Did you kill them?” I asked shocked and curious at the same time. “Well, yes and no,” Xavier replied calmly. “I killed Filipp Yaroslav, he was the hitman assigned to assassinate me while I was in the holding cell.” Darian confessed without a hint of emotion.

“And I killed Eremei, but Tony killed Lidiya,” Xavier said. I couldn't believe my ears, I did not know whether to be happy that they did not get away with Annette's murder, or frightened by the realization that these two gorgeous men in my presence actually did the murders. I decided to be both. “Does this bother you?” Darian asked softly as he sat up on the sofa. “I'm not sure. I mean...I'm glad that they did not get away with it, but it was cold-blooded murder,” I said apprehensively. “It was, there is no way we can dress up that fact. However, it was necessary. There are now a few less murdering thieves in the world,” Darian stated. I pondered the new information and decided to let it go. I believe this is what John meant when he said Xavier wouldn't let them go free. What was done was done and in a strange way, justice was served. Besides, Eremei said that he would go free. Who's to say that he wouldn't try to extract revenge? “I suppose you are right,” I said nodding my head slowly. Darian settled back into the cushions, crossing one leg over the other as he peered at me. He had an expression on his face that told me he was studying me. I stared at him. “What?” “You are such a remarkable creature that I never know what is on your mind. I find that to be extremely alluring. When I am around you, I feel this strange excitement just wondering what you will say or do next,” Darian confessed passionately. It made me blush, I could feel my cheeks flaming. Xavier chuckled. “Now you know why I love her, but there is so much more to her, my love...so much more,” he gazed at me lovingly. My stomach began to flutter, my lips parted in a wide grin, tightening my cheeks. I looked at the both of them, here they were, in my home. Their beauty was overwhelming and I began to remember all the times I've seen them together and the chemistry they shared. I realized it was a bond that would probably never break. If I was going to dip the tip of my toe into this relationship, I was going to have to accept that fact. I decided to ask a very bold question, I hoped they would not be insulted. I looked at the two men as they gazed at me. “Darian, Xavier, may I ask a very personal favor of you?” “Of course, ask of us anything that you want.” Darian responded kindly. “This is very difficult for me to ask you, but I'm going to ask you anyway because I feel that it is necessary.” I began, knowing that I must overcome my shyness. I took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. They were watching me silently, waiting for me to continue. “Would you two mind, you know...doing it...so I can see?” I asked softly, blushing intensely. At this point my entire face felt hot underneath the skin. Darian's eyebrows were raised, he had a comical expression on his face that let me know he was surprised at my request. Xavier's was one of shock, but then his expression changed into a smile. “Are you sure that you want this?” Darian asked me, he leaned forward to study me better, I nodded. “I never would have guess that would have been your request.” Xavier said, still in shock. “Her unpredictability is what I adore!” Darian declared, laughing outright. “Will you do it?” I asked nervously. Darian calmed down his laughter and looked at me. He turned to face Xavier and both men nodded. I felt a hint of relief when they agreed. “We can go to my bedroom,” I said. “So soon?” Xavier asked. I rose from my chair and looked at him. “Yes, if we don't do it now, I fear that I will never gain the courage to ask you again.” Both men looked at each other and rose from the sofa instantaneously. Darian and Xavier followed me into my bedroom, Xavier closed the door behind us. I sat in my little wooden chair against the wall and drew my legs up so that I could peek at them over my knees. Darian turned to Xavier and whispered something to him, Xavier chuckled and nodded. Darian stepped smoothly behind Xavier, he wrapped his arms around Xavier's chest. Darian's hands began to message Xavier's pecs through his shirt, his fingers began to loosen Xavier's tie then moving to unbutton Xavier's shirt very slowly one button at a time. Xavier watched me from across the room as he allowed Darian to remove his tie and shirt. Darian tossed the shirt and tie to the floor, he began to kiss along the nape of Xavier's neck, lightly pecking his way to his shoulders. Xavier turned to face Darian and their lips met in a passion-filled kiss. Darian's strong hands caressed Xavier's arms, then slowly moved to undo his pants. Xavier broke the kiss then turned towards me, smiling flirtatiously as Darian slid his slacks down slowly. Once again, Xavier did not wear underwear and he sprung up when his pants were removed. Looking at him fully erect made me squeal like a virgin nun! Both men chuckled but continued. Xavier stepped out of his shoes then turned around, giving me a wonderful view of his perfect backside. I practically drooled as my eyes trailed down Xavier's spine to his firm buttocks. Darian remained still as Xavier began to undress him. Xavier took his time, slowly removing Darian's shirt, tie and pants in the same fashion Darian removed his. I began to realize that they were teasing me by putting on a show for my benefit. I was thankful that my lecherous grin was hidden behind my drawn-up knees. Xavier climbed onto the bed first in one smooth movement. Darian covered Xavier's body with his own as he began kissing, nibbling and

licking his way further down to Xavier's nether region. I locked my fingers together around my legs tightly as I watched them from across the room. When Darian took Xavier into his mouth, I fought the urge to squeal again. I just decided to hold my breath as I watched Xavier wither on the bed in pleasure as Darian's head bobbed slowly up and down in long strokes over Xavier's erection. I watched for several minutes before Xavier arched on the bed, belting out a loud moan, before collapsing back onto the sheets. Darian pulled away. “No...not yet,” he whispered seductively (but loud enough for me to hear) to Xavier, who panted, but said nothing. Darian continued to work Xavier over, Xavier's fingers found Darian's silky locks, he played with Darian's hair as he squirmed underneath his skillful mouth. Several minutes past before Darian shifted his body so that his manhood was poised in front of Xavier's mouth. Xavier's right hand reached up and took hold of Darian's impressive, uncircumcised manhood. He began to stroke it lightly before teasing the mushroom-shaped head with the tip of his tongue. Darian groaned in pleasure as Xavier tasted him. After the tease, Xavier opened his mouth wide, taking all of Darian inside. I watched in amazement as they serviced each other right there in front of me. “Oh, my god!” I whispered to myself as I witnessed their love-making at my request. Darian moved away from Xavier pulling himself from his lips, he rolled Xavier onto his stomach and gently began to kiss, lick and suckle his way further down to the rise of Xavier's buttocks, then his face disappeared behind the firm mounds. Xavier's eyes fluttered close as he released a long shuddering moan, his hands gripping the sheets tightly. This time, I did squeal and my fingers tightened around each other. There was an expression of pure ecstasy on Xavier's face as he panted on the bed, every once in a while, biting his luscious bottom lip. His breathing increased and then his body began to convulse and he cried out again and again until he fell limp onto the sheets. Darian's head reappeared, he slid up, covering Xavier's body with his own. Xavier twitched and groaned as Darian entered him. My eyes grew as huge as saucers as I watched Darian slide into Xavier. Xavier began to push back slowly as Darian pushed forward. Both men groaned in pleasure as they made love. I marveled at Darian's body and began to feel my own lust for him. I watched his muscles work under his moist skin and I could feel my breathing increase. I looked at the expression of pure rapture spreading across his face as he pushed deeper into Xavier. Then he did something that I was not expecting, he opened his eyes and looked at me and smiled. I didn't think it was possible for me to blush any further, but I could feel the heat rise to my face and sweat began to seep from my pores. Darian's fangs began to extend, he reared his head back, his left hand gripped Xavier's chin and slightly tilted his head backwards. Darian plunged his fangs deep into Xavier's dark purple vein causing him to jerked and gasped, his fingers gripped the sheets tighter pulling them free from the mattress. After a few more minutes, Xavier began to cry out again, his body convulsed and twitched as his climax ripped through him. Darian began to increase his speed as he reached his own pinnacle. Both men moaned and groaned out loud, only Darian's moans of ecstasy were muffled by Xavier's skin as he continued to feed from him. Xavier let lose one last convulsion then his body collapsed on the bed and Darian slowly withdrew. His lips were bloody, but his tongue quickly licked the blood clean. A tremor ran through him and then he rolled away. I sat in the chair, completely transfixed by what I'd seen. I looked at Darian's body, his impressive manhood was beginning to soften and his sculptured muscles twitched slightly as his breathing returned to normal. Xavier laid face down on the bed, panting. His body trembled still, but I could tell he was simmering down, his eyes were closed as he rested. Darian stirred and rolled over on his stomach, he looked up at me, smiling, he glanced at Xavier and chuckled. I could see Xavier smiling from my angle then I noticed that his shoulders shook slightly from his laughter. Darian returned his gaze to me and winked. A mischievous grin appeared on his face bringing out his beguiling dimples. “Did you enjoy watching us?” Darian asked me in his smooth charming Greek-accented voice. “I'm not telling!” I said playfully. It was true, though. I could not bring myself to answer him truthfully, I couldn't express the words; 'hell yeah, that was hot!' It was easier for me to stay plastered to the seat, hiding my blushing cheeks and perverted grin behind my knees. Xavier languidly lifted his head and looked at me. He laughed softly. “She enjoyed it!” he exposed my true feelings. My eyebrows creased but then I began to snicker. Darian laughed as he collapsed onto the sheets. “I'm exhausted!” Xavier declared. “As you should be,” Darian stated with an irresistible smile. “Yeah, I would not be had you not drained me so!” Xavier retorted playfully. “Stop complaining, you loved it!” Darian teased, Xavier chuckled. Darian looked back at me. “Are you more comfortable now that you have seen us together?” he asked, studying me closely. “Yes, I do feel more comfortable. It is no longer a mystery to me and though you guys do not know this, it was hard for me to watch-but...I did enjoy it,” I confessed sheepishly. Both Darian and Xavier laughed outright. Darian propped himself on his elbows and looked at me. “So does this mean you have decided to join us?” he asked. “Well, I'm willing to give it the good ol’ college try.” I managed to lower my legs until my feet were on the floor. “Excellent,” Darian said triumphantly. I gave him a suspicious glance and he smiled at me mischievously. “What is with the triumphant, 'excellent!'?” I asked. “There was nothing behind it. I'm just happy that you decided to give us...” he made a sweeping gesture to the three of us in the room. “...A chance.” He climbed out of the bed and I began to blush again. His thick manhood swung limply between his legs as he walked towards me. The muscles in his thighs and stomach flexed with each step he took. He kneeled in front of me, placing each hand on my knees. “I've wanted you from the moment you proved that you were no ordinary woman. I want you to know that I will do my best to please you, for you deserve the very best.” He said softly then he rose and kissed me on both of my cheeks. My eyes locked onto his enchanting forest green gaze and I grinned widely. “I'm going to hold you to that,” I said. I looked past him at Xavier who had fallen asleep on the bed. Darian turned around and glanced at his lover, he chuckled. He walked over to him and moved his body on the bed to allow room for another person.

Darian turned around to face me. “Do you want us to leave, or stay?” he asked respectfully. I thought about it and decided I wanted them to stay. “I want you to stay, you can sleep in here. I'm going to sleep on the sofa.” “Nonsense, I don't want you sleeping on an uncomfortable sofa.” Darian said shaking his head. “No...no, it is okay, the sofa is very comfortable, you should know, you were lounging on it earlier.” He made a face. “That is my point exactly, I now know from my own unfortunate experience that the sofa is uncomfortable. You will sleep in here, I will let out the sofa and Xavier and I will rest there.” Without waiting another second, he gently lifted Xavier in his arms and carried him out of the bedroom. I slowly walked over to the bed and looked at the sheets. There were a few stains where Xavier laid. I giggled then removed the sheets, replacing them with fresh ones. After brushing my teeth and using the necessities, I decided to check in on my two guys before I went to bed. I opened my bedroom door and peeked into the living room. Xavier was laying on his side on the let-out sofa and Darian laid next to him, spooning him. His arms were wrapped around Xavier as they rested. I figured they might get up in a few hours from now, the night was still young. I also figured they wouldn't be in my apartment when I awoke. That was fine, just having them there for now made me feel a certain sense of peace. I closed the door and climbed into my bed. I could still smell the scents from their colognes on the pillow as I laid there. I closed my eyes and thought of them, of the relationship that we were going to have and I smiled.